India 2020 Part 18

Such a continual value addition at each centre of economic activity can be achieved only when they are interconnected, by road, rail, waterways or air. For instance, exotic flowers may have to be flown in by air to fetch the best price. There was a time when jasmine flowers from Madurai used to be flown into Delhi from Madras (now Chennai) by the morning Indian Airlines flight to be sold in Delhi's Connaught Place!

Such physical transportation systems are a part of the enabling infrastructure.

Naturally, bus or truck stations, railway stations, airports and ports ( coastal and inland ) are also a part of the infrastructure. As better and better technologies are deployed in 219.

these infrastructure sectors, they can provide improved services. 'Better' means not merely having a good road without potholes! When goods move by truck, precious hours are lost at checkpoints and weighingposts. The hours spent in these posts are really negative value additions. In addition, some of the delays lead to loss of quality of agriproducts or even decay. Activities at such checkpoints can be speeded up tremendously through use of electronic aids such as electronic weighing machines, computers and electronically controlled signals and displays. Indians have a right to have good roads, quick clearing facilities and freedom from daily pinp.r.i.c.ks. Modern technologies can make this happen. At all levels we have to dream and will that India shall have such systems we have to change our mindset and, as important, change the obsolete administrative and legal systems.

We have looked at the important infrastructural elements of internal connectivity: road, rail and aviation. But in addition to moving goods within India we need to move them to other lands as exports and to receive goods as imports from other countries. Ports are crucial for this activity. In ancient times, Indian ports attracted many traders: Arabs, Persians, Greek, Chinese, Portuguese and many other Europeans. Indian traders also travelled overseas. Most of our ports today have not kept up with the technological changes taking place in the rest of the world. Much smaller countries like Singapore handle much more value added trade in their ports which are computerized and where many operations are automated. Our ports are considered very slow in comparison. If they are not upgraded India will become irrelevant as a trading country. Hence, ports form a very important element of infrastructure.

Both domestic and global economic and physical connectives (through road, rail, aircraft, ports and airports ) depend vitally on telecommunication networking.

Instant transfer of information is essential for any business today.

Telegraph and radio once gave a great fillip to speedier communication. Then came the telephone. Nowadays satellites, fibre optic cables and other improved forms of wireless communication and, more importantly, improvements in micro electronics and computers and revolutionized the way we seek and exchange information. Thousands of tones of different kinds of cargo and their movement can be monitored almost instantaneously, thanks to the advances in communications and information 220.

technology ( IT ). Thus telecommunications and IT are two of the most critical elements of the modern economy. That is the reason why many countries are concentrating on a National Information Infrastructure (NII ) and linkages to the Global Information Infrastructure (GII ).

These infrastructures and related technologies and services are evolving so rapidly as to form a completely different world in themselves. Some call it a virtual world. Of course, we cannot eat or have many other physical comforts in the virtual world. But this virtual world created by IT has become as real as the real world in all activities: agriculture to health to education to manufacturing to security. India cannot afford to ignore this newly emerging area. One is happy to note the significant national resolve to make India a major IT power.

All the above depend crucially on energy and especially the a.s.surance of quality electric power to all Indians and for all sectors of economic activity. Sometimes one wonders whether we can have such a vision at all! How many power cuts plagued us while we wrote this book! How many times the computers were down! Many in Delhi told me after the successful nuclear tests, 'Sir, when will Delhi be without power cuts?'

The problem, of course, is nationwide. The situation needs to be changed radically if we Investments in infrastructure are to realize the vision of a developed India.

The aggregate level of investment infrastructure increased from about Rs.

6000 crores in 198081 to about Rs. 29000 crores in 199091 and to about Rs.

50000 crores in 199495. As a proportion of GDP, the investments in infrastructure ranged from about 4.5 per cent to 6 per cent. Of the total annual investments in the country about 25 per cent are in infrastructure projects. It is estimated that the investments in infrastructure during 19972002 may be about Rs.500000 crores and about Rs.750000 crores during the next five years.

