Factors of Production – Capital

Capital:

 Capital has been as that part of person’s wealth, other than land, which yields an income or which aids in the production of further wealth.

1) Capital and Wealth:

The capital is required in production. In modern economy the production depends not only on land and labour but capital is also equally important. It is also important to note that if wealth is not used in production process it is not said to be a capital. For example, basically tractor is capital asset as it can be used in cultivation (production) of farm, but due to some reason the same is kept unused (idle) for one or two year it can not termed as capital for that particular year. It is only wealth. Thus, the unused wealth can not be considered as capital. Hence all capital is wealth but all wealth is not capital.

2) Money and capital:

 In the ordinary language, capital is used in the sense of money. No doubt money is wealth and part of wealth used in production is called capital. But here in production process money is not used as such and hence it can not be termed as capital. Only by using money we are purchasing capital assets and hence money itself is not capital.

3) Capital is produced means of production:

 It is man made instrument of production. Just like land and labour, capital as factor of production is not original. Since it is man-made it is not freely available.

Characteristics of capital:

1) Capital is manmade factor of production.

2) It involves time element.

3) Capital may be fixed: i.e. it is durable use pre use producer goods e.g. machinery, well in agriculture.

It may be working: i.e. it is single use producer’s goods e.g. seed, fertilizer in agriculture.

Function of capital:

1) Supply of raw material: The working capital required in production process represents raw material.

2) Supply of appliances and equipment: The fixed capital goods.

3) Provision of subsistence: If capital is available to the poor person, he can utilize it and run his family very well. Supposes only 5 to 6 goats maintain by a poor person it will give him sizeable income to survive his family.

4) It also employment means of transport:

5)  Supply of employment: If ample supply of capital is made, it will enhance production which will in turn give employment.

Importance of capital:

1.       In modern economy capital is very important factor of production which is essential to undertake production.

2.       Without capital other factors of production (like land, labour) will become handicap.

3.       On the contrary, if apple supply-capital is made the production and productivity can be increased substantially.

4.       The economic development of any country does not solely depend upon the available land and labour but how much capital is made available is also equally important.

5.       The under-developed countries remained, under-developed due to lack of capital.

6.       The ample supply of capital gives boost to production.

7.       When more production is there, more economic activities can he initiated and as a result, more employment opportunities can be created.

8.       More employment further helpful for minimizing the poverty or improving standard of living of the people.

  

Urgent Defence Reforms including CDS Need of the Hour

Higher defence management has continued to remain the focus of the politico-military establishment for last several years without much progress having been made in the key areas of defence reforms that have been underway since the Kargil conflict. A 14-member Naresh Chandra Task Force (NCTF) had reviewed the gaps in defence reforms and submitted a report to the government in August 2012.

In early April 2013, the National Security Council chaired by the Prime Minister discussed the recommendations by the NCTF on National Security. However, some of the contentious proposals were referred to yet another body for further scrutiny. The government instructed the Strategic Policy Group (SPG), chaired by National Security Advisor (NSA) Shivshankar Menon and Cabinet Secretary, to examine the contentious proposals, including those connected to the defence ministry and armed forces. They were expected to take a view on a host of proposals ranging from a permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), cross- posting of Service officers to MOD, and the creation of Advanced Projects Agency (APA) to undertake futuristic military R&D and review of the practice of blacklisting armament companies.

The Ministry of Defence while reviewing the NCTF’s recommendations has stuck to its old narrative and has not been in favour of even creating a permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee which is a much diluted version of the Chief of Defence Staff recommended by the Group of Ministers’ Report of 2001 which was again based on inputs provided by Kargil Review Committee.

The MOD, true to its bureaucratic traditions has not approved of many of the other recommendations like cross-posting of officers and some other suggestions of the Task Force on defence reforms. Jaswant Singh, a former Defence Minister in his book ‘Defending India’(Bangalore: Macmillan India, 1999,p.109) had remarked that "-the Defence Ministry, in effect becomes the principal destroyer of the cutting edge of the military's morale; ironic considering that very reverse of it is their responsibility. The sword arm of the State gets blunted by the state itself." In July 2013, the MOD in its recommendations to the National Security Council Secretariat cited several reasons for its negative views on NCTF proposals.

