Tag: India

NATIONAL mean a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state. CITIZEN is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people.  the rights of a free citizen SUBJECT implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.  the king’s subjects NATIONAL designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state.

Government to issue laws to regulate content on Social media

The central government is set to curb the arbitrariness of social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. The government is engaged in enacting laws to make them accountable to the Indian Constitution. The government can bring a bill related to it in the second phase of the budget session or the monsoon session.

Actually, there is no law to remove controversial content and bring social media under the purview of the constitution. Social media companies are taking advantage of this.
At the same time, sources say that the government wants to introduce the bill only in the second part of the budget session starting from 8 March. If it is delayed for any reason, the bill will be introduced in the monsoon session. Another cause for concern is that social media is being used by a large number of people.
Around three billion people around the world use Facebook. Among them, its number of users in India is around 32 crores. If we add all the mediums of social media, then this number is more than 500 million, in which Indians topped the number of social media users.
In such a situation, it is difficult to see that there is neither legal nor effective way to monitor the reliability of these platforms.
A court case hearing is going on in the Supreme Court in this dispute case. During the hearing, the government has warned against the threat of social media. The government has said in the apex court that it should be justified to ask to write everything in the name of freedom of expression. The government has also asked the apex court to continue discussions on making laws in this regard.

The Supreme Court has also issued a notice to the Centre and Twitter on a plea, seeking to regulate hate content and to make a law as per which action can be initiated against Twitter and their representatives in India for promoting anti-India tweets and penalize them.
Google is also on target
Australia, in particular, is going to make a law soon to decide the payment in the use of media content on Google. Last week, Australia’s PM Scott Morrison, after talking to PM Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had emphasized the law against Google.

Upcoming Elections in India

In the new year 2021, as India comes out of a year of lockdown and paused public life, it is going to, by degrees, go back to the pre-coronavirus normalcy. This involves conducting regular elections as well. We can’t expect the new elections to be as difficult to organise and conduct as the Bihar elections of 2020, but elections in a pandemic are yet a new phenomenon and it has to be observed how their handling can impact their results.

This year, we have legislative assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal (in April) and later Jammu and Kashmir. There are also a few bye-elections scheduled. Politicians have already begun campaigning aggressively for all these elections – large crowds in West Bengal attend rallies as the top contenders have a fight of ideologies, and Assam sees an increase in the wages of the tea-growers in light of the upcoming election. The field has gotten even more competitive as E. Shreedharan, also known as the ‘Metro Man’ of India, has joined the BJP in light of the upcoming Kerala elections.


The public and media discourse has also greatly moved on from other political challenges and the coronavirus debates to this – and so have the priorities of the political leaders. Even in the union budget of 2021, there was a major allocation of funds to these states for highway projects and other things. Now the only thing left to see is how these very unpredictable elections turn out for all the political actors involved.

What are the farm laws?

Everywhere in the news, there are different refrains about the protests and opinions for and against the new farm laws. But what exactly are these laws and how do they change the status quo? These laws are: The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. They were passed in June as ordinances before being approved by Parliament during the Monsoon Session by a voice vote.

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Before this law, they could only sell it in the government APMCs or ‘mandis.’ Now, any licence-holding trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices, which will be free of the ‘mandi tax’ imposed by state governments. Some think this will allow agribusinesses to monopolize the market through initially low prices and exploit farmers, and some think it will result in better prices for the farmers and a more efficient agricultural market because of more choices.


The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely. Some think it will result in the wage slavery of farmers but others think it will increase investment in the agricultural sector.


The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act. This law freed items such as food grains, pulses, edible oils and onion for trade except in extraordinary situations. As such, it is not as contentious as the previous 2 laws.


The main grouse of the protesting farmers with these laws, especially the first one, is the lack of an MSP (minimum standard price) assurance. They believe they will suffer because of big businesses reducing prices after monopolizing the markets. However, the people that oppose this idea believe that the MSP system is inefficient and only results in wastage. Only time can tell who will win this battle of ideas and what will happen to the agricultural sector.

