In a significant push towards women’s empowerment, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched the “Mahila Samvad” campaign, a state-wide initiative aimed at connecting women with welfare schemes and amplifying their voices in policy discussions. This transformative campaign particularly targets rural women and intends to create a two-way communication channel between women citizens and government officials.

Campaign Objectives: Bridging the Awareness Gap

The Mahila Samvad campaign is driven by the belief that informed women are empowered women. Its primary goals include:

• Educating women about various government welfare schemes available for their socio-economic development.
• Encouraging women to actively utilise public resources, especially in the areas of healthcare, education, livelihood, and social protection.
• Facilitating dialogue between women and government authorities to directly address their grievances and suggestions.
• Collecting feedback and recommendations from women that could shape future policy decisions and governance practices.

This initiative marks a shift towards inclusive governance, where women’s voices are placed at the center of development planning.

Awareness Vehicles: Reaching the Last Mile

A unique and innovative element of this campaign is the deployment of 600 “women dialogue” vehicles that will traverse every district of Bihar.

Features of the Vehicles:

• Large LED screens installed to showcase films and presentations about government schemes and women-centric policies.
• Audio-visual messaging in local dialects to ensure deeper comprehension and relatability.
• Equipped with tools to conduct interactive sessions, surveys, and on-the-spot feedback collection.

These vehicles will play a crucial role in bridging the information divide, especially in remote and underdeveloped regions, ensuring last-mile delivery of awareness.

Engagement Strategy: Aiming to Connect with Two Crore Women

The scale and ambition of the Mahila Samvad campaign are noteworthy:

• The campaign aims to engage over two crore women throughout the state.
• Discussions and events are scheduled at around 70,000 rural and semi-urban locations.
• Senior officials and nodal officers will be present at the dialogues to directly resolve issues, listen to feedback, and provide real-time guidance.

This approach not only strengthens government accountability but also ensures that women’s concerns don’t remain unheard or unresolved.

Expected Outcomes: Fostering a Culture of Participation

The Mahila Samvad campaign is expected to lead to several long-term outcomes that will reshape women’s role in Bihar’s development:

• Increased awareness about rights, entitlements, and welfare programs among women.
• Greater participation of women in local governance, decision-making, and public life.
• Reduction in misinformation and enhancement in trust between citizens and state institutions.
• Empowerment through collective dialogue, leading to stronger community bonding among women.
• A stronger foundation for gender-sensitive policymaking in Bihar based on grassroots-level insights.

The Government of Telangana has introduced a landmark reform in land governance through the Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights) Act, 2025. The Act seeks to correct the loopholes and address the widespread grievances that arose from the earlier Dharani portal system. By focusing on decentralisation and citizen participation, the Bhu Bharati Act is designed to create a more transparent, efficient, and inclusive land administration framework.

Background: Issues with the Dharani Portal

Introduced in 2020, the Dharani portal was envisioned as a one-stop solution for land transactions, integrating land records with online registration services. However, its implementation revealed several critical flaws, resulting in distress for thousands of landowners across the state.

• Discrepancies in records: Numerous landowners reported incorrect categorisation of agricultural and non-agricultural lands, missing survey numbers, and mismatched ownership data.
• Limited access to justice: The earlier system lacked a grassroots-level grievance mechanism, forcing many to approach the civil courts, which led to long delays and increased legal costs.
• Centralised grievance system: A highly centralised grievance redressal setup meant that people in remote or rural areas found it difficult to get timely resolutions, leading to dissatisfaction and protests.

Objectives of the Bhu Bharati Act

The Bhu Bharati Act, 2025, is a direct response to the public outcry against the Dharani system. It seeks to:

• Decentralise the grievance redressal process, making it more accessible and citizen-friendly.
• Facilitate the rectification of land record errors and ensure accurate documentation of ownership and land classification.
• Establish a robust legal and administrative framework for smoother land transactions and fewer disputes.
• Introduce cost-free services to remove financial barriers for farmers and rural landholders.

This Act was shaped through extensive consultations with farmers, civil society groups, and legal experts, marking a shift towards a participatory policy-making approach.

Salient Features of the Bhu Bharati Act

1. Error Rectification in Land Records

The Act allows for the correction of factual inaccuracies in land records such as wrong ownership entries, mismatched survey numbers, and erroneous land categorisation. These corrections are now handled at the mandal and district levels, providing faster and more localised solutions.

2. Mandatory Survey and Mapping

Prior to any land registration or mutation, the Act mandates the conduct of comprehensive surveys and digital mapping. This measure aims to eliminate ambiguities in land boundaries and reduce future litigation.

3. Regularisation of Sada Bainamas

The Act includes provisions for the regularisation of sada bainamas (unregistered sale agreements), based on ground-level realities. This helps thousands of people who have informal or traditional claims over land to gain legal ownership rights.

4. Timely Mutation of Hereditary Properties

To streamline inheritance processes, the Bhu Bharati Act ensures automatic and timely mutation of hereditary landholdings without unnecessary paperwork or delays.

