IAS articles

FDI in Multi Brand Retail

2012-01-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

(Multi brand at one one shop like big bazar)

By Dhiraj Singh, Director (M&C), P.I.B

The Government has decided to allow Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) upto 51% in multi brand retail. This means that global retailers can come to India with a local partner and set up stores in the country. Till now FDI was not allowed in multi brand retail. However, there were big multi brand retail outlets owned by Indian entities.

This decision is an enabling policy that will open up new windows of opportunity to modernize the retail sector particularly for agricultural products and the small-scale sector.

The benefits would be for all:

The farmer will get a better price for their produce as middlemen will be removed and retailers will buy directly from farmers. Farmers’ losses from wastages specially in vegetables and fruits will come down.

The small scale sector will find new buyers and cheap and better quality source for their products.

Consumers will get better prices and greater variety from these stores. The entry of global players will encourage existing traders and retail outlets to upgrade and become more efficient, thereby providing better services to the consumers as also better remuneration to the producers from whom they source their products.

This is also one of the most effective ways to tackle rise in food prices and inflation due to availability of food items on lower prices.

Today India is one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables in the world. However 30-40% of food and vegetable products go waste due to lack of storage and cold chain facilities. This decision will bring in funds for investment to improve supply chain infrastructure such as cold storage, transportation and procurement along with bringing in investment for growth of the economy.

This will bring huge employment opportunities in agro-processing, sorting, marketing and the frontend retail business. As per some estimates upto 10 million jobs will be created in coming years.

Government has provided safeguards to protect national interest such as:

· Minimum investment by the global retailer will be $ 100 million and 50% of which will be in backend infrastructure that will control wastage and help local farmers. Backend infrastructure will be in or near villages and will be of immense value for rural economy.

· It has been made mandatory that 30% sourcing will be done from Indian small industry. This will promote local manufacturing, as Indian small industries will feel encouraged to expand capacities in manufacturing thereby creating more employment and also strengthening the manufacturing base of the country.

·These stores can be set up only in cities with the population of more than 10 lakh. This provision along with the requirement of master/zonal plans will make sure that small retailers are not affected. Moreover small retailers can benefit from sourcing their products from deep discount wholesale cash-and-carry big retailers. This will improve quality of their product and reduce their cost.

· In order to ensure supply to ration shops (PDS) government will have the first right to the procurement of agricultural products. This is important from food security point of view also. Some people fear that big retailers will destroy small traders by keeping low prices initially (predatory pricing). However, Competition Commission of India will not allow this to happen.

As the policy will be implemented in only 53 cities (with population over 10 lakh) which will make it difficult for big retailers to crush competition. In many developing countries like China, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, and Singapore, where 100% FDI is allowed, small retailers are successfully co-existing with big retailers.

Indian labour will continue to be protected by Indian labour law. It is an enabling policy framework. States are free to adopt it or leave it. Those states that do not want to have FDI in retail are free not to allow them. This is done to maintain the freedom of states in federal structure. FDI policy does not override the existing laws governing, trade and commerce in the country. The State Government laws and regulations in this regard would apply as much to the foreign players as to the establishment of any domestic businesses in the retail sector.

Peace Process in North East

2012-01-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

A tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was signed on 25.11.2011 between the Central Government, Government of Assam and United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) in the presence of Union Home Minister Shri P. Chidambaram and Assam Chief Minister Shri Tarun Gogoi. The Union Home Minister said that this MoS provide for enhanced autonomy for Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council in Assam and also a special package for speedier socio-economic and educational development of the area. He further stated that Government has always shown its willingness to enter into dialogue with any group, that is willing to abjure the path of violence and place its demand within the framework of the Constitution of India.

The Home Minister Shri P. Chidambaram further said that in the past violence marked the agitation of the UPDS that was intended to attract the attention of the Government towards the backwardness of the Karbi Anglong District. After realizing futility of the violence, in August 2002, UPDS came forward and expressed its willingness to give up violence and seek solution of its problems peacefully within the framework of the Indian Constitution.

In November 2009, in order to speed up the peace process, Government appointed Shri P.C. Haldar as Interlocutor/Government of India’s Representative to negotiate with the UPDS for addressing their grievances. After several rounds of discussion, negotiating team comprising the Representatives of Government of Assam, Ministry of Home Affairs and UPDS finalized tripartite agreement which has been signed.

MoS provides for :- ·
·
Setting up of a Committee under Assam Legislative Assembly as envisaged under Article 371B of the Constitution of India.
Renaming of existing Council as Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC).
Increased seats in the Council upto 50 members (of which 6 will be nominated by the Governor) as against the existing 30 seats out of which 4 were to be nominated by the Governor. However, the proposed increase in seats shall be applicable for election to the Council due in 2016-17 or mid-term poll, if any, announced, whichever is earlier;
Setting up of Village Councils for deepening democratic process at the grass root level.
Transfer of additional subjects by the State of Assam to the Council along with legislative and executive powers.
Setting up of State Finance Commission (SFC) and consideration of higher fund allocation to the council to undertake viable activities;
Strict adherence to established norms of financial management, proper audit of the accounts, etc.
Additional measures for socio-economic, education, health, and cultural development;
Special economic package of Rs.350 crore (Rs.70 crore per annum) over and above the Plan Fund over the next 5 years to KAATC for identified projects;
Improvement of road connectivity, water supply and supply of power in Karbi Anglong District under existing schemes;
Providing one-time grant for capacity building in KAATC for preparation of DPR etc;
Rehabilitation of UPDS cadres; Withdrawal of cases relating to heinous crimes shall be reviewed case by case according to existing policy for withdrawal of such cases.
Action will be taken to implement the MoS and implementation of MoS will be reviewed periodically.

Law Related Articles

2012-01-27T02:17:00.000-08:00

Law Related Articles

S.No.	Article Heading	Author
1.	Canons of Judicial Ethics	Hon'ble Mr. Justice RC Lahoti, Former Chief Justice of India
2.	High Court Inauguration on March 19^th, 1955	The Sunday Tribune Dated March 20^th, 1955
3.	From Crime to Punishment - A Road to Nowhere	Hon'ble Mr. Justice K.S. Garewal
4.	High Court Architectural Design	Editorial committee of Punjab and Haryana High Court
5.	My memories of Punjab and Haryana High Court	Hon'ble Mr. Justice Ashok Bhan, Judge Supreme Court of India
6.	Service is Divine	Hon'ble Mr. Justice M.M.Punchhi Former Chief Justice of India
7.	Encouragement and Support	Hon'ble Mr. Justice A.S.Anand Former Chief Justice of India
8.	A Golden Era	Hon'ble Mr. Justice V.Ramaswamy Former Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court
9.	Idealism - A Supreme Necessity	Hon'ble Mr. Justice M. Rama Jois Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
10.	I have virtually grown with the Court	Hon'ble Mr. Justice J.L.Gupta Former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court.
11.	Reflections on a Golden Jubilee.	Hon'ble Mr. Justice K.S.Garewal
12.	Delayed Justice	Hon'ble Mr. Justice Y.K.Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India
13.	Address on the occasion of National Legal Literacy Day on 9th November, 2006	Hon'ble Mr. Justice Y.K.Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India
14.	My Dream of An Ideal Justice Dispensation System"	Hon'ble Mr. Justice Y.K.Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India
15.	12^th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture, New Delhi	By THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA DR. A. P. J. ABDUL KALAM
16.	Role of Judiciary in Good Governance	Hon'ble Mr. Justice Y.K.Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India
17.	Criminal Justice under Stress: Transnational perspective'	Hon'ble Mr. Justice Y.K.Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India
18.	INDIA'S ECONOMIC PROSPECTS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES	Hon'ble Mr. Justice Y.K.Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India
19.	JUDICIAL ACTIVISM AND THE ROLE OF GREEN BENCHES IN INDIA	Hon'ble Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India
20.	SENSITIZATION OF JUDICIAL OFFICERS IN DISPENSATION OF JUSTICE WITH A FOCUS ON COURT CRAFT & COURT CONDUCT AND BENCH & BAR RELATIONSHIP	Hon'ble Mr. Justice M.M. Kumar, Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court

Census of India 2011 – A Story of Innovations

2011-08-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

by Dr. C Chandramouli*

Indian Census is the single largest source of a variety of statistical information on different characteristics of the people of India. It is the most credible source of information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, housing & household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, language, religion, migration, disability and many other socio-cultural and demographic data.

With a history of more than 130 years, this reliable, time tested exercise has been bringing out a veritable wealth of statistics every 10 years, beginning from 1872 when the first census was conducted in India non-synchronously in different parts.

The recently concluded Census 2011 is the 15th National Census of the Country in the unbroken series since 1872 and the seventh after Independence. It is remarkable that the great historical tradition of conducting a Census has been maintained in spite of several adversities like wars, epidemics, natural calamities, political unrest etc. Very few countries in the world can boast of such a glorious tradition.

The responsibility of conducting the decennial Census rests with the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India (ORGI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, which includes conceptualization, planning and implementation of the Census operation in the country. The organization has field offices in all the States and Union Territories (except the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu, which are attached to the office at Gujarat). The field officers are headed by the Directors of Census Operations, who are responsible for the conduct of Census in their respective jurisdictions.

Methodology

The Census of India is conducted once in a decade, following an extended de facto canvasser method. Under this approach, data is collected on every individual by visiting the household and canvassing a single questionnaire over a period of three weeks. The count is then updated to the reference date and time by conducting a Revision Round. In the Revision Round, any changes in the entries that arise on account of births, deaths and migration between the time of the enumerators visit and the reference date/time are noted down and the record updated.

Census 2011 has been conducted in two phases. In the first phase, known as Houselisting and Housing Census, each building, house and other structures were systematically listed and numbered. Besides, useful information on use of the house, amenities available to the households, if residential, and assets owned by them was collected. This exercise, held between April to September, 2010 in different States/Union territories was used to draw up a frame for the second phase of Census 2011, known as Population Enumeration held in February 2011.

In the second phase, the Population Enumeration exercise was held throughout the country from 9^th to 28^th February 2011. During this period, about 2.7 million Enumerators visited about 240 million households collecting information on every person living in these households. On the night of 28^th February, 2011 the Houseless population was enumerated. Thereafter, a Revision Round was conducted to update the population with reference to the Census Moment, i.e., 00:00 hours of 1^st March, 2011 by updating information on births and deaths occurring in the households.

Innovations Adopted

India had witnessed unparalleled change in terms of growth in population, economic development and adoption of new technology, particularly in the filed of Information Technology in comparison to the previous decades. This offered an opportunity to reassess each stage of census taking and modify the procedures taking into account the availability of resources and their optimum utilization. From planning to execution of the Census Operation, innovation was the key word. The objective was to ensure full coverage of the area and the population without omission or overlapping, collection of quality data without any prejudice and bias and to quickly process the data to make it available in the public domain for use before it becomes obsolete.

Following are some of the steps taken in this direction:

Complete and Unduplicated Coverage of Population-While undertaking census operation, a key aspect is to ensure complete coverage of the geographic area of the country without any omission or duplication. This requires the updating of jurisdictional boundaries of all the administrative units from States to the Villages/Towns. Towards this end for use in Census 2011, information on changes in the jurisdiction of the administrative boundaries of 35 States/Union Territories, 640 districts, 5,924 sub-districts, 7,935 towns and 6,40,867 villages were meticulously collected along with official notifications and maps. Each of these changes was recorded in the digitized maps using latest GIS software. In addition, the Census Organization has completed preparation of detailed digital maps of 33 capital cities of the country based on satellite imagery. These maps show detailed layout of buildings, houses, other structures, road network and important landmarks and were used in Census 2011.

Quality of Content

Designing the Census Schedules- Two types of Questionnaire, known in Census as Schedules, are canvassed for the two phases of Census. In Census 2011, the work of designing the Schedules was entrusted to the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad which came up with brilliant designs, which were easy to use, aesthetically developed, easy to scan and comparable to the best in the world. The Schedules had several unique features like Bar Code, Unique Form Number and drop-out color from a standard palette. All these helped in collecting quality information and better inventory management, a nightmare in the past. These features have greatly enhanced the processing of data.

Training- One of the most critical elements in Census is the training of the field Enumerators who collect information. Unless the 2.7 million functionaries are clear about the concepts and methodology, the quality of data collected will suffer. For the first time support of the NGOs was taken in imparting training in local languages. In Census 2011, a three-tier training hierarchy was put in place with National Trainers (90 in number) at the country level, Master Trainers Facilitators (725) at the State level and Master Trainers (54,000) at the District level. It was the responsibility of the Master Trainers to train 2.7 million Enumerators/ Supervisors at the grass-root level, a ratio of just 50 Enumerators per Master Trainer. The Instruction Manual was substantially improved by incorporating suitable illustrations and examples. In addition, Training Guides showing minute to minute agenda was prepared for use by the trainers at each stage of training. The Guide not only focused on elaborating concepts and methodology in Census but also covered such aspects as communication, rapport building etc. One important addition to the basket of training aids was the introduction of e-Learning modules on important census concepts, where animation characters representing Enumerators and Respondent(s) were shown actually delivering the dialogues and asking questions.

Publicity Campaign in Census 2011- For any large scale operations like Census Operations to succeed, undertaking adequate publicity campaign is an important element. Adequate sensitization of the people is a pre-requisite, as Census aims to collect personal information on each individual residing in the country at the time of Census. It is also important to focus on proper enumeration of such critical aspects as gender and disability in the population. In absence of adequate in-house expertise, the work of devising the entire campaign was assigned to reputed advertising agencies in the country with support from the UN Agencies. Elaborate campaign was planned and executed by using mass media, public outreach and digital media to achieve the objectives. The basic modules in Hindi were translated in 12 languages for use in different parts of the country. The media plan was prepared using the latest reports available on reach of media in different parts of the country using different modes on a scientific basis.

Census in School Programme- To sensitize school students about the Census 2011, an innovative programme was introduced throughout the country, where specially prepared and attractively designed School Kits were sent to about 60 to 80 schools in each of the 593 districts in the country. Each School Kit contained a letter from the Census Commissioner, India to the Principals of these schools requesting them to sensitize the students about the ensuing Census 2011 and also about the importance and utility of Census. Special attention was paid to the students of Class VI, VII and VIII for whom special lessons were sent on different subjects. The Census Commissioner, India also requested the Principals to designate one week in January 2011 as Census Week to develop awareness about Census 2011.

Gender Sensitization- Even though gender had been a prominent cross-cutting priority in 2001 Census, data related to female count, marital status, female headed households, female disability and female work-participation has continued to suffer from undercount or under-reporting. The 2001 census enumerated several villages/ districts that had reported very few women, very low female literacy and no female worker. To ensure collection of accurate information, an attempt was made to integrate gender issues into various stages of census taking by identifying gender critical districts, which had low sex ratio (less than 900); low female literacy (less than 30%) or low female work participation rate (less than 20%) on the basis of 2001 Census. In this way 262 Critical Districts were identified for focused attention and training. Special steps were taken to appoint additional Master Trainer Facilitators to sensitize the Enumerators on gender issues and train them in collecting authentic information. Special Data Sheets and Posters were prepared and displayed at each training class to sensitize the Enumerators on the poor status of women with reference to these three critical indicators. Extra effort was also made during the publicity campaign to sensitize the people to provide correct information about women and the girl child at the time of enumeration.

