Kartik Lokhande's blog

  By Kartik Lokhande The recent uncalled for controversy over ‘claims’ of existence of aviation in ancient India, as mentioned in the Sanskrit texts, could best be described as against the spirit of Science. In fact, this controversy should be termed as ‘unscientific’. For, curiosity-based pragmatism forms the core of Science. And, Science transcends the barriers of a particular region, country, language, or religion. Interestingly, India is not the only country that is having its share of controversies over its scientific brilliance in ancient period. China, Greece, Iran, Egypt also have had their share. The unfortunate part, for India, is that instead of taking up the tasks of authority-backed preservation of ancient texts and their scientific exploration, the existence of the thought in these ancient texts is being questioned or seen in the light of a language that has been attached to a particular religion. In the process, not only thought but also the opportunity

By Kartik Lokhande  Maharashtra Government has scrapped the barcode system that was launched to curb illegal mining and transportation of sand. Instead, the Government has decided to use mobile phone-based system -- Sand Mining Approval and Tracking System (SMATS). The erstwhile Congress-NCP Government in Maharashtra had started implementing a new Sand Mining/Disposal Policy vide Government Resolution dated March 12, 2013. The policy included an important provision of barcode system. Under the system, use of barcoded passes was made mandatory for transportation of sand. However, as barcoding also failed in curbing the illegal mining and transportation of sand, the Government has decided to come up with an advanced tracking system. Under SMATS, the Government has also revised guidelines relating to mining and transportation of sand, to bring uniformity. SMATS will be implemented from the current financial year 2014-15, of which only three months are remaining. SMATS is a

* Chief Minister asks NMC to revise estimates to Rs 300 crore * Calls experts for meeting on Monday By Kartik Lokhande  Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is pushing the project of constructing cement-concrete roads in the city, in a big way. After a meeting with Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, last month, it is now preparing a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR). Last month, NMC had made a presentation before Chief Minister on cement-concrete roads project. As per the NMC presentation, the estimated cost of the project was Rs 460 crore. However, Chief Minister suggested some changes and asked NMC to submit a revised proposal within the limit of Rs 300 crore for the project. “Chief Minister shared with us his ideas about cement-concrete roads project. He attracted our attention to new cost-effective technologies. Accordingly, we are preparing a revised DPR,” said Shyam Wardhane, Municipal Commissioner. He told ‘The Hitavada’ that the project involves construction of

* Process for admissions under RTE Act to go online By Kartik Lokhande  Education Department (Primary), Zilla Parishad, has issued notices to 134 schools in the district and has sought explanation from them within seven days regarding meeting the norms under Right to Education (RTE) Act. These schools include those governed by local bodies as well as private aided and unaided ones. “We have sought explanations from these schools on whether they have got all 10 infrastructure indicators as prescribed under RTE Act,” said Anil Kolhe, Acting Deputy Education Officer (Primary), ZP. These 10 important indicators include pucca/kuchha building owned by schools or rented building, designated room for Headmaster for office-cum-store, classroom for each teacher, ramp to facilitate movement of special children, separate toilets for boys and girls, drinking water facility, kitchen shed for mid-day meals and separate room for cooking, boundary wall, and play ground. According to Kol

By Kartik Lokhande  Continuing with the policy of streamlining the administrative decision-making process and curbing the irregularities reported in the past, Maharashtra Government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has appointed a senior IAS officer as administrative top boss of Public Works Department (PWD). Anand Kulkarni, an IAS officer of 1982 batch, has been named as PWD Secretary. Kulkarni was posted Managing Director of Maharashtra State Financial Corporation (MSFC). He is  the second IAS officer to have been appointed as administrative top boss of the department that had officer of the rank of Chief Engineer or above as Secretary. Some time ago, State Government had appointed senior IAS officer Malini Shankar as Principal Secretary of Water Resources Department (WRD). The moves are aimed at curbing irregularities reported in these two departments in the past. Confirming the appointment of Kulkarni as PWD administrative top boss, PWD Minister Chandrakant P

* Sub-Divisional Officer (Nagpur city) asks sons to pay maintenance of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per month to parents By Kartik Lokhande  IN what could be first such orders at least in Nagpur city, Sub-Divisional Officer has asked sons to pay maintenance of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per month to parents in three different cases. The orders have been passed in accordance with Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior  Citizens Act. Though the administration did not disclose the names and other details pertaining to these cases, SDO (Nagpur city) Rahul Rekhawar told ‘The Hitavada’ that all three cases involved low income group families. These families are of labourers. The parents in these cases had filed complaints against their sons that the latter were harassing them. “The orders we have passed this month (December 2014) are first-of-their-kind at least in Nagpur city,” he said. According to him, sons were living in parental homes and were mounting pressure on parents to vaca

