India’s water crisis is expected to get a lot worse. Water demand, driven by an increasing domestic need for rice, wheat and sugar, with more and more people adopting a middle-class diet, will be the highest in the world in 20 years, says a new global report. Supply, on the other hand, will be half of that demand.Demand will double by 2030, rom 700 billion cubic metres to 1,498 billion cubic metres, according to the study by the Water Resources Group, released on Monday. The biggest deficits will be in the most populous river basins — Ganga, Krishna and Indus.
The demand is nearly double of China’s projected 818 billion cubic meters demand.The majority of that water, 80 per cent, will go to agriculture, as farmers plant more rice, wheat and sugar to feed India’s growing population, says the study, by experts from across industries and institutions.This shortfall can be prevented, the report says, by adopting basic conservation measures, especially in agriculture. Drip irrigation, where a pipe and valve deliver water directly to the plant roots rather than over a field; and no-till farming (without using ploughs) could conserve enough water to meet our entire future demand.
“Our agriculture is relatively inefficient, especially our water use,” said P.K. Aggarwal, professor at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. “Conservation technology exists, but it hasn't been adopted.”India wastes 40 per cent of the water it uses, said Central Water Commission chairman A.K. Bajaj.“The biggest challenges are awareness and cost,” he said.
The study estimates it would cost $6 billion (Rs 27,900 crore) to implement enough water conservation strategies to meet the projected demand. The potential payoff is huge too. Agricultural income could increase by $83 billion (Rs 3,85,950 crore) by 2030. But that is “if the full potential of agricultural measures is mobilised,” the report says. “We can't continue with business as usual,” added Bajaj.According to Aggarwal, the government should provide farmers with seed money and insure them against risk. “We need capital support so farmers can afford these new technologies.”
Some conservation steps are already afoot. In 2008, the government created the National Water Mission, which aims for 20 per cent conservation in water use over the next several years. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, the government has instituted awareness programmes on better water use strategies for farmers.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Hotels told to keep eye on foreigners
The David Headley case has spurred Delhi Police into stepping up its vigil on foreign tourists, even at the risk of harassing innocent travelers and costing hotels business. Stung by the revelation that Headley stayed in Delhi earlier this year, and concerned about the security implications for events like the Commonwealth Games -- which are expected to see thousands of foreign tourists pour into the capital -- the cops have issued guidelines to hotel owners even as investigators have been visiting several cyber cafes and hotels in Paharganj.
"There are certain things which will be strictly adhered to. Besides installing CCTVs at correct places and frisking each visitor with a hand-held metal detector, we have made ID-card proof mandatory. We have also instructed the police to ensure that managers record the contact numbers of all visitors. The beat constables will visit the hotel during the day and note down these numbers. We will then randomly cross-check these numbers," Karnail Singh, joint commissioner, northern range told TOI.
According to the local police, the hotel managers have also been instructed to report the arrival of any foreign tourist to the Foreigner Regional Registration Office even if he has valid papers with the FRRO stamp. "At times, managers fear that they might upset business if they cross-check the antecedents of foreigners. But the security of the country cannot be compromised now, especially as the 2010 Games are drawing near," said a senior police officer.
A Special Cell team had visited hotels De Holiday Inn and Anand in Paharganj, where Headley stayed, three days ago and spoke to staff there. A check on the antecedents of the staffers was also carried out.
"We have proposed that the integrated network connecting police stations in India also keep scope for live CCTV footages from hotels for quick action. We hope this will help us counter terrorism better," added another officer.
The hotel owners, themselves say they are not taking chances any more. "Besides the usual checking using hand-held metal detectors and CCTV camera footage, we now ask for telephone numbers and even ask visitors to call back home from our own ISD facilities just to satisfy our doubts," said a manager at a three star hotel at Chuna Mandi near Paharganj.
"The Karol Bagh blasts last year had forced us to introduce a slew of measures to enforce security in areas frequented by tourists. But, we did not introduce anything specific for foreign tourists. But, with the Headley case surfacing now, we have to be on our guard," said a senior special cell officer.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Sharp recovery in gold prices on higher global cues
| Gold prices recovered sharply on the bullion market here on Saturday on heavy stockists buying triggered by firming of prices in international markets . | |||
Mind your 'own' business
The recession has significantly altered the dynamics of the job market. In such a scenario there is a rising interest in entrepreneurship, though most people still find it daunting.
However, John Mullins, chair of the David and Elaine Potter Term in Entrepreneurship, London Business School, and author of The New Business Road Test, feels that while there are risks associated with entrepreneurship it holds true for big companies as well. “In fact, the risks are not as much as perceived. When you start an entrepreneurship you may fail but you learn a lot,” he says.
Mullins was at the International Management Institute (IMI), Delhi, for the release of the book he has co-authored with Randy Komisar, Getting to Plan B. He feels that the world would not have had entrepreneurs like Richard Branson or Dhirubhai Ambani, if they had dwelt so much on the risk factor. Mullins adds that this is the time when the world is accepting entrepreneurship in its culture and there are opportunities.
