june12

Vol 9 Issue 3 ●

Regn. no. MAHENG/2004/15104

May-June 2012

The past cannot be changed.

The future is yet in your power.”—

www.ngoconnect.org

A ‘SHAKTI’ PROJECT

-- Mary Pickford

I n d i a ’ s Fi r s t N G O N e w s ta b l o i d CONNECTiNG IAC

In

In some shocking events, it has bee n found out that there are huge violations, not only from the environmental and social issues, but staggering corruption involved in the 10+ large dams coming up around Mumbai. Nearly all of them are being constructed by one contractor, when the tender conditions stipulate that only one ( or maximum 3) dams can be built by the same contractor in an irrigation circle. Other violations defy imagination. The Water Resources Minister has had to answer some difficult questions about this.

The ecological and social impacts of these dams are unstudied and will remain so as they do not require EIA, EMP of public hearing. None of the dams are confirming with R and R plans or Social impact Assessment. After a long struggle, one of the dam, Kalu, has been denied Forest Clearance.

With this backdrop, India Against Corruption, SANDRP, Shramik Mukti Sangathana and a number of like minded organizations held a workshop in Mumbai on May 4 2012

IBill passed for Children Sexual Abuse in Rajya Sabha Delhi! Child Rights activists across the country are elated at the smooth passage of “The Protection of Children From Sexual Abuse Bill” being passed from both the houses of parliament and becoming a law on 23rd May, 2012 The law which is a special act which would provide protection to all children up to the age of 14 years from all kinds of physical and sexual abuse, sexual harassment and use of children in pornography.

The law, for the first time in the country has aimed to be gender neutral in its applicability and approach and both boys and girls will be equally protected. The issue of protection of children from sexual abuse had come in public limelight in the past couple of weeks after Aamir Khan’s show and arguments that followed.

Mr. R.S.Chaurasia, Chairperson of Bachpan Bachao Andolan said, “The current law (Indian Penal Code) is highly inadequate in current times as it only provides punishment for criminal assault for outraging the modesty of a women, which is also a bailable offense with a maximum punishment of 2 years apart from rape and unnatural sexual offenses. This law provides strict punishments for all forms of sexual harassment and makes a clear distinction between harassment, sexual assault, penetrative sexual assault, use of children in pornography etc.

Now the government must implement this law strictly and use its provisions of special courts and special investigating officers to bring the offenders against children to justice within articulated time frame.”

The NCRB reports of 2010 show the conviction rate in Child Sexual Abuse cases at a mere 5% and so the real test of the law will be in its implementation.

A village that puts metros to shame!

Bharat Yagnik, TNN May 20, 2012, 03.39AM IST AHMEDABAD: Think of an Indian village and what comes to mind are images of mooing cows, open drains and children playing ants and frog games. But, Punsari, a motley village in Himmatnagar, talks about wi-fi and optical fiber broadband network, its children spend best of their times in air-conditioned classrooms with CCTV cameras.

The village also boasts of its own mini-bus transport system and there are 25-odd CCTVs located on important junctions to spot litterbugs.

If you think this village is drenched in NRI funds, think again. Not a single rupee has come from across the seven seas, instead the village managed its funds over the last five years that it received from central and state sponsored developmental schemes.

“The village panchayat pays an annual premium of Rs 25 lakh against insurance for each of the 6,000 villagers who have a cover

of Rs 1 lakh and a mediclaim policy of Rs 25,000. Our schools have zero dropout rates, CCTV cameras in classrooms help us keep watch on teachers in classrooms. Our reverse osmosis plant supplies 20litre cans to houses for a token cost of Rs 4. These are bare essentials for a standard life today and why should our village be behind,” claims the village sarpanch Hemant Patel, 29.

The village panchayat had a capital of Rs 25,000 five years ago. Today, the deposits have soared to Rs 75 lakh. “The turn-around happened when we sold part of our grazing land as plotted schemes to various communities. The money is deposited in government coffers,” says Patel. The village received rewards from the central government and the state governments recently.

District development officer Ravi Arora told TOI, “There is not a single family in Punsari which has an NRI family member. The village has just managed its accounts well and villagers here agreed on a cooperative approach to development.”

