Newscan

NEWSCAN AIILSG trains state officials for efficient implementation of JJM

All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) organised a series of training programs for over 450 officials of Karnataka and the UT of Ladakh under the capacity building program under the Jal Jeevan Mission

The training programmes were conducted in both the formats – online and physical. The training focused on various aspects of the Mission including ‘Participatory planning, implementation & operation and maintenance of rural drinking water supply project under JJM’, ‘Operation and management of water supply system to achieve sustainable, equitable, consistent, economically viable safe and low energy consuming technologies’, ‘Best practices on rural water resource management’, and ‘Sensor-based IoT systems for monitoring rural water supply’. Team AIILSG also organised field visits for the officials.

The programmes majorly focussed on the rural areas of Karnataka, Leh and Ladakh. Eminent trainers, including Waterman of Odisha Ranjan Panda, and Dr Bhakti Devi, National President, Water Resource Council, were engaged. Commissioner Secretary, Ladakh, Ajeet Kumar Sahu, inaugurated the first training session for the officials of the Union Territory of Ladakh. Sahu said, “JJM is not a scheme but a ‘People’s Movement’ wherein community participation is the key.” He underlined that the UT had increased its water supply coverage from 3 per cent to 30 per cent in a short span. He expressed his pleasure that Ladakh strongly believes in ‘Community Participation’ and that no major complaint has been registered regarding the

Level 2 officials after JJM training programme in Ladakh

implementation of the scheme so far. He further added that handing over the powers, functionaries, funds, and functions to the community will be the most significant achievement and ensure the scheme’s success.

The training programmes aimed to increase community participation and achieve the targets under JJM. The trainers underlined the challenges that officials could face while working with the beneficiaries. Trainers conducted interactive sessions to understand the ground realities and provide them with tailor-made solutions. The officials were trained to map maximum clusters of houses to develop an integrated and comprehensive action plan. It was also suggested to revisit the village and carry out this activity to fill gaps in existing projects. This process will ensure the investment and participation of people from all sectors of society. Participants were also trained on involving the concept of resource mapping for the smart implementation of the scheme.

The sessions had a live quiz session on Mentimeter--Intercative Presentation Software-- for engaging the trainees further. Using the platform, trainers asked the participants questions and recorded answers in real-time to gauge officials’ understanding of topics covered in the training sessions. During the training program, participants were divided into multiple groups. They were asked to present their unique ideas on increasing community involvement and using innovative technologies introduced to tackle the challenges of establishing a potable water supply at household level. Each session involved detailed discussions on queries put forward by the participants.

At the end of each session, participants were asked to submit their feedback with the help of emojis available on the platform and with a form link sent to them. This way, the trainers improved the training methodology in upcoming training sessions.

NEWSCAN Jharkhand joins hands with ISB to foster forest economy

HYDERABAD: The Government of Jharkhand teamed up with the Indian School of Business (ISB) to launch the one-of-a-kind programme to boost the state’s forest economy. On December 29, the Department of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Minorities, and Backward Classes Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, along with the Department of Forests, Government of Jharkhand, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at the Indian School of Business to develop scalable and sustainable solutions focusing on forest-based industrial value chains, marking the second anniversary of the Hemant Soren-led government. In the presence of Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the MoU was signed by Naman Priyesh Lakra, Welfare Commissioner, Government of Jharkhand, and Professor Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, ISB. Professor Ashwini Chhatre elaborated on the collaboration, “Our strategy is to create incentives for sustainable forest management by establishing and formalising links between significant stakeholders in current value chains for forest-based industrial raw materials. We will assist communities in developing institutional and technological capabilities. This vision will help India meet its international commitments to sustainable development.”

