Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Health Development

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/artificial-intelligence-ai-and-health-developmentpptx/267268794 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education Development

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/artificial-intelligence-ai-and-education-developmentpptx/267250874 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Infrastructure Development

 https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/artificial-intelligence-ai-and-infrastructure-developmentpptx/267239300

Creating Liveable Cities

Urban areas are fast becoming hellish. Too much of crowd, too little resources and too far from satisfaction. Incompetent administrators coupled with corruption is contributing for this mess. Despite announcing Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission there is not much of progress in the Indian cities. Crores of rupees are invested in shining advertisements about the shining cities. But in reality all the Indian cities are suffering. Each city should have a group of visionaries and stakeholders to develop into clean and liveable city. Without such group of people striving towards cities development none of the Indian cities will be liked by their own people and outsiders.

Varun Gandhi writes in The Times of India on 29 October 2013


India is a reluctant urbaniser. The Indian city is chaotic, unclean and unsafe. Lothal, Pataliputraand Ujjain were once cosmopolitan centres, planned around commerce and geography. Bad planning and governance scarred our cities, with the middle class driven away by rigid ideology, massive migration and industrial tension. Urban planning remains a farce. 

We face a magnified situation today. In 20 years, 590 million of us will live in 5,000 cities and about 400 urban agglomerations, with little institutional and administrative machinery. According to the UN, 309 million internal migrants will swamp these centres working in temporary professions, while facing a denial of basic public services. We lack 19 million urban houses, offering an average water supply of just three hours, with urban sanitation provided to just 37%. 

Journey times in our cities could fall to just 6-8 kmph with a concomitant rise in pollution, far beyond WHO standards. The tilt towards tier I cities will lead to bad governance and "elite capture", with little exposure to state development schemes and private sectorinvestments in tier II and III cities. Agricultural and forest land will continue to be lost to development projects, characterised by poor urban infrastructure and weak democratic institutions. Our polity lies imperilled. 

Urbanisation can be managed. According to McKinsey, we need $1.2 trillion of capital investments over the next two decades, with our road and subway network requiring a 20-fold expansion. The rate of job creation needs to be accelerated, reskilling the urban poor with provision of basic public services and financial inclusion. Our urbanisation strategy needs to be focussed on five key elements - inclusive governance, urban planning, local financing, capa-city building and smart cities. 

Urban governance is shackled, with limited fiscal autonomy and rampant rent-seeking behaviour. Planning Commission suggested the transfer of all 18 functions identified in the 74th constitutional amendment to urban local bodies (ULBs). An independent utility regulator is needed, to monitor and adjudicate disputes on public service quality and pricing, with a published Citizens' Charter containing comprehensive information on guaranteed public service quality levels. 

An elected and empowered mayor and a metropolitan system with single-point accountability for all urban localities is needed, providing unified authorities for transport, water supply and sanitation. We need Lokayuktas at a locality level to challenge bureaucratic incompetency. 

Financing this sounds steep, but need not be. Municipal finance needs to be strengthened, with access to land monetisation and municipal bonds ring-fenced with city development funds. At least 25% of GST and all property taxes should be shared with ULBs - they generate most of the revenue, they ought to keep some of it. 

FSI indexes need to be increased, leading to greater land revenue and less environmental pressure. Public services should be indexed to inflation and operating costs, offering a minimal return. Public-private partnerships can help raise investments from the private sector. The JNNURMallocation must be trebled, at least for short-term financing. 

We lack efficient capacity in urban management. We need a dedicated municipal civil service, focussed on relevant technical skills, offering lateral entry. JNNURM and NSDC can be tasked with developing an appropriate framework that addresses staffing, training and skill deve-lopment issues. ITIs and ITCs need to be strengthened, with private sponsorship encouraged. The Indian Institute of Public Administration, National Institute of Urban Affairs and a proposed Indian Institute of Urban Management must be encouraged to provide policy advisory services to the urban development ministry and state bodies. 

