People And Their Problems

New Delhi, 10 March 2007

Power Generation Target

TOWARDS PROMOTING SOLAR ENERGY

By  Radhakrishna Rao

Though India has an enormous renewable energy potential, the current installed capacity of around 8100-MW derived from renewable energy sources including sun, wind and biomass constitute abut 7% of the total installed power generation capacity in the country, even though India is one of the pioneers in utilizing a part of its huge reserve of renewable energy sources.

Against this backdrop, India’s Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources has set an objective of achieving an installed power generation capacity of 10,000 MW from renewable energy sources by 2012.  Of course, the non-polluting and abundantly available solar energy constitutes an important component of the strategy aimed at boosting the popularity of renewable energy sources in India, which are considered both cost effective, local specific and non-polluting.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has decided to install 10- million metres of solar collectors during the Eleventh Plan period. As it is, the Plan would involve installing solar heaters in about 3.5 million individual houses in the country. In addition, industrial units and commercial establishments spread across the country would also be covered under the solar energy popularization programme.

As envisaged now, this ambitious programme, when implemented in full, is expected to result in peak saving about 5,000 MW in addition to abatement of 7.5 million tonnes of highly polluting carbon di oxide emissions annually.

Union Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Vilas Muttemwar points out that the availability of solar energy for upto 300 days a year in various parts of India is a major positive factor for going ahead with the popularization of solar energy devices in the country. He drives home the point that India has a total potential for generating about 200,000 MW energy from non-conventional energy sources.

Meanwhile, there is growing conviction that inexpensive and flexible solar cells could help avert the looming energy crisis haunting the humanity. For right at the moment, the technology for designing and developing solar energy gadgets continues to be far from economically viable and as such the current thrust is on refining and upgrading the technology to the level at which it would be possible to develop inexpensive solar cells.

For decades, solar cell researchers have tried to develop cheaper alternatives to silicon. For instance the US-based Konark Technologies has come out with a technology appropriate for developing inexpensive and easy to carry solar energy devices. Konark plans to join hands with the multi-national Siemens for taking some critical steps towards changing how we think about harvesting energy from the sun who has been glorified in the Hindu spiritual literature as a “powerhouse of inexhaustible energy”.

Interestingly, a couple of years ago, Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam became the first global citizen to get two refrigerator-cum-vaccine coolers, totally powered by the sun. This solar chill uses a breakthrough technology aimed at making the process of refrigeration accessible even to the remotest parts of the world and hence help several social causes such as vaccination projects for polio eradication.

This device was developed by Rajendra Shinde who as the head of the Ozone Action Unit of the Nairobi-based United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was keen on engineering a solar power driven chilling device with a view to reduce the emission of green house gases responsible for global warming. In fact, the idea of developing such an innovative cooling system struck him during a bus ride in the poverty stricken African country of Burkina Faso in 2000.

Looking out of the bus window at the children of the rural poor and thinking about their fragile health, it occurred to me that the plenty of sunshine does not mean plenty of health. I thought that if we could develop vaccine cooler that uses solar energy abundantly available there, it will be an environmentally perfect product” quipped Shinde.

All said and done, the energy efficiency of the currently available solar photovoltaic system which convert sun light into electricity is rather low at around 7-17%. If the efficiency of the solar photovoltaic could be pushed up further, it could lead to a drastic fall in the cost of energy generation.  As such efforts are on to use materials like thin films and gallium arsenide in place of silicon for solar energy devices.

Of course, some experimental solar photo voltaic cells now convert nearly 40% of the solar energy into electricity. The cost of production is quite high due to the high price of silicon crystals. Of course, research efforts are underway for engineering new and cost effective fabrication techniques. In India state owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Central Electronics Ltd. (CEL) are in the forefront of engineering and producing devices meant for exploiting the solar energy.

As it is, the solar photovoltaic power system developed by BHEL have been pressed into service in various locations of India---from 30 KWP supply to data collection platform at Leh in Jammu and Kashmir to 10 KWP hybrid power plant at Lakshadweep island in the Arabian sea to photovoltaic system for offshore platforms and for railway signaling panel interlocking and microwave repeater stations.

A recent success story of the BHEL’s solar energy system was in Mousuni island in West Bengal where the country’s largest solar power plant is in operation. Designed, manufactured and commissioned by BHEL, the 105 KWP plant has changed in many ways the lives of the islander who had for long been deprived of the benefits of electricity. This solar energy plant caters to individual houses, schools, street lights and waterpumps.

