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Recast Security Council
A shameful act |
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Uttarakhand pain lives
‘Strong fundamentals’
Sunset soldiering
Rajasthan taps solar energy for agriculture
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Recast Security Council
The 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) comes at a time when the world is looking at the UN for answers to many complex issues. The relevance of the United Nations has been dependent on various factors, not the least being the way the superpowers cooperate with it. For a while it seemed that the world body has become somewhat ineffectual, but recent events, including the crisis in Syria, have again pitched it centre stage. There has been a growing voice for reforms at the premium world body. Among them, perhaps, the most important one is that of expansion of the UN Security Council, which India has long supported, along with Brazil, Germany and Japan. These nations have earned the right to be on the Security Council, and it is indeed important for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stress on UN reforms. The Prime Minister is also likely to appeal to the international community to jointly combat the menace of terrorism, both in his interaction with world leaders as well as his forthcoming address to the UNGA. The world needs to put up a united effort to combat terrorist activities, and the UN can play a unique, proactive role in coordinating and effectively tackling terror. Nations that face terror need information that can help them thwart the designs of the perpetrators of such activities. More coordination is needed for curtailing the illicit arms trade and the illegal movement of funds. India has advocated a zero- tolerance approach on terror but it needs more push. India has a powerful voice in the United Nations; the world listens when the Prime Minister speaks. This UNGA meeting with its 'Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage' focus is exactly what the developing countries need, and the Prime Minister will surely utilise the occasion to garner as much support for India as he can. It is time for the UN to undertake necessary reforms and adapt to a changing world. India must support the world body in this
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A shameful act
It reminds one of the chilling saga of the brutal torture and murder of Manoj and Babli of Karoran village in 2007. Haryana does not let such stories become a part of its history. Every now and then, the vicious violence of its social order comes to the fore, to shock and shame the nation. On Wednesday a young couple belonging to the Jat community of Gharnavati village near Rohtak was allegedly lynched by the family of the girl in full public view. This was done, apparently, to set an example for the rest of the community. To make them understand how the community abhors the idea of love, despite tall claims of modernity and education. Strangely, the boy's family did not report his beheading to the police. It was a villager who called the police, which recovered the half-burnt body of the girl from the cremation ground. Though three arrests have been made, it leaves one wondering why those who witnessed such gruesome violence remained immune to blatant violation of the law and human rights. The lack of social reform in Haryana stares back at its so-called infrastructural development. The reality of the rising number of gruesome crimes against its women has remained unchanged. It should worry the government, which has its focus elsewhere. While the youth of the state are picking up courage to defy the unjust norms, raising their voice against repression and violence, the politicians, including a foreign-educated, young minister, blindly support the khap panchayats and their violent, illegal, dictatorial ways- all for their vote-banks. In 2010 the state lost an opportunity to change the scenario when the Centre had constituted a Group of Ministers on honour crimes, proposing to make honour killings a separate offence under the IPC and to amend the Indian Evidence Act, which would have put the burden of proof on the accused, i.e. on the khap panchayats and family members who perpetrate killings. But the state government offered affidavits against it. The barbarism and social resistance to change continue to haunt society. |
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Uttarakhand pain lives
A
figure of 4,083 has been arrived at from data collated from various states for the people killed or gone missing in the Uttarakhand flash floods. The missing are presumed dead for the purpose of payment of compensation. It is likely most of the affected families will never get to cremate the bodies as those may never be found. The declaration from the government thus may remain the only sense of closure they may have. Relief will be paid, but thereon begins a new struggle for the families bereaved - for some to live without a breadwinner, for some others to live with the knowledge a future generation had perished. The 'Himalayan tsunami' came and went in a flash. The scars on the land would be covered too in a couple of years, but the pain will remain forever with these families. Immediately after the tragedy, there was a sense of urgency in restoring the damage done. The state and the country debated ways and means to rebuild roads and restore power supply and other utilities and emergency services. But as the details were worked out the real scale of the damage emerged; very little could be done in the short term. Only the very essential roads could be restored. More than 200 villages still remain inaccessible. It is going to be practically like building the affected area anew. The stretched out process of restoration is what the government has to be cautious about - the focus and urgency should not be lost. Funds received for a specific purpose should not end up being diverted under political or personal influence. As the aftermath of the tragedy revealed, there had been authorities and panels in place earlier too to prevent and react to such disasters, but when the time came none had a workable plan. Immediately thereafter there were hectic rounds of discussions and committees were formed to look into preventive as well as monitoring mechanisms. The fear is these may once again slip into complacence as politics and other exigencies of governance take precedence. It would be a shame not to have learnt a lesson even after paying such a heavy price. |
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Our best thoughts come from others. — Ralph Waldo Emerson |
