Edition 17

The Observer An IIJNM publication

Kidnapping and abduction cases jump 64% in 5 years say police officials | P 2

Vol 18, Issue 17

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Some fear that Goyal’s will be a populist Budget Pranay Prakash

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The government is inviting trouble by ditching its determination to maintain the fiscal deficit before elections. | Credit- Pranay Prakash deficit target of 3.3% of the GDP, others are apprehensive that it will adopt a populist stance in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Suman Kumar Das from Delhi, a retired deputy general manager at one of Asia’s largest petrochemical refineries, said he believes the government will go into a populist mode in the budget session. It will introduce measures which will try to appeal to farmers and backward castes as the former have staged

@theweeklyobserver On the Web: issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs/ the_observer

58% rise in advance fee scams; Internet users need to be alert | P 3

Citizens want Modi govt to raise IT exemption limit

head of Parliament’s budget session, starts on January 31, KPMG India has put out a survey to analyse voters’ sentiments regarding the upcoming Union Budget and their expectations from the government.

The survey shows that 32% of the respondents want the income tax exemption limit increased, while 62% are apprehensive that the government will reintroduce long-term capital gains tax on listed equity shares/equity-oriented mutual funds.

The Observer spoke to people across the country regarding the findings of the survey. Most said the government will announce some major populist measures before the Moral Code of Conduct kicks in before Lok Sabha elections.

While some expect the government to continue with fiscal prudence and stick to the fiscal

The Observer

massive protests against falling prices of farm produce and not getting remunerative prices.

For middle-class tax payers, he said: “The government should increase the maximum limit of income liable to be taxed. The government has seen higher collection of direct taxes after demonetization, and now it can afford to increase the basic exemption limit.”

Kiran Prakash, a software engineer working with Wipro in Gurgaon, believes that the most

beneficial thing for the middle class would be to increase the basic exemption limit to be increased from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

“Like medical and transportation allowances, house rent allowance should also be included in deductions from income for the calculation of tax. Also, in an election year, the government will not care for fiscal prudence.”

According to some, the government is inviting trouble by ditching its determination to maintain the fiscal deficit before elections.

Rajesh Das, a retired branch manager of a nationalised bank who lives in Ranchi, said: “If the government chooses to introduce many populist measures, the finances of the country will be strained in the next fiscal. The government should come to its senses and bring an interim budget before the elections.”

Piyush Goyal, who replaced Arun Jaitley to take charge as interim finance minister a week before the budget, may break from tradition by not presenting an interim budget as all previous governments did.

The government might present a full budget and introduce more populist measures with an eye on the upcoming elections. pranay.p@iijnm.org

News Briefs National lAlmost four months ahead of the 2019 general election, Indian Railways on January 23 announced a massive recruitment drive to hire about 2.30 lakh people in the next two years. Following the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, 10% of the vacancies, i.e. around 23,000 vacancies will be reserved for candidates from economically weaker sections, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said. lISRO has shied away from sharing details of the spacecraft or its uses as it does routinely each time during its missions; except to say the satellite would be placed within 15 minutes after take-off in a polar orbit 274 km away from Earth.

International lWikiLeaks is seeking to force the Trump administration to unseal any charges filed in the U.S. against its founder, Julian Assange. The organisation said in a statement it filed a petition Wednesday with an international human rights body seeking to force disclosure of any charges against Assange and help him fight possible extradition to the United States Sports lPortuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo was fined almost 19 million euros ($21.6 million) for tax fraud on Tuesday but will avoid serving a 23month prison sentence after agreeing a deal.

Will removal of child locks from cabs make women safe?

They say there is no guarantee that it will Sahana S

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espite the Karnataka transport department’s order to disable child locks in commercial vehicles, women in the city continue to feel unsafe.

“The removal of child locks does not ensure women’s safety. If the driver is a creep, then the presence or absence of child lock does not matter. The rule needs to be properly enforced,” said Anukrithi Ganesh, a cab user, informed The Observer.

Some women feel the removal of child locks will not prevent attacks on them.