Figures of this magnitude may seem intimidating but the truth is that for all the inefficiencies of administration and even, one might say, a certain lack of commitment to make this a great nation, our economy has grown to huge proportions.

The share of the railways has been only about 0.6 per cent of the GDP and has remained stagnant over decades. There is a great need to increase it because railways are an extremely energy efficient mode of communication. Of late the number of railway 221.

accidents is increasing and it also appears that most line expansion projects are moving very slowly. There are a number of technologies for highspeed trains which are possible and have been talked of at various forra. It is essential to modernize many parts of our railway tracks, signaling system and even facilities for pa.s.senger comforts. For the movement of goods, it is possible to have multimodal containers, that is, containers which are standard for railways, roads, s.h.i.+ps or aircraft. Investments in road transport and waterways have ranged between 1.3 to 1.6 per cent of GDP. Investment in electricity has been on the average about 2.5 per cent to 0.8 per cent of GDP. How do we increase these rapidly is the question.

One way is to increase GDP. But without improving infrastructure GDP cannot grow! Without investments, roads or electric power or telecommunications or ports cannot come up. Does that put us in a catch22 situation? Not really. There are many private investors in India and abroad who would be ready to investigate projects that would yield returns over a long period. It is necessary to attract them to invest in these projects. Since 1991, the government has been granting several concessions to attract them. But much of this investment has come in bits and pieces. Some of these investors had unrealistic a.s.sumptions. Nevertheless, private investors do seek profit. It is necessary to a.s.sure them of reasonable profits and to give them cover for certain risks.

The government has to ensure that the long term interests of the country or the public are not unduly comprised. Considering the fact that the development of infrastructure is integral to speedy economic growththe only way our people can break out of centuries of povertythe country has to learn to be innovative in offering packages which will attract investments.

Investors complain that the path to investment is riddled with timeconsuming procedures. The only way to put in place attractive policies and make them work is to simply procedures. The authors are not unaware of the various vested interests that have been built up over time. Many in India believe that from the lowermost counter, which gives the important application forms which the government requires to be filled, to the highest levels there are a large number of avenues to convert ' authority ' into money. We believe a call for a new vision for India with a higher aim and sincerity, resulting in jobs for almost everyone, and with the makings of a movement, would 222.

remove many of the present cobwebs. In preindependence India, Indians were after all only viewed as fighting with each other over caste, religion, language and more. Did the people not join a great movement without any guns or arms to dislodge a mighty empire?

Coming back again to the investment question, even while private sector investment will be essential to build up infrastructure, the government has to invest too.

Estimates indicate that the funds required to improve the existing national highways as well as to expand them would be about Rs. 150000 crores. The private sector could contribute a proportion, but the remainder will have to come from the government ( both central and the states ). But here we need to question whether most of the funds indicated are really required. Some a.s.sumptions need to be reexamined: should widening of an existing road from single lane to double lane cost about Rs.50 lakh per kilometre? And is the same amount again needed for improving the double lane pavements of existing roads? Should the cost of widening double lanes to four be about Rs. 250 lakh per kilometre? Should a new expressway cost Rs. 800 lakh per kilometre? We are not questioning the capability of our engineers and accountants. Such estimates are worked out since n.o.body wants to be accused of not using materials of a particular standard, even when this is not exactly relevant. Therefore a lot of ' padding ' has been built into the system over the years.

It is time that these basics are questioned and some innovative methods are used at least in the short run, say five to seven years. In many areas where there are no roads or terrible roads, some improvement is much better than no improvement awaiting sanction of huge budgets. Some ' standards ' can be relaxed: some innovative mechanisms for reducing costs can be experimented with countrywide. Let us not wait for some special wisdom to emanate the capitals.Even with all these standards in place, has the country achieved what it wants? We ought not to be afraid of some initial low performance resulting from empowering various functionaries in different parts of the country. They couldconsult publicspirited citizens around their areas and help in decision making.The media has a special role too. Instead of only emphasizing failures and horrors,let them also play up a few successsome of them will serve as role models for others to follow.Let us spread hopelet us work with determination.The reason I am emphasizing these aspects is 223.

