Sunday, 23 April 2017
Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Monday, 17 April 2017
Does government really care about Agriculture?
Union Sports Ministry passed a resolution last year to transfer "Sports" from State List to Concurrent list. Reason for the same was to enhance India's position in sports globally especially in Olympics as India performed poor in 2016 Olympics and failed miserably. Despite drafting the resolution, the ministry could not present a solid action plan. That is,however,a different matter altogether.The point is why this government doesn't think in a similar manner when it comes to Agriculture?
India has witnessed four droughts in past six years. In 2014, at least 5600 farmers have committed suicide.Between 1995 and 2014, 296,438 farmers have killed themselves. Also, Deficient rainfall has reduced food grain production significantly. These figures are enough to prove that India is going through a severe agrarian distress.
One thing is clear that State governments,primarily, are responsible for this extreme situation since Agriculture is a State subject.Despite making laws,establishing APMCs,claiming to be farmer-friendly government, the ground reality is that farmers are dumping potatoes on roads,living a debt-ridden life and ultimately committing suicide.States usually blame Center for not transferring funds and playing party politics.Center,on the other hand, put forward the argument that states have not utilized the funds and the blame-game goes on.
The problem is that government's mindset towards agriculture is fallacious.Production remains the only parameter to measure agriculture growth. Improving productivity remains the only solution to double farmers income. Punjab is having one of the highest productivity in the world but farmers are still committing suicide there. As long as this methodology exists, doubling their income will merely remain a dream.The way input cost is growing and selling price is going down because of some obvious reasons, the income,on a contrast, is going to be halved by 2022.
Also, policy formulation is done without consulting farmers, food policy analysts and agriculturists. In that case, scheme does not perform well. Prdhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, for example, is helping insurance companies to make huge profits. The scheme, in fact, seems to be made for welfare of insurance companies not farmers. The policy has been framed in collaboration with the insurance companies in such a way that unit is entire group and not an individual farmer.Consequently, many farmers are not getting compensation despite a premium cut. In some cases premiums are deducted from account without farmer's knowledge. Further, states have included sugarcane in this scheme which does not require an insurance.
The government of the day needs to understand that the Industry-oriented growth-model being followed is going to take nowhere if agriculture is ignored..Economists argue that since agriculture accounts for less than 17% of the GDP,achieving growth won't be a problem. But this thinking is disastrous,not just for the agriculture sector but the economy as a whole.
No doubt government has tried to bring technology to the farm by means of various initiatives and schemes but when it comes to agriculture research, India does not even spend 1% of its GDP on agriculture research and development.
Formulating a National Agriculture Policy,therefore, becomes a need in this alarming situation. Cooperation between the center and state is also required to stop the blame-game. For that to happen, transferring "Agriculture" from State List to Concurrent List is required.It will prevent both center and state from running away from their responsibilities.
What Needs To Change In Our Agricultural Policies To Stop Farmer Suicides
India has witnessed four droughts in past six years. In 2014, at least 5600 farmers have committed suicide.Between 1995 and 2014, 296,438 farmers have killed themselves. Also, Deficient rainfall has reduced food grain production significantly. These figures are enough to prove that India is going through a severe agrarian distress.
One thing is clear that State governments,primarily, are responsible for this extreme situation since Agriculture is a State subject.Despite making laws,establishing APMCs,claiming to be farmer-friendly government, the ground reality is that farmers are dumping potatoes on roads,living a debt-ridden life and ultimately committing suicide.States usually blame Center for not transferring funds and playing party politics.Center,on the other hand, put forward the argument that states have not utilized the funds and the blame-game goes on.
The problem is that government's mindset towards agriculture is fallacious.Production remains the only parameter to measure agriculture growth. Improving productivity remains the only solution to double farmers income. Punjab is having one of the highest productivity in the world but farmers are still committing suicide there. As long as this methodology exists, doubling their income will merely remain a dream.The way input cost is growing and selling price is going down because of some obvious reasons, the income,on a contrast, is going to be halved by 2022.
Also, policy formulation is done without consulting farmers, food policy analysts and agriculturists. In that case, scheme does not perform well. Prdhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, for example, is helping insurance companies to make huge profits. The scheme, in fact, seems to be made for welfare of insurance companies not farmers. The policy has been framed in collaboration with the insurance companies in such a way that unit is entire group and not an individual farmer.Consequently, many farmers are not getting compensation despite a premium cut. In some cases premiums are deducted from account without farmer's knowledge. Further, states have included sugarcane in this scheme which does not require an insurance.
