Ills of too much transparency

Ills of too much transparency
In as much as we gain as we improve the transparency of decisions in organizations and society, we should be cognizant of the losses the pursuit for transparency entails.
In the last few days, circumstances forced the Supreme Court and the Catholic Church in Kerala, two organizations that normally operate in complete secrecy, to open up about a few of their decisions. Since what came out in the open were issues of impropriety, the immediate demand from all quarters was for even more openness about the functioning of both these organizations.

The Catholic Church is a 2,000 year old organization that has made secrecy an art form. The case isn’t too different for the Supreme Court in India. The key decisions were taken only by a select few insiders and the man in the street was never privy to the machinations. The common man had no option but to obey their decisions or face the consequences, in complete silence.

Like sunlight, the ideal disinfectant, transparency has been considered the panacea against corruption in organizations and society. Transparency allows access to all decision-making processes. Decisionmakers know that what they say or do will be linked to them personally. They all know that their performance will be evaluated by others according to some normative standards. The decisionmaker is also expected to provide clear reasons for taking any decisions. Thus, transparency is expected to bring in the twin benefits of clarity about a decision and holding the decisionmaker accountable for it.

It seems that more transparency can only do more good. Should organizations then open up all their decision-making processes?

As the chorus for more transparency was heard around the world, behavioural scientists did their bit to study the impact of more transparency. According to Ethan Bernstein of Harvard University, the issue of transparency can be seen from the point of view of the observer or from the point of view of the observed. Almost all the discussion on transparency has looked at the issue from the point of view of the observer. From that angle one can only visualize good things that will accrue due to new levels of openness.

But when we look at the issue of transparency from the point of view of the observed, the whole issue takes on a complexity of a different order. According to sociologist Erving Goffman, being observed creates a feeling of being “on stage” among those who being are observed. As soon as they know of it, the observed will always change their behaviour to control others’ impressions and avoid embarrassments.

Transparency puts those observing the decisions in an evaluative mode, looking at everything with a critical eye. Right from prime time television debates to discussions on social media, we tend to focus on what has possibly gone wrong. We rarely use evaluations to look for opportunities to praise the decisionmaker. So the consequent tendency of the observed is a defensive one—to not be seen as doing anything wrong.

Innovation and creativity do not stem from a linear, as per existing rules, decisionmaking process. All innovations have come from experimenting with and even going against the status quo. The evaluative mood that transparency engenders obliterates any attempts at experimentation.

Innovation results from non-conscious processes in the brain. The consciousness of a person cannot explain the rationale for decisions that led to an innovative outcome. It is worse if the attempt to come up with an innovative solution was a failure. So the decisionmaker can neither explain why he took those decisions nor has anything to show in terms of results for walking a path different from what has been laid out according to existing rules. They know that those who cannot provide satisfactory justifications for their actions will face negative consequences.

Innovation cannot happen if there is no scope for experimentation or if failures are not tolerated, if not encouraged. The critical, evaluative mood that transparency creates will nip innovation in the bud.

Studies have shown that workers are at their most productive and creative when they are not observed, suggesting that performance improvements can sometimes be achieved by creating “zones of privacy”.

Calling for complete transparency in all decisionmaking also makes a crucial assumption about the powers of the brains of those observing the decisions. It assumes that the brains of those observing the decisions have the expertise to process all the information regarding that particular decision and arrive at the right conclusions. The truth is that most of us do not have expertise even in one field but have a tendency to be evaluative about almost all decisions, more so those decisions that affect us. Transparency tends to give a wrong feeling that having a point-of-view and having an expert point-of-view are the same.

Transparency is seen by many to be a panacea for many ills in organizations and society. But transparency is one issue that reminds us of the complex nature of human behaviour. In as much as we gain as we improve the transparency of decisions in organizations and society, we should be cognizant of the losses the pursuit for transparency entails.

One should be careful of what we wish for. Too much of a good thing can actually be harmful. It is one thing to demand more and more transparency. But it is quite a different matter to decide how much transparency, for whom and in what context is most beneficial. Yes, sunlight is a good disinfectant, but sunstroke is an instant killer too.

Building on India’s family planning success

Building on India’s family planning success
Empowering women to make reproductive choices is the best way to address fertility, and its associated health challenges in India
Social reformer Raghunath Dhondo Karve was well ahead of his time when he pioneered family planning in Mumbai in the 1920s. Independent India’s first government caught up in 1952 when it started the world’s first family planning programme. There have been missteps since, such as Sanjay Gandhi’s forced sterilization drive. On the whole, these programmes have done well in tackling India’s fertility challenge. The recently released report on the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), carried out in 2015-16, shows where it has succeeded—and where shortcomings remain.

The total fertility rate has declined to 2.2, marginally above the replacement rate of 2.1. This is substantial progress from 2005-2006 when NFHS-3 pegged the rate at 2.7. There are a number of takeaways from slicing the numbers in different ways. The first is the geographic variance. The fertility rate in 23 states and Union territories—including all the southern states—is below the replacement rate. It is substantially higher in a number of states in central, east and north-east India. Bihar, for instance, has the highest rate at 3.41, followed by Meghalaya at 3.04 and Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland at 2.74. Plainly, the nature and scope of the fertility-related public health challenge facing state governments varies widely. So must the response. The most effective way of enabling this is a greater role for local bodies in both urban and rural areas—an item on the incomplete devolution agenda.

