Mumbai: Student visionaries chart out a corruption-free, greener Maharashtra

Team: VJ Interdisciplinary, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai: Akash Shah, Rutvik Parekh, Harshal Pethad, Himanshu Jaiswal and Parth Parekh. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

From incentivising garbage management and empowering citizens to plan their civic budget, to plugging loopholes for a zero-corruption administration, 11 college student teams wowed 6,000 peers and dignitaries with their visions at the Transform Maharashtra conclave on Monday.

The conclave, held at the National Sports Club of India in Worli to mark Maharashtra's foundation day, saw the best 11 presentations from 2,300 submissions. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, top bureaucrats and ministers, industrialist Ratan Tata, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar and Army Commanding Officer (Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa) Major General Anuj Mathur attended the event.

While Fadnavis and his team agreed to refine, scale up and implement the visions proposed in the next six months through active participation of the teams, bureaucrats and his ministers, the other dignitaries punctuated the proceedings with their motivating interactions with students.

A common call to the students was to explore ideas to transform Maharashtra as the country's growth engine.

Team: Earthians, College of Engineering, Pune: Pranjal Rajendra Kothawade, Aniket Kendre, Dhanashri Jadhav, Sayali Agade and Utkarsh Baviskar

Connect the dots: Improving mobility in cities
Vision: It blamed less coordination between agencies of different facilities, improper infrastructure, lack of information for the failure of the transportation system. Currently, 69.62% of all vehicles ply in metropolitan cities

Solutions:

• Physical integration of transit services like terminals and interchange stations; close proximity and ease of access at interchanging nodes will greatly enhance public transport services
• All networks be integrated and complement each other
• Integration of agencies of all modes of transport entities will lead to better land-use planning, travel demand management and integrated public services
• A single fare card for multiple transport services; rebates to lure commuters
• Signage at rail and bus stations be properly designed

Looking Glass: 'Zero Corruption' Maharashtra
Vision: The team focused on two prime areas of corruption - the awarding and execution of civil works contracts and the management of cooperative housing societies. India was ranked 76th out of 168 countries in Transparency International's corruption index last year, with a score of 38/100

Solutions:

• All decisions be made by secret paper ballot voting in general body meetings
• Meetings be video-recorded and archived for reference
• Builders/contractors be appointed through computer software
• Contractors not be allowed to identify themselves in tenders papers. Have at least 16 assessment parameters
• Reform tender process by computerising it. Evaluation panel be given data in a jumbled format to eradicate favouritism. Anonymous bids should be the key word

Team: Cradle to Cradle, TISS, Mumbai: Astha, Kartik, Pratik, Arunima, Ashutosh)

Clean Slate: Swachha Maharashtra
Vision: The team coined an axiom - Kooda nahi dharohar hai (garbage is wealth) - to impress upon the government to incentivise proper solid waste management by people

Solutions:

• Take a holistic approach, devise reverse earning model
• Offer incentives to garbage generators like individuals, institutes, offices and manufacturers
• Offer rebate to individuals, institutes, offices and others in local taxes, and incentives to manufacturers to use biodegradable and recyclable material
• Install reverse vending machines to deposit plastic
• Monetise deposits as per quality and pay depositors money through digital banking (The CM accepted this idea)

Team: Nihas Sakhare, Shradhha Sule, Swapnil Labade and Akshay Chirmade

By the people: Citizen Engagement in Governance
Vision: Empower citizens to not only plan the civic budget but also monitor its implementation

Solutions:

• Development of an app-cum-software for the management of budgetary process and funds required to help citizens understand allocations made in their respective areas
• Citizens be allowed to monitor FSI given
• Redressal cell to monitor citizen feedback and participation