Aarthi M, “Ala former though I HR execuhaven’t entive, said: countered “The reany such moval of situations, child locks there is no cannot point in guarantee disabling the safety child locks. of women Instead passengers Uber, Ola in vehicles. and other It won’t The removal of child locks will not prevent commerhelp in the attacks on them. | Credit- Sahana S cial cabs elimination must do of violence against women.” background checks before giving Others insist that instead of permits to drivers. If done meticbeing asked to remove child locks, ulously, it can help reduce viothe government must insist that lence against women,” Anjali S, cab companies perform strict income tax officer who travels by background checks on the drivers Ola to her office, said. before appointing them.

Some cabbies can also procure

fake child lock removal certificates. “I cannot ensure whether commercial vehicles have removed child lock or not. So while travelling during the night hours, I prefer buses,” Felicita Dizoza, an employee of Accenture, said.

However, deputy commissioner of the Regional Transport Office (East Division) Mahaveer Y Annigeri said: “We have already started to check the vehicles from January 1 and would ensure they remove child locks from their vehicles. We have given an extension of a few days to the drivers of commercials cabs and taxis. After that, they would be fined Rs 5,000 if officers catch them. We initiated a campaign at the Kempegowda International Airport on safety measures for women passengers.

We removed child locks from nearly 400 taxis.”

Cab drivers are unhappy with the decision. They have problems regarding the implementation of the new rule “Even after receiving certificates the drivers can reinstall child locks by paying Rs 4000 to mechanics. Moreover, in a moving cab, if children meddle with the cab door, there might be a chance of mishaps in the absence of a child lock,” argues Munna S, who works for a car rental service.

To ensure the safety of the lone women passengers, the ministry of road transport and highways recently announced that child locks should be removed from transport vehicles, including private taxis and app-based cabs by July. sahana.s @iijnm .org

CRIME

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Crimes rise in Bengaluru Kidnapping and abduction cases jump 64% in 5 years

Shrabona Ghosh

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he kidnapping and abduction cases in Bengaluru has seen a rise in 64.20 % for the past five years. A 17-year-old Divyashree, a resident of JP Nagar, left for college on a regular Monday morning and has not returned since then.

"The missing cases of girls and boys below the age of 18 years is considered kidnapping. Girls are mostly victims of scandalous love affairs, where men of older age deceive them. " said a high ranking police official who does not wish to be named.

The kidnapping and abduction cases are mostly caused due to love affairs and family issues.

Property disputes, hostility among family members, and teenage couples who elope are the most common reasons. " 90% of the cases involve love affairs, where the couples elope and go missing for days together," said sub-inspector JP Nagar, Somappa Godi.

On the dreadful night of 18th January Tamsiya Khanam, suddenly left the house at 11.30 pm without informing anybody. She was a student of SSLC, and her family members notified the police after failing to trace her.

Meanwhile, police officials blame the social media network regarding kidnapping cases, as affairs through social media network are often deceiving. People lure young girls in the name love and pursue them to elope and sexually abuse them.

An officer who did not want to be named said: “After tracing the

victims and nabbing the accused we check if the girl is sexually abused, then we file a POCSO case against the accused.”

Moreover, the perpetrators often belong to economically backward sections. They are mostly jobless and college dropouts in the age group late 20s to 30s.

On the other hand, the scenario is completely different among boys below 18 years.

“These boys are often victims of family issues, bad academic performance and peer pressure which forces them to leave home.

Sometimes strong enmity among family members leads to kidnapping and killing of the victims,” the officer continued.

Domestic violence and extramarital affairs are the most common causes of kidnapping and abduction for women above 18 years. Though few, some of the kidnappings often lead to murder, the officer added.

The city police have conducted an awareness drive regarding theft, kidnapping, robbery, atten-

tion diversion cases in colleges.

Ashwini Shetty, a college student, said: “It is important to be aware to avoid becoming victims.

Girls these days should be more cautious and responsible for their safety.”

Vidya Iyengar, who studies in another another college, said: “Let us not blame only social media. In the era of the Internet, we have become most vulnerable to all sorts of crime. We should be practical enough to understand the importance of situations and deal with them accordingly.”

Kengeri plice station sub-inspector Dattuba said: “Individual action is needed to eliminate all sorts of crime; a holistic effort is needed to bring a difference.”

