E-Shram Portal: an effort for the welfare of marginalized workers

Introduction

E-Shram portal is a data base for unorganized sector workers developed by Ministry of labour and employment (MOLE) which is linked with Aadhar. Unorganized workers receive an e-Shram card/id on digital form after registration at the portal. They also can update their profiles through portal or mobile app. This app will help in creating awareness about various welfare programmes and entitlements for the workers in the unorganized sector.

Although registration was recommended by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) and made mandatory by Unorganized Workers’ Social Welfare Act 12 years ago, thanks to Narendra Modi Govt’s recent initiatives that the e-Shram portal has been actively to target in the unorganized sector workers. In May 2021 the Supreme Court also issued a ruling for introducing a temporary, comprehensive and universal registration system for informal workers and rotating migrants. In fact, both informal worker and rotating migrants are alternatively known as unorganized sector workers.

As per Periodic Labour Force Survey PLFS (2018-19), nearly 88 per cent of workers are engaged in the unorganized sector while it contributes nearly 52 per cent to our GDP. On the contrary, the organized sector contributes nearly 48 per cent to the GDP while it employs hardly 12 per cent of the entire workforce. This indicates the glaring in equality in the distribution of income. So far it has been impossible to provide any timely relief, forget about providing social security because it is difficult to exactly identify the large number of invisible unorganized sector workers. The NSSO survey which are conducted at different points of time, do not adequately capture their extent and magnitude. E-Sharm Portal is a right step in this direction. 

The Benefits for the Registered Workers

The Universal Account Number on e-Shram card will be acceptable all over the country for obtaining social security benefits such as insurance coverage, maternity benefits, pensions, educational benefits, provident fund benefits, housing schemes etc. For the social security benefits the workers need to add the details of their identification like, name, occupation, address, education qualifications, skill, etc. on the portal. Also, through e-Shram card, the migrant workers can take admission for their children in the nearby school, which is one of the major problems, they are facing now. The e-Shram id will be used as their identity card. Further, the beneficiaries will get benefit Rs 2 lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

The Progress

The e-Shram portal has been made available to states/UTs to register all eligible workers in the unorganized sector including construction workers, migrant workers, gig and platform workers, street vendors, domestic workers, agriculture workers, milkmen, fishermen, truck drivers etc. The eligible workers can register through, over four lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs), which act as access points for delivery of digital services. As on 30^th December 2021, the portal has registered around 162 million workers, 67% which are from five states: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. These are the major states as far as the number of registrations on E-Shram portal is concerned (see Fig-1).

Figure 1: Share of Major States (in %) in total registration on E-Shram Portall

As shown in Figure-1, these five states account for around seventy per cent of total registration. From which Uttar Pradesh has the highest enrollment, followed by west Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

The portal also collects data of unorganized workers with regards to their occupations. As we know, occupational structure in Indian economy depends upon three different sectors viz., agriculture (primary) industry (secondary) and services (tertiary). In E- shram portal shows that 62 percent of people have enrolled in the primary sector which is higher than the other sectors. Agriculture and construction sectors engage the maximum number of workers in the unorganized sector. The relative distribution of various occupations among the registered workers is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Percentage Distribution of registered workers by major occupations

Apart from agriculture and construction, many more have registered in this portal from different occupations like, domestic and household workers, apparel sector workers, automobile and transport sector workers, electronics and hardware workers, capital goods workers, education, healthcare, retail, tourism and hospitality, food industry. Besides occupation, the portal also collects data on the gender of the workers. Given the number of registration so far, the distribution by gender is presented in figure 3.

Figure 3: Registration of workers by gender (in %)

As shown in figure 3, gender-wise analysis of e-Shram portal registrations shows that more females have registered than the males. For the females it is around 52 per cent while the rest 48 per cent comprise of male workers. Certainly, higher registration of female workers is surprising given their lower participation in labour force. Further the e-Shram portal data suggested that around 94 per cent of workers registered earn an income of Rs. 10,000 or below, per month. Also, the collected data reveals that a large number of workers are young i.e. around 61 per cent of registered workers belong to 18-40 age group. Moreover, the portal also records the migration status. However, the information getting collected is highly inadequate to draw any concrete inference about the status of migrant workers.

Conclusion

The portal is part of digitization process that has assumed a crucial part in prospering the Indian economy. The “make in India” drive has given a gigantic push to digitalization of India, with the help of digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), remote sensing, big data, block chain and IoT. Thus, the e-Shram portal: the exceptional drive is a much-needed development as it will bring unorganised laborer’s data under one umbrella which will help the Govt. to address their concerns.

National Logistics Policy must include components on Green Hydrogen Economy

By Gopal Krishna Agarwal,

Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken it upon himself to be a global leader in climate change challenges and is committed to the cause of renewable energy. This shows that there is will power at the top leadership level for achieving these goals. Because of this commitment, after COP21, India has taken some bold steps in meeting emission norms. Consequently, after the Paris Climate Change Summit, India’s emissions have reduced by 28% from their levels in 2005, according to a report. We are almost on the verge of achieving the target of reducing emissions by 30% by 2030.

