The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forests, under the Chairpersonship of Renuka Chowdhury, Member of Parliament presented its Two Hundred and Ninety-third Report on ‘Forest Fires and its Effect on Environment, Forests, Bio-diversity and Wildlife and remedial/preventive measures’ to both the Houses of Parliament on December 16, 2016.
Uncontrollable and devastating forest fires ravaged the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmirduring February-April 2016. In Uttarakhand alone, the forest fires destroyed nearly 4,000 ha. of forest cover across 13 districts, killed 9 and injured 17 people besides damaging the biodiversity and forest ecosystem beyond repair.
As many as 378 forest fires had broken out in Himachal. Also, the Riasi district in Jammu faced devastation including some forested patch of Trikuta Mountains where the famous Vaishno Devi edifice is enshrined. In view of the enormity of the forest fires this year in the fragile states in the Himalayan region, resulting in heavy loss of lives and extensive damage to the flora and fauna, the Rajya Sabha Committee decided to take up the subject for examination in May 2016.After 6 months, it has presented its recommendations some of which are of far reaching importance. The detailed recommendations are as below.
- The Committee observes that the funds released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to the States and UTs under Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely, Intensification of Forest Management, have shown a declining trend during the last few years, as is evident from the figures provided by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Committee is at a loss to understand as to why, when most of the concerned States have been asking for additional funds under this scheme, the Ministry has not given priority to this sector. In view of the devastations caused due to the forest fires, particularly this year, the Committee recommends that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change should enhance its budgetary allocation under the Scheme and provide increased allocations under the Scheme to the affected States to enable them to take the requisite measures for prevention and mitigation of forest fires.
- The Committee has been given to understand that Forest Research Institute, one of the oldest forestry institutions in the country, has been undertaking basic research in forest management. However, there seems to be a huge disconnect between the research done by FRI and its usage by the State Forest Departments and other agencies. This has been corroborated by the fact that NDRF, when deployed in Uttarakhand to control the forest fire, complained of having used very rudimentary equipment, whereas FRI claims of having designed and developed efficient fire-fighting tools. Therefore, the Committee recommends to FRI to publicise among all State about the equipment developed by them with a view to control forest fires, so that the concerned States could procure the equipment and use them in case of forest fires.
- The Committee observed that a large number of posts of front line forest staff were lying vacant and expressed doubt about the preparedness of the state forest departments to combat forest fires. The Committee also observed that the recent forest fires may have resulted in adverse impact on many species and desired to know the efforts made by the Government in minimizing the loss. The Committee was informed that the Department was conducting regular surveys with respect to floral as well as faunal species conservation in the state and will undertake more studies focused towards areas where forest fires had been reported. The Committee was also informed that the State Forest Department was taking up soil and water conservation measures in affected areas to check possible negative impact on forests and water resources of the state. Further, a range of local species have been reserved which will be planted to minimize soil screened along with the contour trenches.
- The Committee notes that Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and Wildlife Institute of India have made some very useful suggestions regarding remedial/preventive measures for forest fires, disaster risk reduction, restoration of habitat, wildlife habitat improvement and post fire restoration work. The Committee recommends that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the concerned State Government should take these suggestions into consideration while formulating strategies for prevention, mitigation and fighting the forest fires as well as post fire restoration work.
- The Committee is of the opinion that agencies like NDRF should be deployed in fighting forest fires extremely rarely. Infact, State Governments should be asked to train their fire brigade staff to fight forest fires as they will be in a better position to deal with it. The Committee was informed that Himachal Pradesh has over 600 fire brigade staff. Likewise, all other states will be having their fire-fighting staff who needed to be trained to suit the occasion. The Committee, therefore, recommends that Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, on priority basis through Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, organize training of fire brigade officers of all the states and equip them with proper forest fire equipment so that they can rise up to the occasion in the event of forest fires and they do not have to depend on outside agencies like NDRF which has already enough duties to perform at national level. The Committee also recommends that the Government should also approach some other fire-prone countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia to understand as to how they deal with the problems of forest fires and study the use of other systems for fighting forest fires such as chemical fogging that is used in these countries.