simple.India can launch itself into a developed status only when the economic machinery starts 'real movement' through the infrastucture.once the machinery moves, the process of economic growth will create more money in about five to seven years. That money can be reinvested in firther improvements. Those of traditional thinking may find this difficult to accept.But let us learn the lessons of the past fifty years.The poor people cannot wait for a whole millennium to pa.s.s to have a better and more secure living.If a reasonable infrastucture is in place,our innovative people would find avenues to a better life.Money in the hands of our hundreds of million Indians const.i.tutes a huge market.While the 250 million Indian middle cla.s.s may aspire for foreign goods,the Indians below the poverty line would be very happy with Indian goods.In fact it is the Indian industrialists who do not necessarily have major export ambitions who should spearhead the movement converting these 750 million into a new huge market.Once they become a force, India will be a billionplus market that will attract the whole world! It will be difficult to look at details of all the sectors of Infrastucture.Let us examine a ew.First,the electricity sector Which is so crucial.

Quality electric power for all No nation can aspire to be modern and developed without the availability of quality power for all.No modern machinery can run without uninterrupted and quality power systems.The whole magic wand of Information Technology.(IT)will be at naught if there is no electric power. Imagine New York or london or Tokyo having just one day without power or a week of interrupted power supply. It just cannot happen. If it did, It could bring down the government. When we look at the power situation in India, 'depressing' or 'gloomy' appear to be mild words to describe it. Hundreds of thousands of precious human hours are lost because of lack of quality electric power(not to talk of many others who have not been covered by electricity at all!).At a time when equipment models change so rapidly, an investor would want to obtain the maximum advantage from a particular kind of equipment, even with three s.h.i.+fts. But the quality of our power supply often makes sophisticated equipment lie idle for hours. Those who manage to 224.

continue production do so by investing in electric supply regulators and a standby power system. What a waste of productive capital resources! India's hydroelectric power plant of 130 MW was Commissioned near Darjeeling, West Bengal, in 1897. At the Time of independence the sum of installed capacities at various Pockets was above 1330 MW. A tenfold increase in five decades! The present installed power generation capacity is about 85000 MW, or a sixtyfive fold increase in five decades. The power transmission system which started with 78 KV has now matured to 400 KV grids and 500 KV HVDC (high voltage direct current) systems for bulk power transfer. Recently one of our major national laboratories in electric power technology, the Central Power Research Inst.i.tute (CPRI) with its main Laboratory at Bangalore, has testcharged a 1500 KV HVDC line. The higher the voltage of transmission in direct current the less the transmission losses. In the future we need to have many HVDC lines. Electric power distribution which had only a few circuit kilometers at the time of independence has now reached a length of nearly 2800 million circuit kilometers.

These figures are impressive in themselves. We remember how we studied and did our homework by the light of kerosene lanterns during our school days. From there it is a sea change!But is it enough or adequate? Let us look at china:in the 1950s India and china had roughly the same installed power capacity. Now china has about three times more installed capacity than India! Further, china has been consistently adding a capacity of about 1500 MW a year for several years now whereas our capacity is growing at a rate of 2500 MW per year. Why is this so? Is it because of lack of funds? We believe that major problem before the nation is that we have we have stopped thinking big! We are either getting bogged down in petty details, promises, and in political games. The latter is not merely limited to politicians but has also spread to several others in the bureaucracy, technocracy and industry. The moment we sincerely think big and start working hard, we can find solutions. Most Indian people respond when there is a lead, and when there is a call before them.We do not want to go into the details of efficiency of utilization of even the existing capacities, expressed as plant load factor (PLF). We are at about 60 per cent as against 80 per cent for South Korea. The reasons are many. But the stark fact is that of 225.