PM launches projects in Manipur, Tripura

IMPHAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Manipur and Tripura to lay the foundation stones for several development projects. PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 22 development projects worth over `4800 crore in Imphal. In Manipur, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for nine projects worth `2950 crore and inaugurated 13 projects with a total worth of `1850 crore. These initiatives span a variety of fields, including road infrastructure, drinking water supply, health, urban development, housing, information technology, skill development, and art and culture. PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of five national highway projects worth over `1700 crore, as part of a national initiative to strengthen connectivity. He also dedicated 2387 mobile towers erected at a cost of roughly `1100 crore to the people of Manipur. The PM laid the foundation stone of a ‘State-of-the-Art Cancer Hospital’ in Imphal, worth roughly `160 crore on a public-private partnership basis, in an effort to enhance the state’s health sector.

PM Modi visited Tripura to inaugurate the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport’s New Integrated Terminal Building and announced two significant initiatives: the Mukhyamantri Tripura Gram Samriddhi Yojana and Vidyajyoti Schools’ Project Mission 100.

MUDA to expand green space in Mangaluru

In the next 18 months, the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) wants to increase the city’s green cover to 33 per cent. MUDA has proposed establishing tree parks in 83 locations throughout the city. According to Prashant Pai, Range Forest Officer, the agency has identified 52 unoccupied sites in the city that can be converted to green areas. MUDA has expressed interest in developing Kadri Park, Deer Park, and the Skating Rink, which will boost foot traffic in the city’s three primary green spaces.

IMC to make rainwater harvesting mandatory

Residential and commercial buildings in Indore are all set to be equipped with rainwater harvesting systems. Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) said that it is going to make roof top rainwater harvesting compulsory in all buildings that are constructed on a minimum area of 1000 square feet area.

Govt, local bodies to buy, rent EVs: Thackrey

The Government of Maharashtra will buy or rent electric vehicles (EVs) for the state government and municipal bodies, effective immediately, said Aaditya Thackrey, Minister of Environment, Government of Maharashtra. On January 2, Thackrey announced that the government has decided to advance the deadline of April 1, set out earlier for the adoption of EVs. The EV policy aims to achieve 25 per cent of total public transport to be constituted of EVs, in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik, by 2025.

NDMC to set up CBG-CNG fuel stations

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which a number of compressed biogas (CBG) plants and integrated CBG-CNG fuel stations will be built in north Delhi for in-situ processing of wet waste and maximising the use of biodegradable waste. While the concessional time will be 20 years, the MoU period will be of two years, according to Sanjay Goel, Commissioner, NDMC. “Each CBG facility will have a daily conversion capacity of 100 tonnes of segregated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).”

Odisha to upgrade 253 slums by year-end

The Government of Odisha recently asked the Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha, and district collectors to complete upgradation of all identified slums by the end of this year. The decision was taken following the successful implementation of standard operating procedure (SOP) for upgradation of slums under Dhenkanal municipality under Jaga Mission. According to the urban slum household areas survey, 253 slums were discovered in urban forest land throughout 45 ULBs in 22 districts. This is causing issues with the settlement of slum inhabitants’ land rights and the construction of basic infrastructure.

NEWSCAN RWAs and sense of ownership: Tamil Nadu’s urban solution

CHENNAI: To counter the problem of urban maintenance, the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board introduced a program named ‘Nam Kudiyiruppu, Nam Poruppu (Our homes, Our responsibility) . The Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, made the decision keeping in mind the need for building a community.

Through the program, the residents would be directly involved in the process of managing the projects and handling the funding. This would bring an enhanced sense of ownership among the residents to look after their living spaces. In this regard, the Government of Odisha recently issued an order fixing the maintenance charges at either `750 or `250 (depending on the buildings). The responsibility of collecting the funds would be handed over to Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs). The Government of Odisha will be providing a matching grant, which would be equivalent to the maintenance charges collected by a RWA. The housing board has ordered that the routine maintenance and minor repair works will be carried out by the funds collected by the associations. The major repair works related to water supply and electricity will be carried by the funding collected from the board.