* The year 2014 saw BJP sweeping Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls, and Nagpur in particular and Vidarbha in general getting their long-deserved share in political power in the Centre as well as in the State * Devendra Fadnavis became the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra from Nagpur, and Nitin Gadkari got a powerful position in the four-member Core Group of BJP at national level apart from becoming Union Minister with several portfolios By Kartik Lokhande  It is never too late. The wait of Nagpur in particular and Vidarbha region in general for political power was over in the year 2014. With the city and the region playing a strong role in emergence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power, both got their due share in the power in the Centre as well as in Maharashtra. Of course, substantial share in power to the long-waiting region will go a long way in consolidating the position of BJP further. The ‘power shift’ could be sensed well before Lok Sabha elect

* Monday morning proved to be the coldest day ever in the month of December * The previous record of 5.5 degrees Celsius broken, minimum temperature dips to seven degrees below normal By Kartik Lokhande  For past couple of days, rather a week, Nagpurians were feeling it. Wrapped in woolens, gathered around small bonfires, sipping hot tea or soup, enjoying hot pakoras, Nagpurians had realised that they were in for the bone-chilling winter. On Monday, Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) confirmed this officially. Photo courtesy: Satish Raut Monday morning was the coldest ever in the history of Nagpur, in the month of December, with minimum temperature dipping to 5 degrees Celsius. With this, winter chill in Nagpur broke all the records. Previously, the lowest minimum temperature of 5.5 degrees Celsius was recorded on December 29, 1968. Nagpur also retained the distinction of being the coldest place in Vidarbha region for the second consecutive day.  T

By Kartik Lokhande “Basically its work is academically and professionally oriented with the rigor and sophistication of public or cultural diplomacy,” reads the ‘Mission and Objective page of the website of China Study Center-Nepal. And, this is exactly the reason why Indian agencies have, from time to time, expressed their concerns over mushrooming of China Study Centres especially in Nepal in the areas too close to border with India. For those still not finding the connecting dot between these study centres and Chinese interests vis-à-vis India, the above-mentioned statement of objective should be read again. The very use of expression ‘public or cultural diplomacy’ should concern not only security agencies but also every Indian citizen. For, it assumes deeper meaning when used in the context of strengthening of China and Nepal relations. Of course, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is not the first to express the concern over mushrooming of China Study Centres along In

* Recommends ‘Green Bonus’ as an addition to funds allocated to Vidarbha’s development plan By Kartik Lokhande  The High Level Committee on Balanced Regional Development Issues in Maharashtra has made an important recommendation, which, if accepted and implemented by the State and Central Government, will boost Vidarbha’s development in a big way. The committee, popularly known as Kelkar Committee, has recommended a ‘review’ of Forest Conservation Act and ‘revisiting’ the concept of Zudpi Jungle. Vidarbha has 26,98,800 hectares of forest land, which accounts for 53.29 per cent of forest area of entire Maharashtra. Forests in Vidarbha are home to a variety of flora and fauna and attract considerable number of visitors each year. These forests are rich in wildlife and tiger population. However, there are many stretches wherein the forests have been classified as ‘Zudpi Jungle’. As a result, these conservation efforts over the years are proving to be the biggest hurdles in

* Chief Minister Devendra Fadvavis gives nine ministers responsibility as Guardian Ministers of 11 districts in Vidarbha region * These include seven BJP ministers, and two belonging to Shiv Sena By Kartik Lokhande  Keeping his word again, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appointed Guardian Ministers of 36 districts in Maharashtra within a couple of days of prorogation of winter session of State Legislature. As per the list released on Friday, Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has been appointed as Guardian Minister of Nagpur district. Bawankule represents Kamptee constituency in Nagpur district, and has got elected as MLA for the third consecutive term. Recently, he was inducted into the Fadnavis Cabinet as Energy Minister considering his expertise in the matters related to energy sector. During his tenure as MLA, he raised several issues relating to generation and other aspects of power sector. Further, Bawankule has a considerable influence in Nagpur rural, whic

