Spanning several agro-ecological regions constituting 60% of total cropped area, the rainfed areas represent the geography with the largest concentration of poverty and backwardness.

The Working Group on Urban and Industrial Water Supply and Sanitation has met to deliberate on the critical challenges of this sector and in particular it has explored best practices to suggest the way ahead. This report focuses on one aspect of its task – urban water and sanitation.

While Indian cities have grown manifold in the past several decades, and there is expectation that the pace of urbanization would accelerate in the future, problems of water supply, sewage disposal, municipal wastes, power supply, open landscaped spaces, air pollution, and public transport, have assumed stark proportions in many urban areas.

Mandatory permits and a cess on groundwater use to irrigate cash crops, run industry or for mining are among the measures proposed by the Government in a draft Bill that aims at conserving groundwater.

This is the report of the working group on urban poverty, slums, and service delivery system. The Report of the Working Group is laid out in four sections: The Urban Context; Existing Approaches to Urban Poverty Alleviation; Proposed Initiatives for the 12th Five-Year Plan; and Long Term Vision of Inclusive Urban Development.

The report on “Sustainable Groundwater Management” is the outcome of rigorous work carried out by of the Working Group set up by the Planning Commission as a part of the process to prepare the 12th Five Year Plan.

Severe floods in the past as well as the recent floods in many States including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, UP, Assam, West Bengal and Odisha which caused devastation and large submergence remind us of inadequacy of flood management measures.

The Planning Commission, Government of India constituted the Working Group on Mineral Exploration & Development (other than Coal & Lignite) in the context of formulation of 12th Five Year Plan (2002-2017) under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India vide Office Order No.

The Planning Commission, Govt. of India constituted a Working Group on Mineral Exploration and Development (other than Coal & Lignite) in the context of formulation of the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017), under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India vide their O.M. No.

The Planning Commission constituted a Working Group on Mineral Exploration and Development (other than coal and lignite) in the context of formulation of the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) , for over all development of mining sector keeping in view of future requirement of sector, under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Governm