Corporate Governance Guidelines For The Water Services Sector: Fill & Download for Free

Tamil Nadu is one of the states in India where it is viewed as a benchmark in many sectors like Medicine, Education, Religious harmony, Transport, Employment, Industries, IT Sector, etc.Among these, Road Transport in Tamil Nadu is the most underrated sector.People of Tamil Nadu take the transport system for granted. If we look at the North and North East India there are no guidelines for transport and it is mostly privately owned. There are no fixed guidelines and they charge more for tourists and outsiders.I myself experienced this in Guwahati. I live in a place called Bongora, a small village about 5 km from the airport. It’s a typical village and you won’t find many facilities there. So I have to take a Magic taxi (Similar like share taxi) to go to VIP Chowk (entry point to the airport) for the purchase of goods, print outs, etc. They usually charge Rs.7 for locals and Rs.10 from me. I came to know this through my local friend. From then I used to give Rs.7.Let’s look at the big picture of Road transport in Tamil NaduTamil Nadu has an extensive road network. The state road network covers about 153 km per 100 sq.km area, which is higher than the country's average road network coverage of 103 km per 100 sq.km area. A separate Highways Department (HD) was established in April 1946 and the same has been renamed as Highways and Minor Ports Department (HMPD) on 30 October 2008. HMPD of Tamil Nadu is primarily responsible for construction and maintenance of roads including national highways, state highways and major district roads in Tamil Nadu. It operates through 7 wings namely National Highways Wing, Construction & Maintenance Wing, NABARD and Rural Roads Wing, Projects Wing, Metro Wing, Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project Wing, Investigation and Designs Wing geographically spread across the state in 31 districts with about 120 divisions and 450 subdivisions.TAMIL NADU ROAD NETWORK MAPNational Highways / Expressways - 4,873 kmState Highways - 9,384 kmMajor District Roads - 11,288 kmOther District Roads/Sugarcane Roads - 36,096 kmPanchayat Roads - 1,37,399 kmSo, in total, approximately 2 lakh kilometer roads are in use in Tamil Nadu.Some important road projects in Tamil Nadu include IT Expressway, East Coast Road Coimbatore Bypass, Ennore - Manali Road Improvement Project, Chennai Port - Maduravoyal Project, Outer Ring Road Project, Chennai Peripheral Ring Road.Here is a short info on TNSTCTNSTC is a public transport bus operator in Tamil Nadu.It operates within and outside Tamil NaduIt has a fleet of 22,203 buses as of 2016. But it increased in recent years.It is fully owned by the Government of Tamil Nadu.It employees approximately 1.5 Lakh people.It has 8 divisions and 321 depots.There are fixed guidelines on the ticket fares and there is a dedicated portal for booking the tickets.There is a separate ministry in the state government known as the “Transport Ministry”.TNSTC is the largest government bus transport corporation in India also the biggest corporation in the world after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).Types of buses include Town Buses (InterCity Buses), Moffussil Buses (Intertown Buses), Ultra Deluxe Buses (Important commercial centers to major cities), Deluxe Buses (Operated between major Cities).TNSTC owns a medical college and an engineering college with a 50% reservation for the employees of TNSTC Corporation. Institute of Road and Transport Technology (IRTT) in Chitode, Erode and IRT Perundurai Medical College in Perundurai, Erode.They introduced Amma Kudineer, a water bottle priced at Rs.10/- per liter for the passengers traveling on the buses.Though the state-run transport is not in good shape of late the kind of service it provides cannot be neglected in the development of the state. It highly helps the people in moving to places so that they can do business. Almost all the villages are connected by road and most importantly buses are being in service to those villages so that people and farmers over there can sell their stuff in the towns and cities directly.Tamil Nadu is the forefront in many sectors for other states in India. But among these our Road Transport is one of the most underrated sector in India.I personally suggest this model of Road Transport should be implemented in other Indian states especially in North and North East India where the commutation of people is so less.Courtesy WikipediaPic Courtesy GoogleKaarmukilan S.P.