* Government to table Action Taken Report on Kelkar Committee report during budget session of State Legislature * Guardian Ministers of various districts to be announced in a couple of days * 11 important Bills cleared during winter session By Kartik Lokhande  Returning the Opposition fire, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his Government was ‘alert, positive, and sensitive’ but the Opposition parties were ‘divided, lacking in policy or vision, and scatterbrain’ during the winter session of State Legislature. Further, he said, the Government would table Action Taken Report on Kelkar Committee report during budget session of the State Legislature. Addressing a press conference after prorogation of the winter session of State Legislature on Wednesday evening, Fadnavis said that his Government was willing to discuss Kelkar Committee report. “The previous Government led by the parties that are in Opposition now, did not table Kelkar Committee report for three sessions

* Seeks special session of State Legislature in January to discuss Kelkar panel report Staff Reporter The main Opposition parties -- Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) -- that were divided throughout winter session of State Legislature, came together on the last day of the session. After coming together, both the parties flayed BJP-Sena Government in State for being ‘insensitive’ to farmers issues and said that the winter session had been a ‘big disappointment’. Both the Opposition parties blamed the new Government for tabling Kelkar Committee report towards the end of the session, and demanded a special session of State Legislature in January to discuss the contents of the report. However, asked why the Congress-NCP Government failed in tabling the report since October 2013, Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said, “Because of various reasons, it could not be tabled, but the new Government should have tabled it at the beginning of

* Makes 146 recommendations, suggests formula for region-wise allocation of funds, restructuring of Regional Development Boards with Chief Minister as Chairman * As per the new formula, Rest of Maharashtra to get higher overall allocation than Vidarbha and Marathwada * As reported earlier by ‘The Hitavada’, the report shifts focus of development debate from ‘backlog’ to ‘development gap’ By Kartik Lokhande After a long wait of 14 months, finally, State Government tabled the report of the High-level Committee on Balanced Regional Development Issues in Maharashtra -- popularly called Kelkar Committee -- in both the Houses of State Legislature. As reported earlier by ‘The Hitavada’, the report shifts the development debate from ‘backlog’ to ‘development gap’, and makes 146 recommendations to achieve balanced development in a suggested time-frame of 15 years. However, the new formula suggested by the committee, continues to give higher financial allocation to Rest of Maharasht

* Blames structural changes and political powers in past 15 years for contributing to increase in regional imbalance * Asks the Government to expedite completion of pending irrigation projects in Vidarbha By Kartik Lokhande With the winter session of State Legislature getting prorogued on Wednesday, some more details of the much-awaited Kelkar Committee on balanced development of various regions have come out. Interestingly, the committee has suggested 41.45 per cent of allocation to Rest of Maharashtra (RoM) and lower allocation to Vidarbha region. Though there are several other provisions that may be welcomed by people from Vidarbha, the allocation formula may raise eyebrows. The committee, headed by noted economist Dr Vijay Kelkar, has suggested financial outlay to be classified into two categories -- divisible and non-divisible. The divisible outlay will be divided among three regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada, and RoM and these will not include Mumbai. Apart from water

* In its report submitted to the State Legislature on Saturday, VDB has sought relaxation from restrictions on taking up new projects in Vidarbha By Kartik Lokhande  The rainfed region of Vidarbha has seen maximum suicides of farmers. One of the major causes is inadequate irrigation facilities. What ails irrigation development in Vidarbha region? The latest report of Vidarbha Development Board (VDB), tabled before the State Legislature on Saturday, points out some of the reasons. VDB has listed out the major reasons behind problems with creation of adequate irrigation potential in Vidarbha. These include inadequate allocation, forest clearance issues stalling work of under-construction projects, no plan for utilisation of 157 TMC water etc. While pointing these out, the VDB report has pressed for relaxation from restrictions on taking up new projects in the region. As per the directives of Governor, Vidarbha has 773 TMC water available for utilisation. This includes 678

19-12-14 By Kartik Lokhande I am innocence. That day -- December 16, 2014 -- I was gunned down by Taliban terrorists. I was dead -- in five-year-old Khola Altaf, in 14-year-old Hamza Ali, in 13-year-old Gulsher Nasir, in any and all of 132 children who fell to the bullets fired by demons at the other ends of the guns. But, was it for the first time that I died? No! I died several times before, and, who knows, may die for several times again. For, if innocence is not killed, it is crushed and crumpled and sucked out and polluted and clouded and thrown into the vast swamp of the conspiring, lying, cheating, violent, brutal, deceiving, and so-called mature elders in the world outside the sphere of childhood. As these ‘mature’ elders are everywhere in the perceived vast expanse of the world, I may die anytime, anywhere, in any child, in the left-over small room. Why have things come to such a pass? Were not these elders of today, children in the past? They were. Howev