The Observer Volume 20 Issue 11

The Observer An IIJNM publication

Restaurants in the city still suffer losses due to low footfalls after despitre following Covid norms | P 2

Vol 20, Issue 11

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Pandemic robs the glitter of wedding planners’ business

Caterers, too, worried about a second wave

By Dhruv Raghav

The government of India’s standard operating procedure (SOP) allows 200 people to attend a wedding. | Courtesy: ringsandroses.in wedding venues are allowed to before the pandemic, (and) a litfunction at 50% of their capacity. tle more during the wedding seaWearing masks, maintaining so- son (December to January). After cial distancing, sanitizing hands, the lockdown was lifted, we orand thermal screening of all has ganised 45-50 weddings, which is been made mandatory. five or six on average with a Anjali Ratnam, senior sales maximum of 200 guests. Managmanager, Rings And Roses, in- ing overheads was a challenge as formed The Observer : “We used we had taken a hit. We couldn’t to conduct 10 weddings a month retain our staff. The prices of

labour and raw materials like flowers went up and budgets went down. Clients were not willing to pay what they would have paid before. So costing was difficult and profits took a hit.”

While organising weddings, many organisers could not find labour. The ones that did had to be tested for Covid-19.

Keeping employees safe when they were exposed to large gatherings was stressful. “Availability of good labour was challenging in the first few months after the lockdown as many people went back to their hometowns/villages and did not return,” Ratnam added.

Also hit by the pandemic are wedding caterers, decorators and venue owners working with wedding planners.

Mohan Kumar, owner of Mohan Wedding Caterers, said many of his employees have gone back home.

Continued on page 3

Forced to resign, garment sector workers face financial struggle post Covid-19 lockdown

By Ashutosh Acharya Bengaluru: One year after the workers of garment factories were forced to resign, they are struggling to make their ends meet.

A survey by the Garment and Textile Workers’ Union (GATWU) and the Alternative Law Forum (ALF) says more than 50 per cent of garment factory workers have been forced to resign since the outbreak of Covid-19. According to the survey report, “Forced Resignation, Stealthy Closures”, more than 5,600 workers of 25 factories in three government clusters in Bengaluru lost their jobs. The survey was conducted in two phases: between September and October 2020, and between January and February 2021.

Ratna, from Channapatna, a former employee of Texport Creations, Kenchanahalli, said she had to stay back in Bengaluru as

Garment workers, who earn Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 a month, do not have any savings, hence they will face problems if sacked. | Courtesy:KPN she didn’t get any alternative job after the factory closed down.

“I have not found a proper job.

I worked as a domestic help for a few months, but that didn’t support me financially,” Ratna informed The Observer . “I have been facing a lot of financial issues since I quit the job.”

@theweeklyobserver Epaper:https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in

Unmarked speed breakers increase possiblity of accidents on the roads, worry people | P 3

Covid hits service industries & workers’ livelihood alike

Bengaluru: Even as most businesses are limping back to normal, wedding planners and caterers are still struggling because of restrictions imposed on gatherings and cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a second wave of cases is imminent, no relief seems in sight for them.

“My business is down by 70-80 percent. I’ve only organised three weddings after the lockdown and a few virtual weddings,” said Antara Baruah, wedding planner and owner of Katha Weddings.

The government of India’s standard operating procedure (SOP) allows 200 people to attend a wedding. Halls and closed

facebook.com/ twoiijnm/

Texport Creations, which made garments for the GAP and Old Navy brands, informed its workers in March 2020 it was closing the factory for a few days. However, on discovering that machines that were shifted out of the factory a few days after the lockdown, workers got to know that

the factory was permanently closing due to recurring losses.

The workers staged a protest after the incident demanding their dues be cleared. The dues were cleared, but they lost their jobs. According to the survey, all the 600 workers of the factory lost their jobs.

The Observer contacted Disha (name changed), a worker from Texport Creations who now works at Shahi Exports in Gejjalagere, Mandya district. Nine factories of Shahi Exports have been mentioned in the survey.

More than 16,000 employees of the company had to resign or were dismissed.

Disha began working at Shahi Exports about four months ago.“I do not know of closure yet, but two or three people resign every month due to issues in payment,” she shared.

Continued on page 2

News briefs No mask? Karnataka imposes Rs 250 fine The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced Rs 250 fine for people who do not wear masks in public places.