A major noteworthy measure taken by India is to set up the International Solar Alliance, with its head office in India, along with France. Another initiative taken by India to meet its green energy commitments is to obtain 80-85% of its electricity demand through renewable sources by 2050. India is also committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, incorporating all the 17 goals into the government policies. Recently, India has achieved the target of 40% power generation capacity based on non-fossil sources.

Green hydrogen economy: The baton of a zero-carbon future

Coal’s share in India’s energy mix constitutes over 44% while oil contributes to around 25%. The share of bio-energy and CNG is 21% & 5.8% respectively, while that of nuclear & solar energy is critically low. Being a fossil fuel, coal is a recipe for a climate hazard. On the other hand, oil prices in the country are skyrocketing, and imported oil is inflating India’s import bill. As India treads farther on the road to industrialization, its per capita energy consumption will grow from 30% currently, which is lower than the world average consumption, to almost double in 2040. This is attributed to the fact that India has now displaced US to become the second most attractive destination for setting up manufacturing industries globally.

Though there are certain concerns about large hydro projects, India has a huge potential in it. Similarly, small hydro projects can be important initiatives, although they are nearly non-existent at present. But at the same time, India now has the world’s fifth-largest solar power and fourth-largest wind energy capacities. This energy can be used to produce green hydrogen, a zero carbon emission fuel, and it will be a big game changer for the whole energy sector.

Hydrogen is a big source of energy, and though there are several challenges at present and India is not a big player in this field, the direction in which private investments and the government are moving can reap big rewards for the country. It will help in energy security, decarburization, and meeting the target for reduced carbon emissions. It is estimated that a transition towards hydrogen energy, which can become the most important component on the renewable energy side, will entail an investment of more than US$ 500 billion in the near future.

Many private companies like Reliance, Adani Power, Tata Power and Mittal Power and even some of the government companies in the energy sector, like NTPC, have set up big targets and there is an expected investment commitment of US$ 316 billion by 2030. If government policies are supportive, and challenges pertaining to the implementation of hydrogen energy are met, India can become a big player in this field.

Creating a conducive ecosystem for a green hydrogen economy

At present, cost is a big challenge for hydrogen technology. There is also a big competition on the solar energy side from China. A major challenge that can be found from the private sector is high interest costs. Though the government is continuously reducing interest costs, more sources of energy and funding are needed for this to happen. If new and improved technology is brought along with innovation and research, production challenges can be met. 

Recognizing the challenges and finding solutions is also something the government is working on. It is now coming up with new industrial and logistics policies to address concerns like transportation and availability of raw materials, among others. There is also a focus on building manufacturing bases in India. Under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, the government has also committed Rs 90,000 crore on upgradation of the power sector, tackling issues of grid reforms, improvement in transmission and improvement in discoms.

Private players as well as the government agree that hydrogen and silicon are novel fields that can generate a lot of wealth for the country. Around Rs 1,500 crore has been committed by the government for setting up this National Hydrogen Mission. Various policies are being implemented and roadmaps are being set up. Ultimately when the objective is clear and there is commitment of the highest level for clean and green energy, India will surely be able to achieve its targets.

The Government is coming out with new National Logistics Policy; it must address issues pertaining to integrated logistics hubs, hydrogen storage, transportation, warehousing, and ports. Similarly, internalizing the environmental cost on the corporate sector’s balance sheet will help in proper project evaluation for the government and also bring better presentation. So, the recording of these environmental initiatives in the balance sheet and internalizing cost is another important issue, where more research and development can take place. Finance accounting professionals, such as from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) can take this initiative. More sources of low cost funding are must to propel a robust hydrogen economy in the country and the government is taking steps towards that.

Gopal Krishna Agarwal is the National Spokesperson - Economic Affairs , BJP

Govt's Prudent Economic Policies Made India Better Placed To Deal With Pandemic Crisis; BJP

By Gopal Krishna Agarwal

The BJP on Thursday said India is better placed than many other countries to deal with the economic fallout of the Covid pandemic due to the Narendra Modi government's prudent policies and criticized several opposition-ruled state governments for not slashing Value Added Tax on petrol and diesel after the Centre reduced the excise duty.

BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal said the cut in petrol and diesel prices by the Centre and several states, mostly ruled by the BJP-led NDA, will hand over Rs 88,000 crore in the hands of consumers as the central government works to boost demand and noted that nine states - Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Delhi and Kerala - have not reduced VAT
He said unlike many countries India did not resort to uncontrolled fiscal deficit financing which has made it much better placed to deal with inflationary pressure being felt across the world, including in the US and Europe.

The Modi government resorted to staggered fiscal stimulus and gave sector-specific packages while helping the most vulnerable people with direct benefit transfer, he said.

