The hands that feed us

As India celebrates its 68th year of independence, it is time to pause and look back at the major challenges we have faced since Independence and how they were overcome, as well as at the mistakes and follies we committed so that we don’t repeat them. In 1947, undivided India had a population of 390 million. But overnight, on August 15, India was responsible for the destiny of 330 million people. The other 60 million went to Pakistan — 30 million in West Pakistan and another 30 million in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

 A majority of these 330 million people were rural, quite poor, illiterate, and had a very short life expectancy. Gandhi rightly said that India lives in its villages, and feeding people well was the biggest challenge to ensure healthy and happy lives for them. But we also wanted to transform our society fast, develop modern industrial goods and outlook. So, after a few initial years of absorbing the shock of Partition and stabilising society, Jawaharlal Nehru led India on to a socialist path with a mixed economy framework. Heavy industrialisation under state ownership was the darling of development policy and a symbol of modernisation. For food, however, India relied on supplies from the United States under Public Law 480 (PL-480) against rupee payments, as India did not have much foreign exchange to buy large quantities of food in international markets. 

The folly of this set-up became apparent in the mid-1960s, when the US suspended wheat supplies temporarily (due to some political differences) at a time when India was facing back-to-back droughts and the country was literally living from “ship to mouth”. But the folly of state-led heavy industrialisation and import substitution, which kept India trapped in what the late Raj Krishna called the “Hindu rate of growth” of 3.5 per cent for decades, is still being debated. India was quick to learn from its PL-480 mistake and neglect of agriculture. It realised that its political freedom could be imperilled if it was not self-reliant in basic food production. But all of India’s foreign exchange reserves in the mid-1960s could not buy more than eight million tonnes (mt) of wheat in the international market, while it was importing 10 mt under PL-480. So, India did not have much of an option but to become self-sufficient in the production of basic staples

. India imported 18,000 tonnes of high yielding varieties (HYV) of wheat from Mexico in 1966, and ushered in the Green Revolution. Where does India stand today in terms of its agriculture? While the population has grown from 330 million in 1947 to almost 1.25 billion, that is by almost 3.8 times, our wheat production has increased by almost 15 times (from about 6.5 mt in 1951 to 96 mt in 2014). Rice production has gone up by more than five times (from 20.6 mt in 1951 to 106.5 mt in 2014), maize production by more than 14 times (from 1.7 mt to 24.4 mt), milk by eight times (from 17 mt to 137 mt), fish by 12 times, and potatoes by 26 times. Cotton production has also increased from three million bales in 1951 to 37 million bales in 2014, an increase of more than 12 times. India is not only self-sufficient in agriculture, but also a net exporter of agri-produce. In 2014-15, agri-exports were $38 billion against imports of less than $20 billion. During the last three years, India has exported a total of 61 mt of cereal, nothing short of a wonder for a country that lived from ship to mouth in the mid-1960s. Today, India is the largest exporter of rice in the world, and the second-largest exporter of beef (buffalo meat) and cotton. India is the largest producer of milk, and the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables, rice, wheat and sugarcane. This is a matter of great satisfaction and relief for policymakers. 

An idea of the progress made can be gauged by looking at how just the price of onions makes them nervous today. Think of what would have happened if there were all-round shortages as in the mid-1960s. Whom should we salute for such a turnaround in India’s agri-fortunes? Several stakeholders have played a role in achieving this. There have been policymakers like C. Subramaniam, who steered the political debate to import HYV seeds in the mid-1960s despite the massive opposition from left-wing parties in Parliament and ushered in the Green Revolution. There are scientists like the late Norman Borlaug, who invented these seeds, and M.S. Swaminathan and Atwal, the first ones to adapt them to Indian conditions

. But when Subramaniam was asked whom the credit for the Green Revolution should go to, his reply was “to the farmers” who took the risk of adopting new technologies. He saluted the Indian farmer. India’s milk story is the story of the Milkman of India, Verghese Kurien, who nurtured the cooperative movement in the country and made Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited), an “utterly-butterly” name in every household. There is an important lesson from this grand success of agriculture. New technologies (HYV seeds, water, fertilisers) and innovation in institutional engineering (as in the milk sector) have been the real catalysts of change.

 These seeds can come from outside the country (as was the case with the HYV seeds of wheat and rice, and now with Bt cotton seeds from large private-sector companies such as Mahyco Monsanto), or take birth on Indian soil, as was the case with Pusa basmati and several hybrids of maize, introduced by both multinationals and domestic companies as well as government. But it is the farmer-entrepreneur who takes the risk in adopting these seeds and technologies, puts in his/ her best efforts, and the nation reaps a rich harvest to feed its citizens. It is time to salute our farmers for these heroic accomplishments. But it is also time to ask, what is it that the country has given back to them? Are they prosperous and happy? There is no doubt that several pockets of peasantry have experienced prosperity, but the overall picture, as per the latest situation assessment survey, is not rosy. So, the next challenge for all of us is to ensure a smile on their faces as well. This calls for a major re-orientation of farm policies. It’s time to ring the cowbell. - 

