Power Reforms Essay Example for Free

Power Reforms Essay Electricity is central to achieving economic, social and environmental objectives of sustainable human development. In fact it has become essential ingredient for improving the quality of life and its absence is usually associated with poverty and poor quality of life. India has the fifth largest generation capacity in the world with an installed capacity of 173,626 MW as in March 2011. The power sector added record conventional capacities of 12,160 MW during 2010-11. However, despite the Indian power sector having shown substantial growth during the post-independence era, the sector has been ailing from serious functional problems during the past few decades. In 2010-11, India faced power deficit of 10 per cent and peak demand shortage of 13.3 per cent. In this backdrop, Power sector reforms were first initiated in India in 1992 by the Ministry of Power (MoP) to invite private investments in power generation to bridge the demand-supply gap. However, private investments failed to yield much benefit due to serious deficiencies and losses in electricity distribution in most of the State Electricity Boards (SEBs). Post 2001, Reforms were oriented around: 1. Unbundling of the state electricity boards.  2. Corporatization of generation, transmission and distribution sector 3. Setting up of independent central and state electricity regulatory commissions. 4. Passing of the Electricity Act, 2003 which mandates licensee-free thermal generation, non-discriminatory open access of the transmission system and gradual implementation of open access in the distribution system which will pave way for creation of power market in India. In the power sector reform process, Distribution segment was identified as the key area for reform for putting the sector on the right track. Distribution Reforms involve System up-gradation, Loss reduction, Theft control, Consumer orientation, Commercialization and adoption of IT. In this direction, the Government launched the Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (APDRP) during the 10th Five Year Plan (2002-07) for the strengthening of Sub – Transmission and Distribution network and reduction in ATC losses. Continuing its support for power distribution reforms, the Government launched the Restructured APDRP (R-APDRP) in the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12) with revised terms and conditions. Thus, Two key issues emerge as far as performance and reforms of any distribution company are concerned:- 1. Revenue realization which means reduction of ATC Losses 2. Consumer satisfaction The above factors are mutually reinforcing whereby improvement in one leads to the same for other as well. Technology has emerged as a major enabler of any reform process and this holds true for power sector reforms as well. New technological initiatives have been taken by many states especially in the distribution sector which have aided performance of the distribution companies therein. This paper seeks to throw light on how the above two key issues are being addressed through the use of e-governance mechanisms in KESCO i.e. Kanpur Electricity Supply Company Ltd. Kanpur Electricity Supply Company Ltd., formerly KESA, was restructured as a company on 14 January 2000 under U.P. Electricity reform act 1999. This company is registered for distribution of electricity in the area under Kanpur City (Urban). KESCo is serving around 700 bulk consumers and 4,35,000 other consumers of domestic, commercial and power categories connected to grid through 66 no. 33 KV substations and 340 no. 11 KV feeders after receiving electricity from 7 transmission substation of 220 KV and 132 KV of U.P. Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. It has a peak demand of around 500 MW and annual turnover of around 1000 crores. Coming back to the above two objectives, the situation before the initiatives were launched in KESCO and measures taken therein are as follows: 1. Revenue Realization The biggest challenge of the power sector as far as revenue realization is concerned is the high Aggregate Technical Commercial (ATC) losses. The ATC losses are presently in the range of 18% to 62% in various states in India. The major portion of losses are due to theft and pilferage, which is estimated at about Rs.20,000 crore annually. Apart from rampant theft, the distribution sector is beset with poor billing (only 55%) and collection (only 41%) efficiency in almost in all States. It is estimated that 1% reduction in TD losses would generate savings of over Rs.700 to Rs.800 crores. The line diagram demonstrated below is well explanatory of facts mentioned above:- For KESCO, As far as indicators of Revenue realization are concerned it has high ATC losses to the tune of 29%(March 2011) .Apart from this, other statistics are also not very encouraging with an average turnout of 65% . There was no end to end tracking of theft checking and raids, revenue assessment and realization therein. Not only that, even for billed but non-paying consumers, there was no accurate record of disconnections