June 2014
Reform or else: the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the death of an idea
Today, the Government of India has announced that it will scrap the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and replace it with a new scheme for building a hundred smart cities. This signals the death of an idea and possibly, the rolling out of a new one. Read more »
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission saga continues. Where did I put those conditionalities?
In the beginning, the Government of India did not insist that States ought to implement the conditionalities imposed by it, for securing funds under the JNNURM. A period of adjustment was given to States, to implement the two directives of the Government of India, namely, to enact a public disclosure law and a law for public participation. Read more »
The way the coin turns – a story of the power sector
Last week, two nagging issues of public importance forced their way into prominence. The first, based on the repeated and long power cuts in Delhi, was the alleged failure of the government to anticipate and remedy the shortage of electric power. The second was a more localized failure, that of garbage disposal in Bangalore. The villagers of Mandur, located on the outskirts of the city, have been resisting the disposal of garbage in an unscientific land-fill in their locality, resulting in stockpiles of rubbish clogging the city. Read more »
Rotary motion, electrical power and… money??
I ended last week’s blog with the observation that production of electrical power nearly always involves some form of rotary motion. At first sight, one might wonder whether this is a blog on public finance, or is to assist 8th Standard students in understanding the basics of electricity. Read more »
Managing variable demands for electricity: More layers of complexity
Last week’s blog evoked plenty of reaction. Obviously, discussions on the power sector touched a responsive chord. Read more »