- The Committee was constrained to note that interest and participation of local villagers/people in dealing with the forest fires and related incidents have gone down. The Committee is of the view that the key issue in forest management is the execution of activities at the grass root level and hence there is an urgent need to restore the social commitment and sense of belongingness of the people towards the forests and their involvement in planning and management of the forests. The Committee is of the firm view that this would also help in minimising the forest fire incidents in the country. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Central Government and concerned State Governments should take immediate necessary steps to involve the local communities, including women, self-help groups and members of Village Panchayats and ZilaParishads in forest management related activities. The Committee also recommends that the State Governments should also incentivise the local people/villagers by creating facilities for them such as schools, hospitals etc. as per the local requirements to motivate and encourage the people to come forward and participate in the process of saving our precious forests from forest fires.
- The Committee is in agreement with the view expressed by various representatives of Civil Society that small fires lit by the villagers in forest areas can spread and result in major forest fires. The need for taking up awareness campaigns among the villagers and exposing them to the devastating and horrifying results of such small fires cannot be over-emphasised. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change must impress upon the State Governments to take all necessary measures in this regard such as posters, slogans, campaigns in schools, hand bill etc. Since visual media is very effective in attracting people towards a cause, it is recommended that the devastating effects of forest fires should also be shown on electronic media in the form of short films, documentaries etc. to make the people aware of the horrifying impacts of forest fires.
- The Committee further recommends that short films/documentaries in regional languages should also be shown periodically and the campaign should be sustained at least period of three to five years so that it can impact the minds of the people and the society at large. The Committee also recommends that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds should also be used for advertisement and awareness campaigns. Further, there should be training and mock fire-drills in schools and colleges. There should also be a dedicated toll free telephone number for reporting incidents of forest fire in each state.
- The Committee is also of the view that people/tourists who come to the hilly areas from the plains, have little awareness about how to behave in the hills. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the State Governments should proactively work towards putting up public signage displaying the requisite messages in areas frequented by the tourists, to make them aware of the norms to be followed in forest areas.
Availability of fire-fighting equipment, kits and training to local people. - The Committee feels that apart from involvement of local communities in forest management and exposing them to devastations of forest fires, there is an urgent need to provide fire-fighting equipment to the people. Further, all persons deployed to fight the fires should be provided some back-pack kits which should contain water, packed food, fire-proof hand gloves and boots, breathing masks, first-aid kits etc. so that they could sustain themselves for longer periods while undertaking the job. Further, since fighting forest fire has its own intricacies, the local communities should be updated with new technology and trained on how to use this equipment so that they could work hand in hand with Government agencies in fighting forest fires, when required.
- Chir Pine needles, which are highly inflammable due to its high resin content, are a prominent factor in occurring and spreading of forest fires. The Committee is in agreement with the view expressed by representatives of some NGOs that the Chir pine needles should be removed and collected frequently. The Committee recommends that the State Governments should consider procuring sweeping machines to clear the roadsides of chir pine needles and dry leaves in vulnerable areas. Further, steps should be taken for incentivising the clearing and collection of pine needles. The Government should also try to involve school children, NCC, NGOs etc. in collection of pine needles. The local communities should also be encouraged by providing remunerative emoluments in the collection process. The Committee also recommends that broad leave trees should be planted in the forests and, after a period of five years, there should be systematic replacement of chir pine trees in the forests by broad leave trees as it has been seen that incidents of fires in latter forests are minimal as compared to chir pine forests.
- The Committee is further of the view that there is high resin content in chir pine needles and there is a need to explore as to how it can be used for other purposes. The Committee recommends that the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change should take up with the concerned Ministries of Government of India to explore as to how best to extract resin from these needles and how, apart from burning fuel, it could be used for other purposes.
- The Committee is of the view that activities relating to collection of pine needles can not only provide employment to a large number of unskilled workers in the hilly states but also get rid of the chir pine needles which play a vital role in spreading of forest fires. The Committee, therefore, recommends that Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change should take up the inclusion of work relating to collection of chir pine needles as one of the activities under MGNREGA with the concerned Union Ministry so that the State Governments can initiate further action in this regard without any hindrance.