The order also said that a maximum 200 people in closed spaces and 500 in open spaces will be permitted to attend weddings.

State likely to see a lockdown again The Karnataka Health Minister on Wednesday said the state government will have to re-impose a lockdown if Covid cases continue to rise. Despite increase in cases, many people are not following Covid-19 precautions.

India reports 53k new Covid cases According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported 53,476 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

The number of cases touched 1,17,87,534 while the death rate has touched 1,60,692.

Rajasthan govt bans gatherings on festivals Amid a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Rajasthan Home department has banned gatherings at markets, religious places and public places on Holi and Shab-e-Barat. On Wednesday, the state reported 669 Covid-19 cases.

Akbar’s plea against Ramani adjourned The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by former Union Minister M.J. Akbar challenging a trial court order on the allegations of sexual harassment.

LG to have more powers than Delhi’s elected govt The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill amid an uproar and walkout by many opposition parties. The Bill gives primary power to Lieutenant Governor (LG) over the elected government.

CITY

2

The Observer Thursday, March 25, 2021

a year after pandemic, eateries are struggling to remain afloat Increasing prices of petrol, diesel, cooking oil and LPG worry them

By Mahitha Owk Bengaluru: Restaurants in the city are struggling to earn money because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A spike in the prices of LPG, petrol, diesel, and cooking oil has put a question mark over their survival.

“We used to make around Rs 1 lakh a day before the Covid-19 outbreak; it has now come down to nearly 30 percent,” M. Manjunath, assistant manager of Habibi Falafel restaurant, Indiranagar, informed The Observer.

Restaurant owners say they have dismissed most of their staff as the number of customers has decreased.

Karan Hegde, manager of Sri Udupi Park, Indiranagar, said: “Usually, we have 35 working staff but currently we have only seven; we asked the rest of them to not come to work till business is back to normal.”

The industry is not doing any better despite following strict Covid-19 protocols like sanitizing the entire restaurant every day.

“We sanitize alltables… just after customers leave,” said Manjunath.

Increased prices of motorfuels, cooking gas and cooking oil is a major concern for the restaurant industry. “Increase in the price of petrol and diesel will increase the prices of every other commodity.We can’t cut the use of LPG or cooking oil as they are essential commodities for us,” Hegde said.

“I don’t know what the government is doing with all the money we pay as taxes.They anyway

An eatery in Indiranagar that used to earlier serve a number of diners now awaits them during lunch time | Mahitha Owk are not helping the industry.”

Prasad H.S., the person in charge of Donne Biryani House, Indiranagar, said: “Although the prices of the commodities have risen, we have not increased the price of food in fear of losing customers.”

Murali D, the owner of Ambur Hot Biryani, another restaurant in Indiranagar, said increase in prices of commodities is causing great concern to his business. “My restaurant was closed for 8 months leading to a loss of five lakh rupees. Even at the time of lockdown, I had to pay 34,000 rent every month and now how will I survive with the increase in prices.”

The industry hasn’t received any support from the government. Owners of eateries have been forced to cut employees’

salaries as their businesses aren’t earning profit.

“This place opened two months back and is running in losses now. How can we expect a salary in such a situation?” said Mukesh Thakur an employee at Shree Juice Charts and Ice Cream Park, Indiranagar. If the business continues this way, he is worried the place will be shut down.

Thai Chy restaurant manager Mustaf Ahmed said the employees of his restaurant are being paid half of their salaries since the lockdown.

Restaurant associations have been urging the government for help, but the industry has still not received any help.

Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurants Association secretary Madhukar M. Shetty said: “We met CM Yediyurappa and pleaded with him to waive prop-

heavy traffic jams on mysuru road as bmrcl suspends services

erty tax and not to charge for trade and exercise licences at least for those few months when the lockdown was imposed.” But the government has not provided any help.

Bruhath Bangalore Hotels Association president P.C. Rao said: “I asked CM to do us a favour by not letting BBMP disturb us for a year.” The BBMP demands that the industry pay taxes and renew licences. “We are fed up with asking the government for help.”

“We have spoken to health minister Harsh Vardhan to include hotel employees among frontline workers. Hopefully, it will happen soon,” Rao said.