Women have the right to register a complaint against harassment even after decades

Former Union Minister M.J. Akbar has received a setback in the criminal defamation suit against Priya Ramani, a journalist who accused of him sexual harassment, when Delhi Court acquitted Ramani on Wednesday. Dismissing Akbar’s plea, the court said that a woman who has been tortured has the right to register a complaint even after decades. The court said that women who raise their voice against such crimes cannot be punished. Akbar alleged that Ramani’s tweet during the #me_too campaign has defamed him.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate(A.C.M.M.) Ravindrakumar Pandey dismissed the plea of ​​former Union Minister Akbar saying that no allegations against Ramani were proved. The court reserved the verdict on February 1. Apart from Ramani, Akbar was accused of harassment by around 20 women journalists.
Previously, Ramani accused Akbar during the Me too campaign.
ACMM, Ravindrakumar Pandey, added that this crime is shameful in the country of Ramayana-Mahabharata. He said crimes against women are shameful in a country where great texts like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana have been written, which teach women how to respect them.
Akbar rejected the allegations and had filed a complaint against Priya Ramani on October 15, 2018, for defaming him after she accused him for misconduct. However, on October 17, 2018, Akbar was accused of misconduct and had to resign as Union Minister.
No one’s reputation should be protected at the cost of women’s dignity-
The court said in the judgment that no one’s reputation can be saved at the cost of a woman’s life and dignity. Under Article 21 of the Constitution this has been guaranteed. At the same time under Article 14, the right to equality before the law and the right to equal protection have also been guaranteed.
Any invisible hindrance cannot stop Indian women from moving forward for equal opportunity in society. Now, the time has come for society to understand the hardship of sexual harassment. Society must see the victim just like any other common person and not discriminate. A victim should be able to  lead a life like a dignified person in society.

CRUDE OIL PRICES IN INDIA

 Today, the world is suffering from many unexpected problems. These problems includes corona virus pandemic, poverty, voilence in many subjects and rise in prices in almost every item. 

These problems got a boost after this corona virus pandemic. Providing essential items to everyone according to their needs have been one of the major problem. Almost every country is having such issues, that too due to the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic.

Presently, Farmer protests, violence, rise in prices, Covid19 vaccination for all on time, rape issues and political games are the topics which are trending in India.
In India too the prices are touching its brim. The rise in costs in food, commodities, jewellery, fuel, automobiles etc have become a greater problem. To provide everything for everyone with less issues is a need. 
The petrol and diesel prices have been increasing day by day. Retail price of automobile fuels have reached heights across the country. Petrol and diesel are taxed heavily in India and that’s why the consumer benefits have been decreased.
Low class families are getting benifits by the government, high class families already have enough salaries to spend freely and according to their needs.
For middle class families, the problems are like hell. No benifits, almost nothing for the middle class. Only low class are under the eyes of government but middle class are just ignored every time. Middle class are also like the low class but just a bit heigher than low class and so less than the upper class. This class is in the middle so no-one remember to provide special highlights to them. Pressure over the middle class to do everything on their own without any benifits or schemes from anyone, under huge loss. 
Diesel and petrol prices have hit high records across the country with petrol touching Rs 89 per litre in Delhi and diesel reaching a new high of Rs 86.30 per litre in Mumbai. Petrol prices are revised by the oil marketing companies like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum etc. based on the international prices. So, when international crude oil prices gain, petrol prices in India increases and so on. If crude oil prices in the international markets drops, we see a down fall in daily petrol prices in India. 
Factors affecting Today’s Petrol Prices In India 
 The difference in the prices of crude oil in the international market directly influences the price of crude oil (raw form of oil) in the domestic market and this is one of the most important factor responsible for an increase in the petrol prices in Indian market. Increase in international demand as well as low production rate and any political no rest in the crude oil producing countries of the world severely affects petrol price.
 Increase in Demand – Economic growth in India and other developing countries has also led to the increase in demand for the petrol and other essential fuels in India. The number of people who own private vehicles has gone up in the recent past which has contributed to the increase in demand for petrol in India this has resulted in the rise in petrol prices in India. 
Logistics – Logistics is one of the significant factors in pricing retail fuel. Petrol and diesel transported to longer distances to cities or regions farther from depots will be priced higher than the places nearer to the oil companies storage area. The reason behind the change in the prices of petrol in different cities across India. This difference may be huge between cities that are far from each other. The fear linked to the rise of petrol prices in India might be never ending. 
Mismatch of Demand and Provided quantity – Oil refinery companies in India faces problem to meet the demands of the market due to the high cost of input price of crude oil thus resulting in low supply and high demand for petrol in the country. An increase in supply results in a decrease in the price of the petrol and vice versa. Oil refining and marketing companies maintains crude oil inventory up to six weeks, which also influences the price of the petrol and petroleum products.
 Rate of Taxes – The prices of petrol and other petroleum products varies according to the local government policies which impose taxes on fuels. As and when the government of India raises tax rates on fuels then oil companies in India also increase the price of the petrol to recover the loss and maintain marginal profits in the oil business in India. 
Rupee – Dollar Exchange Rates – The rupee-dollar exchange rate is also one of the major factors which influences the price of petrol in India. Indian oil companies pay to the oil imported from other countries in terms of dollars, but their costs are regarding rupee. So, when the price of the crude oil is in the fall but the rupee is also weaker against the dollar then it will reduce the profits to the oil refiners. So, when the rupee strengthens against the dollar and the price of the crude oil faces down fall, then most of the oil companies tend to gain alot.
Apart from this, the continued commitment of the producers to supply, amidst muted fuel demand has helped the fuel prices to scale up. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its member partner have their support for deeper oil supply cuts throughout 2021. The move was made to help bring down the swollen global crude stockpiles are increasing despite feeble oil demand. 
Meanwhile, the demand in china for crude oil is helping to support the oil markets as shown by the industrial track.
– Sahaj Sabharwal
(Author-: Poems by Sahaj Sabharwal)
Jammu city, J&K, India
Contact-: +917780977469
About the Author-:
PERSONALITY OF JAMMU, INDIA
NAME: Sahaj Sabharwal 
 