Second, breaking up the fertility rate by the background characteristics of female respondents produces the central takeaway. Education is a clear differentiator. Women with 12 years or more of schooling have a fertility rate of 1.7, while women with no schooling have an average rate of 3.1. Birth order backs this up. Thirty-one per cent of births to women with no schooling were of birth order four or higher. The corresponding rate for women with 12 years or more of schooling was 2%.

Education levels are strongly correlated with another important aspect of the fertility rate. Higher levels of schooling mean lower levels of teenage pregnancy. In the 15-19 cohort, as many as one-fifth of the women with no schooling have begun childbearing, while only one in 25 women in the same cohort who have had 12 years or more of schooling have done so. Teenage childbearing, in turn, results in greater health risks. The median birth interval in the 15-19 group is 22.6 months. Birth intervals smaller than 24 months “are associated with increased health risks for both mothers and newborns”.

The implication is clear. Lack of education robs women of reproductive control, feeding into India’s maternal and child health problem. Combined with younger pregnancies and higher childbearing rates, it also constrains women’s economic choices. This, in turn, reinforces a lack of reproductive control—44% of women who are unemployed use modern contraceptives while 60% of women who are employed for cash do so—perpetuating a vicious cycle.

The skewed pattern of contraceptive usage is the third takeaway. Knowledge of contraceptive methods is now almost universal in India; the government has done well here. Despite this, men have not taken up the responsibility of managing fertility. The most popular contraceptive method by far, at 36%, is female sterilization. Male sterilization—a less invasive and easier method with a much lower chance of medical complications—accounts for a mere 0.3%. Male condom usage is low as well, at 5.6%. The public healthcare system, which accounts for almost 70% of modern contraceptive usage, doesn’t do enough to address this problem caused by societal attitudes. Only 54% of women were informed of other available contraceptive methods while 47% of women were informed of the possible side effects of their chosen method.

The initial decades of India’s family planning efforts were shaped by foreign funds and agencies that were driven by Malthusian economics. That particular logic has long since been debunked. Now, the Centre and state governments must catch up. The National Population Policy (NPP) of 2000 explicitly rejected the numbers game—the targeted approach that had dominated fertility management until then. But the hangover remains with the National Health Policy 2017 again setting a fertility rate target. And it took the Supreme Court, in its 2016 verdict in Devika Biswas vs Union of India & Others, to call for an end to sterilization camps. These corral poorly informed women, largely in rural areas, in order to hit bureaucratic targets, often violating reproductive rights in the process.

Almost a century ago, Karve took the then radical view that women could best confront the fertility challenge via emancipation and gender equality. That continues to hold true today. Successive governments have done well over the decades; NFHS-4 shows improvement in almost all metrics from the 2005-06 NFHS-3. Now, they must focus on enabling educational and economic opportunities for women.

Has India made sufficient progress in addressing the fertility health challenge?

india will need at least $125 billion to fund renewables dream

india will need at least $125 billion to fund renewables dream
India will need at least $125 billion to fund its ambitious plan to increase the share of renewable power supply in the country’s grid by 2022, says government official
India will need at least $125 billion to fund its ambitious plan to increase the share of renewable power supply in the country’s grid by 2022, a top government official told Reuters, underlining the immense financing challenge ahead.

The South Asian nation is one of the world’s most important growth markets for renewable energy. Millions of Indians are not yet linked up to the power grid but as the country of more than a billion people prospers, it is experiencing surging demand.

To put India’s $125 billion requirement in context, global corporate funding for the solar industry—the world’s fastest-growing electricity source—was a tenth of that amount in 2017 at $12.8 billion, research firm Mercom says.

In 2015, India said investment of $100 billion in the seven years to 2022 would be needed to meet its renewable energy goals.

Installed renewable power capacity is currently about 60 gigawats (GW), and India plans to complete the bidding process by the end of 2019/20 to add a further 115 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022.

To do that, Anand Kumar, secretary at the ministry of new and renewable energy, said investment of at least $125 billion would be needed.

India, which receives twice as much sunshine as European countries, wants to make solar central to its renewable expansion. It expects renewable energy to make up 40% of installed power capacity by 2030, compared with 18.2% at the end of 2017.

Kumar said that $125 billion was a “conservative estimate” and foreign capital would be central to achieving the goal.

Private equity firms, US banks including Goldman Sachs , JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, and European utilities EDF and Engie are already investors or lenders in India’s renewable energy sector.

India will also require support from development banks, like the World Bank, Kumar said.

IREDA , a state-run financier for renewable energy, raised $300 million by selling rupee-denominated bonds, known as masala bonds, in the United Kingdom last year. The bonds were subscribed 1.7 times.

“We are also looking to raise another $500 million through IREDA through masala bonds early next financial year,” he said.

Not enough

Most of the financing for India’s renewables drive so far has come from domestic banks, industry experts say, raising doubts about the level of support that can be expected from overseas investors.

Market consultant Jasmeet Khurana said Indian banks would have to account for the lion’s share of new renewable investments in the future.

“It is an uphill task, but Indian banks can find the appetite to fund these projects,” Khurana said.

Another challenge in achieving India’s renewable targets is the government’s “Make in India” initiative.

To protect itself from cheap solar panel imports, India’s directorate general of safeguards, an arm of the finance ministry, has proposed a 70% duty on imports of solar equipment from some countries including China, which so far provides the vast majority of India’s solar panels.

Kumar said “a duty at this stage could hamper our growth situation,” and “a realistic view” will be taken in consultation with other stakeholders.

The government was working on developing energy storage technologies and hydrogen-fuel cells and other batteries, he said.