“In hard times, people are reminded of the fact that life in big organisations is not always secure. They start thinking about pursuing a career that puts them more in control of their destiny,” says Mullins. In fact, he informs that several companies were started at the time of recession (HP started in the middle of the great depression and Oracle was started in the recession of 1991).
He feels that India has the potential to produce successful entrepreneurs. “India is an emerging market,” he says, adding that India not only can catch up in this field but it can lead as well. “Indian companies have given self-financing models to the Western world. Also, entrepreneurship has potential in every industry in India. For instance, there is potential in the retail sector,” he says.
Mullins concludes that most of the current entrepreneurial efforts in India are in the field of technology, more specifically IT. “In the coming years, there will be a focus on other industries. It doesn’t matter how you learn but ‘that’ you learn. Business school education can hasten that process,” he says.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Gurgaon boy doodles his way to Google
For once, Puru Pratap Singh’s (9) folks will allow him to surf the Net late at night. In fact, his whole family will be up till midnight
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| Puru Pratap Singh, a Class 4 student from Gurgaon, won the Doodle for Google competition. Singh’s doodle was chosen from 4,000 entries across India. Log on to Google and you will see the logo |
Singh, a Class IV student of Amity International, Saket, won the GoogleDoodle contest in India, edging out 4,000 others. His will be the search engine’s first “made in India” doodle.
But having won the contest, and a laptop in prize, Singh has other plans for the future: “I want to be a scientist, not an artist as they aren’t very well paid.”
The Gurgaon boy had a little help. His art teacher mother, Arti Singh, pitched in with the artwork while his father, N.P. Singh, helped him think up the concept, ‘My India full of life’.
“The first ‘G’ is in the shape of a peacock; ‘O’ represents the wisdom of our country; the other ‘O’ shows the discovery of water on the moon by India, ‘G’ revolves around Kashmir; ‘L’ is designed as the rifle at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate; and ‘E’ depicts Mahatma Gandhi,” said Singh.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Travellers give thumbs up to India as a global brand
t's not just arts and culture or history that makes India popular, but also its way of doing business.
The FutureBrand's latest Country Brand Index (CBI) has ranked India among the top five countries for value for money, authenticity, history, best brand for art and culture and business.
India has also made it to the list of this year's "rising stars" -- the places which are likely to become major tourist destinations in the next five years, according to the survey.
Other rising stars include United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, Vietnam, Croatia and South Africa.
CBI is a comprehensive study of about 3,000 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries -- the US, the UK, China, Australia, Japan, Brazil, UAE, Germany and Russia.
The survey was conducted by FutureBrand, a leading global brand consultancy, along with public relations firm Weber Shandwick's Global Travel & Lifestyle Practice.
Stop violence and we'll review corporate MoUs, Chidambaram tells Maoists
If Maoist guerrillas halted their violence, the government would respond in 72 hours and order a review of all corporate memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and south Bihar, Home Minister P Chidambaram has promised.
Calling "Operation Green Hunt", a proposed armed offensive against Maoist guerrillas, "a pure invention of the media", Chidambaram said: "There is no Operation Green Hunt. Name the officer who has said there is and I will take action against him."
In an interview with Tehelka magazine, Chidambaram said categorically: "I haven't seen a single paper or document in the home ministry with the phrase 'Operation Green Hunt'. It's a pure "invention of the media."
He said the state police, assisted by paramilitary forces and intelligence, would in the months ahead "reassert control over areas where, regrettably, the civil administration has lost control".
The minister denied that the government was calling in the army or the Rashtriya Rifles to flush out Maoist guerrillas in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.
Asked why the government was not taking tribals into confidence and isolating Maoists instead of raising a military offensive against them, Chidambaram said: "Instead of arguing over who is responsible for the violence or who should stop the violence, why don't the Maoists heed my appeal and say, 'yes, we will halt the violence and let us hear the home minister's response'."
"Give me two or three days to respond, because I need to consult others in government, both at the Centre and the states. Once they say, they will halt the violence and they actually do, between their statement and my response which will surely come in about 72 hours.
"You will find that I am in a position to respond in a manner where violence can be ended once and for all and development can take place, and talks can also be held with the (Communist Party of India) CPI-Maoists. But the first step is for them to say, 'we halt the violence'," the home minister said in the interview to be published in its latest issue.
Chidamabaram's bid for peace was backed by another offer of discussing land acquisition, forest rights, industrialisation and local governance.
Asked whether the government was taking control of mineral-rich land and securing it for private companies through MoUs, he responded by saying: "The MoUs have been signed over a period of time with different governments, long before Maoist violence rose to this level".
"Nevertheless, I am prepared to request Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) to freeze the MoUs and order a comprehensive review of all MoUs that have been signed in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and south Bihar before deciding which MoUs should be implemented - with or without modification. I am prepared to request the prime minister to do that," he said.
He said he was ready to facilitate talks on forest rights, industrialisation, land acquisition and development with state governments.
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