The government of the day needs to understand that the Industry-oriented growth-model being followed is going to take nowhere if agriculture is ignored..Economists argue that since agriculture accounts for less than 17% of the GDP,achieving growth won't be a problem. But this thinking is disastrous,not just for the agriculture sector but the economy as a whole.
Formulating a National Agriculture Policy,therefore, becomes a need in this alarming situation. Cooperation between the center and state is also required to stop the blame-game. For that to happen, transferring "Agriculture" from State List to Concurrent List is required.It will prevent both center and state from running away from their responsibilities.
What Needs To Change In Our Agricultural Policies To Stop Farmer Suicides
Saturday, 8 April 2017
Monday, 27 March 2017
With this speed,India is less likely to eliminate TB by 2025
India accounts for 27% of the world's 10.4 million new TB cases and 29% of the 1.8 million TB deaths globally. The Revised National TB Control Program(RNTCP) notified 1.75 million TB patients in 2016 and 33,820 drug- resistant TB patients were additionally notified. Needless to say that TB is India's "severest" health crisis.
In his Budget speech, Finance Minister had set a highly ambitious target of eliminating TB by 2025. Later, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formulated National Strategic Plan(NSP) for the same and committed to achieve the target. This over-ambitious target,however, seems a piece of rhetoric considering government's attitude towards the disease control program in particular and health care system in general.
NSP plans to do away with the strategy of waiting for patients to walk in to get tested and instead engaging in detecting more cases, both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant. The idea behind this is to rapidly identify people with the disease and start them on effective treatment in order to stop the spread. A starkly contrasting example,however, was seen recently. An 18 year old girl,Multidrug Resistant TB patient from Bihar,was denied Bedaquiline,the drug for people who do not respond to any anti-TB medicine,on grounds of residence.By denying people access to this drug,which doubles the chances of cure,they are allowing MDR-TB to spread unchecked throughout the country.
As of now, Bedaquiline is provided in only six sites in the country in some specific conditions. The argument government put forward for the same is that it should only be used for the worst, most resistant cases.Now, the thing here to understand is that this practice actually increase the chance of generating BDQ resistance.The drug is used as a last resort for the most resistant patients. Those patients are usually very ill with severe lung damage.In that case, BDQ is less likely to be helpful and resistance is more likely to develop in those cases.
Secondly, India still lag behind when it comes to technological advancement in healthcare. India relies heavily on antiquated approaches including smear microscopy, intermittent drug regimens and paper-based reporting.Smear microscopy,undoubtedly,is a simple,rapid and inexpensive technique but it has significant limitations in its performance.Half million TB patients reach public health facilities but are not successfully diagnosed. When the diagnosis is not correct, how can we expect appropriate treatment?
India needs to scale-up rapid molecular diagnostics,make drug-susceptibility testing more widely accessible and switch to daily drug regimens. This kind of technological upgradation requires adequate funding which is,unfortunately,not available. Fund allocation to health sector is still not satisfactory and remains meagre at 1.4-2% of GDP.
This is not only about Tuberculosis.The government has prepared action plan to eliminate Kala-Azar,Filariasis and Leprosy as well.For this to happen, serious and sincere efforts are required. Need of the hour is to provide adequate funding,minimize implementational problems,technological advancement and make public health system efficient.
With this speed, India is less likely to eliminate TB by 2025
In his Budget speech, Finance Minister had set a highly ambitious target of eliminating TB by 2025. Later, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formulated National Strategic Plan(NSP) for the same and committed to achieve the target. This over-ambitious target,however, seems a piece of rhetoric considering government's attitude towards the disease control program in particular and health care system in general.
NSP plans to do away with the strategy of waiting for patients to walk in to get tested and instead engaging in detecting more cases, both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant. The idea behind this is to rapidly identify people with the disease and start them on effective treatment in order to stop the spread. A starkly contrasting example,however, was seen recently. An 18 year old girl,Multidrug Resistant TB patient from Bihar,was denied Bedaquiline,the drug for people who do not respond to any anti-TB medicine,on grounds of residence.By denying people access to this drug,which doubles the chances of cure,they are allowing MDR-TB to spread unchecked throughout the country.
As of now, Bedaquiline is provided in only six sites in the country in some specific conditions. The argument government put forward for the same is that it should only be used for the worst, most resistant cases.Now, the thing here to understand is that this practice actually increase the chance of generating BDQ resistance.The drug is used as a last resort for the most resistant patients. Those patients are usually very ill with severe lung damage.In that case, BDQ is less likely to be helpful and resistance is more likely to develop in those cases.