- The Committee is dismayed to note the problems of encroachment of forest land by the people as well as the violation of forest conservation rules in Dehradun and Shimla. Some people purposefully cause fires to encroach on forest land, which sometimes spread to other areas as well. The Committee recommends that the matter needs to be administratively looked into by the concerned State Governments and ensure that there is no encroachment of forest land or violation of forest conservation rules. Municipal and town planning agencies in the States should take effective and practical steps to stop unplanned urbanization and encroachments of forest and open land. Local communities/villagers should be encouraged to report any such incidents to the concerned authorities immediately. The authorities should take prompt action in such cases. Forests are our national property and any attempt to encroach upon them and the consequent fire in forests, whether intentional or unintentional, should be strictly dealt with.Creation of check dams and ponds within the forests.
- The Committee feels that creation of ponds and water harvesting structures within the forest area not only reduces river bank erosion but can be a handy tool for supply of water for dousing forest fires. This would not only reduce dependence on helicopters for supply of water but also readily provide water to the locals within the forest area for fire-fighting. The Committee, therefore, recommends that Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change should impress upon the State Governments the need to reinvigorate the system of ponds and check dams within the forest areas, so that water is immediately available at hand for making efforts to douse the forest fires. This would also save crucial time which is wasted in bringing water from other far-off resources, and help try to douse the fire in its initial stages and check it from spreading further.
- Fire lines are areas which are cleaned of vegetation for stopping or slowing down a fire in forest areas. The creation of fire lines is critical in wildland fire fighting, because without fire lines, a fire can quickly get out of control. The Committee is of the view that such traditional methods of containing forest fires have stood the test of time and should not be dispensed with. While use of modern technologies for fire alerts etc. is definitely a welcome step, under the present circumstances, over-dependence on technology at the cost of traditional methods should not be encouraged. The Committee, therefore, recommends that Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change should emphasise upon the State Governments that the traditional forest operations for scientific management of forests including forest floor clearing, controlled burning and creation of water harvesting structures should be reviewed and utilised effectively. The Committee notes that the traditional fire lines are not being cleared due to lack of funds at the disposal of the State Governments. The Committee, therefore, also recommends that adequate budgetary allocations should be made by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for the purpose and State Governments should ensure that fire lines, which play a crucial role in preventing spread of fires, are cleared regularly. The Committee also recommends that seasonal training, if required, should be provided to the local people including panchayats and zilaparishads for clearing of fire lines, before the onset of forest fire season.
- The Committee recommends that instead of fire watchers, forest workers and CCTVs, the use of Drones should be encouraged for forest surveillance and monitoring. These drones should be deployed systematically in a day three to four times, or as felt necessary. This would enable the authorities receive much faster information since the drones will be able to go into the interior of the forest areas and send updates of the happenings inside the forests. The State Governments can equip the fire watchers with new technologies so that they can detect any suspicious or untoward incidents and report them to the concerned authorities immediately. This would not only ease the pressure on fire watchers who are pitifully paid and have to sit observing the forests in all climatic conditions but also provide more authentic and accurate data to the Government. It would also enable the State Governments to evolve a quick response system.
- The Committee is shocked to note the gross underestimation of losses due to forest fires. The Government estimation in Himachal Pradesh comes to INR 470 per acre and in Uttarakhand it is INR 400 per acre. The Committee is at loss to understand who will be the actual beneficiary of this gross underestimation. The Committee, therefore, recommends that an independent agency having impeccable credibility must be roped in by the Ministry to estimate the losses in real terms and properly and earmark budget for compensation.
- The Committee is in agreement with the views expressed by the representatives of Civil Society that the impact of forest fire on biodiversity is grossly underestimated and the loss of wildlife was not even by accounted for. The Committee is at loss to understand as to why the Zoological Survey of India and Botanical Survey of India, which are also the arms of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, did not take up any studies on loss of biodiversity of the forest fire affected areas. Even the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change did not take any initiative in this regard. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also stated that National Biodiversity Authority can take up studies in future on the effect of natural calamities/disasters including forest fires, and remedial/preventive measures thereof on a need basis. The Committee hopes that in future, the Ministry would take a more proactive approach in this regard and recommends that Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change should ask its concerned organisations to undertake, on priority basis, assessment of loss of biodiversity due to forest fires and devise plans to prevent loss of bio-diversity in the event of forest fires so that corrective and preventive measures in this regard could be initiated at the earliest. The Committee further suggests that the Ministry should consider making National Biodiversity Authority the nodal agency for coordinating the efforts made by the different organizations in this regard.
