A Nation on the March
Re: A Nation on the March
We are determined to complete Jal Jeevan mission by 2024.
The commodity supercycle has impacted the roll-out of the government’s flagship scheme to connect every household with tap water, the Jal Jeevan Mission. Given that the marquee scheme, to be completed by 2024 holds the key to helping the BJP secure a third consecutive victory in the Lok Sabha polls, a committee has been constituted to find out a solution to restart the stalled work, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in an interview. Edited excerpts:
India has witnessed a severe heatwave. In terms of drinking water scarcity, how bad is the situation?
We have witnessed improvements with the Jal Jeevan Mission. The coverage of drinking water at household level has improved from 16% to 49%. Also, 33% of new households have started receiving water, which has helped relieve some pressure. The tap connections under this mission are called Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC). The functionality means quality water, and quantity means at least 55 litres of water per day per person along with regularity. If the three metrics are met, the connection will be considered functional. Through this scheme we are close to reaching 100% water connections in areas such as Bundelkhand, whose 11 districts used to be extremely water scarce. Similarly in drought prone areas of Telangana, the challenges have been met. States such as Bihar today have more than 95% of households with running tap water. The scheme is under progress and we are determined to complete the project by the end of 2024.
What are the challenges?
The inflation in commodity prices is a huge impediment because it has affected the tenders and ultimately the work. The rise in prices of steel and plastic has affected the costs of pipes, which were previously available at 50% of the current costs. Because of the price rise, the contracts awarded earlier have become unviable for the concessioners. We conducted a meeting to address this issue. While new tenders have been issued, but the projects with old tenders have stopped, which has affected the speed with which the project was progressing. We have constructed a committee to resolve such issues under the chairmanship of the secretary, Jal Shakti and Water Resources. We have also instituted a technical committee where along with the secretary, we have additional secretaries from states, engineering chiefs and concessioners.
Which are the better performing states?
The first state to reach 100% status was Goa, followed by Telangana, and Haryana. Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, are doing exceptionally well. There are 12 states that are moving towards the 100% status.
Three states and three Union Territories have achieved 100% status. Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim are above the 90% mark. Maharashtra, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, are between the 60-70% mark.
Which states are lagging?
The work in Uttar Pradesh was delayed as we were stuck in resolving areas like Bundelkhand. The work for the project started in around 2021. We aim to have 80 lakh tap water connection in UP by the end of 2022. But, the most unfortunate state is Rajasthan. We started with 12% water connections but have only managed to reach 23-24%. Progress in the state has been slower compared to the other states.
Which other states are lagging besides UP?
West Bengal, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These are really critical states which we are worried about.
With JJM being a $50 billion project, will the cost of the project go up?
Not at the moment because the current tenders are based on current costs and I don’t feel this will have a major impact on a project like Jal Jeevan. The price hike is a short-term phenomenon. Even if it does make an impact, the government is committed towards the project. Our current budgetary allocation is Rs3,60,000 crore and we have significant savings as well. So it is not going to impact the speed and the targets of the mission.
What’s the update on the interlinking of rivers programme?
All the statutory clearances for Ken-Betwa are completed. There are two stages for forest and wildlife clearance, of which stage one we have achieved. For stage two, the money that we had to give to MoEF, has been deposited. We will start the tender proceedings as soon as we get the clearances.
The commodity supercycle has impacted the roll-out of the government’s flagship scheme to connect every household with tap water, the Jal Jeevan Mission. Given that the marquee scheme, to be completed by 2024 holds the key to helping the BJP secure a third consecutive victory in the Lok Sabha polls, a committee has been constituted to find out a solution to restart the stalled work, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in an interview. Edited excerpts:
India has witnessed a severe heatwave. In terms of drinking water scarcity, how bad is the situation?
We have witnessed improvements with the Jal Jeevan Mission. The coverage of drinking water at household level has improved from 16% to 49%. Also, 33% of new households have started receiving water, which has helped relieve some pressure. The tap connections under this mission are called Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC). The functionality means quality water, and quantity means at least 55 litres of water per day per person along with regularity. If the three metrics are met, the connection will be considered functional. Through this scheme we are close to reaching 100% water connections in areas such as Bundelkhand, whose 11 districts used to be extremely water scarce. Similarly in drought prone areas of Telangana, the challenges have been met. States such as Bihar today have more than 95% of households with running tap water. The scheme is under progress and we are determined to complete the project by the end of 2024.
What are the challenges?