Namami Gange model will be replicated to clean Indian rivers: Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Namami Gange program will be replicated for other rivers in India, stated G Asok Kumar, newly appointed Direct General of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), in an interview on January 3. He informed that the Government of India is trying to see how to replicate and include the Namami Gange working model into the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP). This move will bring the program under the purview of NMCG and build a framework for covering rest of the rivers of the country.

Kumar mentioned that the success of NMCG has increased the aspiration of people from across the country. “The in-depth research and development for cleaning the Ganges have raised the aspirations of people. There has also been an enhanced political will from all states to provide clean lakes to people.” In the interview, Kumar also talked about the ‘Jal Shakti Kendras’. As part of the ‘Catch the Rain Campaign’, such centers have been set up in all districts. He stated that the center also provides information regarding water planning that can be taken up at a district level. He said that success of the NMCG has prompted the Government of India to prioritise cleaning the rivers.

NEWSCAN MoHUA launches Smart cities & Academia toward Action & Research

NEW DELHI: As part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations across the nation, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, in collaboration with the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), launched ‘Smart cities and Academia towards Action and Research (SAAR)’. It is a joint initiative of MoHUA with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), and some of the leading academic institutes of the country. 15 premiere planning and architecture institutes of the country will work together with SCM to document their best and landmark projects. The document will contain learnings from the best practices and will provide opportunities for engagement on urban development projects. Since the start of SCM, the selected 100 cities are developing 5151 projects worth Rs 2,05,018 crore. As per the first activity under SAAR, they will prepare a compendium of 75 lighthouse projects of India under SCM. They will be innovative and multisectoral, and the project celebrates 75 years of Indian independence. The compendium will serve as the first point of reference for future research in the field. 75 projects under the compendium are from across 47 smart cities. NIUA and MoHUA will facilitate the linkages between these institutions and SCM, regarding the documentation of specific landmark projects. Teams of students and mentors from these premiere institutions will visit 47 smart cities to understand and document these projects.

UP CM Adityanath inaugurates projects under Smart City Varanasi

VARANASI: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath virtually inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for numerous projects under the Varanasi Smart City. The CM inaugurated a freshly constructed e-bus charging station, according to SN Sonthalia, Spokesperson for Varanasi Smart City. The Department of Urban Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh, has assigned 700 air-conditioned e-buses throughout 14 cities in the state to minimise air pollution and promote green-public transportation. Varanasi will have 50 of these buses.

The e-bus charging station also has a maintenance shed, substation building, charging point construction, restroom, lighting system, drinking water, guard room, meter and pump room, and rainwater collection tools.

CM Adityanath also announced the launch of free Wi-Fi at seven spots throughout the city. Citizens will be able to use free Wi-Fi for 30 minutes by logging in with their mobile number and a one-time password. The CM also laid the foundation for the rehabilitation and beautification of six parks and a pond. This project will include landscaping and route work, as well as the installation of high-mast and solar lights, a kiosk, an open gym, and a children’s play area.

UN WFP partners with Akshaya Patra to address malnutrition in India

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and The Akshaya Patra Foundation have partnered to improve the Pradhan MantriPoshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. BishowParajuli, Director, WFP India, signed a pact with ChanchalapthiDasa, Vice Chairman of the Bengalurubased NGO, in New Delhi. According to Parajuli, the cooperation is a strategic force multiplier, which will bring together extensive work and experience. School meals have been a component of WFP’s work since its beginning in 1961. The allianceintends to augment WFP’s global network of largescale feeding programmes with their expertise in addressing hunger at the grassroots level.

India among world’s largest emitters: Study

According to a study, the amount of emission by five countries namely India, China, the United States, the European Union and Russia, between 1991-2030, will induce extreme hot years every second year, in double the number of countries experiencing it right now. The study was led by scientists at ETH Zurich and Climate Analytics, which analysed the emissions by the top five countries over periods of 1991-2030 and 2016-2030. Study suggested that at the end of period, these countries will contribute 52 per cent and 53 per cent of global emissions, respectively.