Sahaj Sabharwal, a young writer and an author was born on 17th March, 2002. He lives in Jammu city, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has completed his schooling from Delhi Public School Jammu as a Non-Medical student. Now he is a student of Aeronautical Engineering. His hobbies includes writing thoughts, listening to music, discovering new things, exploring the world, writing and singing rap songs to mention but a few. He has been awarded many awards in poetry writing at State level, National level and International level. He mostly writes motivational thoughts and on topics related to social issues for spreading awareness among the people. His writings are regularly published in many newspapers, magazines, websites, anthologies and other media platforms.
According to him, 
” Be You
No need to update your view
On society’s new view “
His aim in life is to invent/discover something new as a Scientist or Researcher. He wants to do something new, which is done by a few. He is an inspiration of his own. He is a successful author of the BOOK -: “Poems By Sahaj Sabharwal ” 

WHEN THE ‘TOOLKIT’ BECOMES THE TOOL

In light of the recent ‘Farmer’s protest toolkit controversy’, a 22-year-old environmental activist from Bengaluru, Disha Ravi has been arrested by the Delhi police on Sunday 14th February 2021. She is now under five-day police custody as the Delhi Magistrate decided to remand her following the arrest. She has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 124(a) for sedition, 153(a) for promoting enmity between different sections of the society and 120(b) for criminal conspiracy. She is accused of involvement in the composition of the “toolkit”, an online document shared by the International environmental activist Greta Thunberg, which consists of action plans to protest against the farm bill. Police claimed that the toolkit had the violence on 26th January as one of its “action plans” to protest against the farm bill, in addition to the pro-Khalistani elements.

Since last October, thousands of farmers have been camping on the national capital borders, protesting against the three newly passed farm laws introduced by the NDA government. On the republic day, the tractor rally conducted by the protesting farmers has resulted in great commotion as the farmers attempted to enter the national capital region, storming the Red Fort complex and clashing with the police and security forces. The police allege that plans for such actions were formulated in the online document, described as a “toolkit” that Ravi created and shared with Thunberg. “The main aim of the toolkit was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully enacted government,” said a police official. “The toolkit sought to artificially amplify the fake news through various tweets which they have created in the form of a tweet bank. The document that they drafted had secessionist and pro-Khalistani content embedded into it through links and texts” he added. 

The arrest of Disha has instigated furious criticism against the fascist actions of the government regarding the farmers protest. The efforts made by the government to silence and oppress the voice of the farmers and the people supporting them is more of a provocative manner than a call for peace.

World' fastest vaccination campaign is underway in India

The country’s largest corona vaccination campaign is underway. The Union Health Ministry said that a total of 75 lakh people have been vaccinated in the country till Friday, the 27th day of the vaccination campaign. Out of this, 58.14,976 health workers and 16,90,034 Front line workers are included.

Why vaccination is important?

Vaccines can help limit the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The global increase in disease caused by drug-resistant bacteria, due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics, is a major public health concern. Vaccinating humans and animals is a very effective way to stop them from getting infected and thereby preventing the need for antibiotics.