Secondly, India still lag behind when it comes to technological advancement in healthcare. India relies heavily on antiquated approaches including smear microscopy, intermittent drug regimens and paper-based reporting.Smear microscopy,undoubtedly,is a simple,rapid and inexpensive technique but it has significant limitations in its performance.Half million TB patients reach public health facilities but are not successfully diagnosed. When the diagnosis is not correct, how can we expect appropriate treatment?
India needs to scale-up rapid molecular diagnostics,make drug-susceptibility testing more widely accessible and switch to daily drug regimens. This kind of technological upgradation requires adequate funding which is,unfortunately,not available. Fund allocation to health sector is still not satisfactory and remains meagre at 1.4-2% of GDP.
This is not only about Tuberculosis.The government has prepared action plan to eliminate Kala-Azar,Filariasis and Leprosy as well.For this to happen, serious and sincere efforts are required. Need of the hour is to provide adequate funding,minimize implementational problems,technological advancement and make public health system efficient.
With this speed, India is less likely to eliminate TB by 2025
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Private Member's Bill: Unused and ignored instrument of Indian Polity
As per PRS Legislative Research reports, No Private Members Bill has been passed by Parliament since 1970.Of the 328 odd Private Members Bill introduced in the 14th Lok Sabha,only 4% were discussed; 96% were lapsed without even a single debate in the House. In the 15th Lok Sabha, nearly 600 Private Member bills were introduced but not even 5% were discussed.The story is no different in the current 16th Lok Sabha.
This is,I believe, a matter of serious concern and unhealthy practice for a parliamentary system. The notion of deliberation in our democracy has weakened. In 1956 alone, 6 Private Members bills were passed. Total 14 bills were passed between 1950 and 1970. Since 1970, not even a single Private Member bill has been passed.It is hard to digest that amongst thousands of bills introduced ,not even a single bill between 1970 and 2017 made some sense and got considered by the house.
Ignorance of Private Members Bill is a result of decline in Indian Politics. Deliberation is the root of our democracy and ignoring of bills is ignorance of new ideas. The thing here to notice is that this ignorance is not because of rivalry between the ruling party and the oppositions. The problem is that since this instrument is optional in nature, legislature and the executive take it too lightly whosoever introduces the bill. For instance, in 2014, Rights of Transgender Persons Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha by a private member .It was initially opposed by every party in the house. Raising a crucial issue which was untouched by the legislature and putting forward a bill must be appreciated in the parliamentary system. The members in Rajya Sabha,on the other hand, asked the person to withdraw the bill instead of proposing required changes. However, the bill was,later, passed by the house unanimously.
One thing is clear from these statistics that overall productivity of Indian Polity has decreased.Not only in context of private members bill but the productivity in general is on a decline. Total 331 were passed in the 1st Lok Sabha. It had come down to 149 bills in the 15th Lok Sabha.Working hours are wasted in unnecessary debates.
I agree that not all private member bills hold much significance. For instance, a bill which is aimed to amend Article 1 from "India, that is Bharat" to "Bharat, that is Hindustan" must be ignored completely. Such bills are usually introduced to gain popularity. However, ignoring bills concerned with crucial issues might not be a good sign for Deliberative Democracy.
This is,I believe, a matter of serious concern and unhealthy practice for a parliamentary system. The notion of deliberation in our democracy has weakened. In 1956 alone, 6 Private Members bills were passed. Total 14 bills were passed between 1950 and 1970. Since 1970, not even a single Private Member bill has been passed.It is hard to digest that amongst thousands of bills introduced ,not even a single bill between 1970 and 2017 made some sense and got considered by the house.
Ignorance of Private Members Bill is a result of decline in Indian Politics. Deliberation is the root of our democracy and ignoring of bills is ignorance of new ideas. The thing here to notice is that this ignorance is not because of rivalry between the ruling party and the oppositions. The problem is that since this instrument is optional in nature, legislature and the executive take it too lightly whosoever introduces the bill. For instance, in 2014, Rights of Transgender Persons Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha by a private member .It was initially opposed by every party in the house. Raising a crucial issue which was untouched by the legislature and putting forward a bill must be appreciated in the parliamentary system. The members in Rajya Sabha,on the other hand, asked the person to withdraw the bill instead of proposing required changes. However, the bill was,later, passed by the house unanimously.