The answer is Yes. Here’s a gist of what it envisages:To make Amaravati a world-class People’s Capital, the Government of Andhra Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Singapore in December 2014.The MoU envisages preparation of 1) Capital Region Concept Master Plan, 2) Capital City Master Plan, and 3) Seed Capital Area Detailed Master Plan.Three Stages of Master Plan:1) First Stage: In December 2014, the Government of Singapore, as per its commitment, had submitted the draft Capital Region Concept Master Plan to the Chief Minister. Singapore-based consulting organisations Surbana and Jurong were engaged to prepare the Master Plan for Capital Region.Following some revisions in the plan, the first stage - the Capital Region Plan - was completed and handed over to the Government of AP on March 30, 2015.The Capital Region Concept Master Plan is for an area of about 7,420 sq.km.The Capital Region Plan provides Development Corridors that connect the Capital City and the Regional Centres.The development Corridors provide opportunity for linear developments with Special Use Developments such as clean industries, Infrastructure projects, logistics-based activities are allowed along these corridors.The upcoming national Projects i.e. Dedicated Freight Corridor along East Coast Economic Corridor, High-Speed Rail and Waterway 4 are integrated in the Capital Region Plan.2) Second Stage: On May 25, 2015, Mr. S. Iswaran, Second Minister of Government of Singapore along with the high-level delegation presented the Capital City Master Plan to the Chief Minister in Hyderabad.The Capital City Master Plan is for an area of about 217 sq.km.This Plan will guide the development of Amaravati upto the year 2050.The five key features of the Amravati Master Plan are: i) growing a vibrant economy; ii) creating a liveable Indian city; iii) enhancing connectivity and active mobility; iv) ensuring sustainability; and v) the People’s Capital.Amaravati will be built on land pooled from the contributions of the residents of the region. In return, they will receive plots of commercial and residential land in the city and share in the fruits of development for years to come.The Capital City Area is planned for about 4 million people. Being developed as Capital City and a vibrant business hub, a total of about 1.8 million jobs are expected to be created in various sectors.This would comprise of public sector, light and green industry, service sector IT, Finance, Tourism and support services to meet the requirements of the urban ecosystem.The master plan provides zoning, urban design and development guidelines for the Capital City. This master plan also provides for affordable housing, easy access to amenities such as schools, healthcare services, markets, and shopping malls, libraries and a university.The master plan respects the sense of local identity and enhances appreciation for local heritage.It protects the existing religious and heritage sites and connects them to the network of MRT/BRT and roads to form tourism circuits.Sustainability and efficient management of resources will form another important pillar of this new capital.3) Third Stage: On July 20, 2015, the Seed Capital Area (SCA) Master Plan for Amaravati was presented to Chief Minister Sri N. Chandrababu Naidu in Rajahmundry.Seed Capital Area Master Plan is for an area of about 16.9 sq.km. The Seed Capital Area is planned for about 300,000 residents.Being developed as a vibrant business hub, a total of about 700,000 jobs are expected to be created in various sectors including government jobs.The Seed Capital Area aspiration is to create a thriving state of the art Central Business District (CBD) for business and living.The Seed Capital Area master plan provides nodes and development corridors from transit-oriented development approach.The city’s iconic developments include state-of-the-art government complex, city gateway, cultural centre, convention centre etc.The Seed Capital would be developed in overall 5 phases. The various zones would comprise of central business district, residential townships, institutions, parks and gardens, water bodies, recreational spaces, water front etc.Special emphasis has been laid to develop extensive walkways and pedestrianisation inter-linked with open and green spaces with a blue and green network of more than 25 kms to promote walk-to-work environment and non-motorised transport.The Seed Capital Area master plan provides extensive downtown waterfront, waste management systems that would enable innovative methods for waste collection, transportation, treatment and resource recovery such as Waste-to-Energy, thereby creating a resourceful, safe and healthy city.Socio-economic positioning of Amaravati:1. Capital Complex: The Capital administrative complex will form the core component of the Amaravati Capital city. Administrative facilities such as assembly, secretariat, high court, directorates, etc. will be located within the Capital city.2. Industry & Logistics: The Amaravati Capital city is proposed to house clean and non-polluting industries