Apr 30, 2012

Do we need structural reform in education system?

One education does not suit all.

We have created a template of education system based on our own idea of what an ideal educational curriculum and growth path should be and we want everyone belonging to different economic strata of society to follow the same path. Whether they are kids of millionaires or underprivileged children they are supposed to go through the same education structure. This phenomenon of standardization is more visible at elementary and secondary education level. Sheer number of children to be educated makes an excuse for standardization of education.

What makes us think that educational needs of poor underprivileged segment is same as prosperous segment of society, while their priorities and their skill needs are way different from each other. Their average educational lifespan might significantly differ; they might need a different curriculum, different educational structure and different style of teaching. Are we trying to pave a path for children of a incredibly poor migrated family living in squatter of city up to the graduation and post graduation and doctorate level, can he or she afford to invest so much of their life time earning education while their parents are struggling for their livelihood throughout their life and searching for a descent place which they can call home? Isn’t it that the educational needs of these special kids are way different from the middle and higher income segment of society? Don’t they need a kind of education which will allow and help them earn some money to fulfill their personal needs and help sustain and support their family while they are getting educated? This is something which standard education system fails to provide. School’s prime focus has remained on providing knowledge while what these marginalized kids need is skills which they can immediately put into practice and help uplift their socio-economic profile, they can’t wait to get a job or start their own business till they graduate from an engineering college. They have to act now to get out of that mess; they can peruse their education at any point later in life in their area of interest to further enhance their skills.

Talking of middle class segment, look at the majority of first-generation entrepreneurs who choose to become an entrepreneur due to increasingly tempting business opportunities of modern world and technological advancements in-spite of any family history of business or entrepreneurship, but majority of them are apparently lost or clueless about how to move forward. What an irony, throughout the education ladder these kids were prepared for corporate job and they choose to become entrepreneur and found themselves struggling and lost in the big business world, dominated by family business houses, whether a business house of a small shopkeeper or  empire of well known business family. Take a case of any city in India, majority of middle segment business owners have only basic elementary education from generations to generations, and they are surprisingly doing well, they didn’t feel the need of further formal education so they voluntarily dropped out from the school, their parents taught them the skills they needed to run the business, they inherited the knowledge which was needed to run the show. They would have never learned these skills in the schools with present education structure, because present education system doesn’t treat them as a special niche group at elementary and secondary education level who need customized education. Hence the first generation entrepreneurs feel lost while business houses run their business smoothly.

Imagine the growth potential of individual and communities with the targeted education, imaging the growth potential of a kid who gets targeted training in his family business (whether its pottery, metal works, furnishing or anything else, at elementary to secondary education level which he is witnessing through generations, and compare it with the collective loss of potential due to flat “good for all” education structure. Loss seems to be monumental. It’s time that the fundamental structure of education need to be revived and should become increasingly skill oriented starting right from the elementary level. 

Apr 23, 2012

Let me Complicate it for you!!

Human mind needs complexity to appreciate design and aesthetics

If it’s too obvious it’s boring. If we have seen it earlier or something similar, it’s boring anyway. We always look forward to see and appreciate a piece of design or work of art or architecture which is refreshingly new, but still with a stubbornness  of design expectations since we also love the nostalgia attached to the familiarity of object or subject.


Possibly the reason abstract and modern art emerged is because people were fed up of realistic and photo-realistic portraits and other painting subjects and demanded something new something avant-garde to appreciate. Though there were complexity of techniques and process involved in those elaborately detailed classical or miniature paintings but abstractness of modern art gave viewers infinite possibilities to perceive, interpret and appreciate the artworks.  Though the artwork and style was new, people were still able to relate to it because of carefully chosen subjects of contemporary importance of that era or region. Similarly with architecture, possibly the abstract and minimalistic  architecture emerged because people were tiered of those architectural details and geometrical orders, people later demanded purity of geometry not the order of geometry, they demanded thematic abstractness of elements not the sensory overload of detailing and Minimalistic architecture provided them all they wanted.

We have reached a time in the human evolution where we seem to have cracked the base code of aesthetics, analysing the rich history of art and architecture and documented enough in course of time for generations to come, while accelerating fast towards future. Now when we have tested basic design flavor and aesthetics of almost every kind how will we satisfy the design and aesthetic urge of humanity which is always looking out for something new to appreciate.

