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India on its way of achieving the dream of Affordable Housing For All The dream of owning a house is one of the most common goals a man sets for himself. To help achieve the dream, the Government has been instrumental in providing Affordable Housing for All. With an aim to achieve the objective of providing housing to all, across different strata of the society, the project is envisaged to complete by 2022, the 75th year of independence. In this era, the housing sector is not just confined into land and building materials but has several other facets associated to you. With the establishment of the Real Estate Regulatory (Regulation and Development) Act, the housing sector is ensuring more transparency and working towards empowering the multiple stakeholders of this sector. In this light, the Government of Maharashtra’s Housing Department in association with Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd is organising the Second National Affordable Housing Summit Maharashtra, scheduled in Mumbai on November 29, 2019. The latest edition of eGov Magazine also thus justifiably focuses on understanding the housing initiatives at national and state levels. The cover story, ‘Affordable Housing Project: A Vision Progressing Towards Reality’ delves into various Government schemes being executed as part of the big endeavour to provide affordable housing to the common man. From Maharashtra, Rajendra Mirgane, Joint Chairman, Maharashtra Housing Development Corporation Limited (MahaHousing); Sanjay Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Housing and Gautam Chatterjee, Chairman, Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) have shared the vision of the State Government for housing. In a special interview, taking us through various Government initiatives is Amrit Abhijat, Joint Secretary, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, PMAY, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Mission Director, Housing For All (HFA), Government of India. This special issue also celebrates the Game Changers of India, who are creating a positive impact in the society. Read the interviews of policymakers across India such as Mugdha Sinha, Secretary, Science & Technology, Rajasthan; Nitin Gokarn, Principal Secretary, PWD, Uttar Pradesh; Palit Kumar Borah, Chairman, ASAMB & Senior Vice Chairman, COSAMB, New Delhi to name a few. Bringing industry perspective, the magazine also brings a detailed interview of Yogesh B Dutta, COO, CP Plus. Two special articles, by Deputy Director General, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and Keshav Dhakad, Group Head & Assistant General Counsel – Corporate, External & Legal Affairs (CELA), Microsoft India emphasise the role of technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data etc. We hope that the bouquet of interviews and articles across India, and an international perspective from Afghanistan in this issue of eGov will keep our esteemed readers updated on the progress made in multiple sectors of the country.
INTERVIEWS This section highlights various stakeholders, bureaucrats and policy makers influencing governance in the country.
DR RAVI GUPTA Editor-in-Chief, eGov magazine, and Founder Publisher & CEO, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd
CONTENTS 12 RAJENDRA MIRGANE
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Affordable Housing Project: A Vision Progressing Towards Reality City
Joint Chairman, Maharashtra Housing Development Corporation Limited (MahaHousing)
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GAUTAM CHATTERJEE Chairman Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority
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Sanjay Kumar Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Housing, Government of Maharashtra
SPOTLIGHT: HOUSING FOR ALL
SPOTLIGHT: HOUSING FOR ALL
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Housing for All aims to complete construction of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) by 2022 Anthony de Sa Chairman, RERA, Madhya Pradesh
A city cannot be treated as smart, unless its citizens are
provided with decent pucca housing at affordable cost. 30
Presence of slums in a city is another area of concern to Amrit Abhijat provide the city a clean image. PMAY (U) is dealing with Joint Secretary and Mission such issues by providing Director, Housing for All, pucca houses equipped with basic services of toHousing every eligible Ministry and city dweller in both slum and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), non-slum areas, says Amrit Abhijat, Joint Secretary and Government of India Mission Director, Housing for All, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, in this interview with Elets News Network (ENN).
Amrit Abhijat
SPOTLIGHT: HOUSING FOR ALL
26 Nitin Gokarn drainage, SWM, roads, public transport, Principal Secretary, electricity andPublic application of technology in management of these infrastructures Works Department (PWD), smartly. Under the leadership of Sh. Government of Uttar Pradesh Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, PMAY (U), while contributing towards betterment of the cities, is marching towards achieving the goal of “Housing for All� by 2022.
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Give us an overview of the present status of the scheme, especially with respect to Mugdha Sinha SecretaryHaryana in general and in specific. Science &Gurugram Technology
Government of Rajasthan
PMAY (U) has witnessed remarkable achievement over last four years since its launch on June 25, 2015. A total of 85.17 lakh houses have been sanctioned by Government of India till now under all 4 verticals of the scheme, where 51 lakh have been grounded and 26.5 lakh houses are completed. As far as Haryana is concerned, a total of 2.64 lakh houses has been approved where share of AHP projects is highest with
COVER STORY
Affordable Housing Project: A Vision Progressing Towards Reality The Prime Minister’s ambitious project of ‘Housing for All’ aims to provide roof to every citizen, irrespective of their socio-economic status, by 2022, which also happens to be the 75th year of independence. Sreetama Datta Roy and Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN) bring an overview of the project by analysing its multiple facets.
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COVER STORY
The vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard is, “By the time the Nation completes 75 years of its independence in 2022, there should not be any family without owning a house for his living.” Within this project, the Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Urban as well as Rural for the citizens belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Lower Income Group (LIG). According to Amrit Abhijat, Joint Secretary, and Mission Director, Housing for All, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, PMAY (U) has witnessed remarkable achievement over last four years since its launch on June 25, 2015. A total of 85.17 lakh houses have been sanctioned by Government of India till now under all four verticals of the scheme, where 51 lakh have been grounded and 26.5 lakh houses are completed.
FOCUS AREAS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT
housing facilities for each section of the society.
SLUM REHABILITATION AUTHORITY (SRA) The Centre has granted Rs 1 lakh per household, on an average, under the slum rehabilitation programme. A State Government would have flexibility in deploying this slum rehabilitation grant to any slum rehabilitation project taken for development using land as a resource for providing houses to slum dwellers. Speaking about the scenario of the slum rehabilitation in the state of Maharashtra, Sanjay Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Housing, Government of Maharashtra says, “Considering the slum rehabilitation under PMAY (U), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has a major role to play in the success of PMAY (U). The state had decided to include SRA projects sanctioned post June 2015 to be included under PMAY (U). Therefore, more than 2.25 lakh houses from SRA projects are now part of PMAY (U).”
MAHAKAMGAR AWAS YOJANA
H
ousing is one of the basic necessities of human life apart from food and clothing. It is one of the key mandates of the Central as well as State Governments and it comes and aims to make housing affordable for every for each strata of the society. For any Government, the success factor of the Housing policy lies in providing a holistic and all inclusive accommodation. The Prime Minister’s ambitious project of ‘Housing for All’ aims to provide roof to every citizen, irrespective of their socio-economic status, by 2022, which also happens to be the 75th year of independence.
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The major focus areas or the components of the Affordable Housing Project are as follows: • In situ rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers using land as a resource through private partnership wherever possible; • Promotion of affordable housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy (interest subvention); • Affordable housing in partnership with Public & Private sectors • Promotion of housing for urban poor by assisting beneficiary led construction.
HOW THE POLICIES ARE ENSURING THE VISION OF ALL INCLUSIVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING There are multiple ways in which the authorities are ensuring the affordable
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MahaKamgar Awaas Yojana is envisaged to meet housing needs of construction workers registered under Maharashtra Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. The scheme will support construction of houses for the beneficiaries’ up to 30 sqm carpet area with basic civic infrastructure like water, sanitation, sewerage, road, electricity etc. The beneficiaries of MahaKamgar Awas Yojana shall get additional subsidy of Rs 2 lakh, which is over and above of existing PMAY (U) subsidy of Rs 2.5 lakh. So, a total of Rs 4.5 subsidy per EWS house shall be given to beneficiary of MahaKamgar Awas Yojana. The validation of these beneficiaries will be done by Maharashtra Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
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COVER STORY
KUSHTHPIDIT AWAS YOJANA Mukhyamantri Kushthpidit Awas Yojana, is launched for Leprosy affected People to meet their housing needs, who do not own pucca houses. This scheme is a part of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Urban), which aims at Housing for all. The beneficiary should have UIDD card as a proof of disability due to leprosy. Under this scheme, certified leprosy affected people shall receive additional subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh which is over and above of Rs 2.5 lakh subsidy of State and Centre.
PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP MODELS AT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS According to MoHUA, while the potential for directing privately owned land towards affordable housing at a low cost is limited, appropriate Private Public Partnership (PPP) structures can be used to incentivise the private sector in that direction. The Ministry states, “Strategies attempted include directing private land for affordable housing in exchange for permission for more intensive utilisation of land or in exchange for permission to
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Within this project, the Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Urban as well as Rural for the citizens belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Lower Income Group (LIG). build high-end housing. PPP strategies including government grants and subsidies can also be potentially deployed to unlock unutilised/underutilised parcels of both government as well as privately owned lands for affordable housing.” Sharing the number of the ongoing PPP projects, Abhijat says, “In order to promote the affordable housing and unleash the potential of land available with the private sector, MoHUA has circulated eight
PPP models. Under which, the private developer is allowed to construct houses on his own land and seek benefit of PMAY (U) under the banner of affordable housing and avail various exemptions and concessions. Presently, a total of 257 projects have been approved under PPP model with 4.39 lakh houses in various States.” Giving the overview of the PPP and Joint Venture of Maharashtra, Sanjay Kumar shares, “PPP is one of the important schemes under PMAY (U) in Maharashtra; there are more than 2.5 lakh houses have been sanctioned under this scheme. Among which, the work has already started for few projects. Under Joint Venture Policy, land will be contributed by private partner and construction, designing, finance; allotment etc. shall be done by MHADA / MahaHousing.
CHALLENGE AREAS The major areas of challenges in the Affordable Housing project, as stated by Abhijat include the following areas: Land: Availability of encumbrance free land for affordable housing projects in the cities is one of the major challenges under the scheme. There is scarcity of Government land within the city limits.
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COVER STORY
Slum Redevelopment: In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) component of the Mission envisages redevelopment of slums using land as a resource. Such strategy could not get momentum due to issues regarding land. A multi-layered strategy is being developed by the Ministry to deal with slum redevelopment issue as per the size of the town. Unforeseen Challenges- Natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods and cyclones have devastating impact not only on communities, but also affects the pace of the implementation of the mission. The absence of a clear title is also a serious deterrent for participation by financial institutions and real estate developers in new as well as redevelopment projects of real estate. In the absence of redevelopment and densification of available lands, land remains underutilised – further contributing to shortage of land and to high land prices.
ROLE OF RERA The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 seeks to protect home-buyers as well as help boost investments in the real estate industry. The Act establishes Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) in each
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state for regulation of the real estate sector and also acts as an adjudicating body for speedy dispute resolution. RERAs ensure that utmost transparency is maintained in terms of the project status and avoid situations like home buyers getting duped by builders. The Real Estate Act makes it mandatory for all commercial and residential real estate projects where the land is over 500 square metres, or eight apartments, to register with the Real Estate Regulatory (RERA) for launching a project, in order to provide greater transparency in project-marketing and execution. Moreover, to register a project, it is mandatory to get the approval and validation from the Planning authorities, civic bodies etc. The Act also prohibits unaccounted money from being pumped into the sector and as of now 70 percent of the money has to be deposited in bank accounts through cheques has been made mandatory.
IT – THE GAME CHANGER IN REAL ESTATE
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Information Technology or Information Communication Technology (ICT) has been a game changer in the RERA and the overall housing sector. Anthony de Sa, Chairman, RERA, Madhya Pradesh says, “The usage of IT helps us reduce the time and necessity for multiple appearances before the court. For example, after the first appearance after the complaint is received, we say that the reply to the complaint by the non-applicant to the applicant, the counter reply from the applicant to the non-applicant, all this should be done on email with copies to RERA. Then only for the final argument, they appear in front of us. We hear the argument and in one seating we dispose off the case.” He also adds, “We have leveraged IT to reduce the time taken to dispose of our cases and it has given us rich dividends. We have been able to dispose of 70 percent of 3,600 cases which have been filed with RERA within a short span of time.” Emphasising on the digital innovation in the sector, which is further contributing towards envisioning the Affordable Housing project, Gautam Chatterjee, Chairman, RERA, Maharashtra states, “With the help of digital innovation, data about every project is uploaded on RERA’s website. The access to any and every information related to the project and the builder empowers the buyers. It is an empowering mechanism for the citizens. Today, the citizens are empowered and they can make informed choices about his home. This access to information and the right to make informed choices is the game-changer in the housing sector.”
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SPOTLIGHT: MAHAHOUSING
MahaHousing: Mega Projects to Strengthen Affordable Housing Mission
Policies for building Affordable Housing in the state of Maharashtra are really effective as compared to other states. Benefit of increased FSI (Floor Space Index) is one of the major benefits. Further, we are providing the land on subsidised cost which ultimately reducing the dwelling unit cost, says Rajendra Mirgane, Joint Chairman, Maharashtra Housing Development Corporation Limited (MahaHousing) in an exclusive interview with Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN).
Rajendra Mirgane
Joint Chairman, Maharashtra Housing Development Corporation Limited (MahaHousing)
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How do you plan to contribute towards the ‘Housing for All’ mission? MahaHousing has been established to
strengthen the capacity of the Maharashtra to reach the target of building required affordable houses. The state of Maharashtra has an overall target of around 26 lakh houses, and
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SPOTLIGHT: MAHAHOUSING
MahaHousing has been entrusted with the responsibility to build five lakh houses by constructing Mega Projects where each such Mega Projects is supposed to have about 5,000 tenements. These houses shall be built in about 87 cities across various municipal corporations and municipal councils. We have already been allotted land by a couple of authorities across the state where we are now planning to build affordable houses. MahaHousing also has policies to develop private lands by associating with the landowners by forming joint ventures. We have already got two such joint venture projects in Solapur and Pune. We have about 18 to 20 projects in the pipeline in various regions in the state. We have received the proposals, and now we shall be working on them. I am also happy to inform that under one of its policies, we are now building dedicated projects for Police, Labourers and Home Guards in Solapur, and also for Class Four employees. With all these initiatives, we are quite sure that we will achieve our target of building five lakh houses by 2022.
What are the challenges that you foresee towards achieving the target? How do you plan to address these challenges? According to me, availability of lands is a one of the challenges. Second, I don’t see wholehearted participation of private developers and builders. This is perhaps the major issue in other states as well. Middle Class, Upper Class and Higher Class families probably have met their need for hou-ses, but lower income group (LIG) and economically weaker section (EWS) - across the country – have major need for affordable houses, and I think, private builders and developers are not willing to build houses for this strata of society. We are, however, devising strategies to
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convince builders and trying to bring them on board so that LIG and EWS affordable houses projects can get a push. I am also concerned about the people working in unorganised sector who do not have pay sheets, balance sheet and saving, and due to this, they don’t even get loans from banks and housing finance companies. To some extent, we have taken some steps towards addressing this issue and convinced Saraswat Bank, ICICI and Muthoot Home Finance to provide loans to such people based on their KYC documents.
What are your plans to set up Smart Villages? As you know, in villages, people have very congested houses which are without any proper ventilation, toilets, sanitation and other basic facilities. Smart Village is a concept where we plan to purchase land in the vicinity of such villages and develop proper colonies with all the facilities including rainwater harvesting, solar energy, street lights, roads, gardens for children, etc. We plan to provide these houses to
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villagers and form their governmentfunded cooperative housing societies as well. We have received many proposals to develop such villages in the state.
How do you rate the current state policies for constructing affordable housing? Policies for building Affordable Housing in the state of Maharashtra are really effective as compared to other states. Benefit of increased FSI (Floor Space Index) is one of the major benefits. Further, we are providing the land on subsidised cost which ultimately reducing the dwelling unit cost. The stamp duty cost in Maharashtra is just 1,000 rupees, and perhaps it is the only state where developers get this benefit. Registration charges are subsidised to 50 percent. Maharashtra Government has also announced an additional Rs 2 lakh subsidy (in addition to PMAY Subsidy) for labor class people who are working in the construction industry. Maharashtra is the only state in the
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SPOTLIGHT: MAHAHOUSING
country to announce the additional subsidy. Further, for SC and ST beneficiaries are also entitled to get the benefit of Shabari and Ramai Schemes (Rs 1 lakh per beneficiary) in addition to PMAY subsidy. Again, Maharashtra is the only state to offer these benefits to SC and ST people. Maharashtra government has also devised policies to develop green zone in a sustainable way under PMAY scheme.
What about the encouraging innovative models and technologies for developing affordable housing? Government of Maharashtra has approved about 14 technologies, however, after studying all these technologies, only two of them, namely traditional RCC technology and Aluminum Frame Work Technology have been proved to be effective so far. Rest of the
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technologies have some or the other limitations. I feel Aluminum Frame Work Technology is the best, as the construction cost is reduced and the cost also doesn’t go high.
Water and Electricity are some of the required services for Housing and Affordable Housing projects. How do corporations like MahaHousing ensure smooth coordination with these authorities? If the project is under the periphery of Municipal Corporations and Municipal Councils, water is not an issue as local administration provides it to the project. However, for projects outside this periphery, we need to approach Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran or ensure supply from nearby water resources on our own after due planning. Further, electricity is not an issue at all, and drainage is or can be managed by establishing on-site
Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP).
What is your message for the stakeholders? I will urge builders and developers to pay attention to the lower-income group and economically weaker sections of the society. I will request owners to not only build houses for these sections of society and at the same time win their (people’s) trust. We usually see that builders are not that close to their staff and hardly interact with home buyers. There is a lack of communication between builders and home buyers, especially if the project is in LIG or EWS categories. To bridge this gap, we have devised policies to act as a consultancy firm where we will interact with customers and address their concerns. I also request all the builders and developers to come forward and let us know if they face any issue. We will try our best to address them to the best of our capabilities.
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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
Maharashtra Marching towards an All Inclusive Affordable Housing Plan Maharashtra is progressing well on grounding and completion of the sanctioned houses. The progress of under construction houses or projects is being monitored through geo tagging. The City Level Technical Cell (CLTC) teams present at ULBs carryout this geo tagging in five different stages from starting to completion of house. It is being rigorously monitored at State & Centre level, says Sanjay Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Housing, Government of Maharashtra in this interview with Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN).
Maharashtra has also released subsidy of more than Rs 1,330 crore for the sanctioned projects to ULBs. The subsidy amount is being transferred directly to beneficiary’s bank account through Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
Sanjay Kumar
Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Housing, Government of Maharashtra
Maharashtra is implementing PMAY (U) scheme since its launch, Will you please brief us on the progress of the scheme so far? Maharashtra is one of the top performing states in the country for implementation of PMAY (U) scheme. There are 390 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and eight Planning Authorities are notified for implementation of PMAY (U). Maharashtra is chasing its ambitious target of completing 19.4 lakh houses by 2022, among which more than 13.5
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Along with sanctioning, Maharashtra is progressing well on grounding and completion of the sanctioned houses. The progress of under construction houses or projects is being monitored through geo tagging. The City Level Technical Cell (CLTC) teams present at ULBs carryout this geo tagging in five different stages from starting to completion of house. It is being rigorously monitored at State & Centre level. Also, it is mandatory for all ULBs to enter Physical and Financial Progress of the project via Monthly Progress Report (MPR) in MIS. MPR is being tracked religiously by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and at state level to know the progress of each project. Considering the slum rehabilitation
under PMAY (U), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has a major role to play in the success of PMAY (U). The state had decided to include SRA projects sanctioned post June 2015 to be included under PMAY (U). Therefore, more than 2.25 lakh houses from SRA projects are now part of PMAY (U). Also, considering the objective of ‘Housing for All’, Housing Dept, Government of Maharashtra (GoM) had issued a Government Resolution (GR) dated May 16, 2018, to rehabilitate the unprotected slums until January 1, 2011, as well under Slum Rehabilitation Act 1971 on cost basis.
