July 2017 spo india

www.spoindia.org Vol. II

| Issue 09

| July 2017

| Rs. 50

India-Israel Relationship – A tale of 2 decades of diplomatic ties 34pg Idea making a difference by building a sustainable supply chain | 24pg

WADI DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - "An Integrated Approach” in Patna Village, Madhya-Pradesh | 18pg www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 1

2 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

SPOI FOUNDATION | 32 Editor-in-Chief: Deepak Kumar Sahu Executive Editor: Dr. Vijay Anand Assistant Editor: Samrita Baruah Copy Editor: C. M. Dutta Art Director: Rakesh Kumar Network Administrator: Ashok Kumar Singh Manager-IT: Subhash Mohanta Manager-SEO: Bidyadhar Behera BUSINESS: Vice President: Prasanna Rout General Manager: Ashok Ranjan Dash Marketing Manager: Dipendra Kumar

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G3S empowering underprivileged children to drive India towards a better tomorrow

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News- 6-17 Open your eyes 18 WADI DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - "An Integrated Approach” in Patna Village, Madhya-Pradesh SPOI START-UP 20 Clean India Ventures striving to do away with the problem of wastes INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 21 Delta vouching for a smarter and a greener planet SPO FOUNDATION 22 For Sharp Foundation school health remains an important focus area FACE TO FACE 24 Idea making a difference by building a sustainable supply chain PRODUCT OF THE MONTH 26 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga – Innovation Unparalleled

SPOI CORPORATE 27 Google Digital Unlocked Campaign to empower SMBs SKILL INDIA 28 Strategic and programmatic CSR Models to support Mission SKILL INDIA CASE STUDY 30 A CSR Initiative of the Dorf Ketal - Revival of lesser known performing art forms of Kerala SPOI FOUNDATION 32 G3s empowering underprivileged children to drive india towards a better tomorrow SPOI ANALYSIS 34 India-Israel Relationship – A tale of 2 decades of diplomatic ties MARKET WATCH SPOI HEALTH 36 A Strike against Pneumonia

www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 3

Indian Online Retail Market to touch $17.52 billion As the Indian economy is growing at a very fast rate, two sectors that are seeing tremendous uptrend are the banking sector and e-commerce. We see a huge surge in demand for finance from small-scale and large-scale enterprises alike. Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions are extending loans and advances to individuals and small businesses. There is a huge collection and recovery process that is generally outsourced by most of the banks.

Most of the banks have automated Core Banking functions. Their collection process grossly remains manual, maybe because it is outsourced to collection agencies and they have not been deploying technology because of the rising project expenditure.

At the same time, the B2C e-commerce market in India has exhibited rapid growth and is expected to reach $60 billion by 2017.

The online channel is expected to grow at a much faster rate vis-a-vis more established channels and is expected to account for 10.1 per cent of overall retail sales in 2018.

Going forward, the sale of fruit & vegetables and groceries continues unabatedly despite the introduction of GST. Buyers are now quite comfortable ordering apparel, shoes, and electronics goods online. With online payments, selling groceries online has become relatively easy. With a large customer base and increasing penetration of Internet connectivity and growing popularity of online shopping, many e-stores have come up. Very soon, it will emerge as another billion dollar market and most of the existing e-tailers offer their service in metros and major urban centres.

People feel comfortable buying even milk, bread and eggs online. The online grocery segment is projected to witness a strong growth over the next few years. Large business houses are entering this sector, including Tata Group by acquiring Gurgaon-based GrocerMax. Secondly, Amazon has inked 60-day exclusivity agreement with BigBasket for potential acquisition and Bangalore-based e-grocer has raised nearly $250 million and registered over three-fold increase in revenue and Paytm is planning to join forces with its investor Alibaba to pick up a minority stake in the online grocery retailer BigBasket for about US$200 million. With this, this sector seems very promising. Most retailers are trying to provide a multichannel offering that meets the demands of customers, who easily switch channels to buy products and the entire process is getting automated using the next- generation software tools and technologies.

Lastly, the year 2017 will see phenomenal growth and by the end of 2018, Indian e-retail is expected to grow at the rate of 15% to touch $17.52 billion with increasing participation from people across the country. This industry will continue to generate more employment opportunities and contribute towards creating more entrepreneurs.

Deepak Kumar Sahu President, SPOI | VARINDIA’s Development Initiative For CSR www.spoindia.org 4 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 5

CSR/Foundation

Mindtree Foundation announces ‘Samruddhi Abhiyan’ Program

Mindtree Foundation in partnership with the Karnataka State Education Department and Sikshana Foundation has initiated the ‘Samruddhi Abhiyan 2017-18’ program. This initiative is set to be implemented in the Kanakapura Taluk with an objective to provide access to a clean environment, quality education, physical well-being, and mediums to express creativity. To strengthen this initiative further, the Karnataka State Education Department has

extended its support to foster a holistic growth environment for around 16000 students in the Taluk.

This joint initiative was launched through a live stream from Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) to more than 161 schools, from the primary to higher secondary level. The inaugural event focused on discussing the various engagements under the program, and the schools were encouraged to partner for creating a larger impact.

Jaldhaara Foundation with HGS to make clean drinking water available

Hinduja Global Solutions has tied up with Jaldhaara Foundation to provide access to safe and clean drinking water to underserved communities in Bengaluru. Through this tieup, HGS will set up three WaterHealth centers in the city by August 2017, with the first being inaugurated at Hosur Road, Bengaluru.

The HGS-sponsored WaterHealth centers are being set up by Jaldhaara along with technical partner WaterHealth India (WHIN).

Leveraging WHIN’s award-winning water purification and disinfection technology, the centers are expected to provide safe drinking water to approximately 90,000 – 100,000 people within a radius of 5-10 kms. Each WaterHealth center can produce 1,000 liters of water per hour and about 8,000 liters in a day. The production of water can be optimized depending on the needs of the community. The resultant reduction of water-borne diseases can help decrease women drudgery, improve children’s health and reduce absenteeism at school and work.

6 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

NASSCOM Foundation launches #shedevelopstech with Microsoft

Sticking to its commitment to empower and enable girls through technology and build greater diversity and gender equality in the IT sector, Microsoft India dedicated its YouthSpark Live to #shedevelopstech to encourage young girls to explore Computer Science as a future employment opportunity.

The event was hosted in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation and Girls in Tech Foundation and supported by Governments of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and the US Consulate, Hyderabad. #shedevelopstech workshop hopes to help young girls between 18 to 22 years of age, belonging to underserved communities, learn computational thinking – an essential life skill and become equipped with knowledge of computers and coding, further enhancing their career prospects in the ICT industry.

Through the two-day workshop, the girls will be encouraged to find technology based solutions to real problems they face in their community on a daily basis. They will start with developing the logic behind the proposed solution and will be formulating the final workflow for it. The girls will be supported by Girls in Tech Foundation and Microsoft mentors and facilitators helping them develop the final solution.

Sandeep Aggarwal Foundation organizes campaign for underprivileged children

Furthering its commitment towards the welfare and support of underprivileged children and woman, Droom has organized a super exciting activity for children on the occasion of Youth Skill day, July 15th.

The campaign is a part of Droom’s Founder and CEO, Sandeep Aggarwal Foundation.

The campaign is a daylong event which includes a walk for “Clean Society-Clean India” to promote “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, couple of creative activities such as Drawing competition and teaching some mind-blowing magic tricks to children of NGO – ZOE MISSION. These magic tricks were demonstrated and taught to kids by Droom Employees itself. Over 50 kids participated in this event.

The Sandeep Aggarwal Foundation, founded by Droom Founder and CEO, Sandeep Aggarwal is also sponsoring the education of 30 children for a year. The Foundation is also supporting especially abled children and underprivileged women since last year through one of its campaign.

NEWS/e-Governance

India Post resorts to Twitter Seva Passport centres at 800 head to resolve 32,000 complaints post offices to come up soon

India Post is helping citizens beyond borders with the help of Twitter Seva. The Department has handled more than 32,000 tweets till now with 100 per cent resolution till date.

Citizens’ complaints regarding the International Parcel Service of the department are received and resolved via Twitter Seva.

India Post is providing the customers information on the delivery of their articles containing PAN Cards, roll numbers, medicines etc. Issues like repairs of Post Office buildings, technical issues with saving banks accounts are also sorted out Twitterati are even expressing their happiness on the timely delivery of products.

Sajda Khatoon tweeted “Registration No: RF105790475IN, Still I did not receive my Registered Items, Kindly Find out the issue?” Kindly try to deliver on this address: Shamim Akhter Ansari Laboratory Department, King Fahad Hospital, PO. BOX -204.”

After receiving her articles, she tweeted” @cpmgdelhi Now received the items, a lot of thanks for further enquiry & Delivery , with best regards Shamim from Saudi.”

To provide better access to passport related services in rural India, the Central Government has decided to open 800 passport centres at all the district head post offices across the country.

These centres will start operations within two years.

“150 post office passport seva kendras are being opened this year and within two years all the 800 head post offices in all the districts would be in place.

We have decided to ensure that no citizen is made to travel long distances for a passport. People in far-flung areas of the country find it difficult to obtain passports and redress passport-related grievances,” said Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs V K Singh, while attending an event in Bhubaneswar.

The Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Posts is collaborating to deliver passport related services to rural masses.

The Government has already expanded the passport services.

Procedures for obtaining passports have also been simplified so that more and more people can apply for passports.

CSC-SPV organizes Wi-Fi choupal Birth certificate not mandatory technical training in Haridwar for applying for Passport

CSC-SPV has organized a Wifi Choupal for technical training of VLEs (village level entrepreneur) in Bahadrabad block of Haridwar district on 19th July.

During the training session, CSC-SPV’s technical engineers explained the basic troubleshooting of Access points and ONTs (Optical Network Terminal) to VLEs. Also, the VLEs were briefed about the process of registration and sale or purchase on Wi-Fi Choupal portal. The VLEs made the most of it through this program as it will help them to resolve the technical issues as and when they arise.

A VLE is a CSC operator who is key to success of CSC operations. There is a direct correlation between the quality of services offered at CSCs and entrepreneurial abilities of VLEs operating them. Till date, there are 2.37 lakh VLEs operational under the CSC ecosystem.

For simplifying the process of passport issuance, the Central Government has removed the mandatory clause for a birth certificate from the list of documents.

“Birth certificate that specifies the date of birth is no longer mandatory and documents such as PAN card, Aadhaar card, driving license, voter ID cards, LIC policy, and matriculation certificate will suffice,” said General (retd) VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, while informing the Parliament.

Reportedly, the MEA has taken a few steps to ensure a better passport policy for benefiting the citizens of India.

Documents authorised as proof for Date of Birth (DOB) According to the Passport Rules, 1980, all the applicants born on or after 26/01/1989, in order to get a passport, had to, hitherto, mandatorily submit the Birth Certificate as the proof of Date of Birth (DOB).

www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 7

NEWS/Digital India

Mumbai’s central railway on way E-Portal for online sales of steel to become cashless products in North East

Mumbai central is on the track to a cashless economy. From buying tickets to paying at the catering stalls, the stations have facility for payments through credit cards or mobile wallets.

According to a central railway spokesperson, point of sale machines had been provided at counters for reserved and unreserved tickets, luggage, parcel, goods sheds and to caterers.

P r i v a t e contractors had been asked to provide Paytm or other such facilities.

Shirdi, which draws huge crowds of pilgrims bound for the Sai Baba shrine, was the first to go cashless on central railway, which plans to extend the facility to all stations under it. In fact, said Sunil Udasi, chief spokesperson of the railway, even the pay-and-use washrooms would soon go cashless.

There are a number of stations which are working cashless and the number will rise soon.

The union minister of steel Birendra Singh has launched a E-portal for online sales of steel products in the North Eastern Region.

The minister launched a dedicated e-portal for online sales of steel products by RINL through MSTC Metal Mandi in the North Eastern Region of the country. In his address Birender Singh remarked that the E-Portal is an excellent example of synergy between ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’ missions initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The portal provides information regarding the different products available, their specifications, pricing, etc. Delivery at the doorstep is one of the attractive features of this initiative.

The entire process is transparent and the interaction is enabled by a user-friendly interface. Sale through the web is enquiry based system, where the registered buyer shall be sending the enquiry for its requirement of steel (mainly TMT rebars and structural products) through the portal. On receipt of the enquiry, RINL will execute the sale process.

Finance Minister launches ‘AAYKAR SETU’ to help taxpayers

Govt. launches system of e-patent issuance

A new tax payer service module ‘Aaykar Setu’ was launched on 10th of July, by the Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley. To enhance mobile access experience, a mobile responsive android version was also released along with the desktop version on the same time.