MOD Rejects ‘Permanent Chairman of COSC’ Proposal

The 2001 GOM Report’s main recommendations regarding management of defence included creation of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) with a designated defence staff with a view to establish synergy and promote jointness among the armed forces. It is also true that the concept of CDS however does not evoke an unequivocal and positive response from the three Services. The apprehension from smaller Services being that their interests may be disregarded and perhaps the status of single Services Chiefs lowered. Though, these apprehensions need to be allayed by a providing careful balance on vesting centralised responsibility and power to CDS, the absence of CDS on the other hand leaves the field open to the civil servant to become the 'decider' instead of a uniformed person for inter-Service issues. Recommendation for CDS based on GOM Report 2001 could not be realized because the government threw in a googly in the shape of obtaining political consensus from respective political parties; little or no efforts were made to obtain consensus. A letter to the political parties was written and that was the end of it.

While negating the NCTF proposal for a permanent Chairman of COSC, the MOD in its recommendations to the NSCS has given the reasons in June this year as lack of consensus amongst the three services on the issue. According to the MOD submissions to the NSCS, only the Navy supports the proposal for permanent Chairman COSC, the Army is against the proposal and the Air Force’s concurrence is conditional. Further, the MOD says that the present system of the three Service chiefs and the collegiate COSC briefing the Defence Minister has been functioning well.

And to ward off further criticism of MOD’s attitude, the stock reply given is that in any case the Government has as yet not decided on the issue since the NCTF proposals would be considered by the Cabinet Committee on Security. It appears that the government would continue to stall the issue in keeping with its erstwhile policy on the matter. Apparently, there was also some pressure on the members of the NCTF to not to give such a recommendation. However, wisdom prevailed and the proposal was included in the report.

However, turf battles between services have been part and parcel of even the militaries of advanced nations like the U.S. before their services were forced to move towards integration and jointness through legislative measures. The U.S. forces were brought together under one umbrella through Goldwater Nichols Act of 1986. When the need for creating the institution of CDS/Permanent Chairman COSC has been felt and approved by expert groups consisting of strategists, politicians and bureaucrats and endorsed many times by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence, it is only political will that would be instrumental in fructification of this vital reform.

Not only this, a simple measure like cross-posting of officers between the MOD and Service HQs to bridge the civil-military disconnect has also been rejected for some flimsy reasons. Cross-posting of officers would have generated synergies in functioning of the MOD and without this the integration would remain ‘cosmetic’ even while the MOD claims that the present system has been functioning well. Many reports of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence have been urging the MOD to implement this recommendation of the GOM Report and the same has been endorsed by the NCTF but the bureaucrats have been adamant on not executing an already approved recommendation.

Unless there is a CDS with some degree of authority vested in him to promote interoperability, jointness and integration, the armed forces would not be able to efficiently pursue their missions in the wars of knowledge age. CDS is also necessary for commanding eventually the Integrated Theatre Commands which are inescapable for adopting a unified approach in envisaged theatre of military operations. Differences in the respective services on their approaches to a single point military advisor for the government have also enabled the bureaucrats to stymie the unification and integration of the defence services. Further, in our despondency on the government’s approach to the institution of CDS, we should not accept the half-baked idea of the permanent Chairman, COSC.

Defence Planning

HQ IDS has prepared Technology Perspective Capability Roadmap 2013 which is somewhat of a modified version of TPCR-2010. This document identifies the military technologies needed by the armed forces in consonance with its 15 Years Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP). This is an unclassified document that provides information to the defence industry (both private and public sector undertakings) as to what kind of capabilities armed forces would be looking for in the next 15 years period. According to the Defence Minister Mr. AK Antony, the objective is “to establish a level playing field for the Indian defence industry, both public sector and private sector.” Regular interaction between the defence industry and the MOD would help in developing ‘contemporary and future technologies as well productionising equipment required by the armed forces’.

As is well known, a major modernisation programme of the armed forces is under way and it is expected that a capital budget of 150 billion US dollars is expected to be spent over the next decade or so. The question remains whether our Defence Procurement Procedures are up to the mark despite many upgrades. And what can our indigenous defence industry offer us?

Firstly, the problem of perspective plans remaining an amalgam of the individual service plans has not been overcome as yet. This is mainly because there is no CDS or permanent Chairman, COS with the necessary mandate (i.e. budgetary control) to ensure that Five Year Defence Plans (FYPD) and consequently 15 years LTIPP are in fact not integrated.

Secondly, it is rare that FYPD and LTIPP are approved by the government in time. While the Defence Acquisition Council headed by the Defence Minister approved the 12th FYDP (2012-2017) in April 2012, the same continues to await approval by the Ministry of Finance and CCS. The LTIPP (2012-2027) was also approved in principle by the MOD but continues to await the government’s nod. The approval of the two vital documents by the MOD is of no consequence unless the same are approved by the government. Thus, even after introduction of the defence reforms in 2001, the defence planning process continues to suffer from inadequacies which can be surmounted if there is a political will.

