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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Scientists' direct interaction with farmers will spark new revolution: U.P. CM
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the state government has decided to take research of the scientists from laboratory to the agriculture field under Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan. 'The scientists working in laboratories, agricultural universities, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras will go into the fields to work directly with farmers and help tackle agricultural challenges,' he said while launching the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan in the state here. 'The agricultural scientists will not only carry out research in laboratories but will also visit farms and interact with farmers. This will lead to a new revolution in the agriculture sector. The work being done in research centres should be clearly visible on the ground,' the CM said. The campaign will run from May 29 to June 12. 'The unpredictable weather can affect production. Good seeds planted on time can yield good crop but even a month's delay can reduce output by up to 30%. It is important to spread awareness among farmers to ensure they get the right seeds at the right time,' Yogi added. 'To bridge the gap between farmers in west U.P. and other regions, the state government has expanded ₹4,000 crore World Bank-funded project to 28 districts in the Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, and Vindhya regions,' the CM added. He expressed gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for initiating the important step. 'Agriculture will be the foundation for realising PM Modi's vision of a developed India. Agricultural scientists, officials of the agriculture department, and farmers involved in horticulture, farming, dairy and fisheries will provide modern information about farming,' he said. 'As part of this innovative initiative, scientists will study the climatic zones based on geographical and social conditions and will also inform farmers about how early and late seed varieties affect production,' Yogi added. 'In the past eight years, the double-engine government in Uttar Pradesh has actively worked to improve the lives of farmers. The state has immense potential in agriculture as it holds about 10%–11% of the country's cultivable land but contributes around 22%–23% of India's total food grain production,' he said. Lashing out at the previous governments, the CM said the farmers were never a priority on their agenda. 'Agriculture is top priority on PM Modi's agenda. Over the past 11 years, the agriculture sector in India has seen major changes,' the CM said. 'The farmers are being connected with modern technology. In 2014–15, wheat prices was below ₹1,000 per quintal, but today the MSP is ₹2,425. Some farmers have even sold wheat for ₹2,800 per quintal in the market. It is a clear evidence of the positive changes in farmers' lives,' Yogi said. 'The irrigation facilities have significantly improved in Uttar Pradesh. Over 15 lakh farmers have received free connections for their individual tube wells. The state government deposits ₹2,500 crore each year to support the scheme,' he added.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
963cr granted for flood-control measures in Kolhapur & Sangli
Kolhapur: The Maharashtra Resilient Development Programme (MRDP), a World Bank-funded initiative for flood management in the Krishna-Bhima river basins, has received administrative approval of Rs 963 crore from the state revenue department, said Rajesh Kshirsagar, Shiv Sena MLA and executive president of the State Planning Commission. At a recent event in Ichalkaranji, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that MRDP tenders would be issued within a fortnight. Kshirsagar, who is also the vice-chairman of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), announced on Sunday that the MRDP implementation would take place in two stages, with the latter phase focusing on redirecting floodwater to Marathwada and drought-affected regions. "The MRDP project took concrete shape when Eknath Shinde was the CM. The funding comprises 70% from the World Bank and 30% from state govt. The first phase, for which administrative approval has been given, includes improving drainage systems in municipal areas, increasing the depth and width of rivers and streams through the water resources department, desilting, and converting the automated gates of Radhanagari dam to manual operation," said Kshirsagar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo World Bank officials visited Kolhapur, Ichalkaranji, and Sangli Miraj Kupwad municipal corporations, inspecting flood-prone areas and assessing preparedness measures. They also inspected the Radhanagari dam featuring automatic gates that operate at 100% capacity. "Currently, administrative approval has been granted for works worth approximately Rs 963 crore, including setting up drainage systems in municipal areas, appointing consultants, and establishing project management and technical consultancy units for the project implementation unit," said Kshirsagar. Kolhapur: The Maharashtra Resilient Development Programme (MRDP), a World Bank-funded initiative for flood management in the Krishna-Bhima river basins, has received administrative approval of Rs 963 crore from the state revenue department, said Rajesh Kshirsagar, Shiv Sena MLA and executive president of the State Planning Commission. At a recent event in Ichalkaranji, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that MRDP tenders would be issued within a fortnight. Kshirsagar, who is also the vice-chairman of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), announced on Sunday that the MRDP implementation would take place in two stages, with the latter phase focusing on redirecting floodwater to Marathwada and drought-affected regions. "The MRDP project took concrete shape when Eknath Shinde was the CM. The funding comprises 70% from the World Bank and 30% from state govt. The first phase, for which administrative approval has been given, includes improving drainage systems in municipal areas, increasing the depth and width of rivers and streams through the water resources department, desilting, and converting the automated gates of Radhanagari dam to manual operation," said Kshirsagar. World Bank officials visited Kolhapur, Ichalkaranji, and Sangli Miraj Kupwad municipal corporations, inspecting flood-prone areas and assessing preparedness measures. They also inspected the Radhanagari dam featuring automatic gates that operate at 100% capacity. "Currently, administrative approval has been granted for works worth approximately Rs 963 crore, including setting up drainage systems in municipal areas, appointing consultants, and establishing project management and technical consultancy units for the project implementation unit," said Kshirsagar.