Sunny Joseph, a clinical psychologist and an expert in forensic psychology, informed The Observer: “It is easy to take charge of children below 18 years. They follow instructions, and it is easy to manipulate their identity. Perpetrators resort to kidnapping because they think it is easy to get away with.”

According to Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code, the punishment for kidnapping involves imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine. This also includes anybody who kidnaps a person from lawful guardianship.

Kidnapping and abduction cases in Bengaluru have steadily risen from 676 in 2014 to 1,110 in 2018. In 2018, 91% of the victims were children below 18 years of age. shrabona.g@Iijnm.org

The Observer Thursday, January 24, 2019

Advance fee scam cases increase by 58% in 2018 Be sceptical of online offers: Police, experts Ileena Dutta

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here was a 58% increase in the number of cases of advance fee scam registered in 2018 as compared to the previous year, according to a report of the Cyber Crime Police Station, Bengaluru.

“These online scams have become common in the city. Sharing one’s credentials online is risky because of the increase in the number of Internet fraudsters who are constantly keeping tabs on your online whereabouts,” K.N. Yashwantha Kumar, City Cyber Crime police inspector, informed The Observer .

An advance fee scam is an online fraud which involves the perpetrator promising a large amount of money in return for an immediate payment. There are various types of advance fee scams: romance scam, beneficiary fund scam, lottery scam and investment scam.

“I once fell prey to a fraudster when I received an SMS asking for my personal credentials to avail of a Rs 1 lakh cash prize,” Shweta Raj, an user of Bumble dating app, said.

According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Advance Fee Fraud gets its name from an investor being asked to pay a fee upfront or in advance of receiving something of greater value. These scams have existed for several years.

“Most of them don’t know where and how to file a complaint against a company disseminating fraudulent messages or emails, leading to a chaos,” the inspector said.

Chain snatching rises over 15% every year since 2016 Oisika Dev

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ixty-year-old Sanjita (name changed) was returning from the market at 2pm when two bike borne men snatched her gold chain at Shivajinagar and rode off in broad daylight. A terrified Sanjita went to the police station and complained about the incident.

Sanjita later recounted the incident and said, “I was so terrified when this incident took place.

Chain snatching has increased so much in our locality that women are afraid to go out alone, even in broad daylight.”

Once considered the safest city for women, Bengaluru is losing its sense of security. There has been an increase in the number of chain-snatching cases in Bengaluru in recent times. According to data compiled by the Central Crime Record Bureau, in 2016 there were 255 cases of chain snatching. In 2017 the number increased to 307, an increase of

20.4%, followed by 355 cases in 2018, an increase of 15.6%.

The highest number of cases, 69 in 2016 and 96 in 2017 were recorded in South Division. West Division recorded 81 cases, highest in 2018.

A high-ranking police officer who requested not to be identified, informed The Observer, “Chain snatching has increased so much since it is the easiest crime to commit these days.Old women are very fond of wearing gold ornaments which makes them vulnerable to chain snatchers. We recently caught three people involved in snatching” A majority of chain snatching victims are women in the age group of 60-65 years, among whom wearing gold ornaments is more prevelant, police said.

A similar incident took place with 45 years old Ananya (name changed) while she was returning from work at night. She was returning from office around 10 p.m. when she felt some people were

following her. Sensing trouble, she pulled out her phone to call her husband when the snatchers came on a bike, snatched her gold chain and rode off.

Recounting the horrifying incident Ananya said,” This area is becoming very unsafe for women who return from work late at night. Almost every day some incident happens here. It has been three months since I registered a complaint still the miscreants haven’t been arrested”.

Sub-inspector Somappa Guddi of J.P. Nagar police station said, ”In our station three people from Belegavi, Uttar Pradesh and Pune were caught few days ago.

One of them was an engineering student who was working in a reputed company. This group of miscreants had been creating trouble for the past few months.

They have been involved in seven cases of chain snatching”.

Residents of J.P. Nagar are terrified to step out of their home at night. Rajeshwari, a school

teacher said,” After 9 pm this area becomes so unsafe that women are afraid to go alone at night. We have been requesting the police to start night patrolling but in vein”.