Problems of defence preparedness are further compounded by the defence acquisition woes. While the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) has undergone a series of modifications and iterations, the evidence on the ground does not indicate that the acquisition process has acquired any momentum. The latest version is of 2013 vintage which is said to be based on experience gained on DPP of 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011. The saga of acquisition of 126 Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft still continues without any aircraft being inducted so far; the defence budget is also facing cuts again in the financial year 2013-2014 due to the economic downtrend. Similarly, though a deal for import of 145 Ultra-Light 155mm was concluded with the U.S. through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route some years ago, it has not fructified. Meanwhile, not only the U.S. has revised its prices for the guns, the Rupee has also depreciated against the dollar thus further compounding our budgetary problems. But then these are recurring problems which our politico-bureaucratic decision-makers have been unable to address.

Another factor which needs to be paid attention is the fast rate of obsolescence of technology which has made the operational life cycle of equipment shorter. The technology upgradations would be required in 10 years or so compared with much longer period in the earlier years. It is also being said that India has already missed two technology cycles and in the bargain two acquisition cycles. And therefore, the critical gaps in our armed forces’ capabilities are widening which needs urgent attention.

Thus, the much required institution of CDS that was diluted by the NCTF to the concept of permanent Chairman COSC has also not found acceptability with our MOD mandarins. But then as mentioned earlier, there is no point in accepting any watered down version of the CDS. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence which had been a strong votary of the concept of CDS has omitted to take any views on the subject in the last few reports submitted to the government. Given the trend and views of politico-bureaucratic class it would be no surprise if the Naresh Chandra Task Force proposal is finally rejected by the CCS. The adhocism in our defence planning process and its concomitant adverse impact on the modernization programme of the Armed Forces continues. This has been so despite the cautions given by the previous and current Army chiefs as also by the Air Force and Naval Chiefs. The critical hollowness and gaps in our capabilities are widening tempting our known adversaries to take advantage of our vulnerabilities. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has been pointing out to the various ills connected with our defence planning and procurement processes and mechanisms without the same being addressed meaningfully by the government.

There are many useful recommendations made by the NCTF but they are likely to meet the same fate as earlier reports. Further, optimal utilization of resources cannot be achieved unless greater emphasis and attention is given to the process of budget formulation and implementation including forecasting, monitoring and control of defence planning processes. While Technology Capability Perspective Roadmap 2013 has been made yet there are many imponderables attached with it. Our politico-bureaucratic and military leadership needs to move fast in ushering in the recommended defence reforms to meet the security challenges from our assertive adversaries.

http://www.vifindia.org

Tribal Problems in India

The tribals are a special concern of the nation in view of their low technological development, general economic backwardness, and complex problems of socio-cultural adjustment to distinctive cultural identity. Development of tribals and tribal areas is a challenging task for the government, as they are spread over a wide spectrum of diversities of geographical location, socio-economic and politico-cultural conditions.

Despite its popular as well as academic usage, tribe is a contentious concept. In popular imagination, tribe is associated with “primitivism” and “backwardness,” clearly referring to non-Western or indigenous groups inhabiting the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America or to American Indian reservations.

Approximately 8.2 percent of the total Indian population has been designated as “Scheduled Tribes” (STs), according to the Indian census of 2001. The official Web site of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, states that “the Scheduled Tribes are the tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within these tribes and tribal communities which have been declared as such by the President through a public notification.” The Indian government regards retention of “primitive” traits, geographical isolation, possessing distinct culture, shyness of contact with the community at large, and economic backwardness as the essential characteristics of Scheduled Tribes.

Many tribes have come to symbolize the most victimized segments of societies. It is a strange paradox that although they inhabit the most resource-rich regions of the world, many of them are in a state of impoverishment. They are the most severely affected victims of induced development, such as the establishment of mega-hydroelectric projects, conservation through parks, sanctuaries and bioreserves, mining and allied activities, urbanization and industrialization, ecotourism projects, and so on.