- The Committee is also aware of the availability of natural assets like medicinal and herbal plants in our forests. The Committee feels that there are adequate nurseries in hilly areas which are the banks of medicinal and herbal plants. The Committee is of the view that the Government can also consider incentivising the forest dwellers to grow medicinal plants in the plains. As such it would become a source of earning for local people. Accordingly, in case of occurrence of incidents of fire, they would be worried about their source of income, as a result of which they will take care of the areas and work to ensure that there are no cases of forest fires.
- The Committee is of the view that after forest fires, the earth around the affected areas and the roots of the trees become weak and loose. This also contributes to the landslides in the affected areas in the rainy seasons after the forest fires. The Committee, therefore, recommends that Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change should impress upon the State Governments that after the forest fires have been brought under control, a quick response system should be put in action and immediate necessary steps should be taken for minimizing the occurrence of landslides in the affected areas. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change should also issue suitable guidelines to the State Governments in this regard.
- The Committee notes that almost all the State Governments have expressed resource crunch and inadequate budgetary allocations to effectively invest in protecting our forests from fires. The Committee observes that in the context of forest fires, the needs of Himalayan states are distinctly different from the other states. The whole country depends upon the services of the Himalayan region since they contribute much more to the forest cover of the country. Accordingly, the Committee recommends that the budget of all the states which are in Himalayan region should be demarcated separately from other states, with specific objectives in mind and the policies and programmes and it should not be clubbed with other states, without taking into account the specific demands of the Himalayan ecosystem. Further, there should be an accelerated system for the devolution of funds to these States to enable them to prioritize the requirements of prevention, mitigation and fighting the forest fires.
- The Committee strongly feels that in this background the ball is in the court of the Central Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to plan to remove dead and fallen tree even in the protected forest areas. The Committee recommends that in the light of Supreme Court order of 1996, the Central Government is bound to persuade the State Governments and approve their Working Plans for salvaging dead and fallen trees with a view to avoid induced forest fire in future.
The Committee is of the view that forest fires have become an annual feature in the country and have a devastating effect on environment, forest, biodiversity and wildlife. The Committee feels that there is an urgent need to devise a policy with regard to prevention and mitigation of forest fires and recommends that Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change should, at the earliest, come up with a national policy on the subject.
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Petrol in India is cheaper than in countries like Hong Kong, Germany and the UK but costlier than in China, Brazil, Japan, the US, Russia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, a Bank of Baroda Economics Research report showed.
Rising fuel prices in India have led to considerable debate on which government, state or central, should be lowering their taxes to keep prices under control.
The rise in fuel prices is mainly due to the global price of crude oil (raw material for making petrol and diesel) going up. Further, a stronger dollar has added to the cost of crude oil.
Amongst comparable countries (per capita wise), prices in India are higher than those in Vietnam, Kenya, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. Countries that are major oil producers have much lower prices.
In the report, the Philippines has a comparable petrol price but has a per capita income higher than India by over 50 per cent.
Countries which have a lower per capita income like Kenya, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Venezuela have much lower prices of petrol and hence are impacted less than India.
“Therefore there is still a strong case for the government to consider lowering the taxes on fuel to protect the interest of the people,” the report argued.
India is the world’s third-biggest oil consuming and importing nation. It imports 85 per cent of its oil needs and so prices retail fuel at import parity rates.
With the global surge in energy prices, the cost of producing petrol, diesel and other petroleum products also went up for oil companies in India.
They raised petrol and diesel prices by Rs 10 a litre in just over a fortnight beginning March 22 but hit a pause button soon after as the move faced criticism and the opposition parties asked the government to cut taxes instead.
India imports most of its oil from a group of countries called the ‘OPEC +’ (i.e, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Russia, etc), which produces 40% of the world’s crude oil.