Disabled Rights Group quits aviation panel New Delhi: The Disabled rights Group disassociated itself from the Civil Aviation Ministry’s committee that is looking into the problems faced bu the differently-ab;ed r persons with reduced mobility saying it did not agree with the process the panel was following.

The DRG said the Ministry failed to take action against the erring airline operators- which are also part of the panel- that had violated guidelines repeatedly. Since the constitution of the Committee two instances have been reported of harrowing experiences suffered by the DRG convenor and the Special rapporteur on Disability with the UN on Indigo airlines

Civil Society seeks new Communal Violence Bill New Delhi: at a day-long national consulation on the Communal Violence Bill civil Society activists from 50 organisations across the country demanded that the Government come up with a new draft of the bill focused on “making public servants accountable and criminally liable for the acts of omission or commission in relation to their duties” during any communal and targeted violence.

Seven months after the national Integration Council dumped the earlier “Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparation) Bill. The consultation was attended y Jce. Rajinder Sachar, Shabnam Hashi of ANHAD, legal experts and activists usha Ramanathan and Vrindda Grover, Zakia Soman of Bharatiya Msulim Mahila Andolan, John Dayal of the Al-Indi Christian COucil, Niaz

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Crimes of sexuak violence, toruture ad enforced dsiappearnce sgild be introduced in the Indian penal code and specai lawas such as the Prevention of Torture Bill shouldbe introduced at the eariest,’ the outline said.

NGO seeks CBI probe Bangalore: The Samaj Parivarthan Samudaya (SPS) the NGO spearheading the fight against illegal mining in Karnataka has urged the CEC to recommend a CBI probe into alleged illegalities committed by Yeddyurappa and some mining majors in the State.

They were objecting to the governments application to the CEC requesting not to order a CBI probe. Rotary awards for NGOs

Rotary awards for NGOs Bangalore: On May 7 the Chief Guest for the Rotary NGO Service Awards 2012, His Excellency Dr Hans Raj Bharadwaj, Governor of Karnataka, gave away the coveted Rotary Club of Bangalore annual ‘Service Awards’ to NGOs who had excelled in serving the community at the Rotary House of Friendship.

President Rtn. N.S.Srinivasa highlighted several Rotary flagship projects such as the TTK Blood Bank, The Rotary School at Nagadevanahalli, Project 100 schools initiative, Dialysis Centre, etc. District Governer Rtn. Nagendra spoke about the achievements of the Rotary movement and RCB in particular.

The wonderful work done by Rotary International to eradicate Polio received much applause.

Rtn. Sanjay Udani, Director, Vocational Services, gave an overview of the various awards given by RCB. Rtn Suken Padmanabha, Chairman, Vocational Services, spoke about how the Committee had decided to recognize NGOs whose work aligned closely with the Rotary theme for the year - ’Reach Within to Reach Humanity’ . NGOs who worked in the area of Critical Care and Counselling formed the universe of organizations considered for the awards.

‘Bangalore Cares’, an organization that works extensively with NGOs in Karnataka was entrusted with the task of evaluating and shortlisting potential winners.

Inspiration, Innovation and Impact were some of the key parameters on which competing NGOs were evaluated, along with other factors such as transparency of operations, accounting practices etc. Sathi and Medico Pastoral Association, in recognition of their outstanding service to our community.

In his estimate, 15-20 children leave - and end up home every single day on the railway platforms. Sathi rescues them before they are picked up by others and turned into beggars or labourers. Sathi was founded in 1992 and has since then rescued around 26,000 children.

Medico Pastoral Association was represented by Mr Ajit Bhide. MPA focuses on providing care to adults suffering from chronic mental illness. MPA started the country’s first ‘halfway home’ and was one of the first to establish a suicide helpline. Many adults fall victim to today’s high pressure existence with little societal support or understanding. MPA steps in to provide such patients with care and helps them return to good health.

The organization also counsels the victims’ families on how to deal with such patients.

In his address, Dr Bharadwaj appreciated the good work being done by the Rotary Club of Bangalore and showered rich praise on the two NGOs for their commitment and achievement. He spoke about the need for citizens, especially those who were successful, to give back to Society.

The Governor reminisced about various pieces of law / legislation that he had driven during his ministerial days. He highlighted the Women’s Rights Bill as one of his many achievements.and recalled his first interaction with Rotary many years ago which had resulted in a successful campaign to speed up compensation for victims of road accidents.

