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NDTV
2 days ago
- Climate
- NDTV
Uttarakhand Floods Expose Gaps In Warning Systems, Expert Bats For AI Model
New Delhi: As the devastating flash floods in Uttarkashi claim lives and livelihoods yet again, experts flagged the failure to implement an integrated early warning system for the Himalayan region. The plan has been discussed for long and the experts warned that blaming climate change for such tragedies masks systemic governance failures. This, they say, is worsening the inherent vulnerabilities in areas like Uttarkashi and high-altitude villages such as Dharali. Calling for urgent action, they demand independent assessments to uncover the root causes of such tragedies and insist on accountability. Former Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr Rajeevan reflected on past efforts to address such vulnerabilities. "When I was the Secretary, we discussed an integrated early warning system for the whole Himalayan region. It was recorded in a high level meeting but it was not implemented," he said. "We need such a resilient system for the Himalayan region. The Ministry of Earth Sciences has recently launched the Mausam Mission. They should attempt to develop such early warning systems under that mission. The government has provided adequate funds to them. I understand the MoES will be taking up such initiatives. Yes, it should be implemented urgently. Otherwise, more damages can happen." Strengthening Early Warning Systems To improve Uttarakhand's Early Warning Systems for cloudburst-induced flash floods, experts advocate a multi-pronged approach leveraging advanced technology and community engagement. Dr Rajeevan emphasised upgrading observational infrastructure, including a dense network of X-band radars in upstream river catchments, more automatic weather stations, rain gauges, and river and stream gauging stations. "We need very high-resolution weather prediction models, about 1-3 km resolution," he said, acknowledging their limitations. "The accuracy of such physical models is not that good. Therefore, Artificial Intelligence-based algorithms should be considered," he added. He proposed developing AI-driven nowcasting systems that integrate satellite imagery, lightning data, and radar inputs to predict cloudburst events with a 1-3 hour lead time, coupled with mobile alert systems for rapid dissemination. Additionally, localized flash flood guidance systems using terrain-specific hydrological models and community-centric warning systems at the panchayat level were highlighted as critical. "Mobile and app-based alerts, along with terrain-specific hazard zoning and land-use policies, are essential to minimize risks," Dr Rajeevan added. Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, echoed the need for technological advancements but stressed the importance of effective disaster management systems to act on early warnings. "This will be a combination of Doppler radars, satellite monitoring, river-based ground monitoring, and more intense monitoring in identified vulnerable locations," he said. "More importantly, we need a disaster management system that can use such advance information to remove people in time from vulnerable locations. We have a long way to go on this," he added. Mr Thakkar also called for robust governance mechanisms, including "honest, credible environment and social impact assessments of all major interventions, independent appraisals, confidence-inspiring monitoring, and compliance systems" to ensure accountability. "We are pretty poor in all these aspects," he noted. Unplanned Development Amplifies Disaster Impact The flash floods in Uttarkashi, particularly in areas like Dharali, were exacerbated by unplanned development, including the proliferation of hotels and homestays encroaching on river paths. Mr Thakkar highlighted the absence of policies to regulate such constructions. "We have no system to ensure that hotels, homestays, and other civil constructions are not encroaching on the path of rivers and streams. There is no system to remove such encroachments, and no assessment of the amount of space a river needs considering the current rainfall pattern and catchment health," he said. He pointed out that major projects like dams, hydropower plants, highways, railways, and urban centers contribute to environmental degradation by dumping muck into rivers, while schemes like riverfront developments and floodplain encroachments further constrict waterways. "The health of our catchments is degrading, which means rainfall is quickly converting into flow. That, combined with intensification of rainfall, means rivers need greater waterway, not smaller," Mr Thakkar explained. Dr Rajeevan also stressed the need for regulatory reforms, urging stricter controls on construction and tourism. "They are really spoiling the environment and river flow," he said, advocating terrain-specific hazard zoning and land-use policies to balance tourism with ecological safety. Integrated Flood Management for Resilience With cloudbursts becoming more frequent in Uttarakhand, potentially linked to climate change, experts underscore the need for integrated flood management strategies to enhance resilience, especially in high-altitude villages like Dharali. Mr Thakkar emphasized a combination of early warning systems, policies ensuring sufficient river waterways based on current and projected rainfall patterns, and robust monitoring and disaster management systems. "Most importantly, we need independent assessments that will provide information for accountability mechanisms," he said, advocating for post-disaster independent reviews to learn lessons and fix accountability. While acknowledging the role of climate change, Thakkar cautioned against using it as an excuse for poor governance. "The science of attribution is still being developed and today is not good enough to provide direct attribution. But climate change science tells us that in every such event of intensification of rainfall, there is a footprint of climate change," he said. "However, climate change should not be used as a carpet under which we can push all kinds of accountability and misgovernance. We know these events are increasingly likely, and we better be prepared for them rather than blaming it on climate change." Dr Rajeevan similarly called for proactive measures under the Mausam Mission, urging the Ministry of Earth Sciences to prioritise early warning systems. "The government has provided adequate funds. It should be implemented urgently," he reiterated.