As they have the power to dictate fuel supply and prices, their decision of limiting the global supply reduces supply in India, thus raising prices
The government charges about 167% tax (excise) on petrol and 129% on diesel as compared to US (20%), UK (62%), Italy and Germany (65%).
The abominable excise duty is 2/3rd of the cost, and the base price, dealer commission and freight form the rest.
Here is an approximate break-up (in Rs):
a)Base Price | 39 |
b)Freight | 0.34 |
c) Price Charged to Dealers = (a+b) | 39.34 |
d) Excise Duty | 40.17 |
e) Dealer Commission | 4.68 |
f) VAT | 25.35 |
g) Retail Selling Price | 109.54 |
Looked closely, much of the cost of petrol and diesel is due to higher tax rate by govt, specifically excise duty.
So the question is why government is not reducing the prices ?
India, being a developing country, it does require gigantic amount of funding for its infrastructure projects as well as welfare schemes.
However, we as a society is yet to be tax-compliant. Many people evade the direct tax and that’s the reason why govt’s hands are tied. Govt. needs the money to fund various programs and at the same time it is not generating enough revenue from direct taxes.
That’s the reason why, govt is bumping up its revenue through higher indirect taxes such as GST or excise duty as in the case of petrol and diesel.
Direct taxes are progressive as it taxes according to an individuals’ income however indirect tax such as excise duty or GST are regressive in the sense that the poorest of the poor and richest of the rich have to pay the same amount.
Does not matter, if you are an auto-driver or owner of a Mercedes, end of the day both pay the same price for petrol/diesel-that’s why it is regressive in nature.
But unlike direct tax where tax evasion is rampant, indirect tax can not be evaded due to their very nature and as long as huge no of Indians keep evading direct taxes, indirect tax such as excise duty will be difficult for the govt to reduce, because it may reduce the revenue and hamper may programs of the govt.
Globally, around 80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations.
This can pose a significant environmental and health threat.
In the absence of cost-effective, sustainable, disruptive water management solutions, about 70% of sewage is discharged untreated into India’s water bodies.
A staggering 21% of diseases are caused by contaminated water in India, according to the World Bank, and one in five children die before their fifth birthday because of poor sanitation and hygiene conditions, according to Startup India.
As we confront these public health challenges emerging out of environmental concerns, expanding the scope of public health/environmental engineering science becomes pivotal.
For India to achieve its sustainable development goals of clean water and sanitation and to address the growing demands for water consumption and preservation of both surface water bodies and groundwater resources, it is essential to find and implement innovative ways of treating wastewater.
It is in this context why the specialised cadre of public health engineers, also known as sanitation engineers or environmental engineers, is best suited to provide the growing urban and rural water supply and to manage solid waste and wastewater.
Traditionally, engineering and public health have been understood as different fields.
Currently in India, civil engineering incorporates a course or two on environmental engineering for students to learn about wastewater management as a part of their pre-service and in-service training.
Most often, civil engineers do not have adequate skills to address public health problems. And public health professionals do not have adequate engineering skills.
India aims to supply 55 litres of water per person per day by 2024 under its Jal Jeevan Mission to install functional household tap connections.
The goal of reaching every rural household with functional tap water can be achieved in a sustainable and resilient manner only if the cadre of public health engineers is expanded and strengthened.
In India, public health engineering is executed by the Public Works Department or by health officials.
This differs from international trends. To manage a wastewater treatment plant in Europe, for example, a candidate must specialise in wastewater engineering.
Furthermore, public health engineering should be developed as an interdisciplinary field. Engineers can significantly contribute to public health in defining what is possible, identifying limitations, and shaping workable solutions with a problem-solving approach.
Similarly, public health professionals can contribute to engineering through well-researched understanding of health issues, measured risks and how course correction can be initiated.
Once both meet, a public health engineer can identify a health risk, work on developing concrete solutions such as new health and safety practices or specialised equipment, in order to correct the safety concern..
There is no doubt that the majority of diseases are water-related, transmitted through consumption of contaminated water, vectors breeding in stagnated water, or lack of adequate quantity of good quality water for proper personal hygiene.