“Renewables are the future. The only weak link is storage, and the day you crack storage, there is no looking back for renewables.”

PM Modi, Israeli PM Netanyahu dedicate iCreate to the nation

PM Modi, Israeli PM Netanyahu dedicate iCreate to the nation
Prime Minister Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu today dedicated to the nation, the iCREATE facility located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. iCreate is an independent Centre created with the objective of facilitating entrepreneurship through a blend of creativity, innovation, engineering, product design and leveraging emerging technologies to deal with major issues such as food security, water, connectivity, cybersecurity, IT and electronics, energy, bio-medical equipment and devices etc. iCreate aims to develop an ecosystem in India to generate quality entrepreneurs.

,,,,,,,,,,,The First Global Initiative on Academic Network GIAN course on Sustainable Urban planning using remote sensing and Geographic Information System, GIS has been launched at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur’s outreach center in NOIDA. Principal Adviser, NITI Aayog, Ratan P. Watal, inaugurated the course at a function in NOIDA yesterday on 15th January,2018.

This course is being conducted under the Global Initiative on Academic Network (GIAN) Program of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and actively supported by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

This course aims to give participants state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS skills which will allow them to rise to the challenge of managing the rapidly changing urban environment of Indian cities. Focus will be on issues such as water resource management, water pollution and strategic emplacements for water treatment facilities.

The course is being coordinated by Professor Rajiv Sinha from the Department of Earth Sciences at IIT Kanpur and Dr. Patrice Carbonneau from the Department of Geography, University of Durham, UK.

......................The Government has recently entrusted the task of integrated development of Logistics sector in the country to the Department of Commerce. To fulfil this a MoU with Confederation of Indian Industry has been signed today in the presence of the Minister for Commerce & Industry Shri Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi. The Government has decided to reduce the Logistics cost in the country from the present 14% of GDP to less than 10% by 2022. On this occasion the Minister congratulated Logistics division of DoC and CII for this initiative and urged them to work together for taking Logistics sector to global levels both in terms of efficiency and cost.

uttarakhand pcs current affairs jan2018

भारत सरकार के आर्थिक मामले एवं वित्त मंत्रालय और एशियाई विकास बैंक द्वारा #Uttarakhand को बेस्ट परफाॅर्मिंग प्रोजेक्ट अवार्ड प्रदान किया गया है। 10 विभिन्न संकेतकों में उत्तराखण्ड इमरजेंसी असिस्टेंस प्रोजेक्ट को अवार्ड दिया गया। देश की 84 परियोजनाओं में इस परियोजना का चयन किया गया। यह जानकारी मुख्य सचिव श्री Utpal Kumar Singh की अध्यक्षता में सचिवालय में आयोजित उत्तराखण्ड इमरजेंसी असिस्टेंस की उच्चाधिकार प्राप्त समिति की बैठक में दी गयी। मुख्य सचिव ने निर्देश दिए कि निर्माण कार्यों की थर्ड पार्टी मूल्यांकन कराया जाय। प्रस्तावित S.D.R.F. के भवन का निर्माण पर्वतीय स्थापत्य से कराया जाय। जिन विभागों की परिसंपत्तियों का सृजन हुआ है, उन्हें हस्तांतरित किया जाय। आगे से जो भी निर्माण कार्य हों, उनमे नई तकनीक का इस्तेमाल किया जाए।

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,तीन महीने के अंदर Centre for Good Governance का Concept Paper प्रस्तुत करें। Concept Paper(विचार पत्रक) बनाने के पहले विशेषज्ञों और प्रतिष्ठित संस्थाओं से विचार विमर्श करें। सुशासन केंद्र को और अधिक आधुनिक और बेहतर बनाना है। केंद्र को सुझाव देना है कि नए विचार और नए सफल प्रयोगों को राज्य सरकार लोगों की बेहतरी के लिए कैसे कर सकते हैं। मुख्य सचिव श्री Utpal Kumar Singh सचिवालय में Centre for Good Governance (C.G.G.) के Board of Governors की बैठक की अध्यक्षता कर रहे थे।

मुख्य सचिव ने कहा कि जन-कल्याणकारी योजनाओं के प्रभावी क्रियान्वयन के लिए केंद्र महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका अदा कर सकता है। खासतौर से महिला स्वास्थ्य, बच्चों के कुपोषण को दूर करने के उपाय, लिंग अनुपात और स्वच्छता के लिए जन जागरूकता, जल की स्वच्छता और उपलब्धता, मानव संसाधन प्रबंधन आदि क्षेत्रों में दूसरे राज्यों के सफल प्रयोग पर सुशासन केंद्र को गंभीरता के साथ कार्य करना है। इसके लिए प्रतिष्ठित संस्थानों का सहयोग लेना होगा। विषय विशेषज्ञों को केंद्र के साथ जोड़ना होगा।

