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Standing Committee calls for measures for safe drinking water
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 4, 2020
Providing access to safe drinking water has been on the agenda of every government for last few decades. India’s water crisis is not new and with rapid urbanization, this problem is only going to get worse. Here is a two-part review of the parliamentary standing committee report that looked at commercial exploitation of water.
Water, the elixir of life, is becoming a scarce resource due to varied reasons. It was observed in one of our earlier stories that India was staring at a looming water crisis, both in terms of water availability and water quality. Water pollution and indiscriminate commercial exploitation of water resources have only exacerbated the situation.
The Standing Committee on Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation submitted its report ‘Socio-economic impact of commercial exploitation of water by industries’ in August 2018. The report had sixteen findings and recommendations to tackle the problems resulting from the exploitation of water resources by industries for commercial purposes. An Action Taken Report was laid in the parliament in March 2020. In a two-part story, these 16 recommendations and actions taken will be discussed.
Demand for Water is on the rise while the availability has dropped over the years
Issue:  The demand for safe drinking water is on the rise with increasing population,  industrialization and urbanization. This has resulted in significant socio-economic effects and environmental damage such as decline in ground water levels, deterioration in water quality, conflicts, etc.
Recommendation: A proper policy framework to address the socio-economic effects emerging out of indiscriminate exploitation of water resources for purely private commercial gains.
Action Taken: Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) issues ‘No Objection Certificates’ to industries, mining projects and other infrastructural units laying out conditions and directions for ground water withdrawal. Ministry of Water Resources has revised guidelines for ground water abstraction which includes the provision for ‘Water Conservation Fee’ to be collected by states/UTs from industrial units against ground water usage, which can be used by the governments for efficient use of water resources.
Comments: The committee felt that there is no time frame mentioned for the implementation of the proposed measures. It was also observed that no separate policy is available for addressing the socio-economic consequences of ground water exploitation by private entities. Committee urged the Ministry of Jal Shakti to formulate a well-structured policy and enforcement mechanism immediately for better regulation of the commercial use of water.
Urban and Rural households are largely dependent on groundwater for potable water
Issue: 85% of rural drinking water schemes in 17.14 lakh habitations are based on ground water sources. Though 87% of rural households have access to basic water, provision of safe water is a challenge. As on 01 April 2018, a total of 78.14% Rural Habitations get more than 40 litres per capita per day Safe Drinking Water and 56.04% have access to Piped Water Supply.
Source: Standing committee report
Recommendation: Considering the rate of depletion of groundwater sources, surface water needs to be increasingly relied upon to meet the drinking water requirements in rural areas. Concerned authorities must take strict action against illegal drilling for handpumps. In areas affected with fluoride and arsenic contamination, packaged drinking water industries need to be roped in through incentives, to provide safe and clean drinking water.
Action taken: Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation encourages states to work on single village based piped water supply schemes that require only a small operation and maintenance cost. Under National Aquifer Mapping and Management program, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) extends technical support to states to design wells free from arsenic contamination.
Comments: The committee felt that the Ministry of Jal Shakti now has a greater role in the management of water resources in India. It also observed that no response was provided to other queries of the committee such as emphasis on surface water in rural areas, measures taken to curb illegal drilling, and setting up of purification plants. Committee reiterated the need to promote packaged drinking water industries in areas severely affected with Arsenic and Fluoride contamination.
By 2021, groundwater table in 21 prominent cities including Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad is expected to reach Zero Level, affecting access for 100 million people
Issue: In urban areas, 70.6% persons have access to tap water. Though 93% of urban population has access to basic water, according to NITI Aayog, large inter and intra city inequalities exist because of which dependence on privately extracted ground water has increased in most cities bringing down the groundwater level.
Recommendation: Ministry must take appropriate measures to reduce dependence on fresh water. Separate pipelines for recycled water and fresh water are required. Reduction in inter and intra city inequalities should be prioritized while providing water supply under AMRUT scheme.
Action taken: AMRUT scheme aims at universal water coverage in 500 cities. Some features of the scheme include rejuvenation of water bodies, augmentation of existing water supply, rehabilitation of old supply systems including treatment plants, groundwater recharge and recycle/reuse of wastewater.
Comments: The committee observed that no specific reply was furnished on steps taken to lay separate pipelines and bridging the inequalities within and across cities. The committee re-iterated its recommendation on bridging the gaps and laying out separate pipelines for fresh & recycled water.
Water withdrawal in some states is high
Issue: Despite the recharge obligations stipulated by CGWA for water withdrawal, in some states such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka where there are significant numbers of over-exploited areas, large number of licenses were being granted. Similarly, in semi critical and critical areas too, water withdrawal rate was high.
Source: CGWA Notice
Recommendation: Ministry must carry out an assessment on the total quantum of groundwater being used by packaged drinking water industries and the consequent impact on groundwater levels in areas where industries have come up in large scale.
Action Taken: The ministry stated that licenses for packaged drinking water is provided by FSSAI and so the details on groundwater used would be available with them. CGWA was involved in only granting NOCs. A ‘Water Conservation Fee’ that progressively increases from safe to over exploited areas and from low to high water consumption industries has been introduced.
Comments: The committee sought to know how CGWA grants NOCs without data on total quantity of groundwater extracted by industries. They also asked for details on any mandatory water audit carried out by industries. Committee reiterated the need for formulation of specific mechanism for assessing total groundwater extracted by these industries and its effect on groundwater level.
Encouraging PPP models of drinking water plants to ensure availability of safe water
Issue: Unanimously, all states admitted that the commercial companies did not contribute to water development or for public. Packaged drinking water plants supplement governments’ efforts to ensure availability of safe drinking water for the public.
Recommendation: The gap between demand and supply of potable water should be bridged largely by the government as a ‘topmost prioritized social responsibility’. Use of ground water as a raw material should be regulated by allowing only in exceptional cases as it is a scarce resource. To meet the demands of people, the government can encourage setting up of packaged water industries through PPP models.
Action Taken: National Water Policy, 2012 contains provisions to prevent groundwater depletion. A few provisions include adoption of improved technologies for water use, involvement of community in conservation, conduct of mandatory audits by industries extracting groundwater above a limit depending on area, etc.
Comments: The committee felt that the National Water Policy 2012 is not an effective measure to deal with the commercial exploitation of ground water for private gains without having to pay for the raw material. The mentioned measures might result in price escalation of packaged water affecting the consumers. A policy on commercial uses of Water both ground and surface, is the need of the hour.
Outdated legislations need to be updated
Issue: Groundwater is major source used by industries due to wide availability and private ownership.
Recommendation: The India Easement Act, 1882 which provides for right to extract groundwater should be amended at the earliest taking into consideration the present and future scenario of demand. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977 which covers the levying and collection of cess on water consumed by industries should also be amended to reduce wastage of water.
Action Taken: To amend the India Easement Act, 1882, the suggestion has been submitted to the concerned ministry to take necessary action.
Issue: Different industries including tanneries, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, and fertilisers have contributed to the contamination of groundwater. Chloride and Nitrate are the most common ions found in excess, beyond permissible limit.
Source: Standing Committee report
Recommendation: Government should undertake a study on the impact of proliferation of packaged drinking water industries on groundwater quality.
Action Taken: CGWB has been instructed to conduct the study.
Featured Image: Measures to Conserve Water