The tribal people are concentrated in four regions. They form a majority in the north-eastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Naga­land, Manipur, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. However, the majority of the tribals live in the belt of middle India from Gujarat to Bengal. In states like Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Odisha the tribals account for more than 20 per cent of the population. In Jhakhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, the percentage of tribals ranges between 4 to 15 per cent of the total population. However, in the entire middle Indian zone, the tribals are in a majority only in 13 districts. The third zone of tribal concentration is the ‘Himalayan region’ extending from Kashmir to Sikkim. In the far South, we have the fourth area of concentration, but the population is rather small. There are nearly 450 distinctive tribal groups in the country varying in size from around four millions to a bare two dozen. Their styles of living are largely determined by their means of subsistence which includes a wide spectrum of activities such as hunting and food gathering. Artisan groups are engaged in different types of arts and crafts and some are employed as industrial labour. Although the bulk of the tribals are reported to be Hindu in the census, substantial numbers have been converted to Christianity and some to Islam and Buddhism. Some others still follow their traditional faiths.

The history of the tribes has been a history of becoming peasants. It is the policy of the government to minimise the extent of shifting cultivation, promote terrace cultivation and apply the new agricultural strategy to the tribal region and to accelerate the flow of capital for agriculture there in. There has been a diffusion of improved agricultural technology by governmental agencies. Efforts are being made to develop innovative technologies which would yield results in drought-prone areas and highlands. At present much of the settled cultivation is at subsistence level and the majority of the tribal produce is not marketed. They sometimes make distress sales in order to buy some necessities.

In the central zone of tribal concentration agrarian issue stand at the centre of development. In the western zone we find land scarcity and land hunger. This is due to the expulsion of the tribes in those regions by the more vigorous Rajput, Maratha, and other Hindu peasantry. Other contributory factors to land hunger are low productivity  of land, the primitive mode of agriculture and the continued exploitation of tribals by others against whom protective legislation do not afford sufficient safeguards and the non-diversification for tribal economy.

Integration in which attempts will be made to bring the tribals in the mainstream of national life without destroying their distinctive identity. Indian culture is like a mosaic in which its separate elements add to its beauty. Anthropologists regard the integration of the tribes into the mainstream of Indian life as a natural and desirable goal. They only insist on care and caution on planning for the tribes and emphasize restraints in certain areas against innovations of doubtful value. The essential elements of anthropological thinking on the problem have been largely incorporated in national policies. They have emphasi­sed the importance of understanding tribal culture, identifying not only their different problems but the integrative forces in their life bringing out the vital linkages in their cultural fabric. They have pleaded for cautious formulation of development plans with a view to harmonise tribal needs with regional and national interests. They recommend a careful watch on the trends set in motion by these measures with a view to eliminating elements that destroy their social solidarity and kill their zest for living.

The Constitution of India provides specific measures for the protection and promotion of the social and economic interests of the Scheduled Tribes (STs). These include: reservation of seats in the legislature, educational institutions, services and posts, a tribal development program and provisions for autonomy.

The Constitution of India ensures the political representation of Scheduled Tribes in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies through reserved seats.

Reservation in Educational Institutions and Services: Article 15(4) of the Indian Constitution provides for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in educational institutions. In order to improve the social situation of the tribal people, the government has, in addition to quotas in education, also designed a reservation policy for employment in government services. Depending on the respective positions, posts reserved for members of "Scheduled Tribes" are either in proportion to the tribal population of the state in question, or – in most cases – comprise 7.5% of the total number of government jobs.

Geographical areas designated as Fifth and Sixth Scheduled areas by independent India are identical to those already delineated by the British as Scheduled Areas.

Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996: This act is aimed primarily at promoting village-level democracy through the Panchayat Raj institutions. It includes changes aimed at adapting the generally established system for use in the Scheduled Areas, which have a different socio-economic and politico-administrative setting.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes: Article 338 of the Constitution provides for the appointment of a Special Officer for Scheduled Tribes and Castes by the President, who is commissioned to investigate and report to the President on all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards on Scheduled Tribes and Castes. A National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was subsequently created to take over these responsibilities.

Promotion of the economic and educational interests of the Scheduled Tribes and their protection from social injustice and exploitation are enshrined as a national goal in article 46 of the Constitution. Realizing that earlier programs under the central government's Five-Year Plans had failed to address the development needs, marginalization and exploitation of tribal communities, the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) was devised as a new strategy in the Fifth Five-Year Plan in 1973. It is still the approach that guides development programs in tribal areas. Its main objectives are to eliminate exploitation, to speed up social and economic development, and to promote and improve the organisational capacity of tribal people.

Factors of Production – Labour (Mobility of Labour)

Mobility of Labour:

 Mobility of labour refers to change in location or change in occupation. After land, the labour as a factor of production is least mobile. Labourer generally does not want to leave his native place and hence mobility in Case of labour is relatively less.