How is the Private Participation shaping up in Affordable Housing under PMAY (U) in Maharashtra? In order to increase private participation in PMAY (U), Housing Department has come up with two main schemes 1) Public Private Partnership (PPP) policy 2) Joint Venture (JV) policy. Under Public Private Partnership (PPP) policy (launched in January 2018), interested developers on their own land can construct affordable housing in
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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
Maharashtra. Under this policy, developers can construct Economically Weaker Section (EWS) (up to 30 sq.mt. carpet) and Lower Income Group (LIG) (up to 60 sq.mt. carpet) houses and sell it to eligible beneficiaries of PMAY (U). Government shall provide additional incentives to developers & beneficiaries like, • 2.5 Floor Space Index (FSI) for Residential zone projects and one FSI for Green / NDZ zone projects • Rs 2.5 lakh subsidy per EWS house • Stamp duty at Rs.1,000 only per EWS and LIG DUs • Joint Measurement Charges at 50 percent prevailing rate • Exemption in Development charges. PPP is one of the important schemes under PMAY (U) in Maharashtra; there are more than 2.5 lakh houses have been sanctioned under this scheme. Among which, the work has already started for few projects. Under Joint Venture Policy, land will be contributed by private partner and construction, designing, finance;
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lakh houses (as on November 2019) are already sanctioned by the State and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA). This includes Credit Linked Subsidy (CLSS) beneficiaries of more than 1.76 lakh. Maharashtra has also released subsidy of more than Rs 1,330 crore for the sanctioned projects to ULBs. The subsidy amount is being transferred directly to beneficiary’s bank account through Public Financial Management System (PFMS). Along with sanctioning, Maharashtra is progressing well on grounding and completion of the sanctioned houses. The progress of under construction houses or projects is being monitored through geo tagging. The City Level Technical Cell (CLTC) teams present at ULBs carryout this geo tagging in five different stages from starting to completion of house. It is being rigorously monitored at State & Centre level. Also, it is mandatory for all ULBs to enter Physical and Financial Progress of the project via Monthly Progress Report
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(MPR) in MIS. MPR is being tracked religiously by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and at state level to know the progress of each project. Considering the slum rehabilitation under PMAY (U), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has a major role to play in the success of PMAY (U). The state had decided to include SRA projects sanctioned post June 2015 to be included under PMAY (U). Therefore, more than 2.25 lakh houses from SRA projects are now part of PMAY (U). Also, considering the objective of ‘Housing for All’, Housing Dept, Government of Maharashtra (GoM) had issued a Government Resolution (GR) dated May 16, 2018, to rehabilitate the unprotected slums until January 1, 2011, as well under Slum Rehabilitation Act 1971 on cost basis. lakh houses (as on November 2019) are already sanctioned by the State and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA). This includes Credit Linked Subsidy (CLSS) beneficiaries of more than 1.76 lakh.
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allotment etc. shall be done by MHADA / MahaHousing. All the other incentives will remain same as above. Post completion of the project, the revenue/ area will be shared among landowner and MHADA/MahaHousing as per the formula defined in the GR dated September 11, 2019. Also, in order to simplify the process of getting the building permissions and NOCs to start the project, Urban Development Department (UDD) has published a GR (TPB 4315/167/CR 51/2015/NV 11) dated May 23, 2018, permitting MHADA to exercise the powers of Planning Authority under the provisions of Chapter IV of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act 1966. Therefore, MHADA is acting as a Single Window Authority for issuing all the necessary building permissions and NOCs to start the project.
Housing Department has also signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with several Banks and Housing Finance Companies. Will you please educate us on its significance? Credit Linked Subsidy (CLSS) is one of the crucial components of PMAY (U). Under CLSS, Interest subsidy is credited upfront to the loan account of beneficiaries through Primary Lending Institutions (PLI), resulting in reduced effective housing loan and Equated Monthly Installment (EMI). Maharashtra since the start of this scheme is always one of the top performers in implementation of CLSS. As on October 2019, Maharashtra is ranked second after Gujarat, with more than 1.75 lakh beneficiary benefitted through CLSS component. Among CLSS, Maharashtra ranks top in releasing subsidy to Middle Income Group (MIG) category.
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Banks and NBFCs are key drivers of CLSS component on ground. Identifying this, Housing Department, GoM has signed MoUs with interested banks / NBFCs for promotion / awareness of CLSS component in Maharashtra. So far, Housing Department, GoM has signed MoU with 10 Banks / NBFCs. This includes, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Yes Bank, Awas Finance, Mahindra Home Finance, Muthoot Homefin, Tata Capital, IIFL, IndoStar Home Finance and Svatantra Micro Housing Finance.
Considering the slum rehabilitation under PMAY (U), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has a major role to play in the success of PMAY (U). The state had decided to include SRA projects sanctioned post June 2015 to be included under PMAY (U). Housing Department is welcoming all interested Banks / NBFCs who are interested in joining this movement.
Please elaborate on Mahakamgar Awas Yojana launched under PMAY (U)? MahaKamgar Awaas Yojana is envisaged to meet housing needs of construction workers registered under Maharashtra Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. The scheme will support construction of houses for the beneficiaries’ up to 30 sqm carpet area with basic civic infrastructure like water, sanitation, sewerage, road, electricity etc. The beneficiaries of MahaKamgar
Awas Yojana shall get additional subsidy of Rs 2 lakh, which is over and above of existing PMAY (U) subsidy of Rs 2.5 lakh. So, a total of Rs 4.5 subsidy per EWS house shall be given to beneficiary of MahaKamgar Awas Yojana. The validation of these beneficiaries will be done by Maharashtra Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board
We would also like to understand Kushthpidit Awas Yojana that is launched in the state recently? Mukhyamantri Kushthpidit Awas Yojana, is launched for Leprosy affected People to meet their housing needs, who do not own pucca houses. This scheme is a part of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Urban), which aims at Housing for all. (GR dated 11th September 2019). All the existing PMAY (U) scheme modalities will remain applicable under this scheme, including prevailing PMAY (U) guidelines of state and center. The beneficiary should have UIDD card as a proof of disability due to leprosy. Under this scheme, certified leprosy affected people shall receive additional subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh which is over and above of Rs 2.5 lakh subsidy of State and Centre. • If the affected person is from Scheduled Caste (SC) category, then additional subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh will be given by Social Justice & Special Assistance Department, Government of Maharashtra. • If the affected person is from Scheduled Caste (ST) category, then additional subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh shall be given by Tribal Development Department, Government of Maharashtra. • If the affected person is from any other category apart from SC & ST, then for such beneficiaries’ additional subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh shall be given by MHADA through shelter fund.
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SPOTLIGHT: MAHARERA
MahaRERA: Ensuring Transparency to Empower Consumers With the help of digital innovation, data about every project is uploaded on RERA’s website, which is easily accessible. The access to any and every information related to the project and the builder empowers the buyers. It is an empowering mechanism for the citizens. This access to information and the right to make informed choices is the game-changer in the housing sector, says Gautam Chatterjee, Chairman, Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA), in an exclusive interview with Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN).
Gautam Chatterjee
Chairman, Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority
With the help of digital innovation, data about every project is uploaded on RERA’s website, which is easily accessible. The access to any and every information related to the project and the builder empowers the buyers. 20
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How has MahaRERA encouraged transparency and accountability in the real estate sector in Maharashtra? MahaRERA is implementing the Central Act called Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, popularly known as RERACertain sections have come into effect since May 1, 2016. But all the provisions of the Act have been made operative from May 1, 2017. Maharashtra has always been very progressive when it comes to necessary
statutes in place to deal with issues that come up in any sector. And in this sector also if you go back to the 1963 Act, that the Maharashtra Assembly had passed, called the MOFA Act of 1963. Even at that time, it had seen the problems the sector was facing, of information asymmetry, malpractices by the developers and within the sector, all these things are mentioned in the Preamble itself. At that time, the Act was implemented to tackle these problems in that sector. Unfortunately, in the implementation,
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it was found that whenever there is a violation of any provision of the Act, then the Grievance Redressal Machine is not that efficient in the sense that you do not get quick disposal of your grievance. Another problem in this sector was that, once a real estate project got completed, it is required to be passed on. The ownership of the conveyance is to be given to the allottees, the association, or the society or the legal entity. Based on the problem that was faced, Maharashtra came up with deemed conveyance or the MOFA Act. The problem lied in the fact that the grievance redressal process was not very prompt. By 2005-2010, there is a very well entrenched IT network that is operating. So the question was how we use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to have a better implementation and resolving the problems of the sectors. All these were noticed and the Maharashtra Government started working on a Housing Regulation and Development Act. It went to the Assembly and got approved and went for Presidential assent. I was also associated during that time when this Bill was placed before the Maharashtra Assembly and the Assembly passed it. By the time that Act could get implemented, the discussion was also going on at the Centre that how can we bring in regulation in this sector through a Central Act. That discussion also went on for nearly a decade and finally in 2014, the present Government came to power and decided to go ahead with the Central Act. This Act was then passed in Parliament and it also stated that it would be good to have a Central Act and if there is any State Acts, that should be repealed. By that time there was only the Maharashtra Act was there. Hence, if you see the RERA Act, Section
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92 says that the Maharashtra Act stands repealed. This Act also highlighted the same issues and concerns as that of the MOFA Act. Essentially, when you come up with a statute, it is supposed to deal with the problem areas which would further be tackled by the Act.
What were the major issues in the Housing domain as observed by the Act? It was observed that the issues were the same as those observed during 1963. Firstly, there is information asymmetry. Buyers often lack the basic information about the home in which they are most likely investing their lives’ savings. Second is the trust deficit factor that the buyers have towards the builders. The feeling of being cheated by the builder is a very unfortunate situation altogether. It should be something where you can try and rebuild this trust, that needed to be tackled through this Act. Thirdly, there has to be the assurance that if a housing project is registered under the RERA Act, it must get completed within the stipulated time. Only then it would be a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
What were the measures taken to improve the situation? Accordingly, we started bringing
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our rules and authority into place by keeping these three objectives in mind. During that period, 90 percent of the housing projects registered were from Maharashtra. We have 13,000 ongoing projects which are registered in Maharashtra. Another 9,000 projects are ones that got launched after the RERA came into effect. Moreover, with the help of technological mechanisms, we have ensured that people can report about any unregistered or unauthorised ongoing housing project anywhere in the state. We do a hearing of the case and take the necessary decision. Today we have over 23,000 projects registered. The total number of homes that would be constructed within these projects is 23 lakh. This is the quantum of homes or apartments being constructed under RERA’s jurisdiction. With the help of digital innovation, data about every project is uploaded on RERA’s website, which is easily accessible. The access to any and every information related to the project and the builder empowers the buyers. It is an empowering mechanism for the citizens. Today, the citizens are empowered and they can make informed choices about his home. He is no longer guided by the suggestion of any other person about investing in a particular project without having the right to research and get
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to register a defunct project would mean a significant risk to other potential consumers.
Does assessing the quality of construction also come under the purview of RERA?
the assurance on his own. This access to information and the right to make informed choices is the game-changer in the housing sector.
What are the challenges of this? Now the challenge comes in ensuring the completion of all the 23,000 projects. The next challenge, as well as objective, is to ensure that the data related to all 23 lakh homes are regularly updated and it is as clean as possible. The third factor is that the trust factor for the builders or the realtors has to be built, but it has to be done gradually and can’t be achieved instantly. Solving the issue of trust deficit against builders cannot be resolved just by filing a complaint online and in a quasijudicial manner. For this, we have set up a conciliation forum. According to us, many complaints can arise due to a lack of communication. We have to enable people to communicate and during communication, buyers can get over many ambiguous areas. I am glad to note that we have been proved right. People take their grievances in a conciliation forum which is managed by the association of developers and consumers. They sit together to discuss and bridge the gaps. In this way, nine out of 10 cases in Pune and eight out of 10 cases in Mumbai have got resolved amicably. These are the things that make the implementation of RERA in
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Maharashtra in letter and spirit.
What about the projects which were commenced before the foundation of MahaRERA? Is it mandatory for them to register as well? The online registration of projects is mandatory if the project’s construction is still going on, complete and still not completed. There could be certain cases and or even a large number of cases within which a project was taken by a developer around 10 years back but could not take the construction forward. For online registration at RERA, there has to be certain validity, such as the appreciation given by the Planning Commission or the Municipal bodies. They have a validity period. The projects are given commencement certificates or building plan approvals, which need to be acted upon a timeframe of one year. If you do not act upon that, then the approval loses its validity and has to be revalidated again. Essentially, in such cases, the consumers have to get after the developers to see that those approvals which have become dead, have to be revalidated. It is only when the consumer applies to RERA with a revalidation; the Authority would force the builder to register. Without the project approval, one cannot request for registration and endanger the lives of other people. There is brand equity of a project that is registered, and by forcing
Although quality assessment is not a direct part of RERA, we have implemented it on our own. We have made it a part of the mandatory information that needs to be captured during the ongoing project. From December 1, 2018, onwards, we have mandated the designated site engineer to post about the qualitative aspects of every project in every quarter. The information is about input materials and other processes that go on in input materials be it intermediary or a product like concrete etc., tests carried out to ensure that the materials conform to the industry standards, among others. This process ensures accountability for the professionals involved in the project.
MahaRERA has undertaken certain skilling initiatives. Please share some details about those. We ensure providing all sorts of information for the buyers since he is putting his entire life’s savings in buying his dream home. Along with getting the possession of his home on time, the buyer also deserves all information about the project, which includes the materials used, whether it’s of proper quality and the materials have been used with proper workmen. This would give the assurance to the buyers that his home has been built by a skilled workforce. To ensure this, we started focusing on the people who are working on these projects. We came to know that 80 percent of them are unskilled and 20 percent are semi-skilled and skilled. We need to have some accreditation to see that these people have a certain certified skill. To ensure that the people
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working on the site have the necessary skills, we make them undergo that skilling course and get a certification. That is why we have started and there we felt that major problem would be, who would skill them? For over lakhs of people working on the 23,000 projects, there needs to have a sufficient number of trainers. MahaRERA on its own has taken up the initiative of skilling of expert trainers or certifying expert trainers. These expert trainers would, in turn, go to every project site and train the workers.
How does MahaRERA meet the expenses of training these expert trainers? There is a Labour CESS which is collected and the Labour Department manages that. We have tied up with them. In Maharashtra, this programme was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Labour Department is going to fund those training programmes. The initial expert trainer programme is funded by us. When the expert trainers go out, they start training those people on-site in every RERA registered project and the whole expense is picked up by the programme which is run by the Labour and Skill Department.
Are there enough members and staff at MahaRERA right now?
How will the Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) help ensure greater professionalism among the developers? This is a unique concept and should be adopted by everyone. We are talking about developers who work in their own manner. It was a unorganised and unregulated sector. Anybody who has got land, raw material, money and approval from the planning authorities are eligible to get their projects registered at RERA, but the buyers are at the mercy of the developers as we do not know about the quality of products and materials used in the projects. We are seeing that the distressed
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customers of those ongoing projects of the past are coming to us and asking all sorts of questions. Who should be held responsible in this case? There are bodies such as Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) etc. who claim to be the bodies and association and are also managing our conciliation forum. They have to take this responsibility to see that henceforth there is professionalism in the sector. Anyone who needs to perform has to be someone who adheres to the basic norms of professionalism and conduct. These can only be ensured when you tell these people that henceforth, from December 2019, if you want to register a project in RERA, you have to be a member of a registered SRO. MahaRERA is the first to ensure that. It has become a mandatory document as per our regulation.
We believe in minimum government maximum governance. At present, we are dealing with around 55,000 cases and we do not have a staff strength of more than 50. But we believe that we have performed and I am sure that none of the stakeholders will say that we have not been able to deliver justice on time. This has been possible because we have utilised the digital platform to the fullest. The requisite data is available on our fingertip and that is how it has been working fine so far.
It has been stated that property portals are also supposed to register. Yes, this is because the Act requires agents to register as well. Certain portals are also facilitating transactions and they should also be held accountable if some untoward incident takes place later.
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A positive scenario is that we do not have to force the stakeholders to register, but they are doing it on their own. Moreover, the registration gives them extra value in society. The MahaRERA registration gives them the much-valued authenticity and credibility.
What is the role of MahaRERA in the Affordable Housing Scheme? The demand from the users is mostly for the Affordable Housing. The State and Central Governments are also offering subsidies in the housing projects through the Affordable Housing Scheme. When there is such a large demand for affordable homes, then it is quite obvious that when a RERA registration is to happen, he should then go back to his drawing board and create homes where the mismatch between the demand and supply is minimal. RERA has helped the entire industry to go back and work on projects where there is demand, which is the best thing that can happen. Lesser return and more volume is the order of the day.
How have you transformed the digital platform? I think it is a brilliant platform. Maha Online is taking care of the digital platform at present and is doing a fantastic job. Earlier it was KPMG, which was out knowledge partner. They were there for the last two-and-a-half-years but now they are no longer associated with us. We have created our inhouse team. It should be the order of the day in the future that every cutting-edge level service that a government or a municipal body or any other public authority provides, should move towards a digital space and solo digital interface and minimal physical interface. If you can do away with the physical interface, and push everything into a digital interface, it will curb red-tapism, rent-seeking behaviour, and corruption. That should be the way ahead.
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MADHYA PRADESH RERA:
MAXIMUM UTILISATION OF IT TO ENABLE SEAMLESS SERVICE DELIVERY With extensive use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), monitoring of the registered projects is one big focus of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) followed by further reduction in the time taken in the disposal of cases and implementation of our orders, says Anthony de Sa, Chairman, RERA, Madhya Pradesh in an exclusive interview with Ritika Srivastava of Elets News Network (ENN).
Please share an overall brief on the working of RERA in Madhya Pradesh. How RERA was formed? What are the objectives of RERA? We have been working closely with the State Government in Madhya Pradesh for two to three different objectives. While the primary objective is Affordable Housing, the second objective is overall balanced and appropriate urban development. Most of the real estate building activities are taking place in
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urban areas. The Government of Madhya Pradesh has recently launched the real estate policy. One of the aspects of the policy is a decision taken by the government across the board to reduce the collector rate, which I believe is called a circle rate in Maharashtra, by 20 percent. Secondly, the entire stamp duty system has been reformed and simplified. The procedure for application for completion certificate and the issue of completion
Anthony de Sa
Chairman, RERA, Madhya Pradesh
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certificate has been reformed and standardised throughout the state. The Government has recognised the need for granting a completion certificate of projects in phases, even if the approval was taken as a whole. As long as the phase is self-contained, the original approval is for the whole project, the completion certificate may be issued in phases. Several path-breaking decisions have been taken in order to help the Centre and this is being done with RERA along with the state government.
What are the major projects or policies that have been identified in the Real Estate sector taken by the Madhya Pradesh government which have been felicitated the buyers in this sector? The new Real Estate Policy has brought in great relief to buyers and sellers. After all, everyone is a stakeholder in this. It is not buyers versus sellers, but it is buyers and sellers who work together for the delivery of certain property.