Using Social Networking Websites-With the overwhelming popularity of the social networking sites among the youth today, for the first time, in Census 2011, a conscious effort was made to reach them directly. Census 2011 Group was created on Facebook and Twitter in the first week of February 2011 and regular posts were made initially informing the visitors about different facets of Census in general and Census 2011 in particular inviting their support in spreading the message on Census. Within a short time, a large number of persons, mostly from the younger sections of the population, became members and actively posted views on the wall. The experience was quite satisfactory as most of the posts complimented the efforts while a few pointing out about not being covered in Census 2011. Immediate action was taken to redress their grievances. The site was also used for disseminating information on Census 2011 extensively. At present, there are more than 20,000 members on this Group. Similarly on Twitter as well, the members welcomed the new initiative. The Census Commissioner, India was awarded Exceptional Achievement for innovative use of social media in the country’s biggest governance exercise.

Community Volunteers- This was a unique initiative in some North Eastern States where Civil SocietyOrganisations joined hands with the Directorates to not only spread awareness but actually take part in the conduct of the Census. This has had a significant impact in these States and has greatly enhanced the participation of the general people in the Census.

Time bound completion of field operations and timely release of data.

Using State of the Art data recognition technology in data capture and data processing- The Census Office has always been in the forefront in the adoption of the latest data processing technology in the processing of census data. At 2001 Census, for the first time, a major technology change in the vital activity of data extraction recorded on the Census Schedule and creating associated computer data files was introduced, so as to fully computerize the subsequent data processing activities in generating output tables for use. India was the only large country in the world to have used this technology in 2001 Census. In the new technology used, the Census Schedules were scanned using high speed duplex scanners and information read using ICR technology. When the Census Office adopted this technology in India, it was considered a risk by many as the technology had been used only by a few small countries and not tested for a large country. This innovation by the Indian Census not only saved time and money but allowed accurate capture of data as well. Another major benefit in adopting this technology was that it allowed the Census to tabulate the entire data on a 100% basis rather than on a sample basis as was the case till 1991 Census. Using the ICR technology not only saved time for data capture and data tabulation thus ultimately making it available to the users early, but also was very cost effective saving public money.

Despatch and delivery of Census material-In Census 2011, approximately 340 million Census Schedules, 6 million Instruction Manuals, and other printed materials in 18 languages were used. The despatch and delivery of these Census materials weighing about 2000 metric tons, printed in the right language(s) from about twenty printing presses located in different parts of the country and delivering them to about 17,000 locations in each tehsil in the country was a logistic nightmare. After the operations, the filled-in Schedules were to be collected and delivered to the 17 Data Scanning Centres and the 33 Census Offices. This job of collection, delivery and return collection was given to Indian Posts which used their Logistic Post Service to deliver the material in each tehsil in the country, safely and securely and in time. With their expert services, the India Posts were able to complete the work in time satisfactorily.

Public Grievances and Monitoring-A Call Centre was set up to receive complaints from the public on various issues relating to Population Enumeration. Located in Pune, the facility was extended in 14 languages throughout the country. The complaints on non-coverage and other issues were quickly resolved with support from the local Census Offices. The Call Centers facility was also used to monitor the progress of enumeration work by directly contacting the Supervisions. At the conclusion of the Population Enumeration exercise, they have been assigned the job of Post Enumeration Survey (PES) in four metro cities.

Outsourcing of non-critical activities-Undertaking the Census Operation requires planning and execution of a wide array of activities, some demanding serious application of mind and some simply involving logistics and infrastructure. The scale of operations in all cases, however, was gigantic, due to the geographic spread and absence of adequate infrastructure in the country. It was decided at the planning stage itself to outsource non-critical activities in Census 2011 to allow Census Officials to focus more on Census related activities than managing logistics.

Adoption of Green Technology.

Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India supervised and monitored the progress of the Census Operations through video conferences with all the 640 District Collectors every week. The video conferencing technology saved huge amount of money which otherwise would have been necessary if the supervision team practically travelled to all the places or issued instructions through letters or correspondences.

Availing Call Centre facility to address public grievances during census helped in spreading green technology.

Cost

The cost of Census taking in such a large country as India is enormous. In Census 2011, about Rs 2200 crore was spent from the Central Budget during the two phases of Census, i.e., Houselisting and Housing Census held from April to September 2010 and the Population Enumeration held in February 2011. The amount spent was quite low as compared to the world average. According to the 25th Population Conference organized by the UN Statistical Division held in Seoul this year, the average cost of Census taking in the world is estimated as $ 4.6 per person. In India, the cost was less than $ 0.5 per person in Census 2011.

The heroines and heroes of Census 2011 have undoubtedly been the 2.7 million enumerators and supervisors who have spared no efforts to complete the arduous task in time. Three weeks to cover a vast and diverse country like India – a task looked at with awe by the world, but accomplished by these humble women and men with sincerity and devotion to duty. The Nation is proud of them and we salute each one of them for their hard work, perseverance and patience.

*Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India

Action on Socio-Economic and Religious Differentials

2011-08-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Government has been taking a number of steps as a follow-up action on the recommendations of the SacharCommittee. This follow-up action is basically in tune with the basic tenet of the Government to improve the socio-economic conditions of the minority communities through affirmative action and inclusive development so that every citizen has equal opportunity to participate actively in building a vibrant nation. A large number of Ministries/Departments, including the Ministry of Minority Affaris, are involved in this effort. The status of implementation of the decisions taken by the Government on the recommendations of the Sachar Committee are:

Department of Financial Services

· All public sector banks have been directed to open more branches in districts having a substantial minority population. Since 2007-08, a total of 2448 bank branches have been opened in such areas up to March, 2011.

· RBI revised its Master Circular on 5^th July, 2007 on priority sector lending (PSL) for improving credit facilities to minority communities. Rs.143396.70 crore have been provided to minorities up to March, 2011, which is 14.16% of total PSL.

· District Consultative Committees (DCCs) of lead banks are regularly monitoring the disposal and rejection of loan applications for minorities.

· To promote micro-finance among women, 5,87,088 accounts have been opened for minority women with Rs.3984.72 croreas micro-credit in 2010-11.

· All public sector banks are organizing awareness campaigns in blocks/districts/towns with substantial minority population. In 2010-11, 1976 awareness campaigns were organized in such areas.

· Lead banks have organized 1219 entrepreneurial development programmes (EDPs) in blocks/districts/towns with substantial minority population.

Ministry of Human Resource Development

· Under the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme 426 KGBVs have been made operational in minority concentration districts (MCDs). 64 KGBVs have been sanctioned for MCDs in 2010-11.

· State Governments have been advised to accord priority to setting up new / upgraded schools under Rashtriya MadhyamikShiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in minority concentration areas while appraising proposals under this scheme. In 2009-10 and 2010-11 309 and 314 new secondary schools were approved respectively for MCDs.

· One model college each would be set up in 374 educationally backward districts (EBDs) in the country of which, 67 are in identified minority concentration districts.

· Under the sub-mission on polytechnics, 57 districts out of 90 minority concentration districts for setting up of polytechnics in un-served and under-served districts. So far, Rs.140.66 crore have been released for setting up polytechnics in 37 Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs).

· Preference is given by University Grants Commission for provision of girls’ hostels in universities and colleges in the areas where there is concentration of minorities especially Muslims. UGC has sanctioned 239 Women’s hostels and released Rs.64.66 crore during 11^th Plan in 90 minority concentration districts.

· The Area Intensive & Madarsa Modernisation Programme has been revised and bifurcated into two schemes. A Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM) has been launched. In 2010-11, Rs.101.47 crore was provided for assisting 11382 teachers in 5045 Madaras for 12 States.

· Another scheme, bifurcated out of Area Intensive & Madarsa Modernisation Programme, called Infrastructure Development of Private aided/unaided Minority Institutes (IDMI) has been launched for providing infrastructure to minority institutes. In 2010-11, Rs.22.98 crore was released for assisting 124 institutions in 10 states.

· For subsequent access to higher education and employment, the certificates issued by the State Madarsa Boards, whose certificates and qualifications have been granted equivalence by the corresponding State Boards, would be considered equivalent by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council of Board of School Education in India (COBSE) or/and by any other school examination board.

· Academies for professional development of Urdu medium teachers have been set up at three Central Universities namely, Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Milia Islamia University and Maulana Azad National Urdu University.

· Under the revised scheme for Financial Assistance for Appointment of Urdu Language Teachers, financial assistance is provided for appointment of Urdu teachers to any locality where more than 25% of the population is from Urdu speaking community in pursuance of the Prime Minister’s new 15 Point Programme. In 2010-11, Rs.5.08 lakh sanctioned to Orissa for appointment of 25 Urdu teachers and Rs.24.96 lakh to Kerala for honorarium to 208 Urdu teachers.

· All State Governments/UT administrations have been advised for using existing school buildings and community buildings as study centres for school children.

· National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has prepared text books for all classes in the light of the National Curriculum Framework-2005.

· Thirty five universities have started centers for studying social exclusion and inclusive policy for minorities and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Besides, 1280 Centres of Equal Opportunity (CEOs) have been established in 51 universities during 2009-10 and 1345 and 1367 such centres are proposed to be established during 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively.

Ministry of Minority Affairs

· Continuous efforts are being made by the Government to set up Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) for deprived groups by an enactment.

· A Bill to amend Waqf Act, 1995 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 27^th April, 2010 and passed on 7^th May, 2010. It was then referred to the Rajya Sabha. The Bill has now been referred to the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha. Several sittings of the Select Committee have been held.

· The Government has accorded in-principle approval for restructuring of National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC). A consultancy firm has been appointed to work out the details for restructuring of NMDFC.

· An Inter-ministerial Task Force constituted to devise an appropriate strategy and action plan for developing 338 identified towns having substantial minority population rapidly in a holistic manner submitted its report on 8^th November, 2007. The concerned Ministries/Departments have been advised to give priority in the implementation of their schemes in these 338 towns.

· Four scholarship/Fellowship schemes for students from the minority communities have been launched. All these schemes provide for earmarking 30% of scholarships for girl students. Under these schemes, since 2007-08, a total of 78.68 lakhscholarships/Fellowships have been awarded to the students belonging to minority communities. The scheme wise break up of total numbers of scholarships/Fellowships awarded is-

Ø Pre-matric scholarship scheme from class-I to X: A total number of 66.63 lakh scholarships have been awarded since 2008-09.

Ø Post- matric scholarship scheme from class XI to PhD: A total number of 10.85 lakh scholarships have been awarded since 2007-08.

Ø Merit-cum-means scholarship scheme for technical and professional courses at under-graduate and post-graduate levels: A total number of 120,491 scholarships have been awarded since 2007-08.

Ø A fellowship scheme called Maulana Azad National Fellowship scheme for M.Phil and Ph.D. scholars has been launched and 757 fellowships have been awarded to fellows/students from minority communities during 2009-10.

· The corpus of Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF), which stood at Rs.100 crore, now stands at Rs.700.00 crore. There is a provision of Rs.50 crore in the budget for 2011-12 to raise the corpus to Rs.750 crore. The foundation has given financial assistance of Rs.139 crore to 1063 non-governmental organizations for promotion of education since inception. It has also awarded 59303 meritorious scholarships to girl students with a total disbursement of Rs.69 crore since 2003-04.

· A revised coaching and allied scheme was launched in 2006-07. 4845 students belonging to minority communities have benefited under this scheme in 2010-11.

· A Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) was launched in 90 identified minority concentration districts in 2008-09. The Ministry has so far released Rs.2162.03 crore to the States/UTs. The budget allocation for 2011-12 is Rs.1219crore.

· A multi-media campaign for effective dissemination of information to its target beneficiaries has been taken up through print, radio and TV.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

· A National Data Bank, to compile data on the various socio-economic and basic amenities parameters for socio-religious communities, has been set up in the Ministry.

Planning Commission

· An autonomous Assessment & Monitoring Authority (AMA), to analyse data collected for taking appropriate and corrective policy decisions, has been set up in the Planning Commission.

· A comprehensive institutional structure for fostering skill development has been set up in Planning Commission to address the skill development needs of the country including minorities. It includes National Council on Skill Development, National Skill Development Coordination Board and a National Skill Development Corporation.

Department of Personnel and Training

· A training module has been developed by the Indian Institute of Public Administration, for sensitization of government officials. The module has been sent to the Central/ State Training Institutes for implementation and it has been included in their training calendar. Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) has prepared a module for sensitization of organized civil services and it has been incorporated in their training programme.

· State Governments and Union Territory Administrations have been advised by Department of Personnel & Training for posting of Muslim police personnel in thanas and Muslim health personnel and teachers in Muslim concentration areas.

· Guidelines for giving special consideration in the recruitment of minorities in Government, railways, nationalized banks and public sector enterprises was issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on 8th January, 2007. Since then, the annual recruitment of minorities has been monitored regularly on annual basis.

Ministry of Home Affairs

· A High Level Committee, set up to review the Delimitation Act, has considered the concerns expressed in the SacharCommittee report and submitted its report.

· Revised guidelines on Communal Harmony have been issued. A working group in National Advisory Council (NAC) has drafted a Bill titled “Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice & Reparations) Bill, 2011. Comments of the Ministry have been given already to NAC.

Ministry of Urban Development

· Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Kerala have given exemption to Waqf Board properties from Rent Control Act.

Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation

· For facilitating the flow of funds under the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT), Integrated Housing & Slum DevelopmentProgramme (IHSDP) to towns and cities, having a substantial concentration of minority population, necessary steps have been taken to ensure that Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for such towns and cities include adequate provisions for minorities.

Ministry of Labour and Employment

· An Act has been passed by the Parliament for providing social security to workers in the un- organized sector, which, inter- alia, includes home based workers.

Ministry of Culture

· Meetings of circles of Archeological Survey of India have been held with State Waqf Boards to review the list of waqfswhich are under the Archeological Survey of India.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

· Dissemination of information regarding health and family welfare schemes has been undertaken in regional languages in minority concentration areas.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj

· State Governments have been advised by Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Urban Development to improve representation of minorities in local bodies.

*Inputs from the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana

2011-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

The ‘Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana’ for BPL families ( a unit of five) in Unorganised Sector was launched on 1^st October, 2007 and became operational from April 1, 2008. Under the scheme, smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30,000/- per annum on a family floater basis is provided to a BPL family in the organized sector. The premium is shared on 75:25 basis by Centre and State Government. In case of States of North-East region and Jammu & Kashmir, the premium is shared in the ratio of 90:10. The scheme provides for portability of smart card by the splitting the card value for migrant workers.

Till July 31, 2011, 27 States/Union Territories have initiated the process to implement the scheme. Out of these 27 States/ UTs, 25 States namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Tamilnadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Chandigarh Administration have started issuing smart cards. More than 2.4 crore smart cards have been issued as on July 31, 2011. Remaining States except, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan which have their own health insurance schemes, are in the process of implementation of the scheme.

RSBY has been extended to building and other construction workers registered under the Building and other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 1996 and street vendors, beedi workers, MGNREGA beneficiaries who have worked for more than 15 days during the preceding financial year and Domestic Workers.