The inflation in commodity prices is a huge impediment because it has affected the tenders and ultimately the work. The rise in prices of steel and plastic has affected the costs of pipes, which were previously available at 50% of the current costs. Because of the price rise, the contracts awarded earlier have become unviable for the concessioners. We conducted a meeting to address this issue. While new tenders have been issued, but the projects with old tenders have stopped, which has affected the speed with which the project was progressing. We have constructed a committee to resolve such issues under the chairmanship of the secretary, Jal Shakti and Water Resources. We have also instituted a technical committee where along with the secretary, we have additional secretaries from states, engineering chiefs and concessioners.
Which are the better performing states?
The first state to reach 100% status was Goa, followed by Telangana, and Haryana. Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, are doing exceptionally well. There are 12 states that are moving towards the 100% status.
Three states and three Union Territories have achieved 100% status. Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim are above the 90% mark. Maharashtra, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, are between the 60-70% mark.
Which states are lagging?
The work in Uttar Pradesh was delayed as we were stuck in resolving areas like Bundelkhand. The work for the project started in around 2021. We aim to have 80 lakh tap water connection in UP by the end of 2022. But, the most unfortunate state is Rajasthan. We started with 12% water connections but have only managed to reach 23-24%. Progress in the state has been slower compared to the other states.
Which other states are lagging besides UP?
West Bengal, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These are really critical states which we are worried about.
With JJM being a $50 billion project, will the cost of the project go up?
Not at the moment because the current tenders are based on current costs and I don’t feel this will have a major impact on a project like Jal Jeevan. The price hike is a short-term phenomenon. Even if it does make an impact, the government is committed towards the project. Our current budgetary allocation is Rs3,60,000 crore and we have significant savings as well. So it is not going to impact the speed and the targets of the mission.
What’s the update on the interlinking of rivers programme?
All the statutory clearances for Ken-Betwa are completed. There are two stages for forest and wildlife clearance, of which stage one we have achieved. For stage two, the money that we had to give to MoEF, has been deposited. We will start the tender proceedings as soon as we get the clearances.
Re: A Nation on the March
India building the future it desires with its own digital infrastructure. EU can learn
In India, there has been a radically different approach to try and bring fairness and equality to the digital markets. In an unprecedented implementation of the “Government as a Platform” dream, introduced on a smaller scale in France, the United Kingdom and Estonia, India has been on an ambitious mission to build its own Digital Public Goods (DPGs) — digital infrastructure built as public goods. United Payments Interface (UPI), a digital payments infrastructure is a good example.
UPI allows all players — small and big — to interoperate with the same transaction cost. It is a protocol much like how the original Internet Protocol (IP) was. This allows users to switch between providers seamlessly, and ensure they aren’t locked into one provider. The adoption has been tremendous in sectors like digital commerce, health, and agriculture.
The power of the DPG approach is non-trivial. Think about the fact that email, a technology invented over 50 years ago, can be sent from anyone to anyone — even if you use different providers. Yet, instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp and iMessage cannot talk to each other. Why? Not because it is technically unfeasible, but simply because it is undesirable for these companies to let go of the returns from “Network Effects”. Basically, profits that come from locking in their users.
Instead of relegating the creation of our digital commons to the market or trying to regulate them after the market consolidation has happened, India’s approach is to roll up its sleeves and build the future it desires. By deciding to build its own digital infrastructure, India has gained a larger say in the design of such platforms, and therefore, in the values they uphold. Instead of mandating interoperability, it can design the standards in a way that they are interoperable by default. Instead of mandating privacy, it can architect the platform to be privacy-protecting by default.
In other words, architecture is the act.
India’s contribution to shaping the digital economy is being recognised. Recently, at VivaTech, the annual tech conference held in Paris from 15 to 18 June, India was declared the ‘country of the year’. At the India pavilion, there were exciting stories of innovation from Indian startups, including low-cost healthcare devices, alternative fuels and innovations for sustainability as well as cutting-edge space and satellite tech. Prominently, the story of the innovation of India’s DPGs was also on display.
Re: A Nation on the March
https://www.ft.com/content/489cc92c-c95 ... pe=blocked
India’s coming decade of outperformance
The country will provide a compelling opportunity in a world starved of growth
India’s coming decade of outperformance
The country will provide a compelling opportunity in a world starved of growth
If there were a constant in the ever-changing world of investing, it would be investors’ continuing search for the next big thing. Over the past 20 years, and from a macro standpoint, that story has been about China.
The unprecedented nature of its economic success led to a fundamental reassessment of how we think about the global economy. Over the next decade, while the US and China will remain just as important to global investors, we think the ascendancy of India’s economy will mean it features more prominently on their radars.
The key lies in the size and scale of India’s opportunity set. We forecast that India will be the third-largest economy by 2027, with its GDP more than doubling from the current $3.4tn to $8.5tn over the next 10 years. Incrementally, India will add more than $400bn to its GDP every year, a scale that is only surpassed by the US and China. My colleague Ridham Desai projects that India’s market capitalisation will rise from $3.4tn to $11tn by 2032, the third largest globally.