done and subsequent action thereon for such consumers. Apart from that many consumers were still having defective /mechanical meters installed at their premises, and thus being billed on average basis. There was no mechanism to have a daily tracking of meter replacement work and advices of meters were taking upto3-4 months. Three key fields of revenue realization in above flowchart i.e. Theft and improper metering, collection deficiency, increasing customer base have been targeted through unique initiatives in KESCO. First In this backdrop is a unique , only of its kind in the country, mobile phone based tracking system by the name of M-Drishti introduced in KESCO to ensure end to end tracking of in- field revenue oriented activities: 1. Raids 2. Meter Replacement 3. Disconnections 4. Section 138 Under M-Drishti, 2G internet services have been activated on the official mobile numbers of all distribution officials right from JEs and Assistant Engineers to Chief Engineer. Separate User Id and Passwords have been created for them and they will log in the Mobile M-Drishti interface and fill in details of whatever activities they undertake in field. Screenshot of the mobile phones for activity options is as shown:- So whenever there is a meter checking or katiya raid, a brief report is filled on the spot and sent via phone to the central server. Similarly for any disconnection done against electricity dues or FIR lodged under section 138 of Electricity Supply Act, the information of action taken on spot has to be submitted then and there for addition in the central database. On the server end once the information is collected, the updation is done by the concerned division. So for raid tracking, once revenue assessment and compounding amount at the field level has been entered, it can be edited and information of final assessment done at division, realization therein, Action taken in terms of issuance of notices under section3 and 5, final amount realized etc, can be done by the concerned division. Similar holds true for disconnections done, amount realized therein, action taken in case of non realization etc. For meter replacement a daily report of meters replaced whether defective/mechanical/otherwise is available and is available for linking with online advice. The software generates various MIS reports whereby day/month /JE/Division wise performance with respect to above four activities can be monitored.

Pollution and Environment Essay - Overpopulation and Personal Responsib

Overpopulation and Personal Responsibility Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of having a large family when I was older. I envied friends with three or four siblings. I’d proudly tell anyone I was going to have six children when I grew up. Now, I’m a little older, and still far away from making that decision, my conscious will still face a looming dilemma. With my knowledge negative impacts caused by overpopulation, how can I deliberately have a large family, while upholding my environmentalist values? Over the past few years I’ve found myself paying particular attention to articles about overpopulation, foreign adoption, and infertility caused by environmental factors. The older I get, the more stories I hear of friends and family members having infertility problems. Their only two options are heavy fertility drugs or waiting on long lists for adoption. I have read many articles and books relating infertility to environmental factors. I often wonder if nature is just trying to balance itself out. At one time, a large family was needed for security or free labor. Now, with the rise of social security, child labor laws, and overall quality of life, children are not a necessity in this country. Some Americans do not realize overpopulation is even a problem. According to the Population Resource Bureau, American population grew by 10% from 1990 to 1999. In addition to the strain on government spending in some cases (through welfare and other support) large families may also have a significant impact on urban sprawl and other environmental issues. The article Facts, Not Fear, contained a section about China’s strict one child policy. Although arguably necessary in China, as an American I cannot even imagine th... ...f overpopulation. In our lives, and the lives of our children we have seen and will continue to see the harsh effects of population growth. The projected numbers are scary. Projections show a doubling rate of 51 years for world population at current growth rates. At this pace, our children will see twice as many people who need support from our planet. We each do our own part, however small it may seem, the huge issue may become smaller and smaller. Eventually, either we will stabilize our growth, or nature will do it for us. References Cutter, Fenwick and Fenwick. (1991). Exploitatoin, conservation, and preservation, 2nd edition. John White & Sons. Population Reference Bureau. www.prb.org. 28 March. 2001 Sanera, M. & Shaw, J. (1996). Facts, not fear: a parentà ¢s guide to teaching children about the environment. Washington DC: Regency Publishing, Inc.