Business Recorder
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Austerity for people, exceptions for state
EDITORIAL: In a country where every budget cycle tightens the noose on the ordinary citizen, the procurement of 179 vehicles — 15 of them fully bulletproof — by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) under the guise of reform is a stark reminder of how austerity in Pakistan has long been a one-way street. The Planning Commission's call for a review of the Rs2.2 billion vehicle expenditure under the FBR's World Bank-funded Revenue Raises Project should not only be heeded, but broadened into a wider inquiry into why austerity only ever applies to the governed, never the governors. The economic rationale of the Revenue Raises Project is hard to dispute on paper. A benefit-cost ratio ranging from 42 to 70, and an internal rate of return from 130 percent to 195 percent, are impressive metrics by any standard. But such numbers risk becoming academic if they come to justify unchecked spending cloaked in reformist language. The Planning Commission is right to question how these 179 vehicles — procured without clear specifications and at an average unit cost of Rs12.5 million — fit into the broader framework of the government's self-declared austerity drive. Even the Finance Division, usually content to toe the fiscal line, has signalled concern. The FBR has defended the procurement, citing the operational demands of varied terrains and the anti-smuggling mandate of its digital enforcement units. But here lies the problem: the state's definition of 'essential' is elastic — rarely subject to the same rigour or sacrifice demanded of the citizenry. Bulletproof vehicles and state-of-the-art tracking systems are evidently easier to justify than trimming allowances or merging redundant bureaucracies. This tone-deaf spending is all the more jarring when set against the backdrop of an economy in distress. Pakistan's tax-to-GDP ratio remains stuck at around 10 percent, far below the Asia-Pacific average. A staggering 64 percent of economic activity remains undocumented. Small businesses incur high compliance costs, while the cash-to-GDP ratio remains abnormally high at 28 percent, compared to India's 18 percent and Bangladesh's 17 percent. The structural tax reforms demanded by the IMF have already been extracted from the public through higher levies, indirect taxes, and repeated rounds of inflationary adjustment. Meanwhile, the state apparatus continues to grow in scale and insulate itself from shared sacrifice. The Planning Commission's observations go beyond procurement excesses. It has rightly flagged the need to rationalise tax procedures, simplify the levy structure, and accelerate digitisation. These are the reforms that can make tax collection more efficient and equitable. The irony, however, is that a project purportedly aimed at achieving precisely these goals now risks becoming a textbook example of bureaucratic overreach and resource misallocation. The FBR's vision is not without merit. Mobile tax facilitation units, ICT upgrades, and harmonisation efforts with provincial tax authorities are all welcome steps. But these goals do not require fleets of high-end vehicles and bulletproof assets as their delivery mechanism. Reform cannot be used as cover for profligacy. Nor should the promise of long-term efficiency gains grant a carte-blanche today. The government's credibility on austerity is already threadbare. Each new commitment to fiscal discipline is followed by exceptions for politically connected departments, elite bureaucracies, or strategic pet projects. Until this pattern is broken — until austerity is practised at the top as stringently as it is enforced at the bottom — public trust in reform efforts will continue to erode. The Planning Commission has done its job in raising a red flag. What remains to be seen is whether anyone in government has the political will to act on it. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Bengaluru rain: Siddaramaiah announces Rs 5 lakh for kin of woman who died in wall collapse
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday announced Rs 5 lakh in compensation for the relatives of a woman who died in a flood-related incident in Bengaluru. Shashikala, a 35-year-old housekeeping employee, died after the compound wall of the IT firm she worked at collapsed on her following heavy rain. Siddaramaiah announced this as he and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar visited flood-hit regions in the evening. They will hold city rounds for the entire day on May 21 to visit the flood-hit areas, it was announced. Complaints will then be received from those who have been affected by the floods, Siddaramaiah said. The flooding was caused by intense spells of rainfall over consecutive days. The chief minister attributed the floods to encroachment of storm-water drains and the low depth of drains, coupled with silt formation. 'The city corporation (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) was issued several directions to clear them. However, the work was still ongoing,' he said. Noting that retaining walls were constructed for 491 km of the 859.9 km of storm-water drains in the city, Siddaramaiah said that work was in progress on 195 km. In addition, storm-water drains of 173 km are being constructed under a Rs 2,000-crore World Bank-funded project, he added. In the city, 210 low-lying areas were identified as flood-prone. Of these, issues of 166 areas were addressed. With the completion of work in 44 more areas, flooding will be reduced, Siddaramaiah said.