Another subject close to the Governor’s heart was clearly that of the girl child. He spoke of the need to eliminate any sort of gender bias. adding that girls should be given the best education, and every opportunity to earn their rightful place in society.

Dr Bharadwaj praised the model of giving back to Society. Every major American University, he said, was the result of an endowment from a philanthropist, and that Indians should do the same for their country.

Mr. Pramod Kulkarni of Sathi spoke passionately about their commitment to rehabilitate destitute children. His 100 volunteers, scout railway platforms to identify such children and take them under their wings.

Farooqui of jamiat-Ulema Hind.

Citing practical reasonsof consensus, two controvers with in the outine of the new draft. The new outline me

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NGO News CSR Empowerment through vocation Bangalore: GMR Varalakshmi Center for Empowerment and Livelihoods held an NGO meet on June 23 for their partners-old and new. GMRVCE is the foundation arm of the GMR Group which is one of the premier Indian players in airport construction and infrastructure. The Vocational Training Center provides a platform for youth (boys and girls) who are above 18 years of age and underprivileged, by providing free Vocational training in four key specializations: a) Basic computers and Tally for girls; b) Industrial tailoring course for girls; c) A.C Refrigeration course for boys; d) Basic Electrical training for boys. The training is done in partnership with NGOs who send beneficiaries and companies like Voltas, Schneider who provide expertise and training.

The Foundation works principally through partnerships with likeminded individuals, organizations, NGOs and the government in several cities where they have ongoing projects. In Bangalore they have an office but no projects.

Over 20 representatives of organizations like World Vision, Parinaam, Swasti, Magic Bus, YMCA etc. met to network and see the facilities provided by the Foundation. Contact jayapaul.madalimuthu@gmrgroup.in Tel” 09900546599

Sponsor a Library Mumbai: Tulika, an NGO, has many years of experience in providing customised library sets of books to schools, institutions and education projects. They are put together keeping in mind specific needs relating to age, content, reading levels and language. You can gift a library to children anywhere in India.

Library packages have gone to 15 states in India including Mahrasthra, UP, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, and to Sri Lanka. The library sets are for children from ages 3 to 14 and offer a rich variety in genres and languages. Check for a list of titles by age or by language <http:// w w w. t u l i k a b o o k s . c o m Available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and some in Braille editions, the books are available at package prices ranging from Rs 250- Rs 10000. - Packing and mailing charges will be extra.

Also included in the package are attractive posters and special display material.

Some of Tulika’s books are available in Braille adapted byThird Eye. For any queries contact tulikabooks@ vsnl.com or call 044 2433 1639/ 2433 1117, 2433 1118

SUCCESS Watershed projects Jamkandorna town (Rajkot): In 1993, Ramesh Ginoya, 50, a resident of Balapar village in Jamkandorna taluka of Rajkot, had to give away his mini-tractor to a creditor. In 2012, he owns the same 45 bighas of land but is now the proud owner of a car, an apartment worth Rs 80 lakh and is going to start a factory of machine parts in Rajkot by investing more than Rs 70 lakh. “The credit entirely goes to watershed works carried out by Vruksh Prem Seva Trust (VPST), in our village. It turned our fortunes around,” he says. “We have built 70 check dams

in our village with their help.”

VPST, founded by Premjibhai Patel, 85, works for rural development and involves the community in all its projects. It has initiated various techniques of rainwater harvesting in villages.

He has built more than 1,700 check dams (small, medium and large) in 30 villages of Gondal and Jamkandorna taluka of Rajkot under watershed schemes of the government through VPST. ”Our villages were arid and drought-prone as we were only dependent on rain for agriculture.

Many of the people had left our villages to work in the diamondcutting and polishing industry in Surat. But now the scenario has changed. Many people have returned after the watershed schemes made our agriculture sustainable and certain,” says a villager.

The state government provides 90 per cent support for watershed schemes, whereas the remaining 10 per cent is contributed by the beneficiary. “But here, farmers have contributed 33 per cent and have designed the check-dams to suit the geography. The model followed by the trust is being followed in many other states.

Premjibhai was also awarded with ‘National Water Award-2008’ by Union Ministry of Water Resources for the watershed projects with effective community participation.