RERA in Madhya Pradesh is one of the leading authorities in the usage of IT in all its activities. The Act itself stipulates maximum utilisation of IT. Hence, we have prepared our software and for all the registration and monitoring purposes, we use ICT to the fullest. But RERA, Madhya Pradesh has gone one step further. We are using IT at the disposal of our complaint cases. Even in our court functions, we are using IT.
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Similarly, we have leveraged IT to reduce the time taken to dispose of our cases and it has given us rich dividends. We have been able to dispose of 70 percent of 3,600 cases which have been filed with RERA within a short span of time.
What are the future implementations that RERA Madhya Pradesh is planning through ‘Apna RERA’?
Are there any schemes related to IT implementation in this department?
The usage of IT helps us reduce the time and necessity for multiple appearances before the court. For example, after the first appearance after the complaint is received, we say that the reply to the complaint by the non-applicant to the
applicant, the counter reply from the applicant to the non-applicant, all this should be done on email with copies to RERA. Then only for the final argument, they appear in front of us. We hear the argument and in one seating we dispose off the case.
If a project completes in three years, we need not wait until three years and then see whether it is complete or not. We need to constantly monitor. If there is some problem, we call the builder and discuss the same. Maybe the builder is facing a genuine problem from the government or some government agency. I cannot say we can solve all the problems but we can try to solve some of them. If there is a problem, we try and work with the builder to try to actually
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The second focus of RERA is to reduce the time taken in the disposal of cases and for the implementation of our orders. In many cases, we had ordered that compensation be given and sometimes the builders do not comply. Now are setting up a special execution wing headed by a District Judge who will implement the orders and execute them as well.
Please share your views on the Housing for All policy.
Initially, we were focusing on the phase of the registration process. Now we are focusing on the monitoring of the registered projects because we do not want a problem to arise and then difficulties to come. We need to closely monitor the progress and if there is any difficulty, then a red flag has to be raised stating the concerns. We need not wait until the end of the project.
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complete the project and bring it on track. This is going to be one big focus of RERA.
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Affordable Housing does not necessarily mean cheap housing. It means housing projects which are affordable for various sectors. Various kinds of people require different kinds of housing. In Madhya Pradesh, we have an Act which guarantees housing or house plot to every individual. But that Act has to be implemented. The RERA Act of Madhya Pradesh and the new Real Estate Policy of the state working together can work together in order to make the supply available of appropriate housing built with appropriate materials in the shortest period of time at affordable rates for different sections of society as per their desire. The Government has taken several steps in this, not only in the new real estate policy but also brought reforms in the registration administration, stamp duty, etc. in order to simplify and make housing more affordable for all.
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Technology has enabled better management and productivity in PWD: Nitin Gokarn We have leveraged IT right from the beginning in terms of having unique code for every road. Now that the unique ID scheme has started, we have come up with PRAGATI, under which information of every road network is present online, says Nitin Gokarn, Principal Secretary, Public Works Department (PWD), Government of Uttar Pradesh in an exclusive interview with Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN). Nitin Gokarn
Principal Secretary, Public Works Department (PWD), Government of Uttar Pradesh
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Please share an overview of the PWD Department of Uttar Pradesh in terms of projects being executed by the department. What are the size of the project and how many districts are being covered?
“Last year, in the month of February, we had technology usage for getting proposals for special repairs. Normally, repairs are done twice – once post monsoon and once after winters. In February, we took the entire proposal of all roads that were in damaged condition along with their photographs.”
The road network of Uttar Pradesh state is 2.33 lakh kilometers which can be classified as national highways, state highways, Major District Roads (MDR), Other District Roads (ODRs) and village roads. We have a substantial network of approximate 40,000 ODRs, around 8,000 MDRs and around 7,000 state highways. The budget allocated for road network development is Rs 22,000 crore, of which 40 to 45 percent is utilised for widening and strengthening of the carriageways. The amount spent on periodical repairs, annual repairs, and maintenance account for about Rs 3.5 thousand crore, and Rs 2.5 thousand crores is spent on account of building bridges, rail over bridges, etc. The remaining amount is for smaller projects such as Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, etc. We have leveraged IT right from the beginning in terms of having unique
code for every road. With that unique code, we can identify which road we are talking about. We have not just given this unique code to PWD roads but all departments who have told that this their road network includes all departments.
We have also come up with PRAGATI, which refers to Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, under which information of every road network is present online. Notably, Uttar Pradesh the only state in India to have executed the e-Measurement Book (EMB) System, which is regularly updated with the current status of projects. Each project is linked to a unique code to our system and it also helps us tally if it is justified as per the cycle or not. With the aid of Chanakya software, we ensure a smooth payment process. This software enables us to know about the payment and transaction details of each day, which is facilitated through the EMB mechanism. We are also using an app called NIGRANI. Citizens can download the app and share photographs of roads that need to be repaired. The map will capture the latitude and longitude and exact location of the concerned area and uploaded it to our system. Once that gets repaired, the person who uploaded is notified of it. There is a dashboard available with all our executive engineers and chief engineers. We have appointed contractors in state highways, MDR, ODR, and areas around Vidhan Sabha to repair potholes within 48 hours. For village roads, the designated repair schedule is 72 hours. The problem with village roads is that the length is much more as compared to others and at times the allocated budget is not sufficient. To tackle this situation, we have asked for specific proposals on, especially degraded village roads. We are looking at the use of
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technology to count the passenger car units because all estimates are based on the volume of traffic and also the composition of traffic. If there is heavy traffic on any particular point of any road and the road is not designed to withstand the load, then it will degrade at a much faster rate. We have come up with a solution wherein we have installed CCTV cameras on both sides of the road in terms of incoming and outgoing traffic which is recorded for seven days. Through this system, we know exactly what the vehicle mix is and then we use that to design the crust. All crust designs are IIT Bombay designs. Our engineers are able to put specific parameters of CPD, CDR, etc. and IIT Bombay
half-year which is enough to prepare four-lane roads from Ghaziabad to Ghazipur across the state. We have saved around Rs 920 crore. Last year, with the aid of Chanakaya software, we have integrated the process of preparing estimates and proper bidding through e-tendering, wherein entire bidding above Rs 10 is online. This has led to aggressive bidding. In a first, UP PWD has been able to save Rs 300 crore which has come back to the government because of the online tracking system. They have surrendered money to the government after all the work has been completed. This is the first time that the use of technology has helped us in achieving this milestone.
approximately 15-20 percent in many of them.
We have also come out and launched a new app called PRAHARI through
And all these software are integrated though there are some gaps that we are working on and we have hope that by February we will be first in the country to have an end-to-end solution for all our projects.
We plan to roll out across all the states which capture the dynamic bidding capacity of every contractor through Chanakaya software because it knows what worth which contractor has been given. We also have an electronic system for contractor management where contractors can log in and get registered on an online basis. The payment system through tender work for PRAHARI is also regulated through payment gateway mechanism. A lot of changes have taken place in the last one year.
New technologies are coming in for road construction and repair. Are we also planning something for road safety?
itself provides the design which gets checked so that there is no mistake at the time of designing the crust. Over the last year, the requirements for aggregates across the state came down through the mechanisms of immersion treated subways and cement treated subways. We have saved around 12 lakh million tones of aggregates in the last one-and-
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which technical evaluation of e-tendering is done. In December of last year, we have done away with the single tender system completely. So earlier in 2014-15 and 2015-16, roughly 80 percent of all contracts were single tenders because of lack of competition there were hardly any savings per se in the department. Now most of the tenders are below the estimates and we are saving
Last year, we had allocated a budget of Rs 128 crore for road safety in the state to prepare temporary measures, which included soft engineering solutions for traffic calming, signages, road markings, etc. Road infrastructure was nonexistent for several parts of the state. From 2016 to 2018, a total of 700 black spots have been identified and the rectification was done and funded by PWD. We conduct a monthly meeting in which we monitor the progress of black spots. All the T-junctions, Y-junctions on the main carriageways across national highways, state highways are monitored in terms of measuring the speed of the traffic. There are
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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
several works ongoing and much has been done but we hope that it will be completed by this year.
Is the usage of technology helping you curb malpractices ensuring transparency in the system? Absolutely! Owing to the technology, we are able to save a lot of financial resources, get better price discovery, better degree of competition and also more confidence in terms of the work that is done through the EMB mechanism, and all the reports of the periodic tests that are done during construction are generated through the Utilisation Certificates. There is a lot of transparency and working in a more systematic method has been done in the last one and a half years in PWD.
There are a lot of talks of pothole-free roads in Uttar Pradesh and much hype has been given by the media and politicians. What is your take on that? Every year in the monsoon season, we face the problem of potholes. Especially this year in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where there has been a prolonged monsoon, there have been several instances of waterlogging on the road and heavy traffic. We had asked all our officials to look out for potholes on all state highways, major roads within Nagar Nigam area, MDRs, ODRs and make it potholes free for village roads as the extent of the village road network is much more. We are monitoring the progress of work. Currently, as per our reports, one-third of work is done while two-third of work is remaining. There has been some delay in getting some of the blocks owing to the prolonged monsoon season.
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What are the future plans of the department? We are trying to get the best practices from across the world. In
“It is because of the technology that we are getting these kinds of savings, better price discovery, better degree of competition, also more confidence in terms of the work that is done through the EMB mechanism, and all the reports of the periodic tests that are done during construction are generated through the Utilisation Certificates.”
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terms of technology and IT, how it can be integrated within PWD. And we have formulated teams within the department on six major areas where we have asked them to look at available literature and technical publications and see what can be made relevant for us. We have also brought in two new inclusions in our SORs such as fly ash bricks that have been brought for our building construction in government sector any department, not just PWD so we use fly ash bricks instead of normal bricks and usage of plastics on the roads. On October 2, we have done eight roads in the state and we are planning to take up 20 percent of all repairs, restoration and renewal work with plastic roads. We have integrated plastic roads in our SORs also so we hope to consume a lot of single-use plastic that is available in the field. It is not costing us much which is a good thing for us but at the same time it is helping to maintain the longevity of our roads also in removing the problem of plastic in our environment.
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SPOTLIGHT: HOUSING FOR ALL
POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
Housing for All aims to complete construction of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) by 2022 A city cannot be treated as smart, unless its citizens are provided with decent pucca housing at affordable cost. Presence of slums in a city is another area of concern to provide the city a clean image. PMAY (U) is dealing with such issues by providing pucca houses equipped with basic services to every eligible city dweller in both slum and non-slum areas, says Amrit Abhijat, Joint Secretary and Mission Director, Housing for All, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, in this interview with Elets News Network (ENN).
Amrit Abhijat
Joint Secretary and Mission Director, Housing for All, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Government of India
What is the role of Housing for All or Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY U) in order to have a comprehensive development of Cities? “By the time the Nation completes 75 years of its independence in 2022, there should not be any family without owning a house for his living” is the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi. A city, free from kutcha, semi pucca and temporary dwelling units with provision of adequate housing, is integral part of holistic development of city, as it depicts the façade of the city. A city cannot be treated as smart, unless its citizens are provided with decent pucca housing at affordable cost. Presence of slums in a
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city is another area of concern to provide the city a clean image. PMAY (U) is dealing with such issues by providing pucca houses equipped with basic services to every eligible city dweller in both slum and non-slum areas. Sh. Hardeep S Puri, Hon’ble Minister of State (I/C), Housing and Urban Affairs, has been guiding and supporting us in our pursuit of integrated Urban Transformation. Comprehensive
development of cities requires multifocal approach consisting of housing as well as basic infrastructures. A number of flagship schemes have been launched by Government of India such as Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT, SBM, HRIDAY for integrated development of cities, recognising the contribution of cities in the GDP of the country. These schemes are mandated to provide basic infrastructures such as water supply,
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SPOTLIGHT: HOUSING FOR ALL
drainage, SWM, roads, public transport, electricity and application of technology in management of these infrastructures smartly. Under the leadership of Sh. Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, PMAY (U), while contributing towards betterment of the cities, is marching towards achieving the goal of “Housing for All” by 2022.
Give us an overview of the present status of the scheme, especially with respect to Haryana in general and Gurugram in specific. PMAY (U) has witnessed remarkable achievement over last four years since its launch on June 25, 2015. A total of 85.17 lakh houses have been sanctioned by Government of India till now under all 4 verticals of the scheme, where 51 lakh have been grounded and 26.5 lakh houses are completed. As far as Haryana is concerned, a total of 2.64 lakh houses has been approved where share of AHP projects is highest with 1.8 lakh houses. A total of 38,346 houses are grounded and about 16,000 houses are already completed. A total of 23,715 houses have been approved for Gurugram and approximately 3,700 are completed.
What is the role of Public-Private Partnership in the scheme?
PMAY(U) House in Odisha
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PMAY(U) House in Uttar Pradesh
“A number of flagship schemes have been launched by Government of India such as Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT, SBM, HRIDAY for integrated development of cities, recognising the contribution of cities in the GDP of the country. These schemes are mandated to provide basic infrastructures.”
Availability of land is essential for the success of affordable housing sector in the country. In order to promote the affordable housing and unleash the potential of land available with the private sector, MoHUA has circulated eight PPP models under which, the private developer is allowed to construct houses on his own land and seek benefit of PMAY (U) under the banner ofaffordable housing and avail various exemptions and concessions. Presently, a total of 257 projects have been approved under PPP model with 4.39 lakh houses in various States.
What are the latest technology deployments in your department? How are these contributing towards the execution of the project? A technology Sub-Mission under PMAY (U) has been set up to facilitate adoption of modern, innovative and green technologies and building materials for faster and quality construction of houses. Building Material and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), an autonomous body under MoHUA is responsible for certifying and promotion of new construction technologies in the country. As of now, 16 new construction technologies have been certified by the agency and SoR has been released by CPWD. A Global Housing Technology Challenge- India (GHTC-India) was launched to identify and mainstream the best alternate construction technologies from across the globe for a paradigm
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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
shift and an enabling eco-system in the construction sector. The year 2019-20 was declared as “Construction Technology Year” by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. Subsequently, six Light House Projects at six locations in the country will be executed for demonstrating and delivering ready to live houses in a shorter time, with lower cost and with better quality in a sustainable manner. These projects will act as a live laboratory for learning and replicating the best construction technology. These disruptive technologies will transform the housing construction practices by impacting the speed, scale and quality of houses. The Potential Future Technologies will be provided with Incubation and Acceleration support through Product Development, Networking Opportunities and Marketing Support following the principle of ‘Lab to Land’.
What are the challenges of the scheme? 1. Land: Availability of encumbrance free land for affordable housing projects in the cities is one of the major challenges under the scheme. There is scarcity of Government land within the city limits. MoHUA has developed eight PPP models to unleash the potential of land available with private sector. Further, coverage of the scheme has also been extended to include planning/ Development areas to make more land available for affordable housing. 2. Slum Redevelopment: In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) component of the Mission envisages redevelopment of slums using land as a resource. Such strategy could not get momentum due to issues regarding land. A multi-layered strategy is being developed by the Ministry to deal with slum redevelopment issue as per the size of the town. 3. Unforeseen Challenges- Natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods and cyclones have devastating impact not only on communities by destruction of infrastructure, displacements and homelessness, but also affects the pace
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SPOTLIGHT: HOUSING FOR ALL
PMAY(U) Project in Gujarat of the implementation of the mission.
As Ministry is committed to construct more than 1 crore houses under the Mission, what is the financing arrangement? The current validated demand is 1.12 crore as per the demand assessment carried out by the States/UTs. Apart from the budgetary allocations, a National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) has been created to mobilise Rs 60,000 crore as Extra-Budgetary Resources (EBR) to ensure smooth flow of resources to the projects where Rs 28,000 crore has already been drawn.
Is there any provision for recognising best performance of the State/UT in the Mission? The role of States/UTs and other stakeholders needs appreciation and it’s all happening with their support and coordinated effort. The Mission has instituted PMAY (U) awards to recognise the best performance of the State/UTs and cities in implementation of the scheme in addition to the CLSS Award for recognising the contribution and performance of Banks/ PLIs. Six categories of award will be given which includes State, Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat, special awards and beneficiaries level awards. A separate mobile app has been
developed where beneficiary can upload selfie and testimonial from his/her smart phone. The best houses constructed by the beneficiaries in each State will be awarded.
What is the way forward with respect to the HFA mission in the coming years? The focus of HFA mission in coming years is to ensure completion and delivery of all the houses as per the validated demand in States/UTs by the year 2022. Any additional demand based on eligibility in forthcoming years will also be considered in the scheme. Secondly, there will be focused intervention in slums towards deslumming India. A detailed strategy is being worked out by the Mission to redevelop the slums in partnership with State governments, community and private developers. With respect to promotion of construction technology, the Light House Projects will be executed and upscaling will be done. In order to mainstream these technologies, few courses on new technology are being launched in association of School of Planning and Architecture (SPA). The potential technologies will be given incubation and accelerator support through IITs to further develop these technologies and make them market ready.
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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
Mapping Lucknow’s Progress Towards Clean and Green City In an exclusive interview with Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN), Mukesh Kumar Meshram, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow, gives his insights on various initiatives being taken by the city’s administration. Expressing his views on various facets of city life, Meshram gives us a glimpse on what the future may hold for the City of Nawabs.
Mukesh Kumar Meshram Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow
Through Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), we aim to improve the traffic conditions. An environment-friendly mode of transport should be established in the city. In this regard, there are smart cycles which can offer lastmile connectivity. 34
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You have held many important positions in the state and taken several initiatives in UPSRTC, Department of Commercial taxes and the Department of Medical Education. As the Divisional Commissioner of Lucknow, what are your focus areas? Lucknow is one of the fastest-growing cities in Uttar Pradesh. A lot of infrastructures have been created in
the city and some are in process. If you set aside the NCR part of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow metro has left a footprint in the state and its network will improve in the coming times. To improve transport in the city, an outer ring road of 110 kilometers is being built which will connect highways together. The city’s zonal roads and master-plan roads will terminate on this ring road.
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The challenge is to make the city’s transportation smooth. People should be able to complete their journey in a very short period of time. Also, during a medical emergency, the residents should be able to reach a hospital in the shortest possible duration. Secondly, the city should be clean and green. Old rivers like Gomti and Kukrail pass through this city. Owing to the deteriorating condition of the river, we are taking the initiative to purify it and restore the natural beauty. It is clean up-to-the point where it enters the city, beyond which, it has gotten dirty and is often referred to as a drain. After restoration, the residents can utilise their banks for entertainment, education and socio-cultural activities. Also, there are other water bodies that need attention. Haibat Mau lake, Yamuna lake, Moti lake, and some other old lakes have to be reinforced for the benefit of the environment and for better groundwater recharging. If we improve them, the people living nearby will use them for their own health and prosperity. There should be pathways around them so that people can wander around safely. Also, there must be open spaces nearby so that people can sit and relax. Rich flora and fauna should be developed around the lakes.
To beautify the city, we will be implementing ‘paint my city’ concept in Lucknow. The concept involves beautifying the city through people’s contribution. School children can exhibit their creativity by painting walls near their schools, under the guidance of a master artist.