These projections are underpinned by a confluence of favourable domestic and global forces. The most important change domestically is the shift in policy approach away from redistribution and towards boosting investment and job creation.
This was evident in the introduction of the goods and services tax which creates a unified domestic market; corporate tax cuts; and production-linked schemes to incentivise investment from both within and outside India’s borders. Overlaying this is the emergence of a multipolar world where companies are diversifying their supply chains, with India emerging as a destination of choice.
These forces will integrate India’s fast-growing workforce into the global economy. As it is, India already has a high global market share in services exports, and its lead has only increased since the onset of the pandemic as corporates became more accustomed to remote work.
Re: A Nation on the March
Do you know the answer to the question that appeared in the S14-75th episode of #KBC?
Re: A Nation on the March
xpost:
President Droupadi Murmu confers Arjuna Award, 2022 on Shri R Praggnanandhaa for his achievements in Chess. He won:
• Bronze Medal in 44th Chess Olympiad, 2022
• Gold Medal in FIDE Online Olympiad, 2020
President Droupadi Murmu confers Arjuna Award, 2022 on Shri R Praggnanandhaa for his achievements in Chess. He won:
• Bronze Medal in 44th Chess Olympiad, 2022
• Gold Medal in FIDE Online Olympiad, 2020
Re: A Nation on the March
Absolutely. I have been trying to get a Scholarship in a School in India and the systems blocking me at every turnvijayk wrote:
Re: A Nation on the March
Great achievement!From DST:
Re: A Nation on the March
https://indiainfrahub.com/2022/waste-ma ... ore-homes/
Rural Households With Tap Water Increase From 17% To 55% As Jal Jeevan Mission Reaches 7.5 Crore Homes
Rural Households With Tap Water Increase From 17% To 55% As Jal Jeevan Mission Reaches 7.5 Crore Homes
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Re: A Nation on the March
Great news on Jal Jeevan, but I think they will miss the 2024 deadline. Surprisingly, UP is one of the laggards, which is pulling the entire number down. Hope Yogi pulls up his ministers/babus for this. On the Jal Jeevan front, double-engine is certainly not working in UP
Re: A Nation on the March
^^ could also be the huge population. Yogi’s formula for success has been to utilize the central schemes to the max , let’s give him some time .
Re: A Nation on the March
They only started really in April 2022, and have gone from 9% to 23% since then. They should get to 70+% by the deadline, which is no mean feat considering the population of UP, and it's low base.Prem Kumar wrote:Great news on Jal Jeevan, but I think they will miss the 2024 deadline. Surprisingly, UP is one of the laggards, which is pulling the entire number down. Hope Yogi pulls up his ministers/babus for this. On the Jal Jeevan front, double-engine is certainly not working in UP
I suspect the delayed start had to do with elections, and getting the groundwork done. You can get more details of all the groundwork UP has done at https://jjmup.org
Re: A Nation on the March
Harbingers of a New India
The Modi-led government has announced policies based on the life cycle of a woman – so technically speaking policies to empower and safeguard women exist for a girl child in the womb to someone who is on her way out of her mortal coil.
https://thedailyguardian.com/harbingers-of-a-new-india/
A wonderful compilation of all policies of the government to empower women. A must read article for those interested in the social transformations triggered by PM Modi's government.
The Modi-led government has announced policies based on the life cycle of a woman – so technically speaking policies to empower and safeguard women exist for a girl child in the womb to someone who is on her way out of her mortal coil.
https://thedailyguardian.com/harbingers-of-a-new-india/
A wonderful compilation of all policies of the government to empower women. A must read article for those interested in the social transformations triggered by PM Modi's government.
Re: A Nation on the March
Just wow ! Hope this reflects in massive and consistent votes by women - 50% of the electorate to their real benefactor.Kanoji wrote:Harbingers of a New India
The Modi-led government has announced policies based on the life cycle of a woman – so technically speaking policies to empower and safeguard women exist for a girl child in the womb to someone who is on her way out of her mortal coil.
https://thedailyguardian.com/harbingers-of-a-new-india/
A wonderful compilation of all policies of the government to empower women. A must read article for those interested in the social transformations triggered by PM Modi's government.
Re: A Nation on the March
Doesn't mean much, but any little thing helps in ... what's that phrase? ... spining up our research folks.Amber G. wrote:Great achievement![img...]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkUJD9BUUAA ... ame=medium[/img]From DST:
Re: A Nation on the March
I think history will write 2022 as our inflexion point. Sort of like the 1956 landmark of interstate construction in the US.