Express Tribune
18-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
World Bank-funded project cost doubles after revision
The government has made the third revision in the troubled World Bank-funded Pakistan Raises Revenue project and almost doubled the cost to $150 million to upgrade technology and also to procure 179 vehicles, including bullet-proof cars. In rupee terms, the cost was increased from the original price tag of Rs12.5 billion to Rs40.8 billion — a surge of 226% in addition to giving two years' extension in its completion period. The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Thursday referred the project to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), said a statement issued by the Planning Ministry on Friday. The CDWP also expanded the scope of Punjab Chief Minister Laptop scheme and increased its cost by 170% to Rs27 billion. The Investment Projects Financing (IPF) component of Pakistan Raises Revenue Project worth Rs40.8 billion was referred to Ecnec for further consideration. The Planning Ministry said the project will be financed through a World Bank loan. The revised project focuses on modernizing the Federal Board of Revenue's (FBR) infrastructure through the replacement of outdated hardware, deployment of a private cloud, updated software licensing, and enhanced connectivity for field formations. The project documents stated that an amount of Rs2.2 billion has been allocated for procurement of 179 vehicles of different makes at the unit cost of Rs12.5 million for Digital Enforcement Units. These include 15 bullet-proof vehicles. The government had taken a $400 million loan in the name of Pakistan Raises Revenue. Out of which, $80 million had been allocated for hardware upgrading. Now this component has been increased to $150 million. The ministry stated that the FBR's requirements have substantially changed as a result of organization-wide thrust to adopt information and communication technology (ICT) based solutions for its core operations and facilitation of taxpayer, as envisaged under the FBR Transformation Roadmap 2024. The concept clearance proposal of the programme was approved in 2019. Ecnec in 2020 approved the original project at a total cost of Rs12.6 billion. Later on, the first revision of the project was approved by Ecnec in its meeting held in 2023 at a total cost of Rs21.5 billion. Now, the cost is Rs40.8 billion. The project documents underlined that based on discussions and understanding between the FBR and the World Banks's team during Mid-Term Review (MTR) mission aide memoire, the project has been restructured for including additional funding therefore scope of the project has been revised. There are certain changes in implementation strategies for achieving the programme's objectives and goals. The additional funds will be utilized to meet the requirements. These include piloting Mobile Tax Facilitation Services, initiatives for improved taxpayer compliance, establishing forum for technical consultations with provincial tax authorities on tax harmonization, staff capacity building, backup power equipment up-gradation and control rooms, it added. The project has been restructured on instruction of the prime minister and discussions and understanding between the FBR and World Bank's team during the Mid-Term Review mission aide memoire. The FBR had also conducted an inquiry report for identifying external reasons. The delay was because of non-award of contract under original project, lack of adequate rupee cover allocations as a main hindrance in procurement during last three years and the PM's directive to revise PC-I of Pakistan Raises Revenue to include components of the FBR Transformation Plan falling within scope of the project. But the Planning Ministry stated in its comments that these risks should have been catered in the risk mitigation strategy of the project and could have been managed by the project authority. The Planning Ministry recommended fixing the responsibility for the inability to mitigate these risks to complete the project as per its approved scope and time period. The revised project is also aimed at rolling out a Single Sales Tax Return system, development of Data Warehousing and BI tools, and digital transformation of value chains, the components that do not require any foreign loan. The project supports faceless assessments, border technology upgrades, and capacity building through training, expert panels, and IT enhancements, along with business process automation and risk management frameworks, according to the Planning Ministry. The Punjab CM Laptop Scheme worth Rs27 billion was referred to Ecnec for further consideration. The project is funded by the government of Punjab and will be completed by October this year. The project aims to distribute laptops to approximately 112,000 students currently enrolled in public sector educational institutions across Punjab with the final number subject to revised allocations. Targeting students in BS, MS, MBBS, and Engineering programmes, the selection will follow criteria approved by the Steering Committee and be based on verified student data from respective institutions. This initiative seeks to digitally empower students, enhance access to educational resources, reduce socio-economic disparities, and promote equal opportunities. It also aims to foster collaboration with the local ICT industry, support economic growth and entrepreneurship, and invest in human capital by equipping students with the skills needed to compete globally and regionally. To qualify for the laptop, the public sector universities and colleges students should get a minimum of 65% marks in intermediate exams. For public sector medical and dental colleges and universities minimum of 80% marks in intermediate are required. Students must not be a recipient of any laptop from PM laptop programme or any government laptop scheme.