Most city residents can no longer afford housing. The scar-city of land, partially due to regulation-mandated suboptimal land usage and cartelisation, along with stratified house financing options, prevents a step on the housing ladder. At least 25% of new development area should be mandated for affordable housing, with appropriate monitoring. Slum redevelopment can be triggered through partial rezoning, capital grants and interest rate subsidies. A national mortgage fund, akin to Fannie Mae, must be created to spur lending to low-income groups. 

Our cities can be smarter. We can experiment with new ideas like the aerotropolis concept, building cities around airports, or Paul Romer's charter cities, with maximal autonomy in governance. 

The overhyped industrial corridors between our metros must be aligned with local urban planning to ensure sustainable development. Inner city transport could be revolutionised using straddling buses (demonstrated in China), cycle rent schemes and elevated monorails. Age-old concepts like 'baolis' should be revived to serve as rainwater-harvesting pools. The advent of big data systems implies the potential to utilise effective monitoring systems, adding cachet to local e-governance. 

Long the neglected child, with the rural hinterland praised as the civilisational heart, cities are powering our economic build-up and need attention and funding along with autonomy. They create new local businesses, helping foster indirect employment. Our urban citizens put up with political and social neglect, whilst helping to create social value. They struggle amidst an economic slowdown, with rising food prices, uncertainty about their children's education and a constant shrinkage of public sector opportunities. It's time we heed them. 

UNICEF and Packaged Food

The international organisations are important players in the development process. But they must comply the rules and regulations of the country in which they operate. Recently UNICEF had violated the norms laid by India and distributed packaged food to the malnourished children.

The Times of India writes (4 August 2009)

That malnutrition is a severe health issue in India is well documented. There are differing views on how best to tackle the problem among experts.
The government's stated policy is to promote the use of freshly cooked food to mitigate the malnutrition crisis. This is a line endorsed by the Planning Commission and the National Advisory Council, and adopted by the ministry of women and child development (WCD).

It has now come to light that UNICEF imported millions of dollars worth of a packaged nutritional supplement, called Plumpynut, which is made by a French company. It gave them to severely malnourished children in several Indian states. This appears to have been done without consulting, or getting permission, from the relevant authorities here. While aid agencies are more than welcome in this country, they must follow the rules that are in force. If external agencies started making interventions as and how they please, without the government's knowledge, we have a problem on hand.

The indiscretion of the agency in this particular case is just one aspect of the issue. The debate over packaged and locally produced fresh food is of crucial importance. India has for long followed a system of providing hot food prepared from locally produced ingredients to children in need of nutritious food. And this is with good reason. A simple, balanced, freshly prepared meal has been proven to be both effective and beneficial to the health of the consumer. When Renuka Chowdhury - the former WCD minister - plumped for packaged food, she was roundly criticised. Packaged supplements cannot replace a diet of nutritious staples.

Moreover, it is not wise to import and use an alien product without fully investigating its merits and demerits vis-a-vis the foods that are being given now. Rooting for locally produced foods also acts as an incentive to local agriculture and livelihood practices. Whether seen as a health issue, or from an economic angle, local and fresh is the way to go in our fight against malnutrition.
__________________________________________________________________________
Under the Integrated Child Development Scheme, malnutrition in school-going children is to be combated by providing them hot cooked meals prepared
in anganwadis. Renuka Chowdhury once campaigned for nutrient-enriched packaged food instead and had her knuckles rapped by government higher-ups. Today, UNICEF is in the dock.
The international agency has been admonished for distributing ready-to-use fortified food apparently without authorisation, and asked to restore the money spent. But, reportedly UNICEF says its distribution of imported packaged food in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar was in line with World Health Organisation-stamped protocols on humanitarian intervention.

How many times will the government slam the rulebook on those who disagree with it? If the midday meal scheme debate is proving something of a periodic jack-in-the-box, surely that says something for relaxing the rules. If packaged food is being used the world over with good results, India needn't be an exception. If nutritional supplements in such food didn't have their strengths in terms of delivering health and hygiene, India's minister for food processing industries wouldn't propose the bundling of a processed food item with midday meals so that "the promise of quality and nutrition" can be kept.

