Vishnu Rao, CAG, speaking on the proposed TANGEDCO scheme to incentivise middle income households to give up their subsidy explains that the scheme should instead target the creamy layer of consumers. If these users can be encouraged to openly declare that they have given up their subsidy, it could inspire similar change from their followers. The scheme is yet to be approved by the TNERC.
Sumana, CAG, explains why the TN government's initiative to offer free bus travel to women, is likely to result in better livelihood outcomes, especially for those women from the disorganised sector. She also points out that for continuation of the scheme, we need more than intuitive justifications; we need data on the actual results.
Afroz, CAG, speaking to the Citizen Matters explains how a combination of affordable fashion and over consumption are leading to landfills piled with fabric waste. The article also contains useful pointers on how concerned citizens can move away from 'use and throw' to 'use, reuse and recreate'.
There is an urgent need to bring climate change discourse into the classroom. Children need to understand why rising sea levels, floods and droughts are a risk no matter where they live. As Mala Balaji, CAG says, strengthening teachers' capacities to provide accurate information, integrating local context and promoting critical thinking are all crucial in our fight against climate change.
An article that makes a case for why bus services should be viewed as essential services that governments should not hesitate to subsidise. As Sumana Narayanan, CAG, points out, one of the fallouts of a poorly run bus service is that users are tempted to switch to private transport, resulting in serious consequences to environmental health and road safety.
Saroja.S, CAG, advises that preparation for an eco-friendly Ganesh Chathurthi begin well before the event, training artisans who make the idols. Meanwhile, devotees are urged to avoid idols with plastic, glitter etc for their non-biodegradable, toxic properties and the damage they cause to the water bodies that receive them.
CAG participated in a consultation organised by Directorate of Town and Country Planning (organised by DTCP), to plan revision of the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, incorporating steps towards sustainable development, sustainable mobility, climate change resilience, efficient land-use, infrastructure and settlement growth across the state.
Commenting on the safety risks from raised manhole covers, Sumana Narayanan, CAG, says the Indian Road Congress guidelines, if followed, would create safer road surfaces. Additionally, the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019, has penalty provisions for road contractors who do not keep safety guidelines. The legal framework needs to now translate into action on the ground.
Following the GO that millets be distributed in the PDS, S.Saroja, CAG, suggests that this be done in one urban location also, to assess demand and plan for future supply.
As policies and procedures make it harder for solar energy consumers to sell power back to the company, Vishnu Rao, CAG, suggests that households set up solar panels for the simple reason that they can be energy sufficient; and that there is much to gain from going renewable'.