(1-28) FEB 2016 (Monthly)
GREEN
FEATURES
- जलवायु संकट
- आदिवासी विमर्श
- कृषि और किसानी
- जल
दर्शन
- देशज ज्ञान और स्वस्थ
- विविध
Swaraj represents a genuine attempt to regain control of the
'self' - our self-respect, self-responsibility, and capacities for
self-realization - from institutions of dehumanization. As Gandhi states,
"It is swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
विषयवस्तु
|
जलवायु
संकट:
Budget 2016 brings 2 new
cesses, hikes environment levy: Times of India
Pollution in India higher than
China: Greenpeace
Environment In-Parliament: Loksabha
winter session
आदिवासी
विमर्श:
Community
conservation of forests is successful when women participate
Development plans should not
displace forest dwellers, says Prakash Amte
कृषि और किसानी:
"Coffee Farmers Sue Monsanto
for Hiding Cancer-Causing Impact of Glyphosate"
Anupam Verma Committee that reviewed 66 pesticides banned elsewhere in the world...
Eye on safety, Govt defers GM mustard decision
Govt gives Rs. 36,000 cr to farm sector;
agri-credit at Rs. 9 lakh crore
Farmers oppose land acquisition
जल
दर्शन:
Bundelkhand women forge friendships for water
'स्वामी
सानंद गंगा संकल्प संवाद' श्रृंखला का शुभारंभ
देशज
ज्ञान और स्वस्थ:
INDIA: Ad-hoc action will
perpetuate child malnutrition
As in the case of Swachh Bharat, India needs concerted action to beat malnutrition
विशेष
Is Budget 2016 all about ‘Swachh Bharat’ and a rustic touch?
CLIMATE CRISIS जलवायु संकट
|
Budget 2016 brings 2 new cesses, hikes
environment levy
NEW DELHI: Government on Monday proposed Krishi
Kalyan Cess and Infrastructure Cess, raised incidence of Environment levy,
while deciding to do away with as many as 13 cesses which do not yield more
than Rs 50 crore in a year. Krishi Kalyan Cess will be levied on all taxable
services at the rate of 0.5 per cent with effect from June 1, 2016, to finance
and promote initiatives to improve agriculture, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
said in his Budget speech. “Krishi Kalyan Cess on all taxable services will
increase service tax rate by 0.5 per cent to 15 per cent,” Nangia & Co
Managing Partner Rakesh Nangia. Besides, Infrastructure Cess has been imposed
at the rate of 1 per cent on small petrol, LPG, CNG cars, 2.5 per cent on
diesel cars of certain capacity and 4 per cent on other higher engine capacity
vehicles, SUVs and bigger sedans. However, three wheelers,
electrically-operated vehicles, hybrid vehicles, hydrogen vehicles based on
fuel cell technology would be exempt from the infrastructure levy Besides,
motor vehicles which after clearance have been registered for use solely as
taxi, ambulances, cars for physically handicapped persons will also be exempt
from this cess.The ‘Oil Industries Development Cess’ will be levied at the rate
of 20 per cent, instead of specific rate of Rs 4,500 per metric tonne. “The
amendment in the Oil Industry (Development) Act, 1974, will be effective from
the date of assent to the Finance Bill, 2016,” the Budget said. Further, in
order to reduce multiplicity of taxes, associated cascading and to reduce cost
of collection, Jaitley also abolished 13 cesses, levied by various ministries
in which revenue collection is less than Rs 50 crore in a year. (Times of
India 29/2/16)
Pollution in India higher than China:
Greenpeace
New Delhi: The green NGO said India’s NAQI
network with 39 operating stations also compares poorly with the 1,500 stations
in China. India has overtaken China’s air pollution levels in 2015 and the
average particulate matter exposure was higher for the first time in the 21st
century, a Greenpeace analysis of NASA satellite data has shown. “For the first
time this century, the average particulate matter exposure was higher for
Indian citizens than that of Chinese people. “China’s strong measures to curb
pollution have contributed to the biggest year-on-year air quality improvement
on record while in contrast, India’s pollution levels continued a decade-long
increase to reach the highest level on record,” Greenpeace India said in a
statement. It said as per World Health Organization (WHO), India is home to 13
out of 20 most polluted cities in the world with deteriorating air pollution
levels in the past decade, particularly in North India. Greenpeace, in its
National Air Quality Index (NAQI) ranking report, had earlier said that as many
as 15 out of 17 Indian cities with NAQI stations showed levels of air pollution
that far exceeded the prescribed Indian standards. The report had also revealed
that 23 of the 32 stations across India are showing more than 70 per cent
exceedance of the national standards, putting public health at risk. Greenpeace
observed that the most important aspect to fight air pollution is a robust
system to curb air pollution in public domain that empowers people to take
action to safeguard their health and the government to issue red alerts during
bad air days and take policy decisions in the long term. The green NGO said
India’s NAQI network with 39 operating stations also compares poorly with the
1,500 stations in China. “The satellite images until 2005 showed India’s
pollution, while serious, was lot lower than eastern China’s. In 2015, India
particulate pollution stands higher than that of China, after increasing at an
average rate of 2 per cent over the past decade,” it said. (The Hindu
