Latest news with #PublicPrivatePartnership
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
March against 'landgrab, forced conversionof Hindu women'
The Jeay Sindh Mahaz organised an eight-kilometer-long march in Mirpurkhas on Saturday decrying corporate farming, plunder of Sindh's resources and alleged forced conversion of Hindu women. A large number of people from Hindu community also took part in the march which was led by the JSM's Chairman Riaz Ali Chandio and Nawaz Shah Badahi. Chandio reiterated that the corporate farming cannot be accepted in any form even if the Pakistan Peoples Party's Sindh government dubbed the initiative as Public Private Partnership (PPP). The JSM's leader said instead of supporting the poor farmers the provincial government is only facilitating the large corporations and that too to the detriment of the peasants. Chandio alleged that Sindh's coal, oil, water and other resources have already been sold. He rejected the proposal for constructing new dams on the pretext that Indus river's water is being released in large volume in the sea during the ongoing flood season. He deplored that Sindh's major cities like Mirpurkhas still lacked public sector universities but the Sindh govt is planning to build a university in Punjab from the funds generated by selling the state's land to Bahria Town Karachi. Chandio reiterated that the country's law does not allow marriage of underage girls yet Hindu girls aged 14 to 15 years solemnize marriages and change their religions. Chenab dam The convener of Save Indus River Movement Syed Zain Shah, who is also head of Sindh United Party (SUP) has condemned the federal government's proposal to build Chenab dam in Punjab. He asserted in a statement on Saturday that the govt's plan is yet another move to rob Sindh of its due share of Indus water. He blamed the PPP and PMLN for being hands in glove with the establishment in making such plans.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Why Delhi's PPP model for slum rehabilitation has not attracted developers
A Joint Government-Industry Task Force, constituted by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, recently submitted a report titled 'How to Revitalise Delhi' to the state government, recommending ways to unlock 'the latent real estate potential of Delhi.' Among its key recommendations was that slum rehabilitation projects in the national capital be undertaken on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis. If accepted, the Delhi government will also begin rehabilitating slums on its land on a PPP basis. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had adopted such a policy back in 2007, but has since failed to attract private developers to participate in slum rehabilitation. How many slums are in Delhi, and who is responsible for rehabilitating them? There are 675 slums in Delhi, according to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). Of these, 376 fall on central government land and thus, under the DDA's jurisdiction. DUSIB is responsible for the remaining 299 located on Delhi government lands. According to DUSIB, roughly 30 lakh people reside in Delhi's slums, while both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) put the number of slum dwellers in the national capital at around 50 lakh. The rehabilitation of slums in the city is governed by the Delhi Slum & Jhuggi Jhopri Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, which was approved by the state cabinet in 2016. It prioritises in-situ rehabilitation to ensure alternate accommodation to a slum dweller on the same land or within a 5 km radius. To be eligible for rehabilitation, however, the slum must have at least 50 households, must have existed before 2006, and the slum dweller must prove residence in the slum before 2015. The process of rehabilitating slum dwellers in Delhi has been painfully slow. A decade after introducing the policy, only two in-situ slum rehabilitation projects have been completed where slum dwellers have been allotted flats and have begun living in them. The Kalkaji Apartment Complex and the Swabhiman Apartment in Ashok Vihar have a combined capacity of 4,699 units. Of these, 3,301 flats have been allotted to slum dwellers from Bhoomiheen Camp, Jailer Wala Bagh slum, Golden Park Rampura slum, and a cluster opposite Mata Jai Kaur Public School. The Delhi government, through DUSIB and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation (DSIIDC), is constructing 52,584 flats on the city's outskirts in Dwarka, Sultanpuri, Bhalswa-Jahangirpuri, Savda Ghevra, Pooth Khurd and Tikri Kalan for slum rehabilitation. Of the 24,524 flats completed, only 4,833 have been allotted to the public, and only 2,153 of these to slum dwellers, according to DUSIB's Annual Report 2020-21. These flats have very low occupancy rates given their location in remote peripheral areas and their dilapidated state. In all the above-mentioned projects, the government has funded the construction of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Low-Income Group (LIG) housing for slum dwellers. Under a PPP model, however, the government does not construct houses itself. In such projects, the government transfers the land on which the slum is located to a private developer. In return, the developer builds housing for the slum dwellers on part of the land, while using the remainder to construct housing and commercial buildings. The underlying rationale is that the developer recovers the cost of building units for slum dwellers by making profits from the 'free sale' component. The model was expected to work well since slums are typically located on high-value land in central city areas. However, since the