Alleging the the UPA rule during 2004-14 was a lost decade economically for India.

What Should We Opt For - Private Currencies Or Central Bank- Promoted Digital Currencies?

By Gopal Krishna Agarwal, 

Crypto currencies have generated a lot of debate because of their storage value and being used as an asset class. It is a borderline case where it is not illegal to hold cryptocurrencies, but
In 2019, the Government came out with a bill banning crypto currencies, but the Bill did not see the light of the day and got lapsed, leading to further uncertainty and lack of clarity on the subject.
RBI also came out with a circular on April 6, 2018, forbidding banks from entertaining customers having exposure and dealing in crypto currencies.... 

This circular was quashed by Supreme Court in its judgment on Internet and Mobile Association of India verses RBI on March 4, 2020, citing, lack of legislation and laws on these currencies, noting that in the absence of any legislation, the RBI cannot impose disproportionate restrictions, like banning buying and selling of crypto currencies. The RBI then officially withdrew the said circular .

while cautioning banks to deal with any kind of exposure with these currencies....Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman when asked a question on the government stand on the status of crypto currencies, said that “I can only give you this clue that, we are not closing our minds, we are looking at ways in which experiments can happen in the digital world and crypto currencies”, she further added that, “there will be calibrated position taken”.

The decentralized database leads to more and more disintermediation, which is cost-effective. but there is a lot of anxiety that the Government is contemplating banning them. Reserve Bank of India has shown its reservation on the use of cryptocurrencies. The Supreme Court has not taken any position as such other than asking the Government to draft laws and make its stand clear on the regulatory side.

According to recent media reports, there are about 8 million investors in India, holding investments of $ 1.4 billion in various crypto currencies. Several exchanges across India deal in these currencies, facilitating trading, settlement, and promoting crypto currencies. The whole ecosystem is operating in an unregulated regime, neither being illegal with markets ripe with speculations that the Government is ready to ban them at any point of time in the near future. The investors and the intermediaries operate in an uncertain environment and live in anxiety, leading to hyper speculation...

The basic purpose of currencies/money is to facilitate transactions and help in exchange for value. But currently, crypto currencies are not being used as a medium of exchange or for transactions but are seen as an asset class having storage value. This is because of the regulatory gaps at present. Recent developments show that the time has come to fill up this gap as soon as possible.

The draft bill in 2019 banning crypto currencies recommended jail term up to 10 years and huge financial penalties on people who mine, generate, hold, sell, transfer, dispose of, issue or deal in crypto currencies.

The Government’s initial plan was to ban private crypto assets while promoting block chain – a secure database technology that can revolutionize international transactions and are the backbone of virtual currencies. Digital currencies across the world are making inroads into financial transactions because of their ease and secured nature. But global central banks, including RBI, vary illegal money getting into the system. with no central bank’s control on financial flows due to lack of one central entity and use of decentralized distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The backbone of crypto currencies is the block chain technologies with distributed ledger technology. The use of distributed ledger technology, which is efficient, secured and is less prone to frauds.

 

 

 The Government That Delivers Efficiently

Gopal Krishna Agarwal,

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched e-RUPI vouchers. It is an important initiative of Narendra Modi government. While launching PM said, “This will help everyone in targeted, transparent, and leakage-free delivery, e-RUPI is a symbol of how India is progressing by connecting people’s lives with technology.”

When Shri Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 there was rampant leakages in government delivery mechanism. Government’s social welfare schemes were not reaching to the targeted beneficiaries efficiently. The first and foremost task, Modiji took upon himself was to streamline delivery mechanism for the social welfare benefits, without leakages in the form of corruption or otherwise. His landmark initiative of direct benefit transfer (DBT); involved the financial inclusion program of opening Jandhan account, linking it to unique Aadhar number and use of digital technologies for online fund transfer, called the JAM trinity. It was applauded by the World Bank as one of the most effective financial inclusion programs worldwide.

The first and foremost task, Modiji took upon himself was to streamline delivery mechanism for the social welfare benefits, without leakages in the form of corruption or otherwise

More and more Unified Payment Interface (UPI) for online payments such as BHIM and #99 app etc. were developed and funds transferred to the beneficiary account directly through them.

Using financial technologies to revolutionise the life of common men is an ambitious project of the Prime Minister. He has been successively encouraging Start-Ups to innovate and come out with FinTech solutions using Artificial Intelligence (AI), data mining and processing. Creating a Start-Up ecosystem through series of tax concessions and making investible funds available, the roadmap of the government is clear. Schemes are also available for linking academic and industry interface, through Atal Tinkering Lab and Atal Innovation Mission. Organising and supporting innovation Hackathons by public sector enterprises and streamlining Patents regime, is a well traversed path of the government. FinTech innovations and solutions have highly revolutionised financial ecosystem in India, out of 32 unicorns (one billion dollar valued start-up company) in 2021, nine are financial technology companies.