Primary Health care neglected Bangalore: A public discussion on”healthcare in Bangalore city: Need for a Paticipatory Comprehensive Heath Plan” was organized by Janaarogya Andolana Karnataka, Bangalore Urban Chapter at the Urban health research & Training Centre (BBMP) Malleswaram on March 9 where the BBMP Commissioner agreed that primary health care was neglected and the need for a comprehensive health plan which, when made, would be supported by him.

The NGO representatives said there were numerous gaps in existing health services such as shortage of doctors, and medical staff, lack of medicines and diagnostic services too many agencies with very little coordination which led to more chaos than efficiency.

Crusading for women in Gujarat Ahmedabad: Seven women have been in the forefront of the decadeold Godhra and post-Godhra events, in various ways.

Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD has been engaging with the community through workshops and cultural programmes for both communities “ in order to bring about a change in mindsets”; Teesta Setalvad of Communalism Combat has been questioning the role of the state government during the riots “What provoked me to fight for the riot affected was the sheer scale and bestiality of the violence; of the pre-meditated pattern in which people were targeted in 300 locations across the states 19 districts.” Zakia Soman, cofounder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan has been working with women who feel they have been deprived of justice.

“They kept their faith in democracy and fought.”

The Ahmedabad-based Noorjehan Diwan was in the midst of the riots when they happened and now

works with “Quami Ekta” in the relief camps. Despite threats, she says, “I have vowed to stay on and get justice for those who have been ruined in the riots.” Lawyer Vrinda Grover was contacted by Ishrat Jehan’s family to bring the murderers of Ishrat to book. The Gujarat High Court ordered that a complaint under IPC Sec. 302 (murder) be filed against those involved in the fake encounter that killed her.”

Then there’s Sheba George, a trained speech therapist who went into the relief camps post-riots. “It was painful to see the victims…I had to come and help it was an inner calling.” Mallika Sarabhai too followed her gut when she decided to contest the general elections in 2009 because she felt that Parliament was the best platform for ushering change, for highlighting the problems face by the oppressed, voiceless women of Gujarat. “The very idea of Hinduism is about inclusiveness, acceptance and tolerance. I wanted to change perceptions”.

Rainbow Pride Chennai: The city hosted its fourth annual Rainbow Pride in June 2012, a month celebrating visibility of alternate sexualities and gender identities. In India, the first Rainbow Pride March took place in Kolkata in 1999, and currently Pride is celebrated in nine cities and towns of India: Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Thrissur.

Several formal and informal collectives joined hands to organize the month-long series of events in Chennai. These include a panel discussion on parents and their LGBT children; a cultural festival; a threeday film series, performances in memory of LGBT people who have lost their lives, and poster and placard-making sessions.

The Chennai Rainbow Pride march was held on June 24th,2012. These events are listed at http:// chennaipride.net. Contact Shiva 98406 99776, Rupesh 9551630213, Emailorinamwebber@gmail.com

STUDY Poor infrastructure, bad food in Govt schools Bangalore: A social audit of 47 govt. and aided schools in several suburbs of Bangalore by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the South India Cell for Human rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM) found some disturbing facts.

The study showed that as most of the schools don’t have Group D employees, children were asked to clean toilets, carry and wash utensils and girls were used for domestic work; midday schools were of poor quality and that over 2300 students eligible for SC/ST scholarships had not applied because getting the caste certificate involved corruption.

Several schools had no drinking water facilities, usable toilets or playgrounds; some had no libraries and computers were lying unused.

Contact SICHREM

Sevalaya gets 100% Std 12 results Chennai: All the 117 students of Sevalaya’s Mahakavi Bharathiyar School who appeared for the Std. 12 exams passed. Students of the school are orphans/destitute/poor and first generation school goers.

Among the toppers were sons of a car driver; a welder, a construction working mother. The school has 1500 children supported through donations. Contact Sevalaya sevalaya2@gmail.com

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Vol. and tech. help disabled students Bangalore: The Samarthan Trust for the Disabled has enabled several students who are visually disabled to pass the II PU exams held here. Besides classes in Braille, the Trust arranged for all lessons to be available on computers enabled with screen reading software.