policy's inception, only one project has been undertaken in PPP mode in Delhi, and it remains incomplete. The troubled Kathputli Colony project, being developed by Raheja Developers, was conceived in 2009, had its foundation stone laid in 2018, and is still not ready for occupation by slum dwellers. The DDA has repeatedly tried to attract private developers to participate in its policy, but has failed to do so. In 2022, it floated Request for Proposals (RFP) for six projects covering approximately 10,300 households across 10 JJ Cluster sites, while RFPs for four additional projects covering 15,000 households across eight JJ Cluster sites were being processed to invite private developers for 'in-situ rehabilitation' under the PPP model, according to a reply by then Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in Lok Sabha. DDA officials confirmed that these proposals had to be discarded due to developers' lukewarm response and that no slum rehabilitation projects are currently underway in Delhi under the PPP mode, except for Kathputli Colony in Shadipur. The origins of this policy lie in the Master Plan for Delhi 2021, which was notified in 2007. It mentions 'in-situ slum rehabilitation' as a focal point of the plan to ensure housing for the poor, 'including using land as a resource for private sector participation.' In 2015, the Government of India launched its flagship housing policy, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), aiming to ensure housing for all by 2022. The DDA's rehabilitation policy is based on this scheme. One of PMAY-U's verticals was 'In situ' Slum Redevelopment, under which slum rehabilitation was to be carried out 'using land as a resource with private participation for providing houses to eligible slum dwellers…This approach aims to leverage the locked potential of land under slums to provide houses to the eligible slum dwellers bringing them into the formal urban settlement.' Why are more slums not being rehabilitated by private developers? Experts have suggested that the lack of interest in Delhi's slum rehabilitation by developers stems partly from their greater enthusiasm for investing in other National Capital Region cities, like Gurgaon and Noida. 'This policy in which a developer builds slum housing in Delhi is a non-starter because the market does not want to play here,' said Gautam Bhan, an urban researcher. 'It is much easier and more profitable for private developers to invest and build in Noida, Gurgaon and other NCR cities. They have never wanted to engage in slum rehabilitation in Delhi,' he adds. Others have questioned the commercial viability of the policy. 'It is not commercially viable for developers to engage in slum rehabilitation in Delhi,' said PSN Rao, Professor of Housing at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi. He recommends that the government build housing for slum dwellers using its own funds, as it has done for the two completed projects. The task force report has also identified funding and financial viability as challenges: 'Limited public funding and hesitant private investors, due to perceived risks and low returns associated with slum redevelopment, create financial constraints.' In November last year, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena approved changes to the policy to make the framework more developer-friendly and incentivise participation. These changes essentially increase the construction area developers can earmark for market sale. The proposed changes are currently with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and can only be implemented with its approval. These include raising the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for both rehabilitation and remunerative components to 500, up from the previous FAR of 400 for rehabilitation and 300 for the remunerative component. FAR is used in urban planning to regulate density and control development. A higher FAR allows more floors or larger buildings to be constructed, making projects more attractive to builders; conversely, a lower FAR restricts construction to maintain open spaces and reduce pressure on resources like groundwater and roads. Another proposed change allows developers to use any unutilised FAR from the rehabilitation component in the remunerative/commercial plot area. Additionally, the land allocation for rehabilitation has been adjusted, reducing the minimum requirement for rehabilitation from 60% to 40% of land. Experts have also noted that the policy requires slum dwellers and flat purchasers to live in close proximity, which could make the sale of the flats difficult. The task force also advocates for separating the rehabilitative and remunerative components: 'The temporal linearity of the project essentially entails heavy initial investment by the concessionaire in financing the rehabilitation component, first, which can be recouped only at a subsequent stage when the concessionaire is permitted to commence the commercial component of the project. This has become a major impediment to the in situ slum rehabilitation under the PPP model,' according to the task force meeting minutes. One of the changes approved in the policy by the LG attempts to address both these issues by allowing the clubbing of plots across a 5 km area. Harshvardhan Bansal, co-founder of Unity Group and President of National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO)-Delhi Chapter, said, 'We have also proposed that the government should undertake rehabilitation in pairs or bunches.' Under this approach, a developer could redevelop one site exclusively for slum dweller rehabilitation, while utilising another site exclusively for commercial purposes. This separation of rehabilitation and remuneration sites, with their simultaneous development, aims to resolve these challenges. Since slum dwellers face a risk of eviction without getting rehabilitation, they often resist vacating the land. 