Interestingly, the BHEL has also supplied space grade solar cells for the satellites designed and developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) The Bangalore-based TATA BP Solar is a major player in the solar water heater systems.

Meanwhile, the New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has warned that if India fails to speed up and augment the use of renewable energy sources, India’s import of costly and highly polluting fossil fuels would continue as usual. “The country needs to undertake all possible options on the demand and supply side simultaneously to reduce total energy requirements as well as diversity its fuel resources mix”, says the TERI study. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

People And Their Problems

New Delhi, 3 March 2007   

       Coal Vision-2025

CENTRAL PLAN TO BOOST PRODUCTION

By Dhurjati Mukherjee

The coal sector is destined to receive lot of attention in the coming years and Coal India Ltd. (CIL) would invest Rs. 15,600 crores to increase production to 521 million from the present 363 million during the Eleventh Plan period (2007-12). An additional Rs. 8,000 crores would also be invested under the Coal Vision-2025 for coal beneficiation up to 2025 while the investment during the Eleventh Plan would also be quite substantial, according to Dasari Narayan Rao, Union Minister of State for Coal.

In the Integrated Energy Policy, the demand projection made for coal for the year 2031-32 was about 2500 million tonnes as against the expected demand of 473 million tonnes during 2006-07. The Government has decided to increase production from underground mines and the production target has been increased to 75 million tonnes by 2011-12 (from the earlier projection 54 million tonnes) through induction of latest technology and collaborative ventures. Moreover, coal production from captive mines would also increase from 15 million tonnes to 105 million tonnes during the Eleventh Plan.

The demand for washed coal has inspired CIL to set up washeries under the Build & Operate (B&O) concept where private companies with core competence in state-of-the-art coal washing would be encouraged to set up such units. Only washed coal would be supplied to various categories of consumers other than the pithead power plants. A time frame and a detailed plan in this regard would be formulated by CIL. 

As is well known, India ranks third amongst the coal-producing countries of the world. Through a sustained programme of investment and greater thrust on application of modern technologies, it has been possible to raise production of coal from a mere 70 million tonnes at the time of nationalization in the early 70s to over 400 million tonnes presently. Most of the coal produced in India comes from open-pit mines, contributing over 80 per cent of the total production.

It is a well-known fact the country has rich coal reserves and extensive exploration carried out by the Geological Survey of India and other agencies down to a depth of 1200m have estimated 245.69 billion tonnes of coal resources. The coal resources are available in sedimentary rocks of older Gondwana formations of peninsular India and younger tertiary formations of the Northern/North-Eastern hilly region. The States with high coal resources (including proved, indicated and inferred) are Jharkhand, Orissa and Chattisgarh.  

With increasing trend towards industrialization, power requirement has gone up considerably and is likely to increase further in the coming years. Coal is obviously the most important source of energy though in recent times alternatives are being explored. About 70 per cent of coal is consumed in the power sector and the rest in industries such as steel, cement, fertilizers paper etc.

In the transport sector, however, direct consumption of coal by Railways is going down on account of phasing out of steam locomotives. To cope with the increasing demand for coal, there is an imperative need to gear up production and productivity.

The present demand of 445 million tonnes of coal per annum is expected to go up to 1260 million tonnes by 2025. And the Government is poised to take necessary steps to increase coal production to meet the demands in steel, power and cement industries with an expected increase of 150 million tonnes per annum.

It is a well known fact that coal will continue to be the leader in meeting the energy needs of the country and obviously is the focus of attention as the power sector has been growing at the rate of 5 per cent per year. To keep up this momentum, the Coal India has been stressing the need for adoption of modern technology, as open cast reserves may not last for more than 50-60 years.

According to CIL sources, the following areas of research are being given major thrust for advancement of technology: CBM resource assessment and recovery techniques suitable for Indian conditions, including technology for commercial utilization; underground coal and lignite gasification of deposits, which are not techno-economically amenable to conventional mining methods; hard roof management for underground mines by establishing technologies like hydro-fracturing or safe blasting with explosives or non-explosive materials; trials of suitable mining methods for sleep and thick seams; detection and mapping of old and unapproachable workings; wireless multimedia communication for underground mines; and dry beneficiation of coal and improvement in fine coal recovery techniques.

