One of the ways, we can contribute towards the environment is by reducing our 'carbon foot print' as an individual, family and/or business. For example one of the things I have resolved to do as part of reducing my own carbon foot print, is to not change my 10 year old car. My cousin (a car enthusiast) says, it's still good for another 200,000kms. I'd be doing this besides using my feet, the bicyle and my motorcycle more often. May be I should also eat a little less.
Alternative Development
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Going beyond just planting a tree once in a long while
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Better quality of life for more
India (and indeed the world at large) needs to move to a new model of economic growth - one that is driven by spreading the access to better quality of life for more people than by the one that focuses on higher levels of private consumption.
Much growth in private consumption in India over the last two decades has only ended up worsening the quality of lives for most. Making them poorer and more deprived.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Don't let the seeds go to waste
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Quality and productivity revolution in agriculture
Over much of the last five decades the world's attention has shifted from it's obsession with volumes in manufacturing towards quality and productivity. And though there has been some movement towards discovering and delivering greater quality of services especially in the west, in general there has been a proliferation of different kinds of services accessible to an ever larger set of people with ever falling standards of service quality (at least that's the experience we have here in India).
But unlike services the consumption of which is discretionary, the obsession with volume in agriculture is leading us towards very serious crisis the world over. Agriculture must move NOW towards productivity and quality (away from the stupid obsession with volumes).
An estimated Rs 56,000 crores worth of agricultural produce is being lost to waste due to improper storage and transportation. Add to this the depletion of assets such as wells (dues to falling water tables) resulting from overuse of ground water. Add to this the waste (not subsidy) at the fertilizer plants (and in the subsequent distribution chain). Add to this the loss from depletion of soil nutrients. Add to this the waste (and corruption) in building irrigation projects. The list goes on and on.
There is an urgent need to apply principles of good management to agriculture. Price discovery, value addition, market access, efficiency, efficacy, asset creation, sustainability, yield, value and so on. This is the direction agriculture WILL have to take.
The question is who will be the pioneers in applying these principles to agriculture? What will be 'that' which triggers this change?
There are three possible ways in which this change could happen-
1. Government policies on agriculture and related sectors driven by public opinion
2. Engagement of the retail and food businesses with the farms driven by consumer preferences
3. Community driven initiatives driven by wider awareness
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Running out of productive capacity
I think the current economic structure will have to undergo restructuring to Build new and additional productive capacity. Much like the runner who failed to reach his objective, must go back and work at building a new level of capacity.
How much growth the next cycle will produce, would depend on how deep this restructuring is.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Hazaroon Khwahishein Aisi...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Don't just focus on quantitative measures
The 11th Plan targets a capacity generation of 78,700 Mw, The12th Plan (starting 2012) projects a capacity addition of 100,000Mw.
And while, the government does talk about a power generation Strategy that focuses on low-cost generation, optimisation of capacity utilisation, controlling input cost, optimising of fuel mix, technology upgradation and utilisation of non-conventional energy sources etc. there seem to be no metrics to measure the performances on these parameters.
Also there seems to be no metrics for generation efficiency, transmission efficiency, usage /utilisation efficiency etc. These measures should supercede the quantum of capacity generation to ensure greater sustainability.