There still seems to be hope for the industry as people like Shrinkhala Srivastava, a student, believe that restaurants are taking proper precautions and hence are safe to visit. When The Observer asked if he isn’t scared, he replied: “Well, now we all have become immune to Covid-19.”

Srihari Edara, a diner at a restaurant, shared: “All the measures that are prescribed by the government are being followed by restaurants, so I don’t think we need to worry.” Dinesh Patnaik, another diner, said: “It’s our responsibility to help these businesses; I have recovered with no symptoms, so (have) no fears.”

But with the number of Covid19 cases rising again, and with the chief minister talking of another lockdown, it seems difficult for the industry to go back to preCovid levels. mahitha.o@iijnm.org

BMRCL must ensure fast service at its counters

Recently when I wanted to recharge my Metro card at a station, I had to wait for 10 minutes at the counter because servers were down. The passengers travelling on the Metro are usually in a hurry. Incidents like this cause major inconvenience to them.

BMRCL should ensure that such issues don't occur again.

Sujana H

IISc study on virus has worrisome news

After people used three-layer, two-layer and one-layer masks for a year, a latest study by IISc researchers has found out that coronavirus can still spread. This is worrisome as it might contribute to a second wave of Covid-19.

Sakshi Kaushal

Will the voters of Kerala fall for BJP’s bait?

The BJP’s manifesto for the Kerala assembly elections promises a law against the so-called love Jihad. Narendra Modi’s party is offering an anti-Muslim policy to win elections. We have to wait and see how a state like Kerala, where Muslims are in a sizable number, will respond to such a promise.

Mahitha Owk

Twitterati talk Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM @Arvind Kejriwal RS passes GNCTD amendment Bill. Sad day for Indian democracy.We will continue our struggle to restore power back to people. Whatever be the obstacles, we will continue doing good work. Work will neither stop nor slow down.

Fearing shutdown, workers resigned voluntarily Continued from page 1

A

Commuters are caught in heavy traffic on Mysuru Road as the Metro service between Mysuru Road station to Majestic has been suspended for 8 days. They routinely face a delay of more than half an hour. According to BMRCL, Metro services between the two stations will be suspended from March 21 to 28 as a part of the precommissioning work of the extended Purple Line to Kengeri | Abhisek Dutta and Nidhi Kajaria

Citizen’s voice

ccording to the survey, several workers did not know the exact settlement amount or whether they had received the full dues Garment workers, who earn Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 a month, do not have any savings. It becomes very difficult for them if they are sacked. So they choose to resign.

Bhavya, a garment industry worker, from SS Fashions, Nelamangala, said: “I didn’t face any issues during the lockdown or now. The PRO is threatening that the factory may be closed and we may be forced to resign due to losses, but nothing has happened yet.”

The survey also says that forced resignation preventing workers to get pension from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). To avail of a pension, a worker has to work for a minimum of ten years. The workers were forced to resign be-

fore they met this criterion.

The Observer tried to contact the industries named in the survey but it couldn’t reach most of them. A management representative of Texport Creations identified himself in the beginning, but when he heard that the call was about the survey, he denied he was from Texport, and said he was from Kolkata. Likewise, a representative of Shahi Exports hung up after The Observer identified itself.

Jayaram K.R., legal adviser of GATWU, said: “The managements are forcing workers to resign by spreading rumours.” He gave the example of Shalini Creations in Timberyard Layout, which told its workers that due to lack of orders after the lockdown, they would be given leave for two months, for which they will be paid their salaries.” But the rumours of shutdown forced them to resign voluntarily. ashutosh.a@iijnm.org

CITY

The Observer Thursday, March 25, 2021

Token ban in vain as commuters swipe smart cards at AFC gates Passengers say BMRCL must spread awareness

By Nishita M. Agath Bengaluru: Despite increasing Covid-19 cases, commuters at Namma Metro stations do not follow instructions at the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates and standard operating procedures (SOPs) published by the government.

According to SOPs of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, passengers should display their smart cards 3 cm above at AFC gates to ensure contactless access. After the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, BMRCL did away with tokens to ensure contactless access.

P. Shivangi, a commuter, informed The Observer: “AFC gates must mandate the rule of displaying the smart card 3 cm above the gate reader. Perhaps this will improve the situation. The system must be built in a way that people can pass through the AFC gates only if they display the cards 3 cm above rather than by scratching them on the AFC gate readers.”