The Hindu
29-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
From paper to portal: Goa rolls out digital push for village panchayat services
In a sweeping overhaul, almost all village panchayat services in Goa were being shifted online in a phased manner, bringing grassroots governance into the digital age, a Minister has informed in the State Assembly. The shift to digital platforms will ensure people no longer have to physically visit panchayat offices for basic services, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said in the House on late Monday (July 28, 2025) evening during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the State Assembly. Mr. Godinho also said an Artificial Intelligence-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats will be launched from August 1. "From income certificates to house repair permissions, nine major services are already available online. We are working towards 100% digitisation of all panchayat services," he said. There are 186 village panchayats across both the North Goa and South Goa districts. Mr. Godinho said services like the issuance of residence, income and character certificates, NOCs for water and electricity connections, registration and renewal of trade and establishment licences and permissions for house repairs are already available online. From next month onwards, proceedings of the panchayat meetings and certified copies of resolutions adopted by the panchayats would be available online, he said. "This will allow people to view decisions taken by their local panchayats, strengthening transparency and accountability," the Minister told the House. He acknowledged that some delays were being faced in hosting services online due to a contractor failing to deliver on time, but assured the government was accelerating the process. The government plans to launch online services in five village panchayats initially, adding 20 to 30 more every month thereafter, Mr. Godinho said. The State will digitise nearly 10 lakh house tax records and eight lakh trade licence records of all panchayats in the coastal State, he said. In future, the services, including house tax payments, issuance of construction licences, occupancy certificates and applications for lease rent, will be added to the online portal, he said. "I had promised in the last session that there would be reforms to bring more digitisation and streamline procedures at the panchayat level. We are on track to deliver that," Mr. Godinho said. Speaking further, the Minister also announced the rollout of an AI-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats from August 1. This system, which has already undergone a soft trial, will be supported by geo-tagging to ensure the staff attendance is marked only from designated locations, he said. "If the attendance is marked from outside the designated area, the employee must provide a valid reason. This will help improve punctuality and discipline in the functioning of the panchayat staff," he added.
NDTV
29-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
From Paper To Portal: Goa Digitalises Village Panchayat Services
Panaji: In a sweeping overhaul, almost all village panchayat services in Goa were being shifted online in a phased manner, bringing grassroots governance into the digital age, a minister has informed in the state assembly. The shift to digital platforms will ensure people no longer have to physically visit panchayat offices for basic services, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said in the House late Monday evening during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly. Godinho also said an Artificial Intelligence-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats will be launched from August 1. "From income certificates to house repair permissions, nine major services are already available online. We are working towards 100 per cent digitisation of all panchayat services," he said. There are 186 village panchayats across both the North Goa and South Goa districts. Godinho said services like the issuance of residence, income, and character certificates, NOCs for water and electricity connections, registration and renewal of trade and establishment licences, and permissions for house repairs are already available online. From next month onwards, proceedings of the panchayat meetings and certified copies of resolutions adopted by the panchayats would be available online, he said. "This will allow people to view decisions taken by their local panchayats, strengthening transparency and accountability," the minister told the House. He acknowledged that some delays were being faced in hosting services online due to a contractor failing to deliver on time, but assured the government was accelerating the process. The government plans to launch online services in five village panchayats initially, adding 20 to 30 more every month thereafter, Godinho said. The state will digitise nearly 10 lakh house tax records and eight lakh trade licence records of all panchayats in the coastal state, he said. In future, the services, including house tax payments, issuance of construction licences, occupancy certificates and applications for lease rent, will be added to the online portal, he said. "I had promised in the last session that there would be reforms to bring more digitisation and streamline procedures at the panchayat level. We are on track to deliver that," Godinho said. Speaking further, the minister also announced the rollout of an AI-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats from August 1. This system, which has already undergone a soft trial, will be supported by geo-tagging to ensure the staff attendance is marked only from designated locations, he said. "If the attendance is marked from outside the designated area, the employee must provide a valid reason. This will help improve punctuality and discipline in the functioning of the panchayat staff," he added.