the installed capacity of about 85000 MW, only about 32000 MW reaches the consumer, that too not without interruptions and other variations in quality. Our first and foremost task is to rectify this situation it may mean that our state electricity boards and other generators should take various steps and also take a look at the transmission and distribution (T&D) systems. Our T&D losses are about 22 per cent whereas developed world standards are about 7 to 8 per cent. Technically and managerially, we have to find solutions.Let us not overlook successes even in this gloomy situation.Unchahar thermal power station was acquired by the national Thermal power corporation (NTPC) from the government of Uttar pradesh. Performance was improved dramatically by using debottlenecking techniques. Prior to the takeover the Unchahar station had a PLF of 18 per cent in six months thereafter it went up to35.5 per cent in twelve months to 73.7 per cent! The availability factor which was 27 per cent at the time of the take over went up to 49.5 per cent six months later and about 79.5 per cent after twelve months. Specific oil consumption, which is an indication of wastage and inefficiency of operation, which was at 21.8 million litres (MI) per kilowatt hour (kwh) at the time of takeover went down to 6.3 MI / kwh in six months and 3.3 MI / kwh in 12 months.*these dramatic results have been obtained under ordinary or even oppressive circ.u.mstances, and despite the absence of recognition by the system. While a day's power breakdown or an audit report on delay or excessive project costs. .h.i.ts headlines, n.o.body even bothers to mention these achievements in a small column of a news paper. Nor even is such achievements talked about by politicians or bureaucrats! We don't know who are the heroes and heroines who made these achievements possible through teamwork!

Now imagine a situation where we create a national climate to think big and praise every small success which contributes towards the big goal and where every team which attempts improvement and succeeds is recognized nationally. When we give the teams at least the attention equal to that given to Prithvi, agni, insat, PSLV, pokhran or that of a major national or international award for an eminent scientist, we will have maximum utilization of existing capacities as per developed country norms. Let the electric power stations do it themselves or let them be taken over by public or private ent.i.ties to make this happen. We would even say that let some enterprising companies from anywhere take them over to set an example of standards,if they can trigger our 226.

inherent pride and mobilize it for action! Of course, early enact ion of relevant legal measures are required to allow private and local initiatives.

Similarly, improvements in the T&D systems require priority attention. With the present level of installed capacity, and a.s.suming they work very efficiently on the lines discussed earlier, every 1 per cent improvement in T&D losses would mean availability of an additional 600 MW to the consumer. As we have discussed earlier, there is scope to bring down the transmission loses by about 14 per cent if we consider world standards.

Part of this has to be achieved through reconductoring with better materials, installation of shunt capacitors on the distribution system to correct power factors, use of better transformers, use of high voltage distribution systems (single phase),systematic planning during the addition of substations and lines, and partly through better management to avoid pilferage. All these are well within the capabilities of Indian industries and laboratories. But there is no sense of urgency in the execution of projects. If the T&D losses are cut down to the world level, almost about 70 per cent of the peak power deficit will be wiped out and there will be no average power shortage which is estimated to be about 10 per cent. The economic advantage is obvious: the cost of establishment of a 10000 MW power generation unit could easily be Rs.60000 crores.

There has been an overemphasis on generation relative to transmission and distribution. As a result of this, T&D losses continue to be high. Even if new capacities are added, they will reach the consumer with a 10 to 15 per cent cut over what is acceptable internationally. What a way to waste a capital intensive and precious resource!

There is also a real danger that plants put up with great difficulty and expected to go on stream in the next few years, will not be able to operate optimally due to absence or inadequacy of these T&D evacuation systems. Here again the resource scarcity of the state electricity boards figures in deterring immediate investments for the renovation of T&D systems. There is an urgent need to enact laws to enable private sector entrepreneurs to enter the T&D business.

On the power generation side we need to set up the contribution of nuclear power generation as well. The pollution generated is minimum compared to that from thermal power generation. According to the DAE's projection, 2000 MW will be added by 2020.

227.

Our view is that this projection should be doubled in view of the urgency and magnitude of our power needs.In the vision for the electric power sector, we are thus dominated by much needed shortterm measures which relate to immediate capacity additions and increased power availability.