Diseases cannot be contained unless we provide good quality and adequate quantity of water. Most of the world’s diseases can be prevented by considering this.
Training our young minds towards creating sustainable water management systems would be the first step.
Currently, institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) are considering initiating public health engineering as a separate discipline.
To leverage this opportunity even further, India needs to scale up in the same direction.
Consider this hypothetical situation: Rajalakshmi, from a remote Karnataka village spots a business opportunity.
She knows that flowers, discarded in the thousands by temples can be handcrafted into incense sticks.
She wants to find a market for the product and hopefully, employ some people to help her. Soon enough though, she discovers that starting a business is a herculean task for a person like her.
There is a laborious process of rules and regulations to go through, bribes to pay on the way and no actual means to transport her product to its market.
After making her first batch of agarbathis and taking it to Bengaluru by bus, she decides the venture is not easy and gives up.
On the flipside of this is a young entrepreneur in Bengaluru. Let’s call him Deepak. He wants to start an internet-based business selling sustainably made agarbathis.
He has no trouble getting investors and to mobilise supply chains. His paperwork is over in a matter of days and his business is set up quickly and ready to grow.
Never mind that the business is built on aggregation of small sellers who will not see half the profit .
Is this scenario really all that hypothetical or emblematic of how we think about entrepreneurship in India?
Between our national obsession with unicorns on one side and glorifying the person running a pakora stall for survival as an example of viable entrepreneurship on the other, is the middle ground in entrepreneurship—a space that should have seen millions of thriving small and medium businesses, but remains so sparsely occupied that you could almost miss it.
If we are to achieve meaningful economic growth in our country, we need to incorporate, in our national conversation on entrepreneurship, ways of addressing the missing middle.
Spread out across India’s small towns and cities, this is a class of entrepreneurs that have been hit by a triple wave over the last five years, buffeted first by the inadvertent fallout of demonetization, being unprepared for GST, and then by the endless pain of the covid-19 pandemic.
As we finally appear to be reaching some level of normality, now is the opportune time to identify the kind of industries that make up this layer, the opportunities they should be afforded, and the best ways to scale up their functioning in the shortest time frame.
But, why pay so much attention to these industries when we should be celebrating, as we do, our booming startup space?
It is indeed true that India has the third largest number of unicorns in the world now, adding 42 in 2021 alone. Braving all the disruptions of the pandemic, it was a year in which Indian startups raised $24.1 billion in equity investments, according to a NASSCOM-Zinnov report last year.
However, this is a story of lopsided growth.
The cities of Bengaluru, Delhi/NCR, and Mumbai together claim three-fourths of these startup deals while emerging hubs like Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, and Jaipur account for the rest.
This leap in the startup space has created 6.6 lakh direct jobs and a few million indirect jobs. Is that good enough for a country that sends 12 million fresh graduates to its workforce every year?
It doesn’t even make a dent on arguably our biggest unemployment in recent history—in April 2020 when the country shutdown to battle covid-19.
Technology-intensive start-ups are constrained in their ability to create jobs—and hybrid work models and artificial intelligence (AI) have further accelerated unemployment.
What we need to focus on, therefore, is the labour-intensive micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME). Here, we begin to get to a definitional notion of what we called the mundane middle and the problems it currently faces.
India has an estimated 63 million enterprises. But, out of 100 companies, 95 are micro enterprises—employing less than five people, four are small to medium and barely one is large.
The questions to ask are: why are Indian MSMEs failing to grow from micro to small and medium and then be spurred on to make the leap into large companies?
At the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME), we have advocated for a National Mission for Mass Entrepreneurship, the need for which is more pronounced now than ever before.
Whenever India has worked to achieve a significant economic milestone in a limited span of time, it has worked best in mission mode. Think of the Green Revolution or Operation Flood.
From across various states, there are enough examples of approaches that work to catalyse mass entrepreneurship.
The introduction of entrepreneurship mindset curriculum (EMC) in schools through alliance mode of working by a number of agencies has shown significant improvement in academic and life outcomes.
Through creative teaching methods, students are encouraged to inculcate 21st century skills like creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and leadership which are not only foundational for entrepreneurship but essential to thrive in our complex world.