'Providing unencumbered land to developers is also a challenge as many slum dwellers, especially those who are ineligible to get rehabilitated, resist vacating the land,' a DDA official said. 'Residents of slums are often reluctant to move due to fear of losing their homes and livelihoods. The disruption caused by relocation can lead to resistance from the community, complicating redevelopment efforts,' the task force report identified as one challenge. Has such a policy worked anywhere else? Delhi is not the only city which has made very slow progress on rehabilitating slum dwellers. The In-situ Slum Rehabilitation (ISSR) is the worst-performing vertical of PMAY-Urban, accounting for less than 2% of PMAY-U's sanctioned houses, according to research by Debarpita Roy and Rashmi Kundu from Centre for Social Economic Progress (CSEP). Most ISSR projects were in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Gujarat's four Million-Plus cities, where slum redevelopment has been underway even before PMAY-U. States like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh attempted ISSR but had to cancel projects. According to Roy and Kundu's research, 31% of the projects had to be cancelled, while 70% of the remaining remain incomplete. The PMAY-U 2.0, launched last year removed ISSR as a vertical altogether. According to Roy and Kundu, issues like 'multiple ownership of the underlying land, legal disputes, changing political agendas, lack of consensus amongst slum households supporting slum development,' are some of the reasons behind the slow uptake of ISSR across the country. Devansh Mittal is a trainee correspondent with The Indian Express. He studied political science at Ashoka University. He can be reached at ... Read More
Arab News
5 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi ministry launches initiatives to build sustainable skills ecosystem
RIYADH: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development marked World Youth Skills Day on July 15, highlighting the Kingdom's commitment to a skill-based labor market that enhances productivity and competitiveness. To mark the occasion, the ministry launched Skills Week, running until July 19. It is led by the newly established Skills and Training Deputyship in cooperation with public and private sector partners. The scheme aims to align education and training programs with labor market needs through several projects, including the Waad training initiative. Waad addresses gaps between education outcomes and market demands, preparing Saudi youth to compete locally and internationally. In its first phase, the initiative exceeded its targets by delivering 129 percent of planned training opportunities through 14 private companies. Its second phase aims to offer 3 million training opportunities by 2028, supported by more than 65 public and private sector partners. The ministry also introduced the Sector Skills Framework tool, which maps more than 8,500 technical skills across 12 key sectors. The tool serves as a strategic guide for developing sector-specific training programs, supported by 13 councils comprising more than 200 experts. Other initiatives highlighted during Skills Week include the launch of the Saudi Skills Classification Taxonomy to define required skills for each profession, and the release of Skills Survey findings conducted with the World Bank on more than 3,000 firms to identify workforce skill gaps. The ministry also launched Waad Club, a volunteer platform promoting mentoring and knowledge exchange. Ahmed Al-Zahrani, deputy minister for skills and training, said: 'Organizing Skills Week reflects our deep commitment to the goals of the ministry. This effort supports all groups across our labor market. 'We are building a sustainable skills ecosystem integrated with education and training, preparing a young generation ready to drive Saudi Arabia's transformation and compete globally, in line with Vision 2030.' All of the initiatives operate within the framework of Saudi Arabia's Labor Market Strategy, approved by the Council of Ministers in 2020. The strategy addresses labor market challenges and Vision 2030 goals, aiming to increase labor participation, improve market efficiency and productivity, and reduce unemployment. As a result, labor productivity rose by 4.9 percent in 2022, the highest growth among G20 economies. The ministry also leads the national skills agenda through the National Skills Strategy, which serves as the Kingdom's skills policy to guide planning, development, recognition and management. It aims to bridge the gap between supply and demand, enhance employability across all segments and promote lifelong learning. Reinforcing this commitment, the ministry launched the Skill Accelerator Program to upskill and reskill more than 300,000 Saudis by 2027. The program focuses on the top seven sectors driving gross domestic product growth and employment, offering more than 3,000 training programs nationwide in partnership with local and international providers. Through the Professional Verification Program, Saudi Arabia ensures that skilled workers from more than 169 countries, covering more than 1,000 professions, meet rigorous standards, strengthening labor market quality. The Kingdom is also reforming its education system through the Human Capability Development Program, spanning nursery to university and lifelong learning, to build a resilient educational foundation aligned with future labor demands.