The crucial ones are: .

Setting up many small projects in the range of 25 to 100 MW.

Refurbishment of the existing power plants. These will Be on the lines done by the NTPC for the Unchabar station.

Attention to all the T&D systems on the lines discussed above.

In the medium and long term: .

Our hydro power capacities are not fully utilized. The country should augment its hydrogeneration capability as it is crucial in the long run.

Several cleaner energy generation technologies like the Integrated gas combined cycle (IGCC) are necessary.

These needs to be specially designed to match Indian coal with high ash. We should learn to use our abundant supplies of coal by suitably treating them rather than resorting to import of coal or fuel from outside. Even the USA has set itself a target of energy security with least dependence on foreign sources to supply.

Nuclear power, including that with fast breeder technology, is crucial in India's search for energy sources.

To further enhance the carrying capacity of the transmission lines, microproces...o...b..sed compensation systems are envisaged.

New substations where the land is scarce, a situation which 228.

is likely to increase with growing urbanization. Design and manufacturing capabilities for constructing gas insulated substations are required to be developed in the country.

New sources of electricity Our vision for the electric power sector will not be complete without a major emphasis on the new sources of energies which are clean and renewable. The principle forms of these are : bioma.s.s, wind, solar and small hydros. India's wind potential is estimated at 2000 MW. See in table 11.1 for other potentials.

TABLE 11.1.

Estimated Potential for Various Renewable Energy Technologies Sources/system approximate potential _____________________________________________________________.

Biogas plants (in millions) 12 Improved woodstoves (in millions) 120.

Biogas (MW) 17000

2.

Solar energy (MW/km ) 20 Wind energy (MW) 20000 Small hydro power (MW) 10000 Ocean energy (MW) 50000 ____________________________________________________________.

source: TERI Energy Data Directory and Year Book 199798 Renewable energy sources should be seen not merely in terms of units of power but as saviours for areas which might not have had access to power. If this location specific approach is used and such systems are chosen to provide people with ower, a tremendous economic and social role change will be brought about by these energy sources. The 229.

technology vision for such a service is therefore a right mix of these technologies along other conventional sources like batteries, diesel or kerosene engines.

In the much longer term, fuel cells, organic energy sources, hydrogen energy fission power and fusion power would play an important role and Indian researchers have immense opportunities to create new systems.

Energy efficiency In the short, medium and long term, efficiency in the use of energy will be a crucial part of the technological milieu of all sectors. For example, the waste heat from steel plants today is rejected at relatively high absolute temperature levels (sometimes ranging from o o 800 C to 1500 C ). if, say,20 per cent of this energy is recovered in the form of waste heat, this could be used to fuel a mediumsized power plant. In every walk of life, including our homes, there can be many examples of energy conservation. For example, if a milk vessel is taken from the refrigerator and kept outside at room temperature for some time before being put on the stove, the additional energy required for heating a cold vessel will be reduced. More important, many of the electric gadgets we see in our homes and factories are not designed for efficient use of power. Most of our fans, for example, consume about twice the electric power they need to run at a particular speed. Many incremental technological inductions in such systems will mean more power being available for others to consume. The agricultural sector is also an area where such energy conservation would need to be addressed immediately. Even if power is given free or at subsidized rates for agricultural operations, it is desirable to utilize minimum energy for the same task through the use of energyefficient electric pumps. In the long run the aim should be to avoid excessive subsides ecause the nation and the people have to realize that electric power is the lifeline of the country's economy.

Other issues There are a number of complex political and legal issues which are required to be solved to ensure the vision of quality power for all. Private sector partic.i.p.ation could also lead to compet.i.tion in serving the users. There are also possibilities of transborder flows of electricity as a regular business. Technologies are well within reach to make India a 230.

powerrich country which is able to provide quality power for all at affordable prices. But the nation and several stakeholders have to evolve the prioritiesin infrastructure technology and break the nexus of vested interests and inertia, often built up by the stakeholders themselves. We believe that the country can accomplish this vision for electric power when it wills itself into becoming a developed nation.

