Centre to Promote Planned Urbanization to Enhance Quality of Life

“Speaking to in the seminar Smart Cities for the Next Generation : International Conclave of City Leaders “ on the side lines of Vibrant Gujarat in Gandhinagar today the minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Venkaiyah Naidu said the in out country, we have cities and towns of different sizes and states of development and diverse characteristics. They warrant different approaches. Accordingly, 100 smart cities need to be promoted, equipping other identified cities with basic infrastructure under National Urban Development Mission, revive heritage cities under HRIDAY (Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana), ensure cleanliness in the next five years in all the 4,041 census towns under Swachh Bharat Mission, enhance livelihood opportunities in urban areas through skill development under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana and ensure decent houses under Housing for All by 2022. He added that our vision and mission for urban areas is graded and comprehensive.           The minister also said that our smart cities shall be financially and ecologically sustainable so that future generations are not deprived of their right to quality living. The full text of Minsiters Speech is encloased below : “Friends ! I am indeed delighted to be with you all today. This gives me an opportunity to present a brief account of what is in store for all of us on the canvas of ‘new urban India’ that we seek to build. All roads are now leading to India as a ‘Resurgent India’ unfolds under the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Of course, this journey is through Vibrant Gujarat. Gujarat has an unique place in the making of India. It gave us Gandhi ji, Sardar Patel and Shri Narendra Modi, to name some of the illustrious sons of our motherland. This state is known for its entrepreneurship, creativity and new ideas which  have significantly contributed to the nation building. This is my second visit to Gujarat in three days. The other day, it was a sentimental encounter with over 4,000 Pravasi Bharatiyas who came here to renew their bonds with the land of their origin. Today, we are here to feel the vibrancy of Gujarat, for which, the seeds were sown by our Prime Minister, when he was the Chief Minister of this state. Gujarat has embarked on the path of rapid growth and development under shri Modi. The Gujarat Model is now the flavor of the country and is being emulated by other states. After several decades of ideological wars on the right model of socio-economic development, the predominant philosophy that has now come to prevail is ‘welfare through economic growth and development’. Economic development unfolds opportunities to all sections of the aspirants. Our Prime Minister is committed to ‘inclusive growth’. Nothing could be more inclusive than the slogan of our Prime Minister, which being –‘Sab ka saath : Sab ka vikas’. Yesterday, all of you heard our Prime Minister unveil his vision of ‘transforming India’ and its broad contours. I don’t have to further elaborate on what is being done to unveil a Resurgent India. Friends ! I also handle Parliamentary Affairs. In that capacity, I would like to briefly share with all of you as to what we have being doing to vindicate our commitment to remove hurdles in the way of economic recovery. Investors both within and outside India have been led to despair over the event of last few years. They were marked by drift, lack of direction and intent, policy paralysis etc. As a result, we have lost valuable time. Economy was on the slide. Opportunities of personal advancement for the aspirants of Young India have vanished in thin air. As a result, there was a sense of despondency among the people. This was the context in which the last elections to the Lok Sabha were held. People of this country rallied behind Shri Narendra Modi as they saw a ‘Leader’ in him who could lead them and help them meet their aspirations. Our government does not have the luxury of doing things leisurely. We have to move fast in the direction of course correction. In Parliamentary democracy, legislative action is the best way of conveying our intent. We were keen to move on with some important legislations in the Parliament. Our first Budget session went off well and was widely welcomed. But during the recent winter session, dynamics of numbers in the Upper House i.e Rajya Sabha unfolded in a way that should have been avoided. Our government was clearly under scrutiny both from within and outside. The state of our national economy needed quick action. As I said earlier, our country did not have the luxury time and leisurely action. In such an imperative context, we had to come out with Ordinances, which have the power of the Law of Parliament on critical issues like auctioning of coal blocks, increasing FDI in insurance sector, enabling land acquisition with reduced transactional and opportunity costs without compromising the interests of land owners etc. These ordinances were primarily to convey our commitment to enhance investment climate in the country and improve ‘ease of doing business’, essential for reviving the economy. Ordinances are extra-ordinary instruments of legislations. We had to take this route because we are passing through extra-ordinary times and situations. Let me assure you all that in our country there is a broad consensus on nurturing economic reforms that are being undertaken on a large scale since 1991. Politics may generate some heat certain times. But at the end of it, national interests prevail. We have the responsibility of talking it out with our friends in the opposition. I am confident that all such Ordinances will be replaced by Acts of Parliament in the coming Budget session of Parliament. Friends ! I would now like to give you all an account of what we intend to do in the urban development sector with special reference to building of smart cities and other initiatives. As per 2011 Census, 377 million Indians, accounting for 31% of total population live in urban areas. We have over 7,900 urban habitations, out of which 4,041 are Census towns. About 63% of our GDP comes from urban areas. The largest 100 cities, comprising of 16% of our population and only 0.24% of land area, account for 43% of GDP. Globally, about 80% of GDP is generated in urban areas. This goes to prove the intrinsic linkages between urbanization and economic growth. Accordingly, we are looking at urbanization as an opportunity to be harnessed in the larger interest. Studies have also established that while urbanization is slow till it reaches 30%, it will be quicker till it reaches 60%. We are at this inflection point. We want to seize this opportunity. Because of ‘pull and push’ factors of migration, urbanization in our country has been haphazard on our country. We are keen to promote planned urbanization to enhance the quality of urban life to enable fullest expression of inherent and creative energies of countrymen. This is a challenging task. Nevertheless, we are committed to ‘walk the talk’. In our country, we have cities and towns of different sizes and states of development and diverse characteristics. They warrant different approaches. Accordingly, we want to promote emergence of 100 smart cities, equipping other identified cities with basic infrastructure under National Urban Development Mission, revive heritage cities under HRIDAY (Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana), ensure cleanliness in the next five years in all the 4,041 census towns under Swachh Bharat Mission, enhance livelihood opportunities in urban areas through skill development under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana and ensure decent houses under Housing for All by 2022.  