India will invest billions of dollars in public infrastructure over the next few years. Government policies also aim to massively increase private investments across sectors – manufacturing, services and agriculture. Each of these policies and investments will have time horizons spanning five to 50 years.
Examples of planned infrastructure include – 100 new airports with an investment of $60 billion, interlinking of rivers at a budget of Rs 5.5 lakh crore, a linked network of ports through Sagarmala at an outlay of Rs 4 lakh crore. At a different scale, just one project – the 29.2 km coastal road planned in one city, Mumbai – will cost Rs 10,000 crore.
All these initiatives will impact the lives and livelihoods of millions, and will compete for finite and scarce public resources. But are any of them being screened against the biggest existential threat humanity has ever faced – climate change? Unfortunately, the answer is NO.
Nandan & Rohini Nilekani, 63, 59. Cofounder, Infosys; founder, Arghyam
Pledged to donate 50% of their wealth in November 2017 under the Giving Pledge and said, “Wealth comes with huge responsibility and is best deployed for the larger public interest.” Past contributions include $5 million to the premier Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai, Nandan’s alma mater, and a $21.4 million endowment to Arghyam, a foundation set up by Rohini, which addresses water and sanitation issues. The two have also set up the EkStep Foundation, an open-learning platform that has pooled resources to advance literacy and numeracy.
Among the newly rich, the idea of social philanthropy is just settling in, says Rohini Nilekani, wife of tech billionaire and Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani and founder of Arghyam, a foundation focusing on water and sanitation. The Nilekanis are among India’s leading philanthropists and one of the seven Indian families to sign the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge.
Namaste everyone. I’m so happy at the opportunity to address you however briefly at the beginning of the second convening of the India Climate Collaborative.
I think the time could not be more opportune especially when we are witnessing the human tragedy unfolding around us in the wake of the Kerala and Karnataka floods. But this is a good reminder that these kinds of things are going to happen often and routinely.
Up ’til now, while many things have been done, I think the samaaj sector has not come together with the feeling of urgency and the need to create impact in addressing climate change-related issues. I think this convening is going to be a very important step to say that the samaaj will move forward. The sarkar is already doing things because of its many obligations and its international commitments. The bazaar has been active in doing work on carbon tax and mitigation. It is a really opportune time for the samaaj to come together. If we can find innovative ways to collaborate and to be impactful… To actually do work within our own portfolios which already must have some climate change lens to be added to them and find new areas to work with… I think we would be doing a yeoman service very much required in India right now. I wish your meeting much success and thank you again. Namaste.
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The capricious nature of groundwater has resulted in so much exploitation and overuse that we now have a consistent crisis. Presenting a roadmap for groundwater governance and information transparency using technology.”
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Nandan Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani have pledged half their wealth for Philanthrophy.
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With the summer looming, water comes more easily to the urban mind. Even for those who had been reasonably secure all year long, it is an uncertain time. Maybe it is time to build a sump, to invest in a rainwater harvesting system, or to try, again, to dig a private borewell.
You cannot walk or drive more than a few metres in any Indian city without encountering mounds of rubbish. Even in our villages, you will find garbage billowing around fields, piling up along roads or even lining the forest floor. At many beaches, you are as likely to find your toes tickled by strands of plastic as by little fish.
It is no longer possible to look away.
India’s waste problem is gigantic, and with its economy growing steadily, it will be compounded manifold. Yet, our waste stream management has not even got off the ground.
The super-rich must not just be super-generous but also be seen to be super-generous, to inspire more people to give.
TurningPoint: India is giving more at this stage of its economy than many other countries.
When a few people get super-wealthy very rapidly, societies sit up and take notice. When some of them talk publicly about what wealth means to them, it starts off a healthy discussion on the role and responsibility of private wealth in a deeply unequal society.
We need to turn to the 200 million young men of India with as much urgency and focus as we spend on the millions of young women in the country. Every day, we hear of horrible atrocities that have taken place against girls and women in India. This is despite the fact that as a country, we can boast of having some of the most progressive policies and civic movements. It is despite the fact that we have the world’s largest pool of elected women representatives – adding up to more than one million across all tiers of government. It is despite the fact that tens of millions of women belong to self help groups that are working to empower them. And, it is despite the fact that as a society, we are becoming more and more aware of our inherent gender bias and gender based problems.