The waters Rivers have great mythic significance for us. However we have not treated our water resources with the care they deserve.The need for water for agriculture, industry and personal consumption is understood by all, especially when big cities and rural areas reel under water shortages in the summer. The pollution of our rivers and water bodies is also reflected in the health problems that occur in many parts of the country. Urgent attention is needed to overcome these problems in the coming years. Recycling of water and water conservation will be a critical component of our daily lives in the coming millennium.We would like to share with the readers another aspect of water: water as a transport medium.

Waterways are one of the most energyefficient forms of transport. Road transport services and railways occupy a prominent place in our transport system accounting for 53.3 per cent and 31.7 per cent respectively of the total GDP of the entire transport sector in 199293. Onthe other hand , water transport has a share of only 6.5 per cent. The GDP in the road transport sector has been growing at an annual rate of 8.8 per cent between 198081 and 199293 as compared to the growth rate of just 3 per cent in water transport.

There are several factors which explain the diminis.h.i.+ngimportance of waterways. The main disadvantage of waterways is that they can transport goods only on fixed and limited routes unlike the road and railway systems which have the capacity to provide services between a large number of points to suit the requirements of the users. Secondly ,there has beena rapid expansion of the railway and road networks during the past four decades, while waterways have remained almostneglected. Public sector investment in inland waterways transport (IWT) has been very small in comparison to the investment another modes of transport. It was only in the seventh plan that some attention was paid to the development of waterways and water transport. The use of IWT is confined only to certainareas like the Mandovi river in Goa, Ganga in the eastern regions, the ca.n.a.ls and backwaters of Kerala,Karnataka,Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.The spatial limitation 231.

of waterways cannot, however, beconsidered a major constraint in the development of water transport as 61 per cent of the extent of navigable waterways remains unutilized.

Attention ,therefore, needs to be focused on how best the current navigable water system of 14544km can be utilized to develop an efficient transport system. It is imperative to identify and remove the physical infrastructural constraints. Some of the major constraints are given below: .

Navigational hazards due to bank erosion, siltation and deterioration of channels .

Shallow water and narrow width of rivers .

Lack of adequate navigational aids .

Inadequacy of horizontal and vertical clearance, inadequacy of hydraulic structure (locks), and old vessels and .

Loss in the cost of advantage of IWT when the place of origin and destination is not located on the river bank.

An a.n.a.lysis of the current status of the two major waterways in the country, viz. the GangaBhagirathiHooghly (GBH) river system and the Brahmaputra river reveals that presently mostly bulky and nonperishable commodities are being transportedon these two river systems. There is, however , a great potentialfor increasing the volume of traffic on them. But this potential can be exploited only through development of an integrated network of rail, road and IWT. This would also require the establishment of efficient mechanical cargohandling facilitiesat various points of the multimodal transport network. Although some waterways in the country have been cla.s.sified as national waterways, there is a need to modernize these by making appropriate use of available technology, such as position location and communication systems, so that become'smart waterways'. Smart waterways should have sufficient navigable depth and width so that larger vessels with higher draft may be able to navigate them. The condition of the waterways should permit navigation throughout the year. They should have smooth bends and minimum siltation, with sufficient vertical clearance so that the vessel's movement is not hindered.Vessels should be able to navigate at least eighteen hours per day on the waterways. Efficient loading and unloading facilities should be available at several 232.

points. The waterways should be adequately lighted and equipped with modern navigational and communication aids.If we have smart waterways, movement of cargo, be it food materials or cement, even from Punjab to neighbouring Bangladesh, can be done very effectively.Among other things, the technology imperatives for waterways are: .

Designing terminals to take care of both bulk handlingand general handling and storage introduction of mobile grab cranes and conveyer belt loaders introduction of lighterage system for transferring cargo as well as containers construction of floating jetties to provide flexibility in movement and designing appropriate jetties with necessary equipment depending on the nature, weight and volume of the cargo.