Community police is an initiative started by Bengaluru police to prevent crimes such as chain snatching, house thefts, robbery etc where Residents and police work together to track down the criminals. Inspectors in every locality have created a WhatsApp group for their area.Whenever they receive some information from citizens, some official is sent to arrest the miscreant”.

Sub-Inspector Dattuba of Kengeri police station said, “We employ various methods to track down the criminals like watching CCTV footage, by tracking down vehicles, putting barricades.

However, it is difficult to track down the vehicle number since these culprits generally use stolen vehicles.” oisika.d@iijnm.org

Fraudsters promise jobs or property in exchange for large sums of money. | Credit: Pexels In a world where fraudsters can pretend to be just about anybody, it is important to remain sceptical of offers of business opportunities or requests for assistance.

Financial experts advocate due diligence and professional advice before signing contracts, sending money or sharing personal information online.

Rajeev Kumar, a governmentjob aspirant said: “I was conned by an online job portal. I paid Rs 30,000 to get a job in an airline.

I was 17 and wasn’t aware of such online frauds.”

Fraudsters promise jobs, relationship or property in exchange for large sums of money.

“The government has updated laws related to cyber crime. Citizens need to learn about the laws and avail of them when conned by online tricksters. The increase in online frauds is mostly due to easy access to various company sites and portals,” lawyer Kapil Dixit said. ileena.d@iijnm.org

Citizens’ Voice Trash in water Bodies BBMP needs to avoid dumping and segregating garbage in and around lake beds in order to maintain healthy environment for the citizens. Gangashetty Lake, Vengaiah Lake and Yelemalappa Chetty Lake are the major dumping areas by the BBMP contractors. The officials need to look after the matter and find an isolated area to carry on the dumping activity.

Ileena Dutta, IIJNM Defence sector privatisation Four lakh civilian defence industry employees across India are on a three-day strike against the privatisation of the defence factories and workshops. A press release of CQAL & R Civilian Employees Union says that 275 products manufactured in 41 ordnance factories were declared non-core and put up for privatisation. It is a bad move in a market with not enough jobs.

Yusha Rahman, IIJNM

CITY

The Observer Thursday, January 24, 2019

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Visually challenged women need training in self-defence NAB has no programme to train them Ileena Dutta Visually impaired women in Bengaluru lack training in special techniques to defend themselves when in danger while travelling alone.

M. Srinivas, CEO of the National Association for the Blind (NAB), Bengaluru, informed The Observer: “We provide mobility training to blind people. There is no discrimination between men and women. Other than the offered mobility course, we don’t have any specialized course for women, but it is necessary nowaday because of growing cases of violence and harassment against women.Visually impaired women are more vulnerable.”

In a country where women are not safe, and where a woman is raped every 22 minutes, it is a

Visually impaired people at NAB are provided mobility training but are not trained in self-defence | Credit Ileena Dutta challenge for visually impaired women to defend themselves when needed.

Ritesh Reddy, a martial arts instructor and 4th Degree Black Belt, said: “We train women of all ages ..to defend themselves in self-defence techniques. (But) we still lack a curriculum where we can focus on a self- defence programme to empower visually im-

paired women.”

“Conducting workshops, seminars or basic self-defence techniques designed to fit the needs of sightless women will be of great help to the community,” NAB mobility teacher Pramila said.

According to survey conducted by the National Programme to Control Blindness, 13.7% of the Karnataka’s population suffers

from blindness as compared to the national average of 8.5%.

India constitutes a third of the world’s blind population.NAB's mission is to champion the cause of the visually challenged in Karnataka and enable them to live their lives independently and with dignity through economic rehabilitation. Keeping this in mind, the association positions itself as a trainer and grooms visually challenged citizens ready to take up a host of jobs in different industries, CEO Srinivas said.

“I wish to buy a GPS watch for myself so that I feel completely safe every time I walk alone in public. Else I have to depend on my mother or brother,” Samita S, a visually impaired woman training at NAB, said.

A GPS watch can track the wearer’s realtime location and send SOS signals to his/her emergency contacts when in danger.