22/2/16)
Environment In-Parliament
- Parliament Committee asks
environment ministry to form new committee for review of environment laws
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/reports-documents/high-level-committee-report-review-various-acts-administered-ministry-environment
This report tabled by Parliamentary standing committee on Science and Technology in the Rajya Sabha has asked the Ministry of Enviroment and Forests to appoint a new high-level committee to review environmental law
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/reports-documents/high-level-committee-report-review-various-acts-administered-ministry-environment
This report tabled by Parliamentary standing committee on Science and Technology in the Rajya Sabha has asked the Ministry of Enviroment and Forests to appoint a new high-level committee to review environmental law
Featured Policy
- Green highways policy : 1% project cost to be set aside to plant trees
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/415319/green-highways-plantation-maintenance-policy-2015/
- Green highways policy : 1% project cost to be set aside to plant trees
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/415319/green-highways-plantation-maintenance-policy-2015/
आदिवासी
विमर्श
|
Community conservation of forests is successful when
women participate
Van Panchayats have only been
successful in conserving their forests with the enthusiastic participation of
women. This is how to increase women's leadership in forest conservation.
Development plans should not displace forest
dwellers, says Prakash Amte
Bidar: Prakash Amte, Magsaysay Award winning
doctor who works for the welfare of the tribal population in Maharashtra, feels
that development plans should not displace forest dwellers. “They have been
living in jungles for hundreds of years. Who are we to say they have to move
away from their native environment? Any development plan should involve and
engage them. No such scheme should even think of relocating tribals and forest
dwelling communities,” he told The Hindu . He was reacting to the concerns
expressed by some non-governmental organisations that forest development and
mining policies by some State governments envisaged relocation of tribal
population to make way for industries and other development initiatives. “Some
development plans, mining policies and even afforestation schemes are built
around the idea that tribals and jungle communities should be displaced. This
is a wrong perception. Forests and communities have coexisted for generations
and each has contributed to the survival of the other. That symbiosis should
not be disturbed,” Mr. Amte said. “Governments come up with such plans as they
are all drafted in New Delhi or the State headquarters. Planning should not be
imposed form the top. It should sprout in the ground and climb up,” he said.
“There are various political parties in the country and they have a lot of
differences over policies and programmes. But they are all united on some
points. For example, issues like environment protection or family planning or
comprehensive health care, are not on their agenda. They have no clear stand on
such issues. When it comes to environment, parties neither make their stand
clear nor announce their policies. When in power, they approve plans and clear
projects related to environment without studying the issues fully and without
bothering about their implications,” Mr. Amte said. “It is difficult to find
doctors who are willing to work in rural areas or small towns. That is not a
problem limited to Maharashtra or Karnataka. It is a problem across the
country. The solution lies not in making it compulsory for doctors to serve in
rural areas, but to convince them by motivating them about the need to do so,”
he said. Mr. Amte feels that Karnataka’s experiment of mandating rural service
for MBBS graduates might not achieve success. “When they complete their medical
degrees, most are young and unmarried. They can spend two years serving the
poor rural folk, before returning to the city for further education or
professional practice. They should be made to realise that they will be as
benefited as the society they are serving, if they do so,” he said. Mr. Amte
also said that rural service could be incentivised for young doctors by
offering them postgraduate seats in the subjects of their choice. He feels that
the government should work towards making their stay in villages hassle free by
providing proper infrastructure in hospitals, power supply, equipment for
investments and diagnosis and residential quarters. “Some doctors feel that a
large portion of work in a rural hospital is clerical. That should change.
Doctors should be freed from such work and given more free time to treat
patients,” the 68-year-old doctor who has served tribal communities for 42
years in Hemalkasa village in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, said. Mr. Amte
and his wife and fellow crusader Mandakini Amte are here to receive the
Gurubasava Award . (The Hindu 22/2/16)
कृषि और किसानी
|
"Coffee
Farmers Sue Monsanto for Hiding Cancer-Causing Impact of Glyphosate"
This organophosphorus compound,
Glyphosate was introduced to the market by Monsanto in the 1970s, as a broad-spectrum weedicide - ROUNDUP.