‘Strong fundamentals’ In India economic problems seem to sort themselves out on their own over time. Now the rupee is slowly climbing up and the stock market is also showing signs of rebound. At least temporarily — and the economic leaders of the country are once again harping on the ‘sound and strong fundamentals' of the economy. One may not understand what these are. If it is GDP growth, 4.4 per cent per annum in the first quarter of the current fiscal is hardly indicative of ‘strong’ fundamentals. India needs at least 6 per cent growth in order to absorb the 12 million people who enter the job market every year. The recent data on employment show that only seven million jobs a year were created between 2009-10 and 2011-12. The developed countries can afford to grow at 1 or 2 per cent because they have their ‘fundamentals’ in place — high human development, efficient infrastructure, reliable institutional framework, round-the-clock availability of power and clean drinking water from taps and a good quality of life. If the economic gurus are talking of the current account deficit, again 4.2 per cent of the GDP is high and now the government is talking of controlling the non-essential imports to reduce it. The rupee has depreciated 20 per cent in the last four months and imports have become expensive. Export growth has picked up no doubt but many exports contain imported parts and components and to the extent they use such parts, their costs will go up and they may suffer. Even in gems and jewellery exports for which India is known internationally, India has to import raw precious and semi-precious stones and pearls from abroad. These are cut or processed and made into jewellery. Gold too is imported. Thus there is some doubt whether export growth will pick up exponentially with the depreciation of the rupee. Some exports like software and business processing services will, however, become competitive. Another fundamental of the economy is industrial growth which unfortunately has been plunging and the latest data show a negative manufacturing growth (-1.2) and low mining sector growth. If manufacturing growth is shrinking, fewer jobs will be created and there will be a higher rate of unemployment. It is the only sector which absorbs semi-skilled labour. The service sector growth too has slowed down. The service sector contributes around 60 per cent of the GDP and its high growth had been the key driver of India’s GDP growth in the past. But the service sector does not create as many jobs as the manufacturing sector and it has few highly paid jobs and the rest are low-paid informal jobs. The high-end jobs comprise only 2 per cent of the entire service sector jobs like IT, business and financial services, insurance and real estate. Agricultural growth too has not been up to the mark of 4 per cent. There is widespread inequality in the agricultural sector because 80 per cent of the farmers are small and marginal. Unless agricultural growth rate picks up, farmers and farm labour would not be fully employed and there will be a pressure to migrate to towns and cities. Low agricultural productivity is keeping the incomes of small farmers low. Migration has its dark side as it leads to the growth of slums and 18 million people in India are living in slums in different metro cities. Mumbai has the biggest slum population in India. Another fundamental is the fiscal deficit of the country. Indeed to the credit of the Finance Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram, the fiscal deficit has been contained at 4.8 per cent of the GDP. But how this has been achieved has not been spelt out. If it means the compression of important government expenditures, then the long-term impact may be disastrous. As compared to China, India's foreign exchange reserves are small at $275 billion or equal to seven months' imports. But recent reports suggest that India is in a vulnerable situation because the total external debt is $390 billion. Around $85 billion will be needed to cover the current account deficit and the corporate sector debt is around $172 billion. Inflation is another fundamental which is not totally in control especially if you take the food inflation or the Consumer Price Index into account. The Wholesale Price Index too is likely to go up further because of yet another diesel price hike soon which will have a cascading effect on all prices. Thus one wonders how the leaders are bandying about the strong fundamentals of the economy. In a recent book by Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen “India and its Contradictions: an Uncertain Glory” many serious problems of the economy have been discussed. Most importantly, the authors have pointed out the low achievements on the human development front, especially in gender, health and education in which inequalities in India seem to be more glaring than in Bangladesh and Nepal. In public healthcare especially there has been little progress so far. Even as private clinics and hospitals are sprouting all over metro cities, one is scared of entering them because no one knows how much they would charge. Exorbitant charges and unnecessary tests are the bane of private healthcare and patients remain helpless. No wonder India has one of the highest out-of-pocket expenditures on healthcare in the world. Public healthcare expenditure is still less than 3 per cent of the GDP. Another fundamental is infrastructure — roads, the Railways, the iron and steel sector, coal and power which can hardly be termed as world class. There is a huge power deficit and 80,000 villages remain without electricity. The delivery of public services remains dismal at most places — be it sanitation, sewage or availability of safe drinking water. If you ask an average person whether he or she feels secure in the present situation, the answer is likely to be 'no'. Insecurity is also reflected in the behaviour of the people who have been buying gold like never before. Why are people hoarding gold? Part of it is tradition but a lot of it is due to insecurity. The middle class today is feeling insecure because the public services are poor and most people are saving 30 per cent to 40 per cent of their incomes to face problems in the future. Many fear job losses, inflation and others feel worried about healthcare expenditure in case a family member falls sick. Then there is insecurity about the future of their children. Only expensive English medium schools can give a child a good future. Few will know or care about the strong fundamentals that the leaders talk about. Most only know about their daily problems.