Transforming India’s Skill Landscape

Transforming India’s Skill Landscape

Independence Day Special Feature Why Skill India? Skill India seeks to give all Indians, the opportunity to aspire and achieve a better future for themselves and their families. A combination of demographic, economic and social factors makes skill development an urgent policy priority for India. The challenge is immense. 54% of India’s population is below 25 years of age and over 62% of the population is the working-age group. Yet, only 4.69% of the Indian population has undergone formal skills training. By 2025, almost 1 in 5 of the world’s working age population (18.3%) will be Indian. Recent skill gap reports suggest that over 109 million incremental human resources will be required in India alone, across 24 key sectors by the year 2022. 93% of India’s workers work in the unorganised sector and acquire skills through informal channels and lack formal certification. How can India’s skill training ecosystem be equipped to cope with these diverse challenges? India’s first Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was established in July 2014 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to specifically focus on addressing the above challenges. This Department became a full-fledged Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in November 2014, when Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy was inducted into the Council of Ministers. The primary focus of MSDE is to develop a robust policy framework and programme of action for scaling up skill development efforts in India, at speed and scale, while ensuring quality outcomes. This article highlights some major initiatives taken over the past nine months by MSDE, in order to lay a strong foundation for the skill training and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country. Creating a Robust Skills Landscape in India: Key Milestones MSDE’s policy orientation for skill development is based on the following premises viz: coordination, private sector participation, entrepreneurship linkages, equity etc. The first premise clarifies MSDE’s role which would be to steer, coordinate and converge skill development programmes. The second pertains to catalysing private sector participation in the skill development sector through Public Private Partnerships and scaling up industry linkages with vocational training institutes. Skilling and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.  Skill training initiatives need to create a pool of job seekers and job creators, to propel economic growth. Importantly, economically and socially disadvantaged sections of society must be prime beneficiaries of skill training initiatives. MSDE’s activities over the past few months have been guided by these premises. Establishing a Clear Policy Framework: Policy, Mission, Common Norms As a new Ministry, one of MSDE’s first tasks was to establish a clear policy framework for skill development in India. Three key policy interventions have been undertaken by MSDE. This includes the creation of a National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, which articulates a framework for skilling at scale and speed while ensuring high quality outcomes; the establishment of National Skill Development Mission which seeks to converge, coordinate, implement and monitor skilling activities on a pan-India basis, and the creation of Common Norms for all skill development programmes across Cemntral Ministries/Departments. All three policy documents have received Cabinet Approval. Policy and Mission have also been formally launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 15 July this year, as a part of the launch of ‘Skill India’. India now has a robust policy framework to scale up skill development initiatives across the country. Having set out the policy framework, MSDE has also been working on developing a coherent programme of action. Developing a Programme of Action: Pradhan Manthri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Revamping ITIs, Strategic Partnerships, NSDC and NSDA Pradhan Manthri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) MSDE’s flagship outcome-based skill training scheme, was formally launched by the Prime Minister on 15 July 2015. A pilot phase of the scheme was initiated on 25 May 2015. PMKVY aims to incentivise young people to enrol in skill development initiatives, by providing a monetary reward to every young person who successfully completes an approved skill training programme, with an affiliated training provider. PMKVY is funded by Government of India and implemented through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). 24 lakh youth across India will be trained under PMKVY in the next one year, of which 14 lakh trainees will be fresh entrants. 50,000 Persons with Disabilities will also be trained under PMKVY. In addition, youth who do not possess formal certification, will be assessed and certified through an initiative known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in PMKVY. 10 lakh youth will be trained under the RPL initiative, over the next year. This will be an important effort to recognize the skills and open up new job opportunities for a vast majority of young Indians who acquire skills through informal channels or work in the unorganised sector. As of 31 July this year, 25 participating SSCs have already enrolled 2.12 lakh candidates for 196 Job roles in 29 states and 4 Union Territories across India, in PMKVY. Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), which were formerly under Ministry of Labour and Employment have were transferred to MSDE in April this year. A number of initiatives are being undertaken to revitalise these organisations. This includes for example, upgrading their curriculum (in collaboration with industry experts), strengthening industry linkages, scaling up apprenticeships, modernising equipment and facilities within ITIs etc. In addition, 34 ITIs and 68 Skill Development Centres are also being established in 34 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts to open up employment opportunities for youth in these areas. These initiatives are aimed at improving the quality of training in these institutions and ensuring that students who complete ITI courses are employable. Strategic partnerships have also been undertaken between MSDE and other Ministries/Departments in the Central Government, to collaborate on scaling up skill training activities in specific sectors. MSDE now has strategic partnerships with: Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment (Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities), Health and Family Welfare, Steel, Mines, Railways, Defence and Chemicals and Fertilizers (Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Department of Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals). Public Sector Units (PSUs) within these sectors and related contractors will be encouraged to hire workers certified in job roles aligned to NSQF, utilize CSR funds for skill training purposes and set up Centres of Excellence in collaboration with DGT or NSDC, through these strategic partnerships. Ministers heading each of these Ministries/Departments, other Cabinet Ministers, several Chief Ministers and stakeholders from government, academia, industry organisations etc. also participated in the launch of ‘Skill India’ on 15 July and shared their commitment to partner with MSDE to skill India’s youth. These partnerships will play an important role in scaling up skill training initiatives and ensuring that skill training takes place at high quality, in each of these sectors. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has been a key player in the skill development space, even before the Ministry was formed. NSDC is now MSDE’s implementation arm. It works with a network of 235 training partners and 38 approved Sector Skills Councils. The entire NSDC ecosystem has trained over 55 lakh people as of July 2015. National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) which is also a part of the Ministry plays an important role as a normative body. Its focus is on ensuring that skill training programmes are aligned to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and quality assurance mechanisms are operational. Till date, NSDA has approved 1226 Qualification Packs, across 28 different trades. NSDA is also playing an important role to develop a framework for RPL. Together, NSDC and NSDA focus on scale and quality, which are two key pillars of MSDE’s skill development mandate. Moving forward, MSDE’s focus will be on programme implementation, monitoring and ensuring that high standards and quality assurance systems are in place.  It is vital that private sector, industry associations, training providers and government institutions play a proactive role and collaborate to scale up skill training efforts across the country. These initiatives are an important step towards meeting industry’s human resource requirements and will boost growth. Importantly, they will also give India’s aspiring youth access to stable employment opportunities and sustainable livelihoods.