Types of Mobility:

1) Geographical Mobility:

 It refers to movement from one place to another; it may be from vil1ge to town or one town to another town or from one country to another country. This mobility is always difficult. Worker has to face lot of problems due to change in place. As far as Indian labourers are concerned the Keralian or Sikh are supposed to be more mobile than others.

2) Occupational Mobility:

This may be of two types

a) Horizontal and

 b) Vertical mobility

Horizontal mobility:

 Means worker moves from one occupation to another but almost in the same grade e.g. carpenter becomes blacksmith.

Vertical mobility:

 Means moving from lower occupation to School teacher becomes college teacher for getting sizeable work appropriate hours of work required to be given to the labourer.

भुखमरी और भारत

खुद को उभरती हुई आर्थिक शक्ति मानकर गर्व करने वाले भारत के लिए यह खबर शर्मनाक है। दुनिया में भुखमरी के शिकार जितने लोग हैं, उनमें से एक चौथाई लोग सिर्फ भारत रहते हैं। भुखमरी के मामले में हमारे हालात पाकिस्तान और बांग्लादेश जैसे मुल्कों से भी कहीं ज्यादा खराब हैं।

भुखमरी मापने वाले सूचकांक ग्लोबल हंगर इंडेक्स ने 2011-2013 की अपनी रिपोर्ट में भारत को इस मामले में 63वें स्थान पर रखा है। जबकि, श्रीलंका 43वें, पाकिस्तान 57वें, बांग्लादेश 58वें नंबर पर है। बता दें कि इस सूची में चीन छठे नंबर पर है।

भारत को इंडेक्स ने 'अलार्मिंग कैटिगरी' में रखा है। आपको बता दें कि इस सूची में भयानक गरीबी झेलने वाले इथोपिया, सूडान, कांगो, नाइजर, चाड और दूसरे अफ्रीकी देश शामिल हैं। हैरतअंगेज तथ्य यह है कि देश में 5 साल से कम उम्र के 40 प्रतिशत बच्चे अब भी कुपोषित हैं।

सोमवार को जारी की गई GHI की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, 2011-13 में दुनिया में भूख से पीड़ित लोगों की कुल संख्या 84 करोड़ 20 लाख है। इनमें से 21 करोड़ लोग यानी यानी एक चौथाई के लगभग लोग अकेले भारत में हैं। रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, भारत की हालत पहले से भले ही बेहतर हुई हो लेकिन कई पड़ोसी मुल्कों से बदतर है। विकसित देशों की बात जाने भी दें तो पाकिस्तान और बांग्लादेश से ज्यादा भुखमरी हमारे देश में है।

भारत में कुपोषित बच्चों का प्रतिशत 21% के मुकाबले घटकर 17.5% हो गया है। अंडरवेट बच्चों का प्रतिशत 43.5% से घटकर 40% रह गया है। इसी के साथ, 5 साल से कम उम्र के बच्चों की मृत्यु दर 7.5% से घटकर 6% हो गई है। कुला मिलाकर देखें तो पिछले साल भारत 67वें स्थान पर था और इस प्रकार तुलनात्मक नजरिए से देखें तो फिलहाल बेहतर स्थिति है।

यह रिपोर्ट इंटरनैशनल फूड पॉलिसी रिसर्च इंस्टिट्यूट (IFPRI) और दो एनजीओ वेल्थ हंगर लाइफ और कंसर्न वर्ल्डवाइड ने मिलकर तैयार की है। रिपोर्ट के लिए 120 विकासशील देशों पर स्टडी की गई। स्टडी के प्रमुख मापक यह रहे: देश की कुल जनसंख्या में कुल कुपोषित लोगों का प्रतिशत, 5 साल से कम उम्र के कुल बच्चों में कुपोषित बच्चों का प्रतिशत और 5 साल से कम उम्र के बच्चों में मृत्यु दर।