This digital transformation helped in reducing the technological divide amongst the rich and the poor, and the urban and rural population. Creating an ecosystem of internet connectivity at the Panchayat level and establishing computer service centres (CSC) under the Digital-India platform, helped in ease of living for the people. Using technology Modi government is achieving its promise of minimum government and maximum governance. The technology driven solutions reduced human interventions and subjectivity in the decision making and its implementation, helping everyone to go for his day-to-day life smoothly. The objective online solutions for government schemes and programs save the people from running from pillar to post reducing human interface, bringing down levels of corruption to a large extent.

Digital-India initiatives such as implementation of GST, virtual e-assessment, government e-market (GEM) platform, digital locker, direct benefit transfers (DBT), online payments; BHIM app and #99, e-mandis, PSB loans in 59 minutes, Digi-Locker, start-up ecosystem, Aarogya Setu, CoWIN apps & issue of digital certificate, RuPay card, fast tag facilities at toll plaza and now e-RUPI vouchers have transformed the life of common men. Prime Minister Modi has been successful in using technology to efficiently implement government schemes whether it is the delivery of social benefits to the targeted individuals or Ease of Doing Business (EODB), creating a corruption free ecosystem of benefit delivery and governance. In July’21 month alone, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the flagship payments platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) processed a record 324 crores transactions. In value terms, the platform processed transactions worth Rs 6.06 lac crores.

Our government has been successful in transferring Rs 17.5 Lac crores of funds to the targeted beneficiaries under 300 government schemes and has also succeeded in saving Rs 1.75 lakh crores preventing them getting into wrong hands, benefiting about 90 crore people. this year alone the government has transferred Rs 85 thousand crores to the farmers account on food grain purchases via MSP. The government has also transferred about Rs 1.35 lac crore directly to farmers account under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samaan Nidhi and PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) making digital history for street vendors and helping easy fund availability.

The new initiative of e-RUPI voucher is an innovative instrument for fund transfer to the targeted person for a specific purpose. When the government issues e-RUPI voucher, it ensures that the fund is used for the specific purpose only. This people-specific and person-specific payment system functions as a pre-paid gift-voucher, redeemable at service centres. This ensures the connectivity of the sponsors of the services, beneficiaries and the service provider on a digital platform. Once this scheme is implemented by private organizations and individuals, they are ensured that the fund is utilised as per their discretion. It can be used for CSR activities by the corporates, donations by charitable institutions and individuals for third party support. It has immense future potential in the field of fertiliser subsidy, free ration, pregnant women nutritional support etc.

The government is working on the push model, where schemes are announced, and targets set, making government officials responsible for their implementations, instead of pull model where citizens had to run after government departments to avail benefits. Identification of 115 aspirational districts and overseeing by the district administration for the eligible beneficiaries receiving them, is a case in point. It has been the endeavor of Shri Narendra Modi to identify a problem, build a technological solution for resolution, integrate the stakeholders with it and establish a performance matrix for evaluation and accountability for its efficient implementation.

(The writer is National Spokesperson of BJP)

 व्यवस्था पारदर्शी बनाने की पहल

ई-रुपी वाउचर की पहल लक्षित व्यक्ति तक रकम हस्तांतरित करने की दिशा में सार्थक साबित हो सकती है। इस व्यवस्था के माध्यम सरकारी धन के रिसाव को नियंत्रित किया जा सकेगा

देश के प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी ने हाल ही में ई-रुपी वाउचर लान्च किया है। इस अवसर पर उन्होंने कहा, 'यह सरकारी वितरण के लक्षित, पारदर्शी और रिसाव मुक्त वितरण में मदद करेगा। ई-रुपी इस बात का प्रतीक है कि लोगों के जीवन को प्रौद्योगिकी से जोड़कर भारत कैसे प्रगति कर रहा है।'

वर्ष 2014 में जब नरेन्द्र मोदी सत्ता में आए तो उनके समक्ष सरकारी वितरण तंत्र में बड़े पैमाने पर होने वाले रिसाव को रोकने की चुनौती थी। सरकार की सामाजिक कल्याण योजनाओं का समुचित लाभ उनके योग्य लाभार्थियों तक सुगमता से नहीं पहुंच पा रही थी। लिहाजा सामाजिक कल्याण लाभ के लिए वितरण तंत्र को सुव्यवस्थित करने की उन्होंने व्यवस्था की, ताकि भ्रष्टाचार और अन्य रिसावों को रोका जा सके। उन्होंने प्रत्यक्ष लाभ हस्तांतरण (डीबीटी) की ऐतिहासिक पहल करते हुए बैंकों में सभी देशवासियों के जन- धन खाते खोलना, उसे आधार कार्ड से जोड़ना और आनलाइन फंड ट्रांसफर के लिए डिजिटल तकनीकों के उपयोग के द्वारा वित्तीय समावेशन कार्यक्रम को लागू किया गया। आनलाइन भुगतान तकनीक के लिए अधिक से अधिक एकीकृत भुगतान इंटरफेस (यूपीआइ) विकसित की गई और उनके माध्यम से सीधे लाभार्थी के खाते में धनराशि स्थानांतरित करने की व्यवस्था आरंभ की गई।