Udhyam Learning Foundation has been involved with the Government of Delhi since 2018 to help young people across over 1,000 schools to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
One pilot programme introduced the concept of ‘seed money’ and saw 41 students turn their ideas into profit-making ventures. Other programmes teach qualities like grit and resourcefulness.
If you think these are isolated examples, consider some larger data trends.
The Observer Research Foundation and The World Economic Forum released the Young India and Work: A Survey of Youth Aspirations in 2018.
When asked which type of work arrangement they prefer, 49% of the youth surveyed said they prefer a job in the public sector.
However, 38% selected self-employment as an entrepreneur as their ideal type of job. The spirit of entrepreneurship is latent and waiting to be unleashed.
The same can be said for building networks of successful women entrepreneurs—so crucial when the participation of women in the Indian economy has declined to an abysmal 20%.
The majority of India’s 63 million firms are informal —fewer than 20% are registered for GST.
Research shows that companies that start out as formal enterprises become two-three times more productive than a similar informal business.
So why do firms prefer to be informal? In most cases, it’s because of the sheer cost and difficulty of complying with the different regulations.
We have academia and non-profits working as ecosystem enablers providing insights and evidence-based models for growth. We have large private corporations and philanthropic and funding agencies ready to invest.
It should be in the scope of a National Mass Entrepreneurship Mission to bring all of them together to work in mission mode so that the gap between thought leadership and action can finally be bridged.
Heat wave is a condition of air temperature which becomes fatal to human body when exposed. Often times, it is defined based on the temperature thresholds over a region in terms of actual temperature or its departure from normal.
Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 400C or more for Plains and at least 300C or more for Hilly regions.
a) Based on Departure from Normal
Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.50C to 6.40C
Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.40C
b) Based on Actual Maximum Temperature
Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥ 450C
Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥470C
If above criteria met at least in 2 stations in a Meteorological sub-division for at least two consecutive days and it declared on the second day
It is occurring mainly during March to June and in some rare cases even in July. The peak month of the heat wave over India is May.
Heat wave generally occurs over plains of northwest India, Central, East & north Peninsular India during March to June.
It covers Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, parts of Maharashtra & Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana.
Sometimes it occurs over Tamilnadu & Kerala also.
Heat waves adversely affect human and animal lives.
However, maximum temperatures more than 45°C observed mainly over Rajasthan and Vidarbha region in month of May.
a. Transportation / Prevalence of hot dry air over a region (There should be a region of warm dry air and appropriate flow pattern for transporting hot air over the region).
b. Absence of moisture in the upper atmosphere (As the presence of moisture restricts the temperature rise).
c. The sky should be practically cloudless (To allow maximum insulation over the region).
d. Large amplitude anti-cyclonic flow over the area.
Heat waves generally develop over Northwest India and spread gradually eastwards & southwards but not westwards (since the prevailing winds during the season are westerly to northwesterly).
The health impacts of Heat Waves typically involve dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. The signs and symptoms are as follows:
1. Heat Cramps: Ederna (swelling) and Syncope (Fainting) generally accompanied by fever below 39*C i.e.102*F.
2. Heat Exhaustion: Fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and sweating.
3. Heat Stoke: Body temperatures of 40*C i.e. 104*F or more along with delirium, seizures or coma. This is a potential fatal condition.
Norman Borlaug and MS Swaminathan in a wheat field in north India in March 1964
Political independence does not have much meaning without economic independence.
One of the important indicators of economic independence is self-sufficiency in food grain production.
The overall food grain scenario in India has undergone a drastic transformation in the last 75 years.
India was a food-deficit country on the eve of Independence. It had to import foodgrains to feed its people.
The situation became more acute during the 1960s. The imported food had to be sent to households within the shortest possible time.
The situation was referred to as ‘ship to mouth’.
Presently, Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns are overflowing with food grain stocks and the Union government is unable to ensure remunerative price to the farmers for their produce.
This transformation, however, was not smooth.
In the 1960s, it was disgraceful, but unavoidable for the Prime Minister of India to go to foreign countries with a begging bowl.
To avoid such situations, the government motivated agricultural scientists to make India self-sufficient in food grain production.