Shri Jaitley stressed on the Government’s commitment towards continuously upgrading tax payer services and said that “this e-initiative would help in reducing physical interface between assesses and tax assessing authorities and thereby minimizing the chances of any tax harassment”.

The new step is an effort by the Income Tax Department (ITD) to communicate with the taxpayers directly on a range of multiple informative and useful tax services aimed at providing tax information at their fingertips. This module compiles various tax tools like, live chat facility, dynamic updates, and important links to various processes within the Income Tax Department in a single module. The tax payers will also be able to receive regular updates regarding important tax dates, forms and notifications on mobile numbers registered with the ITD. 8 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

The Government has launched the system of issuing e-patent certificates after grant of patent, by issuing a public notice on 3rd July, 2017. The salient features are enumerated below i. The patent certificate will be generated through an automated system after the patent is granted by the Controller and shall be transmitted to the applicant concerned or his authorised patent agent on record to the email address recorded with the office. ii.

The patent certificate shall also be made available along with status of the application concerned on the official website (www.ipindia. gov.in), so that the same may be downloaded and printed, as desired by applicants.

The main advantages of the system are that it eliminates the delays in dispatch of patent certificates to the applicants concerned who can download and print certificates from the website, thus ushering in greater transparency. It also enables them to take further action in a timely fashion.

NEWS/Urban Development

NDMC ‘Smart City Projects’ to begin in October

Quality homes under PMAY-G for homeless villagers

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been asked by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs to ensure completion of smart city projects ahead of time so as to lead by example in smart city making across the country. Timelines for the same have been fixed at a two hour review of implementation of NDMC’s Smart City Plan taken

by Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary (Housing & Urban Affairs) last evening on 16th of July. Shri Naresh Kumar, Chairman, NDMC and senior officials of the ministry and the Council attended the review.

Of the Rs.1800cr Smart City Plan of NDMC, work on a range of major impactful projects will begin in phases by October this year, for which tendering is in progress. These include setting up of a Unified Command and Control Centre, Smart water and power grids, multi-level parking at Khan Market, sensor based smart parking, public bike sharing, converting an additional 333 classrooms into smart ones, Sewage Treatment Plants, smart public hygiene centres etc. Smart redesign of 13 roads totalling 31 km including seven roads leading to Connaught Place will begin much earlier.

The Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G) launched by PM Modi on 20th November, 2016 is here to provide best quality homes to homeless people. Using a variety of designs vetted by technical institutions, local materials and trained masons, carefully selected beneficiaries, who were homeless or living in Kachcha Makan, are building the finest quality homes with the enhanced unit cost of nearly Rs. 1.5 lakh through convergence.

These homes are being constructed with the help of state govt.

The construction of 51 lakh PMAY-G homes by March 2018 is appearing possible, as over 33 lakh houses are at different levels of construction and the remaining 18 lakh are also in the process of starting work after due approvals. On an average, a house is taking 4 to 8 months after actual physical start of work compared to 1 to 3 years in the past.

There is negligible inclusion of errors PMAY-G due to three selection filters – use of SECC 2011 data, validation by Gram Sabha, and Geo-tagging with photos of existing house of the beneficiary using space technology. Payments are IT/DBT enabled and the beneficiaries receive it through their Bank account.

9 states will be ODF free by 2nd October

Ministry of Urban Development announces tie-up with Reckitt Benckiser

All the 1,137 statutory cities and towns in six States of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala and Telangana are set to be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF)

by October 2 this year marking the completion of three years of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). This is based on the regular reports being received from States/UTs. Total 1,418 cities and towns would become ODF by this October, two years ahead of the mission deadline of October 2, 2019.

These nine States account for 39% of the total 4,041 mission cities.

This was revealed during the review of progress of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) by Shri D.S. Mishra, Secretary (Urban Development).

The number of mission cities in Maharashtra is 384, followed

by Madhya Pradesh (378), Chhattisgarh (168), Kerala (93), Telangana (73) and Jharkhand (41).

Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has announced a tie-up with Consumer health and personal care maker Reckitt Benckiser under the aegis of the Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission campaign. The campaign focuses on encouraging citizens to use Google Maps to locate public toilets, and share their ratings and reviews after using them.

A statement issued by RB said the firm has “committed to be the behaviour change communications partner to spread awareness on the matter through the social campaign”.

The campaign will also help create a database of crowd sourced content in the form of citizen feedback, which will then be shared with urban local bodies (ULBs). “This will help ULBs take necessary corrective action to improve and maintain cleanliness and hygiene facilities. One of the expected by-products of the campaign would be a stronger partnership and collaboration between the government and public,” the statement said.

RB, maker of Dettol soap and Lizol disinfectants has been leveraging the government’s Swachh Bharat campaign, and had earlier announced an investment of Rs 100 crore for its own ‘Banega Swachh India’ campaign. www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 9

NEWS/GOVT.

2nd Anniversary of Skill India Mission celebrated by MSDE

‘Mission Parivar Vikas’ launched on World Population Day

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) celebrated the second anniversary of Skill India Mission on the World Youth Skills day on 15th of July. 100 GST training centres, 51 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras and 100 Yoga training centres were inaugurated on the occasion. SKILL INDIA Mission is the brainchild of Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.

It was during his presence, MSDE had launched the SKILL INDIA Campaign on the occasion of the first ever World Youth Skills Day on 15th July 2015.

In his Keynote Address, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, “Skill India is a hallmark mission for us and it has been a great two-year journey of Skill India. India has always been an artisan-based economy for the last 5000 years that sustained livelihoods. We have always had weavers, potters, metallurgy, farmers, gardeners etc. But while the British rule, the country learnt the art of rulers. We need to go back to our roots and find our natural skills that will make us more efficient in our work life. We all know that applied knowledge is the most relevant knowledge to gain.”

“Mission Parivar Vikas will focus on 146 high fertility districts in 7 states with high TFR. Under this, specific targeted initiatives shall be taken for population stabilisation through better services delivery”. This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare at a function organised by Jansankhya Sthirita Kosh (JSK) to mark the World Population Day, on 11th of July. Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State (HFW) also graced the occasion.

Shri Nadda said that Mission Parivar Vikas is a new initiative conceived by the Ministry with a strategic focus on improving access through provision of services, promotional schemes, commodity security, capacity building, enabling environment and intensive monitoring”. Shri Nadda congratulated the team for undertaking micro-planning for these districts and developing need-based programmes to address TFR. The Health Minister also advised the officials to undertake half yearly review of the programme and correlate the achievements with time to gauge whether the programme is moving in the right direction or not.

Govt. takes measures to check irregularities in MGNREGA

Ministry of Railways takes up initiatives to improve Catering Services

The Government has said that the launching of National Electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS) in 21 States and one UT for direct transfer of wages into workers account, eFMS, Direct Benefit Transfer, Aadhaar based payment System are among the several measures being taken to tackle issues like misappropriation of funds, corruption and other irregularities under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from time to time.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Ram Kripal Yadav said that since the responsibility of implementation of MGNREGA is rested with the State Governments; all complaints received in the Ministry are forwarded to the concerned state Governments for taking appropriate action including investigation, as per law.

The Minister said that adequate measures for assuring transparency and accountability have been built in the MGNREG Scheme. There are provisions of Social Audit, Grievance Redressal Mechanism, State Quality Monitor (SQM) and National Level Monitors (NLM). The e-Muster system has been introduced to avoid bogus attendance and to check instances of tampering.

10 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

23 Million passengers travel on Indian Railways on a daily basis. Indian Railways provide approximately 1.1 million meals to passengers every day; out of these 1 million are provided on board itself.

Catering services on Indian Railways can be classified into two broad categories viz. Mobile catering and static catering services.

The Hon'ble Minister, Suresh Prabhu has announced the unbundling of Food production and Food disbursement through a revamped New Catering Policy. Under this policy, ultra modern kitchens ranging from mega to nano with partnership of private sector would be established which would use the most hygienic and latest equipment for food preparation.

The Minister had also announced the launch of E-Catering services on train, which would allow passengers to order food from the brands of their choice. Interestingly such a service is not available in many railways of the developed world.

NEWS/GOVT.

Govt constitutes CMC to monitor Government announces impact of GST incentives to increase export of The Government has constituted a Central Monitoring Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary to monitor the AYUSH Products

impact of GST. Three meetings of the Central Monitoring Committee have been held on 2nd July, 11th July and 18th July. The reports include the details of feedback received from various Ministries and Departments regarding the following issues • Steps taken by department to disseminate knowledge about GST • Stakeholders still not registered • Position of Prices of Products pre-GST and post-GST • Queries received, solved by GST Cell in every department • Department wise FAQs made, disseminated among its stakeholders • Success stories which could be publicized • Sector Specific training on GST required by the Ministry.

• Shortages of products, if any.

Further, the Government has appointed 209 Joint/ Additional Secretary Level Officers to monitor the implementation and effects of GST across the country through District Level Clusters and submit weekly reports.

A Nodal Feedback Centre has been setup under the Ministry of Finance to collect, collate and analyze the feedback being received from the district level Nodal Officers.

India exports AYUSH products including extracts of medicinal herbs to about 100 countries, as Ayurveda medicines to a few countries and as dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and herbal supplements to the other countries.

To further increase the pace of export, the Ministry of AYUSH offers incentives to the AYUSH industry under its Central Sector Scheme for International Cooperation (i) to get market authorization/ registration for their product(s) at regulatory bodies of different countries such as USFDA/EMEA/UK-MHRA/ NHPD/ TGA etc. to enhance their exports (ii) for participation in international exhibitions, trade fairs, road shows etc. to create awareness about the efficacy of their products.

Besides, the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry provides support for enhancing export of traditional medicines through Pharmexcil by giving opportunity to small and medium scale companies for facilitating business meetings and also providing a global platform to showcase their products.

Disinvestment of Air India approved

States accounting for Rs.3, 62, 231 crores of DISCOM debt join UDAY

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in its meeting has given in-principle approval for considering strategic disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries and constitution of Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism.

To implement the decision of CCEA, appointment of Transaction Adviser, Legal Adviser and Asset Valuer shall be taken up as per terms and conditions and scope of work of Advisers/ Valuer in accordance with the model RFPs suggested by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management.

The domestic market share of Air India for the FY 2016-17 is 14.2% and in the current FY the domestic Market Share of AI for the month of May 17 is 13.0%. The total debt of Air India Ltd as on 31st March 2017 is Rs 48,876.81 crores (Prov).

Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal has informed that so far, 26 States and 1 UT have joined Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) for financial and operational turnaround of their DISCOMs. The Minister said that out of Rs.3, 75,430 crores debt of state owned power distribution utilities, as existing on 31-03-2015, UDAY States account for Rs.3, 62,231 crores of debt.

The States/UT under UDAY scheme include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Puducherry.

The States and their Distribution Utilities have issued Bonds worth Rs.2.32 lakh crores. www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 11

CSR/CORPORATE

Ashoka Buildcon promotes Road Safety on its Annual Day

Ashoka Buildcon has conducted a Road Safety Awareness programme across its road projects in different states like, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Marking its 23rd Anniversary Celebration, Ashoka Buildcon, dedicated its annual day celebrations towards road safety and conducted various activities to promote road safety at its project sites and toll plazas. These activities are part of ‘THE ASHOKA ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN’, which was started by the company 3 years ago.

The employees of the company took an oath to become ‘Brand Ambassadors for Road Safety’ by encouraging the people around them to wear helmets while riding motorcycles and seatbelts while in cars. Ashoka Buildcon will be distributing 1,150 helmets to road users through its employees and the inauguration of this drive was done at Nashik, in the presence of Shri Ravindra Singhal, the Commissioner of Police, Nashik.

HTC launches ‘Aarzoo: ek wish har Aarzoo poori karne ki’ with CRY

Aarzoo, an initiative by HTC Corporation, in association with ‘CRY – Child Rights and You’, is supporting and fulfilling dreams of countless young girls from the lower income group families by facilitating guidance and resources to supplement their dedication and enthusiasm. As part of its corporate social initiative and to mark 20 years of global operations, HTC Corporation has unveiled this initiative ‘Aarzoo: ek wish har Aarzoo poori karne ki’’ in India.

Not just wanting to limit the contribution only from the company, Faisal Siddiqui, President South Asia, HTC, visited the CRY center in South Delhi and spent time with the children talking, exchanging gifts and clicking photos and selfies.

