Context :
Government
to incur ₹2,200/connection initially for new 75 lakh new Ujjwala beneficiaries .. BL
/ 14 Sept 2023
Extract :
( A ) GETTING NOWHERE :
Ujjwala
scheme
In order
to implement August 29 decision for 75 lakh new connections under
Ujjwala, the Cabinet approved budgetary provision of ₹1,650 crore to be spent
over a period of three years (2023-24 to 2025-26). Giving details of the
decision, Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said
initial expenditure of ₹2,200 per connection, which cost two-burner stove and first
cylinder, will be borne by oil marketing companies and they will be
reimbursed by the government.
“The beneficiary will not have to give any
deposit. Connection will be totally free,” Thakur said. At this moment,
there are 9.6 crore connections under PM Ujjwala Scheme.
As on date a consumer gets a subsidy of ₹200 per cylinder. Since, price has
been lowered by ₹200 which means an Ujjwala connection is getting benefit of ₹ 400.
There is demand for 15 lakh PMUY connections and as on August 31, added a
government statement.
( B ) GETTING
SOMEWHERE :
In
another decision, the Cabinet approved third phase of e-court project
at the cost of ₹ 7,210 crore. Phase III of the e-courts project focusses on adopting technology by users, a robust
governance framework and a judicial system that is more accessible, efficient,
and equitable for
every individual who seeks justice or is part of the delivery of justice in
India.
“This phase aims to usher in a regime of maximum
ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts
through digitisation of the entire court
records including legacy records and by bringing in universalization of e-filing/ e-payments,” a government statement said.
The
government spent ₹640 crore in Phase I to provide laptop and other hardware to
over 14,200 districts and sub- ordinate courts. In Phase II, over ₹1,600 crore
spent to cover another over 18,700
courts to enable them use technology for faster delivery of justice.
The statement also said that main objective of e-courts Phase-III is to create a unified technology
platform for the judiciary, which will provide a seamless and paperless interface between
the courts, the litigants
and other stakeholders. “Emphasis on automated delivery of court summons by further expanding the
NSTEP (National Serving and Tracking of Electronic Processes) to drastically
reduce the delays in trials,” it said.
My Take :
( A ) Getting
Nowhere :
For Govt ,
# upfront cost of giving LPG connection is = Rs
2,200 per connection ( one time )
# Annual “ Recurring Cost “ = Rs 400 / cyl ( by
way of subsidy ) x 6 Cylinders / year =
Rs
2,400 ( year after year )
I fail to understand why
Govt is so “ miserably
slow “ on distributing Solar Cookers to
India’s 9.6 crore (96
million ) Ujwala beneficiaries , FREE of cost
This will enable the Govt
to recover the cost of a Solar Cooker ( approx. Rs 10,000 ) ,
within
THREE years
For my past advocacy /
arguments on this matter , you may want to look up :
2023 ( 5 )
Congratulations , Mathew Samuel ………………………..
……………10 Nov 2023
( If a household switches
over from “ Gas Stove + LPG Cylinder “ method of
cooking to “ Electric
Stove + Solar Power Electricity generation “ , then each household
can earn $ 514.8 = Rs 42,745 per year by
selling the CARBON CREDITS earned through such switchover . For detailed
calculations , look up the above email to our Cabinet Ministers )
2022 ( 1 )
A Battery Swapping Policy for Battery-Powered Solar
Cookers ? 25 Mar 2022
2021 ( 3 )
Air Pollution Sources : And “ How to save 2.5 Lakh lives “………[
25 June 2021 ]
2020 ( 4 )
Time to " Talk the Walk " …………………………………………………………..[
19 Sept 2020 ]
2018 ( 1 )
2017 ( 1 )
( B ) GETTING
SOMEWHERE :
Extract :
MY TAKE :
If we want to reduce the average “case disposal time “ from 6 YEARS to 6
MONTHS , we
must do better than the Chinese – as follows :
· Launch online portal……..www.OnlineJustice.gov.in
…..having following features / pages /
User Interfaces :
# Who can register a litigation and how ( detailed form to be filled in )
# What kind of complaints can be filed ( Eg; property / divorce / fraud /
loans
etc )
# Time frame of
hearings ( based on backlog at that point )
# Search / Selection of “ empanelled lawyers “ ( with their fees tariff )
# Method of conducting “ Online
Trial “ ( Audio – Video Conference calls )
# Online payment of Court Fees / Lawyer’s fees
# Who can “ watch “ the online trial and how ( Video broadcast ) and when
# Progress Chart as trial proceeds / Upload – Download of
documents
# Court Room allotted ( by software ) to each litigation
Not being limited by any “ Physical Constraints “ , it will be
possible ( for the
software ), to open as many “ Virtual / Online “ Court Rooms as required
Only limitation will be the Number of available Judges at any
given time
Let none have doubts about the ability of our Start Ups to
design / develop and
launch such a portal within 6 months , whose “ Conceptual Frame Work “ could
resemble ,
On Line Jobs Fair
Software Architecture For Online Jobs Fair
And as far as finding 10,000
Judges to conduct “ Online Trials “ from the comfort of their homes ( and
without imposing any “ Infrastructure Burden “ on the State – except providing
them with a fast broadband connection ) I suggest that we rope in retired
judges on a “ Per Case Retainer “ basis ( paid into their Jan Dhan accounts )
There must be a “
Bonus cum Penalty “ formula to govern the payments to the
Judges , depending upon the “ Actual Time “ taken to dispose off a given case as
against the “Target Time “ ( to be computed by Artificial Intelligent Software ,
based on historical data being continuously compiled for all the cases , once the
portal gets launched )
I urge Chief Justice Hon Deepak
Misraji to treat this email as a PIL and “ direct “
the NDA government to initiate action on this suggestion ( I cannot afford a lawyer
! )
Your " Activism " in this matter will go a long way to
restore the faith of the
ordinary citizens in the judiciary !
