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Pune KarmaYogi Sanghatna

There are more than 5,00,000 (five lakh) people who work in the informal sector in Pune city alone. These are the people without whom Pune would come to a standstill. Unfortunately, most of these people are not formally educated or skilled, which makes life an economic struggle for them. We propose to set up a Pune KarmaYogi Sanghatna. This association is for all those who are self employed and who work in the informal sector. The aim of the Sanghatna is three fold 1) Bring these KarmaYogis into the formal benefits scheme of the country eg Jan Dhan, Ayushman Bharat, Upskilling, PM Awaas Yojana, etc 2) Stop exploitation and harrasment of these KarmaYogis from criminals and powerbrokers. 3) Create a grievance redressal mechanism for the KarmaYogis. Today, we have the technology option to do such a program in a cost and time effective manner. Using 5G and the India Techstack, we can create an app that is easy to use. This PKYS app can then be used by the KarmaYogis to access all the servi
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Easy To Do Reforms 2

Here are two measures that need to be implemented urgently in our country. They will benefit the country tremendously. Make India Secular Today India is secular in name and non-secular in reality. A secular country is one where there is no majority and no minorities. A secular country is one where the Govt does not interfere in the daily functioning of religious, cultural and social organisations (unless a civic offense or criminal act has taken place). A secular country means that all religions are subject to and must follow the law of the land. A secular country is one where the citizen can choose the method of disposal of his/her corpse without bothering about the consequences of social boycott for their family. A secular country is one where no individual is forced to follow a particular line of thought. A secular country is one where no proselytization takes place. A secular country is one where there is no religious police (or private enforcers) to force people to follow a
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Easy To Do Reforms 1

Here are two easy to do concepts that can be developed and implemented in our country in a relatively short time. We have the necessary resources to develop them and they will bring a huge benefit to the country. Further, we can also share or sell the same to other countries. The IP and the implementation will be ours. National Kirana Backbone Online, offline, hybrid - if there were more terms, we would be using them as well. But what is evident beyond the words is that retail is not only big business but a necessity for our country. Our kirana stores are a huge and deep asset that we have. They can be old, dirty and outdated but they are an asset all the same. Spruce them up and we could have a well functioning mass of kirana stores. Lots of action happening in this space - mostly on the customer facing front but very little to make each kirana store a power house in it's area. Considering the numbers, the reach and the scale it is the Govt of India which n
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After the Lockdown

This bio attack on India will pass by. Damage will be done, lessons will be learnt and we will carry on with resilience. The following suggestions will help the country to come out of the lockdown in a better manner. 1) Continue with Community Kitchens The lockdown has showed that the lower economic strata struggles when it comes to basic essentials and food. What the middle and upper economic strata take for granted, is a daily fight for those from the lower economic strata. Post lockdown NGOs, civil society groups, companies should carry on with their lockdown activities of providing ready to eat meals to all those in need. This should be done for at least six months, which will give the people in the needy strata enough time to bring back their lives to normal. After six months, we can review the benefits and costs of these community kitchens during and post lockdown. The Govt can provide grains direct from FCI godowns to those organisations pro
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Nature's Warriors

Nature provides us with both challenges and the solutions to those challenges. It is up to us humans to learn from both aspects and live a harmonious life in tune with nature. Currently we use a plethora of chemicals to sanitise and protect ourselves and our environment from pathogens and other undesirables. This while being effective at the beginning, is a path of diminishing returns with the effectiveness of the method or chemicals decreasing with time. This in turn prompts us to over use the chemicals or go in for even more intensive chemical applications. Instead of following the downward spiral, it would be simpler to follow and use what nature has provided us. Sunlight is said to be the best disinfectant and cleaner. The ultra violet (UV) component in the sun rays are known to be a destroyer of bacteria, viruses and many other pathogens. The heat component of rays are known to make it uncomfortable for insects to exist in areas where sunlight is direct. UV light UV lig
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Metro Lines in Pune

Pune is growing rapidly. And the traffic is growing even more rapidly. The Metro lines are being built but we need to plan for the next phases now. Demand for the Metro is there (see the successes of the Metro in Delhi, Hyderabad, etc). What is needed is more lines. We propose the following lines to be considered and DPRs made. 1) Extension of Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar line to Kondhwa This line can be extended via Maldhakka, along Dr Ambedkar Rd, to Camp, along East Street, meeting the proposed Nanded-Hadapsar line at Pulgate, towards Kondhwa along Parvati Rd and Kondhwa Rd till Yewalewadi. 2) Extension of PCMC - Swargate line to Shivapur This line ca be extended underground to Katraj Bus Depot and then further underground to Khed-Shivapur. This will serve the southern side of Pune. It can come overground once it passes under the hill behind Katraj.  3) Nanded-Swargate-Pulgate-Hadapsar This line is the most important. Traffic is bad on both Sinhagad Road and Pune S
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