Technology made a world of difference to the students: Yogra, Ashok R, Bhagyashree and Sammer Sanadi who scored distinctions. dedicated their success to “volunteers who spent a lot of time with us sometimes from 10 am to 4 pm. Lessons became simple when they read them out to us and cleared our doubts.” Contact Samarthan:

35 species recorded in Namdapha Guwahati: A recent camera trapping exercise has revealed the existence of 35 species of birds and animals, including tigers and leopards in the Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve (NWSTR). The twomonth exercise spread over February and March, earlier this year, was carried out by the a Guwahati-based NGO, Aaranyak, with the logistic support provided by the NWSTR. Four camp sites with 80 cameras were installed at multiple locations identified as potential tiger habitats covering almost 25% of the total geographical area of the reserve.

The exercise, however did not go smoothly as on several occasions the frontline staff and members of Aaranyak were fired upon by suspected poachers. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, has constituted a five-member factfinding team to find out the ground situation in Namdapha in view of the attacks ( Source: Protected Area Update June 2012 ) Contact: Aaranyak, Samanwoy Path (Survey), PO Beltola, Guwahati – 781028, Assam. Tel: 0361-636768 / 266087. Fax: 266087.

NGO to aid MTDC for Zero-garbage Mumbai: The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has sought funds from the Union Government to make the hill stations and Eco-sensitive areas (ESAs) of Matheran, Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar zero-garbage destinations within a year.

The project is inspired by the Katraj zero-garbage ward project in Pune, which was implemented last year and is based on using garbage to generate electricity.

MTDC has roped in Pune-based NGO Janwani, which implemented the zero-garbage concept in Katraj with help from the Pune Municipal Corporation. The NGO will undertake a study of the spots and come up with a feasible proposal. The pilot project would be taken to other destinations in the state depending on the results here.

Health Plan for all Bangalore: A workshop on Universal Health care organized by Janaarogya Andolana Karnataka (JAAK) made several recommendation to the Planning Commissions steering committee on Health for the 12th 5-yearPlan. The recommendations were that all user fees should be abolished in hospitals, there should be 24x7 healthcare services, free supply of medicines and strong grievance redressal mechanism. The group were not in favour of the Essential Health Package as an entitlement as

it would not cover the range of illnesses and conditions for which people access health care at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

The participants sent a letter to the PMO regarding their recommendations and urged him to ensure that the Planning Commission and Union Health Ministry organised a dialogue with civil society representatives around these issues before finalizing the health component of the Five Year Plan.

Vulture festival Mumbai:A one day vulture festival was organised in April at the Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary by the NGO Srushtidnyan in association with the Thane Wildlife Division of the State forest department (FD) and Indian Birds Conservation Network. The aim of the initiative was to celebrate the success of the efforts of the Thane Wildlife Division and to raise awareness among the villagers to ensure no use of Diclofenac for veterinary purposes.

The activities conducted during the festival included bird-watching and a visit to the vulture restaurant in the sanctuary, where Whiterumped vultures are often seen feeding. Later in the day, a statue of the White-rumped vulture made by local artist, Mr. Narvankar, was unveiled in the presence of 200 children from nearby villages. A number of activities were then conducted for the children. The Yashwant Social Centre of Borli village helped in the organization.

Contact: Prashant Shinde. Email: srushtidnyan@gmail.com, Tel: 09594271511/ 09969077074

100 more skill devpt. centres Kolkata: The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) will open 100 more training centres in the country as the target has been revised to 400,000 persons from 250,000 persons for the year 2012-13. NSDC Managing Director Dilip Chenoy said.

Currently, there are 526 centres and 2,951 mobile centres spread across 365 districts. We hope to increase our district-wise presence by at least 20 per cent,” he said.

Modelled on the public-private partnership mode, the NSDC will set up a pilot project in West Bengal and Haryana on vocational education programme in schools, reports IANS.

Microfinance Bank success Maharashtra:Manndeshi Mahila Sahkari Bank, which was started in Mhaswad in 1997, has been able to transform thousands of lives in rural Satara. The bank is the first micro-financing initiative in the area and tends only to women. Riding on women power, the Mhaswadbased bank has now reached Vaduj, Gondavale, Dahiwadi, Satara and Lonad along with two mobile branches.

Each branch has “Rural-B schools” which help women learn various skills and encourages them to form self-help groups for better sustainability.This women bank has grown to Rs2.25 crore from an initial capital of Rs. 6 lakh.

