According to me these are some of the key issues that need to be addressed by the government.

1) Traffic control

City planners should work towards providing a public transport system that takes vehicles off the road. The city would be much more efficient if people do not have to waste a lot of time travelling.The authorities need to get more stringent in implementing traffic rules.The imbalance between growth of vehicles and road network has led to heavy traffic congestion and reduced vehicle speed.

2) Safer road networks

Delhi lacks infrastructure and this is one of the main reasons for fatal accidents.With a sharp increase in the number of vehicles, the administration must use its resources in constructing flyovers and broaden roads, otherwise accidents are just waiting to happen. Also the construction work must happen in a more organised fashion to prevent fatalities and inconvenience faced by people which is very prevalent currently.

3) Creating infrastructure to improve public sanitation facilities.

We need Community planned and managed toilets where there are constraints of space, safe disposal of waste and recycling of treated waste water, and managing of public sanitation facilities in all urban areas.Public toilets are a necessity,they should be built and strategically placed all over the city so that people can access them.This will be very beneficial specially for women.


4) Scarcity of water

This is the basic necessity but the authorities have failed to meet the water needs of the city.Water supply through the city's piped network is not even remotely sufficient.
In 1994, there were 10.98 lakh (1.09 million) water connections provided by the civic authorities. Ten years later, the number of such connections has grown by just 3 per cent.There is severe deficiency of drinking water and water borne diseases are on the rise.

5) Effective garbage and waste disposal system.

It is not uncommon to see piles of garbage collected in market places,colonies,residential areas etc untouched and rotting for days on end.The municipal corporation has been unsuccessful in maintaining proper sanitation in the city.
Residents from many colonies are complaining that the civic agencies have stopped doing even routine work.
Interestingly they use the implementation of the model code of conduct as an excuse.(The Election Commission implements the model code of conduct before the elections. This means that no new projects can be initiated after the elections are announced.)

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT PASSION

The nineteen years of my existence on this planet has led me to conclude that ‘Life’ has a tremendous lot of things to offer. Ever so often I come across something new and then I want to know all about it. There is so much to do and know, and so little time.
Anyway I sat wondering about what it was that I was very passionate about in my life.
There are three things that I pursue with a lot of enthusiasm and interest namely reading, traveling and music. The absence of either of these wouldn’t do.
I shall try and justify each of them one at a time.

If your parents are on a transferable job then its not surprising to be on the move all the time. I’ve been living a sort of nomadic life for as long as I can remember. The result is that I’ve had an opportunity to visit innumerable places all over India. Exploring and looking at situations and things practically is much more effective than theory alone. For example, on a recent trip to Ladhak I learnt about how people survive in areas with extreme conditions like sub-zero temperatures and very high altitude. I also had an opportunity to visit Siachen glacier which is the highest war front in the world. Now I probably know what Afghanistan looks like because it has similar geographical features.
Similarly I’ve been able to learn many more things on various trips and occasions.

The second thing that I am truly passionate about is reading. Any person who enjoys reading can never have enough of it. Be it fiction, literature, history, facts, reality, news or any other category, anything and everything interests me. Infact a major part of my free time is spent in pouring over some article on the Internet or books. Reading is a great a pastime and it immensely increases ones sphere of knowledge. Plus if you have something to read along with you then there is no requirement of any other companion. All in all it is an excellent hobby.

Finally the list of passions in my life can never ever be complete without Music. It is said that music is a way of life and I believe that is cent percent true. Without it our existence will not be complete. Infact a majority of the people with agree with my opinion.It touches lives in some way or the other.When I play an instrument or sing a note it gives me a kind of thrill that cannot be explained.Music is for all occasions. Be it happy, sad, joy, celebration or any emotion in the world.At the end of hectic day listening to some soothing music calms ones mind and nerves in an almost magical way. For me music is rejuvenating and it is something that I enjoy with all my heart and soul. It will always remain an eternal part of me.

Just An Idea..