A BMRCL official said it is the responsibility of the customer care office employees.

Vinay Kumar, general man-

Commuters fail to follow the AFC gate guidelines | Nishita M. Agath ager, telecommunications and AFC gates, BMRCL, said: “Under the SOP, a fine is charged for not wearing masks. However, for not following the SOP related to the AFC gates, no charge is implied.

The employees of the customer care offices at Metro stations are required to keep a check on this.”

The Observer found that each customer care office is manned by a single employee who is busy recharging smart cards.

Further, according to Kumar, the information board is placed at AFC gates of all stations. But The

Observer found no such board at the Silk Institute station.

Sushma Ashok, a commuter, said: “Greater awareness should be spread by BMRCL authorities.

Taking strict measures and tightening the rules by employing separate staff at AFC gates will help to spread greater awareness.”

Basavaraja Hemu, another commuter, said the government’s SOP remains on paper. Neither staff nor the public are bothered about it. “Not everyone has access to news or can read the guidelines announced by the government.

BMRCL must spread awareness to ensure contactless access.”

R.K. Rangashree, a 67-year-old woman said: “I can read neither Kannada nor English. Every time I pass through an AFC gate, I just look at the blue board.”

The SOP instructs commuters not to place smart cards on AFC gates and instead show them 3 cm above card-reading spots.

However, people are habituated to swiping the cards due to the token system.

K.S. Priyadarshini, another commuter, said that despite knowing the SOP, she swipes her card out of habit. “Employees at BMRCL must keep a check on this and ensure people follow the SOP,” she added.

She has a complaint: “Sometimes the gate reader does not scan the card if placed 3 cm above, and hence we swipe it.”

Some commuters believe that it is not the sole responsibility of the government. Instead, people must ensure their safety and take precautions accordingly.

Karthik R, a Metro commuter, pointing out that people do not wear masks, said: “How can you expect them to follow the AFC gate instructions and SOPs...?

Not everyone will stop to read or can read the information displayed. However, those who can shall cooperate with authorities as it is for their safety.” nishita.a@iijnm.org

Bad speed breakers have Bengalureans worried Road Congress guidelines not being followed

By Nidhi Kajaria Bengaluru: Despite complaints over years, Bengalureans are struggling with unmarked and poorly designed speed breakers. They want BBMP to take action to avoid more accidents.

Poornesh N, a student of the RV College of Engineering, Mysuru Road, informed The Observer: “Unpainted speed breakers have been a major issue for the city for decades, and it’s so in almost all parts of Bengaluru.”

According to Indian Road Congress guidelines, speed breakers should be painted with alternate black and white bands to give a visual warning. For better visibility at night, the markings should be in luminous paint or strips.

But citizens say these guidelines aren’t being followed.

“Not just their bad quality, the speed breakers are barely visible at night because of the lack of high reflection paints,” complained Poornesh, who regularly commutes via Mysuru Road.

Sri Narayan, DCP-traffic, East, said: “We have been trying to work

Many speed breakers are not visible because they are not painted with alternate black and white bands | Nidhi Kajaria on the issue for a while now. We have warned the BBMP’s Traffic Engineering Cell, which is responsible for the construction of speed breakers in the city, several times.

Necessary action is being taken.”

Non-compliance with the guidelines on humps has led to several road accidents in the past. As per the Road Accident Report 2019, out of the total 4,49,002 accidents in the country, more than 40,000 took place in the Karnataka, putting it among the top five states with the most road accidents.

From among the 11,000-odd deaths caused by bad speed breakers every year, most are from Karnataka.

Gautam Udupa, another citizen, said: “White marking as per traffic rules will ensure caution and reduce speeding of vehicles.

Unmarked humps are not visible and can cause injury and damage to vehicles.”

Deepesh Swamy, a traffic inspector, said: “This is the most common issue raised by citizens over the years. More than 40 per cent of road accidents are due to bad/illegal speed breakers.”

However, M.V. Srinivas, executive engineer, special division of Traffic Engineering Cell, BBMP said the municipal corporation is working on the issue and has managed to rectify several

humps in western Bengaluru.

The IRC guidelines also mandate that two signboards, one 2030 meters away and another 10 meters away from a hump, should be placed to caution drivers. The sign should have a definition plate with the words ‘SPEED BREAKER’ inscribed thereon and located 40 meters ahead of the first speed breaker.