The Outlay and target for the year 2011-12 for RSBY for BPL families and other target groups are as under :-

S.No.	Name of the scheme	Outlay	Target fixed for 2011-12
1	RSBY for BPL families	Rs. 312.42 crore	2.4 crore
2.	Extension of RSBY to Building and other construction workers	To be met from the cess collected by the Boards constituted under the Building and other construction wokers (RECS), Act, 1996	-
3.	Extension of RSBY Street vendors	Rs. 19.91 crore	4.21 lakh
4.	Extension of RSBY MGREGA workers	Rs. 350	56 lakh
5.	Extension of RSBY Beedi workers	Rs. 62.25 crore	10 lakh
6.	Extension of RSBY Domestic workers	Rs. 350 crore	4.75 lakh

Basic features of the Scheme

· All the BPL families in the unorganized sector to be covered in five years under the scheme;

· The Government contributes 75% of the annual premium. State Governments to contribute 25%. Administrative cost to be borne by the State Governments. In case of North-East region, the premium is shared in the ratio of 90:10;

· Beneficiaries are issued Smart Cards;

· Total sum insured would be Rs. 30,000/- per family per annum on a family floater basis;

· Cashless transaction;

· All pre-existing diseases to be covered;

· Hospitalisation expenses, taking care of most of the illnesses including maternity benefit;

· Transportation cost of Rs. 100/- per visit with an overall limit of Rs. 1,000/- per annum within the limit of Rs. 30000/- and

· Projects are prepared by the State Governments and submitted for approval of the Inter-Ministerial Approval and Monitoring Committee constituted by the Central Government.

Unique Features Of The Scheme

· The use of smart card, making the scheme truly cashless as also providing interoperability to facilitate use by migrant labour;

· Use of IT applications on such a large scale for the poorest of the poor;

· Using both public and private service providers for delivering the insurance package;

· Evolving a business model which could make the scheme sustainable in the long run;

· Seeking contribution for the first time, by way of Registration fee, from the BPL beneficiary with a view to inculcating a sense of ownership in them and

· No age limit has been prescribed. Hence, senior citizens are also covered.

National Green Tribunal

2011-08-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has been established under the NGT Act, 2010 on 18^th October, 2010 is headed by Chairperson L.S. Panta, a Retired Supreme Court Judge. The Tribunal has been established for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

The Law Commission in its 186^th Report recognised the inadequacies of the existing appellate authorities constituted under various environmental laws and reviewed their position with a view to bring uniformity in their constitution and the scope of their jurisdiction. The Law Commission undertook the study pursuant to the observations of the Supreme Court regarding the need for constitution of environmental courts. The Law Commission, in its said report, recommended for setting up of environmental courts in each State or for a group of States for exercising all powers of a civil court in its original jurisdiction and with appellate judicial powers against orders passed by the concerned authorities under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991.

The Law Commission’s Report was considered in the Ministry. In view of the growing environmental challenges, it was decided to set up a green tribunal as a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.

National Green Tribunal Act, 2010

· The Tribunal has the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.

· The Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.

· The Tribunal’s dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters shall provide speedy environmental justice and help reduce the burden of litigation in the higher Courts.

· The Tribunal is mandated to make an endeavor for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.

· Initially, the NGT is proposed to be set up at five places of sittings and will follow circuit procedure for making itself more accessible.

· The Tribunal has the original jurisdiction over all civil cases where a substantial question relating to environment, including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment is involved.

· The Tribunal shall hear disputes arising out of the implementation of environmental laws mentioned in Schedule I of the NGT Act, 2010.

· The Government is empowered to add any Act of Parliament having regard to objectives of environmental protection and conservation of natural resources.

· The Tribunal is competent to provide relief over and above as is admissible under the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991.

· In order to ensure access to justice, pollution control boards and local authorities have also been empowered under the NGT Act to file an application or appeal before the Tribunal on behalf of the affected person.

· Appeal against any order of the Tribunal shall lie to the Supreme Court.

· No civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any appeal in respect of any matter which the Tribunal is empowered to determine under its appellate jurisdiction.

· No injunction shall be granted by any civil court or other authority in respect of any order passed by the Tribunal.

· Consequent to enforcement of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, the National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995 and the National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 have been repealed. The cases pending before the National Environment Appellate Authority at the time of establishment of the National Green Tribunal have been transferred to the National Green Tribunal.

· The five places of its sitting are at Delhi, Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai.

· Delhi has already been specified as ordinary place of sitting of NGT vide Government of India notification dated 5.5.2011.

· The Tribunal at Delhi has already commenced its hearings from 4^th July, 2011.

· The applicants can file applications/petitions before the Tribunal at Delhi till other benches of the Tribunal become functional.

· The infrastructure at the 5 places of sitting of the Tribunal is being set up for making it fully functional.

· At present, the Tribunal consists of Chairperson and 3 Expert Members and 2 Judicial Members. The Expert Members are experts in physical and life sciences, engineering and law including persons having practical knowledge and administrative experience in the field of environmental policy and regulation. The Ministry is in the process of filling up of the remaining vacancies of Members in the Tribunal since NGT Act, 2010 provides for a minimum of 10 Expert Members and equal number of Judicial Members.

*Inputs from the Ministry of Environment & Forests

Technical Education- A Catalyst for Development

2011-08-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

by Sanjeev Sundriyal

*Media & Communication Officer, Press Information Bureau, New Delhi

Education is indeed the very foundation of a society which brings economic wealth, social prosperity and political stability. A modern and well developed society can become a possibility when quality of education is improved. In other words education is the very basis of development for a modern society and in this connection the role of technical education is very important.

Technical Education plays a pivotal role in human resource development of the country by creating skilled manpower, enhancing industrial productivity and improving the quality of life. It offers many courses and programmes in engineering, technology, management, architecture, town planning, pharmacy and applied arts & crafts, hotel management and catering technology.

In our country there are many institutes which offer technical education. These institutions are funded by the Central Government, State Government/State-funded Institutions & Self-financed Institutions. Among them, there are 79 centrally funded Institutes of Technical & Science Education.

Several new measures have been taken to implement the Government vision of providing increased access with equity and excellence. Eight new IITs, four new IIMs and ten new NITs have been set up and are functional. IIMs atUdaypur & Kashipur would become functional from 2011-12.

Technical Education through different Programme envisages strengthening the Institutions to produce high quality engineers for better employability, establish Centers of Excellence for focused applicable research, training of faculty for effective teaching, enhancing Institutional and system Management effectiveness.

The Centrally funded technical Institutions have also implemented Central Educational Institutions (Reservations in Admission) Act, 2006 from the year 2007-08 which provides 15%, 7-1/2% and 27% reservation in admission for SCs, STs and OBCs respectively. In the Scheme of Community Development through polytechnics, preference is given to training of rural youths/SCs/STs, women, school dropouts and other disadvantaged groups and helps them to obtain need based gainful employment. Scheme for upgrading existing polytechnics to integrate the physically disabled has also been formulated with the aim to integrate physically disabled persons into the mainstream through technical and vocational education. The objective of the Polytechnics under coordinated action for skill development is to enhance employment oriented skilled man power through them. Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to the State/UT Governments for setting up of 300 new Polytechnics. Out of 300 Polytechnics, financial assistance has been provided to the existing Government/Government aided Polytechnics for strengthening of infrastructure facility and also for construction of women’s hostel. Under the scheme of construction of women’s hostel in Polytechnics, financial assistance has been provided to the existing Government/Government aided polytechnic in the state of Jammu & Kashmir and North-East region. Financial assistance has also been provided to 18 districts of Jammu & Kashmir and 27 districts of North-East Region for establishment of new Polytechnics under the scheme of establishment of new polytechnic in the country in unserved and underserved districts.

In the North-East Region of the country several technical institution like Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati(Assam); Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RGIIM) Shillong, (Meghalaya); National Institute of Technology (NIT)Silchar (Assam); National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala (Tripura); North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST), Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh); and Central Institute of Technology (CIT), Kokrajhar (Assam) are taking care of the higher education

Since technical education is a key enabler of growth in the country’s economy, it has to adopt a facilitating approach to make technical education accessible, affordable and accountable. A need was felt to introduce flexibility and mobility in the system by inviting public – private partnership for funding. The focus of AICTE is now on decentralized decision making the various reforms introduced in the administrative procedures include strengthening of office procedures improvement in security measures and introduction of e-Governance for enhanced transparency, clarity, easy and assured communication.

Technical Education provides various facilities and promotes development in the country in a coordinated and integrated manner. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was set-up in November 1945 as a national level Apex Advisory Body. In the National Policy of Education (1986), AICTE was vested with statutory authority for planning, formulation and maintenance of norms and standards, quality assurance through accreditation, funding in priority areas, monitoring and evaluation, maintaining parity of certification and awards and ensuring coordinated and integrated development and management of technical education in the country.The purview of AICTE (the Council) covers programmes of technical education including training and research in Engineering & Technology, Architecture & Town Planning, Management, Pharmacy, Applied Arts and Crafts, Hotel Management and Catering Technology (HMCT) etc. at different level.

There are several schemes for faculty development, namely, Quality Improvement Programme (QIP), Career Award for Young Teachers (CAVT), Emeritus Fellowship, Visiting Professorship, Seminar Grant, Travel Grant, Staff DevelopmentProgramme, National Doctoral Fellowship, AICTE-INAE Distinguished Visiting Professorship and Financial Assistance to Professional Societies/Bodies. Under the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP), faculty members of degree level institutions are given opportunity to upgrade their qualifications to Master’s and Ph.D. levels. Under the Scheme QIP (polytechnic), polytechnic teachers can pursue Master’s degree programmes.

In an effort to bring in transparency, accountability, efficiency and swiftness in its decision-making process AICTE has launched the web portals of the AICTE and National Board of Accreditation (NBA) at URL://www.aicteindia.org andURL://www.nba-india.org. Some other significant initiatives taken by the AICTE are: Enhancement in seats in Engineering and Management Institutions, Reduction in land requirement norms in Metro & Mega Cities; Establishment of National Board of Accreditation (NBA), as an independent Body of AICTE, for making it eligible for full membership of Washington Accord; Providing 25% flexibility to Management Institutions in allocation of seats amongst different disciplines of Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM),Co-option of foreign Experts on Academic Boards; Conducting of fist Gradual Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) for Pharmacy Graduates through MS University, Baroda.

MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

2011-08-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

ABOUT MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)discharges multifarious functions, important among them being the maintenance of Internal Security.Though in terms of Entries No. 1 and 2 of List II -'State List'- in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, 'public order' and 'police' are the responsibilities of States, Article 355 of the Constitution enjoins the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

VISION STATEMENT

Peace and harmony are essential pre-requisites for development and blossoming of individual as well as social aspirations and building a strong and prosperous nation. To this end, it is envisaged that the Ministry of Home Affairs will strive to:

Eliminate threats to internal security including militancy, insurgency and terrorism
Preserve, protect and promote social harmony
Enforce the rule of law and provide timely justice
Provide the society an environment free from crime
Uphold the principles of human rights
Mitigate the sufferings resulting from natural and man-made disasters.

About MHA

Ministry of Home Affairs extends manpower and financial support, guidance and expertise to the State Governments for the maintenance of security, peace and harmony without trampling upon the constitutional rights of the States.

Under the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, the Ministry of Home Affairs has the following constituent Departments:-

Department of Border Management
Department of Home
Department of Internal Security
Department of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Affairs
Department of Official Language
Department of States

Divisions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, indicating major areas of their responsibility, are as follows:

Administration Division
Border Management Division
Coordination Division
CS Division
Disaster Management Division
Finance Division
Foreigners Division
Freedom Fighters & Rehabilitation Division
Human Rights Division
Internal Security-I Division
Internal Security-II Division
Jammu & Kashmir Division
Judicial Division
North East Division
Naxal Management Division
Police-I Division
Police-II Division
Police Modernisation Division
Policy Planning Division
UT Division

Role of Ministry of Home Affairs

India - large country - ancient civilisation - complex social dynamics.
Federal Structure - preserves diversity - sustains unity.
Union-State relations - dynamic.
Public order and police - prime responsibility of the States - Part XI and Seventh Schedule - The Constitution of India.
Duty of the Union - protect States against internal disturbance - ensure that governance of States carried out in accordance with The Constitution.
MHA - Nodal Ministry.
All Matters relating to internal security.
All matters relating to Centre-State and Inter-State relations.
Implementation of the provisions of the Constitution relating to Official Language and the provisions of the Official Languages Act, 1963.
Certain basic functions under the Constitution like notification of assumption of office by the President and Vice-President; notification of appointment of the Prime Minister and other Ministers; notification of appointment, resignation and removal of Governors of States and Lieut. Governors and Administrators in Union Territories.
Matters like Citizenship and Naturalisation, Census of Population, National Anthem, National Flag, etc.

MHA comprises -

Department of Border Management - deals with - Management of Borders including Coastal Borders.
Department of Internal Security - deals with - Police, Law and Order and Rehabilitation of Refugees.
Department of States - deals with - Centre-State Relations, Inter-State Relations, Union Territories and Freedom Fighters’ Pension.
Department of Official Languages - dealing with - implementation of the Constitutional and legal provisions relating to Official Languages.
Department of Home - deals with - notifications relating to assumption of office of President/Vice-President, appointment of Prime Minister /Ministers, etc.
Department of Jammu & Kashmir Affairs - created w.e.f. November 1, 1994 - deals with - Constitutional provisions and other matters relating to the State of Jammu & Kashmir.

Census Data 2001 >> India at a glance

2011-07-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

Area :
Area of India : 3,287,240 Sq km.*

Largest State

Rajasthan

342,239 Sq km

Smallest State

Goa

3,702 Sq km

Largest Union Territory

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

8,249 Sq km

Smallest Union Territory

Lakshadweep

32 Sq km

Largest District

Kachchh (Gujarat)

45,652 Sq km

Smallest District

Mahe ( Pondicherry )

9 Sq km

* The area figure exclude 78,114 sq. km. under the illegal occupation of Pakistan, 5,180 sq. km. Illegally handed over by Pakistan to China and 37,555 sq.km. under the illegal occupation of China in Ladakh district.

Administrative Divisions :

No. of States	28
No. of Union Territories	7
No. of Districts	593
No. of Sub-districts	5,463
No. of CD Blocks	3,799
No. of Urban Agglomerations / Towns	4,378
No. of Urban Agglomerations	384
No. of Towns	5,161
No. of Inhabited Villages	593,731
No. of Uninhabited Villages	44,656

Population Density

		Persons / Sq. Km
	India	325
State with Highest Population Density	West Bengal	903
State with Lowest Population Density	Arunachal Pradesh	13
UT with Highest Population Density	Delhi	9,340
UT with Lowest Population Density	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	43
District with Highest Population Density	North East (Delhi)	29,468
District with Lowest Population Density	Lahul & Spiti (Himachal Pradesh)	2

Population :

Persons	1,028,737,436
Males	532,223,090
Females	496,514,346

Highest / Lowest Population :
State with Highest Population	Uttar Pradesh	166,197,921
State with Lowest Population	Sikkim	540,851
UT with Highest Population	Delhi	13,850,507
UT with Lowest Population	Lakshadweep	60,650
District with Highest Population	Medinipur (West Bengal)	9,610,788
District with Lowest Population	Yanam (Pondicherry)	31,394

Note: @ The total population and rural population include estimated population of 127,108 for Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul sub-divisions of Senapati district of Manipur. India’s population without the estimated population of these areas is 1,028,610,328 (532,156,772 males and 496,453,556 females)

Note : - Includes estimated population of Paomata, Mao Maram and Purul Sub-division of Senapati district of Manipur.