- अविनाश चंद्र

अक्षय ऊर्जा

बिजली की बढ़ती जरूरत को पूरा करना जिस तरह दिनोंदिन मुश्किल होता जा रहा है, उसमें यह सवाल स्वाभाविक है कि सीमित परंपरागत स्रोतों के बूते इस चुनौती से पार पाना कितना संभव होगा। लेकिन ऊर्जा के वैकल्पिक स्रोतों की प्रचुर उपलब्धता के बावजूद छिटपुट और छोटे स्तर पर की जाने वाली कवायद के अलावा शायद ही कभी इसके व्यापक सदुपयोग की कोई ठोस पहल हुई हो। इससे संबंधित तकनीकी पर भारी खर्च इसकी एक वजह रही है। लेकिन समय के साथ दुनिया भर में सौर ऊर्जा तकनीक के विकास पर लगातार काम हुआ है और इसके फलस्वरूप संयंत्र पर आने वाले खर्च घटाना संभव हो सका है। भारत में इसके अधिकतर राज्यों की जलवायु को देखते हुए सौर ऊर्जा की अपार संभावनाएं हैं। पर इस मामले में हम अग्रणी होने के बजाय फिसड्डी ही रहे हैं। अब देर से सही, सरकार ने सौर ऊर्जा की एक वृहद परियोजना तैयार की है, जो अमल में आती है तो इस दिशा में संभवत: दुनिया भर में सबसे बड़ी परियोजना होगी। सरकार संचालित भेल यानी भारत हैवी इलेक्ट्रिकल लिमिटेड के तहत जयपुर के पास करीब तेईस हजार एकड़ के दायरे में चार हजार मेगावाट की क्षमता वाला प्रस्तावित सौर ऊर्जा संयंत्र तकनीक के लिहाज से और आकार में दुनिया में सबसे बड़ा संयंत्र होगा।

गैरपरंपरागत एवं अक्षय ऊर्जा मंत्रालय के मुताबिक भारत की कुल आबादी के चालीस फीसद हिस्से की पहुंच परंपरागत ऊर्जा संसाधनों तक नहीं है। जवाहरलाल नेहरू राष्ट्रीय सौर मिशन की शुरुआत के बाद पिछले तीन साल में सौर ऊर्जा उत्पादन की क्षमता में सोलह सौ पचासी मेगावाट की वृद्धि हुई है, जबकि लक्ष्य एक हजार मेगावाट का ही था। इससे उत्साहित होकर अब सरकार ने 2017 तक इसे दस हजार मेगावाट तक बढ़ाने का फैसला किया है। फिलहाल देश की कुल ऊर्जा खपत में सौर ऊर्जा की भागीदारी सिर्फ आधा फीसद है। अगर तत्परता से काम हुआ तो 2022 में मिशन के तीसरे चरण के पूरा होने तक यह आंकड़ा पांच से सात फीसद तक पहुंच सकता है। कुछ साल पहले सौर ऊर्जा की एक यूनिट के लिए अठारह रुपए चुकाना पड़ता था, आज यह कीमत घट कर साढ़े आठ रुपए तक आ गई है। सौर ऊर्जा की लागत घटाने के दुनिया भर में हो रहे प्रयोग यह उम्मीद जगाते हैं कि भविष्य में उपभोक्ताओं के लिए इसकी कीमत और कम की जा सकेगी।

पिछले साल अगस्त में ऊर्जा से संबंधित संसदीय समिति ने लोकसभा में पेश अपनी रिपोर्ट में सरकार के ढीले रवैए की आलोचना करते हुए कहा था कि देश में अक्षय ऊर्जा की अपार संभावनाएं हैं और इससे पौने दो लाख मेगावाट से ज्यादा बिजली पैदा की जा सकती है। भारत में अक्षय ऊर्जा के स्रोतों की उपलब्धता इतनी है कि अगर इनका समुचित दोहन किया जाए तो बिजली की मांग के एक बड़े हिस्से को इनसे पूरा किया जा सकता है। इससे कोयला, प्राकृतिक गैस और पेट्रोलियम पर हमारी निर्भरता घटेगी और प्रदूषण में भी काफी कमी आएगी। जर्मनी में आज बिजली का एक बड़ा हिस्सा सौर ऊर्जा से प्राप्त होता है और यह लाखों लोगों के रोजगार का भी जरिया बन चुकी है। इसी तरह, स्पेन और चीन जैसे कई देशों ने सौर और पवन ऊर्जा को विशेष महत्त्व देने के लिए कानून बना कर जनोपयोगी सेवाएं देने वाली कंपनियों के लिए अक्षय ऊर्जा की खरीद अनिवार्य कर दी। दूसरी ओर, भारत में अकेले दूरसंचार टॉवर हर साल लगभग पांच हजार करोड़ रुपए का तेल जला रहे हैं। जाहिर है, अक्षय ऊर्जा के क्षेत्र में हमारी प्रगति निहायत असंतोषजक रही है।

Education to Physically Challenged Persons

Presently Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), which is the main vehicle under the Ministry of Human Resource Development for implementation of the provisions of The Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 is providing inclusive education wherein children with special needs are mainstreamed in regular schools. Under SSA, over 32 lakh CWSN have been identified till March, 2013. Out of this, over 85% are enrolled and 1.5 lakh are enrolled in home based education and 28 lakh aids and appliances have been distributed under SSA since inception of the programme.

