DG, NMCG Participates In Singapore International Water Week 2022

DG, NMCG Highlights The Positive Impact Of Namami Gange Programme; Emphasizes On The Importance Of ‘Arth Ganga’

Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Shri G. Asok Kumar participated virtually in Singapore International Water Week, Water Convention 2022 and gave a presentation on ‘Status of Wastewater Generation, Treatment and Management in India: Success Through NMCG Initiatives.’ Shri Kumar spoke in the Hot Issue Workshop hosted by NMCG on 17th April on ‘Sustainable Wastewater Management in Developing Countries: An Innovative Indian Approach in River Rejuvenation’ under theme 3 of the Water Convention.

Highlights

·       Outlining the water scenario in India and key government schemes in water and wastewater sector, Shri G. Asok Kumar termed the formation of Jal Shakti Ministry in 2019 “a historic moment” and apprised the audience with the success of ‘Catch the Rain: Where it Falls, When it Falls’ campaign under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

·       Shri Kumar gave an overview of the Namami Gange Programme and shed light on some of the positive outcomes and impact of the project. He spoke about Arth Ganga and informed the audience about its six verticals – Zero Budget Natural Farming, Livelihood Generation Opportunities, Cultural Heritage & Tourism, Monetisation and Reuse of Sludge & Wastewater, Public Participation and Institutional Building.

·       DG, NMCG said that the focus of the Phase-II of Namami Gange Programme will be on sewerage infrastructure creation in the tributaries of Ganga such as Yamuna and scaling up of PPP development efforts. He reiterated the commitment of NMCG to develop a circular economy model focused on reclaim, reuse and recycling. One of the key areas of work in the future, he added, will be faecal sludge and septage management in urban local bodies and rural areas.

·       Responding to a question on sludge management, Shri Kumar said: “Tonnes of sludge is generated every day and we aim to develop a circular economy based on sludge management,” adding, “Under Arth Ganga, which aims at connecting people with the river, we are trying to give some economic benefit to the stakeholders/people so that they have some interest in ensuring the river is clean.”

·       He added that as per the directions of the NGT, a campaign is being run to keep the river stretches across India clean and drive the States to assess the total generated sewerage and the existing capacity and use the various schemes of the government to reduce the gap ensuring not a single drop of wastewater goes into the river. “This will generate a lot of sludge – one of the verticals of Arth Ganga is ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’ which aims at facilitating the natural farming process by providing natural manure/soil conditioner made out of sludge and reduce the use of chemicals and fertilizers by the farmers thereby developing a circular economy model in sludge management with economic benefits to the stakeholders (farmers in this case).”

·       Other speakers during the first part of the Workshop included Mr. D P Mathuria (ED-Technical, NMCG), Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra (Chief Advisor, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) & Former DG,NMCG ), Mr. Bhairav Desai ( From Surat Municipal Corporation), Mr. K P Bakshi (Former Chairman, Maharashtra Water Resource Regulatory Authority), Mr. K P Maheshwari (CEO, Adani Water), Mr. Rajneesh Chopra (Global Head- Business Development, VA TECH WABAG LTD.) and Dr. Nupur Bahadur, (Senior Research Fellow, TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute). During this session, the presentations were made on topics such as effective and efficient wastewater management in India, efforts to mitigate governance challenges and ushering in a paradigm shift in the Indian wastewater sector; role of private sector and industry partners, co-creation of knowledge base, research and development ecosystem and people connect, case studies from Indian cities, in asset creation and maintenance through unique project delivery models, etc.

·         In the second part of the session, panelists from other developing as well as developed countries shared their experiences, challenges and best practices adopted in the domain. The panelists included Mr. Kala Vairavamoorthy (ED, International Water Association, Mr. Sumouleendra Ghosh (Associate Partner and Global Water Lead, KPMG India), Dr. Valerie Naidoo (Executive Manager, Business & Innovations, Water Research Commission, South Africa), Mr. Madhav Belbase (Former Secretary, Nepal Water Supply Ministry) and Prof Tony Wong (Chair, Water Sensitive Cities Think Tank, Monash University).

Completion of Sail Training Capsule

for republic of South Africa Navy (RSAN) officers

Indian Navy conducted a Sail Training capsule of three weeks duration for officers trainees (Sub Lieutenants) of Republic of South Africa Navy (RSAN) at Ocean Sailing Node (OSN) of Indian Navy at INS Mandovi, Goa from 28 Mar 22 to 16 Apr 22.

Why is it in news?

The training programme was conducted under the aegis of Indian Naval Sailing Association (INSA) which is the apex organisation at IHQ MoD (Navy) with respect to sail training. The training was conducted onboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini which had circumnavigated the globe with an all-women crew from Sep 2017 to May 2018.

Highlights

·       The 20 days training comprised of harbour and sea phases of 10 days each covering aspects of sailing theory and sea sorties including night sorties.