within its jurisdiction. The rich agricultural production, existing Food Processing eco-system in the region and the significant potential to expand to downstream/high value adding activities aid in the establishment of the sector in the city. Further, the rising income levels, increasing digitization and significant government thrust will trigger the setting up of electronic manufacturing companies in the Amaravati Capital city. The Mega Food Processing Park scheme and Electronic Manufacturing Cluster schemes could also be exploited for the development of physical infrastructure. In addition to the core sectors, support segments such as logistics, packaging and printing are also proposed to be in the city.3. IT/ITeS Zone: The Capital city is proposed to attract a share of the high-growth IT/ITeS sector in the state. The ambitious plans unveiled by the state government for promotion of the sector and the image of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh state as one of the key hubs for IT/ITeS activity will aid in the promotion of the sector in the Amaravati Capital city. The zone is proposed to comprise large campuses as well as incubation centers developed for encouraging start-up companies.4. Business District: The Amaravati Capital city is expected to house the large corporate houses, headquarters of banking and financial institutions, etc. The dedicated business district will comprise of a corporate hub, a financial hub and boasts of high rise buildings.5. Knowledge Hub: Keeping in mind the criticality of developing an intellectual capital base, the city is proposed to house premier technical/professional institutions with impetus on R&D and innovation. The knowledge hub will also comprise a dedicated R&D cluster to accommodate micro/SME units focused on innovation and new product development, etc.6. Tourism/Heritage/Leisure Hub: The tourism hub will include development and beautification of existing places of religious/cultural importance as well as the development of new age theme/amusement parks. The hub will also comprise golf courses, sports arenas and other entertainment avenues for senior level executives and general workforce.7. Housing & Support Real Estate: The Amaravati Capital city will have provisions for residential housing for people across various incomes groups (viz. HIG, MIG and LIG/EWS) and support retail, shopping, healthcare, etc.

Here are some of the main points in my manifesto:(1) Income tax and corporate tax will be completely abolished. This would promote investments, growth, industries and employment. A large number of MNCs are expected to shift manufacturing / service industry base to India to save taxes. More industries and more businesses are the only ways to increase employment in India. For this to happen, other necessary infrastructure improvements will also be made. GST will be rationalised (with less number of rates) with strict implementation through technologies. This will also help in reduction of black money and corruption. [Please see one of my earlier replies on this issue for some more details.](2) All currency notes of ₹ 100 and above will be demonetised with no option to exchange them. There will however be six months’ period given before implementing this decision. This will make it possible to all to adjust to the new system and deposit all their high denomination notes in the banks (they would be checked for fake notes). All transactions above the value of ₹ 20,000 shall be compulsorily required to be in the form of crossed cheques / drafts / digital currency / online payments. RuPay Card will be taken over by the Government / RBI which will have ZERO transaction costs for all values for everybody, whether it is traders or customers (or, else, if needed, a new simple card will be launched for this purpose). UPI / BHIM app payments will also be made FREE for traders as well as customers for all values. These payment methods will be made universal and easier. The cost incurred on these will be borne by the Government, which will be much less than the cost incurred on printing / distribution of currency notes. If needed, smart card currency (somewhat similar to Delhi Metro smart card) with innovative features will be introduced. All small denomination currency notes of ₹ 50 and below will continue to be in operation (for the near future and medium term, at least) so that poor and less-educated citizens are not inconvenienced. These measures will help in reduction of black money and corruption.(3) The strength of judiciary will be increased at least by 500%, i.e., 5 times (or more, if needed), along with sufficient supporting staff. This will ensure that instead of litigants waiting for the cases to be heard, the judges will have to wait for newer cases to come up, i.e., the judges should be able to sit idle and most cases will be decided in matter of days, or at the most in months (and, not in decades as at present). Likewise, strength of police forces will also be hiked by 5 times. This will ensure that police should be able to reach the spot in about 2 minutes (in cities) and about 15 minutes (in villages) on the report of a crime occurring. This will ensure better prevention and detection of crime. These measures will ensure that ALL LAWS are respected, unlike today when most laws are broken with impunity. Mere enactment of laws is not sufficient, they also need to be enforced. This will ensure discipline. This will also provide some employment opportunities.