created: August 4, 2020


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Standing Committee highlights the low achievement under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 12, 2022
The Parliamentary Standing Committee of Labour, Textiles and Skill Development recently submitted a report on the implementation of NAPS. Among other things, it noted the low achievement of enrolment under the scheme against the stated targets. The government highlighted low expenditure, and compliance costs as possible reasons. Here is a review.
‘It is not the quantity, but the quality that actually matters.’ We all must have heard this line at some point in our life. While it might not be true in every case, it is mostly true in the case of employability. Organizations often look for quality (Employable Skills) in the potential candidates and not on the available pool of workforce (quantity).
It is in this context, we look at the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) introduced by the Government of India (GoI) and what the parliamentary standing committee had to say about this scheme.
India’s median age by 2022 will be 28, well below other developed nations like the United States and China. That effectively means the working-age population is greater than the non-working age group. Also called ‘Demographic Dividend’, this is touted to have the potential to re-write India’s economic growth and put India at the top of the world. However, only 4.69% underwent formal training as compared to 52% in the USA, 80% in Japan and 75% in Germany, as per the ‘2015 National Policy for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship’ document of the Ministry of the Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). If left unnoticed, this could well turn the demographic dividend into a liability from being an asset. To reap the benefits of the demographic dividend, India must generate both employment as well as prepare its workforce with employable skills.
Transformations are happening at a rapid pace across multiple sectors of Industry. The advent of digital technologies, automation and artificial intelligence brought with them huge disruptions in the market, driving the requirement for new learning curricula and skilling strategies. Skilling, re-skilling, and upskilling is the only formula to stay relevant in these ever-changing market conditions. Governments have been implementing multiple schemes related to skilling over the years.
This story is primarily based on the Standing Committee  of Labour, Textiles and Skill Development’s report on the implementation of the NAPS/ National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), with inputs from parliamentary questions.
The evolution of Apprenticeship
Any form of Skilling has two main components- theory, and practice. Teaching at institutions must be supplemented by practical training at the workplace. Apprenticeship is recognized as the best strategy to impart practical training using the existing industrial facilities, way back in the 1960s. Initially, it was voluntary under the National Apprenticeship Scheme 1959, but with the enactment of The Apprenticeship Act, 1961, the act of providing apprenticeship had become mandatory. The coverage of this act was initially limited to trade apprentices, which was subsequently expanded to cover graduates, technicians, technicians (vocational) and optional trade apprentices by amendments in 1973, 1986 and 2014 respectively.
A separate Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) was formed in 2014 to achieve the vision of ‘Skilled India’. The primary responsibility of MSDE is to coordinate skill development efforts across the nation, bridge the gaps between the supply and demand of a skilled workforce, and build a technical training framework for existing jobs as well as expected future jobs. In 2015, the Ministry launched Skill India Mission to train over 40 crore people by 2022. The same year, the apprenticeship was transferred from the Ministry of Labour and Employment to MSDE.
Apprentice Protsahan Yojana (APY) was launched on 16 October 2014, with the Government of India sharing half of the statutory stipend with apprentices for the first two years of training for one lakh apprentices to be hired by establishments by March 2017. Only 970 apprentices were trained in 609 registered industries till 18 August 2016. To encourage apprenticeship training vigorously, APY has been replaced by the ‘National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme’ (NAPS), which was announced on 19 August 2016. It is envisioned under MSDE, and the primary objective is to incentivize the employers to recruit apprentices by sharing 25% of the stipend costs, with a target to train 50 Lakh youth during 2016-17 and 2019-20. It envisions a better outreach and engagement strategy and aims to provide a transparent system of operations. More on the objectives and goals of NAPS are explained below.
A similar program to incentivise the employers already exists- the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), wherein the government finances 50% of the stipulated stipend costs (http://portal.mhrdnats.gov.in/). This scheme is under the Ministry of Education and covers only ‘Graduate apprentices’ and ‘technician apprentices’, the rest are covered under NAPS. Key similarities and differences are explained in detail in the Standing committee Report.
Enrolment is far below the set target under NAPS
As stated earlier, the target of NAPS was to train 50 Lakh youth during 2016-17 and 2019-20.  As per the amendments made to the Apprenticeship Act, 1961, it is mandatory to engage apprentices in the band of 2.5% to 15% (increased from 10% on the recommendation of the expert committee) of the total manpower including contractual staff for establishments with 30 (reduced from 40 on expert committee recommendation) or more strength. This limit is fixed keeping in mind the availability of infrastructure, key trainers, etc. so that apprentices can gain meaningful training without stressing establishments. However, out of 1,41,473 establishments registered on the portal, only 25,832 were engaging apprentices as mentioned in a reply to the parliament question from December 2021. A total of 13,38,995 candidates were trained from the inception of NAPS till 14 December 2021. Year-wise breakup is given below.
The committee went further to enquire about the status of enrolments and registration of establishments in the portal. Both grew steadily over the last few years, but this growth is not in accordance with the expected objective of the scheme.
The committee enquired about the status of apprenticeship engagement by the establishments and in-depth detail on the band-wise recruitments. The Ministry submitted that a total of 1,19,168 establishments were registered on the portal, out of which only 24,603 were currently engaging in apprenticeships. Most of these establishments engaged apprentices in the band of 2.5% to 10%.  A total of 15,651 establishments were registered on the portal that has manpower strength between 4-29, and only 2,517 of these were engaging in apprenticeships in the 2.5% to 15% band.
No Enforcement Mechanism
The committee went further and asked about the penal provisions for non-compliance. The representative of the Ministry mentioned that the enforcement mechanism as of now is almost nil.  The penalty for non-compliance is low compared to the payment made by the non-engagement of apprentices. Earlier there was a provision for criminalizing non-compliance, which was removed in 2014.
The committee then enquired about the issue of absorption/retention post the apprenticeship period. The Ministry responded that the employer is not bound legally to provide such an offer unless it is explicitly mentioned during the signing of the contract.
Compliance Costs could be the reason for low enrolments
The committee then wanted to know the achievements till date as against the stated objective of apprenticeship training for 50 Lakh youth between 2016 to 2020. The Ministry responded that the achievement is only about 20% of the desired. One of the major reasons mentioned behind such dismal performance is the compliance costs.
Very low expenditure under NAPS over the years
Upon the submission of the Ministry regarding the low actual expenditures, the committee asked the Ministry to provide the details of the financial allocations and the actual expenditures made since the inception of the scheme. The actual expenditure for the scheme has been very poor.
When asked about the effectiveness of amendments made to the Apprenticeship Act, 1961, the Ministry informed about the ‘Impact Evaluation Study of National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)’ conducted by the National Productivity Council (NPC). The key findings of the NPC are:
The study also provided some recommendations to improve the performance of NAPS.
On the steps taken to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on apprentices, the Ministry responded that the apprentices were provided the flexibility to join back the program which they left earlier. In addition, the training programs were extended, and the establishments were asked to provide stipends during this period.
Status of NATS:
The Committee also reviewed the implementation of the NATS scheme. The Minimum rate of stipend for graduate apprentice (degree holder) and technical apprentice (diploma holder) is Rs. 9000 and Rs. 8000 respectively, out of which 50% is reimbursed to the industry. On the query of the committee regarding the revision of stipends, the Ministry agreed with the upward revision to Rs.18,000 for graduate apprentices and Rs.15,000 for technical apprentices per month. On whether establishments with sound financials were discouraged to seek reimbursements, the Ministry responded that it is up to the establishment whether to seek reimbursements and there is no pressure from the Ministry.
The committee was then apprised of the recent budget announcement in 2021 about the allocation of Rs. 3000 Crores for the realignment of NATS towards post-education apprenticeship from 2021-22 to 2025-26. Around 3270 industries offered apprenticeships during the last three years and nearly 70% of these industries engaged less than 100 apprentices. The below graph depicts the region-wise contacts created under NATS from April 2016 till April 2021.
Recommendations by the Committee:
On hearing the Ministry’s responses, the committee came up with the following recommendations to improve the performance of NAPS as well as NATS.
Featured Image: National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme

source: news-factly

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Review: Standing Committee Makes Important Recommendations About Himalayan Glacier Management
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 11, 2023
Glaciers are the most visible markers of climate change. A small rise in temperatures could melt away tonnes of ice. As the climate changes and glaciers melt, a lurking threat awaits- glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). In this story, we look at the Standing Committee on Water Resources report on the glacier management in the country presented recently.
Known as the ‘Water Towers of Asia’, the three main rivers- Indus, Brahmaputra, and Ganges, originate from the Hindu Kush Himalayas. These Himalayas span across central and south Asia, extending from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east. Due to its high ice quantity, these are also called the ‘Third Pole’. The glaciers present in these mountain ranges are an important source of water security for India. On the other side, they also pose an extreme threat to the populace of this region.
Glaciers are the most visible markers of climate change. A small rise in temperatures could melt away tonnes of ice. As the climate changes and glaciers melt, a lurking threat awaits- glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). These occurrences take place quickly, releasing enormous amounts of water within a short span. GLOFs can be incredibly destructive and can strike with little forewarning, resulting in considerable loss of life and damage to property, infrastructure, and agricultural land. It, therefore, becomes of utmost importance to manage these GLOFs to minimize the destruction.
In today’s story, we look at the Standing Committee on Water Resources report on the glacier management in the country presented in the Parliament in March 2023.
More than nine thousand glaciers in Indian Himalayas
There are 9,040 glaciers in the Indian Himalayan region, according to the Himalayan Glacier Inventory maintained by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The Indus Basin is home to more than 80% of these. The glacierized basins of the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra contain a total of 1306.1 cubic kilometres of ice (or roughly 1110 cubic kilometres of water). There is no precise information available regarding the volume of ice and snow water separately. The information on the glaciers in the Indian Himalayan region is as depicted below.
Himalayan glaciers warming at a greater pace than global mean.
The glaciers in Indian Himalayan Region are retreating at a rate of 5 to 20 metres per year. The causes of this glacial retreat are both natural and man-made. The Himalayan glaciers are losing mass at a pace of 6.6 Gt annually, or around 0.2% annually. According to estimates made using satellite data, the Himalayas lost 13% of its glacier area between 1960 and 2000, or over 0.3% a year. Using satellite data from 2000-01 to 2010-11, ISRO has tracked the progress and retreat of 2018 glaciers in the Indian Himalayan area. According to the study, 87 percent of glaciers exhibited no change, 12 percent of glaciers receded, and 1 percent of glaciers advanced.
According to a recent study conducted across India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan, glaciers melted at a pace of 0.25 m per year from 1975 to 2000, but since then, the rate has increased to 0.5 m per year. The IPCC Report 2021 also reaffirms the decline in snow cover in Indian Himalayas.
According to data provided by DST, the Himalayan Karakoram region is warming by 0.5 degree Celsius more quickly than the global mean. Increased glacier melting results in altered rainfall patterns, impacting the biodiversity as well as the livelihoods of the mountain and downstream populations.
No timely studies done to access the melting of glaciers.
The importance of the Hindu Kush Himalayas is well documented. Yet, there are very few studies done to assess the impact of climate change on them. Even the data on the number of glaciers in the Indian Himalayas is from the special publication of GSI in 2009.
When the Standing Committee asked about the warming of Himalayan glaciers, the department replied that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has not conducted any study or awarded any project on the warming of Himalayan glaciers. Further, upon asking whether smaller Himalayan glaciers are more sensitive to climate change, the Ministry agreed with that statement and held that the shrinkage rate of smaller Himalayan glaciers is higher than that of larger glaciers. However, a comprehensive study is needed to access the exact reasons for such retreating patterns of glaciers.
Legislative Framework for glacier management
Multiple agencies work in tandem in managing and monitoring the Himalayan glaciers, as detailed below.
Further, the presence of multiple agencies in glacial management results in duplication of efforts. No demarcation of responsibilities among ministries and departments is done to date. As a result, coordination among agencies to streamline the efforts is difficult.
Monitoring of glacial lakes
Indian Territory has a total of 9575 glaciers (9040 in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins plus the 535 glaciers of the Gilgit sector). Indian Territory contains 6,921 glacial lakes with a surface area greater than 0.25 hectares, detailed below.
There is no specific information on stretches of the Himalayans where the danger of melting of glaciers and consequent GLOF are most severe. Out of the total inventoried glacial lakes, the lakes with a size of more than 1 ha are ranked for GLOF risk considering glaciological, terrain, and associated characteristics. The details of prioritized ranked Glacial lakes for GLOF Risk are as follows: the Indus basin with 614 lakes and the Ganga basin with 864 lakes, and assessment is under progress for the Brahmaputra basin.
Management of glacial lakes
A comprehensive approach is developed for GLOF risk reduction in the “Guidelines on Management of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)” issued by the NDMA in October 2020. According to the NDMA, the Himalayan States don’t have a separate Disaster Management (DM) Plan. The revised National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) was created by NDMA in November 2019 and includes, among other things, information on disasters that are likely to occur in the Himalayan region, such as landslides, earthquakes, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), as well as the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders and the steps that should be taken to manage these disasters.
Some important observations and recommendations by the Standing Committee
The committee, based on the inputs from different agencies, made recommendations and asked the respective departments to apprise themselves of the progress made within a specific time period. Among them, general recommendations include the need for constant monitoring of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), assessing the adverse impact of black carbon, change in the land use regulations, and creating public awareness about the consequences of global warming. Apart from these, specific recommendations are detailed as below.
Way forward
We can undoubtedly anticipate more and larger glacier lakes on a warming planet. Outbursts from glacial lakes are already dangerous and destructive. Glaciers are anticipated to melt even more swiftly as temperatures continue to rise as a result of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. With efficient early warning systems and careful planning, communities can lower the risk.
Featured Image: Glacier Management


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Review: Standing Committee makes important recommendations related to safety of Oil Installations
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2022
The Standing Committee (SC) on Petroleum & Natural Gas recently submitted a report on ‘Safety & Security of Oil Installations in the Public Sector Oil Companies’ with a specific focus on the mishap which occurred in an ONGC installation at Western offshore during cyclone Tauktae. Here is a review.
The Standing Committee (SC) on Petroleum & Natural Gas recently submitted its 13th Report of the Lok Sabha. The focus of the report is on the ‘Safety & Security of Oil Installations in the Public Sector Oil Companies’ with a specific focus on the mishap which occurred in an ONGC installation at Western offshore during cyclone Tauktae.
The highly inflammable materials handled by the Oil & Natural gas Industry along with high temperature & high-pressure environments mean that the various installations & plants are prone to accidents, which can be catastrophic.  Therefore, safety and security assume paramount importance in the industry. Despite not being among the global leaders in Petroleum & Natural Gas industry, India does have sizeable reserves along with various aligned infrastructure including – refineries, pipelines, processing units, etc. As per the information provided in the SC report, there are 23 refineries and 16 gas processing plants in the country. India has a total installed refining capacity of 250 Million Metric Tonne Per Annum (MMTPA). The indigenous crude oil production is around 31 MMTPA while gas production is around 34 million cubic meters per annum.
Oil & Natural Gas Industry Infrastructure in India
Refineries
23
Gas Processing Units
16
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals
6
Oil & LPG Installations
683
Exploration Installations
70
Production Installations
505
Length of Cross-country Pipelines (KM)
45,000
Safety Council, established in 1986 ensures proper implementation of various safety aspects
Safety and Security of the plant, installations and employees in the Oil & Gas industries are generally ensured by the respective company, both in the public & private sector. In India, there are a number of authorities at various levels that oversee safety in the Petroleum & natural gas industry. These authorities operate simultaneously in framing safety regulations and their implementation.
These include:
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) monitors the various safety issues in this sector and directs the oil companies to take suitable measures to ensure safety. The Ministry is assisted by a technical directorate – the Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), which was formed in 1986 by a resolution of the Government.
Further, Petroleum and Natural Gas (Safety in Offshore operations) Rules, 2008 were formulated to address the operational safety issues in Offshore Oil and Gas operations. OISD is the nodal agency for overseeing the implementation of these rules.
To ensure the implementation of various safety aspects in this industry, the Government of India has set up the “Safety Council” as the apex body in January 1998.  It is directly under the control Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas as a self-regulatory industry agency for safety matters & procedures in the Hydrocarbon sector. It is headed by the Secretary of the ministry as chairman. The Safety Council is assisted by OISD. The latest review of the safety performance was held in 2020, which is the 37 Safety Council meeting.
An exhaustive review by SC regarding the Barge-305 incident during Cyclone Tauktae in May 2021.
As highlighted earlier, one of the key issues the Standing Committee report looked at was the mishap that occurred to an ONGC installation on the Western coast offshore during Cyclone Taukate in May 2021.
The Western offshore was hit by Cyclone Taukate during 16-17 May 2021, the severity which was unprecedented for the Western Offshore. An emergency arose on 17 May 2021 when Barge-305, deployed by M/S Afcons informed that it lost its anchors and was drifting towards the HS-wellhead platform. ONGC and the Indian Navy responded to the situation. ONGC diverted all the Multi-purpose Supply Vehicles (MSVs) and Offshore Support Vehicles (OSVs), and the Indian Navy directed INS Kochi for the rescue. Despite reaching the earliest, the unfavourable weather situation prevented any immediate rescue measures by INS Kochi.
A total of 188 persons on the barge were rescued by the Indian Navy and by ONGC vehicles. As for the Barge P-305, it initially reported starboard side damage resulting in tilting on one side. It eventually sank. There were 86 victims and 9 were reported as missing.
The Committee conducted an enquiry about the incident, to which the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and ONGC furnished responses.  A few of the key questions of the Committee were related to:
The Committee also sought responses on the role of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
Findings of the Internal Committee constituted by ONGC
The Standing Committee further sought details of the internal Committee constituted by ONGC. The Major findings of the Internal Committee about the barge P-305 disaster are:
The following recommendations were made by the internal committee based on its findings:
Standing Committee has proposed reforms to enhance Safety in the Indian Offshore area
The following are some of the recommendations made by the Standing Committee based on the responses by the Ministry & ONGC.
Apart from ONGC, where the emergency occurred, the Standard Committee has also reviewed the safety & security levels in various other installations relating to the Oil & Gas industry – Onshore Oil & Gas Installations including pipelines installations, Offshore Oil & Gas Installations, Cyber Security across these installations, etc.
A few of the key recommendations made by the Standing Committee regarding the Safety & Security measure for the Oil & Gas Industry include:
Featured Image: Standing Committee Report on Petroleum & Natural Gas