While large number of children with disabilities is enrolled under SSA as part of inclusive education, State Governments are also running special schools for children with disabilities. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is providing financial assistance to NGOs to set up special schools under Deendayal Disability Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS).

The Government's approach continues to be one of promoting inclusive education, but special education is also made available to those who need it.

The Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 came into force from April 1, 2010.  The RTE Act provides for free & compulsory education to children including children with disabilities as mentioned in Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) (PwD) Act, 1995 and the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999 namely, i) Blindness, ii) Low vision, iii) Leprosy cured, iv) Hearing impairment, v) Locomotor disabilities, vi) Mental retardation, vii) Mental Illness, viii) Autism, and ix) Cerebral Palsy, and eventually cover Speech impairment, Learning Disabilities, etc. in the age group of 6-14 years at elementary level in a neighbourhood school.  The Government is implementing Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan  (SSA) as main programme for universalizing, education for all children for the age group of 6-14 years.

SSA provides Rs. 3000 per child per annum as a budgetary or funding norm.  The major interventions under SSA for education of physically challenged children are identification, functional and formal assessment, appropriate educational placement, preparation of Individualised Educational Plan, provision of aids and appliances, teacher training, appointment of research teachers, therapeutical support, establishing research rooms to provide support to children with disabilities, provision of ramps and handrails.

The Scheme of Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) was launched in 2009-10 replacing the earlier scheme of Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC). It provides assistance for the inclusive education of the disabled children in classes IX-XII. The aim of the Scheme is to enable all students with disabilities, after completing eight years of elementary schooling, to pursue further four years of secondary schooling (classes IX to XII) in an inclusive and enabling environment. The scheme covers all children passing out of elementary schools and studying at secondary and higher secondary stage in Government, local body and Government-aided schools, with one or more disabilities as defined under the  PwD Act, 1995 and the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999.

The components of the scheme include : i) assessment of medical / educational needs, ii) provision of student specific facilities, iii) development of learning material, iv) support services like special educators, v) construction and equipping of resource rooms, vi) training of general school teachers to build their capacity to fulfill the needs of children with special needs vii) make schools barrier free. Setting up of Model inclusive schools in every State is also envisaged. Girls with disabilities receive special focus and efforts made under the scheme to help them gain access to secondary schools, as also to information and guidance for developing their potential. There is a provision of a monthly stipend of Rs.200/- for the disabled girls.

Central assistance for all items covered in the scheme is on 100 per cent basis. The School Education Department of the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations is the implementing agency. They may involve Non Governmental Organisations having experience, in the field of education of the disabled, in the implementation of the scheme.

Under the National Scholarship Scheme which is funded from Trust Fund for Empowerment of PwDs financial assistance is provided to students with disabilities to enable them to pursue professional or technical courses from recognized institutes and get employed/self employed. Under the Scheme till last academic session 1000 scholarships were provided to the students with disabilities through out the country and from the academic session 2013-14 this number has been increased to 1500 students. 30% scholarships are reserved for girls. Only Indian nationals are eligible for scholarships.

Under the National Fund for People with Disabilities (National Fund) 500 new scholarships to be awarded each year are equally distributed (125 each) for the four major categories of disabilities viz. (i) Orthopaedic (ii) Visual (iii) Hearing and (iv) Others.  Further, 40% of the scholarships in each category are reserved for girls.

Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Scheme for students with disabilities has been launched for providing them scholarship to pursue M.Phil/Ph.D courses.

Section 33 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) (PwD) Act, 1995 provides for reservation not less than 3% of vacancies in government establishments for persons with disabilities of which 1% each shall be reserved for persons suffering from (i) blindness or low vision; (ii) hearing impairment and (iii) loco motor disability or cerebral palsy. Accordingly, reservations are made in various Government Establishments including Public Sector Undertakings (PSU).

Further, with a view to encourage employment of Persons with Disabilities in private sector, the Government provides the employer’s contribution for Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees State Insurance (ESI) for 3 years, for employees with disabilities including visually impaired persons employed in the private sector on or after April 1, 2008, with a monthly salary upto Rs.25, 000 under its Scheme of Incentives to the Private Sector for Employment of Physically Challenged Persons.

National Handicapped and Finance Development Corporation (NHFDC), a PSU under this Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, is providing loans at concessional rates for encouraging self-employment of Persons with Disabilities.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) guarantees employment to rural household adults including differently abled persons. Under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), a provision of 3% of the total beneficiaries has been made for differently abled category.

