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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Speedy clearance expected in Sawalkote hydro project
The Union government is looking to give speedy clearance to a ₹22,700-crore hydropower project in Sawalkote on the Chenab so that work can commence by next year and the power ministry is on track to decide which agency should build it, two officials aware of the development said. The Sawalkote project, among four proposed hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, has been granted the status of a nationally important project and is expected to generate 1,856 megawatts (MW) of electricity, one of the officials said. The four projects, which together can produce 3,119 MW of electricity, have been hobbled by long administrative delays as well as due to restrictions imposed by the Indus Waters Treaty, which India decided to put on hold a day after the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives. Apart from power, the Sawalkote dam, a so-called run-of-the-river project, will also bring irrigation potential to large agricultural tracts, a second official said, adding it will come up in the Ramban, Batote, Mahore and Udhampur forest divisions abutting the Raman, Reasi and Udhampur districts of the Union territory. The detailed project report or DPR for the dam has been prepared by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd, the country's largest state-backed hydropower firm. The government is examining which agency should be tasked with the project. 'The Jammu and Kashmir government has expressed a desire to be involved in the construction of the project and build it either through one of its own power companies or through a joint venture. A decision will be taken soon,' the first official said. India has quickened processes to start work on proposed infrastructure on the Indus River system as well as speed up work on existing ones after pulling out of the 1960 water-sharing pact amid a freeze in ties following the Pahalgam terror attack. In 2021, the forest department of Jammu and Kashmir had recommended environmental clearance along with 'justifications', which had formally rolled out the process of preliminary work for the Sawalkote project, including recommendation of the catchment area plan. The Centre is likely to give a go-ahead soon for the stage I of the two-phased project after issues of picking the agency and reviewing Jammu and Kashmir's demand for a role through a joint venture are settled. The Union territory is keen on getting on board because the project will then create a revenue source for it, the second official said. 'Now that India has put the Indus treaty in abeyance, the country has no obligations under the treaty and it is free to create infrastructure in the Indus rivers on the Indian side,' said Shashi Shekhar, a former Union water resources secretary. Shekhar, as the top water resources bureaucrat then, had recommended the Centre suspend the treaty in 2016, when terrorists had attacked an Indian army base in Kashmir's Uri, killing 18 soldiers. Prior to keeping the water-sharing pact in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, India had been pressing Pakistan to renegotiate the treaty, citing natural changes in the Indus river basin itself, which had diminished India's share amid a rising population. Under the treaty, the ratio of water shared by Pakistan and India stood at 80:20. India had sought a revision in the terms of the treaty bilaterally. According to the Indian side, Pakistan ignored pleas for bilateral renegotiation, and instead moved the World Bank for appointing a neutral expert to address the issues. India then accepted a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank, which had brokered the six-decade-old treaty by formulating its technical aspects, according to the Indian side. However, Pakistan then moved for international arbitration, a step India considers was a serious escalation by Islamabad, without exhausting all available options, according to Indian officials. Since India's decision to suspend the treaty, Pakistan has written four letters to Indian authorities, offering to discuss specific issues, HT had reported last week. India and Pakistan have fought four wars but the treaty had never been paused before. In letters sent to India, Pakistani authorities are learnt to have said that India didn't have powers to unilaterally suspend the treaty and called for resumption of negotiations. In an international conference on glaciers in Dushanbe on May 30, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had raked up the treaty, accusing India of 'weaponising water'.