As a result, high-yield varieties (HYV) were developed. The combination of seeds, water and fertiliser gave a boost to food grain production in the country which is generally referred to as the Green Revolution.
The impact of the Green Revolution, however, was confined to a few areas like Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh in the north and (unified) Andhra Pradesh in the south.
Most of the remaining areas were deficit in food grain production.
Therefore the Union government had to procure food grain from surplus states to distribute it among deficit ones.
At the time, farmers in the surplus states viewed procurement as a tax as they were prevented from selling their surplus foodgrains at high prices in the deficit states.
As production of food grains increased, there was decentralisation of procurement. State governments were permitted to procure grain to meet their requirement.
The distribution of food grains was left to the concerned state governments.
Kerala, for instance, was totally a deficit state and had to adopt a distribution policy which was almost universal in nature.
Some states adopted a vigorous public distribution system (PDS) policy.
It is not out of place to narrate an interesting incident regarding food grain distribution in Andhra Pradesh. The Government of Andhra Pradesh in the early 1980s implemented a highly subsidised rice scheme under which poor households were given five kilograms of rice per person per month, subject to a ceiling of 25 kilograms at Rs 2 per kg. The state government required two million tonnes of rice to implement the scheme. But it received only on one million tonne from the Union government.
The state government had to purchase another million tonne of rice from rice millers in the state at a negotiated price, which was higher than the procurement price offered by the Centre, but lower than the open market price.
A large number of studies have revealed that many poor households have been excluded from the PDS network, while many undeserving households have managed to get benefits from it.
Various policy measures have been implemented to streamline PDS. A revamped PDS was introduced in 1992 to make food grain easily accessible to people in tribal and hilly areas, by providing relatively higher subsidies.
Targeted PDS was launched in 1997 to focus on households below the poverty line (BPL).
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) was introduced to cover the poorest of the poor.
Annapoorna Scheme was introduced in 2001 to distribute 10 kg of food grains free of cost to destitutes above the age of 65 years.
In 2013, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was passed by Parliament to expand and legalise the entitlement.
Conventionally, a card holder has to go to a particular fair price shop (FPS) and that particular shop has to be open when s/he visits it. Stock must be available in the shop. The card holder should also have sufficient time to stand in the queue to purchase his quota. The card holder has to put with rough treatment at the hands of a FPS dealer.
These problems do not exist once ration cards become smart cards. A card holder can go to any shop which is open and has available stocks. In short, the scheme has become card holder-friendly and curbed the monopoly power of the FPS dealer. Some states other than Chhattisgarh are also trying to introduce such a scheme on an experimental basis.
More recently, the Government of India has introduced a scheme called ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ which enables migrant labourers to purchase rations from the place where they reside. In August 2021, it was operational in 34 states and Union territories.
The intentions of the scheme are good but there are some hurdles in its implementation which need to be addressed. These problems arise on account of variation in:
It is not clear whether a migrant labourer gets items provided in his/her native state or those in the state s/he has migrated to and what prices will s/he be able to purchase them.
The Centre must learn lessons from the experiences of different countries in order to make PDS sustainable in the long-run.
For instance, Sri Lanka recently shifted to organic manure from chemical fertiliser without required planning. Consequently, it had to face an acute food shortage due to a shortage of organic manure.
Some analysts have cautioned against excessive dependence on chemical fertiliser.
Phosphorus is an important input in the production of chemical fertiliser and about 70-80 per cent of known resources of phosphorus are available only in Morocco.
There is possibility that Morocco may manipulate the price of phosphorus.
Providing excessive subsidies and unemployment relief may make people dependent, as in the case of Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
It is better to teach a person how to catch a fish rather than give free fish to him / her.
Hence, the government should give the right amount of subsidy to deserving people.
The government has to increase livestock as in the case of Uruguay to make the food basket broad-based and nutritious. It has to see to it that the organic content in the soil is adequate, in order to make cultivation environmentally-friendly and sustainable in the long-run.
In short, India has transformed from a food-deficit state to a food-surplus one 75 years after independence. However, the government must adopt environmental-friendly measures to sustain this achievement.