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने कहा कि प्रदेश में कृषि एवं ग्राम्य विकास के लिये किसानों की आय दोगुनी करने के उद्देश्य से कृषकों को 02 प्रतिशत ब्याज पर एक लाख रूपये तक का ऋण उपलब्ध कराने हेतु "दीन दयाल उपाध्याय किसान कल्याण योजना" शुरू की गई है। अब तक लगभग एक लाख किसानों को सस्ता ऋण उपलब्ध कराया जा चुका है। प्रदेश में पर्यटन को बढ़ावा देने के लिये भी प्रभावी प्रयास किये जा रहे है। 13 जिलों में 13 नये पर्यटन गंतव्य बनाये जा रहे है। वर्ष 2017 में लगभग 22 लाख से अधिक पर्यटक चारधाम यात्रा में आये। प्रदेश में अधिक से अधिक पर्यटक आये इसके लिये केदारनाथ व बदरीनाथ के सौन्दर्यीकरण पर भी विशेष ध्यान दिया जा रहा है। कोटद्वार में, कोटद्वार इको टूरिज्म सर्किट विकास एवं सफारी वाहनों का संचालन शुरू किया गया है। ऊर्जा के क्षेत्र में उत्तराखण्ड की लंबित 33 जल विद्युत परियोजनाओं के संचालन में केन्द्रीय ऊर्जा और जल संसाधन मंत्री द्वारा सकारात्मक सहयोग दिया जा रहा है। राज्य में 25000 मेगावाट विद्युत उत्सर्जन क्षमता है, किन्तु अभी हम 4000 मेगावाट का ही उत्पादन कर पा रहे है। उत्तराखण्ड को ऊर्जा प्रदेश बनाने के लिये हमारे प्रयास जारी है। L.E.D बल्बों का सभी सरकारी एवं गैर सरकारी कार्यालयों में उपयोग अनिवार्य किया गया है।

मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि स्वास्थ्य के क्षेत्र में प्रभावी पहल करते हुए राज्य के दूरस्थ पर्वतीय क्षेत्रों में "ई-हैल्थ सेंटर" की शुरूआत के लिये राज्य सरकार द्वारा देश की प्रमुख I.T. Company के साथ MOU किया गया। राज्य के 35 अस्पतालों में टेली रेडियोलाॅजी एवं टेली मेडिसिन योजना प्रारम्भ की गई है। सभी जिला चिकित्सालयों मे न्यूनतम 2 बैड के I.C.U. की स्थापना का निर्णय लिया गया है। बड़ी संख्या में डाक्टरों व नर्सों की तैनाती पर्वतीय क्षेत्रों में की जा रही है। जल संरक्षण के लिये देहरादून में रिस्पना नदी व अल्मोड़ा में कोसी नदी के पुनर्जीवीकरण हेतु अभियान प्रारंभ किया गया है। आगामी 5 वर्षों में हमने 5 हजार प्राकृतिक जल स्रोतों को पुनर्जीवित करने का लक्ष्य रखा है। रिस्पना के पुनर्जीवीकरण के लिए एक दिन में उद्गम से संगम तक वृक्षारोपण और साफ-सफाई अभियान का भी हमारा लक्ष्य है। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि कौशल विकास के क्षेत्र में आगामी तीन वर्षों में एक लाख से अधिक युवाओं को स्किल्ड बनाने की दिशा में हमने कदम बढ़ाये हैं। इसके लिये 02 आवासीय कौशल विकास केन्द्र स्थापित किये जा रहे है। उद्योगों की आवश्यकता के अनुसार आई०टी०आई० और पाॅलिटेक्निक में नये ट्रेड का प्रशिक्षण एवं राज्य कौशल योजना को पुनर्गठित कर, पण्डित दीन दयाल उपाध्याय राज्य कौशल योजना प्रारम्भ करने का निर्णय लिया गया है। राज्य में साॅफ्टवेयर टैक्नोलाॅजी पार्क आॅफ इण्डिया(STPI) की स्थापना के साथ ही प्रधानमंत्री कौशल विकास योजना के अंतर्गत स्टेट कम्पोनेंट में देश का प्रथम प्रशिक्षण केन्द्र उत्तराखण्ड में शुरू हो गया है। राज्य में Central Insititute of Plastic Engg. & Tech. (सीपैट) तथा नेशनल फैशन टेक्नोलाॅजी संस्थान, के लिये भवन एवं भूमि चिन्हित कर अगले वर्ष से कक्षाओं की शुरूआत करने की योजना गतिमान है। उच्च शिक्षा के लिये #Haridwar में (NIELIT) नेशनल इन्स्टीटयूट आॅफ इलेक्ट्रोनिक्स एण्ड एनफाॅरमेशन सेन्टर, अल्मोड़ा में एन.आई.ई.एल.आई.टी. का सब सेन्टर तथा उत्तराखण्ड में हाॅस्पिटेलिटी यूनिवर्सिटी भी स्थापित की जा रही है। इसके अतिरिक्त सेन्ट्रल इंस्टीटयूट प्लास्टिक इंजीनियरिंग एण्ड टैक्नोलाॅजी(सीपैट) की भी प्रदेश में स्थापना की जा रही है।

सड़क एवं रेल परिवहन की मजबूती के साथ ही गढ़वाल एवं कुमाॅऊ को जोड़ने वाला कण्डी मार्ग का निर्माण सरकार की प्राथमिकता हैं। ऋषिकेश-कर्णप्रयाग रेल मार्ग, देवबन्द-रूड़की रेल मार्ग का निर्माण राज्य के विकास में और अधिक गति प्रदान करेगा। चारधाम आल वेदर रोड का कार्य प्रगति पर है, शहरी विकास के अन्तर्गत देहरादून को स्मार्ट सिटी एवं माॅडल सिटी बनाने की दिशा में कार्य आरम्भ किया गया है। ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में खुले में शौचमुक्त करने में उत्तराखण्ड देश का चौथा राज्य बन गया है। 2018 तक 92 शहरी निकायों को #ODF का हमारा लक्ष्य है। मार्च 2018 तक प्रधानमंत्री आवास योजना के एक लाख लक्ष्य के अनुपात में आवास निर्माण योजना पर तेजी से कार्य किया जा रहा है। मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने कहा कि राज्य सरकार द्वारा प्रदेश को प्रगतिशील बनाने के लिए निरंतर प्रयास किये जा रहे है