(4) A permanent ban on future increases in reservation will be made effective. Creamy layer concept with strict guidelines will be enforced on all reserved categories (maximum of one benefit per person, and limited number of benefits per family). This will ensure that the real deserving sections of the reserved categories get the benefit unlike the present system where the same people get the benefit again and again at the cost of the most needy. At the same time, the existing reservation will be reduced by 5% for each category on pro rata basis every year (for example, for SC category, 15% reservation will be reduced by 0.75% every year), so that in 20 years the reservation could be ended completely. This will ensure that merit is given its due place after 20 years, while ensuring equality for everybody. A slow and long-term withdrawal of reservations will help ease tensions in the concerned communities. At the same time, due to heavily increased employment opportunities in private sector (due to zero-tax effect) and decreasing importance of government sector, reduction of reservations will be less painful for the concerned communities. Also, scholarships and financial help to poor and needy students of all communities will be given liberally. Drastic increase in educational institutions of repute (see next point) will help students of all communities to get better education opportunities even without reservations.(5) Top 100 universities / educational institutes of the world (such as Harvard, MIT, etc.) will be given not only permission, but also incentives, to set up their institutes in India, wherever they want. They would be encouraged to open more and more such institutes in India in order to provide world-class education to Indian students within India. Instead of the “Not for Profit” concept in education, the concept of “For Profit” education will also be allowed. There is no free lunch, after all. A free lunch cannot be a good lunch. At the same time, drastically increased number of scholarships and cheaper / easier educational loans would be provided to students. It will be ensured that if a student can get admission on merit in a reputed top level institute, he does not have to forego his admission due to want of financial resources. This system will enhance the standards of existing Indian institutes also (something similar when industries, such as auto industry was opened up for foreign competition). What is of priority would be giving best education to Indians, it is immaterial whether it is given by foreign institutes (in India) or the Indian institutes. The priority is not the welfare of Indian institutes but the welfare of the Indian students and the education. [For some more details on this issue, please see my previous answer on a related topic.](6) No country can be strong, if its defence forces are weak. Consider the examples of UK and USA at their respective prime times. Now, look at China. So, best technologies would be made available to defence forces. 100% FDI will be allowed in Defence sector without restrictions, with freedom to export their defence products (in order to incentivize them). In addition, incentives will be given to those who bring best / latest technologies in India. A transparent / fixed price-advantage will be given for defence products manufactured in India (even if by foreign companies) vis-à-vis imported ones, OTHER THINGS remaining the same; however, this does not mean that quality of products would be compromised; wherever, latest technology is not available in India, firstly efforts will be made to get that in India, otherwise such products can still be imported so as to ensure that our defence forces get the latest and best weapons and equipment. To remove chances of corruption and to avoid delays in defence acquisitions, transparent acquisition committees will be formed which will also have leaders of 3 largest opposition parties (in that order) in the Lok Sabha, and some prominent defence / technology experts who will be selected jointly by the government / opposition members.