Women are managing finance better than men. “Our repayment rate is 98%. As women are programmed to save more and manage better than men, we were

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NGO News sure about the success of the bank though our application had been rejected by RBI initially,” says Chetna Gala Sinha, the founder of the Mann Deshi Mahila Bank,.

Chetna, a post-graduate from the University of Mumbai, shifted to Mhaswad soon after marrying Vijay Sinha, a farmer. “Most of the women don’t want to let their alcoholic or abusive husbands know about the savings. This helped us design a simple model where we go door-todoor to cater to women and accept as little as Rs5. Now, we have come up with an e-account card which can be accessed by the account holder only,” she says.

Generic medicines (box) One interesting piece of information: the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers offers Rs. 50,000 to anyone wanting to open a shop selling generic medicines, and at their discretion they also sometimes offer space to open such a shop.

Looks like the dream of good quality public healthcare being available to rich and poor alike may be possible after all.

SaptasopanA Multi-disciplinary Community Centre for Srs.opens Mumbai: For the first time, on a government platform a community care centre for senior citizens was opened in Thane district on May 24.

For seniors loneliness can lead to many problems, including Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Dementia has to be picked on at the earlier stages to considerably slow the process & manage it effectively. Saptosan hopes to follow these seven steps and to provide pick up & drop facility with a nominal registration fee.

Funding of the entire project is being done by the District Planning Committee & NRHM Maharashtra State. Technical advice has been given by Mr. Sailesh Mishra ( Silver Inning Foundation ) & Mr Rakesh Amin (Architect Consultant , Silver Inning Foundation). Dr. Anuradha Sovani & Dr. Deepak Rathod (Cons.

Psychiatrist) provided expert advice & guidance. Contact: Dr. S. R Kumawat ( 9821066077 ); Saptasopan Help Desk: 9373004659 / 002-25820728. http:/ /about.me/saileshmishra

MNREGA Audit Bangalore: Residents of villages in Seege Gram Panchayat in Hassan district declared that there were irregularities in the implementation of the MNREGA at a social audit conducted by Association of social Transparency, Rights and action (ASTRA). Representatives of the Dept of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj were present at the meeting. ASTRA is doing the social audit on a pilot basis with a survey of 510 families.

Cards created by disabled individuals, Trays made by SupariSheet etc A Survey of premises to install Sparrow Homes was done as part of celebrations for Earth Day on April 22. Ingersoll Rand, Mumbai Division celebrated Earth Day on 20 April 2012 as part of their CSR Activities and PAWS made a Presentation & Awareness program on ‘Go Green’ & ‘RecycleReuse- Reduce’. If you would like to have such CSR activities in your organisation by PAWS call Nilesh on 9920777536 or e-mail nilesh@pawsasia.org

Space wanted (box) Mumbai: Manav Sadhan Vikas Sanstha, a Mumbai based educational NGO, which is also into vocational training, is seeking donated/sponsored office space or that with a nominal rent for administrative operations.They require 500 or less sq ft space (commercial or residential) near Santa Cruz, Khar, Bandra to accommodate a team of staff and volunteers. Call Kumar Banavlikar at 26683635/ Uma Prabhu at 9004095583 or email manavsadhan@ yahoo.com Dharma Bharati Mission, a Mumbai based educational NGO, which is also into vocational training, is seeking donated/ sponsored office space or with a nominal rent for administrative operations. Requirement: 500 or less sq ft space (commercial or residential) In South Mumbai. Check website :www.dbmindia.org or call 9819108191

World No Tobacco Day 2012 Mumbai: “Tobacco industry interference” was the theme of this year’s’World No Tobacco Day, on May 31. The campaign, as mandated

by WHO, focused on the need to expose and counter the tactics used by the tobacco industry to undermine global tobacco control efforts.

CPAA (Cancer Patients Aid Association) said at a press conference on May 25, attended

by Mr. Arup Patnaik, Police Commissioner, Mumbai and Priya Dutt, Member of Parliament. Milind Soman, Viveik Oberoi , Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani also attended the conferencealong with other celebrities. The press conference was followed by a concert by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy at Rangsharda, on May 27, 2012.

