E-panchnama trial success in Nagpur division paves way for statewide roll-out
Nagpur: Success of
E-panchnama
system — a digital tool designed to streamline
crop damage reporting
for farmers, in Nagpur division has opened the way for a statewide roll-out within the year. Speaking at Tech-Wari, a technology learning week held in Mumbai from May 5 to 8, divisional commissioner
Vijayalakshmi Bidari
presented the success of the system.Bidari, the brain behind the initiative, highlighted how traditional panchnama process for assessing crop damage, done manually and passed through multiple administrative levels, often took up to a year.
"By the time relief reached farmers, many were already burdened by debt," she said.The new digital system allows talathis (village-level officers) to report crop losses directly through a mobile app.
The app includes drop-down menus, GPS tagging, and photo upload features, making the process faster and transparent. "In 2023–24, over 46,000 e-panchnamas were successfully completed, and more than 40,000 were filed in 2024–25," she said.Bidari said while training sessions for Konkan, Nashik, and Amravati divisions have already been completed, once the remaining two divisions are trained, the system can be rolled out across Maharashtra within the year.Developed in collaboration with agencies like Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MRSAC), the app integrates existing govt datasets such as Mahavedh (for rainfall alerts), IRS (for unique identification), land records, and e-peek pahani (crop data). Officials say the e-panchnama system will not only speed up compensation process but also increase accuracy, transparency, and accountability — offering much-needed relief to farmers affected by natural disasters.Nagpur: Success of E-panchnama system — a digital tool designed to streamline crop damage reporting for farmers, in Nagpur division has opened the way for a statewide roll-out within the year. Speaking at Tech-Wari, a technology learning week held in Mumbai from May 5 to 8, divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari presented the success of the system.Bidari, the brain behind the initiative, highlighted how traditional panchnama process for assessing crop damage, done manually and passed through multiple administrative levels, often took up to a year. "By the time relief reached farmers, many were already burdened by debt," she said.The new digital system allows talathis (village-level officers) to report crop losses directly through a mobile app. The app includes drop-down menus, GPS tagging, and photo upload features, making the process faster and transparent. "In 2023–24, over 46,000 e-panchnamas were successfully completed, and more than 40,000 were filed in 2024–25," she said.Bidari said while training sessions for Konkan, Nashik, and Amravati divisions have already been completed, once the remaining two divisions are trained, the system can be rolled out across Maharashtra within the year.Developed in collaboration with agencies like Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MRSAC), the app integrates existing govt datasets such as Mahavedh (for rainfall alerts), IRS (for unique identification), land records, and e-peek pahani (crop data). Officials say the e-panchnama system will not only speed up compensation process but also increase accuracy, transparency, and accountability — offering much-needed relief to farmers affected by natural disasters.
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Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Europe's lithium quest hampered by China and lack of cash
Europe's ambition to be a world player in decarbonised transportation arguably depends on sourcing lithium abroad, especially in South America. Even the bloc's broader energy security and climate goals could depend on securing a steady supply of the key mineral, used in batteries and other clean energy supply chains. But Europe has run into a trio of obstacles: lack of money, double-edged regulations and competition from China, analysts told AFP. China has a major head start. It currently produces more than three-quarters of batteries sold worldwide, refines 70 percent of raw lithium and is the world's third-largest extractor behind Australia and Chile, according to 2024 data from the United States Geological Survey. To gain a foothold, Europe has developed a regulatory framework that emphasises environmental preservation, quality job creation and cooperation with local communities. It has also signed bilateral agreements with about 15 countries, including Chile and Argentina, the world's fifth-largest lithium producer. But too often it fails to deliver when it comes to investment, say experts. "I see a lot of memoranda of understanding, but there is a lack of action," Julia Poliscanova, director of electric vehicles at the Transport and Environment (T&E) think tank, told AFP. "More than once, on the day that we signed another MoU, the Chinese were buying an entire mine in the same country." The investment gap is huge: China spent $6 billion on lithium projects abroad from 2020 to 2023, while Europe barely coughed up a billion dollars over the same period, according to data compiled by T&E. Lagging investment At the same time, the bottleneck in supply has tightened: last year saw a 30 percent increase in global demand for lithium, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). "To secure the supply of raw materials, China is actively investing in mines abroad through state-owned companies with political support from the government," the IEA noted. China's Belt and Road Initiative funnelled $21.4 billion into mining beyond its shores in 2024, according to the report. Europe, meanwhile, is "lagging