Swachh Bharat cess - Is it not avoidable ?
The well intentioned Swachh Bharat scheme (Clean India campaign) of Mr. Narendra Modi got off to a rousing start , giving hopes that an effective programme would be launched that would promote cleanliness all over India. Apart from Mr. Narendra Modi, several so called celebrities including film actors, sports men and business men took the broomstick and swept in front of camera. But, it appears nothing really happened beyond this.
Overflowing garbage everywhere :
The streets all over the country continue to remain unclean and as an eyesore, with the dumped and over flowing garbage seen everywhere emanating nauseating smell . It appears that nothing has really happened for the better on the ground.
Lack of viable and imaginative programme of action :
The problem was that after launching the scheme, Modi government has not come out with any imaginative and viable programme of action . While it was stressed that the streets and the roads should be cleaned and the garbage removed , there is no scheme announced as to how would the collected garbage be ultimately disposed off on national scale. At present, the garbage collected are mostly dumped in dump yard in chosen places in all towns and cities , breeding mosquitoes and causing unhygienic conditions in and around dumped area. When the dumped mass become too large , then it would be set on fire emanating dark smoke and more dirty smell. This is really what is happening in India today almost in all places.
Value added products from waste material :
There are excellent possibilities of converting such garbage material into value added products. Developed countries abroad have implemented such projects successfully. For example, in Canada, methanol (an important chemical which is now imported in India to the level of around 1.3 million tonne per annum) is produced from sewage . There are many other possibilities such as cultivation of algae using sewage water , which can lead to the production of biofuel . Not much headway has been made in India for the production of power from garbage material , whereas large capacity power plants from garbage material are operating abroad.
The need is that government of India should give a lead to the country by developing and encouraging appropriate schemes for the utilisation of municipal solid waste and sewage water . Unfortunately, such proactive policies from Modi government is conspicuous by absence.
Swachh Bharat now appear to be in vacuum :
In the absence of technologically sound and viable schemes for utilisation of garbage material , Mr. Narendra Modi’s clean India campaign is now caught in a vacuum.
Several viable schemes have been submitted to Government of India by professionals, describing the technological and economic aspects but there is no indication that Modi government has evaluated such suggestions to take them forward, which is evident from the fact that no viable scheme has been implemented on a national scale so far.
Swachh Bharat Cess add to the burden on common man :
While the clean India campaign virtually remains as a non starter so far, the levy of Swachh Bharat cess has come as a shock . What government needs today are schemes and ideas and collecting cess without schemes is similar to the act of putting the cart before the horse.
Already , there is widespread view that service tax of 14% is quite high. As the industry and commercial establishments pass on the service tax burden to the consumers, there is inevitably cost push inflation. Ultimately, the burden is borne by the common man.
It is extremely unconvincing that merely by imposing of Swachh Bharat cess, the clean India campaign would move forward. By imposing such cess, Modi government is following the age old practice of the governments levying tax under one pretext or the other to constantly increase it’s income, without examining the options of reducing and optimising it’s expenses. One cannot be blamed, if he would suspect that this cess has been levied using Swachh Bharat as an excuse to improve the government’s revenue.
Modi government should realise that just as government has a budget , every family in the country has a budget. Whereas the government can levy tax to increase it’s income even indiscriminately, the common man does not have the option and his family economy would only get strained.
Will there be a “yoga cess” ?
One can hear some people suspect that there may be a “yoga cess” shortly , to implement the yoga scheme of government of India !
Swachh Bharat cess should be withdrawn :
Modi government should realise that Swachh Bharat cess is inappropriate and should withdraw it immediately.
N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice for The Deprived
nandinivoice.com more
Overflowing garbage everywhere :
The streets all over the country continue to remain unclean and as an eyesore, with the dumped and over flowing garbage seen everywhere emanating nauseating smell . It appears that nothing has really happened for the better on the ground.
Lack of viable and imaginative programme of action :
The problem was that after launching the scheme, Modi government has not come out with any imaginative and viable programme of action . While it was stressed that the streets and the roads should be cleaned and the garbage removed , there is no scheme announced as to how would the collected garbage be ultimately disposed off on national scale. At present, the garbage collected are mostly dumped in dump yard in chosen places in all towns and cities , breeding mosquitoes and causing unhygienic conditions in and around dumped area. When the dumped mass become too large , then it would be set on fire emanating dark smoke and more dirty smell. This is really what is happening in India today almost in all places.
Value added products from waste material :
There are excellent possibilities of converting such garbage material into value added products. Developed countries abroad have implemented such projects successfully. For example, in Canada, methanol (an important chemical which is now imported in India to the level of around 1.3 million tonne per annum) is produced from sewage . There are many other possibilities such as cultivation of algae using sewage water , which can lead to the production of biofuel . Not much headway has been made in India for the production of power from garbage material , whereas large capacity power plants from garbage material are operating abroad.
The need is that government of India should give a lead to the country by developing and encouraging appropriate schemes for the utilisation of municipal solid waste and sewage water . Unfortunately, such proactive policies from Modi government is conspicuous by absence.
Swachh Bharat now appear to be in vacuum :
In the absence of technologically sound and viable schemes for utilisation of garbage material , Mr. Narendra Modi’s clean India campaign is now caught in a vacuum.
Several viable schemes have been submitted to Government of India by professionals, describing the technological and economic aspects but there is no indication that Modi government has evaluated such suggestions to take them forward, which is evident from the fact that no viable scheme has been implemented on a national scale so far.
Swachh Bharat Cess add to the burden on common man :
While the clean India campaign virtually remains as a non starter so far, the levy of Swachh Bharat cess has come as a shock . What government needs today are schemes and ideas and collecting cess without schemes is similar to the act of putting the cart before the horse.
Already , there is widespread view that service tax of 14% is quite high. As the industry and commercial establishments pass on the service tax burden to the consumers, there is inevitably cost push inflation. Ultimately, the burden is borne by the common man.
It is extremely unconvincing that merely by imposing of Swachh Bharat cess, the clean India campaign would move forward. By imposing such cess, Modi government is following the age old practice of the governments levying tax under one pretext or the other to constantly increase it’s income, without examining the options of reducing and optimising it’s expenses. One cannot be blamed, if he would suspect that this cess has been levied using Swachh Bharat as an excuse to improve the government’s revenue.
Modi government should realise that just as government has a budget , every family in the country has a budget. Whereas the government can levy tax to increase it’s income even indiscriminately, the common man does not have the option and his family economy would only get strained.
Will there be a “yoga cess” ?
One can hear some people suspect that there may be a “yoga cess” shortly , to implement the yoga scheme of government of India !
Swachh Bharat cess should be withdrawn :
Modi government should realise that Swachh Bharat cess is inappropriate and should withdraw it immediately.
N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice for The Deprived
nandinivoice.com more
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View all 151 comments Below 151 comments
I don't mind paying a bit more tax if it helps the clean-up campaign. But I am disheartened to see that most of our taxes go into paying govt staff and MPs bigger salaries, whereas people in the private sector, like me, get absolutely nothing - no direct benefit such as free health care at least to some extent, and also no indirect benefit such as good roads that won't be damaged after one monsoon; clean streets; and law enforcement against shops and people who litter and spit and pee everywhere. Nice messages alone won't help; people need to fear stiff penalties. more
Nov 21
We are the ones who keep Bharat Clean - why should we expect anyone else to clean up after us. Agree with Jaya sharma whole heartedly. It is easy to blame others rather than ourselves. Let us resolve to be model citizens. !! more
Nov 19