Making better use of existing vaccines and developing new vaccines are important ways to tackle antibiotic resistance and reduce preventable illness and deaths.

According to the ministry, a total of 1,54,370 sessions of immunization have been completed across the country so far. Immunization campaign is fastest in India. On 11th February, a total of 4.5 lakh people were vaccinated. This includes 1,09,748 health workers and 3,78,148 front line workers.The corona virus is seen to be dying with speed in the corona vaccination campaign, according to the report released by the Union Health Ministry on Friday, 9309 cases were reported in the last 24 hours across the country, this is the third time in February when less than ten thousand cases were reported.

According to the Health Ministry, there were seven days in February when the daily death rate from Corona has been less than 100. There was no death reported from corona in 18 states and union territories of the country in the last 24 hours.

World' fastest vaccination campaign is underway in India

The country’s largest corona vaccination campaign is underway. The Union Health Ministry said that a total of 75 lakh people have been vaccinated in the country till Friday, the 27th day of the vaccination campaign. Out of this, 58.14,976 health workers and 16,90,034 Front line workers are included.

Why vaccination is important?

Vaccines can help limit the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The global increase in disease caused by drug-resistant bacteria, due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics, is a major public health concern. Vaccinating humans and animals is a very effective way to stop them from getting infected and thereby preventing the need for antibiotics.

Making better use of existing vaccines and developing new vaccines are important ways to tackle antibiotic resistance and reduce preventable illness and deaths.

According to the ministry, a total of 1,54,370 sessions of immunization have been completed across the country so far. Immunization campaign is fastest in India. On 11th February, a total of 4.5 lakh people were vaccinated. This includes 1,09,748 health workers and 3,78,148 front line workers.The corona virus is seen to be dying with speed in the corona vaccination campaign, according to the report released by the Union Health Ministry on Friday, 9309 cases were reported in the last 24 hours across the country, this is the third time in February when less than ten thousand cases were reported.

According to the Health Ministry, there were seven days in February when the daily death rate from Corona has been less than 100. There was no death reported from corona in 18 states and union territories of the country in the last 24 hours.

Koo App – An Indian Alternative to Twitter

Koo , an Indian alternative of twitter is gaining a lot of attention from the netizens as the government ministers & ministries are switching to the app.

Koo’s rise comes as Twitter is currently engaged in a standoff with the Indian government over the blocking and unblocking of accounts linked to the farmer protests. The Koo a made-in-India app is now seen as a prospective competitor to Twitter in the backdrop of the government’s disagreement with Twitter.

Union minister Piyush Goyal, who is quite active on Twitter,announced on Tuesday that he has also opened an account on Koo. Electronics and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has already joined the platform and has a verified handle. Several government departments, including the ministry of Electronics and IT , India Post have verified handles on this platform. Former cricketer Anil Kumble & Sadhguru are among the personalities who have joined the Koo.

Koo is a microblogging app just like Twitter where you can post opinions publicly & follow others. The character limit for a ‘Koo post’ is 400 while it’s 280 on twitter.Users can share audio, video & can create the post polls just like twitter.Users also have option of linking their Facebook , LinkedIn , Youtube & Twitter feed to their Koo profile. It is available as a website and on ios and Google Play Store.

Koo , a Swadeshi app was launched in March 2020. It had also won the Aatmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge along with other Indian apps like Zoho and Chingari. The Koo app was created by Bombinate Technologies Private Limited which is a Bangalore-based private company incorporated in 2015. Aparameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka are the co-founders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in one of his Mann Ki Baat encouraged Indians to use the app.

The app is available in several languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Odiya and Assamese.

The Koo website notes that only 10 per cent of India speaks English and “almost 1 billion people in India don’t know English.Instead they speak one of India’s 100s of languages.” The website adds that the “majority of the internet has been in English. Koo is an attempt to make the voice of these Indians heard. They can now participate on the internet in their mother tongue by listening to the views of some of the sharpest Indian minds and also speak their mind by sharing their thoughts.”

THE CURIOUS CASE OF MARITAL RAPES IN INDIA

Marital rape is the act of indulging in sexual intercourse without proper consent of the partner. People often mistake marital rape as an act of domestic violence or sexual abuse, although a lack of consent is enough in itself.  The right for sexual intercourse within the marriage was considered as a naturally consigned right of the spouse, historically. Many countries around the world have rightly classified non-consensual sexual intercourse as “rape”, yet countries including India regard this intimate assault a perfectly legal crime.

Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code propounds rape as all forms of sexual assault involving non-consensual intercourse with a woman. Yet the Exception 2 to Section 375 absolves the unwilling sexual intercourse between a husband and a wife over fifteen years of age from Section 375’s definition of “rape”. Thus the atrocities and abuses within the sacredness and sacrosanctity of marriage are legalized by the government under this section. This is a clear case of discrimination against female victims by the Indian criminal laws, just because they have been raped by their own husbands.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reports, an average Indian woman is 17 times more likely to be subjected to sexual violence from her own husband than others. Such heinous acts go unreported due to the ineffectiveness of the existing laws. Though India is striving hard to empower its female population, it fails to ensure their safety even in the very basic social structure like family. The patriarchal social structure of India is the fundamental reason for the mortifying status of women in Indian society and the persisting ineffectiveness of laws protecting them.

NGOs for the empowerment of women and Constitutional experts are of the opinion that the Exception 2 to Section 375 is a clear violation of Article 14 and Article 21 and insists that its high time India criminalize marital rape and frame new laws for protecting women from intramarital violence. The equality and liberty rights assured for all citizens in Article 14  and Article 21 of the constitution are denied in exception 2 to section 375. Even the UN General Committee has recommended the Indian government to criminalize marital rape back in 2013. A large part of the British influenced Indian laws which need timely amendments remains untouched for the past 73 years since independence. No Indian government has, however, so far shown an active interest in remedying this problem. As a result, many of such primitive practices still exist in our society. 

KERALA’S BIGGEST SOLAR FLOATING POWER PLANTS COMMISSIONED AT COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Cochin International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Kerala which handles about 10 million passenger movements in and out the state annually, is located at Nedumbassery in the outskirts of Cochin city. With the inauguration of a dedicated solar plant in 2015, Cochin International airport won the title of world’s first fully solar-powered airport. The CIAL solar power project comprises 92,150 solar panels laid across 94 acres, generating 100,000 units of electricity on a daily basis. The airport authority has been honoured with the Champion of Earth award by the United Nations in 2018 for their excellence in the large-scale introduction of sustainable energy sources.

On 17th January 2021, CIAL crossed yet another glorious milestone with the commission of one of the biggest floating solar power plants in Kerala. The cost-effective high-density polyethylene floats, using most modern French technology, are laid over two artificial lakes in the CIAL golf course. The floats consist of 1300 photovoltaic cells and have a capacity of 452 KWh helping the airport to produce around 1.60 lakh units of power a day as against its daily consumption stands around 1.30 lakh units, the authorities said.

CIAL sets an example of Total Sustainability Management by treating the sewage water for water harvesting in its golf course with the help of 12 artificial lakes. The water from these lakes was earlier used for irrigating the lawns but now with the installation of these floating solar panels, they have taken another step forward in sustainable and environment friendly resource management.

The Managing Director of CIAL, Mr V J Kurian said, “The pre-commissioning trials showed that these panels which cost around Rs 2 crore to the company are producing power with maximum output efficiency among the eight solar power plants installed by CIAL at various locations in the airport premises. CIAL has been reinventing itself since its formative days. One of our innovations which proved that relying upon green energy is possible even for the high energy consumers like an airport has won us the champions of the earth award instituted by the United Nations. We are committed to the protection of nature and trying our best to reduce carbon footprints.” 

The installation of floating solar panels are usually very expensive when compared to the ground-mounted and rooftop ones. CIAL was able to overcome these limitations and bring down the cost using the novel technology as the  French company CIEL TERRA provided technical assistance. The solar panels are also connected to the KSEB power grid which helps them to bank the excess energy produced.

KOCHI TO GET AN INFRASTRUCTURAL FACELIFT IN 2021

The year 2021 will be witnessing a grandiose infrastructural facelift of Kochi, the stupendous port city of Kerala. Kochi has undergone a massive transformation during the past decade, with the launch of Cochin International Airport, Cochin Shipyard, Infopark, Kochi Metro etc which has uplifted it from a tiny port city to a metropolitan urban city we see today. Enormous investment in the construction and expansion of roads and bridges has increased the pace of life in the city. 