behind in investment levels in these areas", said Sebastian Galarza, founder of the Centre for Sustainable Mobility in Santiago, Chile. "The lack of a clear path for developing Europe's battery and mining industries means that gap will be filled by other actors." In Africa, for example, Chinese demand has propelled Zimbabwe to become the fourth-largest lithium producer in the world. "The Chinese let their money do the talking," said Theo Acheampong, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. By 2035, all new cars and vans sold in the European Union must produce zero carbon emissions, and EU leaders and industry would like as much as possible of that market share to be sourced locally. Last year, just over 20 percent of new vehicles sold in the bloc were electric. "Currently, only four percent of Chile's lithium goes to Europe," noted Stefan Debruyne, director of external affairs at Chilean private mining company SQM. "The EU has every opportunity to increase its share of the battery industry." Shifting supply chains But Europe's plans to build dozens of battery factories have been hampered by fluctuating consumer demand and competition from Japan (Panasonic), South Korea (LG Energy Solution, Samsung) and, above all, China (CATL, BYD). The key to locking down long-term lithium supply is closer ties in the so-called "lithium triangle" formed by Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, which account for nearly half of the world's reserves, analysts say. To encourage cooperation with these countries, European actors have proposed development pathways that would help establish electric battery production in Latin America. Draft EU regulations would allow Latin America to "reconcile local development with the export of these raw materials, and not fall into a purely extractive cycle", said Juan Vazquez, deputy head for Latin America and the Caribbean at the OECD Development Centre. But it is still unclear whether helping exporting countries develop complete supply chains makes economic sense, or will ultimately tilt in Europe's favour. "What interest do you have as a company in setting up in Chile to produce cathodes, batteries or more sophisticated materials if you don't have a local or regional market to supply?" said Galarza. "Why not just take the lithium, refine it and do everything in China and send the battery back to us?" Pointing to the automotive tradition in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, Galarza suggested an answer. "We must push quickly towards the electrification of transport in the region so we can share in the benefits of the energy transition," he argued. But the road ahead looks long. Electric vehicles were only two percent of new car sales in Mexico and Chile last year, six percent in Brazil and seven percent in Colombia, according to the IEA. The small nation of Costa Rica stood out as the only nation in the region where EVs hit double digits, at 15 percent of new car sales.
Economic Times
15 hours ago
- Economic Times
Europe's lithium quest hampered by China and lack of cash
ET Online The key to locking down long-term lithium supply is closer ties in the so-called "lithium triangle" formed by Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, which account for nearly half of the world's reserves. Europe's ambition to be a world player in decarbonised transportation arguably depends on sourcing lithium abroad, especially in South the bloc's broader energy security and climate goals could depend on securing a steady supply of the key mineral, used in batteries and other clean energy supply Europe has run into a trio of obstacles: lack of money, double-edged regulations and competition from China, analysts told has a major head currently produces more than three-quarters of batteries sold worldwide, refines 70 percent of raw lithium and is the world's third-largest extractor behind Australia and Chile, according to 2024 data from the United States Geological Survey. To gain a foothold, Europe has developed a regulatory framework that emphasises environmental preservation, quality job creation and cooperation with local has also signed bilateral agreements with about 15 countries, including Chile and Argentina, the world's fifth-largest lithium too often it fails to deliver when it comes to investment, say experts."I see a lot of memoranda of understanding, but there is a lack of action," Julia Poliscanova, director of electric vehicles at the Transport and Environment (T&E) think tank, told AFP."More than once, on the day that we signed another MoU, the Chinese were buying an entire mine in the same country."The investment gap is huge: China spent $6 billion on lithium projects abroad from 2020 to 2023, while Europe barely coughed up a billion dollars over the same period, according to data compiled by T&E. Lagging investment At the same time, the bottleneck in supply has tightened: last year saw a 30 percent increase in global demand for lithium, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA)."To secure the supply of raw materials, China is actively investing in mines abroad through state-owned companies with political support from the government," the IEA Belt and Road Initiative funnelled $21.4 billion into mining beyond its shores in 2024, according to the meanwhile, is "lagging behind in investment levels in these areas", said Sebastian Galarza, founder of the Centre for Sustainable Mobility in Santiago, Chile."The lack of a clear path for developing Europe's battery and mining industries means that gap will be filled by other actors."In Africa, for example, Chinese demand has propelled Zimbabwe to become the fourth-largest lithium producer in the world."The Chinese let their money do the talking," said Theo