Accordingly, our vision and mission for urban areas is graded and comprehensive. Smart Cities In recent times, no other scheme or idea has stirred the imagination of the people as much as smart cities initiative, ever since it was first mentioned by our leader Shri Narendra Modi, during Lok Sabha election campaign. It is an idea whose time has come in our county and can not be stopped. Literature on smart cities has different definitions. We are keen to have own version of smart cities keeping in view the contemporary problems in urban areas and emerging challenges like reducing carbon emissions.           Contemporary issues in urban areas being – urban mobility problems, inadequate water and power supply, solid waste management, sanitation,  lack of equity in access to resources like land and public spaces, shrinking availability of land and above all, poor urban governance.           Urban areas being the seat of industrial, business and other economic activities and coupled with high density of population, reducing adverse impact on environment through rising pollution and carbon emissions is the major emerging challenge.           All those living in urban areas and in particular, the young, just born and still to be borne have a fundamental right to a clean environment.           Youth and still to be borne also have a right to livelihood opportunities in urban areas. This is particularly so because urban areas are seen as islands of opportunities.           It is in this context that our smart cities have a futuristic dimension.           Broadly, under smart cities initiative is to strengthen physical, social, economic and  institutional infrastructure for better living.           In other words, we intend to promote ‘walk to work living’, use of public transport instead of private transport, easy access to  educational, health and recreational facilities, 24 x 7 water and power supply, cleanliness,  participatory, citizen centric and responsive governance through adoption of ICT platforms, reduced energy consumption etc.           In nutshell, our smart cities shall be financially and ecologically sustainable so that future generations are not deprived of their right to quality living.           I know, it is easier said than done. In my view, what is more fundamental to better urban planning and management is ‘smart leadership’. We need leadership in urban areas who can adopt realistic approach towards collection of taxes and recovery of cost of utilities and ensure effective urban governance.           Being aware of the magnitude of the challenge of ensuring a turn around in our urban planning and governance to make urban areas as growth engines, soon after assuming office, I have convened a National Conclave of Urban Development Ministers. After two days of intense deliberations, for the first time, a National Declaration was adopted under which states have committed to implement a set of 25 identified urban reforms.           Further to the exhortations of our Prime Minister on converting growing urbanisatioin into an economic opportunity, a new consciousness has just begun to take roots. We need to take this forward to realize desired outcomes.           Smart cities do not just mean building sky scrapers, constructing glossy buildings and constructing wide roads for private vehicles to zoom up and down.           On the other hand, we need to usher in new mindsets and governance approaches for better management of limited resources to realize ‘inclusivity’ and ‘sustainability’.           In my view, a smart city is not one where in everyone prefers to own a car but one where even a car owner prefers to use public transport. In Barcelona, over 80% use public transport while in Atlanta, it is the reverse. With similar population size, adverse impacts of Atlanta on environment are five times that of Barcelona.           Regarding operational principles of building smart cities, we are looking at different ways of doing so. One is Retrofitting. Under this, infrastructure deficiencies will be addressed, like building and widening of roads, laying water and electricity lines, providing public spaces, promoting cycling, replacing halogen lights with LED bulbs, promoting solid waste management etc.           The second way is Redevelopment under which identified areas would be rebuilt when the existing conditions are just not amenable to improvement through retrofitting.           The third component being building new cities like the GIFT city and Dholera smart city in Gujarat. Friends !           Now, the crucial issue of financing.           A High Powered Committee set up by the government has estimated that an investment of Rs.40 lakh crores would be needed over the next 20 years to provide basic infrastructure in urban areas. In addition, about Rs.20 lakh crores will be required for Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of urban assets and utilities over the same period. So, a minimum of Rs.60 lakh crores investment is required in urban infrastructure sector. This is of the order of US $ 952 billions.           To meet smart city needs like e-governance structures and round the clock water and power supply, it would be even more.           This order of investments can not certainly be possible with government resources.           Hence, we intend to promote domestic and foreign private investments through Public-Private Partnership route.           Accordingly, building a new urban India offers immense investment opportunities. The government is committed to do the needful to enable the flow of such a huge order of investments.           With cities and states becoming competitive to invite investments, I am hopeful that together we can make it happen.           I will be too happy to receive any suggestions on this from this august gathering.           To transform India, we have to transform our urban areas. We can’t miss this opportunity.           Let us walk together to realize India of the dream of Shri Narendra Modi which is also the dream of every Indian.