India gears up for 69th Independence Day to drums of flagship programmes

India gears up for 69th Independence Day to drums of flagship programmes

Feature on Independence Day -- Neeraj Bajpai As India prepares to  mark its 69th Independence Day on Saturday, people pin hopes on flagship programmes,  unfurled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the last one year, kindling optimism notwithstanding sceptics apprehensions that results are a far cry. Power corridors  contest criticism and back up statements  with piles of data and physical targets accomplished on the ground rubbishing claims of critics who rue, “let us come to the ground reality –nothing extraordinary has been done except for high sounding  announcements”.     Much has been accomplished in each and every scheme – may it be “Make in India, Swachh Bharat, Dedicated freight corridor, Jan Dhan Yojana , social security covers, Smart Cities,  Digital India, Namami Gange, Skill Development, Indradhanush Yojana for children health, Girl child safety and education- and many others and “we are sure that huge projects will dot the nation’s canvas in next four years,'' they say. Eyes are now riveted towards ramparts of the Red Fort for Independence day address, second of Mr Modi who during an interview a few months ago, exuded confidence that the nation was on the march, and his government  was  clear on the stand. “Any discrimination or  violence against  any community will not be tolerated. My position on this is very clear: Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas.”      A bird 's eye view of today’s scenario reveal that the developmental agenda is surging ahead and results will take time. The economy is showing signs of recovery, though at a slower pace, according to the latest Confederation of Indian Industry-ASCON survey. The survey for the April-June FY16 quarter reveals a reversal from the earlier trend of slowing growth, with indications of a recovery taking shape in the economy. Of the 93 sectors surveyed, the share of sectors recording excellent growth of more than 20 per cent  has surged up to 16.1 per cent (15 out of 93 respondents) as against 7.1 per cent (8 out of 112) recorded in the year ago period.     The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently  kept its policy interest rates and other key benchmarks unchanged , choosing to wait for more clarity about monsoon play-out and the indications from the US Federal Reserve for any further accommodation on the cost of borrowing. The Repo rate at which banks borrow from the RBI has been kept unchanged at 7.25 and cash reserve ratio at four per cent in the bi-monthly credit policy review by the apex bank. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is of the opinion that conditions are favourable for reduction in the cost of borrowings on the back of low global commodity prices. He has said that the prospects of Kharif production has also improved and food inflation is expected to remain under control.     In a major initiative aimed  at better implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act  (MGNREGA), the  government  has given approval for direct release of wages to workers under the scheme.Under the new system, the States will be benefited as workers would be assured of payment of wages on the second day of the pay order generation. Gram Panchayats would be empowered to take up work according to the agreed Labour Budget without struggling for release of funds. In return, the Central Government would gain by releasing the funds as this will lead to greater transparency in the movement of funds and lesser level of corruption.     Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar recently informed the Lok Sabha that the policy of ‘One Rank One Pension (OROP)’ for the Armed Forces has been adopted by the Government to address the pension disparities. The modalities for implementation were discussed with various stakeholders and are presently under consideration of the Government.It will be implemented once modalities  are approved. The OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pension be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. The government, say officials, is taking care of each segment, may it be poor workers in rural belts or forces on frontiers.     The “Make in India” campaign launched a year ago, they assert, is making steady progress with plans to develop industrial corridors, smart cities, world class infrastructure with state of the art technology and high speed communication. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been opened up in a big way in defence production, insurance, medical devices, construction and railway infrastructure.     Smart cities, one of the ambitious projects, is on with full steam with an investment entailing Rs 48,000 crore from the Centre. 100 smart cities will be developed in next five years. The Centre has approved spending of about Rs one lakh crore on urban development under two new urban missions in next five years. The twin projects unveiled  a few months ago comprise the smart city mission and the Atal Mission for rejuvenation and urban transformation ( AMRUT ) of 500 cities with outlays of Rs 48,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore.        The smart cities mission seeks to ensure basic infrastructure services to enable a decent quality of life in urban pockets and a clean and sustainable environment and adoption of smart solutions. Fourteen countries have expressed interest in building smart cities. These include US, Japan, China, Singapore, Germany, France , Netherlands, Sweden, Israel, Turkey and Australia. Each selected city, under  the mission, would get central assistance of Rs100 crore per annum for five years and each state will short list a certain number of smart city aspirants as per the norms. Work is under way to enlist regions.     