That leads to the key question of the quality of cooked meals and standards of hygiene related to storage of raw materials and preparation. Thanks to local level callousness or corruption, substandard ingredients are in countrywide use. Disturbing headlines appear with sickening regularity about children falling ill and being hospitalised on consuming spoilt or contaminated food. Government data says 3,273 children were thus afflicted over the last three years.
Factor in unreported cases, and the number is likely to go up. If this is the situation under one of its flagship programmes, the government can hardly take the moral high ground with those advocating hygienic packaged food whether as a supplement or an alternative to cooked meals. Malnutrition is an urgent problem and UNICEF was actually doing something about it. Let's not make the ideal the enemy of the actual.

Neglected Northeast

Northeast – India’s rising sun is less known to the outside world for its natural wealth and charming beauty. More people know seven sister states of the region for its violence. One fifth of the 50 million population of the northeast live below poverty line. Governance is missing in most parts of the region. The local tribal leaders enjoy their seats without doing much for the people. On the other hand the leaders of northeast complain about the neglect of the region by the centre. In fact both are responsible for the worst socio-economic stagnation in the region. Till the beginning of the nineties the government of India gave step-motherly treatment to the region.

The coalition politics, neo-liberal economy and the increasing relevance of tourism economy brought a new focus on the region. With 35 parliamentary seats and 8 states, northeast gave a political handle to the emerging BJP. It almost clinched deals with the existing leaders of the region who are frustrated with the Congress politics. In Arunachal Pradesh BJP shrewdly converted a long time congressman Gegong Apong into a BJP man. It also succeeded in capturing two parliamentary seats there and infused a hope to capture the seat in few years time. BJP’s fast growth in the region alerted Congress party. When it came to power in 2004 it started the Ministry of NorthEast.

The new liberal economy connected the region with the rest of the India. Mobile phones, satellite television, internet and increase in the number of flights to the region gave a new life to northeast. There is a large-scale migration of the people to other parts of the country. Delhi boasts a huge northeastern population. The attitude of rest of India towards the regions people also alienates them. In college hostels, theatres, railways stations, airports, a northeasterner is always asked “which country are you from?” Despite these problems, most of the people of the region to proud to be Indians. The government should capitalize this sentiments. Before that it should deliver what it promised to the region. In the first step it should talk to all the 12 active and 20 inactive terrorist groups and find a lasting solution to their separatist demands. All of them should be given autonomy package and brought into the political mainstream.

Without finding a solution to the violence northeast is going towards a worst phase in its life. In 2008 alone insurgency has claimed 1,057 lives. This is nearly twice the number of people who were killed in Kashmir violence in the year (539). According to the Anthropological Survey of India report, out 635 tribes in India 213 reside in the region. It is no doubt that the region is highly sensitive and needs full time concentration of the central government.


NorthEast: The Forgotten War

Civilians Security Personnel Terrorists Total

1994-2005 7,056 1,886 4,613 13,555
2006 231 92 317 640
2007 453 65 501 1019
2008 405 40 612 1057

2006 2007 2008
Arunachal 0 12 0
Assam 174 437 372
Manipur 290 408 496
Mizoram 0 0 5
Meghalaya 24 18 12
Nagaland 92 108 145
Tripura 60 36 27
Total 640 1019 1057

Sources: TOI, 5.1.2009, p.2
South Asian terrorist portal

There is no time available for the Central government to relax regarding the development of northeast. It must act on a war footing way and ensure overall progress of the region. More IITs, IIMS, central universities, vocational training centers, super-specialty hospitals, business ventures, industrials units should come up in the region. These measures will bridge the gap between the region and the rest of the region.


Insurgency claimed 1,057 lives in northeast in 2008, almost twice the number of people killed in Kashmir 539
Manipur alone accounted for almost 500 deaths; Assam had a body count of 372
Sharp rise in casualities among both civilians and terrorists while there’s a drop in fatalities among security personnel
Northeast is no stranger to insurgences with all its seven states having witnessed some form of armed separatism over the last six decades. In the 15 years since 1994, an estimated 16,271 persons have been killed in this volatile region.

A combination of persistent economic backwardness and the presence of several dozen ethnic groups has made this region a crucible of identity politics. Nearly 20% of the 50 million people of the region are below the poverty line. Of the 635 tribal groups identified by the Anthropological Survey of India, 213 reside in the northeast.