Drinking Age

Kaitlyn Turner Fall 2010 CA 110 Mr. Foutz Introduction Attention-Getter: How many of you are 18? For those of you who are, 18 years old you are considered adults in nearly all aspects of the law, including voting rights and the ability to join the military, yet the United States still treats you as minors when it comes to drinking. Establishment of Credibility: According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 7,000 teenagers under the age of 16 have already had their first sip of alcohol. Teen alcohol) According to the Century Council 10 million teens from the ages 12-20 admit to consuming alcohol in the past 30 days. 2% of 12 year olds drink, 22% of 16 years olds drink, and 56% of 20 year olds drink, and these percentages are steadily increasing. (Underage drinking statistics) Thesis/ Purpose: During my speech today, I will talk about how alcohol is ever-present in today’s American society. I will also talk about how alcohol is present all around people under 21 who ar e not allowed to consume it, but in reality most people under 21 drink alcohol and abuse alcohol.Throughout this speech I will try to persuade you to believe that the United States should lower their drinking age to 18, and begin educating teens on consuming alcohol responsibly. Preview of Main Points: First, I will discuss the current legal drinking age in the United States and other countries. Then, I will discuss the effects that the current legal drinking age has on America. Finally, I will talk about the potential benefits of a lower drinking age. ,, Body Main Idea 1: (Transition) Now, I am going to tell you about the current legal drinking age in the United States and other countries.A. United States 1. According to Alcohol Problems and Solutions legal drinking age in the United States is 21. i. Alcohol Problems and Solutions states, â€Å"The minimum drinking age of 21 in the U. S. appears to be not only ineffective but actually counter-productive. Although it was passed wit h the best of intentions, it has had some of the worst of outcomes. † 2. Legal drinking ages in the United States are under control of the states, which means the states get to decide how old they want their residents to be before being able to consume alcohol. . National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 ii. According to the Alcohol Policy Information System the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 required that states prohibit persons under the age of 21 from purchasing or publicly possessing alcohol beverages as a condition of receiving State highway funds. B. In Other Countries a. According to Alcohol Problems and Solutions countries legal drinking ages vary from zero-21. i. Some countries with no drinking age Jamaica, Viet Nam, and Morocco. ii.Some countries with a 16 year old legal drinking age are Germany, Greece, Norway, Poland, and Spain. iii. Some countries with an 18 year old legal drinking age are Belize, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Ireland, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. (Transition): Now that I have told you about the current legal drinking age in the United States and other countries, I will discuss the effects of the current drinking age. Main Idea 2: The United States legal drinking age of 21, has many negative effects on those who are under age. A.Alcohol is considered a, â€Å"Forbidden Fruit†. Alcohol is considered a forbidden fruit because prohibition increases the harm that it is supposed to reduce. a. Because the United States as such a high drinking age, teenagers are driven â€Å"underground† to drink alcohol. i. According to Parade. com Since teenagers are not allowed to drink openly in public, teens take their drinking to dorm rooms, isolated areas, or at unsupervised house parties. At these gatherings teens usually binge drink, because they are scared their party may be stopped. (Flynn) ii.Also according to Parade. com when teens come about a problem, such as someone drinking too much alco hol at these parties, or assaults, they are less likely to call for help because they are scared of getting in trouble. (Flynn) B. High Rates of Alcohol Abuse and Addiction b. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention binge drinking plays a huge part in Alcohol Abuse. Binge drinking is excessive drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration to . 08 percent or above. iii. Men – 5 drinks in two hours. iv. Women – 4 drinks in two hours. v.About 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinks. Main Idea 3 (Transition): Now that I have told you some of the negative effects of underage drinking, I will tell you about the potential benefits of a lower drinking age. A. Potential Benefits of a Lower Drinking Age a. Young people will learn to drink alcohol more responsibly. i. According to the group Choose Responsibility, if the drinking age is lowered to 18, everyone will be requ ired to take an alcohol education class before they turn 18 to inform them on the dangers of alcohol. . Would lead to less alcohol abuse and addiction ii. Since alcohol would no longer be considered a forbidden fruit, teens could drink in more open environments such as social events and bars where their consumption could be monitored. iii. Some teens may also feel as if they have a more freedom; therefore, they would make more responsible decisions when it comes to consuming alcohol. Conclusion Signal the End: Today I have hopefully persuaded you to believe that the United States should lower their legal drinking age.Review of Main Points: I have told you about the United States and other countries legal drinking ages. What the current legal drinking age does to American teens. Also, the potential benefits of a lower drinking age. Closing: Now that I have told you reasons to lower the drinking age I hope you agree that by lowering the drinking age, the United States can begin to rai se more responsible drinkers, who will not be as prone to alcohol abuse or addiction as today’s Americans are.Works Cited â€Å"15 Reasons Why Drinking Age Should be 18. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. Alcohol Policy Information System. â€Å"The National Minimum Drinking Age Policy of 1984. † Web. 29 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Binge Drinking. † Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Choose Responsibility. † 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. Flynn, Sean. â€Å"Should the Drinking Age be lowered? † Parade. 2007. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Minimum Legal Drinking Ages around the World . † 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Teen Alcohol† 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Underage Drinking Statistics. † 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Product Review of Do 2 Learn

Visit Their Website In search of emotions cards to use as part of my social skills programs and the article I wrote on Emotional Literacy, I found Do2Learn.com, a great resource for emotions, but with a range of other offerings. Not everything on offer is of equal quality or value, but the unique quality of the free games and social skill songs make the whole site worth adding it to your favorites. In an effort to make a full offering of activities as well as their super interactive games, the publisher put up some kind of lame art and writing activities. They are overly simple, lack much specificity and replicate things that are free on other sites. The interactive games, on the other hand, are super for children with disabilities, especially students with poor skills and an interest in computers. They are also great for classrooms with Smart Boards or Promethean Boards, as these boards act as giant touch screens, and students with poor motor skills get a bit of gross motor activity in as well. A Mix of Free and Inexpensive Games and Resources The free computer games and songs come with some companion activities, which are generally sold as inexpensive digital files delivered to your email. Resources for Emotions I stumbled on the site in search of emotions cards. I have a set that was already in my classroom, but I wanted to find other resources to recommend to my readers. I stumbled on the feelings cards that  you can print on your color printer. It uses the faces of real models, faces that reflect diverse ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. And when I found the ​Feelings Game, another free resource, I was delighted. I have been using it with my class on the Smart Board in my classroom. My students take turns tapping the sad or angry person on the nose. It also has three levels, from matching the face to the emotion, moving on level 2, where you read a scenario, and choose how a person would feel, and finally reading a scenario and naming the emotion you see on the persons face. There is a second free activity is the Facial Expressions game, which allows children to manipulate facial simulations to mirror human facial expressions. In some ways they seem kind of creepy, but students on the autism spectrum love the computer, and it does help them isolate specific aspects of facial expressions, from the direction of the eyes to the shape of the mouth. A Cursory Survey of Disabilities and Disabilities Terms It seems that the creators of Do2Learn are attempting to create a comprehensive special education website, but the informational pages are cursory at best. The disabilities sections offer both definitions of the disabilities and an adjoining page that lists strategies. And List is the right word: the strategies are dense and dont provide the logic behind choosing specific interventions. They are not written with enough specificity to inform the novice, nor enough structure to help professional plan interventions. Worksheets and Activities for Students with Disabilities The Do 2 Learn team also attempt to provide a broad range of activities, activities for students from a range of ages, disabilities and challenges. I work in the same field, and know the challenges of creating attractive worksheets and materials to support the range of needs for children. They include fine motor activities like cutting, letter recognition and Math activities. I find the activities they create worthwhile, but with poor production values. By all means, feel free to use them, but they are not the reason for a trip to Do 2 Learn. Picture Cards Do2Learn has created their own pictures cards to be used for Picture Exchange. They seem pretty comprehensive, and may work as a suitable substitute for PECS, Boardmaker symbols or Pogo Symbols. They claim to have over 2,000 symbols, but without access to their picture making system, its hard to gauge the range and readability of the pictures. Still, Id check them out before purchasing one of the other two systems. Do 2 Learn: The Destination for the Feelings and Emotions Resources Put Do 2 Learn in your favorites, if you are doing social skills and emotional literacy activities. These are outstanding. The color and math Mahjong games will be fun for your students, as well. Put shortcuts on the computers your students use, especially for young students or students with emerging skills. They will enjoy them. The other activities that make it worth the trip are the social skill songs for safety. Not songs you will want on your IPod; still, paired with short videos they are catchy and will help young students with disabilities remember important steps to guarantee personal safety. By all means, make the trip. Check out Do2Learn and see if they have resources you can use. Visit Their Website