Speaking on the association, Faisal Siddiqui said, “We are pleased to associate with a reputable organization like CRY, which has been dedicatedly working towards providing a better childhood to children to take a step forward towards fulfilling this vision of ours. I would like to reiterate our commitment towards providing quality education and enable better prospects for the girl child in the country.”

12 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

HSBC launches ‘Take Two’ programme to help women on a career break

HSBC India has recently launched its ‘Take Two’ programme at its Global Service Centre in Bangalore, after its successful launch at its sites in Hyderabad and Gurugram.

‘Take Two’ is a 12-week full-time internship to help women on a career break to return to work. It’s another step-in HSBC’s

journey to drive a diverse and inclusive work culture.

At the HSBC Bangalore Global Service Centre, around 100 women attended the launch event, which included some highly experienced women professionals. Going forward the candidates will be selected via panel interviews and assessments. Successful applicants receive a two week orientation, comprising of induction, leader-led sessions and classroom training. They then complete 10 weeks of on-the-job assignments that are aligned to their experience and aspirations, along with learning plans, networking sessions, and mentoring.

Huawei contributes to Government Hospital in Chennai

Huawei Telecommunications India has made a contribution of lifesaving infrastructural equipment to the Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine, Tambaram sanatorium, Chennai. The contribution intends to boost the hospital’s operational needs and also ensure maintenance of the lifesaving installed equipment for a one year period that will potentially benefit an average of 1100 patients per day.

Huawei India will equip the hospital with battery operated patient carts, oxygen lines with flow meters, Bore well and a RO plant to promote the highest level of medical care and rehabilitation for patients with pulmonary disabilities.

Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei Telecommunications India said, “‘Bridging the Digital Divide’ and ‘Contributing to Society’ are pillars for Huawei’s CSR program in India, with a strong emphasis on education and community development. In these respects, the recent contributions to the Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine, Chennai serves as a prime example of how we proactively engage with our stakeholders, whether they’re customers or the community at large."

CSR/CORPORATE

Alibaba Group hosts 3rd book donation drive

Alibaba Group has hosted its third book donation drive as part of the larger Mission Million Books initiative.

Representatives from over 500 schools and colleges came to handpick books that would benefit their students in pursuing education. The Third book exhibition was held at Satara, Maharashtra in association with Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust.

Capgemini to raise up to 100,000€ for three organizations

Mission Million Books is a pan-India initiative aimed at providing the underserved with access to quality educational materials for their growth and advancement.

On display were over 50,000 books covering Science, Maths, History, Geography, Liberal Arts, Computers, Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries in different languages.

Initiative has successfully empowered close to 2000 schools and colleges with 3, 00,000 educational books.

Capgemini continues the celebration of its 50th Anniversary by kicking off ‘MoveFifty’, a challenge with a purpose, for its 190,000 employees across the globe. MoveFifty will see colleagues, in each of the forty countries in which Capgemini is present, unite together in a movement to raise up to 100,000€ for three education-focused charitable organizations: Ciudad Quetzal, Enlight and Cap Sur Le Code. Every kilometer covered between June and October will contribute to the special anniversary final donation.

C a p g e m i n i employees can participate in MoveFifty to help raise funds in two ways: first through movement leveraging the KM for Change app, to accumulate as many kilometers as possible, in whatever ways possible (run, cycle, swim, walk), in support of a donation of up to 50,000€ to be shared among the charitable organizations, proportional to the number of kilometers dedicated to each project. The second way is through a virtual challenge on social media where Capgemini will donate up to an additional 50,000€ through employees using the 50th anniversary hashtag, #Capgemini50, and sharing a minimum of 200,000 posts across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

WABAG to develop sustainable villages with IIT Kanpur

GKEL organizes animal health camp in Mangalpur Panchayat

Villages on the river bank of Ganga are on the way to develop sustainably as a leading pure play water technology Indian multinational player in water and waste water treatment and recycling VA Tech WABAG has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IIT Kanpur on 3rd June 2017 in New Delhi.

Thousands of villagers are expected to be benefitted under exchange of this MOU and these “Model Ganga Grams” would be a part of Namami Gange and Swachh Bharat programs launched by the Government of India. This initiative is supported

by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Rural Development & Ministry of Gram Panchayat, New Delhi.

According to S Varadarajan, Director and Chief Growth Officer of WABAG, “We aim to abate direct discharge of untreated liquid wastewater from villages to Ganga and promote better sanitation practices in the villages."

As part of the Livelihood Restoration Project (LRP), GMR Kamalanga Energy Limited (GKEL) has organised an animal health camp in association with Veterinary Department, Dhenkanal.

The employees of GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, the CSR arm of GMR Group, invited government veterinary doctors to conduct the camp at Manpur village in Mangalpur Panchayat of Dhenkanal district.

Block Veterinary Officer and all staff of Odapada Block Veterinary Office and Sub-Divisional Veterinary Officer, Dhenkanal attended the camp.

The veterinary doctors treated 60 cows, 130 goats & sheep in the camp. They provided de-worming medicine, lever tonic, antibiotics, mineral mixtures as per requirement of the animals.

Microscopic observation of stool carried out and accordingly treatment done. About 56 project affected families benefitted in the camp. www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 13

NEWS/Technology

Mobile app for road Vodafone empowers women in Maintenance, Aarambh launched rural areas through ‘Sakhi Pack’

Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Narendra Singh Tomar and ILO Deputy Director General (Policy) ILO, Deborah Greenfield launched the publication and Mobile App for Road Maintenance, “Aarambh”.

The app aims at use of GIS based mapping for making road inventories, condition surveys, and producing cost estimates and other relevant data for preparation and monitoring of annual road maintenance plans.

Its usage would greatly enhance the service delivery of the state level institutions in planning and implementing performance based rural roads maintenance contracts.

The government of India is planning to connect all eligible habitations in rural areas by constructing good quality roads by 2019. The states are being encouraged to put in place robust mechanism to ensure routine and periodic maintenance of these roads even after the first five-year period, after their construction is over.

Vodafone India has introduced an innovative service ‘Vodafone Sakhi Pack’ for subscribers in UP West & Uttarakhand.

The service was launched in the presence of Smt. Rekha Arya, Hon’ble Minister – Women’s Welfare and Child Development and Shri Dilip Kumar Ganta – Business Head, Vodafone UP West Circle.

Vodafone Sakhi is a free of cost service, which enables users to conveniently recharge their mobile phones, without sharing their mobile numbers with retailers. Vodafone had earlier rolled out this service in a test phase and received phenomenal response across the region.

With a view to address concerns of women from rural India, to bring them into the forefront of the Digital revolution and empower them to stay connected with their near and dear ones, Vodafone India has introduced ‘Vodafone Sakhi’, a unique proposition empowering women in rural areas of UP-West and Uttarakhand.

Female NIELIT students learn entrepreneurship skills through Virtual Classrooms

Central Govt. women employees can now raise harassment complaints on ‘SHe-box’

National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), a body with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India has launched a unique initiative “l{k –ge – Power of She” aimed at encouraging entre preneurship among women under Digital India on 19th July, 2017.

In this unique initiative, over 200 female students from NIELIT Centres spread across different geographical locations participated through the Smart Virtual Classrooms that facilitates live interactive session through Video Conference. These NIELIT students who are in the process of acquiring industry relevant skill sets in IT and Electronics were sensitized and encouraged to take up entrepreneurship development by a panel of experts comprising mainly of women entrepreneurs. While more such sessions are planned, the initial session was attended by students from NIELIT Centres at Chandigarh, Guwahati, Patna, Ajmer and Srinagar.

14 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

The Women and Child Development ministry has launched an online platform 'SHe-box' to enable women employees of the central government to file complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace.

"We are also going to soon conduct a national survey to assess the nature and magnitude of sexual harassment at the workplace," Union minister Maneka Gandhi said after launching the portal.

The WCD minister also instructed officials to make the 'SHe-box' (sexual harassment electronic box) as "interactive" as possible.

"To begin with, central government women employees can file complaints, but we are going to widen the ambit to include the private sector as well," she said. "We just need to make a few changes in our online interface. Once it is done, employees from private companies would also be able to lodge complaints," Gandhi added.

NEWS/Business

IMF points out Indian economy to be growing faster than China

India will stay ahead of China in growth sweepstakes in 2017 as well as 2018, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) while retaining the country's GDP forecast at 7.2 per cent for the current fiscal.

According to IMF's World Economic Outlook Update, India's growth is projected to accelerate to 7.7 per cent in 2018-19, from 7.2 per cent forecast for 2017-18.

While the IMF has retained India's growth estimate as provided in the World Economic Outlook (WEO) in April, in the case of China, the forecast has been marginally raised to 6.7 per cent in 2017 and 6.4 per cent in 2018 from earlier projections.

India however will continue to grow faster than China in 2017 as well as 2018. Growth in India, it said, is forecast "to pick up further in 2017 and 2018, in line with the April 2017 forecast.

Foreign investors take home $39 billion in FY17

Foreign investors have taken back home a record $39 billion in FY17 from various investments and lending in India. But unlike in the past, it may not be a cause of concern as India is witnessing strong capital flow as these out flows may in fact help rein in the value of the rupee.

Of the $39.2 billion of investment i n c o m e transferred back home by foreign investors, $6.4 billion is transfer of profits and dividends earned back home on local investments and $12.3 billion is reinvested earnings, according to the data on 'invisibles' in the balance of payments, released by the Reserve Bank. Besides this, other major item of outflow is $5.6 billion interest on NRI deposit and $12.8 billion as interest on overseas borrowings.

This time round, economists are saying that the country has been witnessing strong forex inflow. Foreign exchange reserves are at a new high of $389 billion, adequate to fund over 10 months' imports.

Asia comprises of 40% of Fortune CCEA approves stake sale of 500 companies, India has 7 in list HPCL to ONGC

The latest edition of the Fortune Global 500 list, which ranks companies by their revenues in 2016, has a distinctly Asian flavour to it.

With 197 companies on the list based on its soil, Asia is now home to more of these global giants than any other continent, leaving North America (145) and Europe (143) slugging it out for second spot. The rest of the world has a mere 15 companies on the list.

The US continues to have the largest presence on the elite list with 132 firms, but China is not too far behind at 109 and is leading the Asian drive to the top. Japan, with 51, is in third spot; South Korea has 15 while India has seven. Only one of the seven Indian companies is in the top 200 —Indian Oil, ranked 168th.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given in-principle approval for the sale of the government's 51.11 per cent stake along with the management control of HPCL to the ONGC, according to Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) will continue as a public sector undertaking after Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) acquires its stake, the minister said in the Lok Sabha.

But the staterun HPCL may also acquire two subsidiaries of ONGC before the explorer takes over the refiner, a senior government official said. The two ONGC units are Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL) and ONGC Petro Additions (OPaL).

Such a move would consolidate all of ONGC’s downstream operations in HPCL, leaving it free to focus on exploration and production. HPCL will look after refining and marketing, according to this line of reasoning.

www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 15

CSR/PSU

DRDO flags off Go Green- Save Green Campaign

The Sunday morning of 9 July 2017, saw the launching of ‘GO GREEN- SAVE GREEN’ campaign by the DRDO community in Bangalore. Dr S Christopher, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO along with the First Lady of DRDO, Dr. Rita Christopher, National President of DRDO Mahila Kalyan Munch, flagged off the event in DRDO Township in the presence of Dr. C P Ramanarayanan DS & Director General (Aero), Ms. J Manjula DS & Director General (ECS) and Directors of All DRDO labs in Bangalore, IFAs, Service personnel, Senior scientists, Officers and staff of DRDO and their family members.

“This event is a precursor to the mega event being organized at Rameshwaram as a tribute to our great scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on his second death anniversary on 27th July 2017,” said Dr. Christopher, while launching the event. He also appreciated the efforts made by the volunteers and EMU in taking such an initiative and making it a reality. The event was organized by Estate Management Unit (R&D), Bangalore of DRDO led by Estate Manager Sh. MVL Narasimha Rao, ably assisted by a DRDO team.

Bharat Electronics signs MoU with Department of Defence Production

The annual MoU was signed between Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing Director,

BEL, Shri MV Gowtama.

The revenue from operations has been targeted at Rs. 9000 cr. The Operating Profit to Revenue from Operations target has been set at 14 percent and PAT to Average Net worth has been set at 15%.

Turnover from exports and increase in indigenous content are given additional focus during the year, along with other parameters like CAPEX investment and Monitoring of CAPEX projects, Reduction in Trade Receivables and HR related parameters.