With the inauguration of the Vytilla and Kundannor flyovers, the two major projects which Kochi has been anticipating for a long time; the city has kickstarted its infrastructural facelift of 2021. The Vytilla Kundanoor flyovers built under the supervision of  Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) are expected to reduce the traffic congestion at the busiest junctions of the city. With the completion of the Palarivattom flyover by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in the coming months, commutation through and within the city will become facile.

The first phase of Kochi Water Metro, a project introduced as an alternative public transport system to reduce traffic congestion within the city with minimal pollution is expected to be completed by mid-2021 under the supervision of Kochi Metro Rail Limited. Kochi will become the first city in the country to have an integrated road, metro rail and water transport system under one roof with the launch of this project. The Phase I extension of the Kochi Metro to Tripunithura is expected to be completed this year. 

Efforts to resolve the waterlogging and flooding in Kochi during monsoon season as a follow up to Operation Breakthrough is said to begin in March 2021. Several innovative projects such as rooftop solar panel projects and Intelligent Traffic Management System have been rolled out by Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CMRL). A walkway development project, an open-air theatre and renovation of Dutch Palace premises in the Fort Kochi area will also be carried out this year.

The Ernakulam Medical College Hospital was transformed earlier this year into a state-of-the-art healthcare hub that the state can be proud of. The commissioning of the GAIL pipeline in January by the Prime Minister marked a historical achievement as the city and the government had to tackle numerous hard knocks to make the project a reality. With the launch of numerous infrastructural and economically uplifting projects, Kochi is expected to become one of the leading metropolitan cities in the coming decade.

KOCHI WATER METRO PROJECT; FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE COUNTRY NEARS COMPLETION

Kochi, the bustling commercial port city of Kerala is witnessing a massive infrastructural and transportational facelift with enormous investment and technological upgrade. The inland water transport system which once served as the backbone of Kochi connecting its Islands and eyots, faced a severe decline in the past decade as people started depending more on land transportation facilities. The increase in the number of private vehicles on road demanded a return back to water transport as it is more energy and cost efficient. The Kochi Water Metro Project is introduced as an alternative public transport system to reduce the traffic congestion in the city with minimal pollution, providing the population along the city’s shores easy access to the commercial centres.

The Project aims at developing 15 identified water routes that connect 10 islands benefitting over 1,00,000 people by improving their livelihoods. This socially inclusive water transport system is expected to cover a total span of 78 km with a fleet of 78 fast, electrically propelled hybrid ferries plying to 38 jetties. Specially designed environment-friendly and energy-efficient boats equipped with advanced technology will be commissioned for the project. The boat services will start from major jetties between every 10 to 20 minutes; navigational buoys and night navigational assistance will also be ensured. The terminals are designed to have state-of-the-art facilities including automated fare collection and turnstile system for passenger counting. Pontoons(floating jetties) that adapt during high tide and low tide are built to facilitate easy boarding and deboarding for physically challenged personals.

In addition to the ferry services, the project integrates the waterway system with the city’s other public transport system and also intends the development of areas around the waterways through commercial property development along with tourism initiatives. As the project aims to be environment friendly,  the management of waterweed and floating waste will also be taken care of.

The construction activities of the water metro under the supervision of KMRL (Kochi Metro Rail Limited) is progressing at a fast pace and the project is expected to be completed very soon. Almost 50 per cent of piling works of the high court boat jetty have been completed along with the construction of floating pontoons and other civil constructions. “Construction work on terminals at Vyttila and Kakkanad is in the final stage. Work is also progressing at Eloor, Cheranalloor, South Chittoor, Bolgatty, High Court, Vypeen, Mulavukad North, Paliyamthuruth and Kadamakkudy. Cochin Shipyard is expected to deliver the first boat soon,” a KMRL spokesperson said.

With the construction of the jetties at Kakkanad and Vyttila entering the final stage, the first ferry service under the water metro project is expected to be kick-started in this route in the upcoming months. The Cochin Shipyard has been delegated with the manufacturing of the specially designed ferries with different passenger capacities for the project. The water metro project is assumed to be completed within an expenditure limit of Rs.747 crore, excluding the land cost. Once the water metro project is completed, Kochi will become the first city in the country to have an integrated road, metro rail and water transport system under one roof.