To beautify the city, we will be implementing ‘paint my city’ concept in Lucknow. The concept involves beautifying the city through people’s contributions. School children can exhibit their creativity by painting walls near their schools, under the guidance of a master artist. We will also beautify the parks of the city. ‘Scrap to sculpture’ is another concept which we are implementing. The scrap that is lying around can be used to make sculptures or art, which can be displayed at crossings, corners, open spaces and parks to make the city
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beautiful. The city’s heritage has many faces. It
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can be seen as tangible or intangible. There are old buildings and places that have a rich history of their own. That history gets diminished when we move forward in the direction of technological prowess; it gets covered with many new layers. Bearing this in mind, it becomes very important to keep the historical element alive because only then you can remain in touch with your roots. We have a library called Amir-Ud-Daula Public Library, where you would find precious manuscripts written on copper plates, palm leaves, birch barks, etc. But with the advent of digital media and other IT powered resources, the traditional practice of reading and writing is getting lost. People who read books keep their creativity intact. This is why going to libraries must be encouraged. We can use technology to make them better. For example, you can check the availability of books at your home and make reservations. Also, from time to time, we can arrange
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carts will get a vendor zone to go about their business. Rickshaw pullers and e-rickshaw drivers should get access to go about their work in the city in a disciplined manner. Apart from this, the ‘divyang’ or the differently-abled people have to be taken into the mainstream. We have to make all our services citizen-friendly. Not just human beings, we are equally concerned about other species as well. The state is also taking various initiatives to conserve and ensure the safety of the stray bovine animals. Several cow shelters have been created across the city, such as Kanha Upvan, to protect and conserve cows.
Traffic poses to be one of the major challenges in the city. What are your plans to curb this?
programmes where you can meet writers at the library and form reading groups. In terms of education, we have around 250 schools here. Digital classrooms will be incorporated in these schools to improve the quality of education.
What are your plans to improve the health index of the city? The health of the city is another important factor. To make a city healthy we must get rid of pollution. People living in the city should do physical exercise and from time to time, they should go for medical check-ups. For this, we are toying with the idea of launching Health ATMs and diagnostic centres. Along with this, the theory and practice of inclusion should be applied in every city. For health awareness and check-ups, the community medicine departments
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of medical colleges here, their students, NGOs and AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy), together these three can spread health awareness among the public. Nowadays, most of the diseases afflicting people are lifestyle diseases. It is becoming a very big issue; people are becoming diabetic, inactive; they are getting hypertension. If they remain healthy, their productivity would go up and when the productivity of citizens rises, the country grows.
What are your plans to improve the conditions of the weaker sections of the city in order to build an inclusive ecosystem? Ensuring an inclusive ecosystem is indeed one of our priorities. We believe that even those people who belong to the lowest socio-economic strata should have accommodation and other facilities. The people who earn their living by putting stalls or pulling
Through Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), we aim to improve the traffic conditions. An environmentfriendly mode of transport should be established in the city. In this regard, there are smart cycles which can offer last-mile connectivity. Also, electric buses have been started in the city; we are running 40 such buses at present and their numbers will be increased in the near future. The use of cars should be minimised to avoid traffic jams, pollution, and unnecessary expenses.
What is your message for the people of Lucknow? While we learn and implement the best practices across the world, the role and contribution of citizens are equally important. Voluntary work has to be encouraged because the city doesn’t exclusively belong to the officials or any contractor, it belongs to the people. People should treat their city as they treat their home. The responsibility of improving the city should be engrained in the psyche of the citizen.
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PUTTING SCIENCE IN SERVICE OF
SOCIETY
Mugdha Sinha, Secretary Science & Technology, Government of Rajasthan, believes that science is the torch that illuminates the world and hence it is her utmost priority to bring science to the people by popularising interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine (STEMM)by encouraging an eco system that fosters R&D breaking the silos of labs, brings in convergence between a eureka idea, a new technology, an innovation and its practical usage for society at large to solve macro and micro problems of mankind, enabling scientists to become entrepreneurs and bellwether a new phase of manufacturing and service industry based on research and innovations. In this exclusive interview with Kartik Sharma of Elets News Network (ENN), Mugdha Sinha shares her various initiatives taken by DST, Government of India as well as Government of Rajasthan.
MUGDHA SINHA
SECRETARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, GOVERNMENT OF RAJASTHAN
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What is your mandate and vision for Science and Technology in Rajasthan? In keeping with Article 51 (A) of the Indian Constitution wherein “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”, our aim is – l De-mystification, dissemination and popularisation of science amongstchildren, youth and women; l Enhance interest in STEMM disciplines- Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, specially focussed on women; l Using inter, trans, multidisciplinary and hands-on approach in pure, basic and applied sciences to develop a scientific temperament, and approach to research, and innovation; l Encourage research and innovation in new and upcoming areasEnvironment and climate change, alternate energy sources, research in new materials, data analytics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, intellectual property rights, artificial intelligence, cryogenics, earth and space sciences for putting science in the service of society for providing solutions to micro and
macro problems;
l Encourage and train scholars,
l Bring science, research and
innovation outside the laboratories and incubation centres, breaking silos and stereotypes to encourage convergence with various government departments and non-government agencies, institutions and civil society at large; l Encourage and incentivise scientists to transcend from academicians, scholars, researchers, innovators to become entrepreneurs and establish start ups through trainings, workshops, seminars, brainstorming and mentoring;
“We plan to activate the science and society project as also the academia and industry connect, for which we have a scheme to put science in service of human kind.”
researchers, innovators and journalists into writing science based news, articles, stories, monographs, comics and research proposals and to make science based documentaries and films from layman point of view to increase outreach of science for society; l Encourage cohorts of stakeholders to work together on various programmes, projects and schemesacademic institutions, universities, laboratories, premier institutions and scholars-researchers-scientistsinnovators; l Encourage policy advocacy and surveys on science, technology, research and innovation to institutionalise policy architecture in tune with requirements of changing times and technologies.
What are the resources available to you to fulfil the aims and objectives of the Department of Science and Technology? Our stakeholders are our strength and include both institutions, universities, colleges, schools, centres of excellence and incubation hubs as also individual students, scholars, scientists, researchers and innovators. To engage, involve, encourage, incentivise and fund them we have a slew of schemes, projects, programs, scholarships, fellowships, awards and corpus funds, apart from access to experts and resources of a gamut of premier research institutions, autonomous bodies, academies, councils and societies. Our Department works in close coordination with Central Government, especially with Department of Science and Technology, (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, DSIR, DRDO, ICMR, ICAR, Department of Industrial Policy and Internal Trade
DST funded Workshop on IPR in University
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no dearth of funds for science, research and innovation, only lack of vision. In the last five years we have supported 49 R&D Projects across sectors-17 in health technology, 13 in climate change and sustainable development, five each in energy security and artificial intelligence and 4 each in nano and advanced material.
(DIPIT), Ministry of Information Technology (MeITY), Ministry of Earth Sciences, and Ministry of Environment and Forests and a whole host of Science Councils, Boards, Academies, Autonomous Bodies, Institutions of repute and Science and Technology Missions and most of them have schemes and funds for science, research, innovation and technology. Also, we are service providers to almost all departments due to our ability to provide scientific tools, satellite data, technical expertise, advise and assistance across issues and departments for solving real life problems, like mapping water bodies or satellite monitoring of stash burning etc, to name a few. As far as funds are concerned, Government of India has a combined budget of Rs 60,000 crore across all allied Ministries and Departments dealing with Science and Technology and Government of Rajasthan has allocated Rs 19 crore for the financial year 2019-20. From Rs 5 crore in FY 2010-11, our budget has gone up four fold, with approximately 23 percent each for Remote Sensing Projects and Construction activities; 17 percent for science popularisation; four percent each for Research and Development (R&D) and Start ups and three percent for patents. However, I believe there is
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Moreover, the best part of this Department is the flexibility of crafting customised proposals and schemes as per demands of institutions and requirements of scientists and researchers, which is what makes this dynamic and totally aligned to futurists needs.
Please tell us how you plan to make science useful to society? Carl Sagan has very rightly observed that- “Our societies are so exclusively dependent on science and technology and yet the society knows so little about it�, provides us not only the opportunity but also the mandate to: a) De-mystify science and its usefulness to society in tangible and concrete terms and
b) To bring science from the silos of laboratories in the service of societies and mankind. This objective can be achieved by bridging the gap that currently exists between the scholars, researchers, scientists, innovators and the society at large and I find the government as the best medium to do that. Our task is to scout, seed, support scientific work, encourage and incentivise it to align with the priorities of the Central and State Governments. Over the last three months, I have come across so many research based innovations on- bionic arm, an improvement over the Jaipur foot; heat patch for detection of breast cancer, sensor based smart card for detection of UTI, biodegradable material for bone implant, bio-pesticide that has both preventive and curative properties- all of which can or need to be supported by government, if they test the scrutiny of field and clinical trials, we would be encouraging scientists and researchers to spur manufacturing, where they will in turn, as many have, turn into entrepreneurs. By acknowledging the science of design and planning, or conservation and heritage, we can ensure our design of buildings and policy architecture can
Chairing a Meeting on GI and IPR
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include the concept of not just energy efficient and green buildings but also erect through holistic planning buildings without damaging the environmentcutting trees, flattening hillocks, etc. and make provision for passively lit and ventilated structures. Through science education and course modules on science of safe driving, like the one we have at the National Science Park, Jaipur, we can move beyond challans and heavy penalties to educating drivers through stimulated models, the art of accident free navigation on roads, which will save lives and minimise and eventually eliminate collateral damage.
With VCs, Deans and Directors at the Stakeholder Meet
“DST, Rajasthan has also issued the policy guidelines for IPR and patent protection and matrix for royalty sharing etc for Universities, to encourage an ecosystem for promoting research.�
We plan to activate the science and society project as also the academia and industry connect, for which we have a scheme to put science in service of human kind.
One hardly gets to read any good stories and news items on science and technology, with very little coverage in print and media. How do you plan to engage the media and encourage science journalism in Rajasthan? I totally agree with you that a lot more needs to be done to popularise and encourage writing on science at all levels, be it writing research proposals, news, articles, stories in print, electronic or social media or/ and making documentaries and films on science and technology. There is also a felt need to encourage teaching courses on science journalism and editing for science journals, which is a very specialised and lucrative field at the same time. DST, Government of India has a Scheme called AWSAR or Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research to disseminate research stories among masses in an easy to understand and interesting format to the common man. Under this scheme, PhD Scholars and Post-Doctoral Fellows in Science and
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Technology streams are encouraged to write at least one popular science article during the tenancy of their fellowship and to participate in a national competition that awards the best stories. We at DST, Government of Rajasthan are planning to organise a two-day workshop on science journalism and documentary-film making on science and technology related topics for students of journalism, journalists from print, electronic, social media, our own public relation officers (PROs) in various departments and districts, as also camera men and film makers, besides scholars, scientists and researchers, so that we can achieve our objective of enhancing the outreach of science to
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common man, popularise science writing skills and also disseminate science related information in easy to understand manner as also to demystify and facilitate interest in STEMM streams. Apart from this, we are also planning to bring out a series of graphic magazines like the Amar Chitra Katha series for children and monographs on various science related topics of contemporary relevance to explain say for exampleMars Mission-Mangalayan, Chandrayan, on Constellations, Scientists and their Discoveries, AI and Robotics, Nanotechnology, Climate Change etc, to name a few. We also want to do a Science Film Fest and Science Literature Fest and Book Fair in Jaipur to garner interest.
Would you like to share any other innovation that you have done in the last three months of your tenure to popularise science and research? It makes me very happy to share with you that immediately on joining this Department, we curated a monthly Science and Innovation Lecture Series, 2019 providing a platform to scientists, researchers and innovators to showcase their research to all our stakeholders so as to highlight their work and to scout for potential for commercialisation or practical application as also to encourage them with DST acknowledgment and put them in touch with the larger community for
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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
handholding or and fund support. So far, we have held three presentations, the last one on AI by the Secretary, DST, Government of India, himself and our next one is due on November 20, 2019 on disruptive innovation and telemedicine. The other thing we plan to launch shortly, is a Know Your Institution Series, whereby we plan to show case our premier Science and Technology Institutions like BARC, IIS, ISRO, SARC, CSIR, ICMR, ICAR, Vigyan Prasar, various Science Academies, Autonomous Bodies, Science Councils etc. For the first time, we convened a 10-hour long orientation meeting of all Universities attended by their VCs, Directors, Deans and faculty, where DSTs of Government of Rajasthan and Government of India made presentations followed by presentations by 18 out of the 23 Universities giving us and all other Universities a sneak preview of work being done in and across universities as also their expectations and facilitations from DST. We have also issued an advertisement calling for research proposals, proposals for catalytic grant for organising seminars, workshops, and travel grant for attending conferences and funding for student research based on recommendations by experts. We are also providing 45 internship opportunities for students to work with DST, Government of Rajasthan. DST, Rajasthan has also issued the policy guidelines for IPR and patent protection and matrix for royalty sharing etc for Universities, to encourage an ecosystem for promoting research. We are working on getting GI for Sojat Mehndi, scouting for potential GIs in handicrafts, forestry, agriculture-
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Launch of HER and NOW Programme in Rajasthan to skill women entrepreneurs and start-ups
horticulture, foodstuff etc and preparing for a Biotech Conference in Jaipur. For funding and promoting start-ups in science we are partnering with Startup Oasis to provide an impetus to women we have recently launched the Her and Now Programme in Rajasthan in collaboration with Ministry of Skill Development, Government of India and GIZ. End of this year we are planning a big conference on Science, Technology, Research, Innovation, Development and Entrepreneurship called STRIDE 2019, besides another one focussed exclusively on Biotechnology.
How do you plan to generate interest for science amongst young children and students? Please tell us about the Schemes and Programmes for children? We are majorly focussed on children through promotion and support Rs 10,000 to science clubs in 5,000 government schools, where we encourage and fund science teaching aid, model making, and various other activities like science quiz, painting, essay and science drama competitions which culminate in showcasing the best in science and students at the Annual Children’s Science Congress, where
over the years our children have won awards at the national level. DST also encourages annual celebrations of National Science Day on February 28 and National Technology Day on May 11. DST’s INSPIRE-Manak Scheme provides fellowship for science faculty between the age of 15 to 35 years to attract young Indian talent for study of science leading to careers in science and DST, Rajasthan has launched the Knowledge Augmentation through Research in Young Aspirants or KARYA Scheme in 2018 to provide fellowship for science subjects. We are also providing opportunities to science students for working with the Department as interns under our newly curated Internship Scheme which will provide them with an experience certificate of working on a project. DST has also set up well curated National and Sub Regional Science Parks in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jhunjhunu and new ones are coming up in Udaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Bikaner and Bharatpur, besides a Dinotorium and Nuclear Power Gallery at Jaipur. We also have a Planetarium and a 3D
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auditorium at the National Science Park, Jaipur where movies related to science and cosmology are regularly screened. Using our SATCOM facilities we also provide free coaching for STEMM subjects for students as also for candidates appearing in various competitive exams. We are working on starting a DST educational channel for teaching Rajasthan Board science syllabi from standard 6th onwards. A Sarvodaya Reading Room is also being planned in the sesquicentennial year of Mahatma Gandhi for providing a free reading space for students appearing for competitive exams.
National Science Park, Jaipur
under the science and society division
What is your opinion about STEMM not being very attractive to women and how do you plan to change that?
“DST has also set up well curated National and Sub Regional Science Parks in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jhunjhunu and new ones are coming up in Udaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Bikaner and Bharatpur, besides a Dinotorium and Nuclear Power Gallery at Jaipur. ”
Our aim at DST, Rajasthan is to enhance participation of girl child in STEMM through exposure, dissemination of information, expert guidance and financial support and to ensure more fellowships, scholarships, employment opportunities as also self employment and entrepreneurial opportunities through capacity building and training for women. If we look at the macro scenario in India based on various surveys, there are only about 39 percent women in STEMM education, of which 24 percent pass out in school; 22 percent at post graduate level; 28 percent in MPhil and 35 percent in PhD, 12.7 percent in industry, 10 percent as entrepreneurs with a large mid career attrition as also large unemployment rate for women especially in technical and engineering side, reasons for which maybe many but basically requiring mind set change. Therefore, undeniably the need to focus on women is absolutely essential and from early on. DST, Rajasthan has a programme for Women in Science and Technology
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especially for women in rural areas to improve their working conditions and to provide opportunities for gainful employment. DST, Government of India also has a Women Scientists Scheme between age of 27-57 years for encouraging research in basic/applied science; for S&T interventions for societal benefit
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and internship opportunities in IPR for self employment under KIRAN Scheme (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), which is meant to encourage women preferably those taking a break in career and wanting a re-entry. There also exists a program called Vigyan Jyoti for the girl child of classes 9-12th in STEM, which will tap 100 girl students from 550 districts from 2020-25. Besides, all support under the Technology Business Incubation (TBI) Scheme and National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) –Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring (PRAYAS) technology entrepreneurs Scheme for promoting entrepreneurship and start up support is available and open to women. We have also recently launched the HER and NOW Programme in Rajasthan in partnership with Ministry of Skill Development, Government of India and GIZ to skill our women in entrepreneurship and start up to enable them to get self employed or re-entry the market with re-skilling.
What are your initiatives for skilling in science and technology?
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We are promoting skilling and capacity enhancement in a big way, especially for girl children, women, innovators and also science scholars and journalists to enable them to transform ideas to enterprise and for scouting innovations, for improvement in quality of life in rural areas and for science reporting. We have set up a Centre for Converging Technologies in Rajasthan University with a fund support of Rs 8 crore and two upcoming incubation hubs under our Biotech Policy 2015 and for training women scientists under KIRAN Scheme to become Patent Officers to complement our IPR Policy 2019 and Patent Information Centre (PIC) initiative. 71 boot camps for start ups handholding and mentoring have been held and we plan to do more such programmes across Universities and Colleges to promote an eco system for start ups. Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, IPR and Artificial Intelligence are already there or coming up in premier institutions across Rajasthan and we plan to work on Centres for Research in New Materials, Big Data and Data Analytics, Environment and Climate Change, Allergies and Community Health, as also for Design and Heritage Conservation. Our SATCOM Centre is also providing free coaching to students in schools across Rajasthan through satellite ROTs and we are now looking to target our Model Schools.
You say that science, research and innovation can spur industrialisation and Make in India. Can you please elaborate? The next phase of manufacturing will receive a big boost from all the science based research and innovation that is happening in the laboratories,
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DST Orientation Meeting with stakeholder Universities across Rajasthan
incubation centres and rural areas across the country and in fact we will be moving from buying products to investing in ideas and innovation based services. In fact, over the last two decade or so our service sector’s contribution to GDP has increased to 65 percent and this shift will become more pronounced with scientists becoming entrepreneurs and setting up companies, especially as is already happening in the field of education, health, tourism-travel, medical diagnostics and retail. The future already belongs to science and technology especially with Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), M2M, Internet of Things (IoT) and concern for environment and sustainable development will all spur search for new ways of doing things which ease the quality of life without reducing the quality of our environments.