Citing progress on the growth agenda, official sources say Rs 15,500 crore contracts were given in the past few months by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation Limited  (DFCCL). The progress on the ambitious projects could be judged from the fact a sum of Rs 100 crore per month on the Khurja–Kanpur section is being spent alone against earlier investment of Rs 30  crore per month.The value of  contracts awarded since November by the DFCCL is a whopping Rs 15,485 crore and it is more than  total works awarded by the same organisation in the past six years, that stands  at Rs.13,125 crore, said officials.  Most of these contracts are for the construction of track and structures and electrical and  signalling installations on the Western and Eastern Freight  corridors.     Officials feel that the two DFCs would free up 70 per cent of railways cargo carrying capacity, but land acquisition challenges face the iconic project.This is despite the fact that 84 per cent of land  acquisitions have been completed in both the corridors-including 88 per cent in  the western and 79 per cent in the eastern corridor. Sixteen per cent is hanging fire, awaiting the new land laws.The Joint Parliamentary committee on the Land bill has decided to defer tabling of the report to the winter session in wake of non-finalisation of the report. Now, a fresh ordinance will be brought to go ahead with work plans.     Other highly trumpeted plan which evoked public response is the Swachh Bharat  campaign launched by the Prime Minister on Rajpath on October 2 last year.The Mission was launched with the objective of ensuring by 2019 cleanliness and open defecation free urban areas in all 4,041 statutory cities.Estimated cost is Rs 66,009 crores out of which the Centre’s share is Rs 14,643 crores.As many as 3.64 lakh toilets had been constructed in schools  till August 3 last,official sources say. States and union territories, public sector undertakings from 15 Central ministries and more than 10 private sector entities are involved in construction of toilets in schools, Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said recently.     Mr Modi says the 'Swachh Bharat' mission has been started to see that health and hygiene issues of the poor do not affect their working capacity and output. Official sources said physical targets include 1.04 crore household toilets ,2.52 lakh community toilets seats and 2.54 lakh public toilet seats and assisting 30 crore urban population with solid waste management practices.During 2014-15, about Rs 800 crore has been released to 28 states/ UTs.Over two lakh household toilets have been built besides 12,000 community toilets during the year.In a survey, Mysore city has topped the Swachh Bharat rankings of 476 cities in the country with three more from the state of Karnataka figuring in the top ten.West Bengal was ranked 25th finding a place in the top 100 cities. The top ten ranked cities were Mysore, Thiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), Navi Mumbai, Kochi (Kerala), Hassan,  Mandya and Bengaluru from Karnataka, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala),Halisahar (West Bengal) and Gangtok (Sikkim).       As many as 39 cities from the Southern states were among the top 100 followed by 27 from the East, 15 from the West, 12 from the North and seven from the North-Eastern states.These rankings were based on the extent of open defecation and solid waste management practices. Mysore leads the cities with minimal open defecation and extensive adoption of solid waste management practices. Fifteen  of the 27 capital cities surveyed figured among the top 100 performers while five were ranked beyond 300. Bengaluru leads the list of capitals at 7th rank while Patna came at the bottom at 429. Among the bottom 100 cities, 74 are from the North, 21 from the East, three from the West and two from the South. Damoh (Madhya Pradesh) came at the bottom of 476, preceded by Bhind again from MP, Palwal and Bhiwani, both in Haryana, Chittoragarh (Rajasthan),  Bulandshahar (UP), Neemuch (MP), Rewari (Haryana), Hindaun (Rajasthan) and Sambalpur in Odisha at 467th rank.The survey conducted during 2014-15 was commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development as required under the National Sanitation Policy of 2008.    '' Namami Gange ''is also generating  people’s involvement especially among those residing on river banks.The plan to depollute the Ganga river is also going  ahead in full cry. Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti recently met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the two leaders agreed to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the cleaning-up and rejuvenation of the Yamuna. A blueprint elaborating steps to clean up the river would be prepared during the next 45 days.     ''Namami Gange'' is an integrated conservation mission under National Ganga River basin authority, the ministry of water resources and river development.The Union government is  pumping in an unprecedentedly huge amount to clean up the country’s holiest of rivers that emerges from the icy Gomukh almost bordering China and empties into the Sunderbans delta that spills over to Bangladesh.    The Ganga, which is ironically also the world’s fifth most polluted river, now floats on hopes of regaining by year 2020 its grandeur and sanctity . But there is much more to it than spirituality or even religiousness. ‘Namami Gange’ seeks to clear the river of all the dirt and row in a string of projects to sustain its efficacy.The three-tier mechanism will monitor the projects, with a high level task force chaired by the cabinet secretary.The Rs 20,000-crore outlay, which the Cabinet cleared at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister  three months ago, is in addition to Rs 2,307 crore the government sanctioned in July last year at the launch of the endeavour.       