Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Making India Clean, & More

Mahatma Gandhi had rightly said, “Sanitation is more important than Independence”. He was aware of the pathetic situation of Indian rural people at that time and he dreamt of a clean India where he emphasised on cleanliness and sanitation as an integral part of living. Unfortunately, we have completed 67 years of independence and we have only about 30% of the rural households with access to toilets.

President Pranab Mukherjee in his address to Parliament in June 2014, said, “For ensuring hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation a “Swachh Bharat Mission” will be launched. This will be our tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary to be celebrated in the year 2019”.

The Narendra Modi Government will soon launch the “Swachh Bharat” movement to solve the sanitation problem in India, to solve the problem of waste management and make India a clean country, ensuring hygiene all across the country. Emphasising “Clean India” on August 15, 2014 in his Independence day speech, the Prime Minister said that this movement is associated with the economic activity of the country. This mission for creating a clean India will be launched on October 2, 2014, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with the target of completing the mission in 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of the father of the nation. The basic objective behind Swachh Bharat Mission is to create sanitation facilities for all and eliminate completely the unhealthy practice of responding to the nature’s call in the open. It aims to provide every rural family with a toilet by 2019.

First cleanliness drive starts on September 25

According to a statement by the PMO, all offices up to panchayat level will participate in a cleanliness drive that shall be carried out from September 25 till Diwali on October 23. As a part of the awareness campaign, the Delhi Government plans to cover more than 8 lakh ration card holders by sending sms to their mobile numbers.

What is Modi’s opinion?

Modi has directly linked the Clean India movement with the economic activity of the nation. This mission, according to him, can contribute to GDP growth, provide a source of employment and reduce health costs, thereby connecting to an economic activity. Cleanliness is no doubt connected to the tourism and global interests of the country as a whole. India is already a known hub in the world tourist map. It is high time now that India’s top 50 tourist destinations display high class levels of hygiene and cleanliness so as to change the nation’s global perception.

Clean India can bring in more tourists, thereby increasing the revenue. He has appealed to the people to devote 100 hours every year to cleanliness. Not only the sanitation programme, Modi also laid emphasis on solid waste management and waste water management. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation, said that solid and liquid waste management activities using scientifically proved advanced techniques will be launched in each gram panchayat. Narendra Modi has also directed that separate toilets for boys and girls should be provided in every school in the country by August 15, 2015.

Objectives of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

The details of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is under development presently. But the following principles will be included:

• Construction of individual, cluster and community toilets.
• To eliminate or reduce open defecation. Open defecation is one of the main causes of deaths of thousands of children each year.
• Not only latrine construction, the Swachh Bharat Mission will also make an initiative of establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring latrine use.
• Public awareness will also be provided about the drawbacks of open defecation and promotion of latrine use.
• Proper, dedicated ground staff will be recruited to bring about behavioural change and promotion of latrine use.
• For proper sanitation use, the mission will aim at changing people’s attitudes, mindsets and behaviours.
• To keep villages clean.
• Solid and liquid waste management through gram panchayats.
• To lay water pipelines in all villages, ensuring water supply to all households by 2019.

Let’s make Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a success

The PM has rightly asserted that Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should be a combined effort of both the Government as well as the people. We hope that the Swachh Bharat Mission does not become another Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan started by the previous Government in 1999 with the same mission but was not a success.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should not be a mere re-branding exercise. There is no doubt about the fact that change begins at home. Every citizen of the country should be clean and have hygiene and think of progress rather than waiting for the Government to make this plan successful. Let us also hope that we can change the minds of the people and focus on the real issues and not just constructing toilets. Let us all pledge to make this mission a success…

India Added ‘Zero’ To Maths

Are you one of those who feel why Zero existed, or for that matter the Maths subject existed at all? Or are you one of those who would work out how a 2(a+b) can be relevant in your daily life?

Well, you may fall into any category but there is no escaping the fact that Maths is indeed an important subject. You will be surprised at how it comes to use on a daily basis and yes, India has made major contributions towards the subject. Today, we explore how Maths plays a role in our lives and what has been India’s contribution.

Daily life and Maths

As you begin your day in the morning, even before you are completely awake, you would have begun using Maths. Don’t you occasionally snooze off the alarm and set a new time? There you are! You are using Maths to calculate the new time to set.

Then, you get ready to go to school or office. You know exactly the amount of time you have in hand to reach your destination or the amount of gas required in the car. You are calculating – Maths again.

At school, during a tough History paper, you are checking the number of questions attempted and the possible marks you may get. You are using Maths in a subject that seems to be not even remotely connected to Maths. History not connected to Maths? Impossible! History is filled with time durations and dates that are used to describe different eras and civilizations. All these data is evolved through Maths. Most of the subjects use Maths in some way or the other.

