Opinion
Need for 'big ticket' action
28 May 2005 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Financial Express
The government's plan for issuing an ordinance to increase the supply of kerosene is a small measure to solve a huge tangle with many systemic ills. First, it is a well-established fact that a large quantity of kerosene is used for adulteration of other petroleum products. This clearly means the subsidy on kerosene is helping largely those involved in illegal activity. And only a small portion really benefits those whom it is designed to help.
Where to, after school?
21 May 2005 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| The Hindustan Times
India faces a huge crisis in terms of availability of advanced education for its students. This needs to be recognized and dealt with urgently, for mere exam reforms are insufficient.
Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya
16 May 2005 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Sunday Express
With the onset of summer, blackouts and power shedding have started imposing great hardship on domestic consumers and threaten to constrain economic activities in several parts of the country. Power outages and poor quality and reliability of supply have become endemic and perennial problems.
Natural Gas pricing at the crossroads
02 May 2005 |
Mr R K Batra
| TERI Newswire 11(9)
In April 2002 the Union Government announced, with great fanfare, the dismantling of the Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) for petroleum products. Refineries were to price their products at import parity and marketing companies were free to add their marketing margins. This freedom was short lived and marketing companies soon had to seek the Petroleum Ministry's approval for any hike in prices of transportation fuels, as well as subsidized domestic fuels, i.e. kerosene and LPG. These two segments account for nearly 50% of the total sale of petroleum products. Recently, because of very high crude prices, the Ministry has also put a cap on ex-refinery prices. The Petroleum Minister, not being afraid of calling a spade a spade, has said that there never was any dismantling of the APM.
Promoting energy efficiency in the industrial sector
01 Apr 2005 |
Mr Alok Goyal
| The Economic Times
Industrial issues cutting across the environmental, economic and social dimensions figure prominently in the sustainability debate. Environmental constraints to development are acutely felt in the industrial sector in relation to both production and consumption of manufactured goods. While most problems arising from the consequences for the environment of the consumption of industrial products are an economy wide concern, environmental effects of the industrial production fall within the purview of the industrial sector alone. The structure of the Indian industry is not completely rational-resource allocation is quite poor, and product quality has much room for improvement. The overall level of industrial technology is low, resulting in waste of resources, pollution of environment and a weak capacity for sustainable development. Low technology and poor quality have become a bottleneck to economic development.
Alas! It's a downhill one-way ticket for the Railways...
01 Apr 2005 |
Ms Pragya Jaswal
| The Financial Express
In the last few decades, long-distance transport in India has shown a substantial modal shift away from Railways in favour of roads, both in passenger and freight transport.
Delivering the promised land
04 Mar 2005 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
The Budget this year includes several desirable features, but it also has some gaps that, perhaps, should be filled up during discussions that take place in Parliament and in the final approval of the Finance Bill. Like several other desirable features, it is indeed heartening that the finance minister has increased agricultural credit as well as the outlay on education, health and irrigation. Also praiseworthy are the increases proposed in the expansion of the Anganwadi scheme, an increase in the mid-day meal scheme as well as in efforts to provide nutrition for children in the age group of 0-3 years.
In green gear
02 Mar 2005 |
| The Hindustan Times
The Kyoto Protocol came into force on February 16. There had been a long period of wait for the entry into force for this hard-negotiated treaty concerning humankind. The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted during the third Conference of the Parties in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997.
Budget can create sustainable transportation
28 Feb 2005 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
One of the disturbing aspects of the growth and liberalisation of Indian economy is the increasing imbalance between the proliferation of road vehicles and what would constitute an appropriately sustainable pattern of transportation.
How viable are gas pipelines across borders?
23 Feb 2005 |
Mr R K Batra
| The Economic Times
One of the main components of India's efforts in enhancing energy security is to maximise the production of domestic resources, while diversifying imports both with regard to the variety of fuels and their sources of supply. These will necessarily be at different prices and security levels. It is a through this prism that securing equity oil abroad and import of natural gas, by pipeline and as liquefied natural gas (LNG), need to be viewed.