Re: A Nation on the March
Prof Yogesh M. Joshi, Department of Chemical Engineering, has been elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2023). Prof Joshi works on the flow behaviour (rheology) of soft materials that include colloidal dispersions & polymers. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards & fellowships, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences, Department of Atomic Energy BRNS Young Scientist Research Award, National Academy of Sciences (NASI)-Scopus Young Scientist Award.
congratulations to Prof Joshi and best wishes for future endeavors.
congratulations to Prof Joshi and best wishes for future endeavors.
Re: A Nation on the March
This is one of the best threads on BRF.
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Re: A Nation on the March
Its gotten to a point that the aam-aadmi is curious about "What new infra was built today?" - like its a cricket scorecard!
This is a massive shift in mindset & expectations. InshaGanesha, it should translate to a massive landslide in 2024
This is a massive shift in mindset & expectations. InshaGanesha, it should translate to a massive landslide in 2024
Re: A Nation on the March
There was a time in 2000s when there was something in the news daily about China building some new infra or planning some engineering feat in a few months. India is now going through that phase.
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Re: A Nation on the March
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... 112052.cms
From 2018-2022, Modi Sarkar earned Rs 3400 Crores by selling enemy properties! They have not even started selling immovable properties yet. God knows how many more billions that would be!
From 2018-2022, Modi Sarkar earned Rs 3400 Crores by selling enemy properties! They have not even started selling immovable properties yet. God knows how many more billions that would be!
Re: A Nation on the March
^^^^ Wonder what to do with Jinnah house. I think GoI is deliberately letting it rot away and collapse, instead of putting it to use which would mean that it would get restored. Some ideas when it does get used:
1. Horrors of Partition Museum
2. Sarva dharma temple with lots of idols
3. BJP office
4. Bar with excellent bacon menu
5. RSS shaka
6. Nondescript government office, e.g. weights & measures
7. Ration store
8. Alcohol theka/CSD canteen
9. Atomic energy dept housing
10. Israeli or Afghan consulate
1. Horrors of Partition Museum
2. Sarva dharma temple with lots of idols
3. BJP office
4. Bar with excellent bacon menu
5. RSS shaka
6. Nondescript government office, e.g. weights & measures
7. Ration store
8. Alcohol theka/CSD canteen
9. Atomic energy dept housing
10. Israeli or Afghan consulate
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Re: A Nation on the March
I would go with 4, but that might lure Jinnah back.
Re: A Nation on the March
I vote for setting up the biggest Sulabh Sauchalaya.
Re: A Nation on the March
Musharraf might come back too. He must be finding out 72 raisins (not hoors)sanjaykumar wrote:I would go with 4, but that might lure Jinnah back.
Re: A Nation on the March
I would go for #4 as well , heck would even visit the place
Some other options
11. Ahmadiyya Mosque
12. Baloch/Pashto language and culture center
13. Casino
14. Museum to all the persecuted Minorities in Jinnapur
Some other options
11. Ahmadiyya Mosque
12. Baloch/Pashto language and culture center
13. Casino
14. Museum to all the persecuted Minorities in Jinnapur
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Re: A Nation on the March
I hope we focus a lot on infra so that most idle hands are kept busy and their bellies fed. Not unlike China, keeps population quiet instead of engaging for bits of money in raasta roko and stupid yatras. In fact I hope Yogi or courts dictate that anyone found doing silly raasta-roko etc. has to do community service by working in these infra projects...if you can't build one don't block one !Dilbu wrote:There was a time in 2000s when there was something in the news daily about China building some new infra or planning some engineering feat in a few months. India is now going through that phase.
Re: A Nation on the March
A tribute to Shri Mani.
Re: A Nation on the March
Apologies if already posted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45PrXuj ... dayKuckian
Treasury Leadership Forum 2023 Deepak Bagla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45PrXuj ... dayKuckian
Treasury Leadership Forum 2023 Deepak Bagla
Re: A Nation on the March
This is great to hearLisa wrote:Apologies if already posted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45PrXuj ... dayKuckian
Treasury Leadership Forum 2023 Deepak Bagla
Re: A Nation on the March
Bringing Tap Water...
Re: A Nation on the March
Thanks for sharing.rajkumar wrote:Bringing Tap Water...
This, is why and how Modi wins.
Re: A Nation on the March
Prime Minister Modi has led the country through a number of changes in the past few years. With this thread we attempt to document the magnitude of change that has occurred through #TheModiWay
'The Modi Way' - A Thread
https://twitter.com/knowthenation/statu ... 1346402308
'The Modi Way' - A Thread
https://twitter.com/knowthenation/statu ... 1346402308