NAB plans to organize events that will bring together people and ideas. To be held at its campus, these events will celebrate talent among the visually challenged while sensitizing the public. ileena.d@iijnm.org

Danger lurks on roads & footpaths of Bengaluru Two-wheeler riders, pedestrians are most vulnerable to accidents: Police Abbinaya Kuzhanthaivel

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engaluru has seen a rise in the number of accident deaths compared to the last year. In 2017, 642 people were killed in road accidents and this year it has raised to 684. Fatal injuries that counted 609 earlier had also soared to 661 according to the data provided by the Bengaluru Traffic Police.

“Two-wheeler riders and pedestrians are the most affected group. A total of 276 pedestrians were killed in various accidents in 2018. Cab drivers are often found guilty about their reckless driving after the incident. The violations by the cab drivers are increasing,” says a top official from the traffic department.

Police data shows that 32% of the 4611 total accident cases in 2018 were because of cars, jeeps or taxi followed by two-wheelers. Heavy motor vehicles like buses and tempo travellers also contribute a quarter to the proportion. “90% of accidents are due to driver’s ignorance. As an official from the traffic department, we can book a case if anybody is violating the rules.

We can reduce the speed and get hold of people overriding on a footpath. At nights we use double barricades to stop over speeding,” says an Inspector from the Traffic Planning sector.

He also added that it is the responsibility of an individual to ensure safety on the roads.

Traffic Police say that there are black spots in the city that had seen more accidents. Bhattarahalli junction, Old Airport Road, Singasandra bus point and RV College signal are some of the black spots. “The developing areas

Techie: Accident shattered my life “I wish the driver had been more careful. I miss them. I just had a call from an anonymous person informing me about their death. I didn’t believe and felt someone could tell me everything was just a bad dream. Being the only son, I had enjoyed all their love and affection.

But in a wink, I lost my family,” says Saravanan M, a 21-year-old techie who lost his parents in an accident at Electronics City. usually come under the black spot zone.

There will be a lot of pedestrians walking if a site is constructed. Traffic chaos increase and thus lead to accidents,” says Shivasamy S, an inspector.

Activists say that Bengaluru has failed in infrastructure and town planning and suggest that UMTA (Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority) could be the only solution to address the fatalities.“Our roads are not pedestrian friendly. In a population where 90% of people prefer public transport, priority must be given to them than to private vehicle owners. The infrastructure should be re-engineered in such a way that gives priority to the pedestrians in the first place followed by non-motorists and then to twowheelers. ,” says Sandeep Anirudhan, an activist. abbinaya.s@iijnm.org

Motorcyclists ride on footpaths with impunity R Yohanjali

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wo-wheeler riders drive on Bengaluru’s footpaths, causing inconvenience to pedestrians. “Footpaths are more dangerous than roads. I have been hit several times by two-wheelers while walking on footpaths,” Kamala S, a homemaker who lives in Hosahalli, informed The Observer.

“Every time I go to buy grocery, I see motorcycles and scooters on the footpath, especially during the red signal. They hit us and keeping moving. My elbow was once hit by a bike.

I had pain for three weeks which hindered my daily activities,” she added.

As per data provided by various Regional Transport Offices, Bengaluru had more than 60 lakh two-wheelers at the end of 2018.Research conducted by NIMHANS shows that of all the people killed in road accidents, around 40% are pedestrians. Most of the deaths involve two-wheelers. According to the Traffic Management Centre, 23,310 motorists were Courtesy :Marianne De Nazareth caught riding on Bengaluru’s footpaths in 2018.

“We have taken serious measures to stop two-wheeler riders from driving on footpaths. We have increased the fine, and register FIRs under Section 279 of Indian Penal Code which describes rash driving or driving on a public way as an offence. Still people have not learnt their lessons,” said a traffic inspector who didn’t want to be named.

Rahul G, a traffic police officer, said “Mostly we see such cases on Brigade Road because it has thick traffic.

The footpaths there are wide, making it convenient for bike drivers to ride.”