CPAA’s annual art exhibition ‘Colours of Life’,curated by Piali Syam, was held from June 11-23, at The Viewing Room, Colaba. Over 125 artists from all over India got together to showcase their work to raise funds for cancer patients. The collection had a large spectrum of works, styles, and price range.E:artexhibition@cancer.org.in

PAWS News

Saving the turtle

Mumbai:On April 17, PAWS founder Nilesh along with PAWS Volunteer RohitAchrekar went to Ulhasnagar for an awareness program organized by CHM College. Many colleges from Thane also participated in it including students from RKT College, Birla College & Khalsekar College. Dr. Arunan – (a Scientist from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) was fellow guest Speaker.

Orissa” The Olive Ridley turtle has a remarkable nesting characteristic: It always makes its way back to where it was born to lay its eggs. It reaches the spot – right down to the same 500 metre to one kilometre stretch – and lays the eggs before going back into the sea. The emerging hatchling continues this incredible migratory tradition.

Nesting is a regular occurrence on the coasts of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. But, unfortunately, the turtles and turtle eggs get savaged by people, stray dogs and crows.

PAWS setup a stall to sell its Ecofriendly merchandise including Sparrow Homes made of recycled wood, Hand-made Paper Greeting

Plastic garbage strewn on the beach can choke the turtles, lights from the nearby farmhouses and confuses them and lures them on to the roads where they get crushed are some of the other threats they face.

That is why the informal protection squads on the beaches as well as the Kadal Aamai Paadukaavalar (Sea Turtle Protection Force or STPF), which comprises over 165 fisher youth living along the Coromandel Coast, protect them. Dr Supraja Dharini, the woman behind this ‘save the turtles’ mission says members of the protection group tkeep an eye on a nesting turtle.

She has not only converted youngsters into loving the turtle but has also created a sea change in the attitudes of the local community towards the turtles that inhabit the area. In fact, since 2002, more than 44,654 hatchlings have been safely released into the sea, thanks to Dharini’s initiatives. She has helped remove tonnes of debris from the Chennai coast with the help of the Indian Coast Guard, National Institute of Ocean Technology, South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme and Loyola College and has campaigned for the protection of sea turtles with thousands of school and college students in Tamil Nadu. ”Supraja Dharini’s efforts are unique because she manages to bring together all stakeholders, from government ministries to local fisher folk,” says Shannon McDonnell, honorary coordinator for India for Roots and Shoots, Dharini also set up the TREE (Trust for Environment, Education, Conservation and Community development) Foundation in October 2002. She now plans to start a marine biodiversity conservation research centre with a fullyequipped aquarium that would help create more bonding between humans and turtles. The TREE foundation works along the coasts of Chennai and Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with plans to expand the programme nationwide,” says Dharini, who is the founder of the Bay of Bengal Ecologists and Conservation Network (BEACON) as well.

Monetarily, the TREE Foundation functions with the support of its trustees and through donations.

Some help comes in from the government: Turtles figure on the protected creatures’ list of India’s Environment and Forests Ministry. Contact: Dr Supraja Dharini, TREE Foundation Tel: 044 42862014 / 9444052242; Email – treefoundation2002@ gmail.com; Website: www.treefoundationi ndia.org)

Karnataka seed conservators’ Bangalore: The First State Convention of seed conservators met for deliberations on the threat to Karnatakas seed sovereignty and portraying Karnatakas seed diversity on May 20/21. It was inaugurated by the. Chief Minister of Karnataka at the NGO Hall, Cubbon Park.

In August 2010, SAGE-Karnataka launched the campaign-Andu uppu,Indu beeja( Salt then seed now ) across the state highlighting the threat to Karnataka seed diversity, the bio-piracy and asserting farmers rights. From January to March 2012 SAGEKarnataka in collaboration with farmers’ organizations, civil society groups, individuals, scientists and others conducted a two month state wide jatha covering 14 districts and all the major agro eco-zones of

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Karnataka. The jatha held meetings in more than 500 villages.

The jatha highlighted issues like the increasing erosion of farmers’ seed, and dependency on bought company seed, the declining role of KSSC and the penetration of corporate Seed companies threatening the seed and crop diversity of Karnataka. The sustained attempt to pass the Seed bill and BRAI bill, not only reinforces the process of erosion but legalize it too. The experience of Bt cotton is fresh in many farmers mind— neo-colonialism in a new form The six main crops which contribute to the cash economy of farmers in Karnataka are totally in the hands of seed companies (mostly foreign companies).