Rural - Urban Distribution		Population	(%)
Rural		742,490,639	72.2%
Urban		286,119,689	27.8%
State with highest proportion of Urban Population	Goa		49.76
State with lowest proportion of Urban Population	Himachal Pradesh		9.30
UT with highest proportion of Urban Population	Delhi		93.18
UT with lowest proportion of Urban Population	Dadra & Nagar Haveli		22.89

Age Groups	Persons	Males	Females
6 years and below	163,819,614	84,999,203	78,820,411
Proportion to total population (%)	15.9	16.0	15.9
7 to 14 years	199,791,198	104,488,119	95,303,079
Proportion to total population (%)	19.4	19.6	19.2
15 to 59 years	585,638,723	303,400,561	282,238,162
Proportion to total population (%)	56.9	57.0	56.9
60 years and above	76,622,321	37,768,327	38,853,994
Proportion to total population (%)	7.5	7.1	7.8
Age Not Stated	2,738,472	1,500,562	1,237,910
Proportion to total population (%)	0.3	0.3	0.3

Variation in population since 1901

Year

Total

Rural

Urban

1901

238,396,327

212,544,454

25,851,873

1911

252,093,390

226,151,757

25,941,633

1921

251,321,213

223,235,043

28,086,170

1931

278,977,238

245,521,249

33,455,989

1941

318,660,580

274,507,283

44,153,297

1951

361,088,090

298,644,381

62,443,709

1961

439,234,771

360,298,168

78,936,603

1971

548,159,652

439,045,675

109,113,977

1981

683,329,097

523,866,550

159,462,547

1991

846,302,688

628,691,676

217,611,012

2001*

1,028,737,436

742,490,639

286,119,689

Note: * The total population and rural population include estimated population of 127,108 for Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul sub-divisions of Senapati district of Manipur. India’s population without the estimated population of these areas is 1,028,610,328 (532,156,772 males and 496,453,556 females)

Number of Literates & Literacy Rate

		Persons	Males	Females
Total	No. of literates	560,687,797	336,533,716	224,154,081
	Literacy rate	64.8%	75.3%	53.7%
Rural	No. of literates	361,870,817	223,551,641	138,319,176
	Literacy rate	58.7%	70.7%	46.1%
Urban	No. of literates	198,816,980	112,982,075	85,834,905
	Literacy rate	79.9%	86.3%	72.9%

Persons (%)			Males (%)	Females (%)
State with Highest Literacy Rate		Kerala (90.9)	Kerala (94.2)	Kerala (87.7)
State with Lowest Literacy Rate		Bihar (47.0)	Bihar (59.7)	Bihar (33.1)
UT with Highest Literacy Rate		Lakshadweep (86.7)	Lakshadweep (92.5)	Lakshadweep (80.5)
UT with Lowest Literacy Rate		Dadra & Nagar Haveli (57.6)	Dadra & Nagar Haveli (71.2)	Dadra & Nagar Haveli (40.2)
District with Highest Literacy Rate		Aizwal, Mizoram (96.5)	Mahe, Pondicherry (97.6)	Aizwal, Mizoram (96.26)
District with Lowest Literacy Rate		Dantewada Chhattisgarh (30.17)	Dantewada Chhattisgarh (39.75)	Shrawasti UP (7.7)

Number of Districts by Sex-wise Literacy Rate :
Literacy Rate	Males	Females
Up to 25.00 %	--	18
25.01 % to 50.00 %	22	243
50.01% to 75.00 %	244	287
Above 75 %	327	45
Total :	593	593

Work Participation Rate :

Total Workers	Number	Rate (%)
Persons	402,234,724	39.1
Males	275,014,476	51.7
Females	127,220,248	25.6
Main Workers
Persons	313,004,983	30.4
Males	240,147,813	45.1
Females	72,857,170	14.7
Marginal Workers
Persons	89,229,741	8.7
Males	34,866,663	6.6
Females	54,363,078	11

Religious Composition	Population *	(%)
Hindus	827,578,868	80.5
Muslims	138,188,240	13.4
Christians	24,080,016	2.3
Sikhs	19,215,730	1.9
Buddhists	7,955,207	0.8
Jains	4,225,053	0.4
Other Religions & Persuasions	6,639,626	0.6
Religion not stated	727,588	0.1
Total *	1,028,610,328	100.0

Note : * Excludes figures of Paomata, Mao Maram and Purul sub-districts of Senapati district of Manipur state.

Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Population
Scheduled Castes :	166,635,700	16.2%
Scheduled Tribes :	84,326,240	8.2%

Scheduled Castes
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes	Punjab ( 28.9 %)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes	Mizoram ( 0.03 %)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes	Chandigarh (17.5%)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes	D & N Haveli (1.9% )
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes	Koch-Bihar (50.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes	Lawngtlai Mizoram (0.01%)
Scheduled Tribes
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes	Mizoram ( 94.5 % )
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes	Goa (0.04 %)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes	Lakshadweep (94.5 %)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes	A & N Islands (8.3 %)
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes	Sarchhip, Mizoram ( 98.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes	Hathras, Uttar Pradesh (0.01%)

"The foremost challenge in governance today is to maintain the highest standards of probity, integrity, accountability, transparency and fair play"

2011-05-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

By Prof. D P Agrawal, Hon’ble Chairman, UPSC

Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Hamid M Ansari; Hon’ble Members of the Commission; Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with great pleasure that I extend a very warm welcome to Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Hamid M Ansari. The Union Public

Service Commission is deeply honoured that he has consented to deliver the second lecture on ‘Governance and Public Service’. The inaugural lecture in the series was delivered by Her Excellency, the President of India in 2009. We are extremely grateful to you, Sir.

The country has witnessed an all round development in almost all the sectors since last two decades. The need for maintaining the pace of development and the requirement to ensure that benefits of development percolate to all citizens pose a great challenge to governance system.

We need to evaluate and re-jig the systems of governance responsible for ensuring an effective public service delivery and to keep it efficient and people friendly. In the journey of 85 long years in its various incarnations, the Union Public Service Commission as a constitutional body while zealously guarding its independence has discharged its mandated functions - not only the recruitment and selection for the civil service under the Union, but also advising the Government on matters closely relating to manpower requirement in public services. At the same time, the Commission has also been fully alive to the emerging challenges of governance.

Good governance for effective public service delivery presupposes that the systems are manned by the right people with right skills and capabilities. While undertaking the recruitment and selections in a meritbased manner, the UPSC has always been open to innovations in the area

of selection procedures and processes. The changes introduced in the Preliminary stage of the Civil Services Examination from this year are a pointer to the Commission’s commitment to select the most suitable person for the Civil Services. The changes in the scheme and pattern of

the Preliminary Examination are based on the principle of equity in as much as it will provide equal opportunity to the candidates from diverse educational and social backgrounds. We are also in discussion with the Govt. of India about an alternative method of selection for induction into All India Services from the State Services.

Commission handles more than 15 lakhs applications every year. To tackle this challenge Commission has introduced the system of online application for the candidates, which has been receiving an overwhelming response. Encouraged by the positive response, the Commission has

recently introduced hundred percent online application for two Examinations, namely Engineering Services Examination and Indian Forest Service Examination. To facilitate the candidates from the remote area, Commission permits them to apply off-line also.

Recently, UPSC also conducted successfully one online recruitment test at different centres in the country. Based on the experience from this experiment, the Commission may, in future, introduce online examinations and tests for other selections as well. The primary concern of the Commission is to recommend the selected candidates to the Government as soon as practically possible. Detailed analysis of delayed cases has been done in the Commission which revealed a number of lacunae in the proposals submitted by the Ministries. A number of workshops have been organized by the Commission for the Ministries/Departments to facilitate them to overcome these lacunas. In the same context, a Single Window System has been introduced, whereby a preliminary scrutiny of the cases is done at the time of receipt itself. I am happy to mention that this initiative has shown positive results in disposal of the cases.

Commission recently organised a day long interaction session with the Heads of Training Academies and Institutes of All India and Central Services. The idea was to benefit from their feedback and perceptions. During the deliberations, it was learnt that no mechanism exists to map the performance and behavioural aspects of officers in the field in the early stages of their career. It was considered necessary by the group that the Government put in place such a mechanism. The Commission would be interested in knowing whether the selected candidates exhibit the attitudes, values required and display the skills and competence required for the job.

In today’s globalized world, one cannot remain totally confined to one’s own approaches, methods and ideas for delivering the given mandate. We have to be a learning organization, ready to accept the best practices available globally. Towards this objective, the UPSC hosted

the first Conference of the Chiefs of Public Service Commissions of SAARC countries in the month of November, 2010. The initiative was appreciated by all the Member States and it was decided to continue such dialogue every year. The Commission has also entered into bilateral partnerships with Public Service Commission’s of Canada and Bhutan. A similar MOU is likely to be signed with the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission of Afghanistan. We are confident that such partnerships will be of professional benefit to all of us.

The Constitution of India, under proviso to Article 320 (3), provides for exemption of posts from the purview of the Commission. Such an exclusion of posts from the purview of Commission would be justified only in exceptional circumstances. To allow permanent exemption of posts/services would run counter to the spirit of the provisions of the Commission. However, over the years, the Government of India have excluded a number of civil posts /services from the purview of the Commission invoking this proviso to Article 320(3). Considering the purpose and spirit of the Constitutional provisions, I would urge the Government of India to bring all such civil posts/services back within the purview of the Commission.

Article 321 of the Constitution mandates that Parliament may by law provide for exercise of additional functions by the UPSC in respect of services of the Union and also as respects the services of any local authority or other body corporate constituted by law or of any public

institution. By virtue of its independent Constitutional status, the Commission inspires the highest confidence in the public with regard to its fairness, impartiality and objectiveness of its selection procedures. It is therefore for the government of India to consider amending the existing Acts of Parliament creating Corporations, Tribunals or other Organizations, to incorporate a provision for consultation with the Commission in making recruitment, selections, etc. for these bodies.

As of now, our country has a large number of recruiting agencies which make selection to various services/posts under the Government. In most of the Developed countries, an independent authority audits all selections made by different authorities. It may be worthwhile to adopt such a system in our country also. In our context such auditing could be done by the Commission.

The emerging dynamics of governance call for a fresh look at the issue of permanent appointment in the civil services vis-a-vis the outcome-based performance. The life- long job security provided to government servants perhaps brings in an element of complacency and

inertia. There should be intense assessment of performance of the officers at various stages of their career to weed out dead woods at an earlystage in order to have a civil service that is nimble, efficient, impartial, accountable and above all honest.

Another issue that needs attention is opening up of senior positions in Civil Service to all persons possessing skill sets matching with the job profile. Such selections should be made on a competitive basis with no prejudice to anyone. Coming back to the subject of today’s lecture by the Hon’ble Vice President, I can’t resist from mentioning that the foremost challenge in

governance today is to maintain the highest standards of probity, integrity, accountability, transparency and fair play. I am sure that if we are able to successfully meet this challenge, the people’s aspirations and expectations are bound to be fulfilled.

Before I end, I take this opportunity to welcome you all and also once again welcome the Hon’ble Vice President of India.

JAI HIND

“Governance and Public Service” : Six Challenges

2011-05-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

By - Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari

I wish to convey the country’s, and my own, appreciation for the contribution of the Union Public Service Commission to nation building by shaping the constitution and functioning of the higher civil service in the country.

It is a truism that an overwhelming majority of human beings live in politically organised societies that require for their normal functioning a set of persons entrusted with the implementation of laws and rules made by the polity for its welfare. The concept of civil services, as of judiciary and of defence forces, is inextricably linked to this requirement.

It is for this reason that every state in history has utilized the instrumentality of civil services, tailored to its requirements. These needs have changed with times, with the nature of the state, and with its end purposes. Some essential traits have nevertheless persisted down the ages. We can, therefore, read with benefit to this day Kautilya’s short chapter on ‘Service with a King’ and its emphasis on the need to give advice at all times in accordance with dharma and artha.

The relevance of the civil servant to the ruler (individual or a collective) was perhaps best described by the medieval historian Ibn Khaldun: ‘you are’, he wrote, ‘the ears through which they hear, the eyes through which they see, the tongues through which they speak, and the hands through which they touch’.

This need to seek the best available talent, and condition it appropriately for the requirement of society and the state, was practiced at all times in our own history. Modern India thus inherited an established tradition. Its imperative necessity was appreciated by the Founding Fathers of our Republic. The end product was incorporated in Part XIV of the Constitution.

In the past six decades, the Union Public Service Commission has ably discharged its constitutional function in the recruitment of the higher civil services. The civil services, in turn, have responded in varying measure to their core mandate of dispensing social, economic and political justice. The framework of the political and bureaucratic Executive has made a significant effort at ameliorating the quality of life of citizens and in doing public good.

In the same time span, however, the socio-economic and political context has evolved in good measure and substantive notions of justice and equality have filled the interstices of the constitutional principles and fundamental rights. This has brought about a virtual revolution in expectations.

It is therefore essential to comprehend the impulses at work. Together, they pose a set of six challenges:

First, government interventions are now viewed by citizens through the prism and framework of rights. The days of the so-called mai-baap sarkar are over. Today, and particularly in matters relating to education, health, roads or good governance, the operative expression is right and entitlement. Increasing levels of literacy and economic success has contributed to this conceptual shift in some measure.

Second, advances in technology, means of communication and interaction, and changes in civil society perceptions have multiplied manifolds the instrumentalities available to a common citizen to engage with the government, assert entitlements and rights, and challenge decisions of the government that impact adversely.

Third, given the unsatisfactory record of dispensation of justice through the court process, the burden of dispensing it has shifted in considerable measure to the government, civil society and the public in general. Enhanced legal literacy, establishment of regulatory frameworks in various sectors, and reliance on administrative facilitation have enabled citizens to assert their rights without the need for interventions of courts. The role of civil servants and public service

delivery has become critical in this effort.

Fourth, as an economy and as a society, we are in the process of transition from the use of controls and regulations to bring about desired public policies to harnessing of incentives and markets for the same. The market looms large in all spheres of personal and public life. It affects our choices of profession, ways of life, modes of living and entertainment, education, health care, and even, ideologies and belief systems.

Fifth, the broad framework of our social and political contract that sustains the legitimacy of the government and its interventions for public and social good is increasingly facing erosion. This has come about principally on account of the actual and perceived inequities of the growth process, marginalization and impoverishment of segments of citizenry and also perhaps, a balkanization of the mind. It has wider, perhaps disturbing, implications for our democracy and the rule of law.

Sixth, we have a young generation that is exposed to global standards of living and service, is impatient with the pace of change, and demands equal opportunity in sharing the fruits of development. This is more pronounced in urban areas, but equally true for rural India. Their despondency finds reflection in hostility towards elites in polity, business and industry and society; at times, it takes violent forms of protest targeted against the state, its structures and agencies. These manifestations retard growth, erode democracy and legitimize anarchy.

Friends

Emanating from the above, a set of questions come up for consideration:

 How should we deal with the huge asymmetries of power, and the sociocultural propensity of tolerating its misuse through dilution of systemic and institutional safeguards?

 How can public policy bring the citizen to the centre stage of service delivery and governance, and not put him/her at the mercy of the State and its agencies, or of the market and its mechanisms? and

 What role can the civil service play in this regard?

I venture to think a good starting point is recognition that the civil services in our country represent the societal elite and that elite behaviour represents a significant challenge to the supremacy of Rule of Law.

We do not need to go far to substantiate this. The national and international media is full of reports of how the elite are able to subvert the Rule of Law with money or influence. Sections of society and polity even accept this as a way of life. As a result, Rule of Law norms are being sidelined or subverted through systemic discrimination and exclusion based on community, gender, class and other limiting and distorting considerations. Its impact on the quality of governance is all too evident.

The higher civil services in the country, therefore, must be role models of elite behaviour upholding the Rule of Law. This is not a homily; it is part of our constitutional scheme of things and a professional and moral obligation of a civil servant to the nation and to the citizens.

This necessitates an element of out-of-the-box thinking on quality and content issues pertaining to our higher civil services.