In its bid to cast social security network across the nation through low cost insurance schemes,Government has decided to launch a Suraksha Bandhan drive, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival, to reach out to the targeted groups for enrolment into the three flagship social security schemes implemented by the Modi government in May this year.In order to build on ''very encouraging response'' to the two very affordable and convenient to subscribe insurance schemes, namely the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) for accident and disability cover of up to Rs 2 lakh at an annual premium of Rs 12 and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) for a term life cover of Rs 2 lakh at an annual premium of Rs 330, the special drive is being launched by participating banks and the insurance companies during two months period August and September, Finance Ministry officials say.     This “Suraksha Bandhan” drive aims to give boost to the Government’s objective of creating universal social security system in the country, targeted especially at poor and the under-privileged masses. The envisaged social security initiative also includes the Atal Pension Yojana launched along with the two insurance schemes, which addresses the issue of old age income security by facilitating regular contributions during the working life of the subscriber for a guaranteed pension at the age of 60, with certain Government contribution for eligible subscribers who enrol by December 31 next.         The drive, envisaged in the backdrop of Raksha Bandhan, will be supported through the Jeevan Suraksha Gift Cheques, which will be available for purchase for Rs 351 in Bank branches by persons wishing to gift them to facilitate one year payment of premium for PMJJBY and PMSBY by the recipient.Mr Modi had  launched three schemes in  Kolkata on May 9 this year.The Pradhan mantri surkasha beema Yojana (PMSBY) providing an accidental cover of Rs two lakh has enrolled  several million people. Within days of the launch, it  had enrolled about ten crore  people.The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), which gives a life cover of Rs two lakh, was lapped by people and numbers are swelling though the  Atal Pension Yojana (APY) - a long term pension plan is picking up slowly . Under the APY, subscribers would receive a fixed minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month, Rs 2,000 per month, Rs 3,000 per month, Rs 4,000 per month, Rs 5,000 per month, at the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions.     Nation locked itself in spirited debates on Digital India plan with many raising questions on existing poor infrastructure where call drops and slow speed internet connections are still the order of the day in many regions. Work is under way to further spread the optical fibre network.On the launch day, an upbeat India Inc pledged over Rs 4.5 lakh crore, creating 18 lakh new jobs. Mr Modi, on the occasion, said that the government wants the nation to be self reliant in electronic goods production and turn it into a leader in cyber security and innovations.     Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said recently the impact of Digital India by 2019 would range from broadband connectivity in all panchayats, Wi-fi in schools and universities and public Wi-Fi hotspots. "The programme will generate huge number of IT, Telecom and Electronics jobs, both directly and indirectly. Success of this programme will make India digitally empowered and the leader in usage of IT in delivery of services related to various domains such as health, education, agriculture, banking," he added.     Leading industrialists Cyrus Mistry, Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Azim Premji and many others who have pledged millions in investments feel that the government’s Rs.1.13 lakh crore programme would go a long way to wipe out the digital divide besides offering a slew of digital solutions in almost all sectors, including education, health,agriculture and administration.     The programme, envisaged by Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), with coordination of ministries of communications & Information Technology, rural development, human resource development, health and others, will benefit all states and Union Territories (UT).The existing ongoing e-Governance initiatives would be revamped for the alignment with the principles of Digital India.    In the energy sector, the Centre has revised cumulative targets under National Solar Mission from 20,000 MW by 2021-22 to 1,00,000 MW- a quantum jump.     If the goals set for the solar energy are realised, the country will surpass Germany which is a global leader in solar power generation by producing three times higher energy from the source. Though technology is getting cheaper , experts feel that the sector might be a game changer so the government should revisit its policy of financing of projects. They feel that at present India Renewable Energy (RE)  projects are financed for 10-12 years with an annual interest rate of 12-13 per cent while in Europe and US, the projects are funded for 17-18 years with an interest rate of 4-5 per cent.     Mr Modi, in a recent review, directed tough action against power pilferage which make the energy sector economically weak. Extra steps are being taken to ensure 100 per cent electrification within a stipulated period besides ensuring adequate power generation in both thermal and hydel plants.The country’s footprints in foreign countries were noticeable.The Prime Minister brought a rare energy to India’s  foreign policy, infusing it with a dash of colour and his own personal  warmth in ties with world leaders even as he has kept up a frenetic pace  in his diplomatic engagement-visiting more than 20 countries.His distinctive style was evident from the day he took over in May 2014.     His gesture to invite seven South Asian neighbours, from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation  (SAARC), to his swearing-in was an assertion of his  government’s neighbourhood policy. The sight  of so many leaders from neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, was a surprise.