At work, one is constantly using Maths – right from tax calculation to salary negotiations to fixing up meetings to procuring inventory – the subject is determining and defining the moves in the office.

When it comes to savings, a good knowledge of Maths can lead to decent gains. If one is investing in the stock markets and understands the probabilities surrounding gains and risks, he can gear up to mitigate the risks.

As one goes shopping, Maths becomes an integral part of the shopping experience – right from checking out the price tags to picking up the products that are within the budget, one is using Maths. Maths also enables one to understand the finances and to chalk out financial plans.

Suppose you are a sports enthusiast, you may be surprised at how Maths plays a role there too – right from noting the scores to timing the game to declaring the winning team, Maths plays a major contributing factor in all the areas.

Coming back home to the kitchen. This is a place where Maths is really put to use – right from measurement of ingredients to the time required for cooking to laying the table, Maths is behind most of the activities performed in the kitchen.

Maths is an integral part of our life. Now, let us see the contributions that India has made towards the subject.

India’s contribution towards Maths

India has had a long pursuit with Maths and the presence of the subject in India can be traced to 3rd millennium BC.

During this era, India is believed to have been involved in the study of mathematical astronomy and is believed to have used Mathematics and Geometry to support their research and findings.

Zero was already known to ancient Indians. India gave the world Zero and that changed the entire perspective of how Maths worked.

Brahmagupta (598-668), who was the head of astronomy observatory in Ujjain, had introduced Zero to support the concept that nothingness is a reality and therefore it exists.

Before Zero came into being, it was difficult to understand numbers. For instance a 505, would be written as 5 5 (with a space in between). With the introduction of Zero, Brahmaputra is believed to have made a major contribution. Once the existence of Zero was established, the concepts of negative numbers, integers, equations and other formulas subsequently evolved.

The Indus Valley civilization showed traces of mathematics, where the sites – Harappa and Mohenjo-daro – used Mathematics developed in India to come up with some brilliant architecture. Both the sites are now in Pakistan. The Harappans used uniform system of weight and measures. Excavations reveal that they used scales and weights that had decimal numbers. Some of the scales had made use of inches even. The ruins of the buildings of the Harappan era reveal that units of lengths were accurately used in the construction.

Besides architecture, Mathematics was also found to have been used in religious texts in ancient India. The Vedic texts contained Sulbasutras or appendices that gave rules to construct altars. Religion played a crucial role in the astronomical studies in India as accurate calendars based on the positioning of the planets and the heavenly bodies had to be prepared for religious observances. For many centuries, mathematics was an applied science in India and was used to solve practical problems.

Let us now take a quick look at some of the Indian mathematicians who made great contribution towards the subject. We have already spoken about Brahmagupta, here are a few other geniuses:

Aryabhatta (476-529)

Aryabhatta was the person behind the place value systems. He used letters to signify numbers and to state qualities. He was the one who discovered the position of the nine planets and formulated the theory that the planets revolved round the sun. He dispelled the earlier belief that Dhurva Rahu caused the phases in the moon and the Parva Rahu caused eclipse by covering the moon with the modern theory of eclipses. He also came up with the correct number of days in a year. Apart from astronomy, he is credited to have laid down the procedures for algebra, arithmetic, trigonometry and geometry and to also have given 3.1416 as the value of Pi.

Bhaskara (1114-1185)

Bhaskara is the one who came up with this concept that anything divided by zero is infinity. And infinity added to any number or vice versa is also infinity.

Srinivas Ramanujan (1887-1920)

A much celebrated mathematician of the twentieth century, Ramanujan developed a formula for partitioning any natural number. He expressed integers as the sum of cubes or squares or higher power of integers.

Conclusion

India’s contributions towards Maths has been immense and it can be easily summed in this quote by physicist and philosopher of science Albert Einstein.

“We owe a lot to the Indians who taught us how to count, without which no significant scientific discovery could have been made.”

Narendra Modi Launches ‘Make In India’

The launch of the ‘Make in India’ campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attract foreign investments and boost the manufacturing sector of India has been timed to perfection. It comes a day after India’s indigenously manufactured satellite Mangalyaan was successfully put in the Martian orbit, showing to the world the progress India has made in manufacturing processes, technology, science and innovation. It also comes a day ahead of the PM’s visit to the US. ‘Make in India’ is intended to provide a major fillip to India’s manufacturing industry which currently contributes about 15% of the national GDP.