The UPSC, I understand, is already implementing some reforms in the recruitment pattern, especially in the syllabus and examinations. The issue of life-long cadres for All India Services, reluctance or inability to serve adequate period of careers outside the cadres whether at the Centre or other States, equitable access to posts covered under the Central Staffing Scheme, and possibility of lateral access into and out of the civil service are issues that could benefit from such out-of-the-box thinking.

A review of the performance of the civil service since independence would show that in terms of Sardar Patel’s parameters, while the polity has delivered by giving constitutional safeguards to civil servants and implementing sound recruitment procedures, the political leadership has at times faltered on discipline and control and the civil servants themselves have often enough succumbed to the temptation of tailoring professionally sound advice to subjective considerations.

The need for introspection and correction is compelling; inaction is no longer an option, nor is reticence in the face of evident wrong. The need is also for a moral imperative that is comprehensive, not selective, and which emanates from and encapsulates constitutional morality.

We do need reiteration that Civil servants are functionaries of the state and not of the government alone, that they are paid to render honest professional advice however unpalatable, and that they should be guided in their work by the principles and objectives, and the charter of rights and duties, enshrined in our Constitution.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Systemic improvement in governance and service delivery to citizens is an ongoing process and effort of the Union Public Service Commission in this regard deserves

our appreciation. It is time to remember, and remind, that the objective in the final

analysis is indeed - “Public Service”.

Address of Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari at the second Annual Lecture of the Annual Lecture Series on “Governance and Public Service” organised by the Union Public Service Commission at 1700 Hrs on 3rd May 2011 in New Delhi.

Governing Cities: The Emerging Challenge for Inclusive City Development

2011-04-05T02:53:00.000-07:00

The vision envisaged for Urban India in the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) states that the “Indian cities will be the locus and engine of economic growth over the next two decades, and the realization of an ambitious goal of 9%–10% growth in GDP depends fundamentally on making Indian cities much more livable, inclusive, bankable, and competitive.” This vision is in tune with the urban reform linked Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) launched in December 2005. JNNURM is being implemented through two sub-missions: Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) and Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP). Concurrently with JNNURM, the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme has been launched for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) for medium and small towns not covered under the JNNURM. BSUP and IHSDP seek to achieve inclusive growth of cities and towns within the inherent constraints and weakness of the Urban Local Bodies. Urbanisation Challenges Liberalisation and globalisation of nineties in India heralded rapid economic growth which also contributed to increase in the level of urbanization from 26 per cent in 1991 and to 28 per cent in 2001 and is further expected to increase to 30 per cent by 2011 and 38 per cent by 2026. Rapid urbanization in India is inevitable and has been duly recognized. The increasing urban population has given rise in the number of urban poor and slums, causing pressure on urban land, basic services and infrastructure. This is posing a challenge to promote inclusive, sustainable and equitable and pro-poor cities. Accordingly investments are going in the cities/towns to improve the social infrastructure and promote economic growth and increased employment. This requires pro-poor policy orientation, inclusiveness and empowerment. The Eleventh Five Year Plan titled ‘Towards a faster and inclusive growth’ reiterates the above. By inclusive growth the Plan refers to an all out effort to increase the access of basic social services to the masses not only as a welfare measure but as a strong justification for robust growth in the long run. Indian External Affairs Minister Shri S.M.Krishna at the closing session of the three-day Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit held in September 2010 at New York, asserted that Government of India is pursuing schemes of “inclusive growth” so that the fruits of growth reach everyone which is the main objective of India's ambitious socio-economic development programmes. Governing Cities The 74th Amendment to the Constitution of India along with its companion piece, namely, the 73rd Amendment are seen as a landmark in the history of decentralised governance in India. The main objective of these Amendments is to empower the people to take on increasing responsibilities of local self-governance through Municipalities and Panchayats. The 74th Amendment provides for a broad structure of Municipalities for organising urban governance with an accountable, responsive and decentralised system enabling participation of citizens in urban governance. More than one and a half decades have passed since the Constitution was amended and during this duration, several steps have been taken towards achieving the objectives of these Amendments. The steps taken by the States could not bring about uniformity in structure and functional regime of the municipal bodies. A review of the implementation of the 74th Amendment shows that these stipulations are yet to be fully realised as most of the States are yet to implement its several provisions. JNNURM has contributed to speedy adaptation of decentralization as it is one of its mandatory reforms. Still more attention and enforcement is required in its actual practice with participation of the citizens including the urban poor in the governance process.

Emissions Trading

2010-11-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

by Kalpana Palkhiwala, Deputy Director, Press Information Bureau, New Delhi

Emission trading that is, Cap and Trade is a market-based approach to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants. A central authority or a regulator sets a limit/cap on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted but does not decide what any particular source will emit. This cap is sold to firms in the form of emission permits which represent the right to emit or discharge a specific volume of the specified pollutant. Firms are required to hold a number of permits or credits equivalents to their emissions. The total number of permits can not exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Firms that need to increase their emission permits must buy permits from those who require fewer permits. The transfer of permits is referred to as a trade. This way, the buyer is paying a charge for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions.

There are two main active trading programmes. For greenhouse gases the European Union Emission Trading Scheme is the largest programme and a National Market to reduce acid rain in United States.

Emissions trading schemes have great potential to lower pollution while minimizing costs for industries. The benefits of such schemes come from two sources. On the industry side, units are able to choose for themselves the cheapest way to reduce pollution. In comparison, traditional command- and-control regulations do not allow for differences across industries. Mandating the same standard everywhere will generally miss the best opportunities for abatement. On the regulatory side, an emissions trading scheme, once established, will provide a self- regulating system that makes pollution control more efficient. In the longer run, the reduced costs of compliance can also make it easier to introduce new regulations that increase environmental quality. Past experience with emissions trading, has shown that cap-and – trade is a robust way to achieve targeted reductions in emissions at a low cost.

Four areas are especially important for successful implementation of an emissions trading scheme.

Setting the Cap- The target for aggregate emissions from the sector where trading is introduced must be set to produce reasonable prices and emissions reductions.

Allocating Permits -The permits to emit must be distributed in an equitable way to build support for the scheme. In many successful cases this allocation has been made for free relative to baseline emissions, greatly reducing the cost of compliance for industries.

Monitoring - The quantity of emissions from each industrial plant must be reliably and continuously monitored with high integrity recognized by all sides.

Compliance - The regulatory framework must make industries confident that buying permits is the only reliable way to meet environmental obligations.

Greater Benefits from Emissions Trading

The introduction of emissions trading would position India as a clear leader in environmental regulation amongst emerging economies. The benefits of a trading scheme will extend beyond the immediate goal of achieving compliance at a lower cost to society. Having a trading scheme in place will make it easier to adjust regulation as environmental goals change. Tighter environmental standards can be achieved with a drop in the level of the cap, which would raise the price of emissions permits and give incentives to pollute less, rather than abruptly throwing certain areas or sources out of compliance.

India may also benefit by trying the system for local emissions trading to global emissions trading schemes for carbon dioxide. A successful cap-and-trade system will establish the infrastructure needed for putting a price on carbon dioxide as well as local pollutants, positioning the country to easily receive payments for the contribution of its innovative regulations to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, Kyoto protocol and future carbon mitigation policies outlined under the Copenhagen Accord will generate demand for such reductions. An emissions trading system to meet this demand would generate a net flow of foreign investment and reward the Indian economy for growing along a green path.

Recent experience with market based regulatory instruments has been positive in India. A Perform, Achieve and Trade(PAT) Mechanism for energy efficiency, which will cover facilities that amount for more than 50% of the fossil fuel used in the country, and help reduce CO2 emissions by 25 million tonnes per year by 2014-15 , is being implemented. (PIB Features)

Re-Surgence of Khadi

2010-11-26T06:42:00.000-08:00

by Angshuman Dey, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises

Khadi and non-violence were two powerful weapons with which Mahatma Gandhi equipped Indians to throw out British colonial rulers. In 1920, Indian National Congress had at its Nagpur session first declared its aim to promote khadi as the nationalist fabric which Gandhi referred to as “livery of freedom”. Soon, khadi became the symbol of defiance as massive bonfires were lighted across the country and Indian struggled against colonialism by burning their Manchester textiles. Khadi continued to grow into prominence and a place of pride for Indians.

Fashion designers have found khadi their canvass for imaginative creations. Khadi as defined by Gandhiji as a cloth hand woven in India from yarn hand-spun in India has been taken as legal definition of khadi. Khadi is sourced mainly through 1958 khadi institution spread over the length and breadth of the country. Some of the major khadi producing states of India are Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam. In terms of value, the annual production is in the range of Rs 700-1000 crore.

Khadi provides employment to the poor, gives earnings to small cotton farmers, is eco-friendly, porous/airy, has simplicity which gives it elegance, and connects to the freedom movement and Gandhian values. It is unique for its property of staying cool in summer and warm in winter which makes it exclusive among the fabric. The products are unique in the sense that they are one of a kind besides being truely “cottage” or “hand-spun and hand-woven”. They are unique because they are “flawed” and are not mindless creation of machines. That’s why each piece of khadi is different. That’s why many won’t mind paying for its exclusivity.

Khadi gets softer with each wash which makes it an ideal tropical fabric. India’s thriving confident middle class has today started looking inwards for the style cue and design mantra. Khadi is ripe for re-incarnation as a livery of young, surging India. A rising number of young fashion designers are seeking out local fabrics, craft & technique to give expression to this trend.

Khadi is a potent tool for real, inclusive growth. Being a traditional labour intensive industry, one square metre of khadi cloth requires about 281.05 gram of hand-spun yarn which a spinner could earlier produce in about 3 days, but can now produce in just half day, thanks to the new model charkhas introduced by Khadi and Village Industries Commission. About 9 lakh spinners and weavers work in this sector associated with 1,958 khadi institutions spread across the country. An artisan on the average gets works for 200 days in a year. These institutions are mostly Trusts and Societies i.e NGOs. Some of the institutions are as old as the freedom movement itself and many great leaders of the stature of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Acharya Vinoba Bhave and others were involved in their creation.

However, Khadi has had its challenges in its spectacular growth mostly on account of conservative market thinking which resisted reform to the changing, competitive market and participate in the growth bandwagon. Economy was a decade back unshackled from unnecessary controls and the world is today witness to the “Indian Story”. Progressive khadi activists and khadi-lovers have realized this and are most vocal today for reforms and are voluntarily taking up the “reform package”. Expectation from KVIC is that in addition to regulating quality and safeguarding the interest of artisans it should also be more institution-friendly and re-establish the trust in the khadi institutions. Introduction of Market Development Assistance has not exactly been smooth. But this revitalization pill was required as a cure for sickness starting to infect a number of institutions in the past, and remaining dependent on rebate forever meant denying growth. Rebate may be promoting market in the short run, but it had already led to an idea that khadi is unsustainable without rebate. Today’s customer is quality conscious rather than a discount-seeker and how can khadi producer disappoint him?

The existing brands of khadi are: Khadi India or Khadi Bharat, Sarvodaya, Desi Ahar, Kutir and others. But soon a standardized “Khadi Mark” will give khadi product a genuine identity. At present the marketing takes place through a network of around 7000 sales outlets managed by khadi institutions, besides KVIC. To realize its true potential, the sector needs reforms and the Government has embarked upon a massive reforms in khadi sector; linking it also with village industries sector to establish synergy. Assisted by Asian Development Bank with a Rs 720 crore over three year in the first phase, 300 khadi institutions spread over the country will derive benefit in the form of enhancing their capability through equipment upgradation, better raw material quality, cost reduction and professional support in marketing led by private partners. This will put the sector into a new trajectory of growth and equity ushered by a revamped KVIC. Also, an increased emphasis on the sector is evidenced by a quantum jump in the Government budget allocation for this sector from Rs 261 crore to Rs 542 crore.

The basic approach being adopted is making khadi activities artisan-centric without compromising the growth and sustainability of the sector. From customer’s point of view, khadi should be more accessible, well-priced, stylish enough to cater to the taste of urban India and to catch the imagination of the younger generation with a cultural resonance in the form of a pride of “Indian-ness” just as the world has now recognized our economic resilience due mainly to a strong domestic market and in the past had found their way in the Gandhian values. To fit it perfectly, Khadi has already become a style statement for many. (PIB Features)

Bridging Urban-Rural Divide - Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA)

2010-11-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

by Atul Kr. Tiwari, Director ( M & C), Press Information Bureau, New Delhi

Real India exists in villages, said the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. However despite all the efforts even after six decades of Independence, one of the striking aspects of the country has been the vast difference in terms of facilities in the urban and rural areas. In order to bridge the gap between urban India & rural Bharat yet another effort is being made by the Ministry Of Rural Development in the form of a renovated Provision Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) scheme.

PURA is a Central Sector scheme re-launched by Ministry of Rural Development during the remaining period of the XI Plan with support from Department of Economic Affairs and the technical assistance of Asian Development Bank. The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing the PURA scheme under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework between Gram Panchayat(s) and private sector partners with active support of the State Governments.

The scheme envisages twinning of rural infrastructure development and management with economic re-generation activities and is the first attempt at delivering a basket of infrastructure and amenities through PPP in the rural areas. It is an effort to provide a different framework for the implementation of rural infrastructure development schemes and harness private sector efficiencies in the management of assets and delivery of services. This would perhaps be the first such attempt at PPP in integrated rural infrastructure development and management in the world.

The primary objectives of the scheme are the provision of livelihood opportunities and urban amenities in rural areas to bridge the rural – urban divide. Holistic and accelerated development of compact areas revolve around a potential growth centre in a Gram Panchayat (or a group of Gram Panchayats) through Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework for providing livelihood opportunities and urban amenities to improve the quality of life in rural areas.

The objectives of PURA are proposed to be achieved under the framework of Public Private Partnership between Gram Panchayats and private sector partner with active State Government support. Core funding shall be sourced from the Central Sector scheme of PURA and complemented by additional support through convergence of different Central Government schemes. The private sector shall also bring into the project its share of investment besides operational expertise. The scheme would be implemented and managed by the private sector on considerations of economic viability but designed in a manner whereby it is fully aligned with the overall objective of rural development.

Amenities to be provided under MoRD Schemes are Water and Sewerage Construction and maintenance of Village Streets;Drainage; Solid Waste Management; Skill Development; Development of Economic Activities.

Similarly amenities to be provided under Non-MoRD Schemes are Village Street Lighting; Telecom; Electricity, etc. and

Add-on Projects (Revenue earning, people centric projects) are Village linked tourism; Integrated Rural Hub; Rural Market; Agri – Common Services Centre, Warehousing, etc. and any other rural-economy based project.

It is expected that a scheme like PURA wherein all related schemes for rural infrastructure are being converged for a synchronized delivery for a period of 10 years in project mode shall maximize socio-economic impact. Besides, minimum development obligations by the private developer will enable improved quality of service delivery in the Panchayat area.

In the pilot phase, the private developer is given flexibility to identify and select the Gram Panchayat for undertaking PURA projects based on their familiarity with the area or past experience of working at the grassroots level. However, as the consent of the concerned Panchayats and no objection from the state governments is mandatory, the selection would reflect the concurrence of all the stakeholders.

Funding for projects under PURA scheme would come from four sources: MoRD schemes, non-MoRD schemes, private financing and Capital Grant under PURA. Each individual PURA project cost and the eligible capital grant (subject to a maximum of 35% of project cost) shall be determined on the basis of a Concept Plan and Detailed Project Report that would be appraised and approved by an inter-Ministerial Empowered Committee for the purpose. It is expected that the additional revenue generating activities and the capital grant support shall successfully enable a viable PPP in the scheme. Mapping of different risks along with mitigation measures has been attempted. Along with emphasis upon rural development priorities, there shall be an effort to dovetail developers’ perspective on an economically viable project. The way project design has been done, the private developer should make requisite profit during the project life cycle of 10 years.