There is a lot of talk about promoting innovations, entrepreneurship start-ups in Science and Technology. Can you please throw some light on your plans and policy in this respect? Edward Teller resonates with me when he says that “The science of today is the technology of tomorrow”, and this is increasingly finding validation with huge number on innovations happening in labs and incubation centres
converting into well invested companies and with scientists becoming entrepreneurs. In fact, the future becomes to the ideas and technology, the new factors of production over and above the four classical factors of land, labour, capital and enterprise. We at DST are heavily invested in creating an ecosystem for start-ups and entrepreneurship by encouraging, promoting, handholding and funding from seed start to patent-commercialise finish an idea, innovation, scientific discovery, invention, process or product and technology that can ease and improve the quality of life of our citizens and society at large, through our umbrella Schemes of NIDHIPRAYAS and Technology Business Incubation. Establishing incubation centres, holding mentoring workshops, idea Hackathons, boot camps and accelerator workshops, skilling women scientists and entrepreneurships with drafting contracts, raising funds, networking and pitching to angel investors is all part of the handholding process. We are working in close coordination with organisations like BIRAC, CIPAM and premier institutions like the IITs, AIIMs, IIMs, Science Councils like CSIR, ICMR, ICAR and also the National and State Innovation Councils to scout for innovations in rural areas and to incentivise, guide and reward them for their work.
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TECHNOLOGY ACTING AS TURNING POINT IN KERALA TRANSPORT SECTOR
K R Jyothilal Principal Secretary, Department of Transport, Kerala
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The deployment of Technology has been one of the turning points in the Transport Sector in mainly two ways. In terms of serving the commuters, the real time information from the Electronic Ticketing Machines are analysed at the Electronic Data Processing Centres (EDPC) for the state-run buses – Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), says K R Jyothilal, Principal Secretary, Department of Transport, Kerala in this exclusive interview with Elets News Network (ENN). [ egov.eletsonline.com ] The Largest Portal on e-Governance in Asia and the Middle East
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Give us an overview of the Transport Sector of Kerala.
economic and environment-friendly means of transportation.
Major transport infrastructure of the State consists of 2.29 lakh km of road, 1588 km of railways, 1687 km of inland waterways and 18 ports with 585 km coastal route and four airports. Roads play a prominent role in public transportation vis-a-vis-other modes of transportation owing to the geographic peculiarities of Kerala with a comparatively lesser rural-urban divide and limited geographical area of 38,863 Sq. km.
Transportation by coastal shipping is the mode for most bulk commodities and long hauling traffic. Kerala has the advantage of a 585 km coastline through which bulk cargos can be transported using multi –modal transshipment points along the coastline. Kerala has one major port at
“Kerala is one of the first states to introduce ‘One Nation, One Card’, issued by National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) issued in the bus and metro systems and first among the states to introduce on a scaled manner.”
Kerala has a total fleet of 20,452 buses; of which 14,499 are private buses (71 percent as on 2019) and 5,636 buses belonging to Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses (27.55 percent). Private buses dominate transport in all districts of Kerala except Thiruvananthapuram. The state has a rail network of 1,257 km route length with a total track length of 1,588 km, operating under the control of Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram Railway Divisions. In Kerala, there are many water bodies like rivers, lakes, estuaries, backwaters, etc. providing adequate scope for Inland Water Transport (IWT) system of 1,895 km length to connect the rivers from one to another. Transportation by IWT is considered as the most efficient
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Kochi, 17 minor ports and an upcoming international shipping terminal at Vizhinjam. Out of the 17 minor ports in Kerala, four are considered
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intermediate ports viz., Vizhinjam, Beypore, Azhikkal and Kollam based on berthing, cargo handling and storage facilities available in them. Kerala has four international airports viz., Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kannur. All civilian airports functioning in the state are international airports, a feature unique to Kerala. Realising the advantages of mass transport system in meeting the intra city commuter needs of major cities, Government of Kerala has embarked on Metro Rail Project for Kochi. With the commissioning of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), major urban corridors are expected to be decongested in these cities. (Economic Review, 2018 – Kerala State Planning Board, GoK)
What are different sections or modes of transport covered under the Kerala Transport Department? The various modes of transport covered under the Department of Transport, Kerala are: l KSRTC is responsible for the passenger transport operations in Kerala. l State Water Transport Department (SWTD) is responsible for regulation of the inland navigation systems and provides for inland water transport facilities. l Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) is responsible for the development of railway infrastructure development in Kerala. It is a joint venture with the Indian railways. l Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) is responsible for matters pertaining to Enforcement of the Motor Vehicles Acts and Rules, Registration of vehicles etc. l Kerala has Four International Airports, Kannur, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kochi l Kerala Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is operational from June 2017 and
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systems and provides for inland water transport facilities.
Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) is responsible for the development POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE of railway infrastructure development in Kerala. It is a joint venture with the Indian railways.
Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) is responsible for matters pertaining to Enforcement of the Motor Vehicles Acts and Rules, Registration of vehicles etc. Kerala has Four International Airports, Kannur, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kochi rail, Kerala Metro Rail Limitedoperations (KMRL) isin operational connect rail,KMRL, road had and State. Averagefrom publicJune 2017 the and general public, the connect road and water water transport facilities. transport share in Kerala is still higher opened up the data in the machinetransport facilities.
than other states, thereby high
District wise bifurcation of private buses across the state is as follows: dependence on the Public Transport
District wise bifurcation of private buses across the state is as follows:
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District
Buses
Kasaragod
355
Kannur
1852
Kozhikode
1493
Wayanad
371
Malappuram
1450
Thrissur
1394
Palakkad
1075
Ernakulam
2303
Kottayam
1432
Idukki
658
Alappuzha
429
Pathanamthitta
447
Kollam
681
Thiruvananthapuram
559
Operations.
Kerala is one of the first states to introduce ‘One Nation, One Card’, issued by National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) issued in the bus and metro systems and first among the states to introduce on a scaled manner. Cochin International Airport is fully Solar powered Airport Operations.
How do you ensure proper streamlining and management of the various aspects of the Department? The respective departments under the Transport Department, Kerala, have well defined individual management system. The offices are computerised with up to date reporting mechanism. In the transport department, e-File system exists for streamlining of various aspects of the department. Meetings at regular intervals of respective sub-departments ensure the efficient management of work.
How is the Transport sector of Kerala different from that of other states?
Has there been deployment of technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Block Chain, and Machine Learning etc.? How has it contributed in serving the commuters better?
Major differences which differentiate Kerala’s transportation system with other states are manifolds. So, Kerala has a number of towns at shorter intervals, due to wide-spread urban agglomeration, especially at the plains and western parts of Kerala. Hence, transport solutions are to be tailormade for Kerala. Also, the stretch of the roads is such that the road widths are narrower with NH being 30m RoW at major stretches of the state. Private operators have an increased share in the fleet strength, ridership etc. for bus
The deployment of technology has been one of the turning points in the Transport Sector in mainly two ways. In terms of serving the commuters, the real time information from the Electronic Ticketing Machines are analysed at the Electronic Data Processing Centres (EDPC) for the state-run buses. Thereby, the routes are modified and rationalised based on the demand to cater the need of the commuters and increase the operational efficiency of the transport system. In terms of the researchers and
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learning format of GTF (General Transit Feed) specification. Thereby, there has been multiple researches and technological upgradation possible with the proposals from the general public. This has made the system to function and serve the passengers better. KMRL along with Rajgiri School of Engineering & Technology (RSET) is presently working on a Big Data Analytics project on public transport, funded by Department of Science & Technology.
Are you planning to introduce or already introduced electric vehicles or any other measures to curb environmental pollution? The government of Kerala has finalised an electric vehicle (EV) policy for the state. The Cabinet approval came with some changes in the draft policy. One of the main aims of this policy is to procure 6,000 electric buses for the state road transport corporation by 2025. Kerala government has organised three events on promotion of mobility with focus on public transport and paving the way for electric mobility. The first such event, ‘Rethinking Urban Mobility’, a seminar co-hosted by WRI-India was organised in Trivandrum and Kochi in 2018. Secondly, a stakeholder seminar was organised to discuss the draft E-Mobility policy in Dec 2018 and in 2019, the final E-mobility policy was rolled out by the government. The third event in its series was the ‘Kerala Electric Mobility Conference and Expo’ (EVOLVE) in June 2019, facilitating a common platform for OEMs, dealers, solution providers in charging Infrastructure, power distribution companies, buyers and financial institutions to create a paradigm shift in the electric mobility in the state. During this event, the Kerala Automobiles Limited (state PSU) and
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HESS (Swiss bus manufacturer) has exchanged MoU for manufacturing of E-buses in the state which could promote faster adoption of electric buses especially for the fleets owned by KSRTC and Kochi E-bus limited.
Not long ago, Kerala was struck by massive floods. How did this aggravate the state’s transport sector and department and how did the department cope with the situation? About 2,004 km of State Highways and 13,246 km of MDR across 14 districts had suffered varying degree of damages during the recent floods. The NH wing had estimated damage of about 580 km of NHs. The post flood impact analysis indicates heavy damages due to land slide/slips in the roads in four hill Districts of Idukki, Wayanad, Pathanamthitta and Palakkad, whereas roads in the seven districts of Alappuzha, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kollam and Kottayam have sustained flash floods, erosion, water stagnation and other flood induced damages. The roads in Thiruvananthapuram, Kasaragod and Kannur Districts had sustained minimal damage. 1,090 km of State Highways and 6,527 km of Major District Roads (MDR) had sustained light damages and largely required pavement rehabilitation through patching, shoulder repairs and limited debris clearance. 734 km of State Highways and 6,463 km of MDRs had sustained medium to heavy pavement damages and required re-laying of surfacing and limited repair of drainage, cross drainage and protection works. 179 km of State Highways (SH) and 256 km of MDR were been fully damaged and required full pavement reconstruction, significant repair/ reconstruction of drainage, cross drainage and slope protection works and limited road raising, and new cross drainage works.
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“The government of Kerala has finalised an electric vehicle (EV) policy for the state. The Cabinet approval came with some changes in the draft policy. One of the main aims of this policy is to procure 6,000 electric buses for the state road transport corporation by 2025.” The overall cumulative damages for State Highways and MDR was estimated to be Rs 7,647 crore and for NHs an additional need of Rs 911 crore has been assessed. The State Government had started providing immediate short-term repair of pavements and cross drainage structure, clearance of debris and
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temporary protection works to restore the access and keep the roads traffic worthy. The rehabilitation of the lightly damaged roads was largely through measures like pothole patching, to keep the roads traffic worthy. 7,197 km of roads (734 km of SH and 6,463 km of MDR) were severely damaged but was recoverable. 36 major and 178 minor bridges, 362 culverts, 43 km length of retaining wall and 169 km of roads side drainage works were severely damaged. Reconstruction of bridges and culverts were assigned on priority followed by adequate hill slope protection and flood protection works. There were additional public transport services, providing the facilities and transport need for the people. Metro operated on a no fare basis thereby helping to transfer the commodities and passengers along the water logged city centre of Kochi, thereby helping to cope with the situation.
What are the other areas of challenge faced by the department? Well, talking about the road blockages, there are many on the platter. With increasing trend of leading luxurious lifestyles, increasing trend in
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Under the new policy, the state will promote the setting up of factories for making EVs, ancillary units and research facilities. Also the development of a Semi High-Speed Rail Corridor across the State is also in the trail. We are also on the mission of establishing a ‘Directorate of Mobility’ under Transport POLICYMAKER’S Department to reform thePERSPECTIVE transport sector and invite investments and management of ‘State Mobility Fund’ and ‘E-Mobility Promotion Fund.’ The enactment of Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authority Bill and Establish MTAs at four airport cities is also on the cards. Box Item
Key Activities
Type
Funding requirement* (INR Cr.)
Constitution of Kerala Bus Port Limited
Under GoK approval
25
Institutionalization of Green mobility corridors for promotion of Public Transport along National Highway (NH66) – Kodungaloor to Eramaloor
Feasibility Study Completed
580.35
Development of E- Bus corridors with priority for electric buses and other buses with clean energy fuels – PoothotaAngamaly (SH 15)
Feasibility Study Completed
677.51
Development of E- Bus Corridor as part of the (Carbon Neutral Sabarimala)
Completed
10 (Civil & EV Charging)
Constitutional of Kerala Multimodal Logistics Hub Limited
Planned
20
Development of Multimodal Logistics Port at Kalamassery
Concept note prepared
50
Development of Munambam-Goshree (link to Paravoor) eBus Corridor
Concept note prepared
160
Development of new generation LRT between Thopumpady and Goshree
Feasibility Study Completed
1000
Development of ICTT Rail-Road project
Pre-Feasibility Study Completed
discussion, before the Legislative Assembly and it is expected to pass by next Legislative Assembly Session. The authority would have a complete control on all modes of transport in Urban area and other connected infrastructure. As a pilot, in Kochi buses were equipped with GPS enabled Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices for providing input for a Journey Planner. The ‘Chalo’ journey Planner launched by the Transport Minister. The fragmented private buses made aggregated as seven units (One Society, One company and five LLPs) and provided in to Electronic Ticketing Machine (ETM) which can accept and the buses are also equipped with passenger Information System (PIS) with panic buttons for passage safety. These buses are also provided with on board surveillance Camera for ensuring safety of woman and other passengers. The processes have started for Driving License Cum Transit Card (Transit card embodied driving licenses). 15,000 auto rickshaws have been aggregated and formed to a single society. The society was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister of Kerala at Kochi. Now the society is controlling the last mile connectivity of Metro with E-rickshaw (of Kinetic Green). There are many future plans for the society of auto rickshaw drivers.
What are your plans in pipeline for the upcoming years?
personal vehicle registration is surging on the go. Roads are being filled with more and more personal vehicles. This is because of the poor condition of public transport and lack of incentives to use public transport. The obstacles haven’t come to end terms as yet, other such issues include inadequate augmentation of road infrastructure, reduced dependence on inland water network, poor non-motorised
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transport, congestion in metropolitan areas, etc.
Please mention some of the innovative initiatives taken over the past few years? Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authority is under formulation, the respective bill was placed for
Under the new policy, the state will promote the setting up of factories for making EVs, ancillary units and research facilities. Also the development of a Semi High-Speed Rail Corridor across the State is also in the trail. We are also on the mission of establishing a ‘Directorate of Mobility’ under Transport Department to reform the transport sector and invite investments and management of ‘State Mobility Fund’ and ‘E-Mobility Promotion Fund.
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SPOTLIGHT: GEOLOGY & MINING
Technology Playing Big Role in Streamlining Mining Activity Dr Roshan Jacob
Special Secretary and Director, Geology and Mining, Government of Uttar Pradesh
The Geology and Mining Department has decided to use technology in a big way to keep a tab on illegal mining in various districts of the state. Therefore, an artificial intelligence-based Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS) has been established by the Directorate of Geology and Mining to streamline the mining activity in the state, says Dr Roshan Jacob, Special Secretary and Director, Geology and Mining, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in an exclusive interview with Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN).
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What technological initiatives have been undertaken by the Geology and Mining Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh? The Geology and Mining Department has decided to use technology in a big way to keep a tab over illegal mining in various districts of the state. The attempt is to ensure that all mines work under a transparent and legal regime, which is equally applicable to all and not based on random enquiries and extortion.
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SPOTLIGHT: GEOLOGY & MINING
Therefore, an artificial intelligencebased Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS) has been established by the Directorate of Geology and Mining to streamline the mining activity in the state. The Unified Revenue Command Centre, which has been set up in the Directorate campus, Khanij Bhawan, Lucknow, was recently inaugurated.
well. We have come up with the online registration of vehicles and it is good to see that more than 25,000 vehicles have been registered with us so far.
How are you monitoring the overall mining activities and how is it helping in curbing the illegal mining?
It is being integrated with all mines in the state from where all mines will be monitored using PTZ/CCTV cameras and drones by an artificial intelligencesoftware.
We are ensuring that all the mines have installed PTZ cameras equipped with night vision capabilities
In sand, 721 mines were advertised, of which 546 were auctioned along with the issuance of Letter of Intent. Out of this, 400 were operationalised. 130 mines of rock have also been operationalised. The process of mine allotment is through dual stage process of e tender cum e auction. All mining activity is being done under surveillance of PTZ CCTV cameras and usage of drones in these mines. In order to keep the records of vehicles, the Mining Department has also decided to partner with the Transport and GST Departments.Until now, only the Transport Department had the database of trucks, but now, it will be with the Mining Department as
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“We are ensuring that all the mines have installed PTZ cameras equipped with night vision capabilities and Weigh Bridges linked with the Unified Revenue Command Centre.”
and Weigh Bridges linked with the Unified Revenue Command Centre. So far, 88 Weigh Bridges have been installed and integrated and the number is increasing daily. While the devices installed in the Weigh Bridges transmit the real time data over the internet to IoT infrastructure in cloud, the PTZ cameras capture 360-degree mining activities and transmit live video to the command centre. For the first time, the Department has made it mandatory to attach a Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) to trucks ferrying minerals from mines. If any vehicle has already installed VTS device, it should be linked with our command centre. This will give an update to the command centre during entry and exit from a mining area. We are leaving no stone unturned to stop illegal mining. On one hand, there are drones to keep an eye on mining activities from the sky, the minerals are being transported from the mining site to depots on trucks equipped with
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SPOTLIGHT: GEOLOGY & MINING
Global Positioning System (GPS), on the other. In addition, eMM11 receipt (also called e-Ravanna) is being generated online with a tamper free QR code. After every boarding from a mine, a mining officer seals and scans the truck and receipt on the mobile app. It is checked by NIC server before sending it to command centre. The mineral storage data is available online district-wise and can be accessed by anyone from anywhere.
What are other future plans to strengthen the system? With the help of Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Ltd. (UPDESCO), the Geology and Mining Department is planning to start a pilot project at Toll Plaza, Nawabganj, between Lucknow and Kanpur. Trucks registered with the Mining Department will be permitted to transport minerals and each truck will have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. We are in talks with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to install CCTV cameras and RFID scanners at Toll Plaza that will send images to the command centre. Geo-fencing in the mining areas is also being set up gradually. It will
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“In the near future, minerals can be booked online and will be delivered at the given address. By doing this, we are not only trying to ensure transparency in the system but also facilitating customers at their doorsteps.� enable us to curb mining in any area where a lease has not been issued. Our aim is to minimise human intervention and move onto a comprehensive digital platform. Hence, drone cameras will be deployed to check whether the lease-holder is carrying out mining activities in the allotted area and in accordance with the quantity approved by the mining department. We have a law enforcement mobile application, which is installed in the dedicated devices of all mining officers at the state and district level including District Magistrates and police officials.
If there is any complaint related to illegal mining, an alert goes to all the officials at one click for necessary action. In the near future, minerals can be booked online and will be delivered at the given address. By doing this, we are not only trying to ensure transparency in the system but also facilitating customers at their doorsteps.
How helpful is Photogeology and Remote Sensing (PGRS) in mineral exploration? We have explored more than 205 new mining areas sprawling over 7,124 hectares through Photogeology and Remote Sensing (PGRS). It is the science of obtaining information about an object or area through the analysis of data acquired by a device that is not in contact with the object or area under investigation. Remote sensing data is interpreted on the basis of recognition element such as tone, colour, pattern, shape, size, association and shadow. The work of geo-fencing in the new areas has been achieved 100 percent in 12 districts and is under progress in the remaining districts. Remotely sensed data are critical for understanding earth resources as they can be collected even for the inaccessible geographic areas. Additionally, satellite data can be acquired repeatedly covering a large area. Based on the above interpretation Regional Geological, Geomorphological and tectonic maps of a large area are prepared in a very short span of time.These maps provide very useful information for detailed investigation aimed at mineral targeting and proximate sources of mineral wealth.