Introduction of modern electronics, satellite communication and information technology applications such as radio communication (short range) from sh.o.r.e to s.h.i.+p and s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p longrange communication using satellite links navigation using the satellitebased global positioning system (GPS) fleet management using a combination of satellite communication and navigation It is expected that by the year 2015 the access network would be able to support full mobility access throughout the network, the provision of personal phone numbers and that optical fibres would reach the subscriber's home.A very systems electronic charts for convenient positioning of vessels during their transist use of satellite systems for emergency situations and onboard equipment like lowcost navigation radars, echo sounders and VHF communication receivers.Thus modern electronic technologies can impart new vigour to an ancient transport system and also save considerable energy in the process.The oceans We can extend the idea of river navigation to coastal waterways.

Very few countries are blessed with oceans on three sides and a set of islands on two of them. For tourism or for trade, these provide excellent infrastructure in themselves. India has eleven major ports and 139 operable minor ports. The major ports are the responsibility of the central government and the minor ports that of the state governments. The eleven major ports are: Kandla, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru port, Marmagao, New Mangalore, Kochi, Tuticorin, Chennai, Vishakapatnam, Paradip and Calcutta. Marked on a map, they form a beautiful garland. These ports account for 95 per cent of the total traffic handled.The annual traffic during 199697 was around 225 million 233.

tones it is projected that it will be about 390 million tones by 200001 and 650 million tones by 200506. The growth of traffic at Indian ports has been on the upswing over the last few years. However, productivity in terms of the Average s.h.i.+p Turn Around (ASTA) and the Average s.h.i.+p Berth Output (ASBO) needs to be improved to reach international standers. Considerable privatization is taking place at a number of minor ports. We believe that Indian ports should aim at much more. India can easily be an excellent destination for handling major international traffic. Our oceans and islands can also, if tapped effectively, be a rich source of a number of products of high economic value Networking the rivers In addition there is a much greater need for networking rivers. They would not only provide new water routes but also help distribute water from areas of excess to those that are deficient. We know that there are emotional and political issues involved. But we believe that as a nation marching towards developed country status, we should also learn how to share largesse and resources amongst ourselves and evolve an efficient water management policy. What we now have to aim at is creating more wealth and prosperity to share, and not reduce ourselves to petty squabbling over distributing poverty and cornering a few privileges.The IT mission So far we have discussed the conventional forms of infrastructure. In terms of modern infrastructure, telecommunications is crucial to any compet.i.tive economy. With the emergence of digital technology (which includes computers) data transmission has pervaded all aspects of life, under the name information technology (IT). We have seen how a whole range of service sectors have been opened up through IT. There are good possibilities for India to emerge as an IT superpower, with a large share of world business and also by being the originator of many new IT and software systems in the world.

For the past few years several committees and for a have addressed the issues relating to India becoming a major IT and software player in the world. India has become a destination for many of the world's software companies. Indian experts are being 'jobshopped' for by many companies. Indian software exports are growing by percentages of almost tens per year. The potential is far more. The primeminister's office has recently set up a National task force to address the issues involved and speed up the process of expansion of the IT sector in India. This means action on several fronts. The setting up of the backbone fibre optic networks be speeded 234.

up. The exclusive communication infrastructure available with many government agencies such as railways, oil, and the oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) has to be deployedas a data transport medium. The private sector has to be a encouraged and enabled to enter such activities.