Apart from this, modern IT tools as also R&D efforts to achieve technology adoption, adaptation and assimilation, particularly to suit Indian conditions, and achieve process efficiency and consistency are also being implemented. In tune with the Vision Statement-2020, prepared by the Union Ministry of Mines, already some positive developments have taken place, but safer and more conformable automation of increasing number of tasks and application of computer technology would become necessary in the foreseeable future.  

Technological innovations in the mining industry, and especially in the coal sector is indeed vital for achieving the production growth and meeting the demands of the country. At the first Asian Mining Congress held in 2005, the efficacy of longwall mining and its success in major coal producing countries like China, USA, Australia and South Africa made experts acclaim this technology. In a remarkable presentation, the authors (Dr S.K. Sarkar and Prof. A. K. Ghosh) had rightly pointed out that in spite of the failure of longwall mining in India, the ground realities have changed over time and this would be the preferred option in many locales.

Mention may be made of factors such as locales being at high depth where open casting is not possible and any variant of bord and pillar mining is not feasible, steady rise in labour rates over the years and lack of interaction between foreign agencies instrumental in executing the longwall programme and Indian scientific institutes. However, recently the Longwall Powered Supports have been introduced in a limited scale 

At such a juncture, many developing countries like China, India, Mongolia and Iran who greatly benefited from technological innovations in the mining industry have the potential to further surge ahead in the coming years through tie-ups with the advanced countries and also among themselves.

As regards coal is concerned, the Government has expressed its intention for 100 per cent foreign direct investment in the sector to meet the increasing needs. Moreover, experts are also examining the existing bottlenecks and obstacles to tap resources to advanced technological means, which are vital for increasing coal output.

India is endowed with rich mineral deposits but the pace of industrial growth has necessitated development of modern mining technology to explore more yields of iron ore, bauxite, copper and chromites apart from coal and lignite. It is expected that sustained research would yield better results, leading to higher production and productivity of coal, so as to keep pace with the projected 9 per cent growth this year.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

People And Their Problems

New Delhi, 24 February 2007

Global Warming Worries

Dimension Of Water Crisis

By Radhakrishna Rao

A recent report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) points out the possibility of progressively declining rainfall and fast depleting snow in the mountain ranges by 2030.  India is worried that the water crisis arising out of the global warming could adversely affect the food yield in the country.  According to researchers, a two degree increase in surface air temperature would mean a fall in yields between 4% and 34% by mid-21^st century.

The well-documented report highlights the fact that small land holders and subsistence farmers are likely to suffer complex, localized impact of climate change. In the ultimate analysis crops like sorghum and millet could be at the greatest risk, both from drop in productivity and loss in crop genetic diversity.

As experts point out, agriculture irrigation demand in arid and-semi arid regions of Asia is expected to increase by 10% for a temperature increase by one degree centigrade.  Whether the affected countries could be able to meet the growing demand for water for the farm sector, none is sure as yet.

Meanwhile, a recent report compiled by the Stockholm-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI) states that the growing demand for irrigation to produce food and bio-fuels is likely to aggravate scarcity of water. “One in three people is enduring one form or another form of water scarcity” says IWMI.  Going ahead the report observed, “conquering hunger and coping with an estimated 3-billion extra people by 2050 will result in about 80% increase in water use for agriculture on rain-fed and irrigated land”.

Interestingly, water resources management expertise opine that solutions for such a problem include helping poor countries in Africa and Asia to grow more food with available fresh water via simple, low cost measures in a shift from past policies that favoured expensive dams or canals. Prof. C.H. Hanumantha Rao, a well-known agriculture economist drives home the point that there is an immediate need to regulate water usage by involving local communities in the water management. He advocated immediate, stringent measures to conserve water in order to avoid a major water crisis in the future.

According to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), progress in meeting the water needs of the world in the years ahead would depend on a shift from what the FAO calls, “a culture of supply management”. Says the FAO: “While the specific objective is to provide a more reliable and adequate water supply for crops, proper management of water resources will always have significant impact on economic activities, environmental processes and people’s health”. 

Indeed, the FAO stresses that the environmental concerns must be a part of the modernization in water use and management. Clearly and apparently, extraction from rivers and the construction of irrigation infrastructure invariably displaces natural wetlands, which are highly productive components of agro-ecological systems.