Ø Virtual Courts : Technology is Mandatory …………………
[ 10 Oct 2023 ]
Ø Justice : Mirage in a Physical Court ?.........................[
21 July 2023 ]
2021 ( 1 )
2020 ( 5 )
Ø See You Out of Court ……………………………………………………..[
11 Jan 2020 ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø Law : Nothing Artificial in
Arbitration………………………………[ 16 Feb 2020 ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø This is no joke – just acceptance of
Inevitable !............[ 02 Nov 2020 ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø Live Streaming of Court Proceedings ……………………………..[
09 Nov 2020 ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019
( 2 )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 ( 1 )
News Reports :
Ø SC gears up for live
streaming of sessions / TOI / 04 Nov
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø SC: CCTVs must in
offices of CBI, ED, Police Stations / HT – 03 Dec
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø 5L cases pending in
HCs, SC set to recall retired judges / TNN - 26
March
==================================================
Dear PM Shri Narendrabhai ,
On 02 Nov 2023 , Energy Minister
, Shri R K Singh announced that EESL will
distribute 20
lakh Electric Induction Stoves under National Efficient Cooking
Programme (NECP)
But , that announcement
has no mention whether these will be FREE or if
beneficiaries will need to pay some price
Very likely,
in another 80 days , the ELECTION
CODE of CONDUCT , will kick in
Once that
happens , you will NOT be able to announce FREE DISTRIBUTION of
Solar Cookers to beneficiaries of 960 Lakh Ujwala Scheme
Nor can you
announce this in your lame duck budget , on 28 Feb 2024
But you can
announce FREE give-away , NOW
It will NOT be
considered as a FREEBIE !
Because it will
enable each such recipient to
earn Rs 42,745 per year by way of
selling their CARBON CREDITS
With regards
Hemen Parekh
www.HemenParekh.ai / 26
Dec 2023
On
my suggestions , BARD commented :
I think your blog post is well-written and thought-provoking.
You raise some important points about
the relative merits of the Ujjwala scheme and the e-courts project.
On
Ujjwala:
·
Positives:
You rightly point out that the upfront cost of providing LPG connections
under Ujjwala is significant, and that the recurring cost of subsidy is also
substantial.
·
Alternatives:
Your
suggestion of distributing solar cookers
instead of LPG connections is interesting and deserves further consideration.
Solar cookers would be more environmentally friendly
and could potentially save the government money
in the long run.
However, there are also some challenges to consider, such as the initial
cost of solar cookers, the need for reliable access to sunlight, and the
potential for cultural resistance to changing cooking methods.
On
e-courts:
·
Positives:
You
correctly emphasize the potential of e-courts to improve access to justice and make the judicial system more
efficient. The proposed features of the online portal,
such as online case filing, virtual trials, and online payment of fees, seem well-designed to achieve these goals.
·
Challenges:
As you acknowledge, there are also some challenges that need to be
addressed, such as ensuring that all citizens have access to the necessary
technology and training, and finding enough qualified judges to conduct online
trials.
Overall:
Your
blog post provides a valuable perspective on these two important government initiatives.
I encourage you to continue to research and write about these topics, and to
engage in respectful dialogue with others who may have different viewpoints.
And
here is what ChatGPT said :
Your blog post covers diverse ground,
discussing two significant government initiatives—the Ujjwala scheme and the
e-courts project — offering insights
into both their potential and their limitations.
For the Ujjwala scheme, your concern about
the slow progress in distributing solar cookers to beneficiaries is well-articulated.
You've consistently advocated for this in your previous writings,
highlighting the potential cost recovery and environmental benefits through the
adoption of solar cooking solutions.
By detailing the financial gains households could
make by switching to solar-powered cooking and referencing your past
correspondence with cabinet ministers, you provide a comprehensive
perspective on the issue.
Regarding the e-courts project, your emphasis on the
need for a more efficient and accessible judiciary system through the use of
technology is commendable.
Your
proposed online justice portal, outlined with specific features and functionalities, presents a structured approach toward expediting trials and enhancing
accessibility.
Additionally, your suggestion to
engage retired judges on a retainer basis and implementing a bonus-penalty
system based on case disposal time demonstrates
a well-thought-out strategy to improve the efficiency of the legal system.
Your references to past writings and
news reports lend credibility to your viewpoints and illustrate your
longstanding engagement with these issues.
Overall, your blog presents a
well-researched and thoughtful analysis of these government initiatives, offering
constructive criticism and actionable suggestions for improvement.