One thing is clear from these statistics that overall productivity of Indian Polity has decreased.Not only in context of private members bill but the productivity in general is on a decline. Total 331 were passed in the 1st Lok Sabha. It had come down to 149 bills in the 15th Lok Sabha.Working hours are wasted in unnecessary debates.
I agree that not all private member bills hold much significance. For instance, a bill which is aimed to amend Article 1 from "India, that is Bharat" to "Bharat, that is Hindustan" must be ignored completely. Such bills are usually introduced to gain popularity. However, ignoring bills concerned with crucial issues might not be a good sign for Deliberative Democracy.
Saturday, 4 March 2017
Over 9000 trees chopped in Gurgaon for a few flyovers:A road towards extemporaneous and unsustainable development
National Highway Authority of India has chopped over 9000 trees in Gurgaon to develop a flyover and three underpasses.Meteorological departments are apprehensive that atmospheric temperature could rise up to 3 degree Celsius in the affected micro areas. Well, there is nothing new in this as various environmental reports have already illuminated that NCR region is suffering from severe air pollution. Regrettable thing is that majority of the trees were fully grown and more than 25 years old.
No doubt the situation of heavy traffic congestion would have coerced the government to cut down the trees on such a large scale. I don't deny. Infrastructure development is a dire need of cities today.But Gurgaon,unfortunately,has paid a heavy price for this.Cutting down trees massively will badly affect the environment and raise the average temperature of the region that too at the time when India has ratified Paris agreement and committed to adopt those practices which help reduce temperature globally.
This is not the first case of Development vs. Environment. The condition is that development must take place in such a way that its environmental consequences are minimum. Unfortunately, this has not happened in the present context. NHAI officials have claimed that they have taken prior permission from state forest department. I,however, doubt the methodologies used in Environmental Impact Assessment. More importantly, innovative technologies,which can actually mitigate negative consequences, have been ignored completely.
In the current system, responsible authorities usually do a plantation drive,in order to compensate,in some other areas. However, in the present context, there is not even such confirmation from NHAI as of now. It will take another 25-30 years to nurture plants and get them fully grown.
Case study of Europe:- European countries have evolved a new method to get rid of this problem. This method ,called Up-rooting, comprising the steps of digging a trench around the root system of the tree, cutting the roots and injecting a hardenable substance so as to prepare a ball of the earth to be dug up together with the tree.
Needless to say how effective is this method. Surprisingly, authorities have said that they do not possess such technologies and required equipments and infrastructure.
This is the problem. Why don't we have such equipments and infrastructure. India is said to be the forerunner when it comes to technology and innovation.Why can't we adopt such best practices and put into practice?
Recent Chennai Oil Spill is another fresh example. There are lot of techniques to tackle oil spills effectively. Bioremediation, Bioremediation accelerator,Dispersion,Dredging,Skimming etc. The point is- there is no dearth of techniques. The problem lies within our inefficiencies.
We talk about Sustainable Development in climate summits, set up ambitious targets, commit to take measures towards mitigation but when the time comes to actually implement, we fail to exteriorize.This is an alarming situation.It is high time that we must think over it, adopt best practices and technologies to make development sustainable.
Over 9,000 Trees Chopped In Gurgaon: A Road Towards Disaster
No doubt the situation of heavy traffic congestion would have coerced the government to cut down the trees on such a large scale. I don't deny. Infrastructure development is a dire need of cities today.But Gurgaon,unfortunately,has paid a heavy price for this.Cutting down trees massively will badly affect the environment and raise the average temperature of the region that too at the time when India has ratified Paris agreement and committed to adopt those practices which help reduce temperature globally.
This is not the first case of Development vs. Environment. The condition is that development must take place in such a way that its environmental consequences are minimum. Unfortunately, this has not happened in the present context. NHAI officials have claimed that they have taken prior permission from state forest department. I,however, doubt the methodologies used in Environmental Impact Assessment. More importantly, innovative technologies,which can actually mitigate negative consequences, have been ignored completely.
In the current system, responsible authorities usually do a plantation drive,in order to compensate,in some other areas. However, in the present context, there is not even such confirmation from NHAI as of now. It will take another 25-30 years to nurture plants and get them fully grown.
Case study of Europe:- European countries have evolved a new method to get rid of this problem. This method ,called Up-rooting, comprising the steps of digging a trench around the root system of the tree, cutting the roots and injecting a hardenable substance so as to prepare a ball of the earth to be dug up together with the tree.
Needless to say how effective is this method. Surprisingly, authorities have said that they do not possess such technologies and required equipments and infrastructure.