आम आदमी के जीवन में क्रांति लाने के लिए वित्तीय तकनीकों का उपयोग करना प्रधानमंत्री की एक महत्वाकांक्षी परियोजना है। फिनटेक के माध्यम से किए जाने वाले समाधानों के अंतर्गत आर्टिफिशियल इंटेलिजेंस (एआइ) और डाटा मैनेजमेंट का उपयोग करके नवाचार के लिए स्टार्ट-अप्स को वह निरंतर प्रोत्साहित कर रहे हैं। टैक्स रियायतों के माध्यम से स्टार्ट-अप पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र बनाना और फिर उसके लिए निवेश योग्य  धन उपलब्ध कराने के साथ, सरकार का एक स्पष्ट रोडमैप है। अटल इनोवेशन मिशन के माध्यम से अकादमिक और उद्योगों को जोड़ने के लिए भी योजनाएं बनाई गई हैं। सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र के उद्यमों द्वारा नवाचार को प्रोत्साहन के लिए समूची पेटेंट व्यवस्था को सुदृढ़ करना सरकार की नई पहल है।

इस डिजिटल परिवर्तन ने अमीर और गरीब, शहरी और ग्रामीण आबादी के बीच तकनीकी दूरी को कम करने में मदद की है। पंचायत स्तर पर इंटरनेट कनेक्टिविटी का एकीकृत तंत्र के तौर पर विकसित किया जा रहा है। डिजिटल इंडिया प्लेटफार्म के तहत भी कंप्यूटर सेवा केंद्र (सीएससी) स्थापित करके लोगों के जीवन को सुगम बनाया जा - रहा है। प्रौद्योगिकी समाधानों ने सरकारी - निर्णय और उसके कार्यान्वयन में - मानवीय हस्तक्षेप को काफी हद तक कम -कर दिया, जिससे सभी को अपने दैनिक जीवनयापन में सुविधा मिली है। सरकारी - योजनाओं और कार्यक्रमों के लिए आनलाइन समाधान मानवीय हस्तक्षेप को कम करता है और इसमें भ्रष्टाचार की आशंकाएं भी कम होती है।

डिजिटल इंडिया पहल जैसे जीएसटी का कार्यान्वयन, वर्चुअल ई-मूल्यांकन, सरकारी ई-मार्केट प्लेटफार्म, डिजिटल लाकर, ई-मंडियां, 59 मिनट में पीएसबी लोन, स्टार्ट-अप इकोसिस्टम, टोल प्लाजा पर फास्ट टैग सुविधा और अब ई-रुपी वाउचर ने आम लोगों के जीवन को बदल दिया है। सरकारी योजनाओं को लागू करने के लिए प्रौद्योगिकी का उपयोग करने में हम सफल रहे हैं, चाहे वह लक्षित व्यक्तियों तक सामाजिक लाभ पहुंचाना हो या व्यवसाय करने में आसानी हो या फिर लाभ वितरण और शासन के लिए भ्रष्टाचार मुक्त तंत्र का निर्माण करना हो। जुलाई में भारतीय राष्ट्रीय भुगतान निगम (एनपीसीआइ) के यूनिफाइड पेमेंट्स इंटरफेस (यूपीआइ) के जरिये रिकार्ड 324 करोड़ लेन-देन किए गए हैं। राशि की बात करें तो इस प्लेटफार्म से 6.06 लाख करोड़ रुपये के लेन-देन किए गए

केंद्र सरकार करीब 300 सरकारी योजनाओं के अंतर्गत लक्षित लाभार्थियों को 17.5 लाख करोड़ रुपये की धनराशि हस्तांतरित करने में सफल रही है और इस राशि को गलत हाथों में जाने से रोककर लगभग 1.75 लाख करोड़ रुपये की बचत करने में भी सफल रही है। इस साल सरकार ने न्यूनतम मूल्य पर खाद्यान्न खरीद कर किसानों के खाते में 86 हजार करोड़ रुपये ट्रांसफर किए हैं। सरकार ने प्रधानमंत्री किसान सम्मान निधि के तहत भी बड़ी राशि सीधे किसानों के खाते में ट्रांसफर की है। ई-रुपी वाउचर की नई पहल लक्षित व्यक्ति तक फंड ट्रांसफर करने के लिए एक अभिनव साधन बनकर उभरेगी। जब सरकार ई-रुपी वाउचर जारी करती है. तो वह सुनिश्चित करती है कि फंड का उपयोग केवल निश्चित उ‌द्देश्य के लिए ही किया जा सकता है। यह व्यक्ति-विशिष्ट भुगतान प्रणाली प्री-पेड उपहार वाउचर के रूप में कार्य करती है, जिसे निर्धारित सेवा केंद्रों पर भुनाया जा सकता है। यह योजना सेवाओं के प्रायोजकों, लाभार्थियों और सेवा प्रदाताओं को एक डिजिटल प्लेटफार्म पर साथ ले आएगी। एक बार जब यह वाउचर किसी निजी संगठन या व्यक्ति द्वारा जारी किया जाएगा, तो उसे इस बात का भरोसा होगा कि इस निधि का उपयोग उनके निर्देशानुसार ही होगा।