CNG: A SINE QUA NON OF THE PRESENT DAY

In the current rapidly evolving world where exploitation of nature and its resources are taking place under the tag of development, what we need is sustainable development through which we can meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of tomorrow. Developing countries like India are more prone to severe air pollution compared to developed countries accounting to the rapid urbanization, fast-paced industrial development, underdeveloped combustion technologies and continued use of traditional fuels. The deterioration of ambient air quality has been attributed with 1.24 million premature deaths and 38.7 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) loss in India resulting in a national public health crisis. The national capital New Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world where the population is literally living in a gas chamber with noxious air quality. According to studies, 28 % of the total pollution in Delhi is contributed by vehicular emissions which necessitated the monitoring of PM measurement of outdoor air pollution. The air quality index of Delhi hit an all-time low as the pollution levels crossed seventy times the safe limit last year.

Several management plans were implemented to better the air quality of the city and various control measures were introduced to minimize the pollution. The Delhi government launched a broad CNG programme to convert the city’s public transportation to CNG and the national capital ended up the cleanest public transportation system in the world by replacing the diesel buses with CNG by 2002. This transformation has brought a significant impact on air quality and pollution levels as it helped reduce the premature death rate in the city.

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is one of the least toxic and cleanest burning eco-friendly fuel available.  The use of CNG reduces carbon monoxide emissions up to 97 per cent as it is processed from biological waste, marking it as a sustainable replacement to fossil fuels. When compared to other fuels, CNG is safe to store and transport. Besides being eco friendly, CNG provides numerous economic benefits as well. The cost of CNG when compared to other traditional fuels is considerably low and its abundant presence in nature promises its availability for future purposes. 
India is setting an example of sustainable development by reducing the use of fossil fuels and shifting to eco-friendly fuels like CNG. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a 450 km natural gas pipeline between Kochi and Mangalore built by Gas Authority of India Limited, which will supply safe and affordable fuel to households in the form of piped natural gas (PNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) to the transportation sector. The pipeline is a part of the country’s journey towards ‘one nation-one gas grid’, said the Prime Minister. A total of 1,544 km pipeline had been laid as part of the National Gas Grid in 2020. India plans to spend $60 billion in creating gas infrastructure till 2024. These projects are incorporated as India plans on developing a gas-based economy, reducing the use of traditional fossil fuels and thereby aiming to cut down its greenhouse gas emission levels to improve the environmental and climatic conditions.

HEALTH MINISTRY WAVES GREEN FLAG TO COVID 19 VACCINES IN INDIA

It’s been almost a year since the first case of COVID 19 was reported in the country. Around one crore people have effectively recovered from the pandemic while almost one and a half lakh lost their lives to it. The government has taken diverse measures to bring the pandemic under control but the high contagiousness of the virus made it hard for them to repress its spread. Countries and organizations around the globe were actively engaged in developing COVID 19 vaccines since its inception in China. Russia was the first country to successfully conduct the trials and roll out the vaccine for its public.

India on its way to mass vaccinating the country has approved two different vaccines; COVISHILED, a variant of AZD1222 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca manufactured by Serum Institute of India and  COVAXIN, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), making them India’s first vaccines against the pandemic. Drug Control General of India (DCGI) VG Somani has granted permission for the restricted use of the vaccines and has confirmed the effectiveness of the vaccines on their trial runs. He said that “We’ll never approve anything if there is slightest of safety concern. The vaccines are 110 per cent safe” and also added that the COVISHIELD was found to have an efficiency rate of 70.42 per cent.  The Subject Expert Committee (SEC)  has reviewed Bharat Biotech’s data on “safety and immunogenicity” and gave permission for “restricted use in an emergency situation in the public interest” and has also recommended an accelerated approval of the request to Bharat Biotech International for phase-III trials of COVAXIN. The approval was given after India conducted a dry run across its states and union territories on Saturday as part of rehearsing the massive vaccination drive.

The Government is planning to vaccinate one crore healthcare workers belonging to both the private and public service sector as the initial step of the vaccination process. A digital platform named CoWIN has been introduced by the government, which will serve as a centralised system to record all details about the people to be vaccinated and helps in scaling and processing the vaccination drive. The second round of the vaccination drive will see the frontline and municipal workers of state and central service departments getting vaccinated. Using the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and Legislative assembly elections, people above 50 years of age will be identified and will form the third round of vaccination drive. People belonging to the geographical areas where the COVID infection is highly prevalent and people from high populated areas will also be vaccinated. The introduction of the COVID vaccines will be an added armour in India’s fight against the pandemic and the first step in bringing the country and its people back to normal life.