Nishchith A, a resident of Mylasandra, said: “BBMP should put signboards as an alert for the speed breakers 50 meters before a speed hump; these will help drivers and riders to slow down and avoid disruptions.”

Badly designed speed breakers on Outer Ring Road have been a major complaint of Bengalureans.

“The worst of all speed breakers are on ORR,” Nishchith added.

The IRC guidelines clarify speed breakers should be formed on minor roads and in residential areas and not on arterial roads, but citizens allege that there are several unnecessary speed breakers on Nagarabhavi main road.

The 146-km-long Mysuru Road has unnecessary road humps that are in a bad condition.

“An irregular commuter on Mysuru Road will not be able to see unmarked speed breakers, which causes accidents,” said Poornesh. nidhi.k@iijnm.org

3 Second Covid-19 wave instils fear, causes plans |to be cancelled Continued from page 1 he price of diesel has gone up, leading to an increase in the prices of vegetables and cooking oil. Small gatherings are unremunerative as the price per plate is higher and people are reluctant to pay the difference.

Wealthy people have begun hosting lavish weddings that have kept some wedding planners afloat.

“Things are getting back to normal. Although people have small weddings, they have started spending more on the type of experience. They are spending well and doing lavish weddings,” said Zeeta D’Souza, owner, Why Knot Wedding Planner.

Viveck Bharadwaj, an executive committee member of the Karnataka Events Management Association, said: “On-site events have gone down drastically.

Most of them have become virtual, and so have weddings.

Business is getting back to normal, but a second wave has instilled fear in people and that has led to cancellations.”

Suresh L., PRO of BBMP, said: “SOPs are there. Permission is given to very few functions and events. BBMP marshals have been deployed to supervise them and impose fines on people who are found flouting rules. As of now, we have no plan to allow events with big gatherings.”

India is reporting over 40,000 cases daily. Experts have predicted a second wave of Covid-19.

As Bengaluru is again registering a sharp rise in cases, restrictions on activities are likely to be increased. Even though the government has allowed everybody above the age of 45 to get vaccinated from April, Covid-19 is expected to be around for a long time. The businesses of planners are unlikely to revive soon. dhruv.r@iijnm.org

T

Weather Maximum temp: 33 degrees Celsius Minimum temp: 19 degrees Celsius Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 30% Wind: 5 km/h Forecast: Partly sunny with clear sky and scattered clouds

Team Observer Editor: Abhisek Dutta Copy Editors: Nishita M. Agath, Dhruv Raghav, Mahitha Owk, Nidhi Kajaria, Abhisek Dutta, Ashutosh Acharya Page Editors: Nishita Agath, Abhisek Dutta, Ashutosh Acharya Reporters: Nishita M. Agath, Dhruv Raghav, Mahitha Owk, Nidhi Kajaria, Ashutosh Acharya Photo Editor: Nidhi Kajaria Supplements: Dhruv Raghav

4

Economy Is allocation hike worth the hype?

The Observer Thursday, March 25, 2021

SUPPLEMENT

Finance minister Sitharaman has done some jugglery to show increase in health outlay, writes Kritika Mehta

T

he Union Budget for 202122 proposed many changes because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Are these changes, much discussed in media, real?

Has the budget allocation for health and well-being really increased by 137 per cent? Though the Union government has privatized public entities in the past, for the first time, the word “privatization” was used during the presentation of a budget. Kshitija Joshi, an economist in Bengaluru, said: “I don’t know why the media have been hyping the matter. I feel it’s completely normal to use this term.”

The allocation to the Ministry of Health and Welfare has been increased in a big way. It includes an allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccination. In her Budget speech, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the health and well-being budget estimate has increased to Rs 2.23 lakh crore, which is 137 per cent more than the previous year’s Rs 94,452 crore. Has it really increased so much, or is there any

increased by the amount mentioned,” she added.

A

Budget allocation for FY’21 increased by 137%. | Credit: Kritika Mehta discrepancy that is being overlooked? Joshi said there are some factors that people have been ignoring, leading them to believe these numbers.

Joshi brings light on the matter and said that the articles she read about the budget and the discussions she had had with her fellow economists revealed the

fact that the expenditure earlier mentioned under the heads of water, sanitation and other heads had simply put been put under health expenditure to show that the government is spending more on healthcare. “Although, I agree… that the budget estimate has been increased by the Centre due to the pandemic, it has not

new scheme that the Centre has launched is the Pradhan Mantri Atma Nirbhar Swastha Bharat, under the head of health and well-being.