ofsurvival. |
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Sunset soldiering What do soldiers do after retirement? This question often finds a simpering response, ‘Well, they have the canteen booze for company’. But anyone who has toured the hinterland would think otherwise. There are veterans who head village councils. Invariably one sees display boards like ‘Adarsh' or 'Nirmal’ village. Testimonials from the State administration line the walls of panchayat halls. But this is not their only contribution. Honorary Captain Ramphal was a model soldier in many ways. With his 75-inch height and enviably athletic body he played practically every game. His straight spine and looking-into-the-eye disposition always made a commanding presence. Ten years into retirement in his village in Bhiwani district of Haryana, his zeal for social causes refuses to dim. On June 16, 2013, Ramphal watched the TV news of the devastating human tragedy in Uttarakhand. His mind was made up quickly and he started collecting funds. With his high reputation for integrity, donors came forward willingly and cash flowed in. He, along with two other veterans — Havildar Dharamvir and Naik Satbir — bought rations and reached Dehradun in a hired truck. The DM at Dehradun, Mr Purushottam, gave them a permit to move to Joshimath. They were still on the way when the DM called up to say that a portion the Joshimath road had been washed off and asked them to divert to Tehri. They did so, moving to Chamba by late evening. There the SDM of Tehri, one Mr Shrivastav, advised them to stay the night at Chamba as the road beyond was not fit for night travel. The SDM also advised them to contact the SDM of Dhanolti where rations were in more urgent demand. The Dhanolti SDM, Mr Pandey, suggested they move to Tathod. There they met the bloc SDM, another Mr Pandey. Here they were provided with smaller Tata pick-up trucks and the Tehsildar with 10 helpers came to unload and transfer the rations. Ramphal's team worked overnight to put rations in smaller packets for distribution to the needy individuals. By now there was a road blockade behind them but he had seen enough of these in his service and took the news in his stride. After the rations had been distributed, the SDM requested if some tents could be arranged by them. Ramphal’s team immediately rushed back to Dehradun and purchased 32 tents and 21 tarpaulins. These were dispatched without delay. Ramphal’s village had been generous. After doing all this they still had Rs 1 lakh balance. This they donated to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister's fund before returning home. Being from my regiment, we keep meeting. Ramphal narrated the experience like a military debrief, without colour or padding. I asked him what he learnt from the experience. He told me two things. First, people feel genuine grief on such sad occasions and are willing to donate liberally. They of course do not have the initiative and organisational skills; that gap was filled by Ramphal's team. Second, he was all praise for the right attitude and professionalism of the civil administration of Uttarakhand. Finally, I asked him if he would do a repeat if an occasion arose. “I do not wish a repeat of such a tragedy Sahib,” he said without any hint of pomposity. But I could see the same old steely determination in those eyes that peered from beneath the now greying brows. A soldier is a soldier for life. We have over two million veterans living around the country. They do not retire with degrees and diplomas. They carry home sincerity, skills and selflessness for serving society. It is a pity that this tremendous asset is not being
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Erratic rainfall and recurring droughts plague Rajasthan. About 4,000 farmers have benefited using modern technology, supported by solar energy, to grow exotic fruits and vegetables by clubbing subsidies of the state and Central government Usha Rai
Use of solar water pumps is changing the agriculture landscape of Rajasthan. Farm yields are increasing and with more farmers catching the sun and getting rid of their diesel pumps sets, environment pollution is on the decline. A farmer, used to traditional tools of farming with just basic education is growing luscious strawberries in a farm on the outskirts of Jaipur. This has been made possible with modern farming through integrated use of solar energy, farm ponds or diggies, drip irrigation, sprinklers, polyhouse, mulching etc. Khemaram Mehriya of Bolayi village, Phulera tehsil of Jaipur district was able to get a good crop of strawberries this winter and sold it for Rs 1 lakh. In his 4000 sq. metre polyhouse, he was able to harvest a bumper crop of cucumber that fetched him Rs 6.5 lakh and bell peppers or capsicum — green, red and yellow — that fetched him another Rs 2.5 lakh. His 3-hectare farmland, fully irrigated and lush green, is a farmer's paradise and a technology hub. It is like a mini Israel with polyhouses, shade net shelters and foggers to reduce the temperature in the polyhouse during the peak of summers. Sweetcorn and peas are the other bumper crops that have fetched him Rs 4 lakh each this year. Khemaram's annual farm income soared to Rs 13 lakh