India is a country where a major part of the population still does not have access to a very basic right called education. Why can we not adopt a teach India model - Akin Singapore which makes it mandatory for every citizen to go for a military training, we too should seriously make it a mandate for every literate graduate to spend atleast 1-2 weeks every 2 years to teach in rural and urban schools. These graduates acting as faculty would definitely help in education of the masses and to speed up the process of living a better life. Such people could be then given some brownie points (for example…a certificate of appreciation from HRD after completion of 3 such interventions?)..... We cannot be dependent on the Government for everything. As a responsible citizen we have to give back to this civil society. It should be part of our DNA.
Infact the ‘Teach India’ campaign launched by Times of India has already given us an excellent opportunity to try out such a thing.

Planting a Tree

It is always a pleasure to watch a thick cover of greenery anywhere we go.People often maintain beautiful gardens in and around their houses.But what about public areas like streets, sidewalks, pathways etc.Nobody seems to bother about them.

So taking some initiative and planting a tree in a public area is definitely a very good idea. To undertake this task the first thing to do was to procure a tree sapling.The options available were either to go to a nursery and buy one or pull out a sapling that happened to grow wildly on its own.
After procuring the plant, I had to look for a suitable place for it to grow. Walking along one of the roads near my house, I spotted a perfect place.The idea was to have easy accessecibity to the plant so that I clould check on it and also to ensure that it would not get damaged and get adequate sunlight, water etc.
Finally I managed to dig a hole and plant the sapling.The result was definitely very pleasing and it made me give a pat and a big smile to myself.Doing such things always makes one happy.If you don’t believe me try it yourself :-).

Independence Day....

On 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation. This was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's famous speech titled Tryst with destiny.

“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again.”

This year we celebrated our 61st year of independence and it is indeed a matter of great pride and joy for all of us.

We have marched into the 21st century today. The younger generation does not know much about what happened sixty years ago except what is written in history books. But rightfully so because as the saying goes...Time heals everything, and humans must live in the present and aspire about their future.
So every year people do look forward to 15th August, but from the point of view of a national holiday when they can relax. I personally do not remember doing anything substantial to celebrate this day over the years maybe except participating in school functions.
This year was no different. But even then in my heart of hearts I bear strong patriotic feelings towards my country. It definitely made me think about what I could do to make this day a better experience rather than a usual holiday.

While watching television I happened to view an extremely interesting feature.This was about how a group of young people celebrated this day by spending it at an orphanage.
What was different was that they spent the day renovating the orphanage. The place was painted, decorated with some new facilities and utilities provided for the children.
These people were no professionals but a bunch of enthusiastic youngsters who successfully implemented a very good idea. Most of them were trying their hand at these odd jobs for the first time in their life. But it led to excellent results.
I shall try and do something similar in future

The position of the Prime Minister of our country is indeed a highly respected and important one.Given a chance to hold this position I would use this opportunity to make the young generations aware of how they could contribute in the development and building of our country.One requires a sense of belonging to be a part of anything. I shall try and bring about this spirit in the people. If each one of us could do a small bit, it would go a long way in ensuring the prosperity and growth of our nation.

I feel very very proud that I belong to this beautiful nation called India.

Jai Hind

Reducing water demand

Simple techniques can be used to reduce the demand for water. The underlying principle is that only part of the rainfall or irrigation water is taken up by plants, the rest percolates into the deep groundwater, or is lost by evaporation from the surface. Therefore, by improving the efficiency of water use, and by reducing its loss due to evaporation, we can reduce water demand.
There are numerous methods to reduce such losses and to improve soil moisture. Some of them are listed below.
Mulching, i.e., the application of organic or inorganic material such as plant debris, compost, etc., slows down the surface run-off, improves the soil moisture, reduces evaporation losses and improves soil fertility.

Soil covered by crops, slows down run-off and minimizes evaporation losses. Hence, fields should not be left bare for long periods of time.