Steps taken to make the Country Safe and Secure

Steps taken to make the Country Safe and Secure

Independence Day Special Feature --Shri Rajnath Singh , Union Home Minister, Government of India The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has taken a series of proactive steps to make the country safe and secure. Overall security scenario in the country continues to remain peaceful barring stray incidents. Security situation in the North Eastern States is being monitored regularly at various levels, with sustained Counter-Insurgency operations against militant outfits. There is significant drop in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence.   Security Forces neutralized 132 terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir during 2014 and the current year. Peaceful conduct of Assembly Elections in J&K, with record 66% voter turnout during November-December 2014 has proved to the world that given a conducive environment, the peace loving people of J&K have faith in the democratic process. Borders are being managed effectively to counter the threat of cross-border terrorism. Women’s Safety has been my prime concern. On the 1st of January this year Delhi Police launched an application called ‘Himmat’ which receives distress signals from registered women users of mobile phones and facilitates physical presence of police in 5-7 minutes.  MHA has initiated steps to set up a Nationwide Emergency Response System to respond to the needs of women in distress across the country.  Department of Telecommunications has already allocated Emergency Number “112” for this system.  Victims in need or their relatives may contact the “112” system using any mode of communication viz. landline telephone, mobile phone, SMS, e-mail, chat services, voice over internet and mobile apps etc.  “112 System” is being designed to handle 10 lakh calls per day which will require approximately 3,500 personnel to handle these calls in all the States/UTs once fully implemented.  This project would cost Rs.321 crores which includes the cost of technical infrastructure and also the operation and maintenance cost for five years. Our country has vast potential to generate millions of jobs and earn precious foreign exchange through tourism, but this has not been adequately tapped. With a view to promote short duration tourism and expedite grant of Visa, Government of India has launched e-Tourist Visa scheme (old name: Tourist Visa on Arrival) on 27th November 2014 for foreign tourists. So far, the scheme has been extended to 77 countries at nine designated airports. The Ministry plans to extend this facility to 36 more countries and seven airports from August 15, 2015. The scheme also facilitates international business seekers to avail visa on short notice. The scheme also has a positive impact on medical tourism of the country. This initiative of Government of India has received an overwhelming response. Since the launch of the Scheme on 27th November 2014, about 2 lakh e-tourist  visas have been issued so far. Due to onset of militancy in 1990, most of the Kashmiri Pandit families along with some families of Sikhs and Muslims migrated from Kashmir Valley to Jammu, Delhi and other places of the country. At present, there are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country [40,668 families in Jammu, about 19,338 families in Delhi/NCR and about 1995 families in other states]. Cash relief to the Kashmiri migrants in Jammu and Delhi/ NCR was enhanced w.e.f. 1st May 2015 from Rs.1,650/- per head per month to Rs.2,500/- per head per month, subject to a maximum of Rs.10,000 per family. Earlier, it was Rs.6,600 per family.During the current financial year, an amount of Rs.320 crore has been earmarked for rehabilitation of the Kashmiri migrants.    During militancy in early 1990s, some families started migrating from the hilly areas of Jammu region due to perceived security threats.  It started from hills to Doda district in the beginning but subsequently spread to other districts of the state.  The Government of J&K started the registration of Jammu migrants in the year 2006. A total of 1,054 families comprising 5,698 persons have been registered in five districts of Doda/Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Ramban & Poonch. The migrated families of Jammu migrants have been rehabilitated by the State Government of J&K in the districts of Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur & Ramban. The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the cash relief to the migrants of the hilly areas of Jammu division at par with the Kashmiri migrants. The estimated expenditure per year will be Rs. 13.45 crore. My Ministry, vide its letter dated 16.12.2014, has conveyed to the concerned State Governments/UTs to pay additional Rs.5.00 lakh per deceased person to  the next of kin of those who died during 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Government of India is reimbursing this amount to the States/UTs. Besides, Justice Mathur Committee has been constituted to re-investigate deserving riot cases. In January, 2015, I approved certain concessions for the West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) settled in the State of Jammu and Kashmir after considering the problems being faced by them. I have directed the Heads of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) that such WPRs from J&K, who are Indian citizens and have valid Voter IDs, be considered for recruitment in the forces, including the special recruitment drives conducted in the State. Besides, I have written to the Defence Minister that similar concessions, like waiving off the condition of producing DC (Domicile Certificate) and other Identity Certificate, may be permitted in the recruitment to the Armed Forces. I have also written a letter to the State Government of J&K to resume issuing the DC to WPRs settled in the State so as to enable such people avail equal employment opportunities. Instructions have also been issued to the Department of School Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development to accommodate the children of such WPRs of J&K for admission to the Kendriya Vidyalayas in the State. Similar instructions have also been issued to the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development to extend those concessions available to the wards of Kashmiri migrants to the wards of WPRs of J&K for admission to technical/professional institutes outside J&K. Under the ‘UDAAN’ scheme aiming to provide employment to the unemployed youth of Jammu & Kashmir, 3,361 candidates have been trained, 3,133 have been offered jobs and about 2,500 are working in various companies in the country. The Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) successfully concluded the dialogue on Naga political issue, which has existed for six decades, and signed an agreement on Aug 03, 2015 in the presence of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. This agreement will restore peace and pave the way for prosperity in the North East. It will advance a life of dignity, opportunity and equity for the Naga people, based on their genius and consistent with the uniqueness of the Naga people and their culture and traditions. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has on a number of occasions including during visits to the Northeast region, articulated his vision for transforming the region and has attached the highest priority to peace, security, connectivity and economic development in the region. This has also been at the heart of the Government’s foreign policy, especially ‘Act East’ Policy.  The Ministry of Home Affairs enhanced financial powers in respect of items such as “Major and Minor Works, Special Repairs, Land Acquisition and Hiring of Buildings/Accommodation” to the Directors General of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Directors of Intelligence Agencies in December, 2014. The financial powers have been doubled from Rupees Five Crores to Rs. Ten Crores in respect of Major Works that are to be executed by CPWD and Public Works Organisations. Similarly, limits for Major and Minor Departmental Works and Land Acquisition were also substantially raised. The delegation of financial powers to the DGs of CAPFs for the procurement of Machinery & Equipment and Arms & Ammunition have been doubled to Rs. 20 crores with a view to streamline and expedite the processes for the Modernization Plan. The Modernization Plan II of CAPFs has a total projected cost of Rs.11,009 crores till March 2017. Presently, all information related to crimes and criminal justice is generally maintained in physical form.  This has its own limitations in sharing of data among police stations, districts and states.  Digitization of this data and development of a national data base of crimes and criminals would help enhance the operational efficiency of the crime investigation agencies. With this objective in mind, the Ministry launched the Crimes and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project in 2009 with an outlay of Rs.2,000 crores.  Approximately 71% (more than 10,000) police stations in the country have started using the software developed under the CCTNS for the registration of FIRs. Internet connections using Virtual Private Network (VPN) over broadband have also been provided to more than 80% police stations and higher police offices.  Steps are afoot to extend this project by another two years so that the remaining components viz, a Central Citizen Portal and a central database are developed which will provide useful services to the citizens speedily.  The intended services include:  (i) Reporting a crime, (ii) Passport verification, (iii) Other kind of Police Verification (iv) Accessing Victim Compensation Fund, (v) Accessing Legal Services, (vi) Human trafficking and missing persons, (vii) List of wanted/ most wanted criminals (viii) Publication of a list of Proclaimed Offenders (ix) Publication of a list of   charge-sheeted offenders in cases pertaining to crime against women.  The extended project also proposes to integrate with e-courts and e-prison applications to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system in the country.  The CCTNS project after extension is expected to be fully operational by March, 2017. Quantum of compensation under the NDRF and SDRF has been more than doubled and now the farmers with crop loss between 33% and 49% have been made eligible to seek the financial assistance. ***