The Prime Minister released a brochure with all the information that will be required by investors about 25 key sectors in India. The brochure carried the newly designed ‘Make In India’ logo which has been inspired by the Ashoka Chakra and the lion. A large number of Indian corporate honchos were present at the launch of the campaign in Delhi on Thursday.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the Prime Minister’s speech at the launch ceremony.

• Trust and confidence in the government and policymakers have been lost. These need to be regained.
• We do not want to see any company or enterprise leave India due to business constraints
• An environment of trust will convince industry leaders of the government’s commitment to developing industry
• FDI is a responsibility for the people and an opportunity for the global investors; FDI for Indians should be “First Develop India” and Foreign Direct Investment for the investors
• Only when India moves away from poverty will purchasing power in the country increase and when this happens the country will start to bloom as a grand huge market for industries
• The movement away from poverty will come from increase in employment; employment will come only when we start developing the manufacturing sector in India.
• Investors are not attracted by incentives; investment will be attracted only by friendly policies and a secure environment
• Ease of business is important for development; India has slipped low in the list of countries in terms of ease of doing business
• Scrutiny and red tape should not create barriers for development; simplification of processes should be the focus and redundancy done away with
• The world is looking to invest in Asia, particularly in Asian democracies, and in places with high demand – India fits the bill perfectly
• Effective governance is a key factor in attracting investors; the government needs to reassure investors of its effectiveness in promoting business and industry
• Skilled manpower mapped to the natural potential and creation of sustainable growth will be the focus of ‘Make in India’
• Private-public partnership must be the basis of skills development in the country
• It is the government’s responsibility to facilitate the creation of an environment conducive to development
• 65% population of the country is less than 35 years of age – there is immense manpower. After the indigenous development of Mangalyaan, India’s talent and skills too cannot be questioned
• Digital India is the crux of effective governance; if this is not achieved, the governance and society will stay divergent. Ease of governance will come only with use of technology
• For years we have been emphasizing on Look East; only when we link West to this will we develop
• There are numerous opportunities in manufacturing and to develop this sector we will require a whole new world of infrastructure – from highways to I(nformation) ways, gas, water pipelines, ports, and a lot many more
• This government does not have a political agenda; it is dedicated to development as an article of faith
• The life and destiny of India can and will be changed for the better
• May Indian companies become multinational organizations but only when they grow and develop with India
• Only when the Centre and the state governments work together in tandem can India’s true development potential be tapped into; development of states is the development of the country
• ‘Make in India’ is our responsibility; may India garner strength with this mission
• The ‘Make in India’ campaign is dedicated to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, the patriotic thinker and philosopher

And here is what some of the top industrialists said in their speeches:

Cyrus Mistry – Chairman, Tata Sons

• Make In India is a timely opportunity for Indian companies to grow and contribute to the development of the country
• India’s manufacturing sector needs to grow – to contribute at least 25% of the GDP – to be at par with other Asian countries. It currently contributes just over 15%
• Labour laws need to be reformed for the sector to develop
• Transparent laws and industry-friendly policies need to be framed
• Rollout of the GST (Goods & Services Tax) needs to be expedited, and reforming tax structure is imperative
• Tata Group is committed to investing in India

Kenichi Ayukawa – MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India

• Suzuki’s India venture has been the most successful
• Cars in India are manufactured at a lower in cost
• The government must work to remove factors affecting manufacturing competitiveness

Mukesh Ambani – Chairman & Managing Director, Reliance Industries

• This is a historic day for the Indian manufacturing industry
• ‘Make in India’ is about the present and future, not about the past
• Reliance will create 1.25 lakh jobs in next 12-15 months
• There is a great need to connect village clusters to global markets to promote export
• India needs to be open to foreign capital investment and import of expertise

Azim Premji – Chairman, Wipro Limited

• Products made in India are suitable for all extreme climates
• Indian products represent a blend of low-cost and innovation in designs
• 80% sourcing of raw material for Wipro comes from domestic suppliers

KM Birla – Chairman, Aditya Birla Group

• It is high time India becomes a preferred manufacturing hub
• We need millions of jobs to prop up our economy
• India has all that is needed to make it a key manufacturing destination – skills, raw material, and entrepreneurship

Chanda Kochchar – MD & CEO, ICICI Bank

• Make in India is the next growth driver for India
• Manufacturing sector can add 9 crore jobs in the coming decade
• Quality, cost, and sustainability – the three things that need to be ensured
• Emphasis needs to be on transparence of policy, infrastructure, skills development, and priority areas

Phil Shaw – CEO, Lockheed Martin

• India is the epicentre of innovation

Y C Deveshwar – Chairman, ITC

• Jobless growth unsustainable
• 12 million youth are looking for employment and 2 million jobs are available – this gap needs to be plugged
• Biggest beneficiaries of Make in India is the youth
• Inflation and unemployment can be eliminated by Make in India