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अच्छी चीज़ों से सीखना चाहिए लेकिन बात तो तब बनेगी जब हम भी करके दिखाएँ

अहमदाबाद में मुख्यमंत्री श्री Trivendra Singh Rawat ने काकड़िया झील का निरीक्षण किया। उन्होंने झील परिसर में पर्यटन विकास सेे सम्बंधित योजनाओं एवं अन्य गतिविधियों का मुख्य सचिव एवं पर्यटन सचिव के साथ स्थलीय निरीक्षण भी किया। उन्होंने काकड़िया झील की तरह #Uttarakhand की झीलों में भी पर्यटन विकास की सम्भावनायें तलाशे जाने के लिये कार्ययोजना बनाने के निर्देश अधिकारियों को दिये।

मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने कहा कि उत्तराखण्ड में पर्यटन विकास की अपार संभावनाएं हैं। उत्तराखण्ड पर्यटन के लिए प्रसिद्ध है, पर्यटन को और अधिक बढ़ावा देने के लिए नए प्रयासों की जरूरत है। उन्होंने कहा कि पर्यटकों को आकर्षित करने के लिए सरकार की ग्रामीण पर्यटन व संस्कृति ग्राम जैसी योजना कारगर साबित हो सकती है, इसके माध्यम से पर्यटकों को उत्तराखण्ड की संस्कृति, सभ्यता और विशिष्टताओं के बारे में एक ही स्थान पर अधिक से अधिक जानकारी उपलब्ध हो सकेगी।

मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने कहा कि काकड़िया गुजरात की सबसे बड़ी झील है जो 3 किलोमीटर की परिधि में फैली है। काकड़िया झील अहमदाबाद में काफी लोकप्रिय है तथा पर्यटकों के आकर्षण का भी केन्द्र है। इस झील में वर्तमान में, पर्यटकों के लिए एक एक्टीविटी सेंटर के तौर पर स्थापित किया गया है जहां कई प्रकार की सुविधाएं उपलब्ध है। यहां बाल वाटिका है जो विशेष तौर पर बच्चों के लिए बनाई गई है। यहां एक बोट क्लब भी है जहां आकर पर्यटक, बोटिंग का लुफ्त भी उठा सकते है। मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने काकड़िया झील परिसर में प्रधानमंत्री श्री Narendra Modi द्वारा स्थापित किड सिटी का भी अवलोकन किया। उन्होंने कहा कि यहां पर बच्चों के कैरियर कौशल विकास की भी व्यवस्था बनाई गई है। बच्चे भविष्य में क्या बनना चाहेंगे, क्या कैरियर अपनाना चाहेंगे, इसकी भी तालीम की व्यवस्था है, इसके लिये यहां पर सम्बंधित विषयों के जानकार उपलब्ध रह कर बच्चों को उनके कैरियर चुनाव में मदद करते है, तथा उनकी जिज्ञासाओं का भी समाधान करते हैं। मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने साबरमती रिवर फ्रंट में आयोजित फ्लावर शो का भी अवलोकन किया, इस फ्लावर शो में गुजरात के साथ ही राजस्थान, मध्य प्रदेश व महाराष्ट्र के नर्सरी उत्पादकों द्वारा प्रतिभाग किया गया। मुख्यमंत्री ने अपने भ्रमण के दौरान एशिया के सबसे बड़े रेपटाइल पार्क का भी अवलोकन किया तथा इसके रख रखाव आदि की जानकारी प्राप्त की।

झील के चारों ओर व आसपास स्थित टूरिस्ट स्पॉट के दर्शन कराने के लिए यहां अटल एक्सप्रेस नाम से टॉय ट्रेन भी संचालित की जाती है। मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने इस अवसर पर इस टाॅय ट्रेन की सवारी भी की। मुख्यमंत्री श्री रावत ने कहा कि राज्य की झीलों आदि में इस प्रकार के प्रयोग बच्चों के लिये शिक्षाप्रद होने के साथ ही पर्यटकों के आकर्षण का केन्द्र बन सकते है।

पर्यटकों को आकर्षित करने और यहां की संस्कृति के प्रचार प्रसार के लिए दिसंबर महीने के आखिरी सप्ताह में यहां काकड़िया कार्निवल मनाया जाता है। कार्निवल में कल्चरल, आर्ट और कई सोशल इवेंट्स होते हैं। मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र सिंह रावत इस कार्निवाल में भी सम्मिलित हुए।

मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि उत्तराखण्ड में टिहरी, नैनीताल, नानक सागर, कालागढ़ के साथ ही सूर्यधार झील परियोजना व सौंग बांध आदि का इसी लेक की तर्ज पर पर्यटन व अन्य गतिविधियों के लिये विकसित किया जा सकता है, इसके लिये विस्तृत कार्ययोजना तैयार करने के भी निर्देश उन्होंने दिये हैं। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि उत्तराखण्ड का नैसर्गिंक सौन्दर्य पर्यटकों के आकर्षण का केन्द्र रहा है। यहां की झीलों के साथ ही रमणीय बुग्यालों, ओली, मुनस्यारी के बर्फीले तल, चारधाम के अलावा अन्य प्रमुख धार्मिक स्थलों को भी देश व दुनिया के सामने लाने की जरूरत है। इस दिशा में यदि प्रभावी पहल की जाये तो उत्तराखण्ड पर्यटन प्रदेश बनने के साथ ही प्रदेश की आर्थिकी का भी मजबूत आधार बन सकता है। इसी दिशा में प्रदेश के 13 जनपदों में 13 नये गतंव्य स्थापित किये जा रहे 