Atoms in the Service of the Nation

Atoms in the Service of the Nation

Independence Day Special Feature --Ratan Kumar Sinha* The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), established on August 3, 1954 celebrated its Diamond Jubilee during August 2014 - August 2015. It has been serving with the motto, ‘Atoms in the Service of the Nation’, and is consistently delivering the benefits of nuclear science and technology in six broad areas: Energy Security, Food Security, Water Security, Health Security, National Security, and developing and sustaining  world class scientific and technological strength through research, education and industry. Nuclear Power and Fuel Cycle DAE contributes in energy-mix options of India by pursuing progressively the indigenous three-stage Nuclear Power Programme, envisioned by Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, and also through additionalities based on international civil nuclear cooperation.  ·         There are 21 nuclear power reactors with a total installed generating capacity of 5780 MW of electricity. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) achieved the highest power generation ever of 37835 Million Units (that is, 3783.5 Crore Units) during 2014-15 (7% more than in the previous year), with overall capacity factor of 83% and availability factor of 88%. ·         The Kudankulam Unit -1, set up with technical cooperation with Russian Federation, reached its rated capacity of 1000 MW on June 7, 2014, and has begun commercial operations from the end of 2014 and has been supplying electricity to the grid since then. The Kudankulam Unit-2 is getting closer to commissioning. Hot Run, a pre-requisite to Fuel Loading and further commissioning activities, has been completed. ·         India has logged over 421 reactor years of safe and reliable operation, as reflected in several operating achievements.Unit-5 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station completed 765 days of continuous operation on September 6, 2014; the longest in the world in the last 20 years, and the second longest in the 60-year history of nuclear power. So far, continuous operation of more than a year has been logged by Indian Reactors 20 times, including 7 reactors registering this feat during last one year. ·         Government’s initiatives to give a boost to the civil nuclear energy sector in India include: civil nuclear agreement with Australia (potential supplier of uranium); Pre-Engineering Agreement signed between NPCIL and AREVA company of France; Supplement to General Framework Agreement with Russian Federation in respect of Kudankulam Units-3&4; formulation of vision document on future cooperation with Russian Federation; efforts to develop and manufacture  indigenous components and some critical large size equipment for our 700 MW  indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR), in line with “Make in India goal”, by DAE units. ·         The Government has made significant efforts in augmenting fuel supplies from both domestic and foreign sources, thus easing out the fuel-constrained position to a large extent. In this context, during Hon’ble PM’s visit to Canada in April 2015, an agreement was entered into for supply of 3000 tonnes of Uranium ore concentrate over 5 years. ·         Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) of DAE achieved record production of fuel (1252 MT) for PHWRs during the past year. ·         The construction of Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is nearing completion at Kalpakkam. Indigenously produced Plutonium-based fuel has been delivered by BARC for the first criticality of PFBR which is expected later this year. ·         BARC’s reprocessing plant at Tarapur exceeded its name plate capacity in production of material for PFBR fuel. A comprehensive project on Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility is being set up at Kalpakkam, for the sustained progress of setting up fast breeder reactors in coming future. ·         Towards the technology demonstration of thorium utilisation, and advances in indigenous reactor technology development, site selection is about to be finalised for a 300 MW Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR). To give a further thrust to the development of thorium-related technologies, it is proposed to set up a dedicated Centre for Thorium Advanced Research, initially virtually, and later on, as a physical entity. India will be hosting the International Thorium Energy Conference (ThEC) in Mumbai in October this year. Nuclear Technologies for Societal Benefits   ·         Radiation processing of food and agro products helps in enhancing the shelf-life and marketability, and exports (e.g. spices, fruits etc.) Two Radiation Processing plants were commissioned with DAE technology support at Unnao, Lucknow and Bavla, Ahmedabad in 2014, taking the number of such plants in private sector to twelve (12). More plants are under construction with the support of DAE. ·         BARC has developed a crop mutant high-yielding pigeon-pea variety, Trombay Akola Red Arhar, which has been released and Gazette notified for commercial cultivation in Maharashtra. Seed multiplication of BARC varieties has been taken up by the inmates of four (4) prisons in Tamil Nadu; one variety of groundnut seeds (called TG37A; 350 kg given by BARC), has been adopted and shown record yields in prison farm. ·         A large number of medical centres in the country are using radiopharmaceuticals supplied by DAE Units, BRIT & BARC, for diagnosis and therapy of certain diseases, particularly cancer. DAE’s supplies are estimated to lead to annually over 2.5 lakhs in-vivo diagnostic investigations, about 15,000 investigations using Positron Emission Tomography (PET), about 20000 therapeutic treatments, as well as about 10 lakhs in-vitro hormone analysis. ·         BARC had developed indigenous teletherapy machine, called Bhabhatron, for cancer treatment. One Bhabhatron unit is being supplied to Mongolia, with the technical support of Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), under an agreement signed between TMC and National Cancer Centre of Mongolia, during the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister to Mongolia in May 2015. During 2014, four (4) Bhabhatron units were supplied (including one exported) by the company manufacturing Bhabhatron with BARC technology. ·         Technologies developed by DAE help enhancing the environmental safety, and in turn, support the Swachcha Bharat Abhiyaan. The BARC biogas plant, Nisargruna, for processing bio-waste for production of energy or cooking gas, has been installed in over 190 places until March 2015, including fourteen (14) set up during the past one year. BARC has demonstrated radiation hygienisation of urban sewage sludge for safe disposal, and scope to use the resultant bi-product as organic manure. Radiation plants to efficiently hygienise dry sludge are planned to be set up in Ahmedabad and Nagpur. ·         DAE is participating in water quality analysis aspects, as technology provider cum adviser in support of Clean Ganga project. ·         India is one of the seven Partners in the largest International Cooperation Project ‘International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)’ being set up in France for harnessing fusion energy. DAE has initiated the process for acquiring Associate Membership of CERN-LHC, with which DAE Units have active on-going collaboration. Government of India and DAE look forward to taking the Indian nuclear programme to greater heights and continue rendering valuable service to the society towards sustainable all-round national development. ***