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Business Standard
29-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Goa to launch portals for village panchayat services from August 1
The govt plans to launch online services in five village panchayats initially, adding 20 to 30 more every month thereafter, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said Press Trust of India Panaji In a sweeping overhaul, almost all village panchayat services in Goa were being shifted online in a phased manner, bringing grassroots governance into the digital age, a minister has informed in the state assembly. The shift to digital platforms will ensure people no longer have to physically visit panchayat offices for basic services, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said in the House late Monday evening during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly. Godinho also said an Artificial Intelligence-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats will be launched from August 1. "From income certificates to house repair permissions, nine major services are already available online. We are working towards 100 per cent digitisation of all panchayat services," he said. There are 186 village panchayats across both the North Goa and South Goa districts. Godinho said services like the issuance of residence, income and character certificates, NOCs for water and electricity connections, registration and renewal of trade and establishment licences and permissions for house repairs are already available online. From next month onwards, proceedings of the panchayat meetings and certified copies of resolutions adopted by the panchayats would be available online, he said. "This will allow people to view decisions taken by their local panchayats, strengthening transparency and accountability," the minister told the House. He acknowledged that some delays were being faced in hosting services online due to a contractor failing to deliver on time, but assured the government was accelerating the process. The government plans to launch online services in five village panchayats initially, adding 20 to 30 more every month thereafter, Godinho said. The state will digitise nearly 10 lakh house tax records and eight lakh trade licence records of all panchayats in the coastal state, he said. In future, the services, including house tax payments, issuance of construction licences, occupancy certificates and applications for lease rent, will be added to the online portal, he said. "I had promised in the last session that there would be reforms to bring more digitisation and streamline procedures at the panchayat level. We are on track to deliver that," Godinho said. Speaking further, the minister also announced the rollout of an AI-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats from August 1. This system, which has already undergone a soft trial, will be supported by geo-tagging to ensure the staff attendance is marked only from designated locations, he said. "If the attendance is marked from outside the designated area, the employee must provide a valid reason. This will help improve punctuality and discipline in the functioning of the panchayat staff," he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News18
29-07-2025
- Business
- News18
From paper to portal: Goa rolls out digital push for village panchayat services
Panaji, Jul 29 (PTI) In a sweeping overhaul, almost all village panchayat services in Goa were being shifted online in a phased manner, bringing grassroots governance into the digital age, a minister has informed in the state assembly. The shift to digital platforms will ensure people no longer have to physically visit panchayat offices for basic services, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said in the House late Monday evening during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly. Godinho also said an Artificial Intelligence-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats will be launched from August 1. 'From income certificates to house repair permissions, nine major services are already available online. We are working towards 100 per cent digitisation of all panchayat services," he said. There are 186 village panchayats across both the North Goa and South Goa districts. Godinho said services like the issuance of residence, income and character certificates, NOCs for water and electricity connections, registration and renewal of trade and establishment licences and permissions for house repairs are already available online. From next month onwards, proceedings of the panchayat meetings and certified copies of resolutions adopted by the panchayats would be available online, he said. 'This will allow people to view decisions taken by their local panchayats, strengthening transparency and accountability," the minister told the House. He acknowledged that some delays were being faced in hosting services online due to a contractor failing to deliver on time, but assured the government was accelerating the process. The government plans to launch online services in five village panchayats initially, adding 20 to 30 more every month thereafter, Godinho said. The state will digitise nearly 10 lakh house tax records and eight lakh trade licence records of all panchayats in the coastal state, he said. In future, the services, including house tax payments, issuance of construction licences, occupancy certificates and applications for lease rent, will be added to the online portal, he said. 'I had promised in the last session that there would be reforms to bring more digitisation and streamline procedures at the panchayat level. We are on track to deliver that," Godinho said. Speaking further, the minister also announced the rollout of an AI-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats from August 1. This system, which has already undergone a soft trial, will be supported by geo-tagging to ensure the staff attendance is marked only from designated locations, he said. 'If the attendance is marked from outside the designated area, the employee must provide a valid reason. This will help improve punctuality and discipline in the functioning of the panchayat staff," he added. PTI RPS GK view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 09:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