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SPOTLIGHT:: AGRI-ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Agri-entrepreneurship needs to be strengthened for more profitable prospects Dr. Jiju P Alex, Director of Extension, Kerala Agricultural University speaks on the need to facilitate the environment of entrepreneurship enhancement as much as possible, strengthen that ecosystem and fill up all the technological gaps so that people can have access to feasible technology which can be translated into practical and profitable enterprises in an exclusive interview with Sudheer Goutham of Elets News Network (ENN).
Dr Jiju P Alex
Director of Extension, Kerala Agricultural University
In Kerala, we have a very good start-up ecosystem. The Kerala Start-up Mission has been substantially contributing to the concerns of the state. Kerala has been branded as one place that has more ease of doing business and a lot of promotional support provided to the young entrepreneurs. 56
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How has been your collaboration with the government? Can you also tell us about the exact role of you as the Director of Extension? The Kerala Agriculture University is the premier source of technological information in agriculture to the farming community of the state. Since the Department of Agriculture is the sole agency which is responsible for
developmental interventions in the agricultural sector, we have to organically work closely with the government. We are the main technology provider as far as the agriculture sector is concerned. Therefore, we have a very active association with the Department of Agriculture and we are providing them with technological support in various forms. As it is the case with any agricultural university, our university has
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SPOTLIGHT: AGRI-ENTREPRENEURSHIP
the mandate of agricultural extension apart from research and education. The mandate of the Extension Directorate of the university is to conduct frontline extension activities which are intended to provide information and training to the officials of the Department of Agriculture. We do it through a series of interactions with the department officials. Whenever there is a technical issue, we try to appraise them of the developments that are happening in that sector and or this, we conduct awareness programmes, training, etc. Through the net work of Krishi Vigyan Kendras in every district, we demonstrate new technologies, conduct field trials of new technologies and apart from these, we are stakeholders in planning agricultural programmes for local self government institutions At the University, we have Zonal Research and Extension Advisory Councils where the department personnel and scientists have meaningful discussions. We interact with each other, they come up with their problems and we share the solutions with them that we have. Most of the times, these interactions turn out to be inputs for research as well. The university is also a member of several committees and consultation groups at the state and national levels. In fact, the entire workforce of the Agricultural Department is made up of human resources trained by the agricultural university through various courses, vocational programmes etc. That is how we support the Government at large. At the same time, the university is a key player in formulatingmajor policies related to agricultural production and productivity in the state.
How is the Information Communications Technology being utilised by the Department? Information Communications Technology
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(ICT) in my observation has got multiple uses in agriculture. ICT can be constructively used for multiple purposes. Apart from knowledge management and information dissemination, ICT can be used for managing rural databases, gathering current and real time data on agricultural production, assessing and managing natural resources, etc. In Kerala, we are moving towards a full-fledged system of e-governance, particularly in local self-governments. Government agencies are also being computerised. The Department of Agriculture will be fully computerised with state-of-art management information systems. This would enhance the efficiency of their service delivery systems considerably. As I told you, the local self-government institutions are already computerised. Several transactions have gone paperless and all development offices are following their path. Hence there is an e-governance ecosystem in the state government. The schools run by the government are also becoming hi-tech. Likewise, in every sector we are in the process of converting governance into e-governance. It is in this context, the
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University is trying to make the technology dissemination process more efficient by making use of ICTs. We are using mobile apps, social media and we also have a repository of educational videos on agriculture. The TV channels in Kerala have exclusive programmes on agriculture. Kerala is the state with highest literacy in the country and the number of people depending upon newspaper is quite high. The traditional and modern media are used in technological dissemination for public consumption. However, personal access to customised information which is required by farmers, particularly in the view of climatechange, has become all the more important. For example, farmers should get information to take decisions regarding crops to be cultivated, market, price fluctuations and such things that are dynamic. Hencethe availability of precise information in customised manner has to be enhanced further.
To what extent has Kerala been able to integrate Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agricultural development?
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SPOTLIGHT:: AGRI-ENTREPRENEURSHIP
In agriculture, these are the two newly emerging domains.We have not been able to do substantial things about them. We are in the process of making use of the possibilities. There are a few things we can do to enhance profitability of small-scale holders and make marketing efficient by employing these technologies. The government has started thinking about leveraging the Blockchain technology. We have a state level Development and Innovation Strategic Council looking into the prospects of instituting full traceability of agricultural products, AI for automating farm operations and Big Data analytics for assessing consumer preferences and market trends. These technologies would also help us in knowledge management.The university is trying to collaborate with the council to explore possibilities of employing these technologies in agriculture. At University, we are trying to train our faculty in these domains and bring in resource persons with expertise. We are trying for collaborations with people.
Can you mention something about the incubation for startups in the state? In Kerala, we have a very good start-up ecosystem. The Kerala Start-up Mission
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has been promoting entrepreneurship commendably. Kerala has been branded as one place where there is more ease of doing business and a lot of promotional support provided to the young entrepreneurs. Coming back to agriculture, during the last five years or so, there has been an upsurge in creating awareness on agrientrepreneurship in the state, thanks to the efforts of the state department of agriculture. And we have been conducting an annual event called Value Addition for Gaining Income in Agriculture (VIGA) to attract entrepreneurs, help them show case their products and services and to provide them with support. VAIGA has turned out to be a mega event that attracts entrepreneurs and innovators across the state. It has started yielding considerably. People are now becoming aware of the prospects of doing business in agriculture. Now, Kerala Agricultural University has also devised so many new programmes in line with the common trend that we see right now in the state. We have already established incubation centres in our campuses. We have recently established aRashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RAFTAAR) Agri-Business Incubation Centre for the first time in the state. We have started establishing the incubation centre. Once that comes up we will be able to incubate about 40 people at a go. We have selected the 40 entrepreneurs and their training is over. We anticipate that they will be funded by the government on the basis of their proposals. We have two Agri Clinics and AgriBusiness Centres at the university, funded by the National Institute of Agriculture Extension Management. We are training entrepreneurs in these centres. And more than that we have a network of small incubators and
processing centres where ordinary farmers can also come and learn about value addition and do small scale business by making use of our facilities till the time they can establish on their own. We are also going to launch a very innovative training programme called Farm Business School for the first time wherein people can come and learn basic business skills along with technology. We will facilitate transfer of technology from the university to the people who are interested. We are also thinking of giving institutional support to get trained, avail technology as well as financial assistance. This is how we are enhancing entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector.
Can you mention the kind of start-ups that have come in agriculture and the nature of these start-ups? The start-ups in agriculture in Kerala are mostly in the development stage and most of them are in processing or value addition of agricultural products. We have an array of quality products that can be showcased internationally. There are so many people coming up with initiatives in processing and value addition, even Farmer Producer Organisations are also joining hands. We have several Farmer Producer Organisations nurtured by the state government and the University. They are involved in agricultural production, nursery management, production of quality seedlings, organic manure, bio fertilisers, etc. Similarly many new avenues are emerging. Most of them are interested in value addition particularly on products from coconuts, jack, medicinal rice, fruits etc. These are the major sectors wherein people invest now. There are also few start-ups focused on providing services to farmers. For example, there are app-based services, consultancy firms and real
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SPOTLIGHT: AGRI-ENTREPRENEURSHIP
private sector as well. We are seriously considering models of pubic private partnership in service delivery and extension.
time on the field technology support. Now we are trying to have start-ups to support production process, like transaction of raw materials across producers, which may help proliferation of B2B activities. There is ample scope for forward and backward linkages in farm related business.
What is the vision of your organisation for the next five or 10 years?
Are there any digital platforms that have been created to connect the farmers’ community start-ups? This possibility is being explored by the state government and they are going to have buyer- seller and B2B platforms. Some prototypes have been attempted and are being tested for proof of efficacy. University is also starting to work on such projects. We are now planning to find people with expertise and experience to construct such platforms and connect producers with the people on a regulated basis to avoid exploitation of farmers.
Any collaboration with private companies or IT companies? So far, we have not entered into any formal collaboration in the field of extension. Several companies have approached us to provide them with data, information and consultancy. We are trying to find out if such associations would be possible or not. Being in the public sector, we have to facilitate farmers as much as possible. Infact, the major lookout of the government is to strengthen public sector initiatives so that farmers can benefit from them. As of now, as far as direct engagement with farmers are concerned, we would like to strengthen mostly the public sector. That does not mean that the private sector would not be acknowledged and given support. All these entrepreneurship development programmes envisage fostering of
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The vision of the organisation is to bolster entrepreneurship development as much as possible, strengthen that ecosystem and fill up all the technological gaps so that people can have access to feasible technology which can be translated into practical and profitable enterprises. That is abig concern and we are trying to set up infrastructure, systems, etc. at the university to make this happen with a futuristic perspective. Second, we have to venture into new technologies that can add value to the activities of farmers. For example, evolving high yielding varieties, developing technologies for climate-resilient agriculture etc. would be our priorities. We may also focus on customized technology advocacy for our agroecological zones, with focus on sustainability. The state has been divided into 23 unique aAgro-ecological zones. We have to come up with a proper course of action for production and post-harvest handling of each crop, based on the geographical, soil and climatological features of those zones. The Hon. Vice Chancellor has chalked out specific programmes with these objectives.
What do you think is the need of the hour that the Government of India can do for the growth, progress, and support of the agricultural sector in the nation? The agricultural sector in the nation is basically in distress. As we all know, debates on means to enhance domestic production, regulating imports of agricultural goods, dealing with the implications of various
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multilateral and bilateral trade agreements are going on. All of these are going to influence the prospects of farmers in India. Withdrawing support for farmers would be catastrophic as farmers cannot be left to the vagaries of the market all of a sudden. Instead, they have to be supported till the time they can stand on their own. Any move on the part of the Government to withdraw institutional support to farmers is going to be very risky. This is my opinion about subsidies, financial support and various resources that are made available to the farmers. More focus is to be given to the formation of farmer collectives so that they can aggregate their resources and manage their outputs in such a way that they are not being discriminated by the market forces. They have to be consolidated and should evolve as a big presence in the market. And whatever organisation form required for that purpose has to be instituted and supported. In fact, we are not against the prospects of the market, but we uphold the opinion that interests of resource less farmers have to be safeguarded. It is very important because you cannot just throw all those farmers away to the whims and fancies of the market without imparting adequate skills and providing resources.
Any message you would like to give to the readers of eGov Magazine? Developing agriculture in India is very important because it is a sector that affect the lives of millions of people even though the contribution of agriculture to India’s total GDP is gradually decreasing. Agriculture has to be supported, enhanced as much as possible. Hope your prestigious publication would devote more time and space to propagate the issues in agricultural development and bring about solutions to the problems that farmers face.
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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE
How Data and IT are Changing the Face of Digital India India’s digital initiatives are based on use of technology that is affordable, inclusive and transformative. The Digital India programme aims to transform India into a knowledge based economy and a digitally empowered society, writes Prem Narayan, Deputy Director General, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
I
n 21st century, Information Technology (IT) is not just a vertical anymore but part and parcel of every person’s daily life. It has been defined as the century of advancement of and application of IT which act as a change agent in different aspects of business and society. The Indian IT sector is divided into four
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segments- IT services, software and engineering services, business process management (BPM), and hardware. The IT-BPM sector is expected to contribute more than 45 percent in total services export. India’s digital initiatives are based on use of technology that is affordable, inclusive and transformative. The
Prem Narayan
Deputy Director General, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
Digital India programme aims to transform India into a knowledge based economy and a digitally empowered society. India is truly in lift-off phase of digital adoption, being the second fastest digitising country amongst a set of 17 emerging and mature digital economies. Public digital platforms like Aadhaar, BHIM-UPI, GSTN and GeM coupled
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with private sector innovation have accelerated digital adoptions in India. The digital delivery of services has simplified the way in which citizens interact with government to avail various services and has enhanced the ease of living of the citizens. The new and emerging technologies are significantly impacting the processes and aspirations in critical sectors like agriculture, education, health etc. the deployment of these technologies – Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Drones and Robotics, have the potential for innovation and immense value addition in these sectors. More data has been created in the past two years than in the entire previous history of the human race. By 2020, about 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every second of every day for every human being on the planet. It will come from the web, billions of phones, sensors, payment systems, cameras, and a huge array of other sources. As data grows more voluminous, distilling it and bringing it to life through visualisation is becoming critical to helping make data analyses digestible for decision makers. Visualisation is vital to meeting the last-mile challenge of discovering value in massive data sets, and if India is to build a trillion-dollar digital economy, it needs to make the discipline a national priority. Indeed, India has launched several initiatives to create aggregated data portals and visualisation tools. The government created a national
open data portal (data.gov.in) in 2012 to increase transparency in public affairs and make data available to the public to encourage its innovative use. Currently, the portal offers access to data from more than 170,000 resources, including data and documents published by various government departments and agencies. The site is comparable to national open-data platforms launched elsewhere. Government agencies can expand the coverage and scope of open data and dashboards in the future, and they can harness data for specific applications and use cases to improve the economic and social lives of citizens. For example, - Jan-Dhan financial-inclusion scheme, Aadhaar ID cards, and mobile phones — can be used to better target the allocation of government subsidies. Government agencies around the world are achieving analytics-based impact. Data analytics industry growth will depend on factors such as data availability, utility, innovation,
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anonymity, and privacy. The value of India’s data analytics industry is projected to rise to USD 16 billion by 2025. A South American country used machine-learning algorithms on geospatial data to predict patterns of disease transmission and developed proactive measures against the Zika virus. It allowed optimised actions by identifying transmitter municipalities and ensured proper assessment of all municipalities. Beyond the government, privatesector enterprises in India will be active users of data analytics and visualisation. Companies are likely to invest more aggressively in data and analytics capabilities, building data centres, cloud storage solutions, and analytics software platforms, and in hiring employees knowledgeable about using data and analytics to drive business impact. Innovating to serve such clients will enable India’s digital companies to evolve to address an international need for data-driven analytics. In fact, India could emerge as a global hub. The right policy framework and adequate collaboration by stakeholders are necessary to lay the groundwork for the development of new and innovative use cases to deliver value to the government as well as its citizens.
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SPOTLIGHT: AGRO MARKETING
Assam to renew thrust in adopting ICT tools and technologies in Agro-Marketing The Government of Assam has laid considerable emphasis on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools for promoting efficiency and transparency, engaging citizens for their ideas and suggestions, improved service delivery through cross departmental interconnection, data analytics for gaining insights for better decision making shares Palit Kumar Borah, Chairman, Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board (ASAMB) and Senior Vice Chairman, National Council of State Agricultural Marketing Board (COSAMB), New Delhi in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN). Palit Kumar Borah
Chairman, Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board (ASAMB) and Senior Vice Chairman, National Council of State Agricultural Marketing Board (COSAMB), New Delhi
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Give us an overview of Assam’s agro marketing sector. At present the population of Assam is 3.20 crore. The economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 70 percent of the
population engaged in it. Assam produces both food and cash crops. The principal food crops produces in the state are rice (paddy), maize (corn), pulses, potato, wheat etc. The principal cash crops are tea, jute, betel nut (supari), oilseeds, sugarcane and
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bamboo. Although rice is the most important and staple crop of Assam, its productivity over the years has increased season over season, while other crops have also seen a considerable increase in productivity as well as land acreage. A similar increase was observed in the production of maize, potato and mustard. The state is also rich in production of horticultural crops, especially vegetables during Rabi season. The marketing of these crops are performed through the traditional markets and markets established by Market Committees constituted under the Assam Agricultural Produce Marketing Act, 1972. But the organised marketing system could not succeed in the state as three parallel acts control the establishment of markets and marketing of agricultural produce. The farmers of the state feel better to sell their produce in the farm gate, rather to bring in a regulated market enhancing remunerative price. Again, grading of agricultural produce by farmers are sparsely seen for which they are not receiving premium price.
What are some of the farmer welfare schemes taken by the Board in the past few years? The Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board has taken various initiatives as a measure for farmer welfare, such as establishment of markets with infrastructure (storage and assembling), formation and registration of growers’ societies, distribution of quality seeds, imparting trainings on market led production and post-harvest management system, information of arrivals and price through internet to name a few.
What are the steps taken by you to abolish the system of mediators between farmers and consumers? To eradicate the mediators, the Board has provided ‘farmers’ shops’ for the
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registered growers’ societies, by which the members of the societies could sell their farm produce directly to the consumers without involving the middlemen. Such process is being taken in all the district headquarters of the State. Fruits and vegetable wholesale market at Guwahati has already been established and steps have been taken for establishment of organic markets as well. The Board has also taken steps for development of Banana market, Darrangiri, one of the oldest markets in western Assam with all modern infrastructural facilities. On the other hand all initiatives are taken to establish a terminal market in the Barak Valley region at Silchar, where farmers will be facilitated to sell their produce directly.
With the advent of Digital India scheme of the Government of India, what are the technology deployments done in the board? The Government of Assam has laid considerable emphasis on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools for promoting efficiency and transparency in its functioning. With a vision to usher in effective, participative and open governance, the Government is committed to renew thrust in adoption of emerging ICT tools and technologies. Establishment of electronic platform for presenting unified face of the Government, for engaging citizens for their ideas and suggestions, improved service delivery through cross departmental interconnection, data analytics for gaining insights for better decision making are some of the key drivers for the next level transformation. As a first step, the Government websites have been standardised and the website of the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board has been integrated with the Government websites under URL https://asamb.assam.gov.in. The Board has taken various ICT initiatives in the line of Digital India with a vision of
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Activities carried out so far are uploading market information in Agmarknet portal, ICT infrastructure development, capacity building of the officials on ICT through training, development and application of software, digitisation of information, extensive use of e-communication etc. prompt and quality services, transparency in the system, efficiency at work, human resources development, etc. Activities carried out so far are uploading market information in Agmarknet portal, ICT infrastructure development, capacity building of the officials on ICT through training, development and application of software, digitisation of information, extensive use of e-communication etc.
What are the major agricultural products of Assam which are exported? The major agricultural produce exported are bao paddy (red rice), scented rice (joha), banana, pineapple, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, orange, seedless and scented lemon (kazi nemu), cucumber, etc. Moreover, other produce such as black rice, komal chaul (soft rice), bora chaul (sticky rice), jackfruit, turmeric, bhoot chilli (ghost chilli) grown in abundance in the State has export potentiality.
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SPOTLIGHT: TRANSPORT SECTOR
KSRTC: Leveraging technology to offer last mile service to commuters and crew
Shivayogi C Kalasad Managing Director, KSRTC
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The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is taking multiple initiatives in terms of IT/ICT implementation to offer a smart and convenient commuting experience to the passengers, says Shivayogi C Kalasad, Managing Director, KSRTC. In this interview with Elets News Network (ENN), he also talks about the safety and environment-friendly measures taken by the Corporation.
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SPOTLIGHT: TRANSPORT SECTOR
What are the latest initiatives you have undertaken to streamline online services? The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has undertaken various online services to offer better services to our passengers. Web-based Passenger Reservation System (AWATAR- Anywhere Anytime Advance Reservation) is in practice for advance ticket booking and revenue collection. KSRTC counters at major Bus Stands/ Terminals through Point of Sale (POS) machines to bring convenience to the passengers in terms of ticket booking. Moreover, franchise counters across Karnataka and the neighbour states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu have been constructed. To establish better communication with passengers, we have utilised the SMS facility for advance booking, cancellation, journey reminder alerts, and trip sheet alerts to passengers with advance reservation tickets. Mobile telephone numbers of advance booking passengers are printed on the trip sheets provided to the conductor so as to contact passengers if needed. Apart from that, we have installed several IT and ICT measures within the sector.
