RURAL DEVELOPMENT
An experiment in integrated development

By simultaneously carrying out multiple development schemes in a village, can its all-round development be made sustainable? Uttam Gram, in Haryana's Donkhera village, provides answers.

#Livestock #Panchayats #Agriculture #HARYANA
SELF-GOVERNANCE
Ground-up planning in Ranchi's slums

Can people themselves plan for their basic services? A new initiative in informal settlements which have been ignored by formal planners shows the potential of a different approach.

#Adivasis #Cities #Government #JHARKHAND
GOSIKHURD IRRIGATION PROJECT
Thirty-four years of irregularities and failures
GOSIKHURD IRRIGATION PROJECT : Thirty-four years of irregularities and failures

The recently released CAG audit report on Maharashtra has heavily criticized the time and cost overruns in Gosikhurd irrigation project in Vidarbha. 

#Public Funds #Government #MAHARASHTRA
WATER CRISIS
What you can’t measure properly, you can’t manage properly

Shripad Dharmadhikary critiques the recently released NITI Aayog’s report on Composite Water Management Index.

#Government
URBAN RIVERS
Concrete riverfronts or ecological rejuvenation?

A two-day dialogue on urban rivers held in Pune focused on the plight of urban rivers. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports and presents his views.

#Urban Environment #Environment
OBITUARY
A guardian of rivers

Himanshu Upadhayay pays a personal tribute to the inspiring and dedicated river activist Latha Anantha, who passed away on 16th of November.

#OP-ED
RESTRUCTURING WATER ORGANIZATIONS
Creating National Water Commission
RESTRUCTURING WATER ORGANIZATIONS : Creating National Water Commission

A recent report suggests merging the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) into a new organisation to be called the National Water Commission. Shripad Dharmadhikary comments on the report.

#Environment #Government
DRAFT NATIONAL WATER FRAMEWORK BILL
The right to water for life
DRAFT NATIONAL WATER FRAMEWORK BILL : The right to water for life

The Draft National Water Framework Bill, put out for public comments recently, represents an important and progressive step forward despite some shortcomings and challenges involved in its implementation, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

#Environment #Government
STATUS OF GROUND WATER
Extraction exceeds recharge
STATUS OF GROUND WATER : Extraction exceeds recharge

Last month, the Bombay High Court passed an order to shift IPL matches scheduled for the month of May out of the state of Maharashtra citing an acute water shortage in some parts of the state for its decision. PRS Legislative Research, answers some basic questions about ground water and its depletion in our country.

#Agriculture
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
New regulations welcome, but the proof will be in the eating

New regulations from the environment ministry require coal-based thermal power plants to stick to legally binding limits for water consumption. Shripad Dharmadhikary examines the implications of these rules.

#Environmental Regulation #Environment
WATER & ACCESSIBILITY
Hill women no longer panic over water scarcity

In many part of rural India, women spend most of their time walking long distances to collect water for their household's needs. Nitin Jugran Bahuguna visits the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand where the women no longer have to worry about fetching water from long distances thanks to an intervention that has brought potable water right to their doorstep.

#Women
NEW NATIONAL WATERWAYS
Losing our rivers to grand plans
NEW NATIONAL WATERWAYS : Losing our rivers to grand plans

As per the National Waterways Bill recently introduced in the Parliament, 101 stretches of rivers in the country will be declared as National Waterways. There are many advantages of  waterways but these advantages will be realised only when certain conditions are met, and only under certain circumstances says Shripad Dharmadhikary.

#Government Opinions #Economy
KARNATAKA IRRIGATION PROJECTS
15 years, and hardly any lessons learnt!
KARNATAKA IRRIGATION PROJECTS : 15 years, and hardly any lessons learnt!

Successive audits of irrigation projects in Karnataka over the years, starting with a report from the CAG for the year ending 31 March 2001, have repeatedly pointed to missed targets, wasted expenditure and negligible benefits. Himanshu Upadhyaya presents findings from the latest audits.

#Public Funds #Government
KELKAR COMMITTEE REPORT ON MAHARASHTRA
Pursuing development: The perils of the beaten track
KELKAR COMMITTEE REPORT ON MAHARASHTRA : Pursuing development: The perils of the beaten track

The report of the Kelkar Committee on balanced development in Maharashtra has important recommendations. But will it all come to nought because of its failure to avoid some conventional pitfalls? Shripad Dharmadhikary explores.

#Agriculture #Economy #Government #Poverty #MAHARASHTRA
BHADRESHWAR THERMAL POWER PROJECT
A continuous struggle between ‘power’ and the people
BHADRESHWAR THERMAL POWER PROJECT : A continuous struggle between ‘power’ and the people

In yet another contested environmental approval decision, a 300-MW power plant in Gujarat has been granted changes in technology, relaxing certain original conditions, without any public consultation. Kanchi Kohli reports on the grievances of the local people.

#Energy #Environmental Regulation #Environment

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