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Review: Standing Committee makes recommendations about ‘India’s Olympic Preparations’
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 20, 2021
The 2020 summer Olympics were postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also resulted in the cancellation of many global sporting events depriving sportspersons of the much-needed experience. The standing committee of parliament recently made a slew of recommendations about India’s preparation for the Olympics. Here is a quick review of these recommendations.
The 32 Olympic Games scheduled to be held in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan had to be postponed because of COVID-19. In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee announced that both, Olympics and Paralympics, would be held on the same dates in 2021. While the Olympics are expected to take place from 23 July to 08 August 2021, the Paralympics are expected to be held from 24 August to 05 September 2021.  The Olympics torch-lighting ceremony was held behind closed doors on 12 March 2020.
With around seven months left for the Olympics to begin, the Department- Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports submitted a report on “Preparation for Olympic Games, 2021” virtually in December 2020 to the Rajya Sabha Chairperson. Olympians, sports journalists, sports federations, and other stakeholders were consulted for drafting the report.
Mental and physical fitness of athletes amidst the pandemic should be ensured
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee enlisted the following few recommendations aimed at ensuring the mental and physical fitness of athletes while also ensuring they get adequate training.
Government must be swift in granting approvals and fulfilling athletes’ requirements
The committee made multiple recommendations for the government and institutions to look into.
Head coaches must conduct survey to identify equipment requirement
The human and technical resource support to be extended to the athletes as recommended by the committee include-
Athletes, coaches, and support staff going to Olympics must be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination
With respect to medical support, the following recommendations were made by the committee.
Financial support should be ensured to athletes and coaches
Financial support, funding, and financial security related recommendations were also made by the committee.
Improper scheme implementation and slashing of fund allocation are challenges
Target Olympic Podium Scheme  (TOPS) is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports under which assistance is provided to top athletes in the country. Potential medal winners in the 2020/2024 Olympics are identified and special preparation is undertaken. The committee stated that the scheme is being used as a top-up program for covering discretionary expenses that cannot be funded by NSFs. The committee added that this was not acceptable and that TOPS is an independent programme and allocation should be increased for Olympics preparations. Moreover, many well-performing athletes have not been covered in the scheme which calls for formulating schemes to include those excluded.
The committee expressed its dissatisfaction with the allocations made under ‘Support to NSF’ and commented that the government is slashing the funds in Revised Estimates (RE) as compared to Budgeted allocation under ‘Support to NSF’. This would affect India’s Olympics preparation. Budgetary allocation for Scheme of Assistance to NSFs during 2019-20 was Rs. 300.85 crores (revised) and budgetary allocation during the current financial year 2020-21 is Rs. 245.00 crores.
In the long run, India must start identifying and nurturing talent from school level
The committee called for spotting talent at the school level and nurture the talent for future Olympics. India should learn from top medal-winning countries for talent spotting, training, nutritional support, etc. World-class infrastructure and facilities need to be built and maintained in India. Sportspersons and athletes should be sent abroad for getting world-class training. Even the supporting staff should be provided with the necessary training for specialization. India has so far won only 28 medals in Summer Olympics since 1900. Only one individual has won a gold medal while multiple gold medals were won in Hockey.
Featured Image: India’s Olympic Preparations

created: January 20, 2021


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Standing Committee recommends multiple measures to address ‘Security & Safety’ issues at airports & in airline operations
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 18, 2022
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture presented reports on safety & security in the aviation sector in the recently concluded 2022 Budget Session. The committee highlighted multiple aspects related to safety & security including vacancies of personnel and made relevant recommendations.
The Department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture presented reports on ‘Issues related to Safety in Civil Aviation Sector’ and ‘Issues related to Security in Civil Aviation Sector’, in the 2022 Budget Session as passenger traffic grew significantly in the last few years barring the period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2018-19 and 2021-22 (up to February 2022), over 965.59 million passengers were handled by all public and private airlines in the country. In 2018-19 alone, 344.7 million passengers were handled by airlines in India. As air travel expands in India with increasing passenger traffic from newer places, safety and security at airports, airlines, etc. becomes paramount. These issues have been addressed in the standing committee reports. The issue of safety as discussed by the committee has been dealt with in the first part of the story which is followed by security concerns in the sector.
Safety issues and recommendations
DGCA was asked to coordinate with AAI and Airline operators to ensure the implementation of safety guidelines
The role of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the overall management and supervision of the entire gamut of activities related to the safety aspects of the aviation sector like licensing and surveillance of airlines and aerodromes, licensing of the crew, implementation of Safety Management System, investigation of incidents and surveillance of aircraft operations in the country. Noting the pivotal role of DGCA in ensuring safety in civil aviation, the committee recommended that DGCA coordinate regularly with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), airport, and airline operators to ensure that its guidelines are implemented. It is also recommended that modern technology be used to prevent accidents. The Ministry of Civil Aviation was asked to review the safety mechanisms in place and ensure that DGCA has no budget or human resource constraints.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) which was established in 2012 as an independent organization from DGCA, for the investigation of Accidents and Serious Incidents was allotted only Rs.1 crore against the projected requirement of Rs. 4.4 crores in 2022-23. The committee recommended higher allocation at the Revised Estimates (RE) stage.
Fill vacancies in ATCs to keep pace with future requirements says the Committee
Noting the critical role of Airport Traffic Controllers (ATCs) to ensure safe operations of aircrafts, the committee pointed out the backlog in filling vacancies of ATCs. It recommended that the procedural issues in recruiting for ATCs be addressed to keep pace with the increasing requirement in the future.
With respect to the airworthiness of aircraft engines, the committee observed that the safety and maintenance regulations should be strictly complied with, and heavy fines should be imposed on airline operators who violate the regulations.
Citing the accidents that took place in Mangalore and Kozhikode airports in 2020, the committee suggested that the latest technological instruments be installed at all airports at the earliest to ensure smooth and safe landings even during thick fog conditions, and when visibility is zero. Installation of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at all functional airports was also recommended to be done at the earliest for safe landing of aircrafts at night or in bad weather conditions. The committee also recommended that a strict timeline be framed for the submission of reports on aircraft accidents that would otherwise be delayed.
Issues related to drones, helicopters, and bird hits were also raised
While appreciating the Ministry’s introduction of liberalized Drone Rules, 2021, the committee asked the Ministry to come up with policy provisions to promote the local manufacture of drones in the country. Furthermore, it noted that the Rules empower the Central Government to notify safety features to be installed on drones by persons owning them and asked the Ministry to do so at the earliest since drones have the potential to be misused.
Stating that helicopter accidents have also claimed lives, the committee asked for details of such accidents in the last few years. It added that the safety of helicopter operations should also be given importance and recommended that the ministry formulate guidelines for safe operations of helicopters even in bad weather conditions and strengthen the provisions for ensuring safety and airworthiness for helicopters, like in the case of aircrafts.
Periodical aviation safety and security audits are carried out by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the country. The committee recommended that the Ministry should pay cognizance to the findings and ensure that they are addressed on a priority basis. Internal audits on a regular basis to keep track of the progress made in this aspect were also suggested.
The Committee also noted the incidents of bird hits in many parts of India and asked the Ministry to take remedial measures to be taken at all airports to reduce such incidents. It added that the Ministry may reissue the guidelines for compliance by the appropriate authorities.
Security issues and recommendations
CISF, Airlines Operators, Airport Operators, State Police and NSG are the various agencies involved in providing security at airports. The government has envisaged expanding airport capacity in the country to handle one billion trips a year by 2022-23 when India would celebrate its 75 years of independence. If the capacity is increased to about five times the current capacity, the government should also strengthen the security infrastructure and manpower in the sector accordingly, as per the committee.
CISF should cover all airports and ensure vacancies are filled
The committee noted that CISF cover was extended to only 64 out of 118 operational airports and asked the government to bring all operational airports under the ambit of CISF. Only 75% of airports in the hypersensitive category were under CISF.
The committee also observed that there was a vacancy of 1,166 CISF security personnel at airports and recommended that full sanctioned strength of CISF should be provided at airports. Further, it added that periodic surveys be conducted to keep track of the changing threat perception at all airports and impart training to the security personnel accordingly. It also suggested conducting surprise checks to test the alertness and efficiency of security staff.
It was noted that 44 airports were not covered by Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and the committee called for engaging BDDS in these airports at the earliest after consulting the Home Ministry. It also added that the BDDS squad has the best international pedigree dogs for security.
Soft skill training for security personnel & State-of-the-art technology for security check
Security personnel is the first point of contact for airline passengers, including foreign passengers after disembarking from an aircraft because of which security personnel end up setting the impression of a city or country. On these grounds, the committee emphasized the need for giving training to the personnel on soft skills including body language, behaviour, and dressing. Special care for persons with special needs based on an SOP was also recommended.
Door Frame Metal Detectors and Handheld Metal Detectors which are used in most airports were observed to be intrusive to passenger privacy, noted the committee. It recommended the installation of ‘Full Body Scanners’ at airports which would address this, as well as ensure faster clearance of queues at security checks. Additionally, the committee recommended introducing global best practices for biometric screening of passengers such as facial recognition, fingerprint, and retinal scan. Radiological Detection Equipment to detect the presence of radioactive material which can be lethal should be installed in the stipulated time, stated the committee.
Even the 28 hypersensitive airports lack state-of-the-art security equipment to ensure foolproof security noting that the committee recommended the installation of such equipment across all hypersensitive and then sensitive airports at the earliest.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under the Civil Aviation Ministry has set standards for security equipment which should be adhered to by the airline operators. The committee also recommended that BCAS be involved in imparting training to personnel on handling the equipment.
Featured Image: Safety issues at airports