History shows, we have and we will find out new ways to provide the world with new design aesthetics which they will enjoy and appreciate. Fortunately there are ways to do that. Apparently there are two fronts on which we can innovate. One is technology; other is complexity of design itself. Technology will provide us materials, techniques etc. to innovate on design front and complexity of design will give us opportunity to challenge and satisfy the demanding aesthetic urge of curious human mind in field of art, design, architecture etc. What is complexity in this context? Complexity is to give them a piece of work , art or design or architecture which is difficult to grasp in one go like a puzzle, but quite familiar, contextual and easy once decoded, something which challenges the mind. Complexity provided by emerging materials, techniques and tools as well as complexity of forms, and abstractness.

By- Anoop Jha

Apr 20, 2012

Data Visualization as a planning tool


When Statistics marry Graphics, it creates immense possibilities.

Data is lifeblood of planning and holds massive information potential, need is to decode the pattern it holds, pattern of importance, patterns which are vital and patterns which help understand the previously unexplored recesses of statistics. Now we have datamining tools to extract and visualize data, sources which were previously nonexistent, data from social media, data from online resources etc..

These charts have been created from number series (Fibonacci number), just to represent clear, informative and convincing patterns which can be derived from numbers. Numbers tell stories!!   




Key strengths and potential sectors of Indian states

ANDHRA PRADESH
ITES destination
Industrial estates
Abundant energy
World-class academic institutions
Storehouse of minerals

ASSAM
Comprehensive central investment policy for NER
Liberalised state industrial policies,
Skilled and cheap manpower
Pleasant climate and scenic landscape
Locational advantage for foreign trade

CHHATTISGARH
Power surplus
Availability of low grade coal-power plants
Ample amount of land

HARYANA
High per capita income
Proximity to trade and consumption centers in country- NCR
Automobiles and automotive components
IT/ITES facilities /software,
Textiles and readymade garments
Property development and retailing
Agro export

HIMACHAL PRADESH
High incentives index
Consumer market index
Most urbanised state
Low power tariff and cost of power generation
Policy proactiveness
Availability of natural resources for agro-based industries
High literacy rates and good quality workforce
High quality limestone

JAMMU & KASHMIR
Concessional land rates for industries on lease
Large tourism potential
Horticulture industry
Skills of weaving and designing of textile products,
Traditional skills of fine craftsmanship can be used in the field of electronic and precision engineering.

KARNATAKA
Proactive government
Sector-friendly policies
Large pool of skilled manpower
Best infrastructure
Larger focus on industrial growth

KERALA
High literacy rate
Largest producer of coconut, pepper, coir, cocoa, rubber and areca nut

MADHYA PRADESH
Law and order
High growth in infrastructure development..
High growth in agriculture
Good governance.
Centrally located, / accessible
Low cost of skilled labor
Low cost of land
Cement, textiles and edible oils.
Track record of attracting private investment in transport infrastructure
Initiated greenfield special economic zone.
Automobile and pharmaceutical industries
Improving social development indices

RAJASTHAN
Cement
Mineral production
Producers of cotton and wool
Tourist destination
Progressive states in electricity sector reforms
Oil and gas reserves
Emerging destination for it and ITES industries

UTTARAKHAND
Hydro-potential
Promoting industrial estates, industrial parks and growth centre
Vast pool of a natural resource
Tourism development
Quality human resource base at competitive rates
Number of fiscal benefits like concessional industrial package


By Anoop Jha


Source: pppindia.com

Apr 18, 2012

Municipal Finance in India : Municipal Tax Revenue sources

Municipal Revenue generation through Taxation in India

“Local Self Government becomes meaningless in the absence of financial autonomy. It enjoys the power of imposition of local taxes. The municipal bodies must have a wider scope of collection of revenues”
(Source: UIDSSMT)


ULBs have invented many channels and instruments of revenue generation in course of time due to urgency of handling growth, some of the tax sources both conventional and non-conventional, are mentioned below.