NLCIL takes up desilting works of MoU signed between NTPC and Kurichi Lake MOP for 2017-18

Dr. Sarat Kumar Acharya, CMD, NLCIL; Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Founder, Isha Yoga Centre; Shri S.P. Velumani, Minister for Local Administration, Tamil Nadu; Shri R. Vikraman, Director (HR), NLCIL and other VIPs participated during the Bhoomi Puja event, conducted for delsilting the Kuruchi lake in Coimbatore City. The work is going to be executed by NLC India Ltd., under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Founder, Isha Foundation has requested NLCI to take up the project of revitalising the Kurichi Lake under its CSR initiatives by desilting & deepening of 280 Acres of the lake area.

Dr. Sarat Kumar Acharya in his address informed the gathering that NLCIL is providing 14 Million Litres of water per day from NLCIL mines and ten times of the same for irrigation of surrounding villages.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, in his address, thanked NLCIL management for coming forward for a great social cause of desilting the Kuruchi Lake, which is going to benefit people of Coimbatore and help preserve the biodiversity.

16 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the year 2017-18 between NTPC and Ministry of Power, Govt of India was signed in June of 2017.

As per the MOU, NTPC has generation target of 250 Billion Units during the year under "Excellent" category. Revenue target from Operations u n d e r "Excellent" category is Rs 79,280 Crore.

In addition to above, parameters related to financial performance, operational efficiency, CAPEX, projects monitoring and HR Management are also part of MoU in line with guidelines of Department of Public Enterprises.

NTPC is the largest power utility company in India with a total installed capacity of 51,635 MW. Company has presence in Coal, Gas, Solar PV, Hydro and Wind Power Generation and Coal Mining.

CSR/PSU

ONGC conducts GST session for Coal India meets State 19 global contractors for offshore Governments to assure coal engineering projects supply to MSME sector

Keeping with its dynamic approach, Oil and National Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) pro-actively took up the cause of providing clarity on the vexed issues of newly introduced Goods and Sales Tax (GST) and its operative part. Offshore Engineering Services (OES) Mumbai successfully organised an Open Interactive session with Lump Sum Turn Key (LSTK) contractor of OES on GST on 20 July 2017 at 1st Floor, auditorium, 11 High, Mumbai.

The session was chaired by Executive Director, Chief of Engineering Services - A. Ravi and supported by P.K. Saxena, Group General Manager-Head Of Department; S.C. Pandey, Group General Manager – Head of Works (HOW); D.S. Sagar, Group General Manager (F&A) and General Manager (MM) B. Rajendran.

The need to take up this initiative surfaced when LSTK bidders expressed their concern about understanding of some of the nuances of GST and their implications on the bid for these upcoming tenders worth over a billion dollars.

In a bid to facilitate steady supply of coal in a fair and transparent manner to MSME sector, Coal India Limited (CIL) held a meeting with the State Governments recently at its headquarters in Kolkata.

This meeting was first of its kind.

In a consumer friendly initiative CIL had invited all the State Government to discuss, threadbare, the details of coal supplies to MSMEs. The idea behind was to assess the problems of medium and small consumers to find remedial measures. The objective of the meeting was to put at ease the concern of the small consumers regarding their coal requirements and to reassure them of CIL's commitment in easing coal supplies through their respective state government nominated agency. The meeting was attended by Director (Marketing), CIL, CVO, CIL and an official from Ministry of Coal.

PM Modi distributes Aids to Divyangjans at Samajik Adhikarita Shivir, Rajkot

The biggest ever ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir for Distribution of Aids & Assistive Devices to Divyangjan’ was organised at Rajkot (Gujarat) by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India through ALIMCO, Kanpur, a CPSU under the Department in association with District Administration, Rajkot.

The camp was held at Race Course Ground, Rajkot, Gujarat where Assistive Aids and Appliances were distributed under ADIP scheme of Government of India to Divyangjan in the august presence of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

During the event while addressing the large gathering, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that the Government is sensitive to the cause of persons with disabilities and is dedicatedly working for the upliftment of the poor including persons with disabilities. He pointed out that he considers himself as part of the family of the persons with disabilities and is committed to work for their cause. He highlighted important initiatives taken by the Government for empowerment of persons with disabilities such as development of a standard uniform sign language for persons with hearing impairment across the country and Accessible India Campaign.

He urged the persons with disabilities to get enrolled under the insurance schemes of the Government of India which provides for insurance benefit up to Rs. 2.00 lakh and more with a nominal premium of Rs 1.00 per month and Rs.1.00 per day to take care of difficult situation. He also urged youth to become self reliant under the Start up programme of the Government and consider developing innovative technology for improving their daily life of PwDs. He said that he is emotionally attached to the issues concerning PwDs and always gives priority to attend the events involving them. He lauded the activities being undertaken and the efforts of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in empowering and mainstreaming the persons with disabilities. He also thanked the Government of Gujarat for their cooperation in empowering PwDs. www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 17

OPEN YOUR EYES

WADI DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - "An Integrated Approach” in Patna Village, Madhya-Pradesh Patna is a small village in the Bijawar block of Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh. It falls under the rain scarce drought prone area of Bundelkhand. The usual afternoon temperature crosses 50 degree C. If anyone would have previously seen the same village approximately 6-7 months ago, it will be impossible for him to believe that Patna village has undergone with a tremendous positive transformation, the sound of running water in such a water scarce region, floating water in seasonal nala. This transformation has been brought

by Haritika, a not for profit organization that works with people whose lives are dominated by extreme poverty, illiteracy, disease and other handicaps.

BACKGROUND Until last 14 months the people of Patna were dependent on the rain to take care of their basic necessities. Due to the close proximity to streams of the Barana River basin, the villagers extracted water for domestic and irrigation needs during the monsoon. However the streams are not perennial and the respite was short lived.

Traditionally the Bundelkhand residents used to dig tube wells and wells to meet their water demands tube. But in this village both were not possible as the area is rocky. Investing on tube-wells is merely a dream for them. The depth required to dig

18 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

for water is too high as this is one of the most water scarce region of Bundelkhand.

Approximately 90% of the population belong to the tribal community and hence the Government has allocated 5 acres of land to each and every family. Thus it is natural to visualize their dependence on agriculture as their only source of livelihood.

However agriculture is very closely linked with the availability of water and the village is in a water scarce zone. The village has approximately 50 acres of land that is fertile, but due to unavailability of water they were unused. The average annual income of each family in the whole village was only 10,000-15000, earned from NTFP products. Even though they all had minimum 3 acres of fertile land, they didn’t have access to two meals per day.

Haritika believes that land based activities that create assets are the key to working towards poverty alleviation.

Under this premise, DDM Tikamgarh with Haritika staff visited and evaluated the need as well as the probability of Wadi Development Project in the village. It was found that the village was in extreme need of this type of project and since the farmers were laborious and honest thus with mobilization of efforts, it seemed possible to implement a successful project in the village.

Together with the efforts of Haritika and DDM Tikamgarh, the project has been sanctioned by NABARD, Bhopal R.O office. Haritika started the “Wadi Development Project” under the “Tribal Development Fund” of NABARD in the village in the month of April, 2012.

With the support of “NABARD Bhopal”, Haritika has provided a complete package of components of Wadi Development that includes Bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers, fencing plants and materials, intercropping plants and cost of digging of pit within one’s own land. Along with all these supports, most importantly Haritika has given support for water resource development, soil conservation activities and women development activities.

PROCESS As soon as the project has been sanctioned, Haritika has started to work immediately because after the rainy season it becomes impossible to do the plantation activity. For this Haritika has undertaken

following activities – • Baseline Survey • Developing an Action Plan and deciding on roles and responsibilities of Village Water Committee and formation of Village Wadi Development Committee • Mobilization & capacity building activities with the villagers and committee members • Water Conservation Activities • Digging of pits • Plantation activities • Soil Conservation Activities • Capacity Building of VDC and PRIs • Regular Monitoring

CHALLENGES Haritika’s Horticulture based program was already running in the village but due to unavailability of water the villagers were not ready to take interest as well as give their time to the project. Realizing the close links between water and people, NABARD also had provision of water in the project but the problem of water scarcity was so large that it could not be solved with such a little support on this issue.

Due to this condition it seemed not only difficult but also impossible to get success in running horticulture based livelihood projects. Although the whole staff of Haritika was giving their full effort for the project’s success but they were not able to compensate the deficiency of water. The staff had tried to mobilize the villagers to give their 1 acre of land for orchard development. Therefore with levered support, a borewell with solar pump has been installed nearby the fields for irrigation purpose.

Haritika with the support of Coca-Cola Foundation was already working on Water related issues in 15 villages of Mahoba District. It had shown the plight of the selected tribal villages of Bijawar Block of Chhatarpur District of MP to the officers of Coca-Cola Foundation. By considering the acute problem of Patna village, CocaCola Foundation has selected this village as one of their model village project village. Therefore immediate need of water conservation and support for construction of Big Dam of mass storage on the seasonal nala and extension of already existing earthen bund had been realized by Coca-Cola Foundation. The project has started on 1st December 2012.

IMPACT OF PROJECT ON VILLAGE PATNA The farmers were initially without hope but the most important achievement of Haritika’s intervention is that due to availability of water, it has risen the hope of the villagers. Now they have their own dream that after 5 years they will have a beautiful garden along with a sense of responsibility that now they have to take care of their Wadi. Due to availability of water now their plants are in good condition, growth rate of the plants are also too good. They have started to do intercropping with the cultivation of vegetables. Till now only 14 months of implementation of Wadi project has been passed, but the change can be easily seen in the status of villagers. Now every farmer takes care of their wadi, due to which their habit of alcoholism is about to be abolished.

Before the implementation of this project, the wadi coverage of every household was only up to 20 acres but now the coverage has been increased up to 120 acres. It means now more farmers have been indulged in the program

and definitely their income level will be increased due to these programs.

LEARNINGS

• The present program interventions clearly demonstrate that through a concerted effort of source and system sustainability, drinking water security can be ensured even in the water stressed region of Bundelkhand.

• The success of water recharging structures demonstrates that favourable geological conditions can lead towards recharging of shallow aquifers.

• The successful adoption of piped water supply schemes in the area clearly indicates that if a proven technology, which is manageable, affordable and capable of easy replication is adopted then chances of sustainability increases substantially.

• If there is a concerted software support to the local institution in form of appropriate training and hand holding support, created infrastructure of rural water supply can be sustained over a long period of time. The project experience also reflects that informed and empowered local institutions can address the water needs of poor, underserved and excluded class.

• The present program approach also indicates that the drinking water crisis cannot be addressed in isolation.

Broader issues of source sustainability, water quality and sanitation must be taken into account. n www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 19

SPOI START-UP

Clean India Ventures striving to do away with the problem of wastes In a bid to stop Yamuna River from getting further polluted, Dr. Harshvardhan, Hon’ble Union Minister for Science and Technology, Govt. of India has utilized his MPLAD funds to install GWR machine of 500 kg per day capacity manufactured by Clean India Ventures Limited (CIVL) at Nigambodh Ghat, Crematorium ground in Delhi to process all flower waste and process it into Havan Samgri/Organic Manure.

There are more such instances of installation of GWR machines that is stopping the environment from further getting polluted, thanks to CIVL. Alok Gupta, Director – CIVL speaks to SPO India more about these initiatives What was the initial inspiration behind finding the company, Clean India Ventures? When was it founded?

Formed in the year 2015, clean India, Healthy India was the main inspiration behind Clean India Ventures. India is plagued with tonnes of waste and yet no concrete and sustainable solution has been found. We aim to remove transportation of waste and reduce usage of landfill sites.

How do you mobilize the funds required for your initiatives? What is the mechanism followed in carrying out such an activity?

Funds can be deployed from various resources if one has the will to go ahead with such projects. The main issue is that no one is willing to take ownership of waste. Citizens think that it is government's responsibility. Governments on the other 20 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

than 100 machines in next two years with the help of municipalities.

Our GWR (Green Waste Re-processor) machines can be installed through CSR funds of corporates and MPLAD/ MLALAD funds for the constituencies.

GWR machines reprocess all type of Organic Waste into compost at the source of waste generation.

Are you looking at involving any local level NGOs or self help groups?

We have garnered lot of responses from NGOs for these kind of initiatives.

Message to the Society “Sanitation is one of the important factors today. Every citizen has to take an initiative. Before installing any waste management solutions, segregation is important for effective waste management. Even the government has rolled out a media campaign to promote the importance of segregation at source.

I would urge all citizens to not litter our roads, treat this country as your home only and not throw away the waste on roads. Start segregating your waste at household level.” hand want to reduce their headache by setting up large waste to energy plants which have not been successful. It has to work like an ecosystem which is far from getting developed as of now.