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Review: Standing Committee reiterates certain recommendations it made to the Government on MGNREGA
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 9, 2022
The parliamentary standing committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj tabled the report on MNREGA in February 2022. Recently, the Action Taken Report on the same was presented in the Parliament. While the government has accepted 26 of the 33 recommendations made, the government’s response to the remaining seven recommendations was not accepted by the committee. Here is a review.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) guarantees a minimum of 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. It was notified in September 2005. After about 16 years of implementation, a parliamentary standing committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj tabled the report, ‘Critical Evaluation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)’ in the Lok Sabha in February 2022. In that report, the Committee assessed and highlighted the shortcomings in the implementation of the flagship scheme and made a list of recommendations to be incorporated to improve the scheme’s outcomes. Recently, the Action Taken Report on the same was presented in the Parliament. Here is a review of the action taken report.
Standing committee made 33 recommendations including revamping of MGNREGA scheme
A total of 33 recommendations were made in the standing committee report covering various aspects of the scheme- from budget allocation, revision of wage rates and the number of days of work, social audits, and appointment of ombudsperson. Of the 33 recommendations, the government has accepted 26 of them. The government’s response with respect to the remaining 7 recommendations were not accepted by the standing committee. These responses were generic citing provisions of the Act and did not address the issue at hand. The action taken by the Government on some of the observations or recommendations that need reiteration according to the committee have been discussed in this review. Further, the committee has set a deadline of 3 months for the Department of Rural Development (DoRD) for the final action taken reports.
Coordination between States and Centre should be improved to avoid delay in funds
The committee called for effective coordination between States and Centre for timely release of funds and completion of procedural formalities. Accepting this recommendation, the DoRD stated that “funds released under MGNREGA is based on the provision of the Act and guidelines”. The committee found this response stereotypical and added that if these provisions were followed, then the issue of delay in funds would not have arisen. The committee recommended that DoRD should revive the process to improve Centre-State ties for the timely release of funds.
The delay in the release of skilled labour and material components share funds by the Centre and State resulted in incomplete projects under MGNREGA. The reason cited for this delay was the non-completion of documentary procedures for the release of the next batches of funds. Though the committee recommended DoRD supervise this to prevent delay, DoRD cited provisions of the Act elaborating on how funds are released in tranches as per the existing provisions instead of discussing the delay or taking measures to prevent it.
Pendency in wage disbursal and revision of wage rates on par with inflation have not been addressed by DoRD
Previously, the committee noted that wage liabilities were Rs. 2763.78 crores as on 05 November 2021 and called upon DoRD to ‘pull up its socks’ and take all possible measures to clear off wage liabilities as soon as possible. To this, the department responded that the release of funds was a continuous process based on provisions. It has also been mentioned that an amount of Rs. 73,023.05 crores were released to States for the wage component. However, the committee felt that no specific action was taken to deal with the pendency and called for more effective steps to ensure there is no delay in wage disbursal.
The Committee observed that indexing of MGNREGA wages to Consumer Price Index (CPI)- Rural as opposed to CPI-Agricultural Labour (AL), as recommended by Dr. Nagesh Singh Committee was not implemented. The Standing Committee recommended the Ministry to review its position and increase the wages to which DoRD replied that the Ministry decided to continue with existing CPI-AL for wage rates. The committee, expressing its concern for the beneficiaries of MGNREGA, again asked DoRD to review its position and increase wages by linking it to a suitable inflationary index.
Observing that the wage rates notified under MGNREGA ranged from Rs. 193 to Rs. 318 in different states, the Committee recommended devising a mechanism for a unified wage rate across the country. However, DoRD’s reply was “unacceptable and evasive”, according to the committee and asked DoRD to consider uniform wage to end wage disparity.
Standing committee called for amendment in Act to provide additional days of work
With respect to the committee’s recommendation to increase the guaranteed days of work under the scheme from 100 days to 150 days, especially in the light of the pandemic, DoRD stated the provisions of the Act allow states to provide additional 50 days of wage employment in case of natural calamities.
The committee found the response generic, highlighting the provisions of the Act. Thus, the committee reiterated its recommendation and asked DoRD to make an amendment to the Act so that the number of days is uniform throughout the country and not left to states to decide.
Committee called out DoRD for citing only the obstacles for the implementation of any novel concept instead of examining it
Citing ‘Buldhana Pattern’ wherein water conservation is done through desilting and deepening of waterbodies by the removal of earthen material and silt, which is used for constructing the National Highway, the committee recommended convergence of various rural development schemes along with MGNREGA as it would help address rural poverty. DoRD responded that the transportation cost of soil from the site to the other place cannot be borne by the scheme. The committee reiterated its recommendation stating that DoRD should scrutinize the proposal elaborately instead of citing obstacles.
Feasibility of linking existing women centric works with MGNREGA should be explored
In response to the committee’s recommendation to link women Self Help Groups that are engaged in farm works or animal rearing activities with MGNREGA to empower women through financial independence, DoRD stated the women-centric provisions in the Act such as the provision of a minimum of 33% of the work to women labourers.
It did not mention anything about the linkage of livelihood projects. The committee called for a thorough examination of the possibility of linkage of existing women-centric works as well as exploring the practicability of more women-centric programmes under MGNREGA.
Doorstep medical facilities for job cardholders has been recommended by the committee
Following the pandemic, the committee observed the need for incorporating newer safety measures for the workers, especially in such a mass-oriented scheme, in terms of the easily accessible medical facilities at the doorstep of villagers. It suggested that the scheme be revamped to cater to the new and unforeseen challenges the pandemic had brought to light. DoRD listed the medical facilities provided to the workers such as insurance, hospitalizations, etc.
Acknowledging these measures, the committee recommended that doorstep medical facilities attached with job cards of the labourers be included.
With respect to other recommendations such as strict monitoring and evaluation of the scheme, more participation of elected representatives, appointment of ombudsperson, etc., the committee accepted the government’s response. The committee appreciated the efforts of DoRD to mitigate unspent balances by bringing down the unspent amount from Rs. 5,270.76 crores at the end of 2020-21 to Rs. 1,351.46 crores as on 05 November 2021. However, it recommended that DoRD maintain and increase the momentum even further so that the unspent balance amount does not get accumulated.

created: August 9, 2022


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Review: Standing Committee reiterates the need for improved ‘Last Mile Connectivity’ in ‘Bharat Net’
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 24, 2020
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent Independence Day address, set 2023 as the target to  connect all the panchayats by optical fiber. The target year for this has pushed multiple times by the UPA & now the NDA. Here is what the standing committee observed regarding the progress of ‘Bharat Net’.
In his Independence Day address to the nation on account of 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that in the next 1000 days, all the villages will be connected by optical fiber cable. He has further updated that around 1.5 lakh gram panchayats have been connected with optical fiber in the last 5 years.
Providing Broadband connectivity to all the 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats in India is part of the Bharat Net Programme by the NDA-II government, which is a continuation of an earlier programme, the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) initiated by UPA government in 2011. Factly has earlier written a story on Bharat Net Programme.
The program initially had an ambitious target of achieving the connectivity to all the gram panchayats by 2013, which was later revised to 2017. As per PM’s address, the deadline now shifts to nearly another three years, which is 2023.
Responding to a question in Lok Sabha on 05 February 2020, the Government of India stated various reasons for the delay in implementation of the project, which include – delay in the initial commencement of project, delay with the implementation in the 8 states which are under State-led Model etc.
Earlier, in August 2018, the Standing Committee on Information Technology, presented its  50th Report – ‘Progress of Implementation of Bharath Net’ during the 16 Lok Sabha.  As part of the report, the committee made certain observations and recommendations for the government to take action.  As a follow-up to this , Standing Committee on Information Technology for 17 Lok Sabha  presented its Action Taken Report in Lok Sabha on 20 March 2020.  Here is a review of these reports.
The Committee did not accept Government’s response on 6 of the 21 recommendations/observations.
There were 21 recommendations/observations made as part of the 50 report i.e. ‘Progress of Implementation of Bharat Net’ tabled in Rajya Sabha on 07 August’2018.  The Department of Telecommunication, under whose aegis the programme is being implemented provided their Action Taken Notes on 20 January 2019.
The Standing Committee on Information Technology (2019-20) was constituted under the Chairmanship of Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram. The Standing Committee reviewed the action taken by the government and submitted their observations to the parliament on 20 March 2020.
Based on the action taken by the government, the committee has categorized the 21 recommendations into four categories.
In this story, we take a look at the 6 recommendations or observations for which the Standing Committee did not accept the response provided by the government on the action taken.
Committee observed that the last mile connectivity is important for utilization of the network
Recommendation # 3 by the Committee in its original report was regarding Wi-Fi connectivity in Gram Panchayats. Its recommendations and observations include:
The Department of Telecommunication provided an update on the action taken on these recommendations and observations. The Standing Committee has made certain comments seeking more information and clarity from the government.
Lack of progress in involvement of States with the project
Standing Committee was appraised that the non-involvement of the states under Phase-1, has led to distancing of the states which further resulted in the slow progress and low utilization of infrastructure.  Based on this the committee made certain recommendations to engage states in a more active role.
Committee asked the department to have a thorough review regarding the low performance of RailTel
At the time of the original report, the committee was appraised, and it took cognizance of the issues in the performance of RailTel in the allocated projects. Based on this, two observations/recommendations (10 & 11) were made.
First observation (No.10) was in regard to RailTel’s performance in the allocated States & UTs.
Committee has also made another observation/recommendation regarding RailTel specific to the North East.
The performance of RailTel in some states more than 100 since the fiber was laid to more villages than initially planned.
Need for more States/UTs to align with Right of Way Rules
Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules, 2016 were framed to provide RoW permissions for both underground and over the ground infrastructure development, in a time-bound, simple and transparent manner.
The committee was informed by the Department that RoW agreements were concluded with all the states. As on 01 May 2018, there were 296 RoWs pending, which affect 1241 GPs.
The committee in its recommendations as part of ‘Progress of Implementation of Bharat Net’ report, advised that a Single Window Clearance System needs to be in place as the project is being impeded due to the lack of coordination between the implementing agencies.  In its update, the department has stated that as on 04 January 2019, there are only 115 cases affecting 481 GPs that are pending.
However, no update was provided on constitution of a Single Window System. The committee, while expressing satisfaction on the decrease in pending issues, has again reiterated the need for setting up a Single Window Clearance System and urged the department to make efforts in this direction.
Earliest need for framing a Draft Common Duct Policy
The Standing Committee has recommended laying of Common Duct as a measure to avoid frequent cut and damage to the cables. It has recommended that a Draft policy needs to be framed at the earliest as it would require the coordination and cooperation of different States & agency for common implementation.
Telecommunication Department has provided an update that a High-Powered Committee under Chairmanship of Secretary (Telcom) along with Secretaries of Power, Petroleum and members from Engineering- Railway Board was formed. They have drafted a report after due deliberations and submitted it to Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
The Standing Committee advised the department to impress upon the concerned agencies for implementation of the report and take up pilot projects.
All these 6 recommendations were sent back by the Standing Committee to the Ministry of Telecommunication for further information and clarifications. There are 10 recommendations which have been accepted by the government and another 5 for which the response provided was of interim in nature. We will take a look at the action taken by the government for these recommendations in the next story.
Featured Image: Last Mile Connectivity