Through the implementation of proposed pilot projects, the unique features of this scheme would be tested on the ground and provide lessons for upscaling in future. Besides, the entire process shall help strengthen the institutional ability of a Gram Panchayat to undertake PPP and help pilot-test the viability of PPPs in rural infrastructure development. However, in terms of funding and management of PURA projects across all the 2,50,000 Panchayats in the country is concerned, it is up-scalable and financially affordable for the Government over a period of 5-10 years.

In this backdrop the exercise has been undertaken by the Ministry of Rural Development to find private sector partners in progress in rural areas who can contribute to rural infrastructure development. The selection has been done through an open competitive technical bidding process with rigorous qualification and evaluation criteria. As these are pilot projects, therefore, there has been no financial bidding. In the pilot projects the bidders have been evaluated on their technical capability and assigned scores as per pre-approved evaluation methodology. The nine companies that have been finally short-listed are in the area of infrastructure development with strong rural and community mobilization experience either directly or through their consortium partners.

PURA was envisaged by former President of India Dr. A.P.J.Kalam as a self-sustainable and viable model of service delivery in rural areas to be managed through an implementation framework between local people, public authorities and the private sector. The scheme was re-configured after extensive consultation and research process with State Governments, private sector and multi-lateral development organizations like ADB. It was initiated as a pilot in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode early this year when the Expression of Interest (EOI) evoked unprecedented response from the private sector for this untested and complex scheme, perhaps the first of its kind in the world. Ministry of Rural Development intended to launch about 8-10 pilots across the country. Against this number, ninety five private entities expressed interest and these included some of the largest Indian corporate entities such as the IDFC, Tata Power, Reliance Industries, IL&FS, SREI Infrastructure etc.

The scheme is all set to herald a paradigm shift in rural infrastructure development with the enthusiastic response of from the Private Sector. PURA represents twinning of rural infrastructure development with economic re-generation activities. This is the first ever attempt at delivering infrastructure and amenities through Private Public Partnership in the rural areas. Involvement of the private sector, for the first time, in creation and management of amenities through a partnership with Gram Panchayats is an effort to provide a completely different framework for the implementation of rural infrastructure development schemes and harness private sector efficiencies in the management of assets and delivery of services. (PIB Features)

Swift, Safe and Sure: “Project Arrow” of The India Post

2010-11-26T06:28:00.000-08:00

by K. Parameswaran, Assistant Director, Press Information Bureau, Madurai

An arrow, well aimed, will reach its intended destination straight, safe and sure! Similarly, the “Project Arrow”, being conceptualized and implemented by the Department of Posts, under the Ministry of Telecommunications, aims to make postal services sharp, straight and sure. The project will see to it that the customers will directly feel the difference in the quality of postal services.

Ariyaloor was the first post office in Tamilnadu to have implemented “Project Arrow”. It was inaugurated in August 2008 by Shri D Raja, Minister of State for Telecommunications.

Project Arrow is an attempt at the integrated modernization of postal services. It aims at modernizing the look, feel and efficiency of the services rendered by the post office. The project also aims at making the services of the postal department as straight, safe and sure as that of a well aimed arrow!

For this purpose, the project has been divided into two sections. Under one section branding of services, use of modern information technology devices, integration of human resources and development of infrastructure is being achieved. This section basically is an attempt at improving the look and feel of the service.

The second aspect of Project arrow is aimed at improving all the core areas of the postal services. Thus, the aim is to modernize and make more effective services like mail, savings bank operations, improving quantum and quality of remittances and developing a better quality of counter services and customer services.

As a part of the project, most post offices including Ariyaloor, which have been included in the first phase of the project, are in the process of completing basic documentation about the post office, its service area, customers, banking particulars etc. Development of new and better infrastructures like buildings, furniture etc also comes under this section. Training of staff and development of adequate hardware are the other principal components of Project Arrow.

In the initial, pilot phase of Project Arrow, fifty post offices have been selected. In the second phase 450 post offices will be covered. The final phase is intended to modernize 4500 post offices, covering all the parts of the country. The aim is to cover 4500 post offices under the project within the next two years. In the Southern Region, 33 post offices have been covered so far. Nineteen more post offices have been identified for inclusion in the project.

It is also to be noted that the Project Arrow is a green initiative. The project aims to minimize the use of paper, thus help in preserving trees and green cover, by making all internal correspondence based on email alone.

Another important aspect of Project Arrow is that it allows for independent assessment of the quality of the program. For this purpose, an independent rating agency is being authorized to rate the services of the Project Arrow using a five star rating formula. Best achievers under the program will be rewarded suitably and their services will be recognized.

The final aim of Project arrow is to become a working model for integration of services of the post office. The project will see to it that the customer will feel the difference! (PIB Features)

India - A Biodiversity Rich Nation

2010-11-26T06:25:00.000-08:00

by Kalpana Palkhiwala,
Deputy Director ( M & C), Press Information Bureau, New Delhi.

Biodiversity as we see today is the outcome of over 3.5 billion years of evolutionary history, shaped by natural processes and increasingly, by the influence of humanbeings. Biodiversity forms the web of life of which man is an integral part and upon which he fully depends.

Biodiversity is not distributed uniformly across the globe. Certain countries, lying wholly or partly within the tropics, are characterized by high species richness and more number of endemic species. These countries are known as Mega diverse countries. India is one of the identified mega diverse countries of the World. With only 2.4% of the land area, and accounts for 7-8% of the recorded species of the world. Over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals have been recorded so far. It is remarkable to note that India maintains this biodiversity while supporting 20% of the world’s human and cattle population. The wide diversity in physical features and climatic situations has resulted in a diversity of ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, coastal and marine (mangroves and coral reefs) and deserts. Among these, the forest ecosystem in particular exhibits tremendous variability ranging from temperate alpine to tropical wet evergreen forests. There are 16 major forest types in India and it is also one of the eight primary centres of the origin of cultivated plants and is rich in agricultural biodiversity. India is an acknowledged centre of crop diversity, and holds 320 wild varieties of crop relatives mainly of rice, maize, millets, barley and brinjals. About 114 breeds of domesticated animals (buffaloes, cattle, sheep, goat, camel, horses, donkeys, etc.) are also found in the country.

India also has four of the 34 identified hot spots of the world, which are characterized by high degree of endemism and are therefore areas of global conservation concern.

Threats to Biodiversity

Extinction of species and gradual changes in ecological communities is a natural phenomenon. However, the pace of extinction has increased dramatically as a result of human activities. Ecosystems are being fragmented or eliminated, and several species are in decline. The fragmentation, degradation, and loss of habitats pose serious threat to biological diversity. It is estimated that species are disappearing at an alarmingly higher rate than the evolutionary processes and this is predicted to rise dramatically. These losses are irreversible and pose a threat to our own well being, considering our dependence on food crops and medicines, and other biological resources. The loss in biodiversity impoverishes us all, and weakens the ability of the living systems on which we depend, to resist growing threats, such as climate change.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Global concern about loss of species and ecosystems found expression in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD is, one of the two agreements adopted during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the other one being on UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

India is a Party to the CBD. India signed the Convention on 5th June 1992, and ratified it on 18th February, 1994. The Convention came into force on 29th December, 19993, 90 days after the 30th ratification.

CBD – Important Provisions

The CBD has 23 preambular paragraphs and 42 articles. The preambular paragraphs interalia recognize and reaffirm the following:

• Intrinsic value of biodiversity
• Biodiversity conservation as common concern of humankind
• Sovereign rights of States over their biological resources
• Responsibility of States to conserve and sustainably use their biodiversity
• Precautionary approach towards biodiversity conservation
• Vital role of local communities and women in conservation, and sustainable use of biodiversity
• Need for provision of new and additional financial resources and access to technologies to developing countries to address biodiversity loss.
Economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding pri0rities of developing countries.

Implementation of CBD in India

In India, conservation of biodiversity did not start with the CBD. India has a long history of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, which is engrained in our ethos and is a way of life for us. This is reflected in an individual’s practices as well as social systems prevalent at different times in India’s history. Modern India, as the world’s largest democracy is testimony to this, as environment protection is enshrined in the Constitution of India itself in Article 48 A and Article 51A (g).

There are numerous and wide ranging policies, programmes and projects in place for conservation of biodiversity.

National Biodiversity Action Plan

In pursuance to Article 6 of the CBD, India within five years of ratifying the Convention had developed a National Policy and Macro level Action Strategy on Biodiversity in 1999. After approval of the National Environment Policy (NEP) in 2006, the 1999 document was updated and revised as the National Biodiversity Action Plan which was approved by the Cabinet in 2008. The NBAP 2008 draws upon the main principle in the NEP that human being are at the centre of concerns of sustainable development and they are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.

Biological Diversity Act

In pursuance to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), India had enacted the Biological Diversity Act in 2002 following a widespread consultative process over a period of eight years. The Biological Diversity Rules were noticed thereafter in 2004. The Act gives effect to the provisions of the CBD. It also addresses access to biological resources and associated traditional knowledge to ensure equitable sharing of benefits arising out of their use to the country and its people. India is one of the first few countries to have enacted such legislation. Twenty two State Biodiversity Boards have been established till date.

Similarly, setting up of BMCs by all local bodies within their areas, for the purpose of promoting conservation, sustainable use and document of biodiversity is an essential requirement under the Act. So far, 29,150 Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) have been set up in eight States.

India at COP-10 on Biological Diversity at Nagoya

More than 190 countries are negotiating at Nagoya, Japan to reach an agreement to protect the diversity of natural resources all over the world. The 12 day conference which started on 18th of this month is very important for India as it seeks a single legally binding international protocol on access and benefit sharing (ABS) under CBD.ABS will provide a mechanism to regulate and protect traditional knowledge and genetic resources. The developed countries are not in favour of this, but developing countries do. India and Brazil are leading the developing countries to ensure that ABS covers human pathogens as a bio resource. Traditionally the pharmaceutical companies from developed countries take advantage of bio-resources located in the developing countries without sharing the benefits adequately with the local people. In terms of disclosure of biodiversity, India will insists on complete transparency against graded transparency demanded by developed nations. India will also demand to link the CBD with the World Trade Agreement on the Trade related “Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)”. (PIB Features)

Rich Heritage of C&AG of India - Celebrating 150 Years

2010-11-26T06:07:00.000-08:00

by B.S. Chauhan, Media Advisor to Comptroller & Auditor General

One of the most important day in the history of India was when 150 years ago, the first Accountant General was appointed on 16th November, 1860. He was Sir Edmund Drummond. Releasing a commemorative postage stamp at the beginning of the year long celebrations the President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil said, “in a democratic set up, auditing of public accounts was viewed with such great significance that the makers of our Constitution, notably Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, created an Independent constitutional authority for this purpose. The institution of the C&AG had not only a distinguished history in India, but it was also matched with distinguished performance. The Indian Audit and Accounts Department and the Auditors General heading it successively, have sought to build an institution on the foundations of an accountability-centric philosophy. However, in a fast changing socio-economic scenario, it would be useful, from time to time, to revisit the practices, and procedures being followed. With growing awareness of citizens, their interest in how efficiently and effectively public money is spent, has been increasing. Public auditors have a major challenge to respond competently to this growing expectation of the stakeholders”. She also emphasized that public financial accountability and probity are essential for rooting out corruption.

Over the ensuing years, the responsibilities, status and Independence of the Auditor General evolved and were enhanced. Shri V Narahari Rao took over as the first Comptroller & Auditor General of Independent India in August 1948. The Constitution of India in 1950 underlying the hopes and aspirations of our Founding Fathers accorded a position of utmost eminence to the C&AG. The late Dr B R Ambedkar called the C&AG “as the most important officer in the Constitution of India. He is the One man who is going to see that the expenses voted by the Parliament are not exceeded or varies from what has been laid down by the Parliament.” And this duty entrusted to the C&AG by the Constitution is still being carried out with the same dedication and sincerity, if not more, since the last 150 years.

The Indian Audit & Accounts Department is known for its high standard of professionalism and core competence of its people. Audit by the C&AG has traditionally been dealing with probity and compliance. This audit involves verification of compliance by the government departments and agencies with the applicable laws, rules and regulations. Instances of non-compliance, fraud, wastefulness are highlighted for the attention of the legislatures and policy makers. While the audit mandate of the C&AG extends across all the civil, revenue, defence, railway, P&T, commercial departments of the Government, over the last century, this organization has been adapting itself to the rapidly changing work environment. In recent decades, with increasing demands from stakeholders to know more about performance and results, highest priority has been accorded to Performance Audits of people centric programmes in the social and infrastructure sectors, focusing on evaluation of flagship programmes. C&AG’s reports afford an opportunity to the Government to make midcourse corrections and improve service delivery.

With the local self governments evolving as the bedrock of India’s democratic system, the C&AG’s organization has been providing technical support and guidance to local bodies in the areas of accounts and audit. The Department has also successfully adapted to changes brought about by automation. The use of information technology was formally initiated in the early 1990s. With e-governance finding its space in the public sphere, information technology audit has become a key resource with the C&AG, with over 350 IT audits of diverse platforms and databases conducted so far. The practices of IT audit won the Prime Minister’s award for excellence in 2008, an evidence of the continuously evolving skill set of the personnel of the Department. In addition, public private partnership and emergence of regulators in the economic sphere and focus on sustainable development & environmental conservation has introduced new audit concerns. The “governance landscape” is changing and keeping pace with these changes, our Department is also proactively re-orienting our approaches to our work.

In course of our journey, IA&AD have been viewed with skepticism and its role has been typecast as that of fault finders. While it is true that the nature of the audit function is one, that of, pointing out deviations, yet, C&AG has been motivated by concerns of accountability and governance that it shares with the ordinary citizen of the country. C&AG has been reaching out to all its stakeholders highlighting its work and showcasing how it can aid in nation building. This has also been necessary as it was found that for the ordinary citizen, the notion that C&AG is just another one of the investigative agencies of the Government had to be dispelled. The constitutional role and independence of the organization, which C&AG takes so much pride in, had to be disseminated for creating awareness about the organization. This is also one of the reasons why a need for a logo was felt, which identified C&AG uniquely and served as a recall, in addition to the Asoka emblem. While releasing the logo of the IA&AD a few days back, the present C&AG of India Shri Vinod Rai has said that “this duty entrusted to the C&AG by the Constitution is still being carried out with the same dedication and sincerity, if not more, since the last 150 years”.

In keeping with the diverse and multifarious needs of primary stakeholders – the Legislature, the Executive and the Public at large, C&AG are in constant dialogue and interaction with all our stakeholders. Honouring this very commitment, C&AG celebrates 150 years with a Seminar on “Accountability and Governance” in which it invited panelists - International and National public policy experts.

The IA&AD has excelled in promoting good governance through its accounting and audit functions and has fulfilled the expectations of the law makers, the executive and the general public. The external oversight of the C&AG over the public sector programmes has contributed significantly to improvement in the design, implementation procedures and performance information of the public sector programmes and their outcomes. The revenue audit by the Department has yielded recovery of hundreds of crores of rupees of under assessment. The audit entities accept the audit findings of the Department of over payment/recovery in the range of Rs. 15000 crores and recoveries upwards of Rs. 2750 crores are made annually. With a growth in the revenue and public sector spending, the responsibility of the C&AG of India has increased significantly over the years. The new methods of management and delivery of the public sector programmes like public-private partnerships, revenue sharing and license agreements for exploitation and management of natural resources, outsourcing, the issue of sustainable development and increasing use of information technology has made the audit more challenging.