Abundant and sustained availability of fresh water is vital for industrial and economic growth, as well as for the well-being of the community. However, uneven distribution of water resources due to a combination of climatic and geological factors makes for water deficient and water surplus areas within a country.  Indeed, as water resources experts point out, transfer of water from surplus zones to deficit zones in an environmentally-sustainable and economically-viable manner holds the key to ending the cycle of droughts and famines haunting many parts of the country with recurring regularity.

Studies carried out by various agencies show that in the past 35 years, water table has come down to as much as 30-60 metres in several parts of India.  In particular, the green revolution Punjab has witnessed the decline in water table by around 30 metres on account of the sinking of around a million tubewells. At this rate, the Washington-based think tank, World Health Institute warns that underground aquifers in India could go dry by 2025.

On the other hand, in the coastal State of Gujarat, sea water incursion and increase in salinity level in several areas have made water unfit for human consumption. Indeed, studies by the IWMI point out that a large part of the western and peninsular India is all set to face a serious water crisis in the coming 25 years. According to the IWMI studies, marginal and small farmers operate only 15% of India’s total farmland but are saddled with 73% of the abandoned tube wells due to lower water tables and higher energy costs.

As it is, ground water continues to support more than half of the country’s irrigated farmland. Inefficient use of irrigated water leads to low water productivity even in crops that have higher water use efficiency.  Sunita Narain, Director of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) advocates water harvesting as an important tool to manage water scarcity. The thesis of the World Bank is that tubewells play an important role in preventing social conflicts and political upheavals over water in India.

A study by John Briscose, a water resources expert with the World Bank, observes that urbanization and changing patterns of cropping are putting severe pressure on the fast declining ground water table in the country. He is of the view that investment in water infrastructure will provide some respite to the excessive exploitation of the ground water resources.

The water usage trend, Briscose said, suggests that while irrigation from underground aquifers has gone up, canal irrigation has not made much headway. The future, he observes, will also witness major transformation in the way public water services are provided to the farmers, households and industries.  Briscose also points out that issues concerning water entitlement, financial sustainability, accounts and regulation will assume importance in the days ahead.

Clearly and apparently, the World Bank report forecasts that India might face a turbulent future in so far as water availability is concerned.  Unless drastic changes are made and made soon, the way in which the Government manages water, India will have neither the cash to maintain and build a new infrastructure nor the water required for the economy and the people” says the World Bank study. The study highlights in a very clear cut manner that failure of India to build sufficient water storage capacity will prove to be undoing of the country.

While the rich countries have built over 5000 cubic metres per capita storage capacity, the middle income countries like Mexico and China have a per capita capacity to store 100 cubic metres of water. In contrast, the Indian water storage capacity per capita is at a low of 200 cubic metres. As such the World Bank argues that the role of the State must change from that of a builder and controller to the creator of enabling environment for the water supply system. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

People And Their Problems

New Delhi, 17 February 2007

New Dawn For India

NREG: BOON TO RURAL AREAS

By T.D. Jagadesan

Ever since the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre launched the ambitious National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) Scheme in 200 districts across the country covering 27 States, the ground realities point to conspicuous changes in the life of the rural poor. As of now, 1.36 crore people have been provided employment out of 1.40 crore who have demanded. In all, 3,663 lakh persons  have been provided employment under the programme, about which the President and the Prime Minister are most enthusiastic.

As many as 3,41,543 works have been taken up under the scheme in 85,000 panchayats.  Most of the works under the Scheme aim at upgrading rural infrastructure by reviving local ponds, creating water harvesting facilities and other such beneficial activities. The Scheme has fired the imagination of not only the languishing poor, but also the farmers.

In fact, the Scheme is opening up more job opportunities for the rural masses by upgrading essential infrastructure that holds the key to the people’s economic empowerment against mounting demand for jobs. The things would doubtlessly change for the better when the Centre extends the Scheme for all the 583 districts in the country within the stipulated deadline of five years. Seeing the usefulness and popularity of the scheme, the State Governments are already demanding the extension of NREG to more districts.

As of now, over 3,51,80,105 applications have been received for registration for employment under the Scheme in 27 States and 2,78,87,411 job cards have been issued.  The growth trend is significant when compared to the position in May 2006 when 2,44,77,877 applications for registration were received and 1,70,89,915 job cards were issued.  What is worth nothing is the shrinking gap between the demand for employment and the jobs provided. The latest figure suggests that 1.40 crore registrants asked for employment out of which 1.36 crore persons have been provided with jobs.  There is hardly any gap between the demand for employment and the availability of jobs.