TAXES/FEES

CONVENTIONAL MUNICIPAL REVENUE SOURCES

Composite Property Tax
Water Charges
Sewerage Charges
Conservancy Charges
Building Permit Fee
Development Charges
Trade Licensing Fee
Advertisement Tax
Shop Room Rent

OTHER GENERAL MUNICIPAL REVENUE SOURCES

House Tax 
Show Tax  
Building Plan Fee
Tax on the consumption of Electricity    
Sale of liquor     
Cess on the transfer of immovable property   
License for Dangerous and Offensive trades
Rates are varied in respective ULBs
Rehari License Fee
Tehbazari Tax
Slaughter House Fee
Cattle Pound Fees
Birth & Death Certificate Fee
Copying Fee
Tree Cutting Fee
Library Membership
Ground Tax
Vehicle License Fee
Death & Birth Reg./ Late Fee
Forest /Garden Income
Dog License Fee 
Animal Tax (Cattle Pound)
Trade License Fee
Tax on advertisement other than advertisement published in the newspaper.


NON-CONVENTIONAL MUNICIPAL REVENUE SOURCES

Vacant Land Tax
Service Taxes
Surcharge on Land Registration Duty
Water Supply Donations
Water Supply Connection Charges
Water Benefit Tax
Water Betterment Charges
Sewerage Donations
Sewerage Connection Charges
Sewerage Benefit Tax
Sewerage Betterment Charges
Bulk Garbage Collection Charges
Betterment Charges
External Betterment Charges
Open Space Contribution
Impact fee
Transferable Development Right
Premium FSI
Sub-division charges
Planning Permission Betterment
Road Cutting Charges
Street Tax
Frontage Tax
Cess on Infrastructure
Motor Vehicle Tax/Surcharge
Tax on Petrol and Diesel
Business License Fee
Hoarding Charges,
Advertisement Placement Fees,
Cable TV Fee,
TV Advertisement Charges
Royalty on Auctions


INNOVATIVE /UNIQUE MUNICIPAL REVENUE SOURCES

General Obligation Bond/ Municipal Bond
Awarding of development rights,
Town planning schemes (TPS)
Plot/layout readjustment
Additional FSI/FAR
Goodwill auctions
Bank linkages (for Urban Poor)
Capital-based property tax system
Land banking
Transferable development rights (TDR)
Special Education tax
Pilgrim
Octroi
Special and General Sanitation
Shows
Toll on Vehicles,
Timber
Terminal
Menial Domestic Servants
Artisans
Entertainment Tax

SOME OF THE UNIQUE REVENUE STREAMS (THROUGH FEES/ CHARGES) OF MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS MAJOR STATES IN INDIA

Registration Fee
Mutation Fee
Market Fee 
Trade License Fee
Compounding Fee
Slaughter House Fee
License Fee
Betterment / Development Fee
Fire Brigade
Public Health
Swimming Bath Fee,
Stock Registration
Cattle Pound Fee
Teh Bazari Fee
Pilgrim
Scavenging
Prevention of Food Adulteration Fee
Dangerous and Offensive Trade License Fee
Animal Registration Fee
Compounding Fee
Warrant Fee
Bus Stand Fee
Copying Fee
Cart Stand Fee,
Encroachment Fee
Fees from burning ghats
Birth and Death Registration Fee


Sources:

Apr 16, 2012

Rural Development Schemes in India

Some of the Schemes launched by Government of India (GoI) at present and in Past under deferent department and mission for Rural Development are listed below with the website link or relevant resources. 




Ministry of Rural Development-MoRD (http://rural.nic.in/)

Department of Rural development-DoRD (http://drd.nic.in/)
Department of Land Resouces-DoLR (http://dolr.nic.in/)
 Bharat Nirman (http://www.bharatnirman.gov.in/ )

By- Anoop Jha

Apr 15, 2012

Top 100 books of Housing




More coming....

Note: These Books are randomly chosen from an online digital database and has been arranged / composed randomly as well. These ranking are solely as per general judgment of blog author based on visual graphic appeal of book and title catchwords and these ranking does not represent any ranking in literary,  technical or any other sense.  This is only an effort to provide interested users and book lovers, a collection of relevant books and literature at one consolidated place for their ready reference. Further details of individual books are linked to the images. This note is in addition to the disclaimer section of this blog.