·       Treading the oceans under sails is an extremely challenging activity which not only enhances risk taking abilities but also hones essential skills including seamanship, navigation, communication and technical operations onboard. The training was thus aimed at fostering the spirit of adventure for the participating crew and strengthening the ties between the two friendly nations across the oceans. The training also aimed to instill the "indefinable 'sea-sense' and respect for elements of nature, which are inseparable from safe and successful seafaring".

·       With the successful progress of the programme, the Indian Navy is committed to offer more such customized Ocean Sail Training Courses in the future. The Indian Navy believes that training onboard these vessels is the best method of imparting the values of courage, camaraderie and esprit-de-corps among budding naval officers.

Flight on Keshod-Mumbai route under RCS UDAN flagged off

2 new Greenfield Airports to come up in Gujarat: Shri Scindia

Porbandar-Delhi Flight to start on 27th April: Shri Scindia

Ministry of Civil Aviation commenced the flight operations yesterday(16.04.2022) on Keshod-Mumbai route under RCS-UDAN scheme of Government of India. Alliance Air was awarded the route under the UDAN RCS-4.1 bidding process. With this, 417 routes would be operationalized under the UDAN-RCS scheme.

Why is it in news?

The airline will operate thrice a week flights on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday & will deploy it’s ATR 72-600, 70-seater turbo prop aircraft designed for shorter distance flights on the route. With this, Alliance Air will become 1st airline to connect Keshod to Mumbai under UDAN.

Highlights

·       The inaugural event was graced by Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Shri. Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Puresh Modi, Cabinet Minister, Road & Building, Civil Aviation, Tourism & Pilgrimage Department, Government of Gujarat, Shri Devabhai Malam, Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Government of Gujarat, Shri Ramesh Dhaduk, Member of Parliament, Porbandar, Shri Rajesh Chudasama, Member of Parliament, Junagadh-Gir Somnath, Shri Jawahar Chavda, Member of Legislative Assembly, Manavadar, Shri Babubhai Bokhiria, Member of Legislative Assembly, Porbandar, Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA, Smt Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Shri Vineet Sood, CEO, Alliance Air and many other dignitaries from State Government of Gujarat, MoCA, AAI and Alliance Air.

·       Speaking on the occasion, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said, “I feel blessed and honoured to be in Gujarat especially in Keshod which has a place in our history and with this new UDAN flight that we are starting today will connect the place which was beloved by our Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi with the financial capital of our country. 2 famous world-renowned tourist attractions - Somnath Temple and Gir National Park are located near Keshod. With the launch of new route, tourist will be able to visit both easily. Apart from this, various industries are established in Keshod such as furniture, textile, chemicals, cement etc which will also be benefitted from the commencement of new flight route.”

·       Talking about the development plans of Ministry of Civil Aviation in Gujarat, Minister elaborated “Apart from starting the new flight route today, we will also connect Keshod with the state capital Ahmedabad. In this year summer schedule, Ahmedabad has been connected to 3 cities in India – Amritsar, Agra and Ranchi. Similarly, Porbandar and Rajkot have been connected with Mumbai. 2 new greenfield airports are also be constructed in Hirasar and Dholera which will have 23 lakh passengers per year and 30 lakh passengers per year with a budget allocation of INR 1405 crore and INR 1305 crore respectively”. A special route connecting Porbandar and Delhi will start on 27^th April, informed the Minister of Civil Aviation.

·       Keshod Airport is owned by Airports Authority of India (AAI). Initially, the airport was refurbished and revived in late 1980s to facilitate scheduled operations. Since last 21 years, commercial aircraft has not landed at this airport.

·       AAI has invested an amount of Rs. 25 crores to upgrade Keshod airport for resurfacing of Runway, procurement of Aircraft Crash Fire Tender (ACFT), new Civil Enclave including Terminal Building, Apron for two ATR-72 types of aircraft and Link Taxiway, etc

·       The new UDAN flight route will bring Keshod on the national air map and add convenience & comfort to travelers of this region as Keshod is a tourist destination in Junagarh district of Gujarat and it is surrounded by Arabian Sea and beautiful forests. Somnath Temple and Gir National Park are located near Keshod. It is pertinent to mention that at present, it takes about 16 Hours to travel by road from Keshod to Mumbai which will be reduced to just 1 hour 25 minutes with commencement of new flight.

Coal Supply to Maharashtra Increased Considerably in April, 2022

Why is it in news?

The Ministry of Coal has clarified that the Government of Maharashtra is receiving more coal at present than in March this year. In response to a news item appearing in a section of the Media,  the Ministry stated that as of now,  the State is  meeting their coal requirement. Thermal Power Plants (TPP) of Maharashtra were supplied with 70.77 Million Ton (MT) of coal during the financial year 2021-22.

Highlights

·       The Coal Ministry further stated that coal supply to thermal plants is increasing in tandem with increase in demand for power. As per the statistics of the Ministry, in March 2022,  coal supply to power plants of Maharashtra was 2.14 lakh ton per day. The same  has been stepped up to 2.76 lakh ton  per day this month/April, till 11.04.2022.