Gargy Poddar, a student at Jain University, said: “I know that it’s wrong, but I still do it to save time. The traffic is so bad that we are left with no choice.It’s inconvenient for us also because the footpaths are elevated and we have to lift our vehicles and then slow down.” yohanjali.r@iijnm.org

Around the city lPide Run 2019 @ Decathlon Hennur, 26th Jan, 5.30 a.m lThe Big Indian Food & Shopping Festival @ Jayamahal Palace Hotel, 26th Jan, 11 a.m to 27th Jan 10 p.m lRegister For Milind Soman's Pinkathon Whether You're Competing, Or Supporting The Cause! @ Sree Kranteerava Stadium, 27th Jan, 6 a.m lFurrnival - The Doggie Carnival @ PETCART Nest, 27th Jan, 11 a.m l34th Annual Conference of Indian Society for Study of Pain @NIMHANS Convention Centre, 1st Feb, 11 a.m lHospitality Education Seminar @Taj MG Road, 26th Jan, 4 p.m lIndian Classical music festival @Chowdiah Memorial Hall, 30th Jan, 4 p.m lMasti Mela @Xlr8 Indoor Sports Arena, 26th Jan,1 p. lU.S. News Global Education Spring’19 India Tour @Hotel Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course, 27th Jan, 1.30 p.m lIntelligent Automation Forum 2019 Next Gen Automation Technology @Courtyard by Marriot, Bengaluru, 25th Jan, 9 a.m to 5.30 p.m lpassion2do: Seed-Stage Investor Series 2019 @ Defence Colony, Indiranagar, 2nd Feb, 6 p.m lYoga for happiness @ISKCON, Bengaluru, 28th Jan, 8.30 a.m lTest Automation Strategy @ Novotel, Bengaluru, 1st Feb6 pm. lInternet of Things- Home automation workshop @B.M.S College of Engineering, 26th Jan, 10 a.m lPresenting with Presence by Maynard Leigh Associates @ Lemon Tree Hotels, 28th Feb, 9 a.m lIntroduction to Chat Bot Development @ Open Cube labs, 26th Jan, 10.30 a.m lKodachadri trek @ Kodachadri, 25th Jan, 9.30 p.m lForum Colorama - Forum Shantiniketan @ Forum Shantiniketan Mall, 26th Jan, 1 p.m lRM Launches Web Page on ‘Drone Olympics’event at Aero India - 2019 @ Airforce Stadium, Yelahanka, 26th Jan, 10 a.m

City Weather Forecast: Partly Cloudy Minimum- 16 degree Celsius Maximum- 26 degree Celsius Rainfall- Nil Humidity-33%

Observer Team Editor- Abbinaya Kuzhanthaivel Page Layout: R Yohanjali Pranay Prakash, Sahana S, Desk:Oisika Dev, Ileena Dutta Reporters: Pranay Prakash, Sahana S, Shrabona Ghosh, Oisika Dev,Ileena Dutta, Abbinaya Kuzhanthaivel Supplements: Sounak Das, Sindhuja M

Agriculture

The Observer SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, January 24, 2019

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The Burning Fields Air pollution is no longer just an urban problem as rural West Bengal is fast discovering, writes Sounak Das

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est Bengal, it seems, is following in the footsteps of Punjab and Haryana. Farmers in these two northers states have made headlines for burning crop residues and contributing in no small measure to New Delhi’s poor air quality. But in West Bengal, this is a relatively recent phenomenon.

There are several reasons why farmers have adopted this means of clearing their fields before planting the rabi crop.

While burning stubble burning is widespread across the country, farmers in the state seldomdid so because the residue was used for various purposes such as feeding cattle, roofing and growing mushrooms.Says Shankar Das, a farmer in Tirol village in Hooghly district, ‘’It is a cheap and quick method. But we hardly ever resorted to setting fire to an entire plot of agricultural land. My sons and grandsons are all educated. They have always discouraged us from burning agricultural residue as it pollutes the air. It was our custom to use the stubble as

from Dhaniakhali in Hooghly, explains, ‘’Previously, we hired farmhands to do the work. Now, we have the option to buy machines at subsidised prices. It makes the job much easier. Those who are able to afford such equipment, are left with too much stubble, even after accounting for other traditional uses of the residue.

So, they set fire to it to clear the land for the next crop. The ash is also thought to increase the fertility and productivity of the soil.’’

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Farmers in Haryana set their crops residue ablaze after every harvest | Credit: Scroll.in

cattle fodder and to thatch the roof of our houses.’’