Some states have a very low or passive level of separatist activity like Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. In Mizoram, the insurgency ended in 1986 after the accord between the Union government and the Mizo National Front led by Ladenga, Meghalaya too has a relatively lower and declining level of terrorist actvitiy through a number of separatist groups are active in extortion and other criminal activities. Tripura, which till a decade back was a hotbed of terrorist actions, appears to have overcome the menace through a determined political effort.

But in three states – Assam, Manipur and Nagaland –separatist violence continues with an incendiary mix of ethnic strife. While terrorist actions in Assam still get attention. Manipur, with the second highest number of terrorist related deaths after Kashmir, has remained below the national radar. All 59 police stations in the state have reported terrorist activities and 32 of them have been placed in the high violence category.


ATP estimates that there are at least 15 major militant groups with approximately 10,000 cadre active in the state. The desperate situation is highlighted by the fact that Manipur continues to remain classified as a disturbed area since the 1970s.

It has a higher police-to-population ration than the national average and yet here is no end to violence.

Assam, the biggest state in the northeast, has been the hunting ground of ULFA despite several army operations against it, including the 2005 sweep in sanctuaries in the Bhutanese foothills.

Decades of Ulfa violence has spawned rival outfits from amongst plains tribals and Muslims, leading to an ever escalating spiral of violence on innocent civilians of every community. Current estimates put active terrorist groups at 12, while inactive groups number over 20. Recent reports suggest that Ulfa has also tied up with some factions of Naga separatist groups, operating in Nagaland and Manipur.

Agenda 2009

The New Year makes people to pen down their agenda. Most of the December 31 midnight wishes turn out to be empty ones after twelve months. Nevertheless people keep making their agenda and wishes. It is the same story with Governments around the world. Although nations do not make New Year wishes but it do plan for the year. Budget presentation is the New Year wish for the Government. Five Year plan is the agenda set for 5 long years. The year 2009 compels to make the goals of people and state clear and achievable. A constant watch over the plans and steps to turn those paper plans into a reality is needed. Generally both the government and people make plans and forget it in few hours. This New Year I wish our wishes get fulfilled through our own constant strivings.

The first and foremost wish of every citizen of the world is security. India, the worst victim of attacks on its security requires a foolproof safety valve to protect its people from the constant terrorist attack. Nearly 800 innocent lives were sacrificed to the terrorist killings in the past three years alone. Inspiring one hundred responsible citizens for every city can automatically save the country from any further terrorist strikes.

In the battle with jehadis we have only very ordinary people who are willing to divulge any information for few thousand rupees. These one hundred ready to die for their country anytime will be trained with the latest technological knowledge to be the eyes and ears of the nation. Along with these foot soldiers we need to clean up the administration.

With the fifth columnists heavily present administration it is impossible to save the country from terrorist strikes. A national inspiration committee comprising APJ.Abdul Kalam, E. Sreedharan, Ratan Tata, Narayanamurthy, Soli Sorbjee, Kiran Bedi, Amitabh Bacchan, Kapil Dev, Vishwanthan Anand, Madhuri Dixit and Amartya Sen can be formed. They will be addressing public meetings in cities, towns and villages to inspire people. The artistes can lead the cultural team to inspire people. In the moral deficit global society India needs to be saved from the chaos.

In parallel its human security – food, shelter, employment and other basic necessities should be improved drastically. A bit of carelessness in addressing the Bijli Sadak Paani (BSP) will increase the frustrations of the deprived. These accumulated frustrations can be one of the potential causes for common people becoming victims to the luring of terrorists. It is high time to shut the ordinary people’s door to terrorists. To ensure this scenario the government should plug the social and physical infrastructural loopholes.

The macro team will fine tune micro issues and put the nation at a state of safe and secure mode. Without the right inspiration at all levels it is impossible to save this vast nation from the terrorist attacks. There is an urgent need to combine quick result oriented efforts to solve the grievances of the common people. Technology must be put to right and instant use. It is possible to connect all corners of the country. If this connectivity can solve the problems of the people then India will have an army of 140 crore people to defend its soul and heart.