What kind of support do you receive from the government,local municipal authorities and other corporates?

In the past 3 years, the govt has really put on impetus on Swachh India and has rolled out many schemes. Slowly their efforts have started showing results. I would not say that municipalities are slow initiators but they take time to process their work. Our target is to install more

How are you spreading awareness about the work that you are doing?

How many projects have you taken up so far?

Since our main business is of advertising and media, we promote this initiative through outdoor media, exhibition participation and social media as well.

What kind of challenges have you experienced so far in your initiatives?

It’s a slow process and not every govt body would like to take this initiative.

Everyone looks at the cost factor, and not their current expenses which are being spent on transportation, social costs of transporting waste to landfill sites plus their requirement of organic compost for the fertility of soil.

What will be your roadmap in taking this initiative to the next level?

Every government organization has to be positive about the work that they initiate and they have to think beyond the monetary factors for the betterment of our society. Initiatives from residential societies and corporates can become a successful factor if we have to manage our waste at the source. n

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Delta vouching for a smarter and a greener planet Delta is a global company and its corporate mission is to provide innovative and energy efficient solutions for a better tomorrow.

Focussed on carbon emission, Delta tries to combine different energy saving technologies and nurtures higher energy savings and productivity of its customers across the globe.

The company was founded in 1971; originally it used to be a manufacturer of TV parts.

Delta’s founder, Bruce C.H. Cheng who is also a visionary and has been instrumental in making Delta a global company, built it into a supplier of switches and power suppliers to global brands such as Dell.

Delta today is a provider of switching power supplies and DC brushless fans, as well as a major source for power management solutions, components, display solutions, industrial automation, networking products, and renewable energy solutions. Starting from May 2, 2017, Delta will lead its business with "Power Electronics", "Automation" and "Infrastructure" as its three main business categories, which will be dedicated to its corporate strategy of “the development of branded and solution businesses”.

Nine business groups under the new business management structure will drive the development of solutions, focused markets and existing product

standard. The new building is a solid example of adopting Delta Building Solutions and BMCS to improve building energy efficiency.

Delta also has a target of decreasing electricity intensity by 30% by 2020. It has in fact earned energy efficiency of close to 98%.

Delta in India

lines.

In 2015, Delta earned a revenue of $7,577 million. It has 153 sales offices, 40 plant sites and 61 R&D units. It has a big investment in R&D and around 6-7% of its revenue goes into Research & Development.

Over the years Delta has evolved its green solutions that comprise of Industrial Automation Solutions, Building Automation Solutions, Datacenter Solutions, Telecom Network Energy Solutions, Display & Monitoring Solutions and EV Charging Solutions.

It has realized 23 green buildings from 2006 – 2016. The new Delta Americas headquarters building in Fremont, California, which has been certified as a LEED Platinum green building is targeted to achieving the Net Zero

Delta has been operational in India since 2003 and is a 100% subsidiary of Delta Electronics, Thailand. With ten regional offices, three manufacturing facilities at Rudrapur, Gurgaon and Hosur and two R & D centres in Gurgaon and Bangalore, Delta has a strong presence across India with more than 100 channel partners. Besides catering to the Indian market, Delta also exports to several countries including Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The official launch of its 3rd manufacturing plant at Hosur in the state of Tamil Nadu took place last year. The new plant is part of Delta’s investment commitment and expansion plans in India. The company is looking to invest about US$500 Million over the next 10 years, helping to generate employment for India’s multi-skilled talents with the expected creation of over 20,000 new jobs. n

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SPO FOUNDATION

For Sharp Foundation School Health remains an important focus area Health of school children has remained highly neglected in India for many years.

There were hardly any constructive models for tracking and maintaining the health of the growing number of school going children in the country. Realising the need of the hours, Dr Puran Prakash, Founder, SHARP went all out with his idea of bringing schools and health of the children under one roof. This concept gave rise to SHARP. School Health Annual Report Programme (SHARP) is a non-govt. organization (NGO) which was started in 1999 with an objective of providing healthy and a hygienic environment to Government/ Government Aided/Public/ Private schools children and committed to provide healthy environment to them.

SHARP has started with schools and now being a pioneer in school health, also caters the community by reaching the poorest of the poor by working at the grass rootlevel.

SHARP has sustainable and an innovative approach to serve the society. It is a scientifically planned health programme for school children and community people, professionally managed under the guidance of eminent medical experts, sociologists, educationist, psychologists, nutritional specialists and others who have vision of promoting healthcare of children 22 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

throughout the third world countries. The programme’s long vision of providing a comprehensive service made it the most popular school health programme in the country with more than a millionchildren.

SHARP being the premier NGO in the field of school health has been working in the Schools, Hospitals and the community for the last 18 years and has established itself as the largest Health NGO in the country.

Its success story and case studies has received worldwide recognition and has been recently documentedbyaccess.orgu nderacollaborativearrangementofISB(Ind ianschoolofBusiness, Hyderabad and Mc Arthur Foundation, USA. SHARP has put in place innovative practices to achieve growth. They have streamlined the school health check-up process by adopting technologies and ensuring task efficiency. The digitised health data of all children is stored in a central server using the electronic database and analysis software developed to track the health of Indian children. All health data are validated by a doctor and routed through the software before being printed on a health card. Standard templates are used for school booking, registration, medical history, medical check-up forms, screening checklists and health report

cards.

SHARP NGO has been involved in advocacy and has made policy at the government level in the field of school health after a lot of research work during itsprogrammes. SHARP believes in collaborative model which provides links between different stakeholders such as: Students, Community people, Hospitals, Health care providers, Government agencies, Corporate & International agencies. A linkage between them provides benefit to each other which increases the efficiency and makes the project cost effective and sustainable. SHARP has a developing model wherein it plays a vital role of strengthening the society by developing social health entrepreneurs at the state/district /village and community level which helps the people to get employability and in making the health services accessible at all the level of our country by breaking geographical barriers.

After working with school children, it was realised by SHARP that working in the schools alone will not suffice the purpose of providing them good health. The involvement of parents and community was equally important to make the model robust, effective and more acceptable.

This need encouraged SHARP team to start working with the poor and rural

communities and slum areas.

SHARP’s next planned innovation is to use the mobile technology platform to send health messages and referral reminders to parents.SHARP ensures quality of service through a feedback mechanism. Supervision and daily field reports are managed through mobile and internet technology.

“Health Care” in India is a very demanding area where it contributes to improve the health care systems which makes health facilities accessible and affordable. SHARP Focus on catering services which are, of high quality, effective, sustainable, technology oriented and result oriented. SHARP broadly impacts the healthcare

improvement which includes provision of healthcare development through education, awareness, research, disease screening, health facility and treatment.

SHARP primarily adopts Innovative ideas which includes strategic planning since the starting till the end of the wholeprocess.

SHARP NGO is a PAN India organization with its work centres in all the major cities of India, through which its dedicated team reaches out to remote corners all over the country.

SHARP has been recognised with various awards over the period: Health Care Leadership Award -2012 for promoting Inclusive Health Care

The WARC Prize for Asian Strategy 2013 Flame Award 2013 presented by Rural MAI Apart from working the Govt of Assam & Delhi, SHARP is getting support from many leading corporates like Reckitt Benckiser, Amazon, Glaxo Smithkline,Mother Dairy, Himalaya,KEC International, CEAT Tyres, Spencers, Unicharm, Bayer, Micro Labs, Bata, Schneider Electric, Fullerton, Chambal Fertilizers, Zensar, Angelique International, Fujitsu, Cairn India, INTEL, Dr.Morepen, Marico Industries, Johnson and Johnson, Dr. Reddy's Lab, Bosch India Ltd, Cipla, Piramal Glass, Amul, Toyota. n

‘The Sulabh movement sowed the seeds for the liberation of scavengers’ India being a densely populated country, sanitation has been a major concern ever since the time the country gained independence. With an undying zeal to bring a change in the society, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak started the movement by the name Sulabh Sanitation and carried out the work of liberation of scavengers from the subhuman practice of manual excreta cleaning in India and other related jobs.

So in addition to that we are also working for the welfare of widows of Vrindavan and Varanasi. So these are some of the initiatives which are being further scaled up.

The mass movement by Dr. Pathak started spreading all over the country with a cadre of about 50,000 Sulabh volunteers, now working from right atop the mountain at Badrinath to deep down in south and in the farthest corners in the east and the west of the country, in 25 states and 1642 towns and 4 Union Territories. Throwing more light on this, Dr Lalit Kumar, Senior VP – Sulabh International tells SPOI of what are the focus areas for Sulabh at present -

What is your plan for FY 2017-18?

How can small NGOs be part of your umbrella?

What are the new initiatives that Sulabh international is focusing on?

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak who started this initiative in 1968 based on Gandhian principles to bring social change. A few scavengers were given occupational vocational training and now they are on their feet. Recently they were converted to Brahmin caste, for the simple reason if one can get converted to follow Buddhism, Christianity or Islam, why can’t you move into the caste hierarchy. So they were trained in Sanskrit shlokas and now their occupation is clean and they are Brahmins.

People are also in support of them, as long as they are clean and knowledgeable.

Our forte is two-pit pour-flush toilet technology which was invented by Dr Pathak himself. So far SULABH has made 1.5 million house hold toilets and 9000 community toilets; 200 of them are attached with bio gas digester. So from that gas we can lighten up and cooking can be done. That is being replicated and about 21,000 school toilets have been built.

The representatives of some of the small NGOs come to Sulabh Gram and campus to see our activities and there are lots of things to learn from sulabh model, how to be on their own feet and how to be sustainable. So that’s a unique model which Dr. Pathak created.

Do you also work with any Govt.

Department as a team?

I think the unique thing about Dr. Pathak which I used to say before joining and even now that he has maintained very good relations with state governments and the central government. Not only that, we are also working with 80 companies which also comprise of PSUs. We largely believe in the principle - “SABKA SAATH SABKA VIKAS”. n www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 23

FACE TO FACE

Idea making a difference by building a sustainable supply chain As an important member of the global Telecom industry, Idea Cellular’s endeavour is to become the leading Indian conglomerate for sustainable business practices across global operations. The aim is to become an organization that the future generations credit, for contributing to giving the world a better tomorrow. Anil Tandan, CTO - Idea Cellular throws more light on this as he speaks to SPO India...

What is the Sustainability agenda of Idea Cellular for 2017 and what would be the main focus this year?

Idea Cellular’s sustainability agenda entails creating sustainable business models that are profitable and comply not only with national laws but also with international standards and principles.

Idea Cellular has a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to positively impact the environment and society. Hence, a holistic approach towards creating a sustainable business, one capable of thriving within the limits of a sustainable planet, is at the centre of Idea’s long-term strategy.

This year, the company released its first edition of Sustainability report institutionalising Sustainability as an integral part of our business. The sustainability roadmap that has been crafted is robust – it is aligned to international standards like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have been ratified by 193 countries and top businesses, maps to Idea’s stakeholder interests and all industry benchmarks that the company will hold itself to achieve.

What has been your biggest success in sustainability and how would you like to take this legacy forward?

In the last year itself, Idea has converted over 19% of Idea owned telecom towers to operating by hybrid power, reducing CO2 emissions by 52,000 tons per annum in 2016. It further reconfigured sites reducing CO2 emissions by 62,000 24 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

Anil K. Tandan serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Idea Cellular Limited.

Tandan joined Idea Cellular in January 2001 as Vice President - Operations. Prior to joining Idea, Tandan worked with Fascel Telecom as Senior Vice President - Operations for a period of over two years and in the Army in various roles for around thirty-one years. Tandan who is an Engineering Graduate in Electronics & Telecommunications, holds a Masters degree in Microwave & Radar from the IIT, Kharagpur and Post Graduate Diploma in Management from AIMA. tons and 90% of servers are virtualized across data centres, resulting in 1/3rdthe power consumption. Zero cases of child labour and human rights violations in 2016 were reported, in addition to 100% compliance to EMF norms.

How can your employees, stakeholders and most importantly the customers benefit or drive value from your sustainability

agenda?

Idea’s approach towards building a sustainable supply-chain is through implementing in-built processes and by supporting capacity building in its supplier network towards sustainable practices.

All of the company’s employees and stakeholders have an equal responsibility in upholding Idea’s business ethics and fair practices and ensuring the same in

dealings with our supplier ecosystem.

The company has put in place clear mechanisms to integrate sustainability into every aspect of its growing business and mapped the contribution of every function towards the overall sustainability vision. The company has chosen environmental, social and governance areas where the company and its employees, and stakeholders can make the most difference.