Indian Innovation Centre

Indian Innovation Centre Will be Established : Y.S. Chowdary

While addressing a Seminar “Innovation : the torchbearer of 21st Century” held on under the aegis of Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 at Gandhinagar, Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and earth Sciences Shri Y.S. Chowdary said that his Ministry is thinking to establish an Indian Innovation Centre and all states of the country will be members of this innovation centre. He also expresses the need to establish science city in every state of country. Minister said that he was glad to speak at Vibrant Gujarat. He said that science has no religion or region. Entire world feels the same requirement and importance of science. India gave basic math’s knowledge to the world and even Einstein recognized it, he added. The Minister Shri Chowdary spoke about the challenges that science sector is facing. He said that many scientists published many research papers but they did not get proper connectivity and network. Innovations have been done but they did not get proper recognition. Innovation can solve the problem of how to showcase once a product is in the market and how to reach the needful people, he added. The Minister said that youth get certificates but not skills and that creates the problem of unemployment. Each and every youth should get the job that is the challenge for us today. Shri Chowdary stressed the significance of innovation by saying that through innovation we can promote women to enhance their productivity, farmers to take insurance for their health and crop, development of medical instruments and applications. He said that his Ministry is committed to recognize the need of people and promote the innovations for them.

“Water Literacy Mission” for Water Conservation”

Prakash Javdekar Announces “Water Literacy Mission” for Water Conservation”

Union Minister of Environment Mr. Prakash Javdekar today announced that Government is going to launch “Water Literacy Mission” to ensure Water Conservation. Speaking on “Water Security, Climate Change and Sustainable Development” in a seminar at Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor’s Summit at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar today, he said that public awareness is most needed for water conservation and for protection of natural resources. He added that no act or law could ensure this target if not taken up by people as a mass movement. He said that rejuvenation of Ganga is a step ahead towards cleanliness and added that we should emphasize on pollution free rivers in addition to expand concept of linking of rivers. He advocated linking of paralleled rivers Godavari and Krishna of South India too. Mr. Javdekar assured to take decision on schemes regarding providing water to areas in draught prone areas in which farmers are inspired for suicide. These schemes will be low-cost, eco friendly and long-termed, he added. Minister of Denmark, Mr. Morgen Jension and Minister of Gujarat Shri Vijay Rupani also spoke on the occasion. Experts like Prof. Asit Kumar Biswas and Mr. Bundi Lohani participated in the penal discussion.