Then they introduced genetically engineered crops that would not suffer under the application
of toxic Glyphosphate, and called
these crops
"Roundup-Ready".
Agri-Biotech companies have often
peddled these kind of combinations as a "solution" to increased weed
& pest attacks resulting from warmer farms due to global warming. The
GW impacts are real, but these
"toxic solutions" are dangerous. Can a chemical so toxic to
plants (after all, weeds are that too) be
totally harmless to humans & other foraging animals ?
-- Soumya dutta
Anupam Verma Committee that reviewed 66 pesticides banned elsewhere in the world...
(Minutes of 361st Special Meeting of RC held on 22nd
December, 2015)
The
Govt's reply in the Lok Sabha on "use of banned pesticides" in 08.12.2015:
The following are the main
recommendations, it appears:
(a)
whether the Government is aware that many hazardous pesticides like
chlorpyrifos, phorate, monocrotophos and neonicotinoid which are banned or
restricted in the countries of origin are still being imported for being used
in the agriculture sector adversely affecting the human health, soil, livestock
and environment;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor and the corrective action taken by the Government in this regard;
(c) whether the number of samples having pesticides and harmful chemicals above the permitted Maximum Residue Level (MRL) in fruits, vegetables, meat and spices is on the rise; and
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by the Government for judicious and proper use of pesticides including ''Grow Safe Food'' campaign and promoting the use of bio-fertilizers in the country?
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor and the corrective action taken by the Government in this regard;
(c) whether the number of samples having pesticides and harmful chemicals above the permitted Maximum Residue Level (MRL) in fruits, vegetables, meat and spices is on the rise; and
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by the Government for judicious and proper use of pesticides including ''Grow Safe Food'' campaign and promoting the use of bio-fertilizers in the country?
answer by minister of agriculture and farmers welfare
|
a)
& (b): The Registration Committee constituted under the provisions of the
Insecticides Act, 1968 registers pesticides only after establishing their
safety to human, animal and environmental health. Technical reviews are
carried out from time to time and continued use of pesticides is permitted
only if found safe. There are 66 pesticides which are banned / restricted in
other countries of the world including USA and Europe but are permitted for
use in India (Annexure - I). The reasons for permitting use of any pesticide
in any country depends upon prevalence of pests, diseases and weeds situation
in its agro-climatic conditions; prevalence of vector borne diseases and
their control strategies; geography and other ecological factors and
ecosystem of the country; socioeconomic conditions and availability of
alternatives. A Committee of Experts under the Chairmanship of Dr. Anupam
Verma has been constituted to review these 66 pesticides including
chlorpyriphos, phorate and monocrotophos for their continued use in the
country. The report of the committee is awaited. Apart from this, the committee
had also been given the mandate to review neonicotinoids. The committee has
submitted a Report with respect to neonicotinoid class of pesticides. The
Committee has inter alia recommended that use of neonicotinoids may be
allowed with instructions to not spray during flowering stage of the crop;
inclusion of appropriate residue/toxicology parameters in registration
requirement, and further studies on bio-efficacy and toxicity.
(c) & (d): Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has started a central sector scheme, “Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National level” under which samples of food commodities are collected and analysed for the presence of pesticide residues. The year wise details of samples analysed are at Annexure II. The percentage samples of spices above MRL have decreased in the last years, whereas, for the same period, the percentage samples of vegetables above MRL have remained stagnant. No samples of Meat have been found above MRL in the last three years. The percentage samples of fruits above MRL have increased from 1.2% in 2012-13 to 1.8% in 2014-15. The Central Government conducts Farmers Field Schools and other Human Resource Development programmes through Central Integrated Pest Management Centres in States and UTs to sensitize various stakeholders regarding safe and judicious use of pesticides, etc. A ‘Grow Safe Food’ campaign has been initiated to carry the message of safe and judicious use of pesticides to farmers and other stakeholders. A simple message on the five essential principles of judicious pesticide use viz., application of pesticides on the right crop, against pests for which the pesticide has been approved, at the right time, in approved doses, and as per approved method of application-is sought to be conveyed through hoardings, banners etc. in regional languages in Gram panchayats and rural areas. In addition, annual reports of “Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National level” are shared with States to help them to take focussed action against pesticides misuse. Under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), the Central Government provides financial subsidies for use of liquid bio-fertilizers such as Rhizobium/Azospirillum etc. |
Anupam
Verma Committee
Agenda item No. 3.1 - Consideration of report of the Expert
Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. anupam Verma to review 66 pesticides which are currently
banned/restricted/withdrawn in one or more countries but continue to be
registered in the country:
Eye on safety, Govt defers GM mustard decision
Will not halt research but not rushing through decision, says Javadekar.http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/eye-on-safety-govt-defers-gm-mustard-decision/
A protest against GM mustard outside the Ministry of Environment,
Forests & Climate Change,
Friday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
HELPING THE government buy peace with activists
protesting against granting clearance to the first transgenic food crop in the
country, the biotechnology regulator on Friday deferred a decision on allowing
the cultivation of a genetically-modified (GM) hybrid mustard.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee
(GEAC), a body under the Environment Ministry that regulates the use of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs), asked the developer of the hybrid
mustard — Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants — at Delhi University,
led by former vice-chancellor Deepak Pental, to provide some more information
on bio-safety related data.