This is the problem. Why don't we have such equipments and infrastructure. India is said to be the forerunner when it comes to technology and innovation.Why can't we adopt such best practices and put into practice?
Recent Chennai Oil Spill is another fresh example. There are lot of techniques to tackle oil spills effectively. Bioremediation, Bioremediation accelerator,Dispersion,Dredging,Skimming etc. The point is- there is no dearth of techniques. The problem lies within our inefficiencies.
We talk about Sustainable Development in climate summits, set up ambitious targets, commit to take measures towards mitigation but when the time comes to actually implement, we fail to exteriorize.This is an alarming situation.It is high time that we must think over it, adopt best practices and technologies to make development sustainable.
Over 9,000 Trees Chopped In Gurgaon: A Road Towards Disaster
Friday, 3 March 2017
Saturday, 25 February 2017
"असली" या "नकली"
आजकल देश भर में 10 रूपये के सिक्के को लेकर भ्रम की स्थिति बनी हुई है| दुकानदार व व्यापारी सिक्के को नकली बताकर लेने से कतरा रहे हैं इससे न केवल व्यापार बाधित हो रहा है बल्कि मुद्रा का नुकसान भी हो रहा है| इसके अलावा धातु को पिघलाकर उसका दुरूपयोग भी संभवत: किया जा रहा है| हालांकि रिजर्व बैंक आॅफ इंडिया ने नवंबर में एक प्रेस नोट जारी कर ऐसी अफवाहों का खंडन किया था लेकिन अफवाहों का असर बदस्तूर जारी है और बाजारों में 10 रूपये के सिक्के का लेन-देन बंद ही है|
कुछ दिनों से तो मैं भी देख रहा था पर कल मन नहीं माना और लगा कि ऐसे बैठे रहने से काम नहीं चलेगा| रिजर्व बैंक के प्रेस स्टेटमेंट की कई सारे प्रिंटआॅउट्स निकलवा लिये और आसपास बांटना शुरू कर दिया, कुछ जगह दीवारों पर भी चिपका दिया ताकि राहगीरों की नजर भी पडती रहे| साथ ही दुकानदारों को भी वस्तुस्थिति से अवगत कराया |
अब इस पूरे वाकय़े से ये निष्कर्ष निकल कर आता है कि सोशल मीडिया प्रिंट मीडिया पर हावी हो गया है| वो ऐसे कि ये अफवाह एक वाट्सएप मैसेज के द्वारा फैली थी| लोगों ने बिना सोचे समझे फेसबुक और वाट्सएेप पर फाॅरवर्ड करना शुरू कर दिया और ऐसा नहीं था कि सिर्फ कम पढे लिखे लोगों ने ये अफवाह फैलाई है, इसमें पढे-लिखे लोग भी शामिल हैं| समस्या यह है कि सोशल मीडिया पर हम अपनी बौद्धिकता को दरकिनार कर जो दिखता है उस पर विश्वास कर लेते हैं उसकी सत्यता की जाँच नहीं करते,तथ्यों को परखते नहीं हैं क्यूंकि समय कहाँ है|
हम उस दौर में हैं जहाँ लोग खबरें जानने के लिये अखबार कम और सोशल मीडिया का सहारा ज्यादा लेते हैं और अंतत: ऐसी अफवाहों का शिकार बनते हैं| हालांकि अफवाहें तब भी फैलती थी जब सोशल मीडिया का अस्तित्व ही नहीं था लेकिन तब अफवाहों का असर और प्रसार सीमित था सोशल मीडिया के आने के बाद भौगोलिक परिस्थितियां नगन्य हो गयी हैं और खबरों के प्रसार की गति और दायरा दोनों बढ गया है| देखा जाये तो अमेरिका के चुनाव का परिणाम भी इसी सोशल मीडिया की क्रांति का ही नतीजा है| प्रिंट और इलेक्ट्रोनिक मीडिया ने शुरूआत से ही डोनाल्ड ट्रंप का विरोध किया फिर भी वह जीत गये क्यूँकि ट्रंप सोशल मीडिया के द्वारा अपनी बात पहुंचाने में सफल रहे|
Original Post
कुछ दिनों से तो मैं भी देख रहा था पर कल मन नहीं माना और लगा कि ऐसे बैठे रहने से काम नहीं चलेगा| रिजर्व बैंक के प्रेस स्टेटमेंट की कई सारे प्रिंटआॅउट्स निकलवा लिये और आसपास बांटना शुरू कर दिया, कुछ जगह दीवारों पर भी चिपका दिया ताकि राहगीरों की नजर भी पडती रहे| साथ ही दुकानदारों को भी वस्तुस्थिति से अवगत कराया |
अब इस पूरे वाकय़े से ये निष्कर्ष निकल कर आता है कि सोशल मीडिया प्रिंट मीडिया पर हावी हो गया है| वो ऐसे कि ये अफवाह एक वाट्सएप मैसेज के द्वारा फैली थी| लोगों ने बिना सोचे समझे फेसबुक और वाट्सएेप पर फाॅरवर्ड करना शुरू कर दिया और ऐसा नहीं था कि सिर्फ कम पढे लिखे लोगों ने ये अफवाह फैलाई है, इसमें पढे-लिखे लोग भी शामिल हैं| समस्या यह है कि सोशल मीडिया पर हम अपनी बौद्धिकता को दरकिनार कर जो दिखता है उस पर विश्वास कर लेते हैं उसकी सत्यता की जाँच नहीं करते,तथ्यों को परखते नहीं हैं क्यूंकि समय कहाँ है|