Most farmers in Bengal own small plots of land and cannot afford to use mechanical harvesters. Mechanised farming equipment, such as combine harvesters,cut the crop 50-60 cm above the ground and

leave behind standing stubble.

By contrast, manual harvesting usually involves uprooting the entire stalk. But that is changing now that the state government has started providing subsidy to farmers buying machines for farm use.

As Sudipta Ray, a farmer

part from easier availability of mechanical harvesters, the success of the government’s employment guarantee scheme is contributing to the problem.

Some farmers say the 100days of work provided annually under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has begun at an inopportune time this year. Unskilled labourers are building roads when they are needed in the field. ‘’The pay is better under the NREGA. So many workers, mostly unskilled labour, have

chosen NREGA over working in the field, explains Ujjawal Murmu, a farmer and an alumnus of Burdwan University. “Last year, these very workers were engaged in the field.It, therefore, has become rather difficult for a farmer to prepare his land for the next crop as he has found hardly any helping hand. The time gap between the kharifharvest and the rabisowing is very short and this has compelled him to take the easier way out – setting fire to the stubble.’’ Subhas Datta, an environmentalist, says that the state is fortunate to have a sea coast as sea winds blow away the smoke generated by stubble burning, unlike in landlocked Punjab and Haryana.

However, as one moves away from the coast one witnesses a deterioration in air quality.

Burdwan, Murshidabad, and Hooghly are the worst affected.

Gram panchayats and block development officers, who should know better, are lackadaisical when it comes to making people aware of the effects of stubble burning.

A Drop at a Time Despite the capital costs, drip irrigation is the most efficient way to use our limited water resources, says Sindhuja Michael

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griculture accounts for over 80% of water consumed in India and increasing competition from households, industries and thermal power production is forcing farmers to find more efficient ways to use water.

Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation, offers a viable means to conserve water and increase farmer’s income.

Over the past 15 years, across India there has been tremendous growth in the area under drip irrigation.

Thanks to active encouragement of the union government, the area under drip irrigation has increased to around 3.51akh from just 40 hectares in 1960. Maharashtra (94,000 ha), Karnataka (66,000 ha) and Tamil Nadu (55,000 ha) have brought large areas under this method. Tree crops account for the largest share of crops irrigated using drip methodsfollowed by vine crops, vegetables,flowers and other crops.

“In India, the use of drip irrigation started in 1970 with

Drip irrigation maintains a healthy soil environment for optimal growth | Credit: Pexels

experiments in Tamil Nadu University in Coimbatore,” says a report by Vaibhav Bhamoriya and Susan Mathew of the Centre for Management in Agriculture, at the Indian Institute of

Management in Ahmedabad.

“The drip irrigation system was first installed at Patidar Farms in village Jodhpur in Madhya Pradesh in 1971.

The overall irrigation efficiency in India is often found

to be quite low compared to global standards due to the use of conventional flood irrigation technique, practiced in large parts of India. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Haryana are the major groundwater extractors for irrigation.”

“It is viewed as a promising technology for its ability to support farmers in raising incomes and reducing poverty,” the report continues. “In addition to saving of water, these include increased yield and productivity of certain crops (especially spaced crops), labour cost savings, electricity savings, lesser pumping hours and hence easier irrigation, better crop growth and also better soil health. Strong evidence exists claiming economic benefits from the adoption of micro-irrigation.”

Drip irrigation is,in fact, the most efficient way to use water and can be used to grow a large variety of crops, especially fruits and vegeta-

bles, flowers and plantation crops. Here, water is applied near the plant root through emitters or drippers, on or below the soil surface, allowing soil moisture to be kept at an optimum level with frequent irrigations. Drip systems have a very high water-application efficiency of about 90-95%.

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he system works through a network of pumps, valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. The pump drawswater from the source, the control head modulates the flow, the distribution pipes and laterals route water to the fields and the emitters deliver water to the plants. The water is dripped to the plants at rates ranging from 2-20 liters/hour.

While adopting drip irrigation system, the farmers can associate crop shift. With the help of this system, the farmers can also go for high value fruits, vegetables and flowers. These crops are distinctly different from the traditional crops such as wheat, paddy, and mustard.