(7) Irrigation (including drip-irrigation) will be greatly enhanced. Best agricultural technologies will be introduced, if needed, by importing them. MSP based system will be abolished to avoid distorted crop pattern. Instead of that, if needed, a fixed amount per acre will be given as help to marginal farmers. Farmers will be given advance information about pattern of crops being currently sowed in India (using satellite and other technologies) so that they can take informed decision about which crops are going to be more beneficial to them. Artificial restrictions on movement of crops out of a state will be removed and farmers will be free to sell their crops anywhere in India (as is allowed to industries and traders). Exports of agricultural produce will be freely allowed (without restrictions) to help farmers achieve better incomes wherever possible. If necessary, the Government may store minimum crucial stocks of some important crops to protect consumers, but it will be at the cost of the Government and not at the cost of the farmers. Main problem of farmers is small farm size (sometimes, one acre or even less). Cooperative farming, contract farming, and even corporate farming (with sufficient safeguards) will be allowed to willing farmers on voluntary basis. Crop insurance will be enhanced drastically to secure farmers’ income. Agriculture and farm-based / cottage industries will be encouraged to take care of employment of persons in presently over-employed agriculture sector. Water management technologies (such as those used in Israel) will be used. All other technologies and methods would be used (with OPEN MIND) that help farmers increase their income, making them self-independent instead of making them dependent on loan waivers, freebies, etc. The emphasis is on asset-creation that can have long-term use, instead of freebies which are of short term use. Teach a person how to earn, instead of giving him food free for one or two times.(8) All transactions with Government will be made digital (except where it is impossible). No new law / rule / circular / guidelines, etc., will be allowed to be issued, unless it has first been uploaded online. All applications from citizens will be allowed online. Citizens will be allowed to interact with officers through video-conferencing (instead of personal meets) which shall be recorded. Such centres will be set up at designated places, if needed. Red tape breeds corruption, and all efforts would be made to reduce delays in delivery of services. Time-bound services will be ensured for all government functions. All government information shall be deemed to be open to all, and if any information is to be marked “confidential” or “secret” etc., that can be done only on some well-established guidelines and not at the whims of the officers. These and various other transparency measures will make better governance possible, with reduced corruption.(9) All PSUs will be privatized (not mere disinvestment of part-equity), barring in space and nuclear energy. But, even in space and nuclear energy, private sector will also be permitted (such as, those similar to, SpaceX of Elon Musk, or Areva and Westinghouse). Government has no business to be in business. Banks, Railways, etc., will also be privatised in phases, but within specified limited time period. For example, operations of railways can be privatized initially (starting with some trains), construction and upkeep of some tracks can be privatised (like some national highways), goods trains can be completely privatised. This can also raise money for initial years to take care of temporary effects of abolition of income tax and corporate tax.(10) All new technologies, such as solar power, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, genetic science, 5G, etc., will be sufficiently encouraged, incentivized and promoted. India will be made the hub of the fourth industrial revolution by taking all steps necessary to promote innovation by facilitating research. A proper ecosystem will be put in place for this purpose that can self-propel innovation and research in all sectors, without any unnecessary government intervention. In fact, experience shows that the government only restricts growth by its intervention in newer technologies. So, there would not be any unnecessary intervention from Government. On the other hand, DARPA model of US, of giving special grants for high-tech and cutting-edge innovations by universities, private industries, research institutes, etc., will be followed.(11) Governance will be made visible everywhere, while Government will be made invisible. This means, minimum Government, maximum Governance. A rule-based transparent governance, helped by technology, not by discretion of human beings. With less and less human interface, and more and more technology-interface.Well, I can go on and on. I have at least 100 more points for my manifesto, and each of the above points can also be expanded with more details. But, I thought I should stop at 11.Yes, I know, this manifesto may not perhaps win votes. But, it can help India grow. In fact, I feel that it can win votes too, if properly followed and explained to people.I know it is an academic exercise. But, it may create some awareness. And, after all, every big idea has a small origin.[Edit: I have answered this question only as an academic exercise. This is an imaginary question. I have no intention to create any political party. I am writing this Edit, since some friends have perhaps thought that I may be floating any party. Not at all. My answer was just to create awareness about the issues that should be in national interest. That’s all. Thanks.]