since he adopted solar water pumps and modern technology after a state sponsored visit to Israel in 2012. Integrating water and energy He was among the 33 outstanding farmers of Rajasthan-one from each district-honoured with the Kisan Ratna by the chief minister and the union minister for non-conventional energies for adopting solar water pumps and drip irrigation recently. While 650 solar pumps were installed in Ganganagar in 2012-2013, other districts with large number of solar water pumps installations are Bikaner (548), Jaipur (459), Sikar (270), Bhilwara (250) and Alwar (217). Like Khemaram, over 4,000 farmers have harvested rainwater, installed photovoltaic panels and solar water pumps to grow exotic fruits and vegetables, drawing rich dividends. Though Punjab has been using solar water pumps for a longer period, it has not been as successful as Rajasthan, which has integrated use of water and energy through modern technology. By clubbing subsidies under various programmes of the state and central government, farmers get 86 per cent of the capital cost of installing solar water pumps. In fact, the farmers fear the government may not be able to meet their growing demands. At a national conference on the solar pump programme in Jaipur, hosted by the Rajasthan government and the Ministry of Non-Conventional Renewable Energy (MNRE), farmers, bureaucrats and manufacturers of solar water pumps from various states came together to understand the nuts and bolts of solar water pumps and integrated farming. Many of them went back inspired to replicate Rajasthan's revolution in their own fields and states, whom Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister for Non-Conventional Renewable Energy, promised full support. The installation of 3,536 solar water pumps in Rajasthan, in 2012-2013, to tap non-conventional energy also became a national record in the Limca Book of Records with Editor, Vijaya Ghose presenting the Limca certificate to Chief Minister, Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot. "Efficient pumping of water through solar energy is innovatively linked to water harvesting and drip irrigation. With every 1000 solar water pumps used, there is an annual saving of 6 lakh litres of conventional diesel fuel, reducing carbon footprints," the certificate points out. The sun is everywhere With diesel prices escalating and difficulties in getting electricity connections, farmers are happy with the new, subsidised alternative now available. While some farmers have been to Israel to inculcate new technologies for improved yields, others have taken up short courses on improved farming, which also offers on- the- field supervision by the government's agriculture assistants. Dr Dinesh Kumar Goyal, principal secretary, Rajasthan Horticulture Department and Chairman of the State Horticulture Development Society, has been pushing the solar water pump model of development, since erratic rainfall and recurring droughts have been the norm in the state. Though, over 60 per cent of the state's population is dependent on agriculture, productivity is low due to inadequate or non-available irrigation. Some 60,000 farmers of the state are waiting for grid-based electricity connections to pump water from wells for irrigation. Even when they get the connection, electricity may be available for just five to six hours. Further, the sub soil water level has dropped to alarmingly low levels in 200 of the 249 blocks of the state, making water conservation essential. An IIT graduate, Dr Goyal realised that the panacea for the state's ills was solar energy since Rajasthan has one of the best solar insolation on earth (6-7 kWh/m2/day) combined with 320 sunny days in a year. Harnessing solar energy for various purposes, especially irrigation, was a given, he says. The Horticulture Department prioritised enhancing irrigated areas and productivity by giving farmers an opportunity to diversify to high value horticulture. Now, in this desert state you see plantations of oranges, kinoos, guavas, pomegranate, dates and icebox melons. Other priorities are conserving ground water by efficient irrigation methods; narrowing the gap between power demand and supply and reducing the queues of farmers waiting for grid electricity; replacing the expensive and polluting diesel pump sets by harnessing solar energy. Irrigation through solar pumps continues to be most relevant for remote areas where there are little chances of grid connectivity. Political will Action on the ground was matched by strong political will with the Chief Minister setting solar pump targets in his budget speech. There were focussed efforts for arranging funds from MNRE, Rashtriya Krishi VikasYojana (RKVY) and other state funds. Beginning with solar water pump irrigation in 14 state farms in 2008-2009, the project was extended to other farmers in 2011-2012 with installation of 1,675 solar water pumps and in 2012--2013 a record number of 3,356 solar pumps were installed. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and State Plan Programmes provided the requisite subsidy. By the end of 2014, Dr Goyal hopes to install 10,000 solar water pumps and 1 lakh over the next five years. Already, 12,000 hectares are being irrigated through the solar water systems, yielding two crops in a year. Many farmers are even getting three crops and have migrated to remunerative cash crops. Surprisingly, the illiterate farmers have taken to the new technology like duck to water. Though male farmers are in the forefront, many women farmers too are taking to the solar pump systems. Some farmers have earned up to Rs 20 lakh in the year. The standard of living of these farmers is improving. With the mandatory drip irrigation, 48 million cubic metres of water have been saved and 2.4 million litres of diesel. The annual saving in foreign exchange is Rs 48 million, says Dr Goyal. Role of district administration With targets enhanced, the responsibility of giving sanctions, releasing funds to manufactures etc. has decentralised and is with the district authorities. District Horticulture Development Societies, under the chairmanship of District Collectors, are implementing the scheme. Of the average cost of Rs 5 lakh for a solar water system, 75 per cent is meant for the solar panels and the rest 25 per cent for motors and other equipment. While the centre gives 30 per cent of the cost as subsidy, 56 per cent is provided by the state. Maintenance is free for five years from the date of installation, and after-sales service is assured for another five years. The farmers have also learnt to clean the solar panels on their own, using wipers. The supplier has to provide an additional light outlet of 100W for lighting during pump operation and one home light as an integral part of the system. The system is also insured against natural calamities. The success of the solar water pumps and modern farming has led to a clamour for the subsidised water pumps. When there are too many applications, draw of lots is held in the presence of the applicants. One of the farmers who became a beneficiary through draw of lots points out, "Since solar energy is best in the daytime, I and my family no longer work at night, facing the danger of snake and scorpion bites. With the press of a button, I turn on solar pumps in the morning and the water is released through drip irrigation into the fields giving me time to do other jobs in the field". An auto tracking systems turns the solar panels to get the maximum radiation from the sun. Faster recovery on investment Another farmer says, "I produce the power and I decide how to utilise it. I love this independence and feel powerful as an agriculturist. The pumps can discharge 5,400 to 10,000 litres of water in a day through submersible or surface water pumps and it is stored in huge water ponds or diggies. An assessment of the solar pump scheme by Mumbai IIT's Rakesh Dalal in June this year shows that 50 per cent of farmers were able to recover their investments within a year or two and all farmers were satisfied with the pumps. While the testing of the pumps and panels is the responsibility of the MNRE's solar energy lab in Gurgaon, for integrated development of the solar water systems, a 43 Columns MIS format has been prepared to keep track of the farmer, the manufacturer, the capacity of the pumps etc. that will be updated regularly. The writer is a well-established environment journalist
How does it work
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a unique, market based mechanism by which signatories to the Kyoto Protocol, who are required to comply with emission limitations, can work with developing partners in achieving global reductions in greenhouse gases (GHGs), while promoting those partners' sustainable development by providing financial and technology assistance. In essence, CDM creates a means for transferring the carbon credit for reducing emissions from projects in developing countries to the sponsors of those projects in developed states. Each Carbon credit or Certified Emission Reduction (CER) is equivalent to reduction of 1 ton of CO2 equivalent. Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) irrigation pumps could be of interest under the CDM because they directly displace GHGs, while contributing to sustainable rural development. In rural India, most of the ground water used for irrigation purpose is lifted by electric and diesel pumpsets. One thousand units (1000 kWh) of coal based electricity generation emit 900 kg CO2 and if diesel is used for the same amount of electricity generation, it emits 300 kg CO2.Erratic supply of conventional sources of energy and concern for the environment and sustainable development has provided renewed thrust to the development and dissemination of renewable energy-driven pumpsets. But, so far, the cumulative number of renewable energy systems such as SPV irrigation pumps in the agriculture sector in India is far below their theoretical potential despite government subsidy programmes. The key barrier to the large-scale dissemination of SPV water pumps is the high capital cost of these systems to the farmers compared to the conventional pumps. CDM could be used as a tool to foster the dissemination of SPV pumps in the country. It could accelerate the diffusion process. One thousand solar pumps (rating 3 kW each, and at 19% plant load factor) will generate around 4500 carbon credits. |
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