Idukki in Kerala Becomes the First District of India with Complete Rural Broadband Coverage

Idukki in Kerala Becomes the First District of India with Complete Rural Broadband Coverage

Hon’ble Minister for Communications and IT Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad today commissioned the first high speed rural broadband of India at the Idukki district in Kerala. The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Kerala Shri Oommen Chandy, Hon’ble Minister for Industry and IT, Govt. of Kerala Shri P. K. Kunhalikutty and Secretary Telecom Shri Rakesh Garg were present on this occasion. With the commissioning of the NOFN network, Idukki district of Kerala has become the first in India to be connected with high speed rural broadband. Currently the District has a total of 8 Block Offices & 53 Gram Panchayats of which 8 Block Offices & 52 Gram Panchayats have been connected on Optical Fibre and one Gram Panchayat, namely Edamalakudy, is connected through VSAT. Edamalakudy, is a Tribal Gram Panchayat consisting of 26 Tribal villages with a population of around 2200. It is remotely located around 18 Kms from Pettimudi which is last point one can go in a vehicle. BSNL has made exceptional efforts in connecting this Gram Panchayat and now Broadband Internet as well as Mobile services are available over here. For the first time the villages under this Panchayat would be connected through Mobile phones and internet.

Right to e-vote for NRI

The Supreme Court directed the government to ensure that a system is put in place to allow NRIs to e-vote within 8 weeks.

The move came after the government made it clear to the apex court that it was willing to accept the recommendations put forth by the Election Commission in this regard.

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the EC’s recommendation to extend voting rights to NRIs through postal ballots have been accepted in letter and spirit.

Taking note of the submissions, a bench comprising Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and A.K. Sikri asked the Centre to inform it about “further steps taken to implement the suggestions.”

The bench posted the matter after eight weeks, asking the Centre to do the needful at the earliest.

“Since the views and recommendation have been accepted let them go ahead with the follow-up. They will have to carry out the follow—up process at the earliest,” the bench said.

The Centre’s stand was clarified by Additional Solicitor General P.L. Narasimha, who said certain amendments are required to be carried out and the ministry of law is working on them, taking into consideration the EC recommendations.

On November 14 last year, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to make its stand clear on the EC’s proposal for allowing NRIs to cast their votes through proxy voting and e-ballots in polls in India.

The apex court had then granted four weeks time to the government to respond to the proposal prepared by a 12-member committee led by Vinod Zutshi, Deputy Election Commissioner, for ‘Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors’

In the report, the committee has said it is of the view that e-postal ballot, where blank postal ballot is transferred electronically to NRIs and returned by post, can be employed after validation of the process and pilot implementation in one or two constituencies.

The report further said the process can be scaled up for Parliamentary elections, if found feasible, practicable and meeting the objectives of free and fair polls.

The committee comprising officials from the EC, Law Ministry and MEA had gathered opinion from all sections before submitting a report to the apex court.

The poll panel had contended that the move to allow NRIs to use proxy voting on the lines of defence personnel and e-ballot facility will require changes in the law and a legislative framework.

According to the provisions of the Representation of People Act, a person who is a citizen of India and who has not acquired the citizenship of any other country and is otherwise eligible to be registered as a voter and who is absent from his place of ordinary residence in India owing to employment, education or otherwise, is eligible to be registered as a voter in the constituency in which his place of residence in India, as mentioned in his passport, is located.

The court had earlier asked the EC to place before it the report of the committee set up by it to “study various available options for the purpose of NRI voting“.

The apex court was hearing a batch of PILs in which it has been contended that the existing provision which mandates NRI voter to be physically present in the constituency to exercise his vote was discriminatory and violative of fundamental rights.

The petitioners, including NRI Shamsheer VP, have submitted that over one crore people will be entitled to cast their vote if NRIs are allowed to vote from overseas.