Acheampong, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign 2035, all new cars and vans sold in the European Union must produce zero carbon emissions, and EU leaders and industry would like as much as possible of that market share to be sourced year, just over 20 percent of new vehicles sold in the bloc were electric."Currently, only four percent of Chile's lithium goes to Europe," noted Stefan Debruyne, director of external affairs at Chilean private mining company SQM."The EU has every opportunity to increase its share of the battery industry." Shifting supply chains But Europe's plans to build dozens of battery factories have been hampered by fluctuating consumer demand and competition from Japan (Panasonic), South Korea (LG Energy Solution, Samsung) and, above all, China (CATL, BYD).The key to locking down long-term lithium supply is closer ties in the so-called "lithium triangle" formed by Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, which account for nearly half of the world's reserves, analysts encourage cooperation with these countries, European actors have proposed development pathways that would help establish electric battery production in Latin EU regulations would allow Latin America to "reconcile local development with the export of these raw materials, and not fall into a purely extractive cycle", said Juan Vazquez, deputy head for Latin America and the Caribbean at the OECD Development it is still unclear whether helping exporting countries develop complete supply chains makes economic sense, or will ultimately tilt in Europe's favour."What interest do you have as a company in setting up in Chile to produce cathodes, batteries or more sophisticated materials if you don't have a local or regional market to supply?" said Galarza."Why not just take the lithium, refine it and do everything in China and send the battery back to us?"Pointing to the automotive tradition in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, Galarza suggested an answer."We must push quickly towards the electrification of transport in the region so we can share in the benefits of the energy transition," he the road ahead looks vehicles were only two percent of new car sales in Mexico and Chile last year, six percent in Brazil and seven percent in Colombia, according to the small nation of Costa Rica stood out as the only nation in the region where EVs hit double digits, at 15 percent of new car sales.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Pakistan army chief Asim Munir courts US opinion makers amid bid to reset strategic ties
ISLAMABAD: In a bid to recalibrate Pakistan's global narrative and bolster ties with Washington, Field Marshal Syed concluded a series of high-level engagements in the United States, meeting senior American scholars, strategic experts, and international media representatives during an official visit to Washington DC, the Pakistani military said on Friday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a carefully choreographed diplomatic offensive, Munir interacted with leading think tanks and policy institutions, offering what officials described as 'Pakistan's principled perspectives' on evolving regional and global dynamics. His engagements underscored Islamabad's renewed focus on international outreach amid a shifting geopolitical landscape in South Asia. The army chief reiterated Pakistan's commitment to regional stability, counterterrorism, and a rules-based global order, pitching the country as a responsible actor in an increasingly multipolar world. Munir spoke at length about Pakistan's counter-terrorism strategy, highlighting military operations such as Maarka-e-Haqa and Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. He reminded his audience of Pakistan's role as a frontline state in the global war on terror, citing the 'immense sacrifices' borne by its security forces and civilians. Without naming India, Munir warned against 'regional actors using terrorism as an instrument of hybrid warfare' – a familiar refrain in Pakistan's diplomatic lexicon referring to its neighbour. While not new, the accusation resurfacing in the US capital, signalling Pakistan's intent to shape the security discourse in South Asia. Munir also showcased Pakistan's economic aspirations. He pitched the country's untapped potential in IT, agriculture, and mineral wealth, calling on global stakeholders to invest in these 'engines of shared prosperity'. From foreign policy to economic diplomacy, Munir portrayed Pakistan as a country pursuing dialogue, diplomacy, and international law — an image Islamabad has been keen to project as it seeks to distance itself from past reputational baggage. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Discussing Pakistan-US relations, Munir called for transforming the historical security-centric engagement into a multidimensional partnership grounded in strategic convergence and mutual respect. He acknowledged past cooperation on counterterrorism and economic development but pushed for a broader framework of engagement. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army's media affairs wing, participants appreciated the candid nature of the discussions and acknowledged Pakistan's efforts to maintain regional stability. The meetings were seen as a trust-building exercise amid evolving US priorities in the Indo-Pacific region and growing scepticism over Islamabad's commitments. The visit comes at a time when Pakistan is striving to reset ties with major powers, especially after its recent economic crises and shifting regional alignments. With India drawing closer to the US and Afghanistan remaining volatile, Islamabad is attempting to reposition itself as an indispensable — if complicated — regional player.