With a dynamic approach the IA&AD has been equal to the challenge. It conducts audit of thousands of offices every year. The C&AG of India presents about 100 audit reports to the Parliament and the state legislatures. The objective and apolitical approach and a meticulous professional procedures in audit had earned the confidence of all sections of the political leadership and bureaucracy besides that of the common pubic. The Department has attained a pivotal position in the community of global supreme audit institution.

According to the vision and the mission statement released by the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Department strives to be a global leader and initiator of national and international best practices in public sector accounting and auditing and has been recognized even before Independence for its credible, balanced and timely reporting on public finance and governance. The mission statement enunciates the current role and describes what the Department is doing today. It states that mandated by the Constitution of India the Department promotes accountability, transparency and good governance through high quality auditing and accounting and provides independent assurance to the stake holders-the Legislature, the Executive and the Public- on the public funds being used efficiently and for the intended purposes. While releasing the statements the Prime Minister has rightly mentioned about the “two developments which have altered the patterns of spending public money phenomena. The first is the progressive devolution of powers and resources to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. Though progress in this area cannot be said to be satisfactory, we hope that in the years ahead the Panchayati Raj Institutions will be empowered much more with finances, functions and functionaries. The institutions of accountability therefore will have to realign their processes to reflect this new emerging reality. The other development is the increasing number of Public Private Partnership projects both in the Centre and in the States. The Central as well as many State governments have used this route successfully for impressive investments in the infrastructure projects. With time, Public Private Partnership will be increasingly used in diverse areas. There is, therefore, a need to improve the structure of Public Private Partnership arrangements to ensure that they are transparent, ensure adequate competitiveness and adequately safeguard the public interest. I expect that the Comptroller & Auditor General will play a leading role in ensuring that these new initiatives deliver as intended.”

Depending upon the objective of audit, the audits can be classified into three categories. These are compliance audit, financial audit and performance audit. Apart from these audits, number of audits of information technology systems and environmental issues have also been done.

The Department has 219 offices throughout the country. And many of these offices are housed in landmark buildings. As this office was set up during the British Raj, many of the offices in the state continue to be in the same buildings. The Department at present is in possession of great historical and glorious heritage buildings. Yarrows and Gorton Castle at Shimla and the Treasury building at Kolkata are some of the magnificent examples of such buildings which have been restored to provide modern amenities while retaining the external facade and original shape intact.

Another hallmark of the Department is the rich professional and artistic excellence of its officers. Some of them are: the Nobel laureate Dr. C.V. Raman the youngest Deputy Accountant General, Grammy award winner music maestro Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Kathak dancer Padmashri Shovana Narayan, Smt Malashri Prasad noted singer of All India Radio, cricketer Debashis Mohanty, Umpire Swaroop Kishen and international footballers Kiran Khongsai, Gunbir Singh and Manoharan. (PIB Features)

Sevottam for Ensuring Excellence in Services

2010-11-26T06:02:00.000-08:00

by Ravinder Singh, Director ( M & C), Press Information Bureau, New Delhi.

The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has taken steps to put in place Sevottam Compliant Citizen’s Charter and Grievance Redress Mechanism. The Sevottam framework was designed by DARPG in 2006 as an assessment improvement framework for public service delivery.

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) in its 12th Report “Citizen Centric Administration – The Heart of Governance” has recommended that Union and State Governments should make the Seven Step Model outlined in para 4.9 mandatory for all organizations having public interface which was accepted by the Government of India. The ARC had made the recommendations after studying the Sevottam model which the Commission felt was a step in the right direction.

What is Sevottam

Sevottam literally is the combination of Hindi words ‘SEWA + UTTAM’, meaning uttam sewa i.e. excellence in services. The Sevottam model was developed with expert support after studying international best practices, stake-holder consultations and field validity. It has basically three modules - Citizen Charter, Public Grievance Redress Mechanism and Service Delivery Capability. Each of the modules is further divided into three criteria and eleven elements each. The framework helps Government Departments towards improving their public service delivery.

Sevottam as Pilot Project

Initially, Sevottam framework was undertaken from April 2009 to June 2010 in ten Departments of the Government having large public interface. These are, Department of Post, CBEC, CBDT, Railways, Passport office, Pensions, Food Processing, Corporate Affairs, Kendriya Vidyalaya Schools and EPFO. All these organizations have declared standards and implemented in pilot locations. The Project is now being extended to 62 ministries of the Government.

Sevottam in Operation

The Seven Steps to Sevottam are - Define all services which a department provides and identify clients; Set standards and norms for each service; Develop capability to meet the set standards; Perform to achieve the standards; Monitor performance against the set standards; Evaluate the impact through an independent mechanism and Continuous improvement based on monitoring and evaluation results.

Seven Steps to Sevottam Compliant Grievance Redress System are - Well established system of receipt of grievances; Convenient for all users and its wide publicity; Timely acknowledgement; Time norm for redress; Communication of action taken on redress; Platform for Appeal and Analysis of grievance prone areas for making systemic improvements

Preparing more departments for Sevottam

The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances organised between August 30 andSeptember 21, 2010 four workshops, each of two day duration, for officers responsible for implementing the Sevottamcompliant citizen charter in 62 ministries/departments of the Government. The aim of the workshops was to facilitate preparation of Sevottam Compliant Citizen Charters and Grievance Redress Mechanism for Ministries/Departments of the Government and its Organizations for modernizing governance through better and enhanced results oriented Public Delivery System to the Citizens/Clients/Stakeholders.

The Agenda of the workshops was: Sevottam Compliant Citizens’ Charters and Grievance Redress Mechanism; Modernizing Governance through Strategic Commitment, Awareness and Outreach and Enhanced Performance and Result in Outcome. It included sessions on the concept of Sevottam, Sevottam Compliant Citizen’s/Client’s Charter, Sevottam Compliant Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), and linkages betweenSevottam, Strategy and Results Framework Document (RFD).

The participants in these workshops included two officers of Joint Secretary/ Director level from each of the 62 Central Ministries included in the Results Framework Document for 2010-11, and one or two representatives from select Training Institutions such as Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi; Institute of Secretariat Training and Management, New Delhi; State Administrative Training Institute, Jaipur; State Administrative Training Institute, Chandigarh; Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad and Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad. As such a total of about 250 officers participated and were trained through these four workshops.

The first workshop was inaugurated by Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. These workshops were organised in collaboration with Performance Management Division of Cabinet Secretariat and FICCI Quality Forum as Consulting Partner. Cabinet Secretary, Shri K.M. Chandrasekhar,Member planning Commission Shri Sam Pitroda and UIDAI chairman, Shri Nandan Nilekani took part in the workshops.

Implementation of the Concept

The Performance Management Division of the Cabinet Secretariat has included two modules of theSevottam framework i.e. Citizen Charter and Public Grievance Mechanism, as mandatory success indicators in the Results Frame Document (RFD) 2010-11 for 62 Ministries/Departments approved under Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System (PMES) by the Prime Minister. The four workshops held would facilitate these Ministries/Departments in achieving the Sevottam compliance success indicators under Results Frame Document.December 30, 2010 has been fixed as the target date for the formulation of Sevottam Compliant Citizen’s / Client’s Charter. To facilitate meeting the target date, a Helpdesk for Sevottam related queries has been made available atsevottam@nic.in.

Sevottam in States

Four States namely, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa have adopted Sevottam for capacity building for poverty reduction pilot projects of quality management system.

The Government of Himachal Pradesh selected Municipal Corporation Shimla for the first QMS Sevottampilot project in 2008 - 2009. As a result, processes in issue of Electricity and Water Bills have been streamlined resulting in timely receipts and enhancement in the collection of revenue. Operations of water bills, property tax, registration of births and deaths, and other services provided are being integrated through a common digital database.

The Grievance Redress Mechanism has been improved. Improvements have been made in functioning and monitoring of the Solid Waste Management Plant and financial arrangements have been made for procuring 33 new vehicles. A ‘User Manual’ for the sector has been created that will facilitate the replication of the process in other municipalities. The User Manual has been uploaded on DARPG website www.darpg.nic.in.

The capacity of Himachal Pradesh Institute for Public Administration (HIPA) Shimla, has been built in this regard and funds have been provided for opening of a new ‘Training Centre on Sevottam’ in HIPA.

The Government of Karnataka selected the Department of Women and Child Development with verticalchain of service delivery for the Integrated Child Development Services in 7 Anganwadi centres in two villages ofBadanaguppe in Chamrajnagar district and Mudlapura in Raichur district. The pilot project was started there in December 2008 and concluded in February 2010. This has been a very successful Sevottam pilot project. As part of capacity building a Sevottam training cell has been established in ATI, Mysore to train personnel for extending the service delivery framework in other organizations of Government of Karnataka.

The Madhya Pradesh Government has selected the Public Health and Family Welfare Department with vertical service delivery chain in J.P. Hospital, Bhopal; Community Health Centre, Gandhinagar; in Phanda Block of District Bhopal; Community Health Centres in Bairsia Block and Health Centre Tehsil Bairsia with PHFW service delivery units in 5 to 6 village clusters therein. Simultaneously, capacity building for training in QMS Sevottam model of the Madhya Pradesh State Administrative Training Institute is involved. Started in August 2009, the project is due to conclude in December 2010.

The Government of Orissa has selected the Food, Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FSCW) Department and its vertical chain of service delivery in Balipatna Block of Khurda District and simultaneous capacity building of State ATI, Bhubaneswar. The project begun in September 2009 and is due for conclusion in December 2010. (PIB Features)

Mangroves-Shelter Belt against Cyclone

2010-11-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

by Kalpana Palkhiwala, Deputy Director ( M & C), Press Information Bureau, New Delhi

Mangroves are plants that survive high salinity, tidal regimes, strong wind velocity, high temperature and muddy anaerobic soil – a combination of conditions hostile for other plants. They are found in the inter-tidal zones of sheltered shores, estuaries, creeks, backwaters, lagoons, marshes and mud-flats. Mangrove forests are regarded as the most productive and bio-diverse ecosystem on earth, as an important natural reserve of biological diversity. The mangrove ecosystem constitutes a bridge between terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

It is true that mangroves have contributed towards mitigation of the adverse impact of cyclones, tidal waves & sea water surges along some coastal areas of Orissa, Tamil Nadu & other parts of the country, and towards enhancement of fisheries. However, not all coastal areas are suitable for mangrove plantation as mangrove requires an appropriate mix and saline & freshwater, and soft substrate like mudflats to be able to grow and perpetuate. India is home to some of the best mangroves in the world. West Bengal has maximum mangrove cover in the country followed by Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The Ministry has established a National Mangrove Genetic Resources Centre in Orissa. Mangrove vegetation has been reported in all the 12 Coastal States/UTs.

Benefits

Mangrove plantation is to be perceived as one of the important components of Integrated Coastal Zone Management. In view of multiple benefits offered by mangrove forests to the coastal ecology and the local population, the Coastal States and Union Territories have been requested to identify additional areas suitable for mangrove plantation with people’s participation and augment the existing efforts related to education, awareness and alternative/supplementary livelihoods.

The benefits of mangroves are many. Mangroves are a source of firewood, of wood products such as timber, poles and posts, and of non-wood produce such as fodder, honey, wax, tannin, and dye and plant materials for thatching. Mangrove wetlands and forests act as a shelter belt against cyclones. (In Orissa a few years ago, villages surrounded by mangrove forests survived the fury of cyclones, unlike other villages). They also prevent coastal erosion. They provide nursery grounds for a number of commercially important fish, prawn, crabs and molluscs. They serve as food webs and enhance the fishery production of nearby coastal water by exporting nutrients and detritus. They provide habitats for wildlife ranging from migratory birds to estuarine crocodiles, tigers, etc. The filtering effect of mangrove forests protects vital coral reefs and sea grass beds from damaging siltation.

No wonder some coastal populations regard mangroves as sacred. At the Lord Nataraja temple at Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, the mangrove tree Excoecaria agallocha, locally known as Thaillai, has been worshipped as a temple tree- Sthala vruksha.

Status

The Forest Survey of India (FSI) biennially maps and assesses country’s mangroves spread over 9 States and 3 UTs and includes the findings in the State of Forest Reports. As per the latest ‘India State of Forest Report 2009’ mangrove cover in India is spread over an area of 4,639 sq. km in the Coastal States/UTs of the country. Compared with 2005 assessment, there has been on increase of 58 sq. km in mangrove cover mainly because of the plantations and protection measures in the State of Gujarat, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal mainly due to activities under the Ministry of Environment and Forests Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Conservation & Management of Mangroves. Decrease in mangrove cover in Andaman & Nicobar Islands is attributed to after effects of tsunami.

In nutshell, there was an increase of 55 sq. km in mangrove cover of Gujarat, 16 sq. km in West Bengal, 4 sq. km in Orissa and 3 sq. km in Tamil Nadu. However, there was a loss of 20 sq. km in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, due to the effect of tsunami in December 2004. This loss stood reduced by 1 sq. km as compared to the previous assessment in 2005. In general, the mangroves in India are well protected, in spite of growing threats by nature and man, due to the efforts of the Government. In fact, India is one of the very few developing countries where mangrove cover continues to increase. This clearly reiterates our belief that rapid economic growth need not come at the cost of protection and growth of our core ecological assets. The Forest Department of Gujarat has done excellent mangrove plantations, in the institutional category for plantations.

Legal and Regulatory Approaches for Protection

At present, the mangroves are protected through a range of regulatory measures such as Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991; Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) studies under the EIA Notification, 1994 for specialized industries; monitoring of compliance, with conditions imposed while according Environmental Clearance, by Regional Offices of the Ministry and State Pollution Control Boards; enforcement of emission and effluent standards by industries and other entities, and recourse to legal action against the defaulters. Mangroves located within the notified forest areas are also covered under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

Central Scheme

The centrally sponsored scheme on conservation and management of mangroves & coral reefs was initiated in 1987. The main activities under the Scheme are Survey and Demarcation, Afforestation & Restoration of Mangroves, Regeneration of Corals, Alternate and Supplementary Livelihoods, Protection Measures, and Education & Awareness. 100% central assistance is given to States/UTs for implementation of approved Management Action Plans. All proposals for conservation and management of mangroves received from various State Governments are examined as per the laid down procedures and guidelines. States are encouraged to form SLSC [State level Steering Committee] to vet annual funding requirements & monitor the work progress.