Also, innovative systems have to be allowed to bridge the 'lastmile problems' of reaching the network to the actual user. All these would mean removal of various existing monopolies and allowing the Indian entrepreneurial spirit to flourish.In addition, steps have to be taken by the government to remove several irritating procedural bottlenecks to make even single person units of the IT industry come up all over the country. With a right mix of fiscal incentives, computers can be made available to large number of Indians. In fact as the revolution in telephone facilities has already linked towns and a large number of villages, it is possible to have the STD/ISD booths there by set up equipped with computers to send a email and receive data. Such activities can be run on a commercial basis, if government agencies reduce excessive entry fees and tariff rates at least for the next five years. We may soon have a situation where software export companies are located in India's villages! India's strength in software and IT are due to its talented youth. Despite many problems, our schools and colleges have prepared them for the new challenges. Many private initiatives have trained them for taking up specific jobs. Many poor families spend several thousands of rupees on their children to equip them for a computer job. Most of them rewarded.Development of software and IT technologies is progressing worldwide in a direction suitable to advanced countries: increased automation much less dependence on manual entries increasing use of higher end software for design, simulation, a.n.a.lyses and synthesis. Already the share of the developing world in the overall IT and software output or activities is at a low percentage. Our value added share in the IT sector may go down further if we do not address the matter of acquiring core strengths in the design and production of end systems. As one learned academic put it, 'we may import a large number of computers or computer components in SKD ( SemiKnocked Down) form along with other IT systems and software. We may spread them across the country. If we calculate the value added benefit to the economy and minus the import value ,are we plus or minus? That is the crucial question to answer'.

We believe we simultaneously need rapid expansion and attention to largescale commercial activities in the higher end value adding IT and software systems. Then alone can India keep balance between imports and exports in the IT and software sector. In fact we can create a major and sustained surplus in India's favour in a few year's time. speed is of the essence 235.

since a few late starters over the globe are trying to become IT giants and are working hard.One of the elements necessary to make India a major IT power is to strengthen IT education in the country. Many engineering and science colleges have to be facilitated to introduce modern IT courses with the private sector and even with foreign fonded initiatives. Constraining monopolies have to be removed and we should try new approaches.The key should be to create a large human resources cadre in all aspects of IT. That is the crucial infrastructure for India to become a major IT power. In order to realize this vision, telecommunications forms the bedrock. Again, in the not sodistant past, telephones were considered a luxury. Thanks to Sam Pitroda who brought telecommunications to the national centre stage and launched the CDoT project, telecommunication access and penetration has grown by leaps and bounds. The policy of opening up telecommunication to the private sector can speed up the process. Unfortunately however, monoplies do not break down easily. We hope the special focus on IT will lead to acceleration of telecommunication networks and extension of better services. A positive feature of the Indian telecommunications network is that the proportion of digital lines in the overall network is close To the world's best. The telecommunications network is therefore in need of substantial expansion as well as quality improvement. This is crucial if it is to support the wide range of services that are now becoming available. Ideally then, the country requires a predominantly digital network of sufficient bandwidth to facilitate voice applications in rural or urban settings, at the workplace or at home, and even in remote, hilly or isolated areas or in the islands, ensuring affordability, ease of use, mobilityand confidentiality.

For these services to be available to the maximum number of subscribers it is necessary to increase the number of lines, increase the proportion of digital switching technologies,increase capacity of the access and transmission network , and improve the quality of Customer PremisesEquipment(CPE). India could, by 2015, have a network which could be totally digital provide full coverage within the country provide mobile services based on the Personal Communication System provide personal communications services by satellite and provide end toend high bandwidth capability at commercial centres.

We could witness the following in the Indian access network by the year 2000. the provision of fibre to the kerb and fibre to the building the beginning of largescale deployment of HDSLI3 technologies on existing copper lines the beginnings of voice and data communications on the cablenetwork. wide range of CPE should be available and in use in the country. Specifically, we 236.

are likely to witness the widespread use of broadband CPE for applications running on theIntegrated Srvices Digital Network (ISDN) and the beginnings of computer telephony integration .We can expect routine useof multimedia terminals by 2015 providing video telephony and videoconferencing application on demand. Services and applications are expected to expand from voice ,videoconferencing and high bandwidth data applicationsin 2000 to extensive high bandwidth services available in the bigger cities at least, and several serious applications in education ,health and entertainment will be available .The overall vision includes continual efforts to spread services to alarge number of rural areas.That would call for innovative systems and flexibility in polices.

Rural connectivity 264.

Over a period ,a number of modern scientific and technological achievements have helped the rural areas as well. They have 265.