Under the NREG Act, the job card is a legal document that entitles a person to ask for work and should get the same within 15 days of the demand.  If employment is not provided within the stipulated period, he is entitled to daily unemployment allowance in cash. In 2005-2006 the Union Ministry released Rs.2,367.56 crore to 27 States where the Scheme is being implemented. For the current year, 50 per cent of the funds allocated under NREG have been released to the States and half of the released funds have been utilized.

A review report of the Scheme by the Union Ministry in April had identified the problem in issuing the job cards and shortage of registration forms at the gram panchayat level. Now, there are no such problems at all. As a result, the Scheme is set to reach 1,65,70,504 people below the poverty line in 200 NREG districts.

The break-up of 200 districts identified by the Planning Commission being covered in the first phase is: Bihar 23, Jharkhand 20, M.P. 18, Maharashtra 12, Uttar Pradesh 22, West Bengal 10, Uttaranchal 13, Tamil Nadu 6, Tripura 1, Sikkim 1, Rajasthan 6, Punjab 1, Mizoram 2, Meghalaya 2, Manipur 1, Kerala 2, Karnataka 5, J&K 3, H.P. 2, Haryana 2, Gujarat 6, Chhattisgarh 11, Assam 7, Arunachal Pradesh 1, Andhra Pradesh 13 and Orissa 19.  Union Rural Development Ministry has proposed Rs.16,419 crore for NREG in 200 districts.

Notified in February 2006, the NREG Act aims at securing livelihood of the people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of employment in a financial year to a rural household.  Under the Scheme, every registrant eligible for job is given a job card that entitles him to ask for work under the NREG Act and get the same within 15 days of the demand for work.  If employment is not provided within 15 days to a person, he is entitled to daily unemployment allowance in cash.  Under the Act, Gram Sabha would recommend works, and Gram Panchayat would execute at least 50 per cent of works.

Though a recent review found as many as 12-13 States wanting in utilizing the funds under the NREG Scheme, repeated reminders and queries from the Union Rural Development Ministry under Raghuvansh Prasad Singh have shown inffective results.  These States are Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

After the review of implementation process in these States, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had found the pace of utilization of funds in these States as below average.  The Ministry had released Rs.205 lakh to these States for imparting training to NREG’s functionaries. So far, the expenditure on the NREG in all States has been 30.94 per cent against a total availability of Rs.6,048 crore.

The latest break-up of works undertaken in different States includes Andhra Pradesh, 47,156, Assam 4,065, Bihar 21,918, Chhattisgarh 11,177, Gujarat 2,970, Himachal Pradesh 3,744, Jammu and Kashmir 1,102, Jharkhand 23,261, Karnataka 7,321, Madhya Pradesh 1,23,313, Orissa 27,826, Punjab 1,153, Rajasthan 14,467, Tamil Nadu, 3782, Uttaranchal 2,685, Tripura 1,399, Uttar Pradesh 31,797, and West Bengal 11,350. The women account for over 42 per cent jobs in the NREG; SC beneficiaries are estimated to be over 23 per cent and ST beneficiaries around 43 per cent.

As per the Census 2001, there are 5,40,08,069 rural households in all the 27 States where the NREG scheme is being implemented, out of which an estimated 1,65,70,504 families are living below the poverty line.  Hence, a scheme like NREG is the need of hour to address the economic constraints of such a huge population in sustainable manner.

Since the response to the scheme by all account is overwhelming, there is no denying the fact that NREG is going down well with the target groups in rural areas. In Andhra Pradesh, 43,80,650 registrants have been issued the job cards, whereas in Bihar 17,21,655 persons have been issued the job cards against the applications of 26,06,450 for registration.

The major States where the job cards have been issued to all the genuine registrants include Chhattisgarh 16,80,902, Gujarat 6,11,026, Jharkhand 1,04,239, M.P. 43,81,801, Maharashtra 10,94,659, Orissa 22,61,284, Rajasthan 14,23,013, Tamil Nadu 20,83,205, Uttar Pradesh 30,01,818 and West Bengal 34,14,961.

It is amply clear that more and more people are coming forward to use the NREG opportunity to get themselves economically empowered. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)