·       Mahagenco has been supplied 37.131 MT coal in 2021-22. The daily coal supply to Mahagenco in March 22 was 0.96 lakh ton per day which has been increased  further to 1.32 lakh ton per day in April (till 11.04.22).  It is equally pertinent that the coal requirement of Maharashtra is being met despite Mahagenco having outstanding dues of nearly Rs.2390 crore.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the National Conference on Poverty free and Enhanced livelihood village and Self Sufficient infrastructure Village

Ministry of Panchayati concludes Iconic week celebration as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

More than 5000 participants during seven days shared experiences and learnings

Why is it in news?

Iconic Week Celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav of Ministry of Panchayati Raj concludes today with enthusiastic participation, attention and response from elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions and other key stakeholders. Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized a series of National Conferences as part of Iconic Week celebrations to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) during 11^th -17^th April 2022. 

Highlights

·       More than 5000 participants during seven days brought the experience and shared learnings by Panchayats from different States and UTs ranging from Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland to Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to Tamil Nadu, with Puducherry and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. With commitment of collaboration from UN agencies, academic institutions and NGOs, central Ministries and States driving home the whole of society and whole of Government approach towards localisation of SDG at village level.

·       To fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ramrajya, nation has to fight against poverty and corruption. Poverty is the root cause of slow pace of development of any nation. Poverty is a major obstacle in progressive development, if development is to be accelerated, and then the problem of poverty has to be eradicated from the root. This is the main objective of the Sustainable Development Goals, which the Central Government, State Government and all the departments are trying to achieve.

·       On the 7^th day of celebration of Iconic Week under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the National Level Conference on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on (Theme-1 Poverty free and Enhanced livelihood village) and (Theme 6: Self Sufficient infrastructure Village).

·       The programme was inaugurated by Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Hon’ble Minister of State for Panchayati Raj with the lighting of the lamp along with  Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj,  Ms. Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP.

·       Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj emphasised on the infrastructure that were developed in the recent days. He stated that infrastructure plays an important role in the development of society and eradication of poverty. In this context roads were constructed under PMGSY, high speed internet connectivity provided in Gram Panchayats, Gas pipeline established etc.

·       Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development shared that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 and the program of this Iconic week inspired a lot to Elected Representatives and functionaries. Each person should fight for his right and one should support in achieving this. Role of the Elected Representative is very important towards visualization of next 25 Years . Further he explained that the role SHGs in the development of the rural India is very important and we should promote SHGs activities. He also emphasised Village Poverty Reduction (VPRP) may be included while formation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). Thematic videos of Bancharoda Gram Panchayat of Chhattisgarh in poverty free village and Shala Gram Panchayat of Himachal Pradesh on Self-Sufficient infrastructure village were also played.

·       Joint Statement of Understanding was signed between Ms. Shoko Noda Resident Representative, UNDP-India and Shri. Sunil Kumar Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj for working together for the eradication of poverty and development of infrastructure in rural India.

·       In technical session-1, Shri Charanjeet Singh, Joint Secretary, MoRD presented his views and shared that inter-departmental convergence is very important and strengthening of  monitoring structure is also to be done from time to time. Smt. Chhavi Jha, Joint Secretary, Deptt. of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare presented on LSDGs focusing on Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable Agricultural Practices for Livelihoods and Dr. Ashutosh Ojha, Deputy Director-General, MOSPI presented on Role of SDG Indicators for progress analysis in Rural India.

·       In technical session-2, Shri Amit Kumar, Head Inclusive Growth, UNDP India, Shri Alkesh Wadhwani, Director Poverty Alleviation Country, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation presented on Localization of SDGs focusing on Sustainable Solution to Rural Livelihood Promotions for Poverty Alleviation and Infrastructure Development in the rural India.

·       Dr. Aruna Limaye Sharma, (Retd. IAS), Member Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) presented on Importance of Self Sufficient Infrastructure in GPs for Poverty Alleviation & Livelihood Promotions among rural Poor. Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Head, Centre for Rural Development and Innovative Sustainable Technology, Head, Agriculture & Food Engineering, IIT Kharagpur shared his views on Technological Advancements to achieving Poverty Alleviation and Livelihood Enhancement GPs.

·       States of Maharashtra, Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh shared their experience, challenges and success stories in Poverty Free village and Jammu & Kashmir and Odisha on Self Sufficient Infrastructure.

·       Summing of the technical sessions and program, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Panchayati Raj exhorted the Elected Representatives of Panchayats to work for development of their respective Panchayats with renewed vigour and zeal. They should think out of box and bring about development by trying innovative measures. It was high time that the Panchayat representatives, officials and other stakeholders should work in tandem and convergence of efforts for achieving sustainable development at grass root level. He also emphasised that transparency and accountability should also be ensured which will instil confidence of poor and marginalised community in the Panchayats.  He further hopes that the participants will be greatly benefited with the experience sharing by different panchayats/Institutions in all the 7 days and will try to replicate the same.

·         The concluding day celebration of the Iconic Week witnessed active participation of all the participants reaffirming the resolve of ‘Panchayaton ke Navnirman ka Sankalpotsav’.