Two-Tier Grievance Redressal System

One of the most progressive provisions of the Bhu Bharati Act is its two-tier grievance redressal mechanism:

• First Tier: Citizens can file complaints with the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) within one year of the Act’s implementation.
• Second Tier: If grievances remain unresolved, they can be escalated to the District Collector for review and resolution.

This system replaces the court-centric model and offers a simpler, faster, and more affordable route to justice.

Cost-Free Redressal for Farmers

Under the earlier Dharani system, farmers had to pay service charges to lodge and escalate complaints. The Bhu Bharati Act eliminates all such costs, ensuring that economic hardship does not prevent landowners from exercising their rights.

This step is aimed at creating an inclusive system where justice is not limited by financial capability.

Pilot Implementation and Statewide Rollout

To ensure a smooth transition, the Bhu Bharati portal was launched on a pilot basis in four mandals. After analysing its effectiveness and performance, the Telangana government plans to expand the system across the state by June 2, coinciding with Telangana Formation Day.

The objective is to prevent new complaints, digitise land records, and ensure efficient land transactions through a citizen-friendly platform.

Framing of Rules and Regulations

Alongside the Act, the Telangana government has also issued comprehensive rules and regulations that govern:

• The maintenance of updated land records
• The procedure for dispute resolution
• Transparent and legal land transactions

This proactive approach is designed to fill the gaps left by the Dharani system and build a strong, transparent, and accountable land governance model.

In a landmark step towards sustainable urban development, Amaravati, the planned capital of Andhra Pradesh, is on track to become the world’s first city powered entirely by renewable energy. Envisioned by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, this ambitious project aligns with India’s commitment to clean energy and climate-conscious urbanization. Located between Vijayawada and Guntur, Amaravati is being designed as a modern, eco-friendly “people’s capital”, setting a global benchmark in sustainable city planning.

An Ambitious Greenfield Project

The foundation of this monumental initiative is expected to be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, symbolizing national support for green development. The new capital city will cover 217 square kilometres along the banks of the Krishna River, forming part of the larger Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, which spans 8,352 sq km.

With a project cost estimated at ₹65,000 crore, Amaravati is being developed as an eco-conscious urban center focused on clean energy, efficient infrastructure, and smart planning.

Targeting 2,700 MW of Clean Energy

One of the most striking features of Amaravati’s development is its commitment to generating 2,700 megawatts (MW) of electricity from solar, wind, and hydropower sources. This figure not only matches the city’s projected energy demand by 2050 but also ensures complete reliance on renewable energy—making the use of fossil fuels obsolete in the city’s ecosystem.

Currently, the planners aim to have at least 30% of this electricity sourced from solar and wind energy alone.

Solar-Powered Rooftops and Green Building Norms

To achieve these ambitious goals, solar energy will play a central role. Mandatory rooftop solar systems are required on at least one-third of all roofs in government housing projects. These requirements are being integrated into the building approval process.

Furthermore, all major building projects, including the Amaravati Government Complex, are mandated to follow green building standards. These standards will ensure:

• Energy efficiency
• Low carbon footprint
• Optimal resource utilization

Green Transportation and Electric Mobility

The city’s public transportation network, including the Amaravati Metro and electric buses, will operate on renewable energy. In addition, an extensive electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure will be set up across public and government sectors to support EV adoption.

To reinforce its green identity, the city plans to install solar panels in public spaces such as:

• Parks
• Walkways
• Bus stops

Current Progress in Solar Implementation

Significant steps have already been taken on the ground. As part of the pilot solar project, 415 kW of rooftop solar systems have been installed across:

• 16 Anganwadis
• 14 e-health centres
• 13 public schools
• A multi-faith funeral facility

Moreover, net metering systems are being made mandatory for all government and commercial buildings to allow excess solar power to be fed back into the grid.

Tackling Heatwaves with District Cooling

Amaravati is also addressing the region’s growing cooling requirements, driven by rising temperatures, which have reached 47.7°C in 2024—making Andhra Pradesh the state with the highest number of heatwave days in South India.

To combat this, the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) has signed a public-private partnership with Tabreed in 2019 to introduce a District Cooling System.

Key Highlights of the Cooling Plan:

• 20,000 Refrigeration Tonnes (RT) capacity system.
• Serves key government buildings like the High Court and Secretariat.
• Reduces cooling energy demand by up to 50%.
• Helps lower electricity consumption and carbon emissions by replacing individual building cooling units.

Why Amaravati Matters Globally

Amaravati’s unique focus on energy-efficient infrastructure and zero-emission transport systems is poised to make it a global model for climate-conscious urban development. Unlike other major urban centers, Amaravati’s entire energy strategy revolves around sustainability, resilience, and innovation.

As cities around the world grapple with the dual challenges of urban growth and climate change, Amaravati is setting a visionary example—proving that economic progress and environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand.