Governance Community

Member of NITI Aayog Dr. V K Paul on Friday said that the discussion of the Indian Government is going on with the vaccine manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer on various issues, including indemnity waiver. He added, “We are in touch with Moderna and Pfizer. The discussion is on hold as it is a process of negotiationand dialogue. We are seeking solutions on contractual and commitment issues. The process, for now, is ongoing”. Before this, in June, the US-based biotechnology company, Moderna, announced that India had granted permission for its COVID-19 vaccine to be imported into the country for restricted and emergency usage. Whereas Pfizer had not even applied for the and emergency use authorization in the country. Source: zeenews.india.com

Uddhav Thackeray announced that the Maharashtra Government is ready to extend full support if the Union Minister of States for Railways Rohasaheb Danve takes the initiative to launchthe Mumbai NAGPUR Bullet train project. Thackeray said,” We need to focus on public welfare keeping aside politics, as the people also expect the same from us as leaders. We, therefore, have to meet the public’s expectations as far as possible. He added that I am giving my word that full support from our side will be provided if the States Railway Minister takes the Mumbai-Nagpur bullet train project initiative. Source: ndtv.com

Kerala is moving a step closer towards achieving sustainability by installing solar panels in all government schools. The plan has been initiated by the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation. The idea will benefit schools as they will now have to spend less money on electricity bills. The Corporation had earlier planned to turn all government buildings into solar-powered ones. This new development comes hand in hand with their previous plan. The discussions on the project with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and other stakeholders have already begun. Initially, the state government has launched a Pilot Project to check the functioning of the plan. They intend to install solar panels in one of the schools to verify the smooth working of the project before implying it everywhere. In Kerala, schools are gearing up to welcome students by November, so they aspire to launch the pilot project before that. Earlier this month, the Assembly complex was completed under the Corporation’s Smart City project. In addition, solar panels have been installed at the Government College for Women at Vazhuthacaud, the Public Library and the Kerala University Library at Palayam, and the Government Central High School at Attakulangara. Source: The Hindu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Defence Offices Complexes at Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Africa Avenue in New Delhi today. He also visited the Defence Office Complex at Africa Avenue and interacted with the army, navy, air force and civilian officers. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that in today’s inauguration of complexes, India has taken another step in developing the nation’s capital according to needs and aspirations of a new India in the 75th year of India’s independence. He lamented the fact that for a very long time the defence related work was being conducted from hutments constructed during the Second World War which were made keeping in mind horse stable and barracks needs. “This new defence office complex will strengthen the efforts of making the working of our defence forces convenient and effective”, he said. The PM said these modern offices built at KG Marg and Africa Avenue will go a long way in effectively carrying out all the work related to the security of the nation. This is a big step towards the construction of a modern defence enclave in the capital. He appreciated the inclusion of attractive artefacts by Indian artists in the complexes as symbols of Aaatmnirbhar Bharat. “The complexes reflect the modern form of diversity of our culture while preserving the vitality of Delhi and environment”, he said. The Prime Minister stressed the role of modern infrastructure in the government’s focus on ease of living and ease of doing business. “The ongoing construction work of Central Vista is going on with this thought only”, said the Prime Minister. Enumerating the efforts of new constructions as per the aspirations of the capital, the Prime Minister said that many constructions like residences for people’s representatives, Efforts to preserve Baba Saheb Ambedakar’s memories, many bhawans, memorials for our martyrs are enhancing the glory of the capital today. The Prime Minister said that these defence office complexes are the manifestation of changing work culture and priorities of the government. Optimal and proper use of available land with various departments of the government is one such priority, he said. The Prime Minister informed that these defence office complexes are constructed in 13 acre land parcels unlike earlier times when five times more land was used for similar complexes. The Prime Minister also highlighted that in next 25 years i.e. ‘Azadi ka Amrit Kaal’ productivity and efficiency of the government system will be supported by such efforts. Availability of a common central Secretariat, connected conference hall, easy connectivity like metro etc will help a great deal in making the capital people-friendly. Source: Press Information Bureau

A statement came from Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on privatization. The government might also opt for improved governance and better rules instead of just opting for privatization of public sector undertakings (PSUs). This statement came in the form of a question asked by Rajan during a Panel interaction at the clubhouse on 11 September. “Why don’t we focus on improved governance?”. Rajan said, better governance and better rules can do as much as privatization. While opening the core public undertakings to private sectors, an exemplary approach has been suggested on privatization by Raghuram Rajan as he insists on having adequate regulations to protect the public interest. Source: Moneycontrol.com

The first phase of the data analysis-based version of MCA21, which was India’s first missionmode e-governance project, got virtually launched on Monday, by Anurag Thakur, minister of state for finance corporate Affairs. The new MCA21 version 3.0 will be implemented in two phasesand is expected to be launched by October 2021. In the first phase, there are revamped websites, new email services for MCA officers, and two new modules, namely, eBook and e-consultation. MCA2.0 V3.0 was a part of this year’s budget plan. It also leverages the use of new technologies for streamlining the corporate compliance and stakeholders’ experience. Here, MCA21 is an online portalfor the Ministry of corporate affairswhich is making all the company-related information accessible to different stakeholders and the general public. The MCA 21 was initially launched in 2006. Under the MCA21 the e-consultation module will facilitate virtual public consultation of proposed amendments and new legislation, which will be introduced by MCA at a specific time interval. It will also use Artificial Intelligence for compiling, grouping, and categorizing comments/inputs received from the stakeholders and it will create an analytical report for quick policy decision making. Source: thehindubusinessline.com

Ludhiana: Under the urban development and Smart City Mission, the government has purchased new fire fighting equipment for the city of Ludhiana. Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu dedicated the modernised and advanced fire fighting and rescue infrastructure on 11th September 2021. The minister said the state government had spent Rs 3.28 crore on purchasing hi-tech equipment, including new mini-fire tenders, materials and emergency lights under the Smart City scheme. He also said that four fabricated Tata Yodha fire tenders with a cost of Rs 88.64 lakh had been purchased to cover interior and narrow areas of the city. The innovations and equipment include: Water and foam will be used in the mini-tenders to douse the flames. Hi-tech pumping system has been installed in four vehicles. Two Royal Enfield bullet motorcycles equipped with advanced firefighting technology have also been purchased Three life detectors of Rs 66.02 lakh have also made available.The detectors have a sensor that would sense human beings buried under debris in collapsed buildings and help save precious lives. 10 battery-operated combi tools of Rs 69.50 lakh have also been provided to the Fire Brigade Department. Five portable and inflatable emergency lights have been bought at a cost of Rs 11.74 lakh. In addition, these lights are based on the petrol engine system. Five thermal imaging cameras of Rs 41.79 lakh have been provided to the fire brigade. The cameras would help to see through smoke and monitor the fire’s spread and would assist in making better planning to control the fire, especially major hotspots. Five aluminium fire fighting suits of Rs 51 lakh have also been purchased for firemen to handle any incident easily with more stay near high temperature. Ludhiana now ranks 37th on the list of Smart City rankings in the country. Source: The news has been published by Tribune News Service with edits and inputs from the ArdorComm News Network team

Dehradun, Uttarakhand: Dehradun District Magistrate R Rajesh Kumar took stock of various bus service related arrangements while riding in a Smart City Limited bus from ISBT to Tehsil Chowk. During the ride, he interacted with the public and received suggestions from them to improve the bus service and related arrangements. He instructed for an online ticket payment system using QR code and to make the announcement system more effective. Kumar instructed the officers of Smart City Limited to arrange better first aid and masks so that people without masks could use them. He instructed to ensure adherence to COVID protocols in the bus. He said that various public service schemes by the government should be communicated on screens on smart city buses. He also directed to reserve some seats for women, specially-abled and senior citizens in the bus. The District Magistrate sought suggestions from the passengers to make the bus services better. He was suggested to start bus services in other routes in the district. He also saw the traffic signals installed by the Smart City at ISBT and Smart CCTV cameras installed for traffic control/security, which are being controlled from the Smart City Control Room located at IT Park. He asked to make the electric buses run by Smart City double-decker and prepare an action plan to provide more smooth traffic to the commuters. In view of the heavy vehicular traffic at ISBT, he asked to strengthen the traffic signals further so that the pedestrians are not inconvenienced in any way. Source: The article has been published by ANI.

Railways issued tenders last month for the construction of rail arcades to engagetravellers. In a recent developmental initiative the Indian Railways has envisioned a plan to build small city centre hubs at railway stations in major cities. These hubs will contain shopping plazas and food courts for the entertainment of the travellers. The first two smart city centres are proposed to be built in Bangalore and Chandigarh. The state-run Indian Railways Station Development Corporation Ltd (IRSDC) issued tenders last month to develop the small city centre that will let residents of the two cities and travellers “to engage, use the facilities and spend quality time”. According to the tender, potential bidders will not be allowed to sell beef, pork or alcohol at these centres.The proposed arcade zone for KSR Bengaluru railway station will be spread across 15,550 square feet while Chandigarh railway station’s arcade will be half this size, 7,500 sq ft. “The space is to be developed as an experience zone with presence of brands,” said the tender document issued by IRSDC, the dedicated company set up by the government to upgrade railway stations. The construction and setting of the Rail Arcades is a part of a larger plan to monetize the national carrier’s land parcels and railway stations in a bid to shore up its falling revenue. The IRSDC is also working to transform railway station areas into a ‘Railopolis’, a mini smart city hub with mixed- use development. Source: The story has been published from Hindustan Times with a few edits by the ArdorComm NewsNetwork team.