Major components, assisted under the National Mangrove Conservation and Management Programme, are Capacity Building, Staff Training and Skills, Survey, Assessment and Demarcation , Plantation , Regeneration , Maintenance, Shelter Belt of Casuarina, etc., Alternate/Supplementary Livelihoods and Eco-development Activities, Community Participation, Biodiversity Conservation, Weed Control and Environmental Education & Awareness. (PIB Features)

On the Road to Cleanliness and Hygiene in Rural Areas – TSC

2010-11-26T05:49:00.000-08:00

by Atul Kr. Tiwari, Director ( M & C), Press Information Bureau, New Delhi

Sanitation is one of the basic needs of life. In order to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation, the Department of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation under the Ministry Of Rural Development has been making consistent efforts under the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC). The main goal of the Government is to eradicate the practice of open defecation by 2010.
Strategy
TSC advocates a participatory and demand driven approach, taking a district as a unit to start with significant involvement of Gram Panchayats and local communities. The strategy is to make the Program 'community led' and 'people centered' and the focus is on promoting hygiene and behaviour change, the key features of the TSC include - A community led approach with focus on collective achievement of total sanitation; Focus on Information, Education and Communication (IEC) to mobilize and motivate communities towards safe sanitation; Minimum incentives only for BPL households/poor/disabled, post construction and usage; Flexible menu of technology options; Development of supply chain to meet the demand stimulated at the community level; and Fiscal incentive in the form of a cash prize – Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) – to accelerate achievement of total sanitation outcomes.
Components
For the Provision of Individual household latrines an Incentive of Rs. 1500/- and 700/- for each toilet is given by Central and State Government respectively to BPL households after they construct and use toilets. APL households are motivated to construct toilets with their own funds or by taking loans from SHGs, banks, cooperative institutions etc. Provision of Toilets in Schools and Anganwadis with the cost shared by Central and State Government in the ratio of 70:30. Construction of Community Sanitary Complexes; Assistance to Production Centers of sanitary materials and Rural Sanitary Marts and Solid and Liquid Waste Management.
Implementation
Use of innovative strategies has been successful in enhancing the Rural Sanitation Coverage from a mere 1% in 1981 to over 67% in the current year. The progress made under the program is: Currently TSC is being implemented in 607 rural districts spread across 30 States and UTs. Sanitation Coverage has gone more than three times from 22 % in 2001 to 67 % by September 2010.
Physical Progress
Under the program 7.07 crore individual toilets, 10.32 lakh school toilets , 3.46 lakh Anganwadi toilets and 19,502sanitary complexes for women have been constructed till September 2010. It includes 3.81 crore BPL household toilets.
Construction of Individual Household Latrine (IHHL)
Here, the performance of Dadra & Nagar Havelli, Puducherry, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand is below the national average of 50%. Sikkim and Kerela have made commendable achievement of cent percent sanitation coverage in individual households. Regarding the construction of School toilets, the performance is below the national average in Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Nagaland, M.P., Uttarakhand, Tripura, Tamilnadu and Manipur.
Completion Of All School and Anganwadi Toilets by March ,2011
As against the target of construction of 13,14,636 school toilets 10,32,703 (78.55%) have been reported to be constructed. All states have committed to cover all uncovered rural schools and anganwadi with sanitation facilities by March 2011. Mizoram and Sikkim have already achieved the targets set under TSC for building school toilets. Budget allocation has been substantially increased during the 10^th Five Year Plan period from Rs. 165 crore in 2002-03 to Rs. 1580 crore in 2010-11.
Financial Progress
The total financial outlay under the TSC is Rs. 19626.43 crore. Central, State and beneficiary shares of the projects are Rs. 12273.81 crore, Rs. 5205.79 crore and Rs. 2146.83 crore respectively. Rs.5870.61 crore has already been released by the centre out of which Rs. 4730.28 crore has been utilized by the States for implementation of the Program.
Expenditure against centre release is below national average in Punjab, Dadar & Nagar Haveli, Manipur, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir.
Nirmal Gram Puraskar
Incentives under the Nirmal Gram Puraskar has contributed to the spurt in sanitation coverage after TSC was launched in 1999, average coverage between 2001 to 2004 rose to 3% annually. After NGP was launched in 2004, the average coverage is now increasing by about 7-8% annually.
Constraints
Lack of priority for sanitation in some States; Non-release of State share by some States; Lack of emphasis on inter-personal communication at village level; Inadequate capacity building at grass root level; Lack of behavioural change among some households or members of the household; Inadequate number of toilets and urinals in schools in relation to strength of students; and Low emphasis on solid and liquid waste management are some of the constraints felt.
Challenges
It is expected that approximately 2.4 crore more households shall be covered with sanitation facilities by the end of 11^thPlan. Approximately 1.2 crore rural households are being provided sanitation facilities each year. 3.18 crore households, therefore, shall still be required to be provided sanitation facilities in rural areas by the end of 11^th Plan. This balance number of 3.18 crore rural households approximately, shall be required to be covered for sanitation facilities during the 12^th Plan as per present project objectives. Any change in the definition of BPLs or identification of new households not having sanitation facilities shall change the requirement accordingly.
Difficult Areas
Flood affected, coastal, and hilly and desert areas require focused attention and specific solution. This may also involve development of appropriate and cost effective technologies with credible means of social mobilization.
Solid & Liquid Waste Management (SLWM)
Gram Panchayats need to be motivated to evolve institutional mechanisms for collection and disposal of biodegradable and non biodegradable waste. In pre-urban areas, its usage for toilet flushing needs attention.
Convergence
Integrating sanitation programs with initiatives to improve water availability and health care would increase the likelihood of achieving public health outcomes such as reduction in diarrhea and other water borne & infectious diseases. TSCs, convergence with the rural water supply programs and the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) program is of utmost importance.
Personal Hygiene Management
Focus is on provision of hand-washing as an integral part of sanitation facilities in schools and Anganwadis and provision for menstrual hygiene for rural women and adolescent girls.
Eco Sanitation
Once the behavior change efforts now being made through pour-flushed toilets are successful, Eco Sanitation shall be required to be promoted to save water and to close the loop of sanitation through ecological means for which efforts need to begin early.
Disabled Friendly Toilets
Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) cannot afford to ignore sizeable population of physical challenged persons. At least one toilet for persons with special needs would be required to be provided in all institutions in rural areas.
Special Sectors for Convergence/Sanitation coverage
Need of greater convergence of TSC to provide clean and health environment in areas like Railways, on highways and Sanitation and food hygiene at Tourists and religious places, weekly marketing areas etc.
In the wake of these developments the Department of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation under the Ministry Of Rural Development has been undertaking several initiatives to strengthen the implementation of the program. These include regular reviews of progress made by States in achievements of targets set under TSC, strengthening the Nirmal Gram Puraskar by revising the guidelines for enhancing greater transparency and credibility of the selection process. Among the other initiatives undertaken to make the program more effective include the Review of the IEC and HRD strategy for program implementation , Integration of sanitation technology options with TSC by organizing National Workshop and training programs on Eco Sanitation, strengthening the capacity of States for undertaking next generation sanitation activities like Solid and Liquid Waste Management .
It is expected that the new initiatives and measures would provide a further push to meet the basic requirements of sanitation in rural areas. (PIB Features)

India holds the key to Developing Countries in Fuelling Growth of MSMES

2010-11-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

by Gurdip Singh, Head of Business & Economy, UNI, Delhi

A recent phenomena witnessed on the Indian economic scene is the liberal approach adopted by both State-owned and private Banks in lending to the Medium and Small Enterprises. Apart from financing, the banking sector is also offering consultancy services to them. Such an aggressive approach in lending operations has not been witnessed in the past.

Apart from this, there is also support from large corporates to assist the Medium and Small Enterprises in their endeavour to grow. Besides, a number of voluntary groups have also joined the growth.

MSMEs form the backbone of industrial growth in many parts of the world. An illustration in this regard is Germany, the fastest growing economy in the European Union, and Japan, still a rapidly growing economy.

The policy makers at home have realized both the growth and employment potential of enterprises. In a labour surplus economy, like India, where there is still a significant amount of unemployment in both the urban and rural areas, this is the right approach.

In fact, some of these Medium Enterprises have taken to acts of Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR), such as bringing about a better ecological order through greening of the environment around them and funding local level education and health programmmes.

India is not unique in this regard. Many countries in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world have realized the potential of medium as well as small and micro enterprises in supporting the growth prospects.

In short, the policy support is here to stay as also trends of the nature of financing of banks and NGOs in improving the dynamism of the MSE’S.

Various government agencies are involved in providing marketing assistance to these enterprises, a number of programmes have been launched entailing technological up gradation, and credit to the sector is provided under priority sector lending by the banking sector. The fact of the matter is that many tiny and small enterprises are in the unorganized sector. SME’s are also large contributors to foreign exchange, as they are involved in exports in a major way, such as garments, leather, electronics, gems and jewellery, handicrafts and apparel, to name but a few.

The development of entrepreneurial skills and harnessing Information Technology for the advantage of the SME segment are important variables in the growth strategies of this nature. A key generator which can fuel the growth of this sector is innovation.

Germany worldwide is an exporter of capital goods and machine tools, where SME’s play a critical role. So also are the fast growing economies of China, South Korea and Vietnam, where the SME sector continues to play a major role in the economy.

According to a UNIDO survey of Indian SSI clusters undertaken some years ago, there are 350 SSI clusters and approximately 2000 rural and artisan based clusters in India. It is estimated that these clusters contribute 60 per cent of the manufactured exports from the country. Among the larger clusters, some are well known. The Panipat cluster accounts for more than 75 per cent of the total blankets produced in the country; Tirupur in Tamil Nadu, is responsible for 80 per cent of the country’s cotton hosiery exports; Agra with 800 registered and 6,000 unregistered small scale units make about 150,000 pairs of shoes per day with a daily production value of 1.3 million dollars and exports worth 60 million dollar per year; Ludhiana, a city that is known as the Manchester of India, alone contributes to 95 per cent of the country’s woolen knitwear, 85 per cent of the country’s sewing machines and 60 per cent of the nation’s bicycle and bicycle parts. Finally, the world famous cluster of Bangalore, operate in the software sector.

Famous economist Joseph Schumpeter spoke of the perennial gale of innovation and competition that ensures the fittest among them survive.

Faced with a squeeze from every where, the small companies are left with no option, but to innovate— be it technology, marketing, sales, finance or human resources. Experts are unanimous on one issue— in the information age there is need for more knowledge as to what is happening in India and around the globe.

All in all, a new approach is emerging on the horizon—financing by banks, NGO support to the growth of medium, small and micro enterprises, government providing institutional support to the sector, innovation, cluster development and new research geared to the development of this sector. India thus holds a candle to the other developing countries to borrow ideas and policies to help in the growth of such industries. India, as in many international fora, is thus the champion of such a movement relating to the sector. (PIB Features)

Tribal Handicrafts of ‘The Nilgiris’

2010-11-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

by S.Balakrishnan, Officer, Press Information Bureau, Chennai

The name ‘Nilgiris’ or ‘The Blue Mountains’ is as poetic as the place itself. The Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu is home for the Toda, Kota, Kurumba, Irula, Paniyan andKattunaicken tribes. The Government of India has identified all these six tribes as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs). The verdant forest of the blue mountains has been their home for ages. Living amid the beautiful surroundings has probably made them artisans of equally beautiful handicrafts.

Well known among these six groups are the Toda people and their embroidery work. The Toda women are deft in embroidery work. Their traditional garment is of thick white cotton cloth with red, black or blue stripes, which is further embellished with hand embroidery. Woollen or cotton thread is used for this embroidery work. To suit modern taste and needs, a variety of items like cell phone pouch, table cloth, scarf & shawl, skirts & tops, drawstring purse & bag, coasters, frocks, bags, waist coat, etc are also made. This has been made possible under the ‘Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana’ (Ambedkar handicraft development scheme). Many women Self-Help Groups have been formed which, in turn, have been amalgamated into a federation. Though the pastoral Todas herded buffaloes and dealt in dairy produce, change in land use has deprived them of pasture lands. However, their unique craft has survived and stood the test of time.

The Kotas live in seven settlements, generally known as Kotagiri or Kokkal. They are village artisans who are good in carpentry, black smithy and pottery. As time changed, only a few families are engaged in these skills as a means of living. They eke out a living by cultivating small plots of patta land.

The Kurumba people are experts in basketry and other related bamboo works. The traditional occupation of the Kurumbas is gathering food, collection of honey and forest produce. They are good at herbal medicine and traditional healing. Now, they are mainly engaged in agriculture and those who do not own lands work as casual agricultural laborers.

The other three groups – Irulas, Paniyans and Kattunaicken are not known for traditional handicrafts. They are generally food/forest produce gatherers, now working as casual agricultural/estate labourers.

Tamil Nadu has a total of about 6,51,321 tribal population as per 2001 census which constitutes 1.02% of the total population. There are 36 tribes and sub tribes in Tamil Nadu. They are distributed in almost all the districts and they have contributed significantly in the management of the forests. Literacy rate of the population is 27.9%. Most of the tribes in the State are cultivators, agriculture labourers or dependent on forests for their livelihood. But only these six groups are classified as primitive tribes. (PIB Features)

Desertification - its Extent in the Country

2010-11-26T05:37:00.000-08:00

by Kalpana Palkhiwala, Dy Director (M & C), PIB, New Delhi.*

About 25% of the country’s geographical area is affected by desertification. The Space Application Centre in 2007 brought out the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas which shows 81.45 million hectare land in the country has turned into arid, semi-arid or dry sub humid region. Desertification results in decline in water table and availability of water, reduced agricultural productivity, loss of bio-diversity in the affected regions. All these affect the lives and livelihoods of the populations, often eventually precipitating forced migration and socio-economic conflicts.

Desertification is caused by a number of factors including climatic variations and human activities. Some of the human activities that can cause desertification are expansion of agriculture- over cultivation of soils, or exposure to erosion by wind or water; reduction in the fallow period of soil, and lack of organic or mineral fertilizers; overgrazing – often selectively – of shrubs, herbs and grasses; overexploitation of forest resources; deforestation; uncontrolled use of fire for regenerating pasture, for hunting, agricultural clearing, or for settling; and poor irrigation practices-irrigation of soils prone to salinisation, alkalinisation or even water logging.

India has always recognised the need for a concerted multi-sectoral strategy for arresting and reversing desertification in view of the cross cutting dimensions of drivers of desertification. The concern for arresting and reversing land degradation and desertification gets reflected in many of our national policies which have enabling provisions for addressing this problem. It is also implicit in the goals of sustainable forest management (SFM), sustainable agriculture, sustainable land management (SLM) and the overarching goal of sustainable development which the country has been pursuing.

Policy and legislative frameworks that contribute to combating desertification in India are National Water Policy, 1987; National Forest Policy, 1988; National Agricultural Policy, 2000; Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; National Environmental Policy, 2006; National Policy for Farmers, 2007; and National Rain fed Area Authority (NRAA)- 2007 .

Programmes Controlling Desertification

India has always maintained that desertification is a function of the interplay of a number of causative factors and thus only a multi-sectoral approach alone will be able to arrest and reverse the process of desertification. Some major schemes/ programmes that have contributed to desertification control are Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP), 1973-74; Watershed Development Project in Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA), 1974-75; Desert Development Programme (DDP), 1977-78; Reclamation & Development of Alkali Soil (RAS), 1985-86; Watershed Development Fund (WDF), Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP), 1989; National Watershed Development Project for Rain fed Areas (NWDPRA) – 1990-91 and Soil Conservation in the Catchment of River Valley Projects (RVP) 1992. National Afforestation Programme (NAP) 2002-03 is also one of the major programmes in which Association of Scheduled Tribes and Rural Poor in Regeneration of Degraded Forests (ASTRP), launched in 1992-93 and Integrated Afforestation and Eco-Development Projects Scheme (LAEPS) 1989-90 were merged into the National Afforestation Programme.

The year mentioned against the name of the schemes above designates the year of inception. The three schemes of Desert Development Programme, Drought Prone Area Programme and Integrated Wasteland Development Programme have been consolidated into a single programme of Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) with effect from 01.04.2008.

Recent initiatives include sustainable Land and Ecosystem Management (SLEM Programmatic Approach) 2007; Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Programme- 2008; Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) and Guidelines for Convergence between NREGA and NAP 2009.

Objectives

The basic object of the programme is to minimise the adverse effect of drought and control desertification through rejuvenation of natural resource base of the identified desert areas, achieve ecological balance and overall economic development in the programme areas. The programme has covered in 235 blocks of 40 districts in 7 States. The corresponding physical area under the programme is about 4.57 lakh sq. kms. (PIB Features)

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