The
GM variant, called DMH11 (Dhara Mustard Hybrid 11), is said to deliver 25-30
per cent higher mustard-seed yields compared to the best “check” varieties
currently being grown in the country.
The
hybrid went through Biosafety Research Level-1 (BRL-1) tests in 2011-12 and
2012-13, in Rajasthan, under the coordination of the National Research Centre
for Rapeseed-Mustard at Bharatpur, and BRL-2 tests at the Indian Agriculture
Research Institute in Delhi and the Punjab Agricultural University in the
2014-15 season.
“The
necessary field trials have already been done and we have submitted all
bio-safety related data to the regulator,” Pental said.
The
institute sought a final approval from the GEAC in December for “environmental
release” of the crop. But even before the application process was initiated,
anti-GM NGOs and activists cutting across ideological lines — from the Left to
RSS-affiliated organisations — began protests, in a recreation of the agitation
against Bt brinjal, also a GM crop, in 2010.
They
were joined by a number of scientists from several institutions and even Delhi
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the process be halted.
Incidentally,
the approval for BRL-2 tests of DMH11 was given by the Delhi government in
November 2014, when the capital was under President’s Rule.
On
Friday, the activists gathered around the Environment Ministry building as the
GEAC met in the morning. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar later assured
them that no decision would be taken without “due consideration and consultation”.
In
2010, Bt brinjal had got the final approval from the GEAC but the then
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh put an indefinite moratorium on that
decision which still holds. In the case of Mustard DMH11, the GEAC put off its
decision by at least a few months.
Javadekar said that while the government would not stop scientific research, it would not take any decision in haste.
Javadekar said that while the government would not stop scientific research, it would not take any decision in haste.
“We
are not rushing through any decision. We need to increase production and
productivity in agriculture. We need to give emphasis on science, development,
productivity and increased production. But at the same time, we have to be
scientific and not risk the lives of our people. So, every decision will be
taken only after due deliberation,” he said.
He
also indicated that the introduction of GM crops would happen only if other
avenues of increasing production were not available. “We cannot let our people
starve. But if there are other good alternatives available…our Prime Minister
has repeatedly talked about organic farming, and using biotechnology in
agriculture. But at the same time, scientific methods are also important,” he
said.
The
GEAC prepared a time-bound “roadmap” for taking a final decision on DMH11
mustard that involves holding public consultations as well. If the roadmap is
followed, the hybrid would be back to the GEAC for approval by the end of May.
Pental
said he would provide all the new clarifications that have been sought from
him. He said he was also willing to put all the biosafety data in the public
domain once the GEAC gives the final approval.
“There
is no attempt to keep data secret as some people have been alleging. I will
surely make all data public. But that cannot happen before the final approval,”
he said.