Business Standard
14 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
IIT Alumni Council Calls for Industry Collaboration to Manufacture Advanced Sustainable Materials at Global Scale
PNN New Delhi [India], June 9: The IIT Alumni Council has invited leading industrial players to collaborate on the mass production of next-generation materials, designed using principles from the semiconductor industry and accelerated by AI-driven platforms. At the heart of this initiative lies the AMAT AI Platform--a foundational large material model under development. Its goal: to replace scarce, expensive elements like lithium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, and indium with earth-abundant alternatives such as coal, thorium, silica, and iron ore. "These projects require significant capital investments--often exceeding Rs10,000 crores," said Ravi Sharma, President and Chief Volunteer, IIT Alumni Council. "They include the design and fabrication of high-throughput process equipment and large-scale manufacturing plants. Our role is to act as a knowledge partner and incubate research startups via our Social Impact Fund. These startups are critical in adapting and refining the core technologies for industrial-scale deployment." Reimagining Materials, Redefining Possibilities: "Materials like carbon and silicon are extremely versatile," explained Mr. Jitendra Singh, Distinguished Fellow, IIT Alumni Council. "Carbon ranges from diamonds to coal, graphene superconductors to carbon insulators--depending on its structure. Silicon, when doped, transforms into a semiconductor. Together, carbon and silicon form silicon carbide, a key candidate for low-cost inverters and devices. We are also exploring zero-gap semiconductors, which could disrupt industries like energy storage, HVAC, and turbine manufacturing through new architectures like high-efficiency thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and Peltier-based cooling systems." A Turning Point in Green Chemistry: "AI's most visible early contribution to materials science is here," added Mr. Shashi Shekhar, environmentalist and former Secretary, Ministry of Water & Ganga Rejuvenation. "When combined with additive manufacturing and Industry 4.0, this opens the door to safe, sustainable, and high-performance materials. These can even replace corroding materials like ToR steel or expensive ones like food-grade stainless steel." Shashi Shekhar, who now serves as Vice Chairman of Acme Group, noted that the Government of India's Green Hydrogen Mission is pushing for decarbonization of the steel industry. "By aligning with the IIT Alumni Council, we plan to develop green steel alloys that are cost-effective, sustainable, and suitable for high-performance applications like additive manufacturing and specialized equipment." Industry Progress and Global Partnerships: Recently, Outokumpu delivered its first batch of specialty powdered stainless steel for 3D printing applications such as heat exchangers and aerospace components. "It's remarkable that the IIT Alumni Council foresaw this trend and began building the ecosystem early--spanning AI-driven material innovation to carbon-free green steel production," said Mr. Y.P.S. Suri, former MD of Outokumpu India and IIT Kharagpur alumnus. "We are entering a new paradigm. I look forward to seeing the world's first process plant built entirely through additive manufacturing." Gratitude to Visionary Contributors: "The development of the AMAT AI Platform wouldn't be possible without the unwavering support of India's top corporations and visionary leaders," said Satish Mehta, Convenor of the IIT Alumni Social Fund. He acknowledged contributions from: Tata Group, Birla Group, Jindal Group, L & T, Reliance, Adani, ArcelorMittal, Ocior, Acme, Coal India, HPCL, among others. He also thanked key members of the National Solar Task Force, including: Padma Shri Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Prof. Juzer Vasi, Prof. Dinesh Kabra, and Prof. Anil Kottanthayil, for their guidance in the context of photovoltaics. A special mention was made for the Distinguished Fellows of the IIT Alumni Council, including: AI Chief Mentor Prof. Jyoti Joglekar and Silicon Valley collaborators Dr. Rohinton Dehmubed and Dr. Milind Kulkarni "Their thousands of hours of effort and deep domain expertise have been instrumental. We thank each one of them." Interested industry partners may write to applications@ on or before June 30, 2025 About IIT Alumni Council IIT Alumni Council is the largest global body of alumni across all the twenty-three IITs. The Council aggregates the technological and philanthropic resources of over 50,000 alumni spread across one hundred city chapters. The IIT Alumni Council aspires to catalyse India's technological renaissance. The Council supported initiatives are funded through the IIT Alumni Social Fund. Council members are aligned with the various mission organisations (social fund, alumni outreach and longevity missions) and mission facilitators (startup incubator, project management & advisory forum and research institute) About IIT Alumni Research Institute IIT Alumni Research Institute is a mission organisation of the IIT Alumni Council. With over 500 distinguished fellows, over 250 industry partners and close to 100 academic partners - the Alumni Research Institute is establishing centres of excellence across twenty identified target industries, covering all the 64 advanced critical technologies.
New Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Indus Waters Treaty to remain in abeyance, need discussion: India
NEW DELHI: The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) will remain in abeyance despite India and Pakistan agreeing to a military truce. India wants political discussions on the IWT to negotiate terms more favourable to its interests, officials said. The 65-year-old treaty was suspended by India following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. The massacre prompted India to conduct precision strikes deep within Pakistan targeting terror camps. 'Ceasefire is military disengagement; this does not meet our demand to re-discuss and renegotiate the treaty in the current context,' a senior official at the Jal Shakti Ministry said on condition of anonymity. The Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) from India and Pakistan have agreed to halt firings and military actions on land, air, and sea, effective from 5 pm on Saturday. Both countries plan to discuss implementation of the ceasefire on May 12 to establish peace along LoC and International Border. 'However, there will be no discussions regarding IWT,' the official said. Experts say India is expected to push Pakistan to renegotiate the treaty given the current context. It aims to address siltation issues that have reduced the effectiveness of water projects. India seeks to construct water storage facilities as permitted under the IWT to hold at least 3.6 million acre-feet of water allocated to it. However, due to Pakistan's objections, India has been unable to initiate new projects to utilise water for its needs. 'The situation will not remain like before on the Indus Waters Treaty,' said Shashi Shekhar, former secretary, Jal Shakti Ministry.
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Troubled waters: Why the Indus treaty matters
India's suspension of the decades-old World Bank-facilitated Indus water treaty with Pakistan could cut large quantity of flows into Pakistan, but this is likely to be a gradual process, depending on what kind of infrastructure projects India might plan in the basin, experts said. On Wednesday, India decided to halt the 1960 water-sharing pact, a day after terrorists killed 25 tourists and one local in Kashmir's Pahalgam, a region famous for its rolling meadows and snow-capped mountains. The treaty governing six rivers that make up the Indus basin had been already strained by differences. Pakistan has objected to India's plans for two hydropower projects. The Indian side has demanded talks to re-negotiate the terms of the 1960 treaty, citing natural changes in the basin itself that have put pressure on its needs for power and drinking, according to Indian authorities. The Indus basin has been shrinking due to lower freshwater outflows, according to Washington-based The Center for Strategic and International Studies. Also Read | India notifies Pakistan about Indus Waters Treaty suspension: 'Breached conditions' While Pakistan has pressed for legal arbitration, India has demanded that matters be resolved through a mutually agreed neutral person. India stepped up pressure in 2016 when terrorists gun downed 19 soldiers at an army base, saying it might withdraw from the pact. On Wednesday, India decided to halt the treaty, a day after gunmen killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam, a region frequented by visitors for its meadows and snow-capped mountains. 'One could see this coming. The Prime Minister had said that water and blood can't flow simultaneously even during previous terror attacks,' said Shashi Shekhar, a former Union water resources secretary who now oversees policy at the World Resources Institute. Also Read | BSF jawan detained by Pakistan Rangers after crossing border inadvertently 'Even otherwise, India has cited several reasons why it wants a re-negotiation of the treaty through mutual discussions.' The former bureaucrat said the treaty has provisions for third-party arbitration to resolve disputes but it is purely a bilateral agreement, which needs the primary parties to be in agreement for its continuation. Its provisions, as India interprets them, require disagreements to be first discussed at a mutual level. India and Pakistan have fought four wars but the treaty had never been paused before, despite disagreements over matters such as visitation rights to monitor compliance in each other's territories by either side, adherence to flow rates, construction of canals and the scope of end-use, including types of water consumption. If India pulls out, there will be no 'hurdles and obligations on India to adhere to provisions governing technical norms on designing and controlling dams or other projects', said PK Saxena, a former commissioner for the treaty. Nuts and bolts The treaty governs the use of the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab— and the eastern rivers — the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej— by both the countries. After nearly a decade of negotiations, India and Pakistan signed the deal on September 19, 1960 in Karachi. It provided for the building of dams, link canals and barrages as per the treaty's terms, paving the way for two of Pakistan's biggest projects, the Tarbela dam on the Indus river and the Mangla dam on the Jhelum. Its key provisions allows the control of seasonal fluctuations in flows through the rivers, creating resources that feed 80% of Pakistan's irrigation networks and allows India to construct projects to avoid acrimony, said Prakash Upadhyay, retired faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. The deal gives India powers to regulate water flows in the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej or the eastern rivers while Pakistan has the authority to manage the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, the western rivers. Pakistan lies downstream of the entire Indus basin. A third of Pakistan's energy depends on hydropower and the Indus rivers are a lifeline for Punjab, the country's bread basket. A unilateral pull-out from the treaty by India can wreak havoc to the neighbour's farming systems, delay sowing, sap power supply and jeopardise food security, analysts said. Nearly 60 million people in Pakistan's plains could also experience severe flooding if India doesn't regulate water flows. 'Indian government wants a renegotiation because changing characteristics of the basin over time have meant that 75-80% of the basin's total utilisable water is now available to Pakistan under the treaty, which is unfair,' an official said, requesting anonymity. Shekhar, the former Union water resources secretary, said India was 'well within its rights to suspend the treaty' because a bilateral treaty exists at the 'pleasure of parties involved'. Under international conventions, lower riparian states do have well-defined rights over cross-border rivers but these are separate from the Indus treaty itself, according to the Upadhyay. India's take The treaty provided for a Permanent Indus Commission or PIC, with one commissioner from each country. A mechanism for resolving disputes was also laid out, which according to India, requires bilateral negotiations first before any escalation, such as a demand for a neutral arbitrator by either country. The two commissioners are required to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan. The 117th sitting of the PIC led by the two Indus commissioners was held on March 1-3 in 2022 in Islamabad, where the Indian side claimed that three major dams — Pakal Dul, Kiru and Lower Kalnai — under construction in India were fully compliant with the treaty and 'Pakistan was provided full technical details in support of its position', according to a statement by the external affairs ministry at the time. In 2017 India completed construction of the Kishanganga dam in Kashmir. It continued work on the Ratle hydroelectric station on the Chenab despite Pakistan's objections. India presented designs of the projects for scrutiny amid negotiations chaperoned by the World Bank, which it said didn't violate any clause of the pact. In September 2024, India announced there would be no more sittings of the PIC until the treaty itself is re-negotiated, alleging that Pakistan was sitting on India's request for talks to specifically address the issue of re-negotiation. Wary Pak Pakistan has asked for a neutral expert to intervene in these matters, which India agreed to until the neighbour called legal arbitration. Pakistan has contended that the technical design of India's hydroelectric plants contravene the treaty, a charge denied by Indian authorities. In October 2022, the World Bank appointed Michel Lino as the neutral expert and Sean Murphy as chairman of the court of arbitration on various disputes. 'One common question that arises in moments like this is whether India can simply 'stop the flow' of water into Pakistan. In the immediate term, the short answer is no. Certainly not at the scale that would make a meaningful dent in flows during the high flow season,' wrote Hassaan F Khan, a Pakistani-origin academic at Tufts University, in Pakistan's Dawn daily on Thursday. In his piece, Hassaan said India will not succeed in diverting large-scale flows to Pakistan immediately. 'Even if India were to coordinate releases across all its existing dams, all it may be able to do is slightly shift the timing of flows.' According to a September 2020 report in the same newspaper, lawmakers in both houses of Pakistan's parliament said India's ambitions were to divert waters away from the neighbour, warning that 'any such act would be seen as an act of war'. The National Security Committee (NSC) in Islamabad on Thursday said 'India has no legal right under the treaty to revoke or review it on its own' and reiterated that India's act constituted an act of war, according to AFP.