What are the challenges and risks in business sustainability?

The highly dynamic, competitive and regulated Indian telecom market presents several challenges to operators which can pose a serious threat to business sustainability. Over the years, Idea has nurtured relationships with external stakeholders and built trust through proactive disclosure and transparency. Consistent and effective communication along with on-going dialogue and engagement has helped Idea build goodwill for the brand, and the reputation of being a serious, longterm player in the market.

In the Indian context, do you see sustainability as an important agenda in the businesses running here? How far do you feel Indian enterprises are in adopting sustainable best practices?

Many Indian companies are actively integrating sustainability principles into their businesses by pursuing goals that go far beyond a mere concern for reputation management—for example, saving energy, developing green products, and retaining and motivating employees, all of which help companies capture value through growth and return on capital. Companies are also integrating sustainability across many processes including strategic planning. The most integrated area are mission and values, external communications, supply chain management and budgeting. To make sustainability as a core, companies need to be rigorous, goal-oriented, and accountable. There is a growing body of evidence that not only sustainability initiatives work, but that they are an important factor in creating long-term value.

Idea's sustainability agenda is aligned to international standards like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) What is your roadmap in terms of creating a positive impact on both society and environment?

Idea is committed to continuing its efforts to reduce energy and emissions by addressing the following strategic priorities: Increasing the renewable energy generation and leveraging open access schemes to enter into power purchase agreements with the government; Offsite solar deployment across various Circles in the country and the use of renewable energy sources such as wind energy; Continued efforts to reduce energy consumption by increasing the indoor to outdoor conversions at towers with higher tenancies and increasing the use of outdoor BTS. The company

continues to invest in virtualisation of infrastructure by increasing the percentage of virtualised servers to 70% by 2021.

Work will continue for Social Inclusion and Equitable Development that aims at ensuring maximum people are empowered by connecting them to sustainable economic growth. Idea has always been committed to providing skill development and employment to local businesses in rural areas.

Will individual companies put themselves at risk if they follow sustainable practices and their competitors don’t?

Running business operations sustainably is more important than looking at temporary gains and companies are beginning to realise that environment is part of the network. Integration of business and sustainability goals is of paramount importance. It is expected in the future that sustainability will be an essential support pillar of growth for any company operating and contributing to the world economy. n

Sustainability efforts at Idea Cellular • Adopting green energy alternatives - Efficient power management, infrastructure sharing, use of eco-friendly renewable energy sources, leveraging the latest technology to reach out to a large audience in the most energy efficient manner such as video and teleconferencing, smart logistics, etc. are some of the practices in Idea’s network infrastructure and day-to-day business operations.

• Energy consumption from fossil fuels & grids - Idea Cellular is enabling network infrastructure resource efficiency by optimising energy consumption from fossil fuels and grids and promoting Renewable Energy (RE) Technology based power generation. It is further working on achieving resource efficiency by reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency in all the data centres and on the proportion of virtual to physical servers and renewable devices.

• Compliance to EMF norms - The company is completely compliant to the current EMF Radiation norms as laid down by the Department of Telecommunications. The company recycles its products and E-Waste by building processes within the office for efficient use and disposal.

• Adoption of OD BTS - Idea also adopted the deployment of Outdoor (OD) BTSs as soon as the technology was commercially available. The use of outdoor hardware, which does not require air conditioning, leads to almost 25% less energy need per site. www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 25

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga – Innovation Unparalleled The very definition of versatility goes well with the new ThinkPad X1 Yoga. Whether you use it in laptop, tablet, stand or tent mode, it works the way the user wants it to in any business environment with a 360-degree hinge. Interestingly, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga is currently the only laptop in India that comes with an option to choose an OLED display. The IPS based display offers punchy colours and good touch screen performance. The touch screen performance is quite good, the display responds and registers touch commands without any issues. With a built-in rechargeable pen, full inking capability and enhanced security, ThinkPad X1 Yoga is just the thing for anyone looking for a business laptop that strictly wears a business look and offers the classic Thinkpad experience.

The Think brand from Lenovo in essence has continuously and constantly redefined the boundaries of business PCs. And ThinkPad X1 Yoga does just the same. The X1 Yoga has a stunning screen, mostly because it is 2K and one of the brightest displays you will see at 300 nits.

For a business laptop however, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga looks and feels like a machine that's built to last. At 1.27 kilograms, the Thinkpad X1 Yoga is the lightest hybrid business laptop with a 14-inch screen. From a screen size to weight and dimensions perspective, the X1 Yoga is quite a unique machine.

Lenovo has stuck to its black matte finish with a mix of

CPU Operating System RAM RAM Upgradable to Hard Drive Size Display Size Resolution Optical Drive Graphics Card Wi-Fi Bluetooth

Specs

Intel Core i5-6200U processor Windows 10 Pro 8GB 16GB 256GB 14 1920x1080 None Intel HD Graphics 620 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.1

carbon fiber that’s been the hallmark of the ThinkPad line for a few years. Typing on the X1 is great as Lenovo’s keyboard feels natural and comfortable. Unlike most modern day thin and light laptops that come with a rather flat keyboard with minimal feedback, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga sticks to the traditional ThinkPad appeal, offering a keyboard that feels a lot more connected.

The starting price of the device is INR. 1, 45, 500.

MoU between RLDA and NBCC signed

An MoU between Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) and National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) has been signed on 30th June.

In the first phase, ten stations viz. Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Delhi Sarai Rohilla (Delhi), Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), Madgaon (Goa), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Gomtinagar (Uttar Pradesh), Kota (Rajasthan), Thane New (Maharashtra), Ernakulam Junction (Kerala) and Puducherry have been identified for redevelopment as a part of the ‘SMART Cities’ scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railways said that Indian Railways has adopted multi pronged strategy to accomplish the mammoth task. He said the ministry has chosen PPP model and are roping in varied agencies like the railways’ own PSUs, other central government PSUs and foreign countries through government to government cooperation, in order to execute the project.

26 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

SPOI CORPORATE

Google Digital Unlocked campaign to empower SMBs

Google India has reaffirmed its commitment to digitally empower India’s small and medium businesses. As part of its Digital Unlocked campaign, Google announced the national winners of SMB Heroes 2017, an initiative aimed at recognising businesses that have embraced technology to power their growth.

The three businesses that emerged as national winners under each of the categories are: Farida Gupta for Business Impact Through Digital; Shantanu Pathak and Aditya Kulkarni for Impacting Change Through Digital and Arpita Ganesh for Woman Business Leader.

These businesses have excelled in innovative use of technology and have leveraged it to address challenges and grow their businesses.

Earlier this year, Google and KPMG had conducted a joint study, "Impact of internet and digitization on SMBs in India". As per the report, SMBs cited a lack of understanding of the benefits of digital technologies and technical skills as the essential reasons for being offline.

Recognizing the need to address these gaps, Google unveiled its Digital Unlocked program earlier this year. As part of this program, Google is providing online, offline and mobile trainings to empower thousands of Indian SMBs with essential digital skills.

The offline training is being conducted in partnership with FICCI and in the last six months, over 500,000 individuals have engaged with the skilling platform and 20,000 businesses have been trained.

In addition, Google launched Primer, a free mobile app designed to teach digital marketing skills in a quick, easy and interactive way. In the last few months, Primer has been downloaded over two million times.

Google also launched 'Websites with Google My Business', a free tool for SMBs to create free, mobile optimised websites, easily and instantly. Through this new feature, businesses get access to templated, editable websites using their already existing data on Google My Business. With Websites with Google My Business SMBs can automatically build websites in 10 languages - Tamil, English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam. 160,000 Indian businesses are already using Websites with Google My Business and finding newer ways to connect with consumers.

Addressing an audience of over hundred small and medium business owners, Rajan Anandan, Vice President - India and SouthEast Asia, Google said, “India’s incredible story of internet adoption continues to have a transformational impact on how people are consuming information, finding new businesses and connecting with one another. However, India’s 51 million strong small and medium business community is not yet where they should be. At Google, we are committed to removing the barriers to adoption and providing small business with the training and tools they need to accelerate their growth.”

Microsoft announces its ‘Make in India’ product, Kaizala

Microsoft India has announced the launch of Microsoft Kaizala, a mobileonly product designed for large group communications and work management.

Microsoft Kaizala makes it simple for organizations to seamlessly communicate, collaborate and complete tasks, bringing together desktop users and mobile-only users who may be within or outside their organizations.

Microsoft India also announced the launch of its enterprise version, Kaizala Pro that allows organizations to have full administrative control of their groups. It comes with additional features that include user and group management, system integration and automation using Microsoft Kaizala APIs, advanced reporting and analytics, ability to publish custom actions, ability to create public groups, and organizational profile and directory.

The Kaizala app has offline support and is optimized for 2G. It makes it easy to get announcements from the main office, send feedback via polls or surveys, or simply chat with others 1:1 or in groups. You can send and receive locations, photos and more.

“The Digital India initiative is focused on harnessing technology to help India transform. Microsoft Kaizala, a made for India product, brings together the two disparate worlds of mobile only messaging apps and a digitally integrated modern workplace. The product will make it possible for organizations to interact with everyone both within and outside, seamlessly and with rich content,” said Anant Maheshwari, President – Microsoft India. www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 27

SKILL INDIA

Strategic and programmatic CSR models to support Mission SKILL INDIA

“To attract funds from industry, companies will be encouraged to spend at least 25% of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds on skill development initiatives directly or through NSDF. Further, industry should earmark at least 2% of its payroll bill (including for contract labour) for skill development initiatives in their respective sectors. These funds can be channelized for skill development activities either through respective SSCs or through NSDF." Dr. Roopak Vasishtha, CEO and Director General at AMHSSC India’s Garment sector is one of the oldest and a labour intensive industry. The sector employs over 51 million people directly and 68 million people indirectly.

The employability potential and recent trends on the growth of the sector is appropriately supporting the Government of India’s MAKE IN INDIA initiative and its objective to manufacture world class zero defect products in India for global consumers.

On the other hand, there is a significant 28 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

shortage of skilled manpower in the garment industry, essentially due to gaps in skill availability and skill needs. The Companies Act of 2013 mandates 2 per cent of any company’s post-tax profits, which is to be equivalent to average of last three years profits, to be spent towards social and environmental development initiatives. The National Skill Policy also encourages Corporates and PSUs to spend the CSR funds more on Skilling projects through NSDF and Sector Skill Councils, as per the Clause 6.13 of the National Skill Policy 2015.

Companies have started contributing to the SKILL INDIA program through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budget for employability skill training, bringing in much-needed financial support and building additional capacity apart from Government led initiatives like DDUGKY, PMKVY & ISDS etc.

To make the PPP (Public-private partnership) in skilling sector successful, in a series of CSR funded program recently Apparel Made-ups Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC) partnered with RITES Limited and have started imparting training programs on Sewing Machine Operator (SMO) and Self Employed Tailor (SET) job roles to the youth in the region of Faridabad at Wazir Skill Development Center at Faridabad, Haryana. The Centre was inaugurated

by Vijai Kishore, RITES Group General Manager-CSR; Smritee Dwivedi, Director Operations (AMHSSC) & other team members of RITES & AMHSSC. Under the programme, free of cost training would be imparted to the men and women in Faridabad and they would then be assessed and certified under the Job role ‘Sewing Machine Operator’ and ‘Self Employed Tailor Job Role’.

Efforts will also be made to provide placement to these trained candidates.

To make this pilot a success Wazir Advisor with its Mission to "EducateEmpower-Develop" has started its first

“It is our pleasure to partner with RITES Limited under its CSR program and AHMSSC to conduct skill development training programs at our Faridabad center. This is a small step towards materializing our prime minister’s vision of making India the SKILL CAPITAL of the world. This program by RITES Limited is going to be a gamechanging initiative in the field of skill development by providing highly-skilled manpower to the Garment industry.”

Mr. Prashant Agarwal, Joint Managing Director Wazir Advisors Pvt. Ltd. initiative to enhance skill among youth so that they could be employable to sustain their livelihood in the Garment sector.

Strategic implementation of these PPP models for SKILL INDIA Mission can give a head start in overcoming many issues related to resources, skilling (especially women), lack of training content, demand supply skill gap and dearth of trained human resources in the Indian Garment sector. n

SKILL INDIA

Why young India still suffers from lack of skills?

15th July is celebrated as the World Youth Skills Day. It has a big significance in today’s world when the problem of skilling has become a major concern for every developing economy.