हम उस दौर में हैं जहाँ लोग खबरें जानने के लिये अखबार कम और सोशल मीडिया का सहारा ज्यादा लेते हैं और अंतत: ऐसी अफवाहों का शिकार बनते हैं| हालांकि अफवाहें तब भी फैलती थी जब सोशल मीडिया का अस्तित्व ही नहीं था लेकिन तब अफवाहों का असर और प्रसार सीमित था सोशल मीडिया के आने के बाद भौगोलिक परिस्थितियां नगन्य हो गयी हैं और खबरों के प्रसार की गति और दायरा दोनों बढ गया है| देखा जाये तो अमेरिका के चुनाव का परिणाम भी इसी सोशल मीडिया की क्रांति का ही नतीजा है| प्रिंट और इलेक्ट्रोनिक मीडिया ने शुरूआत से ही डोनाल्ड ट्रंप का विरोध किया फिर भी वह जीत गये क्यूँकि ट्रंप सोशल मीडिया के द्वारा अपनी बात पहुंचाने में सफल रहे|
Original Post
Friday, 24 February 2017
Saturday, 18 February 2017
Bellandur lake on fire again: Are we learning from previous incidents?
This is not the first time when fire broke out at Bellandur lake. In May 2015, the foam covering the water surface caught fire and burnt for hours. But this time, the massiveness of the incident made residents and passers-by astounded and fearful. While residents blame reckless garbage burning, officials believe it was sparked by "chemically active sludge".
The lake was a prominent catchment area with a good green cover and home to various indigenous species including kingfishers,parrots,wood pigeons etc. Rapid industrialization and urbanization has made lake severy polluted. Wildlife has almost disappeared.
Varthur lake is the second largest lake of Bangalore and also one of the most polluted.Its ecosystem is under continuous degradation because of sewage water inflows.
Ulsoor lake has no different story. Thousands of fish were found dead few months ago because of depletion of oxygen levels resulted from untreated sewage inflows.
The problem is that we are not learning from past incidents and making no efforts towards mitigation. Not only municipal corporation but residents and corporates are equally responsible for these hazards. Ecospace Software Park is in front of the lake. Why can't companies come forward and take necessary initiatives? Why can't they fund required mitigation measures under Corporate Social Responsibility?
I referred Wikipedia to read more about Bellandur lake. The last line of first paragraph says-"Citizens of Bangalore must contribute and create and organization to maintain the lake like cleaning it and making sure it is well kept and many species of plants grow and help regain its beauty"
When Wikipedia, meant to provide facts and information, gives a message that means there is something terribly wrong going on. Unfortunately, it is true. Bangalore is a classic example of ignorance. People simply do not care about environment. They want clean air and greenery but do not want to take steps in order to perpetuate the greenery.
When it comes to local administration, BBMP is highly inefficient and the sole reason behind its inefficiency is that it lacks financial powers. Economic Survey 2016-17 points out the same. There is acute shortage of funds.Government needs to provide greater financial powers to municipal corporations to raise funds.Municipal Bond market can help BBMP raise funds and install sewage treatment plants as state Pollution Control Board suggests.
Bangalore’s Bellandur Lake Catches Fire Again: Are We Ever Going To Learn?
Bangalore’s Bellandur Lake Catches Fire Again: Are We Ever Going To Learn?
Saturday, 11 February 2017
Thursday, 2 February 2017
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