(PIB Features.)

भारत-फ्रांस के मध्य विज्ञान, प्रौद्योगिकी और शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में 11 समझौता ज्ञापनों पर हस्ताक्षर

भारत और फ्रांस के मध्य विज्ञान एवं प्रौद्योगिकी और शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में 11 समझौता ज्ञापन किए गए. इन समझौता ज्ञापनों पर विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी तथा पृथ्वी विज्ञान मंत्री एस जयपाल रेड्डी की उपस्थिति में भारत और फ्रांस प्रौद्योगिकी शिखर सम्मेलन के दौरान 23 अक्टूबर 2013 को हस्तक्षार किए गए. भारत और फ्रांस प्रौद्योगिकी शिखर सम्मेलन का आयोजन विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग, भारतीय उद्योग परिसंघ (सीआईआई ) और फ्रांसीसी दूतावास ने किया.

समझौता ज्ञापनों की सूची

1. सूचना और संचार विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी के क्षेत्र में संयुक्त लक्षित कार्यक्रम में विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग और इंस्टीच्यूट नेशनल डे रि‍सर्च एन इनफारमेटि‍क एट एन ऑटोमेटि‍क ( आईएनआरआइए ) के मध्य समझौता ज्ञापन पर हस्ताक्षर किए गए.

2. जैव प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग (डीबीटी) और सीएनआरएस के बीच प्रति‍रक्षा वि‍ज्ञान तंत्र और अनुवांशि‍क संक्रामक रोगों, एलआइए एसआइजीआइडी के क्षेत्र में एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय एसोसिएटेड प्रयोगशाला की स्थापना के समझौता ज्ञापन पर हस्ताक्षर.

3. गर्म और आर्द्र जलवायु में आवास के लिए एसजीआरआई और सीइएफआईपीआरए के मध्य समझौता ज्ञापन.

4. यूरोपीय हवाबाज़ी डिफेंस एंड स्पेस कंपनी (ईएडीएस) और एडवांस्ड रिसर्च के संवर्धन के लिए इंडो फ्रेंच केंद्र के बीच ‘ईएडीएस - सीइएफआईपीआरए एयरोस्पेस कार्यक्रम’ शुरू करने के लिए आशय के पत्र पर हस्ताक्षर.

5. स्वास्थ्य के लिए फ्रांस के राष्ट्रीय संस्थान और चिकित्सा अनुसंधान , आईएनएसइआरएम और लिवर के संस्थान और बीलरी विज्ञान , आईएलबीएस के मध्य यकृत रोग हेतु लिप्यांतकरणता और चयापचयता पर एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय एसोसिएटेड प्रयोगशाला स्थापित करने हेतु समझौता ज्ञापन पर हस्ताक्षर.

6. मनोवि‍ज्ञान पर अंतरराष्ट्रीय संयुक्त प्रयोगशाला हेतु, एलआईए संरक्षण, आईआईएससी और आईएनएसईआरएम के बीच समझौता ज्ञापन पर हस्ताक्षर.

7. कार्यक्रम के माध्यम से सहयोग स्थापित करने की संभावना का पता लगाने के लिए प्रशिक्षण , अनुसंधान और विकास के लिए सैफ्रन – मोरफो ( एसएमपीएल ) और गुजरात फोरेंसिक विज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय के मध्य समझौता ज्ञापन पर हस्ताक्षर.

8. एस्टेक क्लस्टर, व्यवस्थित क्लस्टर, पेरिस क्षेत्र की सीसीआई, भारत डेस्क और आईएफसीसीआई के बीच एस्टेक- सिस्टमेटिक भारत हब समझौता ज्ञापन.

9. स्नातक और स्नातकोत्तर छात्र विनिमय कार्यक्रम और संकाय विनिमय को कवर करने के लि‍ए विज्ञान पो पेरिस और अशोक विश्वविद्यालय के मध्य एक संस्थागत साझेदारी हेतु समझौता ज्ञापन.

10. डीटीयू, भारत और एन + 1 इंजीनियरिंग नेटवर्क, फ्रांस के मध्य एक डबल मास्टर की डिग्री देने हेतु साझेदारी समझौता ज्ञापन.

11. बिट्स पिलानी और एन+ 1 इंजीनियरिंग नेटवर्क, फ्रांस के मध्य, फ्रांस / भारत में एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय अनुभव के रूप में स्नातक या मास्टर के अंतिम सेमेस्टर हेतु साझेदारी के लिए समझौता ज्ञापन.

साभार- जागरण जोश