According to United Nations, “Young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and are continuously exposed to lower quality of jobs, greater labor market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. In addition, women are more likely to be underemployed and under-paid, and to undertake part-time jobs or work under temporary contracts.”

And this is the reason why education and training are key determinants of success in the labor market. But unfortunately, existing systems are failing to address the learning needs of many young people.

Surveys show that a large number of youth have low levels of achievement in basic literacy and numeracy. And so Skills and jobs for youth feature prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of UN. It calls for a substantial increase in the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills.

Skilling in India…

In India, a wide gap between skill acquiring and education has been observed, as a result of which the youth are not able to get jobs of their own choice. In order to make a strong bridge to reduce this gap between the world of education and the world of work, there is an urgent need to equip the youth with the right skills for the job market. This should be a strategic concern of any organization today. The transition from schools and colleges to the world of jobs becomes smooth if the youth is provided adequate vocational

Rachit Jain CEO - Youth4work

training opportunities. Apart from being a knowledge-based society, India should strive to stress on skills.

“Good education with adequate vocational training and opportunities to learn new skills is what can provide the youth of any nation to become well-equipped and highly skilled workers. Education along with training for developing skills and emphasis on employability will strengthen the youth to take up the right career paths,” opines Rachit Jain, CEO - Youth4work.

Rachit Jain further says that it's important to sharpen and learn new skills which can be transformed into another type of career which ensures competition in the workers. “Allowing ourselves to grow from what we entail in the world and how long the learning can go. Youth4work shares a similar vision and hence we support a well-designed skills training program by providing a platform that helps unemployed youth to test new skills, upgrade existing skills and find satisfactory employment. Considering the prevailing challenges, we believe that companies do not wish to hire the entry level workers directly. They outsource the entry level staff by appointing labor contractors and staffing companies. Also, individuals with some skills find it difficult to break through without a formal certification. We simplify such complexities.”

Youth4work has dusted out a space within itself to implement the initiative by the Government which aims at skilling and employing them. “Especially for rural India, we aid training centers to connect with companies to get job opportunities for skilled people. To have solid steps forward, we also have collaborated with IFFCO to develop a unique platform called ‘IFFCO YUVA’ to cater this part of the country,” he says. There however has been a major push by the current government to address the issue of skilling. Recently, to empower the working abilities of youth, the government has launched multi-skill program. It launched a campaign, Skill India under the tutelage of PM Narendra Modi on 15 July 2015. It aims to train over 40 crore (400 million) people in India in different skills by 2022 and includes various initiatives of the government like "National Skill Development Mission", "National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015", "Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)" and the "Skill Loan scheme".

“The youth will learn various kinds of industry-relevant skills and many traditional skills which will help the youth in securing a better livelihood. This kind of training will not only strengthen the youth but also ensure that they learn to bear responsibility,” concludes Rachit. n www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 29

CASE STUDY

A CSR Initiative of the Dorf Ketal - Revival of lesser known performing art forms of Kerala implication, Dorf Ketal paid a visit to the project site to do the due diligence and to understand the issue in details. Thereafter, the report was submitted to its CSR Committee for their approval.

Project Budget: Grand total for all projects: Rs. 88, 72,000/- pa. X 3 yrs. (it will be increased if required) Project Duration: The duration of the project shall be 3 years in total (as the optimum result can be obtained in the long run).

Sector in which the Project is covered: The project is being implemented in the state of Kerala as the region is rich in performing arts. Although there are several art forms seen in different places of Kerala, some are frequently practiced in some districts of the state than the other. The following seven districts/areas are identified with specific art forms and the project is implemented in these districts: s Theyyam: Kannur and Kasargod s Mangalam Kali: Kannur and Kasargod s Sinkari Melam: Kannur, Kasargod, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram s Mural Painting: Kannur, Kasargod, Wayanad, and Kozhikode. s Puppetry: Palakkad District s Kathakali ; Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wynad and Malappram districts s Koodiyattam ; Kasargod, Kannur and Kozhikode districts Implementation Partner (Project implementing agency): FOLKLAND, International Centre for Folklore and Culture, Kerala

Procedures adopted for selection of the implementation partner: FOLKLAND, International centre for folklore and culture, an institution for the promotion of folk arts and culture was established under Indian Societies Act in 1989. The main philosophy guiding the institution is to delve deep into Kerala’s 30 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

Base Line Survey/ Study conducted:

cultural roots and preserve its varied heritage for posterity. It strives to study the folksongs, dances and other performing arts of Kerala. Folkland has passed through various stages of growth especially in the field of performance, production, exhibition, documentation and research.

Folkland organizes workshops, Seminars and festivals in Kerala and outside.

In brief, the procedure adopted as follows - the issue was identified and the literature involved with it was reviewed.

Proper research was done about the NGO and its implementing persons to take a call.

After that, Dorf Ketal had an interaction with FOLKLAND about the issues and invited a project proposal from them with all of their legal documents and annual reports. The NGO has been found to be having a responsible governance and financial sustainability with credibility.

After assessing the proposal and cost

As part of the baseline survey the project team prepared a questionnaire based on the following objectives to gather information regarding the current status of the art forms and living condition of the artists s To understand the possibility of survival of the art forms s To understand the attitude of young generation towards the art forms s To evaluate the current status of performing art forms in the society The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions prepared in the vernacular language as the sample.

The project team has done an extensive review of the available literature on the art forms. In the case of Kathakali, it was identified that the present approach, understanding and handling the ancient cultural assets have totally changed in the present modern society. One of the basic causes of this is the practical factors like

present lifestyle, living in the metropolitan atmosphere that is entirely different from the earlier life pattern.

These days’ performances, which once lasted up to eight hours in order to tell the entire religious story, have been reduced to around two hours to cater to modern audiences. Although foreign tourists in Kerala pay up to Rs. 30,000- Rs. 50,000 ($430$720; £300-£500) to watch a performance, junior dancers earn between 1,000-2000 rupees.

The project team had visited Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan at Kannur and had a discussion about carrying out the project. The team has also distributed questionnaires to the artists and is awaiting their responses.

In order to collect information regarding the present status of Tholpavakoothu, few of our team members visited some Tholpavakoothu artists in Palakkad district.

From interviewing them, the team has identified the following reasons behind the perilous situation of Tholpavakoothu Kooth artists are not getting enough income from the performances. Though they are putting huge amount of effort, they hardly get what they deserve.

Tholpavakoothu demands by hearting thousands of verses, dedicated and continuous practice and often performers won’t be able to sleep for nights. The new generation is not willing to put in much effort as they won’t be able to make their living out of Tholpavakoothu. Also they need to learn Tamil and Sanskrit to be efficient koothu artists for which they don’t have time and patience. Tholpavakoothu is seasonal which happens for three months in a year.

Once the festivals end, there is no demand for kooth artists. So they remain jobless for the rest of the year. The influx of people who are willing to perform koothu for cheap wages is a major reason behind the pathetic condition of Tholpavakoothu.

Because of the influence of media, there is a large drop in the number of viewers for Tholpavakoothu. Also there are only very less people to comprehend puppetry.

Nowadays intense debates do not happen in puppetry and the ones done are for namesake.

q

Mangalam kali: 5,000 The population is identified through community leaders as the art form has its reach in two districts of Kerala - Kannur and Kasargod. q

Shingari Melam: 40,000 The project has identified women who like to take up this art form for self reliance and empowerment through the well established system of ICDS and Kudumbasree and other community organizations.

Grounds for selection of beneficiaries: Correct target cannot be measured as the art form is practised widely across the state. Nearly 2,00,000 people will be benefited through the project. The estimated number of people going to get benefited from the project is given below q

Theyyam: 1,00,000 There are a big number of people performing theyyam in the northern most districts of Kerala. Theyyam is often associated and practiced by people belonging to certain caste in Hinduism Malayar, Pulaar, Velar, Mavilan, Kovalan and Vannan. The project will identify people through their community leaders and will specifically select around 15,000 to 20,000 people from each group.

Profile of the CSR Head Santosh Jagdhane is a qualified professional Social Worker. He is active in the social development field since more than 17 years and has worked with NGOs and Corporates at various levels viz, with the CSSS of J&K, UCITC, Paragon Charitable Trust, IL&FS Environmental Infrastructure & Services Ltd., JSW Energy Ltd., LANCO Vidarbha Thermal Power Ltd. etc. and presently he is working with the Dorf Ketal Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd, as a Head-Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from its Global Head OfficeMumbai.

He is also a trained Yoga instructor & practitioner and providing his voluntary services on need basis for the wellbeing of masses.

q Mural Painting: 500 The project will invite people who are interested in painting from the targeted districts and will select the best suited ones for the training. q

Puppetry: 50 It is a family based art form. The project has identified the family through field visits. q

Students: 50,000 Students are important beneficiaries of the project. The team has taken the list of schools and colleges from the target areas, further contacted the authorities and sought permission for conducting classes. The project identified 50,000 school children in class 8 to 12 from various Higher Secondary schools in Kerala. They will be given both education and training about the art forms and will enhance their skill base to create in them an interest for the art. q Kathakali –Target audience (students, tourists and others) 1,00,000 for each year and direct beneficiaries 250 artistes. q Koodiyattam - Target audience (students, tourists and others) 50,000 for each year and direct beneficiaries 100 artistes

Assessment / Evaluation conducted: 1. Monthly progress report of the project 2. Quarterly project review 3. Quarterly financial statement 4. Monthly site visit to assess the project n www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 31

SPOI FOUNDATION

G3S empowering underprivileged children to drive India towards a better tomorrow It is sad that in spite of ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ been there as a flagship Govt. program for more than a decade, there are millions of underprivileged children today in the streets of India who still do not have access to elementary education. A group of students from Delhi University taking cognizant of this situation came together to form G3S (Gram Swawlambi Swadesi Swaraj) Foundation with the objective of educating the slum children free of cost and helping them grow to be a productive workforce for the country.

Deepak Kumar, Secretary – G3S through SPO India magazine appeals to everyone to come forward and help them in their selfless act of eradicating literacy from the lower rung of the society once and for all -

Please tell us something about G3S Foundation?

We are a group of 17 student from Delhi University who came together to form ‘Gram Swawlambi Swadesi Swaraj (G3S)’ foundation. We had this belief that we should be self dependent, and only then will we get complete autonomy in doing something in life. So if all the students and the people who belong to villages and rural areas prepare themselves to be self reliant and if they are able to stand on their own, then there is nothing that can stop them from succeeding. There are thousands of such youth who cannot get that opportunity to reach to Delhi University or any prestigious universities in India.

We ourselves come from a rural background and so when we came across 32 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

this situation, we thought of doing something for such students, for those who cannot get an opportunity to rise in life. So we have a 3 E concept - first is environment, 2nd is education and 3rd is empowerment. These are the 3 areas where we are working in.

How did you start G3S foundation?

Please elaborate.

I met my friend Anil when we were working for the community radio of University of Delhi as media correspondents. Both of us belong to Bihar. We got to know each other and during the course of our friendship, we found out that both of us have faced a similar situation of not getting proper guidance and opportunities and it was then that we thought of forming G3S foundation. I would also like to mention about Dolly Rajput who is also from Delhi University. When I came to DU in 2013, she was my only friend and through her I came to know about her mother ‘Kusum Ji’ who has been teaching poor slum children for free for the last 12 years.

Taking inspiration from her, we decided to open an organization which can help such students who do not get the chance to go

to school and college. So this is how we came up with G3S.

Who all is working with you? Do you get any help from the university?

We have with us the support of professors from DU like Prof Suraj Yadav and especially Prof Manish Kumar who guided us throughout. And about the volunteers, we have our founder members from DU, Maharashtra, North India, North-east, Kerala and from other states as well. To register as an NGO we need to have our presence in at least 7 states; because we have lots of students in DU coming in from different states, we have received a considerable amount of support from many students coming from different places and hence could register our organization under Society Act 1860.

However our organization is very new as it got registered on 18th of July, 2016.

Tell us about the activities you have done so far for the slum children.

We keep doing sport activities, cultural activities and mathematic activities to keep them engaged and help developing their inner self. Because their parents are unable to provide for their educations, we are trying our level best to give them whatever

is possible at our level and groom them to be better individuals.

In our academy we have included orphans, single parent children, slum children and children who are working on the streets under the vendors. For these students, short term activities can make them enthusiastic and help them to grow and live a positive life.

How do you mobilise the funds to organise such activities?