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Standing Committee reiterates the need to encourage use of BharatNet Infrastructure
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 26, 2020
It is one thing to have an optical fiber infrastructure across the country even in the remotest corners, but another thing to ensure that this infrastructure is properly utilized. The Standing Committee looking into the BharatNet project has highlighted & reiterated the need to encourage TSPs, ISPs and other players to use this infrastructure.
In the earlier story on Standing Committee’s Action Taken Report on BharatNet, we discussed those recommendations where the Standing Committee did not accept the action taken response by the government.  Apart from these 6 recommendations, there were another 15 recommendations made by the Standing Committee in its 50th Report – ‘Progress of Implementation of BharatNet’. Of these, 10 of the recommendations were accepted by the Government and action wherever necessary was taken. The Standing Committee did not seek any clarification on the response of the government regarding these recommendations. There were 5 more recommendations for which the replies of the government were of interim nature.
In this story, we take a look at these key recommendations of the Standing Committee and the response provided by the government.
Committee observed that fiber network has not reached most of the Gram Panchayats
The second observation of the Standing Committee was regarding the implementation of the project under Phase -I. The committee observed that while the Optical fiber cable (OFC) has reached State, Districts and Block Headquarters, it has not yet been extended to most of the Gram Panchayats (GPs).
Further, the committee observed that the department did not have the far-sightedness regarding the implementation in spite of the magnitude of the project. (Laying of 6.5 lakh Km of Optical Fibre, with the next biggest being the 2 Lakh KM being laid by Broadband Network in Australia). This has affected all the aspects of the project, leading to the delays and missing deadlines.
Reply of the Government
The government highlighted the following challenges which led to the implementation delays of this large-scale project, which had a target of laying around 2.2 lakh KM of OFC in 1 lakh GPs under Phase -1.
The first phase to cover 1 lakh GPs was completed in December 2017. As per the latest update on 04 January 2019,
Based on the observations of Standing Committee regarding the delays in implementation and the overall handling of the project, a mechanism was put in place to ensure the momentum and pace of the project is sustained.
The Committee did not seek any clarification for this response provided by the government.
Utilization of the Infrastructure & need for faster implementation among other observations
Apart from its observation on the delay in the implementation of the project, the committee has also made recommendations and observations on other aspects related to the project – Implementation of Phase -II, Financing & Utilization of the funds, utilization of the infrastructure, performance of implementing agencies etc.
The government responded and provided an update for each of these recommendations/observations. The Standing Committee has taken cognizance of these responses by the government and has not sought any further clarifications. Here is a summary of these other recommendations/observations and the government’s response on the action taken.
Recommendation/Observation
Government’s                                  Response
The committee has observed that there would be a need of around ₹72 thousand crores for laying 17 lakh Km of OFC, with scope of further increase in the costs. Hence the committee has recommended identifying alternate sources of funding apart from the current funding being done through USOF.
As on 31/12/2018, around ₹ 47 thousand crores are available with USOF and these are sufficient for the on-going project.
Standing committee has noted that while these are welcome developments, the utilization is still very low compared to the capacity. Encouragement needs to be provided to ISPs, Cable TV operators, content providers etc. to launch services in rural areas.
Committee asserts that BSNL has tremendous scope of provision and extending its services using BharatNet and that it needs to utilize the available infrastructure.
Phase -III  The Committee has also made recommendations/observations on Phase-II of the project which relates to upgrading of the network to meet future requirements.  One of the propositions is to lay underground OFC suitable for 5G services, Internet of Things etc. Further, the present linear design of Block to GPs might not be suitable for few service providers, for which NOFN has suggested laying of fresh OFC. However, Phase-III was not part of Cabinet note at the end of 2017, for which Committee expressed its dismay as Phase-III is expected to be potentially bigger compared to the first two phases.
Standing Committee has flagged the action taken by government as interim in nature for five of its recommendations
Out of the 21 recommendations, the responses for action taken by the government regarding five of them have been categorized as interim in nature by the standing Committee. These recommendations/observations made by the Standing Committee were mostly regarding Works in Progress or aspects which are yet to be actioned. The department has appraised them of the latest updates.
The committee has not sought further information since it seems to have been satisfied by the interim response provided. These observations were regarding:
Featured Image: BharatNet Infrastructure