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मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेंद्र ने कहा कि रोजगार उपलब्ध कराने के लिए राज्य के 670 न्याय पंचायतों में ग्रोथ सेंटर खोले जायेंगे, जिसमें 15 सेन्टर रेडिमेट गारमेंट के शुरू किये जायेंगे। उन्होंने कहा कि #Dehradun में पिरूल रिसर्च सेन्टर खोला जायेगा। जिसमें तारपीन का तेल निकाला जायेगा, इसकी सारी तैयारी कर ली गई है तथा 10 महीने के भीतर इस पर कार्य शुरू कर दिया जायेगा। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि LED बल्ब एवं लड़िया अधिक कीमतों पर बाजार से खरीदी जाती है। इसके लिए राज्य सरकार ने फैसला लिया है कि न्याय पंचायतों में ग्रोथ सेन्टर खोले जायेंगे, जिसमें गांव की महिलाओं को पांच दिन का प्रशिक्षण देकर गांव की महिलायें वहीं पर LED बल्ब एवं लड़िया बनायेंगी। उन्होंने कहा कि गांव से पलायन रोकने के लिए गांव में ही रोजगार के साधन उपलब्ध हो इसके लिए सरकार प्रयास कर रही है। मुख्यमंत्री ने कार्यक्रम में आंगनबाड़ी केन्द्र के कुपोषित बच्चों को ऊर्जा पोषाहार भी वितरित किये, साथ ही गंगा डेरी योजना के तहत पात्र किसानों को 40-40 हजार रूपये चेक भी वितरित किये। इस मौके पर मुख्यमंत्री ने कृषि विभाग द्वारा तैयार की गई ‘‘कृषि रैबार’’ पत्रिका का भी विमोचन किया।

हरिद्वार सांसद डा. रमेश पोखरियाल निशंक के उपन्यास पर आधारित गढ़वाली फिल्म मेजर निराला रिलीज होने को तैयार है। फिल्म में हेमंत पांडे, हिमानी शिवपुरी जैसे कलाकार नजर आएंगे। इसके गीत कैलाश खैर व नरेंद्र सिंह नेगी ने गाए हैं।

हिमश्री प्रोडक्शन के बैनर तले रिलीज हो रही फिल्म मेजर निराला में एक फौजी के अदम्य साहस और मार्मिकता को दर्शाया है। फिल्म के डायरेक्टर गणेश बीरान गणि और प्रोड्यूसर डा. रमेश पोखरियाल निशंक की बेटी आरूषि निशंक हैं। खास बात यह है कि डा. निशंक ने फिल्म में दो गाने भी लिखे हैं। गीतों में आवाज नरेन्द्र सिंह नेगी और दिग्गज गायक कैलाश खैर ने दी है।

विदित हो कि नेगी के गीत अब कथगा खैल्यू को निशंक पर टिप्पणी माना गया था। इसके बाद निशंक और नेगी इस फिल्म के जरिए एक मंच पर आ रहे हैं । इसके साथ ही उत्तराखंड फिल्म विकास परिषद के उपाध्यक्ष हेमंत पांडे ने भी पहली बार गढ़वाली फिल्म में नेपाली युवक की भूमिका अदा की है। अदाकारा हिमानी शिवपुरी भी फिल्म में नजर आएंगी। गत मई में फिल्म की अधिकांश शूटिंग पौड़ी के अलावा चकराता और मालदेवता में की गई।

उत्तराखण्ड में गाय गंगा महिला डेयरी योजना का शुभारंभ
किसान भवन रिंग रोड पर उत्तराखंड सहकारी डेयरी फेडरेशन हल्द्वानी के वार्षिक सामान्य बैठक के दौरान योजना का भी शुभारंभ किया गया। इस दौरान मुख्यमंत्री त्रिवेंद्र रावत ने 16 काश्तकारों को गाय लोन के चेक और छह को अपने हाथों से गाय दी। इस दौरान उन्होंने कहा कि प्रदेश में दुग्ध उत्पादन बढ़ाने और पलायन रोकने में इस योजना से काफी मदद मिलेगी।

कार्यक्रम के दौरान सहकारिता मंत्री डा. धनसिंह रावत ने कहा मुख्यमंत्री से दुग्ध संघ भवन बनाने की भी मांग की। उन्होंने कहा कि जनवरी 2018 में मुख्यमंत्री कामधेनु डेयरी योजना की शुरूआत की जायेगी।

उप राष्ट्रपति ने किया निशंक की पुस्तक 'युग पुरुष भारत रत्‍‌न अटल जी ' का लोकार्पण

उपराष्ट्रपति वेंकैया नायडू गुरुवार को नई दिल्ली में अपने निवास में डॉक्टर निशक द्वारा लिखी गई पुस्तक 'युग पुरुष भारत रत्‍‌न अटल जी' का लोकार्पण कर रहे थे। इस अवसर पर उपराष्ट्रपति ने कहा कि भारतीय राजनीति में अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी का योगदान अविस्मरणीय है। इस दौरान उन्होंने पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी के साथ बिताए दौर को भी साझा किया। उपराष्ट्रपति ने डॉ निशक को अंगवस्त्र ओढ़ाकर सम्मानित किया

Into the Gurez Valley

Into the Gurez Valley
Once the gateway to Central Asia, Gurez Valley in a forgotten corner of Kashmir is still home to the Dard people who live on the fence of modernity

Ghulam Hasan, 76, standing behind a wall of curious onlookers, finally summons the courage to step up with a few questions of his own. It’s been many years since he’s seen so many strange faces at his home in Chakwali—the last village in the Gurez valley, a tehsil in Jammu and Kashmir, at the northern tip of India, and just a short distance from the Line of Control. He shuffles amid the crowd, keenly observing faces and baggage alike, asks a few questions about where we have come from, and returns to his perch in the shade, satisfied with the answers.