Please tell us about some of the e-services offered by KSRTC. We have enabled the users to book tickets through ‘Mobile-one application’, the e-governance project of the Government of Karnataka. The booking methods include:
The mobile application is available for Android and iOS platforms. Master franchise booking process is also enabled within the app. For the convenience of the passengers, we have not applied payment gateway charges for the booking. Even unregistered users can utilise the platform for ticket booking by selecting the Guest User platform. We also offer the facility to convert counter or franchisee tickets to
“To provide better and environmental friendly transport facility, as a pilot project, we have planned to deploy 70 electric buses in KSRTC. It is proposed to run these buses between BangaluruMysuru, BangaluruKolar and BangaluruTumkur.” e-tickets or m-tickets, wherein passengers can show ID proof and e-ticket or m-ticket for the journey.
How do you rate the current Depot Infrastructure and what are the new measures you are planning to execute?
Electric Booking (E-Booking) and Mobile Booking (M-Booking): Booking can be done through Credit Card,
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Debit Card, Rupay, net banking and UPI enabled mobile wallets. Payments can be made through Credit, Debit Card, Rupay, net banking and UPI enabled mobile wallet or cash cards.
We are ensuring to provide adequate Infrastructure facilities at depots. Drinking water facility, crew resting
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rooms with bed and clean toilets have been provided. Separate rest rooms have been provided to women employees. Facilities like Nitrogen tyre Air filling equipments, tyre mounting, and demounting machines have been provided to depots, for improving the safety and performance of the tyres.
What are the measures taken by KSRTC for better employee management? To ensure transparency in the allocation of duty to the crew, we have implemented computerised Duty Rota System. We have also introduced computerised leave kiosk for ensuring a systematic procedure in providing leave to the staff in all the Depots. To make the procedure of getting eligible leave simpler, mobile-based App has been introduced, wherein crew can apply and avail leave by himself.
Training for employees is very crucial. Will you please apprise us of the initiatives undertaken to provide regular and updated training to employees? In KSRTC, on regular basis training programs on various aspects are being conducted at Training centers for its staff and officers are as follows: R Refreshing training programmes for staff and officers R Induction training for newly recruited staff and officers R Special Training Programmes on Personality Development and soft skills for staff and officers R KMPL Training for low KMPL drivers and Driver Training Instructors in coordination with PCRA R During the year 2017-18, as many as 4199 drivers have been trained, by which 3.00 lakh litres of HSD worth of Rs1.68 were saved to the corporation by improved KMPL.
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R R
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And for the year 2018-19, the figures are 5109 drivers, 5.67 lakh litres and Rs 3.30 crores savings respectively Road Safety Training for Driver & Driver -cum- conductor Special high-end Volvo/Scania bus driving training for both newly recruited and regular drivers Technical skill Training for Mechanical staff, like BS4 vehicles, Engine, Gearbox maintenance, in collaboration with M/s Ashoka, Leyland /Eicher/ Volvo / BPCL Pvt. Companies expert trainers Special training programmes for
“The KSRTC mobile application is available for Android and iOS platforms. Master franchise booking process is also enabled within the app. For convenience of the passengers, we have not applied payment gateway charges for booking.” ongoing Retiring staff and officers R Special training for female staff on empowerment, safety at workplace and sexual harassments R We impart Skill Training to public unemployed youths on heavy vehicle driving, light vehicle driving and other various Mechanical trades under Chief Minister Skill Development Govt. schemes. R 6-Axis Motion-based simulator with customised software is being
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used at Malavalli training Centre capable of simulating behavior with bus on new & degraded roads in a pre-selected scenario to improve the safety and fuel efficiency of the drivers R Advanced Driver Assisted System (ADAS) & Collision Avoidance System (CAS) is being introduced for detecting drowsiness of drivers during night driving R A First Aid Training Programs to the drivers and conductors. It is a regular routine process in KSRTC.
driving practices, parking of vehicles during night times and also parking the vehicles in safe places en-route on the road d. Observance of a Road Safety Day once a month in all Depots to create awareness among drivers
Is there any specific training programme for drivers to impart safety measures?
l We have improved vehicle maintenance practices. Emphasis is given on preventive maintenance to improve the safety aspects in the operation of buses. l We ensure fitting speed governor devices in all vehicles and frequent checking of the devices to ensure proper working condition. KSRTC subjects the vehicles to 10 point checks before sending them on route/operation, emergency doors, first aid boxes, hazard lamp, tail lamps, headlights, brake lights, front and rear indicators, tyre condition, windshield glass and electrical system (Battery, Cable wiring, wipers, rearview mirrors etc. l Allot fixed vehicle and driver to the schedule. l Provide adequate rest to the crew between two spells of duty. l Improve driving comfort with ergonomically designed driver seats by reducing driver-fatigue by providing power steering and synchromesh gearbox in the buses. l Identify drivers who consume alcohol by constant monitoring and if necessary such drivers are sent for de-addiction programme. l While booking crew for night service and long distance routes, sufficient rest is provided before sending them on duty. l We are deploying senior/skilled drivers who have undergone
KSRTC regularly trains its drivers regarding Road Safety and
driving habits in Three Training Centers located at Bengaluru, Hassan, Mysore (Malavalli) and Chikamagalur. The details of the trainings are as under. a. Refresher training – A three days training programme for all the Drivers focusing particularly on accident prevention b. Special training for accident-prone drivers c. Imparting training to create Awareness to Drivers about safe
Tell us more about the safety Awareness Campaigns run by KSRTC across the state? The following safety measures are followed in all depots of KSRTC:
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l l
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rigorous training and qualified by the concerned bus manufacturers on highend and modern buses such as Volvo, Benz and Scania. Implement restriction on the speed of buses. Maintain high end and modern buses such as Volvo, Benz and Scania, etc. by the Technical Staff who are trained by the respective companies from time to time. Also, the maintenance of these buses is under the supervision of the engineers of vehicle manufactures. Identify accident-prone spots and displaying of advisory information in the depots for the information of drivers. We educate drivers about the effects of accidents, loss of precious human lives, financial loss by way of vehicle damage and compensation. All night service drivers will be subjected to breathe analyser test before sending them on duty. Conducting surprise checks on drivers with breathe analysers to identify drunken driving, en-route We are installing checkpoints between 1 am to 5 am at various locations to ensure that drivers stop their vehicles for 15 to 20 minutes. This enables them to refresh and safe driving. There is a ban on the usage of mobile phones while driving. We are providing adequate Fire Detection & Suppression System (FDSS) in Volvo/Benz/Scania buses to cope up with emergency fire hazards and proper training to the crew regarding their operation. We provide information to the passengers about emergency exit door in the bus and how to open it in local language as well as in English. Proper display of Emergency Exit signage inside the buses is also installed. Display of banners in the major Bus Stations about the ban on carrying explosives in the buses of the Corporation is also exhibited.
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What are the measures taken by KSRTC to maintain environmental conservation? KSRTC organises routine emission checks for the entire fleet at regular intervals of once in six months by the networked Emission Centres at all divisions and Emission certificates have also been displayed in all buses for the same. Upgraded smoke emission checking machines have been provided at all the depots of the Corporation for regular smoke emission checks every month. Surprise checks at bus stands
varieties of plants are screened by high-level committee.
What are your plans for introducing electric buses or CNG buses? To provide better and environmentally friendly transport facility, as a pilot project, we have planned to deploy 70 electric buses in KSRTC. It is proposed to run these buses between Bangaluru-Mysuru, Bangaluru-Kolar and Bangaluru-Tumkur. Further, KSRTC has submitted its expression of interest on July 8, 2019, to the Under Secretary (AEI), Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India for sanction of 70 electric buses under FAME-2 to operate the same on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) /operational cost basis. The sanction from the Department of Heavy Industries is awaited.
There are a couple of states who have started dedicated services for women passengers. Are there any such plans in your states? BMTC is providing dedicated service for women. At present, there are no dedicated services for women passengers in KSRTC. In future, KSRTC may plan to provide dedicated services for women passenger based on demand and viability.
for once in four months and Division level surprise checkup is also being carried out across all depots and bus stands by Green Squad vehicle called “Prakruthi’’. During the year 2019, we have planted approximately 8,000 saplings at various locations of KSRTC bus stands, depots, offices, workshops and training centers with drip facilities and
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As many as nine seats in Ordinary and Express services, 14 seats in City service and two seats in premier services are earmarked for women. Apart from these, in premier services, ‘single lady quota’ option available in advance reservation premier service wherein woman travelling alone can book seat separately. The adjacent seat booked under ‘single lady quota’ will be available for booking to ladies only.
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SPOTLIGHT: HORTICULTURE
Horticulture in Odisha has emerged as a potential sector moving beyond the rural confines towards commercial production making room for income enhancement, employment generation, entrepreneurship development and nutritional security, says Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, Director, Horticulture, Government of Odisha in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).
ODISHA HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT EMPHASISES ON HIGH-VALUE PRODUCES Please share an overview of the Horticulture sector of Odisha.
Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya
Director, Horticulture, Government of Odisha
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Horticulture in Odisha has emerged as a potential sector, offering a spectrum of choices to the farmers for crop diversification. This sector has moved from rural confines to commercial production and promotes private sector investment in the Production Management system. Moderate spell of low temperature at higher altitudes provides a congenial condition for growing off-season vegetables and flowers. Income enhancement, employment generation, entrepreneurship development and nutritional security to the farmer families have been increased along with the export facility of fruits and vegetables with the introduction of new technologies. As much as 13.6 lakh ha., which accounts for 22 percent of the total cultivable areas of the state are covered under horticulture. Fruits and vegetables take up 6,63,520 ha., flowers take up 6,605 ha., plantation crops take up 2,06,819 ha. and spices take up 1,48,673 ha. Odisha is a leading
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SPOTLIGHT: HORTICULTURE
producer of vegetables, fruits, and spices with an annual production of 90 lakh Metric Tonnes (MT), 20 lakh MT and five lakh MT respectively.
What are the unique agro products of the state? Turmeric of Kandhamal district and Kewda flower of Ganjam district have obtained the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its uniqueness. Besides, Odisha is first in production of paddy straw mushrooms and the largest producer of sweet potato in India. It contributes to one-third of India’s overall production. Similarly, Odisha stands third in cashew cultivation, production and processing in India claim 16 percent of land under cashew cultivation area at Rs 1.68 lakh ha. and producing 1,00,000 MT of raw cashew nut.
“Turmeric of Kandhamal district and Kewda flower of Ganjam district have obtained the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its uniqueness. Besides, Odisha is first in production of paddy straw mushrooms and the largest producer of sweet potato in India. It contributes to one-third of India’s overall production.”
What has been the economic contribution of horticulture to the state of Odisha? Horticulture invariably improved the economic status of our farmers. The earlier seasonal availability of fruits and vegetables has now been extended to all the year-round, increasing the per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables. It has also played a significant role in women empowerment, providing employment opportunities through mushroom cultivation, floriculture, processing, nursery raising, vegetable seed production etc.
How has the department utilised technology to optimise the agro products? Odisha is emphasising on cultivation of high-value vegetables under protected structures for increasing the productivity and quality of the products. Special assistance is provided for post-harvest infrastructures like pack house, cool chamber, cold storages, refrigerated van etc. to reduce the post-harvest losses.
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What are the challenges of the sector and its mitigation? Horticulture produces are highly perishable and require high investment at the initial stage. Department is making provision of around 25 percent of its allotment under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture
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(MIDH) for post-harvest and marketing infrastructure to realise better remuneration for the farmers. The credit linked projects are being encouraged to provide institutional finance for high investment projects.
What are the initiatives taken to improve the production or cultivation process? Emphasis is given for the development of Agriculture Production Clusters through organisation of Producers groups and Farmer Producer Organisation. Convergence has been made with Mission Shakti for the cultivation of hybrid vegetables and mushrooms. International collaboration with International Potato Center: CIP, Peru has been made for the improvement of sweet potato and potato sector in the state.
What are the schemes taken for the welfare of the agrarian society? Schemes like MIDH National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Coconut Development Board, oil palm and kalia – II are being operated in the state. Besides, Direct Benefit Tax (DBT) has also been implemented to make transparency and benefits available directly to the farmers’ accounts.
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SPOTLIGHT: MICROSOFT
BUILDING A TRUSTED AI ECOSYSTEM:
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE Given the pace at which AI technologies are evolving, simple steps can guide us into a safer and smarter world. Trusted systems can help the country get access to vast pools of data, leading to new AI solutions and make an impact on a global scale, writes Keshav Dhakad, Group Head & Assistant General Counsel – Corporate, External & Legal Affairs (CELA), Microsoft India.
Keshav Dhakad
Group Head & Assistant General Counsel – Corporate, External & Legal Affairs (CELA), Microsoft India
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The Fourth Industrial Revolution is transforming everything. Industries are reinventing themselves. New jobs are emerging. The pace of innovation today is higher than ever before. Technologies like cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are enabling the collection and processing of data at an unprecedented scale. AI has the potential to do a world of good and help society overcome some of its biggest challenges. That potential can only be harnessed if data is collected, aggregated, shared and analysed at scale. And this is when the complexity kicks in – because the conversation around AI and ethics begins. There are issues and valid concerns around ownership of data, security, privacy, and transparency of algorithms. It’s not just enterprises, academia and governments but also individuals who need to be involved in analysing and
resolving these issues as AI’s growth accelerates and its impact deepens. As a society, we have a shared responsibility of creating trusted AI systems. We will have to collaborate and reach a consensus on the principles and values that should govern the development and application of AI. We must ensure that AI-based technologies are designed and deployed in a way that will earn the trust of both the people who use them and people whose data is being gathered. Ultimately, we need to ensure that applications of AI and technology are improving the world. Considering the risks, benefits and effects of these technologies, it is imperative that they are aligned with our society’s moral values and ethical principles. At Microsoft, we have identified a core set of six recommended principles that should
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guide the ethical framework for AI development – AI systems should be designed with protections leading with the core principles of (1) Fairness, (2) Reliability & Safety, (3) Privacy & Security, (4) Inclusiveness, and the foundational principles of (5) Transparency, and (6) Accountability. India has a substantial stake in the AI revolution. To be a leader in AI and reap its social and economic benefits, we require more than just great tech momentum. A mature, balanced and progressive legal framework for data protection that will be agreed upon and adopted by all is the need of the hour. Everyone’s looking for an approach that promotes the development of technologies and policies that protect privacy while facilitating access to the data that AI systems require to operate effectively. Data is essential for AI to help informed decisions– and people will not share their data unless they are confident that their privacy is protected, and their data is secure.
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Privacy isn’t just a pillar of trust – it is a business imperative. Privacy and data-driven innovation are compatible. While we achieve the balance between AI-led innovation and protecting the fundamental right of individuals, we need to have a principled approach and adequate law enforcement to keep nations safe from cyber-crime or any unwanted consequences. A few key aspects need to be considered here: Manage Data, Manage Security: Data-led innovation cannot happen without adequate security controls. Security must follow data flows and meet international standards. Data security is more importantly a function of the processes in place, access controls granted, and data classification implemented, as opposed to where the data is located. Major cyber-attacks are largely global and cyber criminals look for vulnerable and unmanaged IT environments for data breaches. On the other hand, the security and privacy advancements of hyperscale cloud services and globally distributed data centers are meeting
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the highest international, regional and national standards and regulations, giving companies the peace of mind and assurance of standing by their commitment and compliance towards protecting and safeguarding their customers’ data. Enable AI and Security with CrossBorder Data Flow: India’s IT sector companies, tech startups and developers may need access to data not just within the country but also beyond geopolitical borders to build robust solutions and algorithms. As an example, building an algorithm to detect and prevent diabetic retinopathy requires studying data from various ethnicities and locations. This predicates the need for a regime that supports cross-border data flows. At the same time, it is important to protect these flows through appropriate international measures and standards – both legal and technical. Local laws will also need to be interoperable with global standards or contracts that protect personal data regardless of its location. This will thus make it incumbent on data
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associated with the notice and choice model of privacy protection (i.e., consent, opt-in and opt-out approaches) are enabling companies to do what they want with personal data without sufficiently protecting privacy. The implication is that companies are creating user interfaces that influence individuals’ decisions and that the sheer volume of processing decisions and lack of information about the processing that takes place behind the scenes make it difficult for individuals to effectively protect themselves.
processing companies to make sure that the personal data they process is managed according to a high level of data protection, regardless of the location to which the data is transferred, and provide citizens recourse to the law in case of a breach of trust. Responding proactively or reactively to cybersecurity issues calls for protocols based on globalised and not localised data. And restricting crossborder data flows can only impede effective and timely response. Contextualise Data Sensitivity: The definition of what may constitute ‘sensitive personal data’ should be aligned to international norms. Sensitive personal data could include personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, financial information, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, trade union membership, genetic or health information or biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person. However, instead of blanket restrictions, restrictions on the processing of personal data should correspond to the context in which the data is processed. For example, an employee’s name in an organisation’s
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At Microsoft, we have identified a core set of six principles that guide our work – AI systems should be designed with protections for fairness, reliability and safety, transparency and accountability, privacy and security, and be inclusive. internal directory would typically not be considered sensitive and would require less privacy protection than when it appears on a list related to credit ratings. Promote Corporate Responsibility Through Documented Risk Assessments: Regulators, advocates, academics, and consumers around the world are increasingly skeptical and believe that the shortcomings
It is important to counter the perception that companies are seeking to exploit consumers in this way by requiring companies to protect consumers on an ongoing basis through continuous risk-based analyses designed to ensure that individuals will be protected throughout the online experience. Conducting rigorous and documented risk assessments, which can be reviewed upon request by relevant government authorities, is fundamental to ensuring that consumers are protected and safeguarded. Identified risks should be mitigated through documented safeguards, such that the benefits of processing personal data outweigh the residual risks. Given the pace at which AI technologies are evolving, simple steps can guide us into a safer and smarter world. Trusted systems can help the country get access to vast pools of data, leading to new AI solutions and make an impact on a global scale. This also ensures that our startup ecosystem grows faster and provides solutions not just for India but for the world. However, we must continue to be vigilant about assessing and addressing potential risks for the responsible design and deployment of AI technologies. At the end of the day, what matters is not what AI can do but what AI should do.