PM Modi’s Independence Day Address

The past week has been awash with anticipation and rumors about Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address to the nation. A number of popular news sources went to the extent of suggesting that NaMo would go in for a break in tradition and select a different venue than the Red Fort for his address to the nation. Possibly, the idea originated in Mr. Modi’s love of breaking set patterns and norms. In 2003, as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Modi had moved the venue of the I-Day from Gandhinagar to other lesser-known towns. One much anticipated diversion from tradition, in the past week, pertains to the all-important national address itself. Mr. Modi’s reputation as a charismatic and forceful speaker has always been his greatest political strength. It was speculated that his maiden I-Day address would be extempore and not a scripted one. The speech was expected to set a national a vision and announce the new government’s major policies. On this count, Mr. Modi did not disappoint the nation.

The Red Fort was decked up this morning with over 4000 tricolor flags and about 60000 balloons in the national colors. 7000 security personnel (including about 2,000 from the paramilitary forces) and 10000 spectators geared up to watch the unfurling of the tricolor and celebration of liberty with a generation that considers its independence as a non-negotiable legacy. Mr. Modi was dressed in a mandarin collar cream-color kurta and a stately red and green turban and introduced himself as the Pradhan Sevak (prime servant) rather than Pradhan Mantri (Prime Minister) of the nation. The lack of bullet-proof glass around him remained conspicuous. Here are some major focus areas of the Prime Minister’s speech on the occasion of India’s 68th Independence Day.

Women’s Protection & Empowerment – The Prime Minister’s speech emphasized on the urgent need for a change in societal values with regard to women’s empowerment and protection. The growing numbers of rape cases is a matter of shame, the solution is to raise sons who can respect women and adhere to values, he said. The dismal sex ratio in the country is a result of unethical practices such as female feticide performed by doctors and commissioned by parents. Mr. Modi reminded the nation of the contribution of the women to the development and pride of the nation, referring to the female medal winners at the Common Wealth Games 2014.

Growth and Development – The Prime Minister announced the replacement of the central Planning Commission with a new institution that would ensure creatively “optimum utilization of resources” and would set a new direction to governance. “Financial planning has grown out of the scope of central government”, said the PM. In a shout out to global investors, the Prime Minister invited them to come and manufacture goods in India. He promised talent, skills, and a conducive environment while calling for the production of zero-defect products.

Unity and Integrity – Growth and development in the country is not the prerogative of the majority. It is only through consensus that exemplary governance can be achieved. He recalled the path of tolerance, brotherhood, and peace – Sadbhavana that brought about India’s independence. The Prime Minister assured the nation that the same path would lead to development and prosperity. Communal violence is the greatest inhibitor to our progress, he said. It is time we step up our pride as Indians and set aside caste and community spurred differences.

Poverty Alleviation – To enable the poor masses of India open their bank accounts, he announced the launch of ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana’. These back accounts would help the poor gain access to facilities such as debit cards and provide them an insurance coverage to the amount of INR 1 lakh as well. Working with the other SAARC countries, India’s endeavor to eradicate poverty must be one of its priorities.

Cleanliness and Environment – He stress that India’s lack of toilets and sanitation had become a matter important enough to be included in the national address from the Red Fort. He urged the Indians to take a pledge of maintaining cleanliness and not polluting the environment.

Digital India – Digital India is another topic, the Prime Minister focused on, in his speech. Our country is a young nation and skilled talent is its greatest requirement. Our youth have now taken over the world with exemplary IT skills. He said that he dreamt of a digital India where IT connects the country much like Railways of yesteryears. Mr. Modi, the tech-savvy Prime Minister of India, called for E-governance as the means to good governance.

Quotes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address at Red Fort –

• “This nation has not made by politicians or administrators or governments; it was built by labourers, farmers, teachers, seers, social workers, and by the youth”

• “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. The Armed forces are awake, and we all should be awake, too”

• “Have we thought about our sex ratio? There are 940 daughters born 1000 sons Who is creating this imbalance? I appeal to the doctors not to kill the girl child in the mother’s womb to fill their coffers. I request the parents not to kill daughters because you want a son… I have seen families where one daughter serves parents more than five sons. Killing daughters in the womb, it is a blot on 21st century India.”

• “I tell the world – Come, Make In India. Sell anywhere but manufacture here. We have the skill and talent.”

• “We have seen instances of communal violence for too long. Till when will this go on? Be it caste or communal violence, they stall the growth of the nation.”

• “A person working in the private sector calls his work a Job but a government employee will always call his work a Service”

Happy Mother's Day!

Post by Incredible India.