The PILs said 114 countries have adopted external voting and among them are 20 Asian countries. It said the external voting could be held by setting up polling booths at the diplomatic mission, or by postal, proxy or electronic voting

National youth day

स्वामी विवेकानंद : संम्भव की सीमा जानने का केवल एक ही तरीका है, असंम्भव से भी आगे निकल जाना।

स्वामी विवेकानंद जी को उनकी जयन्ती पर शत् शत् नमन।
आज राष्ट्रीय युवा दिवस भी मनाया जाता है।

America in a tangle over aid to Pakistan

Several ambiguities exist in the discourse on how much — or how little — money has flowed from Washington to Islamabad and under what conditions

The U.S.’ complex relationship with Pakistan was back in the spotlight last week when it became evident to beltway policy-wallahs that a private diplomatic conversation between the American Ambassador in Islamabad and the Pakistani Finance Minister had been twisted into a formal press release hinting at the promise of $532 million in aid under a now-expired Act.

In two successive daily press briefings the State Department was quick to stoutly deny that the U.S. Congress had been notified about any such funds for Islamabad, and to spell out the minutiae of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act (KLB), also known as the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009, under which the U.S. is authorised to finance its South Asian friend to the tune of $7.5 billion between 2010 and 2014.

Ambiguities

Yet, apart from the apparent misreading of Ambassador Richard Olson’s comments, which some in U.S. officialdom generously characterised as a “publication mistake,” the episode has revealed several ambiguities in the broader discourse, in terms of how much — or how little — money has flowed from Washington to Islamabad under the rubric of the KLB, and under what conditions.

On the question of aid conditionality, officials in the U.S. went to great lengths to emphasise last week that not once since Hillary Clinton’s assurances in March 2011 had the State Department provided “certification” that the government of Pakistan was “continuing to cooperate with U.S. efforts to dismantle nuclear weapons-related material supplier networks and make significant efforts to combat terrorist groups.”

Certification of this sort, which Section 203 of the KLB calls for annually, is a prerequisite for security assistance and arms transfers.

The reason why it is closely watched by New Delhi and Indian media is that it implies that Islamabad is also “preventing al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, from operating in the territory of Pakistan, including carrying out cross-border attacks into neighbouring countries…”

According to one expert on Pakistan-U.S. politics, Professor Christine Fair of Georgetown University, Secretary Clinton “perjured herself” three years ago when she certified that Islamabad was complying with this counterterrorism norm, a suggestion that is consistent with the Obama White House insisting on a “waiver” after Pakistan’s knowledge of Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad was questioned.

A waiver of certain conditionality requirements in U.S. “national security interests” is a facet not only of KLB — others include the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programmes, Division I, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012; and the National Defense Authorisation Act for FY2010 — a point of confusion in last week’s debates on which funds were, promised, notified or disbursed.

However certification is quintessentially the opposite of the waiver. KLB certification suggests that Pakistan was in compliance with counter-terrorism requirements.

The application of the waiver, which has happened numerous times for KLB and appropriations funding, implies that Washington deemed it necessary from a “national security interests” standpoint to transfer the aid despite Pakistan’s failure to fully comply with the requirements.

Under the rubric of these parameters how much money did Pakistan actually receive?

Amount received

Reporting by Congressional Research Services, a non-partisan think-tank in Washington, suggests that total security related U.S. aid appropriations for and military reimbursements to Pakistan rose from $989m in FY2009 to $1.27bn in FY2011 and then dropped off to an estimated $353m by 2014.

In this context it should be noted that there are multiple components to this layered process: reviews, certifications, waivers, notifications and, finally, disbursement of funds.

From government data on KLB funding it is clear that the amounts disbursed for each year from 2010-2013 inclusive were, in order, $1.515bn, $1.086bn, $1bn, $1.071bn.

For the final tranche of KLB funding, for FY2014, the review and waiver were provided in July 2014 but notification has not been provided, and is likely to happen in 2015. The amount mentioned by Ambassador, $532m, is “unlikely to be the final number.”

The deeper question that these transactions provoke however is, what is the quality of the bilateral relationship here, especially given that U.S. lawmakers have routinely attempted to ramp up aid conditionality or suspend aid entirely, for example after Pakistan’s action against Dr. Shakil Afridi for allegedly aiding the U.S. effort to assassinate bin Laden?

On the other hand the Indian government probably harbours justified concerns about aid fungibility, the possibility that Pakistan may be diverting resources towards combat operations on its eastern border given that the cascade of incoming greenbacks makes their deployment elsewhere in the country redundant.