Govt gives Rs. 36,000 cr to farm sector; agri-credit
at Rs. 9 lakh crore
New Delhi: Aiming to double farmers income by
2022, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today announced an allocation of nearly 36,000
crore for the farm sector while raising the agri-credit target to 9 lakh crore
for the next fiscal. He also allocated 15,000 crore for interest subvention on
the farm credit, 5,500 crore for the new crop insurance scheme and 500 crore to
boost pulses output. Jaitley also said that a unified agricultural market will
be launched on April 14 and soil health cards will be provided to all 14 crore
farmers by March 2017. “We are grateful to our farmers for being the backbone
of the country’s food security. We need to think beyond food security and give
back to our farmers a sense of income security,” Jaitley said while unveiling
Budget 2016-17 in Lok Sabha today. The government would reorient its
intervention in the farm and non-farm sector to double the income of farmers by
2022, he added. “Our total allocation on agriculture and farmers welfare is 35,984
crore,” Jaitley said. Asserting that a special focus has been given to ensure
adequate and timely flow of credit to farmers, the minister said: “Against the
target of 8.5 lakh crore in 2015-16, the target of agricultural credit in 2016-17
will be all-time high of 9 lakh crore.”To reduce the burden of loan repayment
on farmers, he said a provision of 15,000 crore has been made in the budgetary
estimate of 2016-17 towards interest subvention. Jaitley said the government
has provided a path breaking crop insurance scheme called the Prime Minister
Fasal Bima Yojana, for which 5,500 crore has been allocated for effective
implementation in 2016-17. Stating that irrigation is critical for increasing
the agricultural production and productivity, he said, “the Pradhan Mantri
Krishi Sichai Yojana has been strengthened and implemented in mission mode.” He
said 28.5 lakh hectare will be brought under irrigation under this scheme. A
dedicated long-term irrigation fund will be created in NABARD with an initial
corpus of 20,000 crore to build irrigation facilities, Jaitley said.
“Implementation of 89 irrigation projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits
Programme (AIBP), which have been languishing, will be fast—tracked,” he said,
adding that this would help to irrigate 80.6 lakh hectare. (Business Line
29/2/16)
Farmers oppose land acquisition
Ludhiana: The project of linking Southern bypass
with Ladhowal bypass may take longer as several farmers and residents of
villages whose land is being acquired have decided to protest against
acquisition of their land. Land of seven villages is to be acquired for the
project and the notification has already been issued for the same. A notice for
the acquisition of land by the National Highway Authority of India was
published on October 12, 2015 seeking objections. Thereafter the residents of
some of the villages had filed their objections with the sub-divisional
magistrate. “Our objections have not been properly heard by the authorities and
no satisfactory action has been taken. Why is it that the entire acquisition is
done on one side of the road and not both the sides in line with the general
practice. This would cause a loss to one side whereas the other side would
benefit. We will loose our house and this will affect us badly,” said Ajay who
is living with his mother Sarla Aggarwal and family in Malakpur village.
Karnail Singh, a resident of the same village, informed that he is a farmer and
his land is being acquired. “If my farm land is acquired, I would be left with
no other option but to beg as this is my bread and butter. We are informing the
authorities but they are not paying any heed to what we are saying. Our land
needs to be exempted from the project,” he said. Karamjeet Singh, sarpanch of
Malakpur, said their land should be exempted as farmers cannot do without their
lands. “Many of the farmers even do not know that their lands are being
acquired. These farmers should either be given lands or should be given
compensation according to the new acquisition laws that were passed giving four
times market price of the property,” he said. Advocate Harpreet Singh Sandhu
said as a reminder they have filed a petition in the SDM office apprising the
office that they have not been called or heard by the National High Way
Authority of India in line with notice given by them for seeking objections
from the land or property owners. “I do not have the competence to do anything
on their complaint and therefore I have forwarded their objections to the
project officer concerned in National Highway Authority of India,” said SDM
Ludhiana West Richa. When asked about the concerns of the farmers and the
residents whose land was being acquired for Ladhowal Bypass, deputy chief
minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “In Punjab, we have always protected the rights
and interests of the farmers and we would ensure that the interest of these
affected farmers are also protected.” (Times of India 28/2/16)
जल दर्शन
|
Bundelkhand women forge friendships for water
Women are not only responsible for water but they also face the brunt of water scarcity. Watch the video to find out what happens when these women become 'Jal Sahelis' (water friends).
Water Literacy campaign for Jal Sahelis (Source: Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan)
Sirkoo,
a 39 year old woman in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh, walked 8 km every day
to fetch water. As a woman, it was obviously her responsibility to ensure the
household's water availability. This put an additional stress on her already
depleted health as well as time--until she decided to tackle the issue head on.
Three
years ago, she and a few other women came together to form an informal
water committee or ‘Paani Panchayat’ to work on water issues which is what
affected them the most. Their agenda was simple – ensure water availability for
all through the creation and conservation of water resources in their
villages, so that water was available as a basic right. With the help of a
local organisation called the Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan,
they began to take steps in this direction.