दरअसल सरकार 'पुश माडल' पर काम कर रही है, जहां योजनाओं की घोषणा की जाती है, लक्ष्य निर्धारित किए जाते हैं और सरकारी अधिकारियों को उनके कार्यान्वयन के लिए जिम्मेदार बनाया जाता है, न कि 'पुल माडल' पर जहां नागरिकों को लाभ लेने के लिए सरकारी विभागों के पीछे भागना पड़ता है।

गोपाल कृष्ण अग्रवाल

(लेखक बीजेपी के आर्थिक मामलों के प्रवक्ता है)

 E-RUPI will ensure leak-proof DBT delivery, bridge divides

Gopal Krishna Agarwal,

The e-RUPI vouchers that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched recently is an important initiative of his government. It will ensure transfer of benefits in a "leak-proof" and transparent manner to the citizens and, as the PM said, "is a symbol of how India is progressing by connecting people's lives with technology".

When the Modi government came to power in 2014, there were rampant leakages in the government delivery mechanism and the benefits of welfare schemes were not reaching the targeted people efficiently. The first task Modiji took upon himself was streamlining the delivery mechanism, without leakages in the form of corruption or otherwise. His landmark initiative of direct benefit transfer (DBT) involving the JAM trinity of opening Jandhan accounts, linking those to Aadhar and mobile numbers for online fund transfer, was applauded by the World Bank as one of the most effective financial inclusion programmes worldwide.

Using financial technologies to revolutionise the life of the common man is an ambitious project of the PM. He has been encouraging startups to innovate and come out with solutions using artificial intelligence, data mining and processing. Creating a startup ecosystem through tax concessions and making investible funds available, the roadmap of the government is clear. Schemes are available for linking academic and industry interface, through the Atal Tinkering Lab and the Atal Innovation Mission. It has also been organising and supporting innovation Hackathons and streamlining the patent regime. Fintech innovations and solutions have revolutionised the financial ecosystem. Out of India's 32 unicorns now, nine are in fintech.

This digital transformation helped reduce the tech divide between the rich and the poor, and the urban and rural population. Creating an ecosystem of Internet connectivity at the Panchayat level and establishing computer service centres under the Digital-India platform helped in ease of living for people.

Using technology, the Modi government is achieving its promise of minimum government and maximum governance. Technology-driven solutions reduce human interventions and subjectivity in decision-making and implementation, as well as help in bringing down corruption. Digital-India initiatives such as GST, virtual e-assessment, government e-market platform, digital locker, DBT, payment apps such as BHIM, e-mandis, PSB loans in 59 minutes, startup ecosystem, Aarogya Setu and CoWIN, fastag and now e-RUPI vouchers have helped transform the life of the common man.

The government has transferred '17.5 lakh crore to targeted beneficiaries under 300 schemes and saved '1.78 lakh crore by preventing them getting into wrong hands. This year, it has transferred '86,000 crore to farmers' accounts as minimum support price, and large amounts under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samaan Nidhi.

The e-RUPI voucher is an innovative instrument for fund transfer to the targeted person for a specific purpose. When the government issues the voucher, it ensures that the fund is used for the specific purpose. It functions as a pre-paid gift-voucher, redeemable at service centres, and ensures the connectivity of the sponsor of the service, the beneficiary and the service provider on a digital platform. Once this scheme is implemented by private organisations and individuals, they are ensured that the fund is utilised as per their discretion. It can be used for CSR activities by corporates, donations by charitable institutions and individuals for third-party support.

The government is working on a push model, where schemes are announced and targets set, making officials responsible for the implementation, instead of the pull model where citizens had to run after government departments. It has been the endeavour of Prime Minister Modi to identify a problem, build a technological solution for resolution, integrate the stakeholders with it and establish a performance matrix for evaluation and accountability for efficient implementation.

The writer is national spokesperson of BJP.