It is from DU we have learnt of how to manage low budget events. We have a 0 budget policy so that we can do the activities even without funds. For every event we need Rs 5,000-6,000 at least, so that money comes from our pocket money, our tuition fee, our salary etc. We are totally self reliant. Since we are still students we don’t know how these big NGOs or their umbrella agencies get funds. So if in future somebody helps us, then we are ready to collaborate; but right now we have been in partnership with Roshan Dan and Sahayta, United Religions Initiative (URI) who is working in 100 countries. However we didn’t get any funding but they keep

motivating us. And even today when we organised International Yoga Day for the slum children, Hari Om Jindal who is known as the slum guru of India, came as a chief guest and he also motivated us.

What response you get from the people and parents of the children, as you are running an open sky school?

We are running an open sky school for last 3 years for those students who indulged themselves in drugs, bad activities and playing cards on the street. They got attracted to such activities because they

“People denied teaching slum children because they are dirty and are ill mannered. But the fact that they are dirty is because they clean our ‘filth’.

And it’s our responsibility to teach them because only an educated youth can drive India towards a better tomorrow.

And it’s really painful that in my 12 years journey I have only got taunts instead of help.” – Kusum

don’t have the money and the right platform needed for education. And parents and guardians of these children initially were also not supporting them. Take the example of Dheeraj, whose parents are working in a factory and they were not supportive of his education because they think that education is not important and they are happy in whatever situation they are. But when they saw that we are doing all free of cost, and not charging them anything, they started sending their children to us and now they are happy that their kids are being groomed to be better human beings.

What is your roadmap? Are you planning anything big or innovative?

We are going to plan our first national slum school because there are 93 million children who stay in slums, according to the data presented in 2011 and they do not have access to good education. Our aim is to collaborate with people or organizations who take interest in providing slum education, so that we can provide them a better life. And help them to grow! n www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 33

SPOI ANALYSIS

India-Israel Relationship – A tale of 2 decades of diplomatic ties Ever since the NDA-led government took the reins of the company, India’s foreign policy has seen undergoing an unparalled transformation. The recent 3-day visit to Israel

by PM Narendra Modi signalled another marked departure from policies of previous non-BJP governments in India who chose to shun Israel or establish any overt relations with the country. The visit also was unprecedented from the fact that it was the first time that an Indian Prime Minister had officially visited Israel. It was noted that Prime Minister Modi did not visit Palestine during the trip, breaking from convention.

It is no coincidence that the first ever visit by an Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, took place in 2003 when BJP led NDA government was in power with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the prime minister.

In the 48-hour visit, Modi met with Israel's political leadership and signed a series of technology, water and agriculture agreements between the two countries. During his visit, PM Modi has held talks with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.

The leaders sought to strengthen India-Israel relationship on a range of areas including defence and technology. Wide-ranging delegation-level talks were being held between the two countries to enhance India-Israel ties in security, agriculture, water, energy and defence, among others. PM Modi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also discussed measures to counter terrorism and increase cooperation in sharing of intelligence in this regard. Economic, cultural and people-to-people ties are being discussed and a number of agreements have been signed between India and Israel.

Modi during his visit also announced a direct Delhi-MumbaiTel Aviv flight and simplified rules for getting Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, thus drawing loud cheers from the 5000-strong crowd of Indians at the Tel Aviv Convention Centre. He also took out time to interact with Indian and Israeli CEOs to discuss the immense opportunities in India and the wide scope of IndiaIsrael economic cooperation. The CEOs of both the countries meanwhile concluded MoUs worth over 5 bn $ on the sidelines of the visit. A total of 12 MoUs were signed between Indian and Israeli companies, valuing over 4.5 billion dollars according to Pankaj Patel, Dy President - India-Israel CEOs forum.

India-Israel relationship in post independence era...

India formally recognised Israel post independence in September 1950. However its Israel policy was driven by the principled stand of solidarity with the Palestinian cause and India's international approach on issues as aligned with its domestic needs. Nehru had mentioned this in his reply to Einstein that national leaders needed to be selfish to see the interest of their 34 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

$25 billion revenue opportunity by 2025...

According to Accenture and NASSCOM Report, ‘Collaborative Innovation: The vehicle driving Indo-Israel prosperity’ talks about Vision 25/25”, by 2025 upto $25 billion of revenue potential can be unleashed for businesses between both these countries through cumulative cross-border investment into Indian and Israeli start-ups.

The report identifies IINSPIRE (Israel India Start-up Platform for Innovative Research and Entrepreneurship) framework to unlock innovation potential of the two start-up nations.

It concludes by recommending the creation of a program called IINSPIRE which aims to unleash the combined power of these two nations to deliver on Vision 25/25, by combining their strengths across three areas: talent, technology and temperament. countries first when it came to geopolitics. So India continued with its pro-Palestine policy in line with its principled stand and the sentiments of its large Muslim population, coupled with the fact that more and more Indians were heading to the Gulf nations and it was fast emerging as a major source of remittances.

In addition, India was also dependent on the Arab nations for oil supply to meet its energy needs. Emergence of the NonAligned Movement (NAM) in 1950s, of which Nehru was a founding member, further drove India away from taking any proIsrael stand openly.

The 1962 India China war was the first occasion when Nehru wrote to Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion for shipments of arms and ammunition. Though expressing sympathy and solidarity with India, Ben Gurion refused help.

It was in 1992 when India finally established full diplomatic relations with Israel but only after taking Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on board. Arafat was in Delhi and after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, he announced that establishing embassies and maintaining diplomatic ties were India's sovereign decisions and he respected it. n

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www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 35

SPOI HEALTH

A Strike against Pneumonia In 2014, the newly formed NDA government made a promise to the people of India – that of safeguarding their health and providing the men, women, and children of this country the best chance to survive and thrive.

One of the key initiatives was to protect as many of our children against as many diseases as possible, with the introduction of new vaccines into the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), as well as by ensuring that these reach the unreached.

This was one of the most significant policy decisions in the public health area taken under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.

For decades, our children have died from diseases that could be prevented.

One child every three minutes – that is the tragic toll pneumonia claims in this country. There has been an urgent need to protect and save those children.

Introduction of new vaccines is key to reducing childhood and infant mortality and morbidity in the country. In the last two years, through the UIP, the medical world saw the introduction of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Rotavirus vaccine (RVV) against diarrhoea, and the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine to protect against both measles and rubella.

The latest weapon being introduced is the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). More than 130 countries worldwide have introduced PCV as part of their childhood immunization programmes, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) global recommendations. This vaccine provides protection against one of the most common causes of pneumonia - a bacterium called pneumococcus. This bacterium also causes other diseases such as ear infections, meningitis and blood infections, with some of these resulting in death or serious disabilities. It helps protect against the bacterium that causes the maximum number of child pneumonia deaths worldwide and in India.

This vaccine has long been available 36 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

J P Nadda Union Minister for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the private sector in India, but by introducing it in the UIP, it is ensured that this vaccine reaches all children, especially those who need it the most, the underprivileged and underserved.

All new vaccines, including the PCV, have been included in the UIP at the recommendation of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) and following this procedure.

The Health Ministry has started introducing it in parts of Bihar, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, but the plan is to soon cover all of India. It is an expensive vaccine, but it will now be available for all the citizens for free. The cost to the government exchequer is offset by the additional economic benefits of having a healthier society.

With close to 1.8 lakh deaths and over 20 lakh cases annually, child pneumonia poses a significant financial burden on India. The costs of treating a case of pneumonia perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Parents of children who contract pneumonia have to pay expensive hospital bills, which can cost them several months in wages. To add to this, they have to take time off and stay home to care for sick children, negatively impacting India's economy. Healthier children enjoy better cognitive development, are better in

school, missing fewer days, and in the long run, when they join the workforce, they tend to be more productive and earn more.

There are several global examples where healthier populations grow their incomes and escape from poverty quicker, making PCV an investment into India’s progress towards becoming an economically developed nation. India leads the world in pneumonia deaths but, with the launch of PCV, there are definite chances at changing that statistic and making a serious dent in our contribution to the global burden of the disease.

Today, the UIP provides Indian children with vaccines for 11 deadly and debilitating diseases; the introduction of PCV will increase that number to 12.

Recently released National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) data shows that India’s full immunization coverage stands at 62%, up from 43.5% just a decade ago. More vaccines and higher coverage have helped to drastically reduce our infant and child deaths. To accelerate that momentum, Mission Indradhanush was launched in 2014 to reach the most vulnerable and ensure 90% of India’s children have access to life-saving vaccines by 2020.

This project now has attained top speed with our Honourable Prime Minister rescheduling the target to 2018, emphasizing that no child should be left behind. n

15th Infotech Forum 2017

25th May 2017, Hotel Shangri-La, New Delhi

TOP 25 BRANDS IN INDIAN ICT INDUSTRY 2017

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Brand Book speaks about how technology companies have performed in comparison to the previous year. In the recently held Infotech Forum 2017 in New Delhi, where the Top 25 brands in Indian ICT industry were awarded and these awards are being honourd by: Shri P. P. Choudhury, Minister of State of Law, Justice and Electronics & IT, Government of India, Mr. Anil Swarup, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, GoI, Mr. Raman Roy, CMD, Quatrro and Chairman, NASSCOM, Mr. S. N. Tripathy, IAS, Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner, MSME, GoI, Mr. Rajesh Aggarwal, IAS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI and Dr. B. K. Murthy, Senior Director (Scientist-G), Department of Electronics & IT, GoI These award winning companies provides a thorough understanding on how the leading brands have performed with their cuttingedge technologies, their innovative ways to reach out to and connect with the consumers/ organizations and how they have enhanced their operational performance and increased their competitive advantage over competitors. These are the Most Trusted Brands that reached to consumer’s doorstep and enhanced their performance by the best use of IT.

For more informations : www.mybrandbook.co.in www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 37

MOVEMENT • Shri Sanjay Kothari, IAS (HY 78) (Retd.), presently Chairman, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) as Secretary to the President.

• Shri J Rama Krishna Rao, IAS (Bihar 1985), additional secretary in the ministry of defence, as secretary in the National Commission for Minorities.

• Shri Sanjiv Gupta, IAS (HP 1985), additional secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion as CEO, National E-Governance Division (NeGD) under the ministry of electronics and information technology.

• Shri Anil Kumar Jain, IAS (MP 1986), additional secretary in NITI Aayog as additional secretary in the ministry of environment, forests and climate change in place of RR Rashmi, IAS (Manipur 1983).

• Shri Sunil Kumar, IAS (UP 1987), joint secretary in the department of commerce as additional secretary in the department of commerce in place of Shri Alok Vardhan Chaturvedi, IAS (Bihar 1986).

• Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS (Telangana 1987), joint secretary in the ministry of housing and urban affairs as additional secretary in the ministry of housing and urban affairs.

• Shri Raj Kumar, IAS (Gujarat 1987), joint secretary in the department of economic affairs (DEA) as Director General, Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).

• Shri Praveen Kumar, IAS (TN 1987), joint secretary in the ministry of human resource development (HRD) as additional secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy.

• Shri Manoj Jhalani, IAS (MP 1987), joint secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare as additional secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare.

• Shri Lalit Kumar Gupta, IAS (Tripura 1987), joint secretary in the ministry of youth affairs and sports as additional secretary in the ministry of social justice and empowerment.

• Ms Leena Nandan, IAS (UP 1987), joint secretary in the ministry of road transport and highways as additional secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of road transport and highways.

• Shri Vijay Kumar Dev, IAS (AGMUT 1987), deputy Election Commissioner as Director General, National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD).

• Shri Ajay Tirkey, 1987 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS and joint secretary in the ministry of human resource development, as additional secretary in the ministry of women and child development.

• Ms Ravneet Kaur, IAS (Punjab 1988), joint secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion as CMD of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

• Shri Ali Raza Rizvi, IAS (Himachal 1988) joint secretary in the department of commerce as CMD in the National Mineral Development Corporation under the Ministry of Steel.

• Ms Upma Srivastava, IAS (Sikkim 1988), joint secretary in the ministry of civil aviation as additional secretary in the ministry of agriculture, cooperation and farmers welfare.

• Shri Arun Kumar Mehta, (J K 1988), joint secretary in the ministry of environment, forests and climate change as additional secretary in the ministry of environment, forests and climate change.

• Shri K Rajeshwar Rao, (Tripura 1988), joint secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare as additional secretary in the ministry of mines.

38 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

www.spoindia.org july 2017 | 39

RNI No.: DELENG/2016/69058 Printing Date 27 & 28

40 | July 2017 www.spoindia.org

Reg. No.: DL-SW-1/4197/17-19

40 pages including cover

Date of Posting Date 29 & 30 Every Month