'स्वामी सानंद गंगा संकल्प संवाद' श्रृंखला
का शुभारंभ
प्रो जी डी
अग्रवाल जी से स्वामी ज्ञानस्वरूप सानंद जी का नामकरण हासिल गंगापुत्र की एक पहचान आई आई टी, कानपुर के सेवानिवृत प्रोफेसर, राष्ट्रीय नदी संरक्षण निदेशालय के पूर्व सलाहकार, केन्द्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के प्रथम सचिव, चित्रकूट स्थित ग्रामोदय विश्वविद्यालय में
अध्यापन और पानी-पर्यावरण इंजीनियरिेग के नामी सलाहकार के
रूप में है, तो दूसरी पहचान गंगा के लिए अपने प्राणों को दांव पर लगा देने वाले सन्यासी की है।
जानने वाले, गंगापुत्र स्वामी ज्ञानस्वरूप सानंद को ज्ञान, विज्ञान और संकल्प के एक संगम की तरह जानते हैं।
देशज ज्ञान और स्वस्थ
|
INDIA: Ad-hoc action will perpetuate child malnutrition
If the government does not take charge of the
problem of child malnutrition, others will take advantage of the vacuum.
Powerful international players ready to feed on hunger have their foot in the
door. When all is done and dusted, the Modi government’s claims to success will
be judged against India’s darkest distended underbelly, its millions of
malnourished children. And, the key for the government lies in its ability to
replace ad hoc action with coordination, to lower the numbers of all forms of
child undernutrition, and not in trying to treat malnutrition with ready-to-use
foods. Today, India still has more malnourished children than any other
country. The National Family Health Survey-3 (2005) found that 42.5% of
children under five years old are underweight. The recently released Rapid
Survey on Children (RSOC), conducted by UNICEF and the Government of India, has
found that this figure is now closer to 30%. Statistically speaking, this is
good news. From nearly every second Indian child being underweight, now only
around every third child is so. Still, the bad news is 40 million children
remain undernourished. India still has a greater percentage of underweight
children than the continent of Africa, where the figures stands at 21%. These
Indian children are chronically undernourished. In the lead up to the last
national elections, and since taking power, Mr. Modi has often spoken about
India’s strength being its “demographic dividend”. But, if a large section of
this dividend, i.e. the future of India and Indian growth, are growing up
stunted, sickly, and underweight, the returns are bound to be poor. And, it is
certainly not only a question of economics. The choices that another
undernourished generation will make in a democracy will affect not only the
entire Indian society, but given the numbers, the region and the wider
integrated world. For its part, the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
government did promise to address malnutrition before the election. The Party
Election Manifesto stated the following: “One of our main
targets will be to eradicate the curse of malnutrition. We will do so by
revamping existing programmes and launching a multi-pronged war against
malnutrition across the nation, especially in the under-developed areas, with
the help of State Governments. All resources will be provided to achieve this
goal.” These pleasing words are fit for a manifesto. They sound determined.
But, what is the reality one year after the BJP assumed power? … (Asian
Human Rights Commission 26/2/16)
As in the case of Swachh Bharat, India needs concerted action to beat malnutrition
विशेष
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Is Budget 2016 all about ‘Swachh Bharat’ and a rustic touch?
Experts opine on whether the water and sanitation sector got a meaningful budget push this year.
Drinking
water source in a village at Kawardha, Chhattisgarh
s
this year’s budget a mere continuation of the trajectory set last year in
social sectors like drinking water, sanitation, employment guarantee and
agriculture? Is the budgetary outlay for urban development responsive towards
the drinking water and sanitation needs of vulnerable sections of society such
as the urban poor and women? Does the budget hold appeal for India's rural
poor?
We
talked to a range of experts to understand if farm and social sector spending
on programmes like Swachh Bharat Mission and National Rural Drinking Water
Programme has been upped or just hyped? Some say that Central Government
spending on major welfare ministries and key social sector schemes has
plummeted while others feel that the increase has been particularly dramatic
for some key social sectors like agriculture and irrigation, which seems to
have received the lion’s share of allocation.
Sanitising
India through Swachh Bharat Mission: Did it go the whole hog or was it a
dampener?
There
is an enhanced outlay in this year’s budget for the Prime Minister’s pet
programme Swachh Bharat Mission, which aims to make India open defecation free
by 2019. This year’s allocation at Rs. 9000 crore is two and half times that of
the previous year. If the need arises, the budget has provisions for enabling a
levy--Swachh Bharat cess--at a rate of 2% or less on all or certain services.
Is this a good enough boost for a programme that aims to construct 11.11 crore
individual household latrines in the country?
“The
government’s enhanced outlay is very welcome”, says Rohini Nilekani,
Chairperson, Arghyam. “Clearly, it will not be enough to fulfill the aspiration
of giving every household a latrine. Moreover, unless the government’s own processes
for giving the subsidy are re-engineered and streamlined, the rate of toilet
building even where people want one, may not pick up satisfactorily. But most
importantly, we need more funds allocated to creating future-proofed sanitation
infrastructure that takes care of the waste stream in cost-effective,
sustainable and safe ways. This calls for more research, innovation and swift
implementation with a decentralised approach. It is unclear if the governments
at all the three levels are committed to this approach. It will be a public
health nightmare if poor pit and septic tank construction further contaminates
the groundwater or surface water in dense settlements”, Nilekani adds.
How
has the government performed in its engagement towards sanitising India through
its flagship Swachh Bharat Mission in the last year? Trisha Agarwala from the
Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), a New Delhi based
public policy think tank says, “The government has surely gone the whole hog
towards sanitising India through its Swachh Bharat Mission as evident from the
increased allocations in the states. More than 122 lakh toilets have already
been constructed in rural areas so far under the Mission. Sanitation coverage,
which stood at 40.6% as per NSSO data, has risen to around 48.8% as on December
31 2015, as reported by the Economic Survey 2015-16.”
Toilet
construction does not necessarily lead to increased usage and behaviour change
The
Centre’s move last year following the 14th Finance Commission was that revenue
expenditure for Swachh Bharat Mission would be now borne by the
states. It was thus important to understand the funding pattern, and
whether overall expenditure of the centre and states will decrease or increase.
CBGA with the support of Arghyam, recently conducted a study in seven states to track policy and budgetary commitments
for drinking water and sanitation. The study showed that the political will
towards sanitation has been present uniformly across the states. A case in
point is Odisha, which had low sanitation indicators but since the launch of
the Swachh Bharat Mission, allocations for sanitation has increased
manifold. Jayamala Subramaniam, CEO, Arghyam notes, “There is a need to
follow the money from the district and below in order to develop specific
advocacy messaging in relation to implementing practices on the ground”.
As
far as school sanitation goes, an article in Business Standard indicated that the government was
unable to achieve its target of providing toilets to every school by August 15,
2015 through the Department of School Education’s specially launched Swachh
Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya programme.
How
has the Swachh Bharat Mission performed in its urban component?
“Urban sanitation has definitely got a renewed focus through the Swachh
Bharat Mission (Urban). Most allocations for sanitation have shown
a rise due to the new allocation for urban sanitation. However, Tamil
Nadu has lower allocations compared to other states. This could also be because
of the state’s own schemes for sanitation”, notes Agarwala.
A
lot remains to be done to make the programme focus on preventive health care
and generate awareness and not just on hygiene and cleanliness as asserted by
the Finance Minister in his last year’s Budget Speech. Dr. Manjur Ali, CBGA
notes, “Evidence shows that toilets are being constructed usually in areas
which already have existing water supply connections. This leaves out a large
section of the population who live in unauthorised colonies. Toilet
construction amounts to a large part of the expenditure accounted for in
the Swachh Bharat Mission. This should also simultaneously lead to
increased usage and behavior change. Monitoring the usage and maintenance of
toilets is crucial to assessing the success of the programme. Sustainability of
toilets and slip-back in sanitation behavior needs to be looked into. One hopes
that the Swachh Bharat Mission would solve the problem of open
defecation by 2019 provided it does not become another Total Sanitation
Campaign, in terms of states trying to achieve targets by increasing toilet
construction with scant concern on toilet usage and sustainability.”
Rural
drinking water component misses attention yet again
Budget
2016-17 has been a dampener in its rural drinking water component with the allocation
of Rs. 5000 crore for the National Rural Drinking Water Programme being only a
marginal improvement over the previous year’s allocation of Rs 4373 crores.
“Surely, after the states raised a hue and cry with the reduced allocations
last year, the government stepped up the allocations through the Supplementary
Budget; however, the amount is still less, if one compares it to the earlier
year’s budget for rural water. Hence, one is bound to ask whether the increase
in sanitation allocations have come at the cost of reduced allocations to
drinking water”, says Agarwala. “Most of the coverage targets have been
met as per the IMIS of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, however,
slip back habitations and sustainability of water sources is an issue. Due to
groundwater depletion there is a switch now to surface water sources. Despite
the focus on fluoride and arsenic as water quality contaminant issues, other
water contaminants like iron also need to be looked into”, she adds.
Capital
investments in urban water supply; local water sources ignored
In
the urban context, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
(AMRUT), the erstwhile Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)
is the national flagship programme driving capital investments in water supply.
How has the programme performed last year? Was it able to push for governance
reforms by urban local bodies and state governments? This year’s budget for
AMRUT and for 100 smart cities is Rs. 7296 crore.
“Because
smart cities is a dream project of the government, its attention is likely to
be on this. AMRUT is more or less like the former JNNURM whose experience
suggests that the emphasis is on drawing water from exogenous sources instead
of developing and managing local water sources. AMRUT also denies free water
provisioning for the poor and pushes for water privatisation through the route
of Public Private Partnerships. The project costs spiral as a result and the
poor consumers have to bear the burden. In Madhya Prdesh under AMRUT and its
predecessor JNNURM, only a fourth of the 114 approved projects have been
completed over the years”, says Rehmat of Manthan Adhyayan Kendra,
Badwani.
“All
public buildings need to have modern sanitation as a priority. All government
offices, transport stands, schools, etc need adequate funds to build and
operate modern hygienic sanitary infrastructure”, says Nilekani. “Most
disappointingly, the government is doing nothing on a permanent basis to
prevent the Indian Railways from democratically spreading disease around the
country with its hole in the floor toilets. And until that project is complete,
we can never have Swachh Bharat", she adds.
Rural
employment and irrigation: Do they continue to face a fund pinch?
This
year Rs. 38500 crore has been allocated for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and this constitutes about 44% of the
year’s budget of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). While this
constitutes a raise of 11%, the allocation is not as much considering the rise
in inflation, and it still remains way below the figures for 2010-11. The
Ministry’s budget has in turn been raised by around 10.7% when compared to last
year. Will this budget hike boost rural employment?
The
MGNREGS scheme, the previous government’s employment generation flagship scheme
and dubbed as a monumental failure by the present Prime Minister, gives a legal
guarantee of 100 working days to rural, unskilled adults. Though the MoRD had
last year insisted on an additional allocation of Rs 5000 crore to maintain the
momentum of MGNREGS as promised in Budget 2015-16, the government did not
yield. Non-availability of funds and considerable delay in receipt of wages
continue to plague the programme. Many states had spent the money allocated and were staring at a negative balance
of payments due to a shortage of funds. Long unpaid material payments and
overdue wages for workers to the tune of Rs. 5972 crore as per official records was pervasive at a time when
drought was staring at most parts of the country. Figures state that the proportion of payment delays was as high as 72% in
2014-15, discouraging people from demanding work.
Per Accountability India, “MGNREGA has had a significant impact in raising
standards of living, nutrition levels, school enrolments, etc. Cutting funds
would surely bring down the performance of the programme (if it has not already
done so) and its impact on development itself”. Hence, there is a need to
ensure that funds do not run out and that compensation is paid to beneficiaries
for delayed payments so as to ensure the standing of the Employment Guarantee
Act, a constitutionally demand-driven scheme. Else, the programme would become
an allocation-driven scheme instead.
Irrigation,
another aspect of agriculture seems to have been highlighted in the ‘rural’
centered Budget 2016-17. The push includes the decision to fast track the
irrigation projects that have been languishing under the Accelerated Irrigation
Benefits Programme. A dedicated long term irrigation fund will be created in
NABARD with an initial corpus of about Rs. 20000 crore through budgetary support
and market borrowings.
A
major programme for sustainable management of groundwater resources has been
prepared with an estimated cost of Rs. 6000 crore and proposed for multilateral
funding. “However, only about Rs. 5717 crore has been allotted for the much
acclaimed Prime Ministers Krishi Sinchai Yojana and the total funds allocated
for irrigation amounts to just Rs. 11434 crore. Last year’s allocation for the
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of Rs. 25917 crore has been upped
to Rs. 35984 crore but this is far too less”, says Rehmat of Manthan Adhyayan
Kendra. The budget speech highlighted the need to look beyond ‘food
security’ and focus on ‘income security’.
Though
the Government has promised to reorient its interventions in the farm and
non-farm sectors to double the income of the farmers by 2022, it remains to be
seen whether this translates into reality on the ground. The Prime Minister's
Fasal Bima Yojana, the new crop insurance scheme that has got a budget outlay
of Rs. 5500 crore holds promise if effectively implemented. Under this, the
farmer will pay a nominal amount of insurance premium and get a reasonable
compensation in the event of any loss suffered.
In
all, this year’s budget looks like a mixed bag as far as the farm and social
sector goes. An analysis by Yamini Aiyar of Accountability Initiative suggests that
social sector investment in Budget 2016 is no different than the previous year.
A lot remains to be done to factor in the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
context, given India’s international commitments--especially the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development.
*****
SADED
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