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Standing Committee report highlights the tardy implementation of Police Reforms
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 6, 2022
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs recently submitted a report on ‘Police – Training, Modernisation and Reforms’. Among other things, the committee highlighted the tardy implementation of the police reforms as recommended by various committees, a high number of vacancies in the police force. Here is a review.
The genesis of rule of law and law enforcement lies in the social contract theories, propounded by early philosophers like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.  A mutual contract forms the base of the state’s authority to punish the lawbreakers. A state that cannot ensure control over law and order is often referred to as a ‘failed state’. Among many other forms of state’s authority over individuals of the society, policing is the most visible depiction. They are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure peace and tranquillity in society.
Each state has its own set of threats and challenges. Like other things, these also evolve and transform over time. This transformation is aided by the multiplicity of conditions like technological interventions, and socio-economic conditions to name a few. To combat these threats successfully, law enforcement agencies must also keep updating themselves. In India, the subject of ‘Public Order and ‘Police’ falls under the State List (entries 1 & 2 of List-II) in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution. As a result, the pace of reforms, if any, is not uniform across all states.
Traditional policing in India is caught in myriad problems, right from infrastructural aspects to budget allocations and then finally to reforms and modernization. Added to these is the negative perception of the police by the common citizenry. Recognizing the significance of reforms in the Indian policing system, we look at the pace of the proposed reforms. In this story, we track the implementation of the recommendations provided by various committees and commissions over time, for police reforms & modernization. The data for this brief is sourced from the ‘237th report on Police training, modernization and reforms’, as tabled in the Parliament by the standing committee on Home Affairs in February 2022.
Many committees, one goal – ‘Reform Policing’
Though ‘police’ and ‘public order’ fall under the state list, many states in India still follow the colonial-era Police Act, of 1861. Few states have come up with their own laws, while some made amendments to this existing act. But, with the changes happening around, this archaic law is proving to be insufficient in tackling newer challenges. These changes necessitate the need for modernization and reforms in the policing structure as well as the overall administration of law and order. The debate around the modernization dates to four decades, when, the first committee under Gore was formed for reforms in police training in 1971. This was followed by the ‘Dharam Vira Committee’, popularly known as ‘The National Police Commission (NPC)’ in 1977-81. This is the first-ever attempt at a thorough review of the police system with eight reports that covered a wide variety of issues surrounding the policing system.
This committee was then followed by Ribeiro Committee on Police Reforms. The major objectives of this committee were to look at the status of implementation of proposed reforms of NPC as well as to suggest any other recommendations that are necessary. The committee noted that both the Union as well as the state governments were lackadaisical in carrying out the suggested reforms. In addition to the recommendations of NPC, the Ribeiro Committee suggested the following modifications:
The next committee was formed under the chairmanship of Padmanabhaiah. This committee was criticized for not holding any consultation with the public or civil society during its meetings. The committee, had discussed vide variety of issues, some of the major ones are:
This was followed by Justice V.S. Malimath Committee on criminal justice system reforms in 2000. The committee majorly focused on initiating reforms in criminal jurisprudence and making criminal and judicial procedures simpler. The last among the list of committees set up on police reforms was the R.S. Mooshahary Review Committee in 2004. The objective of this committee was to review the implementational status of recommendations of various committees on police reforms. The committee identified 49 major recommendations that were crucial to the policing reforms and modernization.
Below is the timeline of the committees set up on policing reforms, and a brief of the terms of reference, major topics covered, and the action taken by the government can be found here.
Financing Modernization and Police reforms:
As mentioned earlier, the ‘Police’ and ‘public order’ fall under the state list. The responsibility to modernize the forces and equip them with all resources to sufficiently address the latest emerging threats also lies with the State Governments. However, state governments have not been able to achieve this to the desired level. To prevent this from stalling the efforts to modernize the police, the Union Government had been supplementing the States with both finances as well as timely advisories. The financing part is taken care of by the scheme for Modernisation of State Polices Forces (MPF Scheme) from 1969-70. This was transformed into ‘Assistance to states for Modernization of Police’. It is a centrally sponsored scheme, where both states and centre contribute to a fixed ratio. The details of the allocation and release of funds to the MPF scheme from 2012 to 2020 are depicted in the chart below. This umbrella scheme is being extended from 2021-22 till 2025-26 with a total central financial outlay of Rs. 26,275 Crores.
Observation on recommendations:
Before moving on to recommendations, it is important to understand that not all recommendations provided are actionable. Some may be too general or too vague. The Mooshahary committee, while undertaking a review of the recommendations of the various committees, dealt with this aspect. Even among the actionable recommendations, some require action by the Union Government, while some require the same by the state governments or even by the department itself. A few recommendations could necessitate a legislative action or amendments to the existing rules, and some recommendations have financial implications. These categories can have overlapping.
Status of reforms
The parliamentary committee examined the status of implementation of 49 major recommendations identified by the Mooshahary Committee. 12 states and UTs have not furnished any information about the status of implementation of these 49 recommendations despite repeated instructions and advisories from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Only 24 states have provided updates regarding the same. We look at the status of implementation of some of the major recommendations. For the sake of clarity, the implementational status is divided into five categories. Each category is assigned a value for arriving at a proper mapping. It must be noted with utmost diligence that these values do not represent anything tangible but are only used to identify the category of the implementation status of a specific recommendation.
Additional remarks by the Committee
Apart from looking at the status of the Implementation of the above reforms, the parliamentary committee also looked at other issues surrounding the policing system. Some of them are as below.
The committee felt that this quantum of vacancies is not desirable given the evolving trends of crime and security scenarios. It recommended the MHA actively push the states to conduct police recruitment drives and remove administrative bottlenecks if any.
It is an undeniable fact that there is an immediate need for the holistic transformation of the policing regime in India. However, most of the transformation is focused on states rather than the benefactors- the common people. In addition, much of the modernization is heavily skewed towards materialistic upgradations rather than manpower skilling. Coupled with the above recommendations, these two aspects are also of utmost importance to ensure a holistic transformation of the administration of law and order.
Featured Image: Implementation of Police Reforms


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Review: State of India’s Birds 2023 Report Highlights Species Requiring Immediate Attention for Conservation - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 4, 2023
The State of India’s Birds 2023 report is a periodic assessment that examines the geographic distribution, abundance trends, and conservation status of the majority of bird species commonly found in India. The report identified that 178 species of birds needed immediate priority for conservation (High Priority).
Globally, environmental issues have led to a decline in the population of common and widespread bird species. According to ‘State of the World’s Birds 2022’ report,  nearly half of all bird species are in decline, with more than one in eight at risk of extinction. About 2.9 billion individual birds are estimated to have been lost in North America since 1970, and 600 million have been lost since 1980 in the European Union which is about 5 times smaller. In short, the status of the world’s birds continues to deteriorate as a result of anthropogenic pressure on the environment such as agricultural expansion and intensification, unsustainable logging, invasive alien species, overexploitation, and climate change. How about in India? Are birds under threat in India as well? The latest State of India’s Birds report provides some answers.
State of India’s Birds report is an assessment of distribution and population of major bird species found in India
The State of India’s Birds 2023 report is a periodic assessment that examines the geographic distribution, abundance trends, and conservation status of the majority of bird species commonly found in India. Birds serve as valuable indicators of the condition of our natural environment and hold significant cultural significance as symbols of nature because of their widespread presence and ecological significance. The report, which is a comprehensive nationwide assessment, provides important insights into the conservation requirements essential for safeguarding India’s avian population.
The State of India’s Birds 2020 report was the first attempt to assess the conservation status of the majority of India’s bird species. (The review of the report by Factly can be read here). Three years later, the second edition of the report was published in August 2023. The latest report is an update that considers a larger information base of more than 30 million field observations from over 30,000 birdwatchers and researchers across India. As a result, a greater number of species of birds have been assessed. The first version of the report was based on more than 10 million observations uploaded by 15,500 + bird watchers.
The report also includes new sections that highlight the threats to the avian population in India and the need for systematic monitoring of birds in the country. 13 organizations including government institutions like the Zoological Survey of India & Wildlife Institute of India, universities like IISc & TIFR, and NGOs like WWF, ATREE, etc. were involved in putting together the report.
60% of the bird species evaluated saw a decline in their population in the last 3 decades
India is home to over 1,350+ species of birds including endemic species such as White-bellied Treepie and Wayanad Laughingthrush which are endemic to the Western Ghats. Based on the availability of data, and significance in the Indian context, 942 bird species were considered to examine their conservation priority, distribution, and population trends.
Of the 338 species which had adequate data for assessing the long-term trends, 60% of the species had witnessed long-term declines. To put it in simpler terms, 204 species have seen decline in their population in over 30 years period. Further, 98 species were more or less stable and 36 species showed an increase.
Current annual trends were analysed for 359 species out of which 40% were declining over the past eight years. Out of the 142 species witnessing a decline, 64 were witnessing a rapid decline. 189 species were more or less stable, and 28 species were increasing.
178 species of birds require immediate priority for conservation
The report identified that 178 species of birds needed immediate priority for conservation (High Priority). Species of High Priority include those whose abundance indices have declined considerably in the long term and continue to decline today. It also includes species whose current range is very restricted, that is, the bird species are found only in less than 7,500 square kilometres. Those birds whose abundance trend could not be assessed but they are classified as ‘Globally Threatened’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List are also included in the category. The report categorized another 323 species as Moderate Priority and 441 as Low Priority.
Among the birds on the high priority list, 94 species, including the Great White Pelican, Greater Flamingo, Common Tern, and Indian Vulture, were added to the list based on declining abundance trends and restricted range. Bird species like the Marbled Duck, White-bellied Heron, Brown-winged Kingfisher, Baer’s Pochard, and Blood Pheasant are among the 45 bird species added to the list because of their restricted range. The remaining 39 were included based on a combination of their range and IUCN Red List status. Some of the bird species in this group include the Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, and Himalayan Quail.
Telangana’s state bird among 16 others have been recommended for reassessment of IUCN’s status
The 2023 report further highlights four priority species from each of the 36 states and UTs that require conservation attention. It recommended a reassessment of the status of 17 species which are listed by the IUCN as being of ‘least concern’ but are either ‘endangered’, ‘vulnerable’ or ‘nearly threatened’ in India. Telangana’s state bird, the Indian Roller (commonly known as Palapitta) saw a 30% decline in abundance in 12 years, Northern Shoveler declined by 58% in 14 years, and Baillon’s Crake which declined by 51% in 10 years are part of the list.
Birds restricted to certain habitats and dietary requirements are witnessing more decline
The report also examines birds within three specific groupings viz: ecological groups, including diet and habitat specialization, habitat groups, including open habitats and rivers, and taxonomic groups, including raptors, woodpeckers, ducks, large waterbirds, and bustards. This analysis is useful in getting inputs for arriving at targeted conservation interventions. Some of the key findings of the analysis are:
Population of Asian Koel, Rock Pigeon and Indian Peafowl have increased substantially
While globally avian population is declining at alarming rates, there are few species which are adapting to the modified landscapes and thriving. Ashy Prinia, Rock Pigeon, Asian Koel, and Indian Peafowl have increased dramatically. Rock pigeon and Indian peafowl populations have increased by 150% in the last 30 years. House Crow, Rock Pigeon, and the Alexandrine Parakeet are some other species that have established new populations in several cities.
In the last 20+ years, Indian Peafowl has expanded into the high Himalaya and the rainforests of the Western Ghats. It now occurs in every district in Kerala, a state where it was once extremely rare. Though increasing population may sound like good news, this increase comes along with increased reports of crop damage. Further, increasing population of only one species will result in ecological imbalance as the rising peafowl populations may have negative impacts on snakes and other reptiles. According to studies, peafowls are usually arid land species and an indicator of drought.
Compared to the first edition of the report, 101 birds were listed as High Priority; out of this, the status of 74 species has remained unchanged. An additional 104 species have been newly listed as High Priority in 2023. Most of these additions (68%) have resulted from the increased trend data.
Immediate conservation efforts are required to save the avian population
The declining population of birds is a cause of concern as it is an important barometer of the environmental conditions. The reasons behind the declining populations are many ranging from urbanization, pollution, ecosystem and habitat degradation, climate change, hunting among others. Most of the threats to the avian family are due to human actions. Immediate efforts need to be put in to save the birds in the high priority category while not ignoring those species in the medium and low priority category.
The report called for dedicated efforts to monitor the health and conduct research on what affects the population dynamics of key group species. Furthermore, since the study was based on data recorded by birdwatchers, rare and nocturnal bird species are underrepresented in the assessment. More research and data collection are required in this aspect as well.