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
ZoomInfo Highlights Investment in Terminal One Revitalization with New Vancouver Office Opening
ZoomInfo (NASDAQ: GTM), the Go-To-Market Intelligence Platform, today announced the official opening of its new Vancouver office at Terminal One — marking a key milestone in the company's 18-year history and underscoring the power of public-private partnership in revitalizing the 10-acre historic port site. Positioned in the heart of the Vancouver Waterfront, Terminal One features sweeping riverfront views and amenities such as deck space, a state-of-the-art fitness center, secure parking and an 80+ seat conference center. In addition, the Terminal One riverfront boasts a hotel, public trails and spaces, and a marketplace, making it an ideal area for business or leisure. ZoomInfo is the first business to move into the newly developed waterfront space, which serves as a strategic hub for the company's growing engineering, product, and go-to-market teams. As part of the opening events, ZoomInfo will be showcasing the benefits of the mixed-use space and supporting its neighbors by encouraging employees to explore retail shops and highlighting local restaurants with catered events throughout the week. 'We know the power of being together in person, and we're confident that this new office at the Port of Vancouver is a place where our team will enjoy engaging with our clients and building our team,' said Henry Schuck, Founder and CEO of ZoomInfo. 'This incredible space offers our employees a beautiful place to work and enjoy everything the city has to offer. We started this business here, we scaled it here, and we'll continue building the future of the company here.' About ZoomInfo ZoomInfo (Nasdaq: GTM) is the Go-To-Market Intelligence Platform that empowers businesses to grow faster with AI-ready insights, trusted data, and advanced automation. Its solutions provide more than 35,000 companies worldwide with a complete view of their customers, making every seller their best seller. ZoomInfo is a recognized leader in data privacy, with industry-leading GDPR and CCPA compliance and numerous data security and privacy certifications. For more information about how ZoomInfo can help businesses with go-to-market intelligence that accelerates revenue growth, please visit
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Haryana to study Gujarat PPP model to build new bus stands
Keen to have state-of-the-art bus stands, the Haryana transport authorities have planned the Public Private Partnership (PPP) concept as adopted by the Gujarat government. Initially, the Haryana transport department planned to construct bus terminals of Gurgaon, (Sector-29), Karnal and Pipli (Kurukshetra) on PPP model. The department has planned to hand over these bus stands to the private players under the PPP model for 33 years to construct and maintain the bus stand premises. Under the concept, the bus stand will be used by the staffers of the department for movement of buses and the commuters while the commercial portion of it would be looked after by the private player. In lieu of utilisation of the bus stand commercial portion, the private player will give annual lease also. In response to a proposal sent by the transport department in this connection, the state transport minister Anil Vij had recently asked the department to study the model and procedure adopted in other states on PPP mode. Vij had also asked to ensure that there is no loss of revenue to the state. Returning the proposal to the department, Vij had also mentioned on the file: 'Each and every type of sale in the bus stand premises should bet the revenue share surely to the state.' Haryana transport officials say they are encouraged with the experience of already adopted model of PPP for upgradation of bus stand in Faridabad with an expenture of Rs 130 crore which was incurred by the private player. Explaining the concept, a senior officer of the transport department said: 'The private partner is giving an annual lease of Rs 3 crore to the department apart from maintaining the bus stand.' The officer also said: 'Apart from studying the PPP concept as adopted by the Gujarat authorities where the bus stands have been given on 99-year-old lease, we would also study the mode adopted by neighbouring states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. However, the PPP concept as adopted by Punjab many years back had not been successful.' After patronising the private-public partnership model for setting up state-of-the-art air-conditioned bus stands in Punjab for three years, the state government in 2010 had decided to set up many of these projects on its own. In 2010, the then state Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal had told The Indian Express 'the existing build, operate and turn (BOT) arrangement to set up state-of-the-art bus stands in the state was not contributing to generate revenue for the department.' However, the Gujarat government had earlier stated that there are iconic bus ports in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Ranip, Mehsana and Surat. The then Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in 2020 had stated: 'You would recall how buses of ST (state transport) used to be in Gujarat. They would be creaking, would not have windows… But thanks to Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat and today's Prime Minister, we have bus stations that look like airports. He (Modi) took initiative to create world-class facilities in Gujarat. He insisted that bus stations have food zones, cinema halls, clean toilets.' Sukhbir Siwach's extensive and in-depth coverage of farmer agitation against three farm laws during 2020-21 drew widespread attention. ... Read More