IBC And GST To Farm Laws And NEP, Narendra Modi Is Reformist Prime Minister

By Gopal Krishna Agarwal,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 20 years in public life. In the last two decades, from being a hard-working chief minister, he has gone on to become a towering global personality. He has become the longest-serving head of an elected government, fourth longest-serving Prime Minister and the longest serving non-Congress Prime Minister of India. During 2001 to 2014, he served 4,607 days as the chief minister of Gujarat. He was elected as the 14th Prime Minister of the country in 2014 and since then he has been in office. He enjoys mass appeal like no other leader, neither in the party nor in the country.
When he took the baton of Gujarat in 2001, the state was ruined by a devastating earthquake and then struggling with economic disruption due to communal violence in 2002. To revive the state, he conceptualized and held a state-level conclave ‘Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit’ (VGGIS) in 2003 to attract investment and to build investors’ confidence. The result of the efforts made by him was that Gujarat registered an impressive double-digit growth during 2004-05 to 2011-12. The growth rate peaked at 15 percent in 2005-06. According to IBEF, Gujarat is one of the high-growth states and a leading industrialized state in the country. It is estimated that Gujarat’s GDP will grow by 7 percent YoY and will reach at Rs 18.80 lakh crore in FY22.

The Gujarat development model has always been a subject of discussion. The Gujarat model made such a splash in the 2014 General Election to the Lok Sabha that it pushed Modi to the pinnacle of power. As in Gujarat, Modi found the Indian economy too in a dilapidated condition. In 2014, our economy was bracketed with the worst performing economies. The economy was going through challenging times that culminated in lower than 5 percent growth of GDP at factor cost at constant prices for two consecutive fiscals – FY13 and FY14. Wholesale price index inflation in food articles that averaged 12.2 percent annually during 2008-09 to 2013-14 was significantly higher than non-food inflation.

Ensuring Water For The Marginalised - II

By Gopal Krishna Agarwal,

The judicial approach to water rights regime in India clearly showcases the urge of the Supreme Court and various high courts to shelter the right to water, thereby, providing basic amenities of life to the poorest of poor. The constitutional right to access to clean drinking water can be drawn from the right to food, the right to clean environment, and the right to health, all of which have been protected under the broad rubric of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

In addition to Article 21, Article 39(b) of the Directive Principles of State Policy, recognizes the principle of equal access to the material resources of the community.

The right to groundwater in India is seen as following the right to land. The Indian Easements Act, 1882, links groundwater ownership to land ownership and this legal position has remained intact since then. The definition of the right suggests that if your neighbor extracts too much water and lowers the water table, you have the right to prevent him from doing so. Thus, there are limits to an individual’s right to exploit groundwater.

In the international scenario, through Resolution 64/292, on July 28, 2010, the UN General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation, and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights. The Resolution calls upon states and international organizations to provide financial resources, capacity-building and technology transfer to help countries, in particular developing countries, to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.

The scope of water rights and laws in India have been widened and a positive approach has been adopted by the Indian judiciary, reflecting the international norms and standards. The National Commission that reviewed the Indian Constitution, recommended in its report, the inclusion of a new right in the form of right to safe drinking water to avoid ambiguity and also to bring clarity by constitutional provision. A legislation clearly framing the rights and duties of various government and institution for provisioning of water is the need of the hour.

The National water framework law 2016 was a step in the right direction, but unfortunately it lapsed in Parliament and could not see the light of the day.

Is The Global Pharma Industry Unhappy With India's Policies?

 By Gopal Krishna Agarwal, 

The world-class Indian vaccine, with several vaccine manufacturers and an open licence, is attractive for several countries, particularly in the developing world. Indian pharma industry will gain immensely and our country will stand out as a nation helping at the time of need. But dominant global pharma companies stand to lose billions of dollars in profits due to the policies followed and stand taken by the Modi government and this is a strong enough reason for them to be unhappy.

The Drugs Controller General of India, on January 3, granted restricted emergency use authorisation (EUA) for two Covid-19 vaccines — Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield. Covaxin, developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology in collaboration with Bharat Biotech, is India’s first indigenous vaccine against Covid-19. Covaxin has now received EUA from a range of countries and is in the process of obtaining it in 60 other countries. This is an important step by the scientific community to fulfill our dream of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

But the real battle on vaccines had begun earlier, when the original proposal submitted by India and South Africa to the TRIPS Council on October 2 emphasised the need for World Trade Organization (WTO) members to work together to ensure that intellectual property rights (IPR) “such as patents, industrial designs, copyright and protection of undisclosed information” do not create barriers to timely access to affordable medical products. A patent waiver would allow any company with the required capacity to start manufacturing the shot, even without an agreement with the original developer.        

However, international developers of Covid-19 vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson opposed any waiver for their doses, claiming they were capable of producing adequate jabs to meet global demand.

Pharmaceutical companies have reported sharp profit gains during the crisis. The industry’s biggest lobby group warned that this unprecedented step would undermine the response of companies and compromise safety. India then revised its proposal, to state that patent protections for vaccines be waived for a limited timeframe to address the concerns of the United States, European Union and others that opposed the original proposal. 