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EVENT NAME
EVENT CALENDAR 2019 - 20 PLACE
MONTH
GOVERNANCE / URBAN / SMART CITY / IT / INNOVATION / ENERGY / ENVIRONMENT / AGRICULTURE DECEMBER 2019 Urban Transformation Summit
Chandigarh
12 December
Innovation Summit Telangana
Hyderabad
18 December
Skill Development Summit
Jaipur
20 December
Safe Childhood Awards
Jaipur
20 December
Science and Technology Summit
Jaipur
22 December
National Renewable Energy Summit Rajasthan
Jaipur
10 January
National Agri-Tech Summit
Kerala
January
New Delhi
January
Bhopal
January
New Delhi
February
Trivandrum
February
New Delhi
February
Bengaluru
March
JANUARY 2020
Urban Innovation Summit Madhya Pradesh Agro Summit
FEBRUARY 2020 eIndia Summit Smart City Summit National Procurement Summit
MARCH 2020 National Power Summit Karnataka
TECHNOLOGY / BFSI 8 NBFC100 Tech Summit
Mumbai
23 January
7 National Co-operative Banking Summit
Mumbai
February
4 BFSI Leadership Summit
Mumbai
28 February
th th th
HEALTH Annual Healthcare Innovation Summit
New Delhi
10-11 December
Healthcare Innovation Summit
Lucknow
December
National Medical Education Conclave
New Delhi
January
Healthcare Innovation Summit
Hyderabad
February
EDUCATION Higher & Technical Education and HR Conclave
Jaipur
16 -17 December
National Skill Summit Jaipur
Jaipur
20 December
16 World Education Summit
Hyderabad
21-22 February
School Leadership Summit
Chandigarh
18 April
Pune
23 May
th
Education Conclave 17th World Education Summit
New Delhi
7-8 August 2020
18th World Education Summit
Bengaluru
4-5 December
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SPOTLIGHT: NAGALAND
Nagaland on its way towards becoming Land of eGovernance The Department of IT&C is fully aware that it is the right time to take Nagaland to the next higher level and make the State of Nagaland, ‘the land of e-Governance’, through extensive use of e-Governance and ICT based technologies, writes K D Vizo, Principal Secretary, Power and Information Technology & Communication, Government of Nagaland. K D Vizo
Principal Secretary, Power and Information Technology & Communication, Government of Nagaland
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SPOTLIGHT: NAGALAND
T
he Department of Information Technology & Communication (IT&C) is now playing a key role to transform the State of Nagaland into a modern state by way of improving transparency, efficiency and ensuring cost effective public service delivery to the citizens. The state is witnessing a paradigm shift in governance and all other spheres of life and Information Technology and electronic media is enabling a knowledge–led economy. The world is now looking up to India to drive the global economic growth and India is looking towards east to open eastern corridors towards South East Asia to promote economic growth. The Department of IT&C is fully aware that it is the right time to take Nagaland to the next higher level and make the State of Nagaland, ‘the land of e-Governance’, through extensive use of e-Governance and ICT based technologies. The state of Nagaland is now occupying a unique position in the IT core infrastructure development in North Eastern Region. Nagaland is the first in India to take over State Portal and State Services Delivery Gateway (SP&SSDG) core infrastructure project. It is the only state in India where the State IT Department is running the State Data Centre without engaging private Data Centre Operator (DCO). It is the first state in North Eastern Region to start the pilot project for National Information Infrastructure (NII) and to implement Aadhaar based Biometric Attendance System in Nagaland Civil Secretariat.
Nagaland’s vision on eGovernance Nagaland has been awarded the best performing State in North Eastern Region in the field of IT and eGovernance by Computer Society of India (CSI) for the year 2015-16. It has also been given the Enterprise
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Nagaland is the first in India to take over State Portal and State Services Delivery Gateway (SP&SSDG) core infrastructure project. It is the only state in India where the State IT Department is running the State Data Centre without engaging private Data Centre Operator (DCO). Applications award in North East Tech Sabha by Indian Express Group in 2018. The broad vision of the Department of Information Technology &
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Communication (IT&C) is to make Nagaland an Information Technology hub through setting up of world class Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) for North Eastern Region and South East Asia. It aims to provide high internet bandwidth to every village Panchayat and transform the state into a digital society through transparency and accountability. Nagaland is planning to enable all Government departments to have e-Office to deliver services promptly to citizens through online system and bring about a comprehensive IT literacy initiative throughout the State. The goal is to generate direct and indirect employment for at least one lakh local youth in IT and e-Governance related activities in about two decades. As a state, it plans to promote knowledge economy and increase the GDP of the state through the use of Information Communications Technologies and IT services and promote electronic financial transactions using virtual bank branches operating from customer activated terminals, smart phones and other electronic accessories. One of the visions is also to ensure cyber
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SPOTLIGHT: NAGALAND
security, information security, prevention of data corruption and fraudulent practices. It also aims on promoting telemedicine, telemarketing, and market supply chain through networking for retailers, distributors, warehouses, transporter, manufacturers, material suppliers etc. Ensuring digitisation of all records and promote use of demographic database for determining age and sex composition, income levels, distribution of resources, regional disparities, incidence of diseases, life expectancy etc. and train various Departments, Schools, Colleges, entrepreneurs and general citizens in IT related matters for improving their skills to meet the challenges of knowledge economy and promote economic growth are also amongst the many visions of the state.
Aiding youth on skill development and employment generation Nagaland wants to make the state a major software exporter in South East Asian Region and make Nagaland one of the richest states in the country while promoting high bandwidth data applications and electronic services to rural areas through Common Service Centres (CSC). It also plans on integrating all Government departments on a single platform
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through enterprise architecture and enable modern electronic systems like e-Cabinet, e-Legal, e-Education, e-mobile classroom, e-Hospital, e-Dashboard, Single window e-Business, e-Naga Village etc. The state also aims to strengthen core infrastructures like State Data Centre, State Wide Area Network, e-District, National Information Infrastructure (NII), Common Service Centres (CSC) etc. and networking infrastructure using terrestrial, wireless, aerial OFC and satellite technologies. Enabling centralised electronic integrated security systems using electronic equipments such as electric field perimeter protection system, micro-wave co-axial cable system, vehicle identification system, biometric system, electronic scanner system, electronic explosive detection system, electronic jammers system, CCTV surveillance system with centralised common control, IP based surveillance system, advanced video analytic system etc. and to bring up a world class e-Governance Academy in the state to cater to the needs of North Eastern States and South East Asian Countries and encourage research related works in IT sector for the youth by bringing up a robust research and development facility are on the list of their vision for the state of Nagaland.
The main aim of the Department of IT&C is to make the state a major software exporter in South East Asian Region and make Nagaland one of the richest state in the country by actively engaging unemployed youth in meaningful IT and e-Governance related activities. To achieve the above vision considerable planning is required and the following projects will be in the pipeline in the next few years to achieve this vision.
Plans and Policies in Pipeline Upcoming projects by the Department of Information Technology & Communication, Nagaland are as follows:
Enterprise Architecture This project aims to integrate all Government Departments on a single platform through enterprise architecture and enable modern electronic systems like e-Cabinet, e-Legal, e-Education, e-mobile classroom, e-Hospital, e-Dashboard, Single window e-Business, e-Naga Village etc.
e-Naga Village The department aims to provide IT connectivity to selected villages and providing infrastructures for marketing
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SPOTLIGHT: NAGALAND
of village products, Telemedicine, Solar power, IT education etc. through this project.
e-Governance Academy The objective of this initiative is to set up a world class institute to cater to the educational and training needs of North Eastern region.
Aerial Optical Fibre Network Connectivity This project aims to provide stable optical fibre connectivity through power transmission lines across Nagaland.
Wireless connectivity and Wi-Fi hotspot This project aims to provide wireless connectivity to all nook and corners of the state.
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)/ Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) With this project, Nagaland aims to encourage knowledge economy and engage at least one lakh local youth in IT and e-Governance activities by the year 2030.
Software Technological Park This project is to encourage research and development activities, encourage export of software related products and provide plug and play facilities for local entrepreneurs.
Centralised electronic integrated security systems This project will help to enable centralised electronic integrated security systems using electronic equipments such as electric field perimeter protection system, microwave co-axial cable system, vehicle identification system, biometric system, electronic scanner system, electronic explosive detection system, electronic jammers system; CCTV surveillance system with centralized common control, IP based surveillance system, advanced video analytic system etc.
The Road Ahead At present, the Software Technology Park of India (STPI)Â at Kohima is ready for commissioning. Software Technology Park of India (STPI) at Kohima has also been declared as the Centre of Excellence for Graphics by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. It is felt that this facility will help local entrepreneurs to
set up their software companies and promote Software Exports from the State. The State of Nagaland has also signed MoU with e-Governance Academy of Estonia for setting up of eGovernance Academy of Nagaland (eGAN) and digital classroom will be set up very shortly. Various e-Services such as certificates, Social Welfare Schemes, Ration Card, NBSE result verification and duplicate mark sheets, NPSC One Time Registration (OTR) etc. are now live and available online on the eDistrict portal and a common scholarship portal has also been developed by the Department of IT&C and currently four online scholarship services (Post Matric, State Merit, State Research, NEC) for Higher Education are live and Pre-Matric Scholarship for Class 9 & 10 under School Education Department are now live. Information on Scholarship for Departments like Health & Family Welfare, Social Welfare and Horticulture etc. are also made available on the common scholarship portal. It is understood that there is not a single formula on how we should progress and lead our lives. And while we respect the vision of different states, at least in the state of Nagaland it is felt that in the coming days, Information technology will be one area where the state can realize its God given potential and progress very rapidly.
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SPOTLIGHT: INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
CP Plus: Adapting Evolving Technology to Ensure Complete Security Every sector, be it education, health, baking or hospitality industry or government sectors, has its challenges. Not just video surveillance, audio alerts are also important. Some intelligence also needs to be put for offering customised services to the customers. CP Plus analyses the needs of each and every sector and defines relevant needs and designing the solutions and products, says Yogesh B Dutta, Chief Operating Officer, CP Plus India in an exclusive interview with Jyoti Bhagat of Elets News Network (ENN).
Yogesh B Dutta Chief Operating Officer CP Plus India
CP Plus has a wide range of solutions taking care of analytics, artificial intelligence and defining more and more qualitative aspects, be it Command and Control Centres or integrating sensors. 78
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Please tell us something about CP Plus and the flagship products. CP Plus is about a 12 years old brand. We evolved by learning from the ground and knowing the requirements of the market. The maiden market was quite unorganised and CP Plus gave shape to the market by making it
organised. We also took it to the next level. CP Plus is expanding in terms of launching products that are relevant and viable to Indian customers. Till now, this market is a totally B2B market. Security is a very serious subject. The stakeholders who are in the security domain are not fundamentally very clear about their
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requirements. That is also because it is a nascent subject. While the goal is clear and common, to provide safety and security of the people, the mode of doing that is a bit ambiguous. That is where we played a role in terms of checking their needs and analysis, challenges etc. Every sector, be it education, health, baking or hospitality industry or government sectors, has its challenges. Not just video surveillance, audio alerts are also important. Some intelligence also needs to be put for offering customised services to the customers. CP Plus analyses the needs of each and every sector and defines relevant needs and designing the solutions and products. Now coming to the flagship products, we have a host of them in our portfolio. CP Plus has a wide range of solutions taking care of analytics, artificial intelligence and defining more and more qualitative aspects, be it Command and Control Centres or integrating sensors. For instance, in this year’s Kumbh Mela that took place in Prayagraj, CP Plus had provided the entire surveillance and security products and solutions. In a first, there was no untoward incident reported during the Kumbh Mela. Our products and solutions are also widely used at Delhi schools, Allahabad Smart City projects, Indian Railways, wherein we have marked our presence in 204 stations and police stations to name a few. In the Real Estate sector also, we have our presence. Today, security is becoming relevant and evolved in our lives and we are also evolving ourselves with time.
What is the distribution model of CP Plus and what is the Go-ToMarket strategy? We have our partners across India looking after the distributions. We have a multi-pronged strategy in terms of addressing a market like India which is
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quite a comprehensive market and got its challenges and strengths. We have got engagement with the system integrators as well as the customers.
Please throw some light on the system integrators. The system integrators belong to various backgrounds such as Telecom or IT. We also have partners coming from the fashion or jewellery industry. Whosoever says that there is a good opportunity and has relevant connects with them and then gradually can convert their connections in the security business. On the other hand, there are some premium system integrators such as Larsen & Toubro (L&T), etc., which are in a different league altogether.
Which sector or vertical are you receiving maximum traction from? The commercial sector owing to its large bandwidth and includes offices and commercial complexes. As far as the government sector is concerned, around 30-40 percent business comes
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from there. The government sector is vast to classify as in the current times several infrastructure projects are going on. To name a few, any government buildings which are being managed by CRPF, the surveillance solutions are provided by CP Plus.
Is there any plan to get into a new vertical? Security itself is a huge market with a magnitude of scope and it is just taking off. We have recently started our manufacturing plant which is set up in an area of about 20 acres. The annual production capacity is about one crore cameras and the monthly capacity is around one million. This production capacity is about 60 to 70 percent of the market potential. At the moment, we are focusing on offering security solutions only, which is our core area. In the near future, we would explore how we can augment it further.
What are some of your upcoming products, especially for the B2C market?
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We are focussing on the traction at the Government sectors. The government is indeed the key focus area for us. The kind of focus the Government is bringing in, in terms of investing in infrastructure projects, we see a lot of potential for security services. We being an Indian brand, have a lot of strengths that can be utilised in the Government sector. We are enhancing our capacities and capabilities more and more relevant to the Government’s needs. We are aligning with the like-minded technology players, be it IITs or Government R&D Cells so that we can live up to their expectations.
Please share some of the esteemed organisations which CP Plus is serving? Within the security sector, there is a lot of traction in the consumer space, for which we are launching a host of products such as plug and play cameras, activity trackers for children etc. These activity trackers are like a watch meant for teenagers wherein their parents can track their locations and if they go beyond the defined areas, an alert would be sent to the parents’ mobile devices. We are planning to launch this product at an affordable price of around Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500 to answer to the security concerns of working couples with young children. Another product which we are planning to launch is Dash Cameras, meant to be kept inside the vehicles. The objective is to offer better security solutions for the customers hitting the roads every day and driving their vehicles.
What makes CP Plus different and unique in terms of other companies offering security services and solutions? The market is at a very interesting stage at present and the more the
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merrier. More players in the market would mean more engagement with the customers and more awareness about security. This market is not just about market share or sales but all about service and support. This is a product which has to work 24*7, 365 days a year. The security domain is of utmost importance as someone’s life and safety are dependent on the measures are taken. Hence, service and support make a lot of difference. CP Plus operates through 52 offices pan India and 134 support centres. We offer tatkal or emergency services at lot of places. The commitment to our service is one of the key differentiators. Technology adoption in security services has evolved over the years. CP Plus has a much more advanced technology adoption mechanism. We also ensure the right integration of hardware and software.
What are the key focus areas for CP Plus in the coming year?
In the healthcare sector, we are serving the major hospitals such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Escort Hospitals, Max Hospital to name a few. In the hospitality sector also, we are working with the Taj Man Singh, Hyatt, Grand Hyatt and a lot of Oyo hotels among others.
What is your message for the readers of eGov magazine? We are playing a very important role in creating awareness about the need for having security infrastructure, especially in today’s time. For the industry players, my message is that, if you want to prove your relevance in the security sector, you have to focus on the Government business. Another duty of our industry is most of the partners we have such as the system integrators or dealers are first-generation entrepreneurs. They have their whims and fancies and they have reached a level where to achieve success, they have to do business with the government.
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SPOTLIGHT: AFGHANISTAN
Chabahar Port Project – a melange of significant initiatives of AfghanistanIndia’s connectivity and trade The Chabahar Port project is the best example of a relevant institutional structure aimed at ensuring efficiency in connectivity for promoting trade across the world, writes Neelapu Shanti for Elets News Network (ENN).
Afghanistan’s friendship with India is strong and true and stressed out its neighbourhood policy on the top priority to strengthen its relations. Afghanistan’s growth is linked with the prosperity and affluence with other countries in the world especially India. It is against this background that Afghanistan and India’s relationship is moving from strength to strength. The Chabahar Port project is the best example of a relevant institutional structure aimed at ensuring efficiency in connectivity for promoting trade across the world. Chabahar Port was conceptualised as a means to provide necessary support in bringing in the required institutional rigour to the countries and facilitate development
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through smooth connectivity. On 4th September 2019, Afghanistan, for the first time, exported 20 tons of fresh grapes to India via Chabahar port, the first of its kind since trade route has been launched. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that Afghanistan has sent a total of 700 tons of goods to India through Chabahar, which included legume, precious stones, and dry fruits. Afghanistan has exported carpets, dry fruits, cotton, talc, stones, and other items weighing 570 tonnes. The Chabahar Port Project is the best example of a relevant institutional structure aimed at ensuring efficiency in connectivity for promoting trade across the world. Chabahar Port was conceptualised as a means to provide
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necessary support in bringing in the required institutional rigour to the countries and facilitate development through smooth connectivity.
AFGHANISTAN-INDIA TRADE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH CHABAHAR Chabahar Port project under the framework, of International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) between India and Iran and the Trilateral Land Transit-and-Trade Corridor deal between India, Afghanistan and Iran signed on May 23, 2016 has created transformational reforms for Afghanistan’s connectivity with India which is an emerging fastest growing economy in the world. Chabahar Port
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agreement is a paramount endeavour for Afghanistan towards becoming the roundabout of connectivity and is determined to lift its position in the strongest synchronised global economy. Since the operationalisation of the Chabahar connectivity in February this year, Afghanistan has exported carpets, dry fruits, cotton, talc, stones and other items weighing 570 tonnes. On September 4, 2019, Afghanistan, for the first time exported 20 tons of fresh grapes to India via Chabahar port, the first of its kind since trade route has been launched. “Over the last three weeks, 100 tons and since its establishment 700 tons of domestic products have been exported through this port,” said, Tahir Qadiry, Charge’ d’Affaires of Afghanistan Embassy to India. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said that Afghanistan has sent a total of 700 tons of goods to India through Chabahar which included legume, precious stones, and dry fruits. India has sent a consignment of 1.1 lakh tonnes of wheat, pulses and other assistance in over 4,800 containers to Afghanistan so far. The volume of trade between Afghanistan and India is increasing annually which is more than 1.1 billion USD at present. The trade
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volume has been increasing from 680 million USD in 2013-14 and 2014-15 to 800 million USD in 2017 and projected to cross 20 billion USD by 2020 using the Chabahar route and also the air corridors. There are immense investment opportunities in Afghanistan, particularly the emerging sectors of mining, infrastructure, telecommunications, agro-based and small-scale industries, health, pharmaceuticals, education and IT. The Preferential Trade agreement of Afghanistan India in 2003 is making Afghanistan one of the top trade partners of India. Under the Preferential Trade agreement framework India allowed substantial duty concessions, ranging from 50 to 100 percent, to certain category (38 times) of Afghan dry fruits. Afghanistan, in turn, has allowed reciprocal concessions to Indian products, including tea, sugar, cement and pharmaceuticals. In 2011 India has removed basic custom duties for all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Least Developed Countries which gave all products of Afghanistan (except alcohol and tobacco) duty-free access to the Indian market. The prominent Indian
companies doing businesses in Afghanistan include KEC, Phoenix, AIPL, WAPCOS, ANGELIQUE International, APTECH, Gammon India, KPTL, ANAAR Group and Spice Jet. India’s Union Budget in June this year slashed the amount allocated for the Chabahar port from Rs 150 crore to Rs 45 crore. With this announcement it may shoot down the call of traders and investors of Afghanistan and India concerning stability and opportunities but this concern has no negative implications. India is committed in all fronts investing in Chabahar Port Project; it is just a strategic and logistical decision which is emphasised by the leadership of India. The aspiration and vision of Afghanistan will only come true when all countries share a common vision for an open and rule-based region and with a common interest in the maintenance of peace, stability and inclusive prosperity. It is important to join all the countries in the effort to protect the freedom of navigation and unimpeded trade and should not be divided by self-interest. Afghanistan has the potential to create a new pole of development and an important engine for peace, prosperity and integration both in South Asia and the world at large.
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