It takes a simple hello to get him chatting, and, in the next few minutes, he begins reflecting on an era when visitors frequented these parts.

“There were so many things to see, so many stories to hear. Everyone would be out of their homes, watching the entourage of caravans pass by—some familiar faces, others visiting for the first time,” he says.

Hasan speaks of a time when trade flourished on the Silk Route and Gurez was considered the gateway to Central Asia. There was a sense of excitement each time a caravan made its way through the many villages en route. They brought essential goods from across the high mountains and, more importantly, news from distant lands, helping break the monotony of a secluded existence in the midst of nowhere.

Women handle a majority of the daily chores in Gurez, including the laborious task of collecting firewood.
Women handle a majority of the daily chores in Gurez, including the laborious task of collecting firewood.
Hasan grew up on a regular dose of such stories, narrated by his elders. For instance, the valley’s renowned potatoes would be taken to Skardu on a day’s march from Chorwan, a short distance from Dawar—the headquarters of Gurez. There, after a quick barter, traders would return with mules laden with apricots and apples. It was just one of the many exchanges that took place in this roving marketplace spread over a hundred miles. Gurez became a hub and a vital link between towns such as Kashgar and Gilgit in the north and Srinagar and Kargil in the south.

All that changed when India and Pakistan were handed their identities in 1947. The trade routes were sealed; the goods stopped coming in, as did the news. The people of Gurez were gradually pushed into a life of self-sustenance, isolation, and, to a certain extent, oblivion, tucked away in a corner of India that they are unfamiliar with.

Several children don’t have access to a school in their village and have to walk miles to get to the closest one.
Several children don’t have access to a school in their village and have to walk miles to get to the closest one.
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What took me to Gurez was a simple call by Anil Gupta—fondly known as “professor” and founder president of Sristi, an Ahmedabad-based organization that works on grass-roots innovations—who wanted to set up a library at the Government Higher Secondary School in Badugam village. There is no greater joy for a bibliophile than to infect others with the same passion. Then, to do it for people in a remote land that has been afflicted by conflict and despondency was reason enough to gather around thousand books (mostly English, obtained through collection drives) and lug it over a thousand miles to them.

Located in the north-west corner of Kashmir, Gurez lies just 130km from the capital, Srinagar; the stark difference in lifestyles, though, is both enticing and appalling. Once you’re past Bandipora, the road climbs to the Razdan Pass (3,500m), before descending to a land that can best be described as inhabited wilderness. This sole link with the rest of the state gets snowed in from the end of November to April-May, cutting off the region for close to five months of the year. At the opposite end, and across the mountains, lies the same land that was once frequented by the people of Gurez and is today controlled by Pakistan.

This valley is home to the Dards or Dard Shins, who belonged to a region called Dardistan that today straddles India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A few have stories of family members who were stranded across the mountains once the borders were drawn. There was little to do but start life afresh in a new land. What bound them was the comfort of the Shina language that is spoken in these parts. Some have never been seen since, while those with money have had the opportunity to reunite with their separated relatives. Though this isolation has been a bane, it has preserved the culture of a tribe which traces its ancestry all the way back to the fourth century BC.

Hasan grew up on a regular dose of such stories...the valley’s renowned potatoes would be taken to Skardu on a day’s march from Chorwan, a short distance from Dawar—the headquarters of Gurez. There, after a quick barter, traders would return with mules laden with apricots and apples
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In his paper Dards, Dardistan And Dardic, Professor John Mock writes, “In a well-known and much repeated story, Herodotus mentions a war-like people on the frontier of India, near to whom are found gold-digging ants. Herodotus provides the name Dadikai for one of the groups living on India’s frontier, which was then the seventh satrapy of the Achaemenian empire...Alexander, whose travels provide much of the data for classical geography of India, apparently did not meet any Dard people, but he did go to a place called Daedala.”

Not much has changed over the centuries in the daily routine of the Dards, who’ve built their homes in the valleys and on the slopes of Gurez and the neighbouring Tulail valley. Most farm vegetables such as potatoes and peas, and herd livestock for a living. A few tend to the needs of the Indian Army, ferrying supplies on their mules to posts high up in the mountains. The soldiers outnumber the locals, as is the case in most of Kashmir. Though shelling and infiltration have been sporadic in these parts of late, the army’s suffering isn’t very different from that of the Dards. Solitude and cold can break the strongest of people.

Men chop firewood in Gurez.
Men chop firewood in Gurez.
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Kanzalwan, the first of the 28 settlements en route to Gurez, may seem like any other village in rural Kashmir. Past Dawar though, it feels like a different world. The Kishanganga river snakes its way through the valley, as fields and homes made of wood and mud lie in the shadow of the mighty Himalayas. The only aberration in the rustic landscape are the hidden army posts and checkpoints.