created: September 4, 2023


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Review: Status of Broadcast News Media regulation in India
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 30, 2020
Unlike the Press Council of India, there is no government-appointed regulatory body for the broadcast media in India. In the light of multiple court observations in recent times about unethical & hate-fuelled content, we look at the status of regulation of this sector.
In the past few months, the Supreme Court of India (SC) & other High Courts have come down heavily on TV news channels for broadcasting hate-fuelled or unethical programmes. These judgments & observations highlight the need for laying down clear guidelines and their effective implementation for TV channels or broadcast media. Let’s take a look at these observations and the current situation of TV channels’ regulation in India.
Judgments highlighting the need for effective regulation of TV channels
In the case of Konan Jodio Ganstone, et al. vs the State of Maharashtra, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court quashed FIRs against 29 foreign nationals of Tablighi Jamaat who were booked under various sections of IPC, Epidemic Diseases Act, etc. for alleged violations of visa norms. The court strongly criticized the Indian media by noting that “There was big propaganda in print and electronic media against the foreigners who have come to Markaz Delhi and an attempt was made to create a picture that these foreigners were responsible for spreading COVID-19 virus in India. There was virtually persecution against these foreigners.” Apart from foreign nationals, six Indian nationals and trustees of the Masjid were also booked under various abovementioned provisions.
The court was hearing petitions filed by foreign attendees of Tablighi Jamaat from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tanzania, Djibouti, Benin, and Indonesia. The judgment examines the visa guidelines, health department notifications, and successive events of lockdown to conclude that the foreign nationals did not violate any visa norms and the other criminal charges against them were unfounded.
In the on-going case against Sudarshan TV, Firoz Iqbal Khan vs Union of India & Ors., the Supreme Court made important remarks in open court against content that promotes hatred. The news channel ‘Sudarshan TV’ broadcasted a program that claimed Muslim youth qualifying for recruitment to Indian Civil Services was another form of ‘jihad’. The judgment noted that it cannot allow such insidious comments in the name of freedom of the press that is used to vilify a particular community and disturb the harmony in the country. A three-judge bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud asked the government to file an affidavit seeking its response on the need to regulate electronic media.
In the backdrop of this, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) filed an affidavit and requested the Supreme Court to make its Code of Ethics against broadcasting malicious, biased, and regressive content, be made applicable to all TV news channels by including it in the Programme Code of Cable TV Act. This would mandate all news channels, whether they are members of the NBA or not, to follow the Programme Code with proposed amendments. This was in response to an order by the apex court on 18 September 2020 to suggest measures to strengthen self-regulatory mechanisms in electronic media so that communal or derogatory content can be penalised and prevented.
In hearing Rakul Preet Singh’s plea against maligning a media campaign against her, the Delhi High Court directed the media channels to exercise restraint in their reports and follow the Programme Code of Cable TV Act and other guidelines, both statutory and self-regulatory. The Single Bench passed an interim order directing the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) to consider the present plea as a representation and expedite the process of redressal. Following this, in October, the News Broadcasting Standards Authority(NBSA) has found the news channels Zee News, Zee 24 Taas, Zee Hindustani, TimesNow, India Today, AajTak, India TV, News Nation, and ABP News at fault for their vilifying and slanderous reports linking film actor Rakul Preet Singh to drugs. The NBSA issued directives to the above-mentioned TV channels to remove the offensive content, whenever available. In a similar case of the events following the death by suicide case of Sushant Singh Rajput, the NBA directed three channels – Aaj Tak, Zee News, India TV, and News 24 – to observe restraint in reporting and apologise for insensitive reporting.
Regulations in Print and Broadcast Media
Existing legislations and their implications
In the past, the government has made a few attempts at regulating the media. The print media is regulated by the Press Council of India Act of 1978, which in turn established the Press Council of India (PCI) with the objective of “preserving the freedom of the press and to maintain and improve the standards of newspapers and news agencies”. PCI has the power to censure newspapers or news agencies for violations of standards of journalistic ethics or public taste, etc. It has the power to censure or admonish the offender after an inquiry. For the purpose of such inquiry, the PCI is empowered to summon and examine people and receive evidence and such an inquiry would be deemed to be a judicial proceeding, similar to a Civil Court under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908.
Other forms of news outlets, either electronic or digital do not come under the purview of PCI. The Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995 was enacted to regulate the operation of cable television networks. According to the Act, all broadcasters have to comply with the ‘Programme Code’. As per the Programme Code, no programme should be broadcasted on television which offends against decency, contains an attack on religions or communities, or contains obscene, defamatory, deliberately false and suggestive innuendos and half-truths. The Act was amended in 2011 to bring all television channels under its purview. In the backdrop of this Act, in 2005, the Government of India established an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to investigate and adjudicate complaints about programmes in violation of Programme Code. The IMC can also take suo moto cognizance of any such violations.
After noting that this redressal mechanism already existed, the Supreme Court directed the government to raise awareness and formalise the process by creating a statuary framework under section 22 of the Cable TV Act, which lays down the provision that the government is empowered to make rules pertaining to the Programme Code for all kinds of broadcasting channels. However, this recommendation is yet to be implemented. Hence, currently, the statuary regulatory framework under the Cable TV Act is not sufficient.
Attempts at self-regulation among broadcasters
There have been some attempts at self-regulation in this sector. For non-news channels, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation was formed, which in turn established Broadcasting Content Complains Council (BCCC), an independent self-regulatory body in 2011. All non-news channels including entertainment, children’s channels, and others adhere to the suggestions of BCCC, despite some complaints, making it an over-arching self-regulatory body for all non-news channels.
Self-regulation scenario for News Channels
The self-regulation scenario for news channels is complex. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) was established in 2008 as a private association of news broadcasters (comprising 26 broadcasters i.e. 77 news and current affairs channels) formed with the objective of “fostering high standards, ethics, and practices in need broadcasting”. NBA step up the National Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) with the iconic former Chief Justice of India, Justice J S Verma, as its chairman and also issued a ‘Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards’ as a model for self-regulation to avoid content that is “malicious, biased, regressive, knowingly inaccurate, hurtful, misleading or aimed at willfully concealing a conflict of interest”.
The NBSA, however, only has jurisdiction over broadcasters that are members of the association. The NBSA does not have any statuary rights as it is a private association. Hence, its writ extends only to its members and the membership is voluntary. In case of complaints against members, the NBSA can warn, censure, or express its disapproval against the broadcaster and in some cases prescribe a fine up to one lakh rupees. A large number of national news channels have been members of the NBA since its inception in 2008. However, a few national channels and many regional channels are not members of the association and hence they are not governed by the Code of NBA.
Many such news channels formed a parallel body called the National Broadcasters’ Federation (NBF), with Arnab Goswami as its president. This association comprises three national channels as its members – Republic TV, Republic Bharat, and TV9 Bharatvarsh – along with over 45 regional channels.
OfCom model
In the context of TV channel regulations, United Kingdom (UK) offers a case in point – the Office of Communications (OfCom). It is a government-approved regulatory and competition authority for broadcasting, telecommunications, and postal industries. Like NBA, OfCom operates with fees from the industry itself but, unlike NBA, it was created by an Act of Parliament. Recently, OfCom has imposed a fine of 20,000 pounds on World Media Network Limited in relation to its service Republic Bharat (Hindi arm of Republic TV) for failing to comply with its broadcasting rules and ethics standards. World Media Network Limited is a UK licensee for the channel Republic Bharat. The decision outlines that a programme named ‘Puchta hai Bharat’ broadcasted on the channel on 06 September 2020 contained “uncontextualized hate speech”.  The order noted that the comments made during the show promoted “hatred based on intolerance of Pakistani people based on their nationality alone”. Besides the fine, the regulatory body has directed the licensee to broadcast a statement or findings and issue an apology.

created: December 30, 2020