It is aimed to support more than 17,000 rural health and wellbeing centers. The budget for it is Rs 64,180 crore over six years.

Whereas the fund allocation for the Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 is seen to be Rs 1.4 lakh crore, which is almost double of the previously mentioned scheme. This might be because of the previously established achievements and successes of the mission. But since the project covers the rural people’s needs, it shouldn’t have had such a low allocation compared to the Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0.

Will these funds actually be utilized for what they are allocated? Will they actually lead to a better performance of the health and well-being sector?

These are questions that need to

be addressed. Joshi said though the government has allocated more funds to the health sector this year, the projects mentioned under this head are going to run for five or six years. Hype need not be created about the increasse of more than 100 percent.

Also, in the initial days of a scheme or project, very little of the allocated funds are used. “So there is long time to go before we actually experience the changes due to the schemes and funds allocated for them,” she added.

S

o is the hype about the increase in allocation unnecessary? Will it really have no major changes in our lives?

Since a vaccine fund allocation was a need of the hour, how does the government justify increasing the budget As Joshi pointed out, the budget for universal water supply and its new scheme, the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban), is placed under this head. So it is up to us whether to believe the Centre or not. kritika.m@iijnm.org

Jugaad innovation isn’t useless Government should focus on small improvisations that people with limited resources make, says Kritika Mehta

T

he Economic Survey this year used the term “jugaad innovation”. It said jugaad won’t take us anywhere, and accused the private sector of not investing enough in research and development activities. Although the government undertakes 56 per cent of R&D, the country has not seen much improvement in the field.

Kshitija Joshi, a Bengalurubased economist, said though the private sector should contribute to R&D, it is mainly the government’s job. “Why will the private sector make investments in research and development if they see no immediate profits, because their ultimate goal is to earn profits, isn’t it?” The government blames the private sector for not making investments but its own investments in R&D have shown a downward trend as a percentage of the GDP. “The government does have fancy research and development labs, and the private sector does contribute high-end innovations to society, but we can’t forget that not everybody,

and not all sectors, have these resources.”

Small farmers, artisans and others with limited resources have made many innovations and contributed to R&D. Instead of blaming the private sector, the government should promote the positive outcomes these small innovations can have, Joshi said.

Will these small innovations really make a difference? There have been innovations in all sectors, but they are small and not technology-oriented. A majority of these innovators make these small changes to ease their life, but that doesn’t mean they are useless. “It is beyond the scope of such innovators to scale up these innovations and make them widespread,” Joshi noted. The government should focus on small improvisations that people with limited resources make. The innovators can’t upscale these, but the government can and it should.

The Centre can promote these unskilled contributions and make them widely useful. “If we can’t

fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”

S

take a big jump, why not take small steps and reach our destination?” the economist suggested.

Small budget undertakings have often been ignored in the past.

But is the budget the only parameter to define how successful an initiative can be? Delhi-NCR has been suffering due to stubble burning. So some farmers came up with the idea of turning straw stubble to mud. “However, it is beyond the scope of farmers to make it widespread. This is where the government should intervene and help them.”

Jugaad Innovation is an exam-

ple of the movement in the opposite direction.

The book Jugaad Innovation,

by Jaideep Prabhu, Navi Radjou and Simone Ahuja, sheds light on the small contributions people have made over the years to India and its people.

It talks about the ‘‘clay fridge’’ built by a Gujarat villager which can be used without electricity.

Many Indians can’t afford advanced fridges, so why not make this an alternative is a question to be thought about. The book’s first chapter starts with Albert Einstein’s quote: “Any intelligent

o are these small innovations going to take us somewhere? Should we believe them? Joshi commented: “Losing faith in these small innovations is not what I advise as these might be insignificant today but might make a change in the future. You ought to remember India’s first rocket which was small and made out of locally available resources is still a fascinating memory and has helped scientists develop it further.”

Will jugaad innovation take us somewhere if the government provides proper guidance? We are yet to see that. Also, our approach to certain things depends on how we see them. If the budget is the only parameter to measure a project’s success, then one might think that these small-scale innovations are of no use. kritika.m@iijnm.org