Most modern amenities that are taken for granted are missing from these parts. Given the proximity to the border, there is no mobile network, reducing the utility of a cellphone to a camera or a flashlight. Electricity is a 3-hour affair in the evenings, provided by the government through diesel-powered generators. The roads can best be described as dirt tracks. The hijabs that the locals don double up as face masks, given the rise in respiratory ailments these days.

“Twelve villages still don’t have electricity. What is more alarming is that they have no protection from natural calamities and bank on traditional methods for survival. Efforts are being made, but it is very difficult since the area is cut off for so many months,” says Sajad Hussain Ganie, district development commissioner of Bandipora.

There is just one hospital that can tend to major illnesses in Dawar; else it’s a taxing, bumpy ride to Bandipora. Primary healthcare centres have been set up in some villages, as have schools; however, the doctors and teachers who are needed to run them are usually missing. These government jobs are considered punishment postings and the schools are at some distance from some of the villages, making it a gruelling trudge for the children.

“I know education is a must in today’s times, so I encourage my four children to go to school. But their school is 14km away and I cannot afford the Rs100 taxi fare each day. There have been times when one of my girls had blisters on her feet and could not go. During the occasional days of shelling, we simply have to sit indoors, which further hampers their studies. What is their future?” says Mohammed Hussain of Niru village.

Besides dealing with the absence of teachers, these schools have limited infrastructure; for instance, even those that do have computers, have little use for them given the erratic electricity, let alone an internet connection. Despite the odds, however, most children are enthusiastic about learning. It was heartening to meet a class IV student, who was fluent in Shina, Urdu, Hindi and English. In that moment, the effort of giving them access to over a thousand books seemed worth it.

Under the circumstances, the army has become a guardian of sorts for the 38,000-odd people (as per a 2011 census). From running schools to carrying out evacuation sorties in the dead of winter, its role goes beyond defending the border. And it has earned it the respect of locals.

A severe winter is central to life in Gurez. While we were slogging uphill to get to the hamlet of Abdulin, women with axes and wicker baskets slid down the slopes with bundles of wood. They are strong and shoulder a majority of the work. The load—usually over 40kg—is added to the pile stacked up next to houses as vital fuel for the weeks to come. The dependence on wood has taken its toll on the forests, and it isn’t unusual to see barren slopes behind villages.

But this is a battle against the elements for these landlocked communities, which may not receive help for days in the harsh winter. Nothing is left to chance: Dried meat is packed in cellars, potatoes buried in pits. As December sets in, life comes to a standstill, with most days spent keeping warm by the bukhari (stove-cum-heater) or sipping butter tea. The only time one steps out is to clear the snow—it piles up over 10ft during some weeks—or an emergency.

Higher education, job opportunities and a lack of basic infrastructure have seen the youth move to other parts of the state. “A lot of the youngsters have moved to other towns or joined the army,” says Mohammed Imtiaz of Barnail.

“There’s little that has changed from when I was growing up here. What is the motivation for me to return home?” asks a teacher from Wazirithal, who had moved to Srinagar for higher education and has settled there.

The Kishanganga river. Photographs by Shail Desai
The Kishanganga river. Photographs by Shail Desai
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In his 1895 book, The Valley Of Kashmir, Walter R. Lawrence writes: “Many of the Margs are visited every year by Europeans, and Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Nagmarg are charming places for a summer holiday. Perhaps Pahlgam, the village of the shepherd which stands at the head of the Liddar valley with its healthy forest of pines, and Gurais which lies at a distance of 35 miles from Bandipura, the port of the Wular lake, will before long rival in popularity the other Margs.”

Unlike Pahalgam, Gurez has survived the onslaught of mass tourism until now due to its proximity to the border, despite being promised Rs 28 crore in July 2007 for upgrading the infrastructure. A few changes though are evident. The Kishanganga hydroelectric project can solve the region’s electricity woes. Though a fraction of it is meant for Gurez, smaller projects upstream are being proposed.

Permits were done away with a few years ago. But most outsiders here are either army men, or backpackers who venture out when the snow thaws off the mountains in cascades. As more follow in the years to come, sustainable growth will be key to protect the home of the hospitable Dards.

NEW SALARY OF CJI AND OTHER JUDGES OF SUPREME COURT AND HIGH COURT

Isro carrying out studies in disaster management, monitoring haze
The Isro is carrying out studies in disaster management and monitoring of rice crop, global rainfall, fire hotspot and haze, says union minister Jitendra Singh
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is carrying out studies in disaster management and monitoring of rice crop, global rainfall, fire hotspot and haze, union minister Jitendra Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Space Applications Working Group, one of the four Working Groups of Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), had recommended to further promote space applications, including rice-crop monitoring, global rainfall monitoring, fire hotspot, haze monitoring and disaster management, at the 24th session of APRSAF held at Bengaluru in November 2017.

Isro is carrying out studies in these areas, minister of state Jitendra Singh, who holds multiple portfolios, including Space, said in a written reply to a question in the upper House. The Isro shares information it gathers with other neighbouring countries, in the event of disasters, through many programmes including Sentinel Asia (APRSAF’s initiative for disaster management support), International Charter ‘Space and Major Disasters’ United Nations Platform for Space based Information for Disaster management and Emergency Response (UNSPIDER).

In response to another question, Singh said, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), designed to orbit Mars, is functioning well since its positioning in Mars orbit in 24 September 2014. “The designed mission life of MOM was six months but has successfully completed more than three years and is expected to function further. All scientific payloads continue to perform well,” he said.

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