Fruit orchards on Government (Revenue) lands
Context
The Karnataka government recently proposed developing fruit orchards on government (Revenue) lands within gram panchayat limits.
- The primary goal is to create seasonal employment and livelihood opportunities for local unemployed youth while preventing land encroachment and boosting revenue for local bodies
Features
- The Proposal: Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister Eshwar B. Khandre directed officials to draft an action plan to utilize unused Revenue Department land.
- Crop Selection: The government intends to plant hardy, native horticultural crops, including mango, sapota (chickoo), amla (gooseberry), coconut, hybrid jamun, and tamarind.
- Job Creation & Revenue: Rather than large-scale corporate leasing, the harvest rights for these orchards will be leased annually via transparent auction processes specifically targeting unemployed youth from the respective villages.
- Integration with Job Schemes: The maintenance of the saplings and orchards is expected to be tied to rural employment guarantee initiatives like the restructured VB-G RAM G scheme (the revamped MGNREGA).
Sanchari Cauvery scheme
Context
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will sign long-term Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with apartment complexes under the Sanchari Cauvery scheme to combat skyrocketing private water tanker prices.
- Countering the Private “Tanker Mafia”: Private operators are coercing societies into expensive, two-year long-term contracts. Private rates have hit ₹1,800 to ₹2,500 per 12,000-litre tanker.
- Affordable BWSSB Pricing: Under Sanchari Cauvery (Cauvery on Wheels), the same volume of water costs significantly less (₹1,300 for 12,000 litres, and ₹740 for 6,000 litres).
- Streamlined Booking: Previously, bulk consumers had to book water daily via an app or website, which caused logistics bottlenecks. The new long-term MoU option provides a digitised, hassle-free, regular supply.
- Water Quality Assurance: Unlike private tankers pulling groundwater from depleting borewells, the board provides BIS-certified clean drinking water.
- Recycled Water Mandate: Alongside the water supply agreements, the BWSSB is exploring a framework to channel treated wastewater from apartment Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to commercial entities and industries.
Sanchari Cauvery
- Objective: Launched to counter the private water tanker mafia, reduce excessive groundwater exploitation, and safely deliver BIS-certified clean drinking water directly to consumers’ doorsteps in Bengaluru.
- Technology Implemented: Operates via a dedicated mobile application (such as Kaveri on Wheels) and web portal. It features GPS-tracked water tankers, real-time vehicle tracking, digital payments, and secure OTP-based delivery verification.
- Sister Scheme: Launched alongside Sarala Cauvery, an initiative providing subsidised, installment-based payments for new piped water connections targeting urban poor and middle-class households.
- Fixed Government Pricing:
- 4,000 litres: ₹660
- 6,000 litres: ₹740
- 12,000 litres: ₹1,290
- Recent Updates: The board has expanded the initiative to allow long-term MoUs and bulk-booking agreements for residential apartment complexes to ensure seamless, regular water security
PM-E DRIVE portal
Context
The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has officially launched the PM E-DRIVE portal alongside a two-stage Expression of Interest (EoI) framework specifically designed for private Charge Point Operators (CPOs).
- State nodal agency for Karnataka, BESCOM is utilizing this portal to implement the central government’s PM E-DRIVE scheme, which has allocated a massive ₹2,000 crore subsidy pool to expand public EV charging networks across India.
Features
- Target Category: Aimed specifically at developing Category-C public EV charging infrastructure through private participation.
- Location Allocation: Up to 800 charging station locations will be allocated to private CPOs on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Standardized Infrastructure: The utility has finalized configurations for both urban and highway installations to simplify subsidy payouts and technical setups.
- Proposal Aggregation: BESCOM will act as the intermediary, collecting and aggregating eligible private proposals to submit to the Ministry of Heavy Industries for final approval.
- The EV Land Aggregator Portal: Launched to act as a single-window interface. It allows private individuals, government departments, and institutional landowners to lease their idle land on a revenue-sharing basis to Charge Point Operators (CPOs). This solves the roadblock of land acquisition.
- The PM E-DRIVE CPO Portal: Launched specifically for private operators to deploy Category-C public EV charging stations. It operates via a two-stage Expression of Interest (EoI)