Ploughing helps to move the soil around. As a consequence it retains more water thereby reducing evaporation.

Shelter belts of trees and bushes along the edge of agricultural fields slow down the wind speed and reduce evaporation and erosion.

Planting of trees, grass, and bushes breaks the force of rain and helps rainwater penetrate the soil.

Fog and dew contain substantial amounts of water that can be used directly by adapted plant species. Artificial surfaces such as netting-surfaced traps or polyethylene sheets can be exposed to fog and dew. The resulting water can be used for crops.

Contour farming is adopted in hilly areas and in lowland areas for paddy fields. Farmers recognize the efficiency of contour-based systems for conserving soil and water.

Salt-resistant varieties of crops have also been developed recently. Because these grow in saline areas, overall agricultural productivity is increased without making additional demands on freshwater sources. Thus, this is a good water conservation strategy.

Transfer of water from surplus areas to deficit areas by inter-linking water systems through canals, etc.

Desalination technologies such as distillation, electro-dialysis and reverse osmosis are available.

Use of efficient watering systems such as drip irrigation and sprinklers will reduce the water consumption by plants.

The Disabled in India

Standing on a bus stop one busy morning, I was dreading the daily pushing and fighting that has to be undertaken in order to get on and survive in a bus. A man walked past the bus stop and all the waiting passengers including me stared as he walked by.This was because he carried a blind man’s stick and wore dark glasses. I noticed sympathy on the faces of most of the people at the stop.But I instead felt happy and proud of the man who very confidently tap-tapped his way along the street.

The issue that I am trying to raise here is not about my ‘noble feelings’ but about the millions of disabled people in our country. How many times have you come across a disabled person out in public like most of us? Maybe once, twice or thrice on an average and that too over considerable periods of time.

What most of us do not know is that, India has some 40 to 80 million persons suffering from disabilities of various kinds. They definitely constitute a major part of our population. But low literacy, few jobs and widespread social stigma are making disabled people among the most excluded in India. Children with disabilities are less likely to be in school, disabled adults are more likely to be unemployed, and families with a disabled member are often worse off than average.

Some common issues faced by disabled people and their families.

1)Large numbers of children with disabilities remain out of school. They are 4 to 5 times less likely to be in school than SC/ST children. If they do stay in school,they rarely progress beyond primary levels. This leads to lower employment and
incomes

2)Even though many disabled adults are capable of productive work, they have far lower employment rates than the general population. In fact, employment of people with disability actually fell from 43% in 1991 to 38% in 2002, despite the country's economic growth.

3)Negative attitudes held by the families of the disabled, and often the disabled themselves, deter disabled persons from taking an active part in the family,community or workforce.

4)There is stark regional disparity. In general, states that lag in health service also lag in caring for the disabled. Those disabled from birth, women, and ST/SC/OBC are less likely to seek health care.

In the years to come, the number of disabled people in India is expected to rise sharply as age related disabilities grow and traffic accidents increase. This is borne out by the fact that internationally, the highest reported disability rates are in OECD (organisation for economic development) countries.
Despite the many challenges, concerted efforts by the Government, civil society, the private sector, and disabled people themselves, the untapped potential of this large group of citizens can be released for their own benefit as well as for society at large.
With better education and more access to jobs, India's 40 to 90 million disabled people will generate higher growth which will benefit the country as a whole. India has a growing disability rights movement and one of the more progressive policy frameworks in the developing world. But, a lot more needs to be done in implementation and “getting the basics right”. Newer thinking and better coordination of programs is called for. Preventive health programs need to be deepened and all children screened at a young age. People with disabilities need to be better integrated into society by overcoming stigma; disabled adults need to be empowered with employable skills; and the private sector needs to be encouraged to employ them. The scale of disability in India needs to be better understood by improving the measurement of disability. Most importantly, persons with disabilities should themselves be made active participants in the development process.

“The problem is not to wipe out the differences but to unite with the differences intact”
-Rabindranath Tagore