National Agricultural Market – A Harbinger of Change

National Agricultural Market – A Harbinger of Change

Feature I.Day 2015 Siraj Hussain*             The Government realises the importance of agricultural sector for the growth and development of the nation’s economy.  With nearly 58 per cent of its people continuing to depend upon agriculture for their livelihood, the critical role of the sector cannot be gain said.  Agriculture sector is also highly vulnerable to the vicissitudes of nature that impact the crop enterprise at its production stage.  Further, the sector is also exposed to the current weaknesses of the agricultural marketing system.  The annual income of a farmer depends upon both yield and the price that his produce fetches.  While the Government has rolled out large number of programmes to improve yield levels on a sustainable basis, it recognises the need for creating a competitive market structure in the country that will generate marketing efficiency.  Only when the market is integrated over space and time, can market efficiency be realised.             The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation in the Union Government’s Ministry of Agriculture is keen to increase the net returns of the farmer.  Hence, its emphasis is on creating an unified market, that is well integrated across the nation.Following successive Budget announcements of 2014 and 2015 on setting up an “Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund” and on ‘Unified National Agriculture Market’ respectively, the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation has formulated the Central Sector scheme for Promotion of National Agriculture Market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF)through provision of the common e-platform.               Integration of agri-markets across the country through the e-platform is seen as an important measure for overcoming the challenges posed by the present agri-marketing system namely - fragmentation of State into multiple market areas, each administered by separate APMC, multiple levy of mandi fees, requirement for multiple license for trading in different APMCs, licensing barriers leading to conditions of monopoly, poor quality of infrastructure and low use of technology, information asymmetry, opaque process for price discovery, high level of market charges, movement controls, etc.  The need to unify the markets both at State and National level is, therefore, clearly the requirement of time, in order to provide better price to farmers, improve supply chain, reduce wastages and create a unified national market.                The Scheme envisages implementation of the National Agriculture Market by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation through Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) by creation of a common electronic platform deployable in selected regulated markets across the country.  A budgetary provision of Rs.200 crores has been made to be spent over the next three years (2015-16 to 2017-18).              An appropriate and common e-market platform will be set up, that would be deployable in selected 585 regulated wholesale markets in States/UTs desirous of joining the e-platform.  SFAC will implement the national e-platform in 3 phases covering 250, 200 and 135 mandis during 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 respectively.  The DAC will meet expenses on software and its customisation for the States & UTs and provide it free of cost to them.  DAC will also give grant as one time fixed cost subject to the ceiling of Rs.30.00 lakhs per Mandi (other than for the private mandis) for related equipment / infrastructure in 585 regulated mandis, for installation of the e-market platform.  Provisions are also being made for establishing soil testing laboratories in the Mandis. Big private mandis will also be allowed access to the e-platform for purposes of price discovery.  However they will not be supported with any funds for equipment / infrastructure.             For integration with the e-platform the States/UTs will need to undertake prior reforms in respect of (i) a single license to be valid across the State, (ii) single point levy of market fee and (iii) provision for electronic auction as a mode for price discovery. Only those States/UTs that have completed these three pre-requisites will be eligible for assistance under the scheme.             The e-marketing platform should promote reform of the agricultural marketing sector and apart from promoting free flow of agri commodities across the country should result in greater farmer satisfaction as the prospects for marketing of his produce would be significantly enhanced.   He will have improved access to market related information and better price discovery through a more efficient,  transparent and competitive marketing platform which gives him access to a greater number of buyers within the State and from outside, through transparent auction processes. It would also increase his access to markets through warehouse based sales and thus obviate the need to transport his produce to the mandi.             The Department has drawn up a detailed road map for implementation and has covered substantive ground by now. Realising the complexity of the issue, the department has set up an Expert Group under the chairmanship of Shri Ashok Gulati, the former Chairman of Commission on Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP).  Further, SFAC which has been tasked to lead the responsibility has appointed a Transaction Consultant through a transparent process of selection.  The processing of selecting a service provider is underway and is targeted to finalize agreement between the Transaction Consultant and Service Provider by mid-October this year.  Soon thereafter, the work on promoting the National Market will gain speed.             The Central Government also realizes that active participation of the State Governments is a pre-requisite for successful implementation of the scheme.  After having studied the e-auction platform of Karnataka, which has taken a lead in this regard, the Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture, Shri Radha Mohan Singh personally led a team of 23 Ministers and officers in-charge of agricultural marketing in the States and UTs to APMC, Hubballi in Karnataka.  The visit on 10th and 11th of July, 2015 has generated a lot of interest among the States and Union Territories.  The Government is committed to and is confident of making ‘National Agricultural Market’ a reality.  When it happens, it is expected to serve the interest of the farmers and the agricultural sector, by creating greater wealth at macro level and higher income at farmer’s level.