Gopal Krishna Agarwal is National Spokesperson of the BJP

मेल खाते हैं टूलकिट निर्देश कांग्रेस नेताओं के वक्तव्यों से'

 विपक्ष महाभारत के धृतराष्ट्र की बात याद रखे - 'वयं पंचाधिकम् शतम्' अर्थात् दुश्मन से लड़ने के लिए हम एक सौ पांच हैं, सौ और पांच नहीं

टूलकिट कांग्रेस प्रायोजित है या नहीं, इसका फैसला कानून करेगा

महामारी एंव आपदा प्रबंधन किसी भी सरकार लिए मुश्किल होता है। जब भी देश में ऐसा कोई संकट आया है सारा देश संकट से निजात पाने के लिए सामूहिक रूप से खड़ा हो गया। कोरोना की दूसरी लहर ने सभी को हिला कर रख दिया है। इसके गहरे जख्म लम्बे समय तक जहन में रहेंगे।

कोरोना से जंग लड़ रहे फ्रंटलाइन कार्यकर्ता रात-दिन एक कर रहे है। सभी को उम्मीद है कि विपक्ष सकारात्मक भूमिका निभाएगा, पर विपक्ष ने पूरी तरह निराश किया है।

राहुल गांधी जी तो केवल ट्विटर पर ही जिम्मेदारी की इतिश्री कर रहे हैं। जमीन पर कांग्रेस के कार्यकर्ता बहुत कम काम करते हुए दिखे। जो कुछ लोग कर रहे थे, उनकी मंशा पर भी प्रश्नचिह्न खड़ा हो गया है कि क्या वे एजेंडे के तहत ऐसा कर रहे थे, क्योंकि टूलकिट में सोची-समझी रणनीति के तहत अस्पताल के बेड जानबूझ कर खाली रखने की साजिश का जिक्र किया गया है। टूलकिट में कई अहम खुलासे हुए है। ल जिसने भी यह टूलकिट लिखा है, वह इरादतन बहुत ही घिनौना उद्देश्य लेकर कार्य कर रहा है। कोरोना वायरस के ज्यादा संक्रामक स्ट्रेन को वह भारत सेव जोड़ने की साजिश रच रहा है। यही नहीं, मोदी स्ट्रेन जैसे नेरेशन को बढ़ाने की बात स्पष्ट रूप से लिखी गई। भारत की त्रासदी को राजनीतिक लाभ के लिए इस्तेमाल करने का निर्देश देने का काम सुनियोजित ढंग से इसके जरिए किया जा रहा है।

 टूलकिट, कांग्रेस द्वारा प्रायोजित है या नहीं, इसका फैसला कानून करेगा। यह शीघ्र हो, इसकी जिसने भी यह टूलकिट लिखा है, वह इरादतन बहुत ही घिनौना उद्देश्य लेकर कार्य कर रहा है। कोरोना वायरस के ज्यादा संक्रामक स्ट्रेन को वह भारत से जोड़ने की साजिश रच रहा है। यही नहीं, मोदी स्ट्रेन जैसे नेरेशन को बढ़ाने की बात स्पष्ट रूप से लिखी गई। भारत की त्रासदी को राजनीतिक लाभ के लिए इस्तेमाल करने का निर्देश देने का काम सुनियोजित ढंग से इसके जरिए किया जा रहा है।

टूलकिट, कांग्रेस द्वारा प्रायोजित है या नहीं, इसका फैसला कानून करेगा। यह शीघ्र हो, इसकी आवश्यकता भी है। लेकिन प्रथमदृष्टया यह स्पष्ट है कि जिसने भी इसे लिखा है वह कांग्रेस की कार्यकर्ता है और उनके रिसर्च विभाग के प्रमुख के साथ काम करती है, और जैसे ही यह विषय चर्चा में आया उन्होंने अपना ट्विटर एवं लिंक्डइन खाता निरस्त कर दिया। दूसरा अहम विषय है कि अगर हम कांग्रेस नेताओं और कार्यकर्ताओं के सोशल मीडिया पोस्ट और वक्तव्यों को जमीनी स्तर पर देखें तो वे सभी इस टूलकिट में लिखे निर्देशों पर चलते स्पष्ट नजर आते हैं। राहुल गांधी के ट्विटर हैंडल को ही देख लें। कांग्रेस समर्थकों के ट्वीट्स देख लें, वे इस टूलकिट के निर्देशों से मेल खाते हैं।

जब भी किसी देश में कोई बड़ी आपदा आती है तो त्रासदी को पूरी तरह से नहीं रोका जा सकता। दूसरी लहर के घातक प्रभाव हम सभी झेल रहे है। तीसरी लहर, विशेषकर ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों पर इसके असर, की चिंता भी भारत को सता रही है। ब्लैक फंगस बीमारी भी घातक रूप ले रही है। वैश्विक स्तर पर भी इस महामारी में भारत की तरह ही कई सरकारें कई समस्याओं से जूझ रही हैं, जबकि वहां स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं का स्तर भारत से कहीं बेहतर था। जरूरी है कि हम इस लड़ाई को सामूहिक रूप से लड़ें। राजनीतिक लाभ- हानि, जन त्रासदी से बढ़कर नहीं है।

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