Local seed diversity began to decline with the advent of ‘high yielding’, hybrid seeds, chemical agriculture and mono cropping systems, pushing farmers in to the clutches of corporate seed companies. But there has been a systematic effort from the corporate sector to destroy farmers’ seed sovereignty.

There has been overwhelming support from farm community to the jatha. Most of the farmers are dejected with seed companies and are in search of alternatives.

Devinder Sharma well known agriculture analyst provided the global context.

Around 50 plus Seed Conservators from across the State shared their work on crop and seed diversify and its contribution in ensuring sustainability, food and nutrition security to the people.

The dialogue between Government officials (Agricultural department, KSSC, UASB.UASD&NSC) and farmers provided a further impetus to the movement. Contact: SAGE, Bangalore- 560 075. Tel: 08025283370, 25213104. E-mail: icrablr@gmail. com

Home for girls Mumbai: Sanskriti Samvardhan Mandal (SSM) is a village based voluntary organization on the borders of Maharashtra and Andhra www.ssmandal. net which provides homely shelter for underprivileged girls who are either orphaned or single parented, divorcee, affected by natural calamities, poor financial background etc. The girls stay up to their 12th Std. They have no source of income and are not able to get merged in the traditional farming activity. Girls join the Asst nursing course for 6 months and fees for each girl is Rs.7000/-. Contact: Sudhir Deshpande, Sanskriti Samvardhan Mandal (SSM).

Nanded 431731. Ph. 02465227848/ - 9403000981.Email: sudhir.ssmandal@ gmail.com

Clean Ganga’ project New Delhi: The Government is planning to invest more than Rs 7000 crore for the conservation and cleaning of river Ganga. Of these, Rs 1,342 crore has been earmarked for setting up of sewage treatment plants Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan said the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), constituted for the purpose is fully operational and the Centre has already sanctioned projects worth more than Rs 2,600 crore.

Natarajan said NGRBA with the collective efforts of the Central and State governments had to ensure that by year 2020, no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent flew into the river Ganga.

The Minister said her Ministry would launch a public awareness campaign for a pollution-free Ganga ahead of the Kumbh Mela to be held in January next year at Allahabad.

Source—iGovernment Bureau

World Soc. Work Day Bangalore: The theme for World Social Work Day this year across the world is ‘Combating Human Trafficking’. Bangalore added an additional theme, concentrating on ‘values and ethics in Social Work’.

The Department of Social Work, Bangalore University along with the 13 Affiliated Autonomous Colleges in partnership with held a half day program, on 18th May at St.Joseph’s Arts and Science College.

On May 18th 500 people gathered at St Josephs Arts and Science College Post Graduate & Research Centre Ms.Donna Fernandes, from Vimochana emphasized the importance of field work in the Social Work discipline and maintaining a humane approach to social work, withstanding a world that demands climbing for financial security.

Diving further into the theme of the event, a documentary film on Human Trafficking by Prajwala called Anamika, was screened by Ms.Brinda Adige from Global concerns India. She facilitated a discussions revolving around the trauma, violence and apathy of the government and civil society towards the victims.

Professor Vasanthy Vijay, HOD, Social Work Department, Bangalore University, spoke about her vast experience as a social worker in India. Three accomplished and outstanding social workers – Deepika Chandan, Murugesh and Jobi J Verghese were appreciated for their efforts and acknowledged as models for other social workers.

Representatives were given the opportunity to speak about their schools accomplishments in social work, and give their own take on social issues.

As Brinda Adige from Global Concerns India said to the crowd in response to a student question “Social Workers will never use the word helpless” And indeed by the end of the event, helpless was the furthest word from the student’s vocabulary as they left with their hearts filled with inspiration and motivation, ignited to go out in the world and be agents of change.

The Participating Institutions: Bangalore University - Department of Social Work, Acharya Institute of Management and Science, Anupama College of Management and Science, Gautam College of Science, Dr.Ambedkar Institute ofManagement Studies, Ganga Kaveri Institute of Science, Dr.AmbedkarInstitute of Management Studies, Ganga Kaveri Institute of Science Management, Kristhu Jayanthi College, Lorven Education Centre, BangaloreCity College, Kolar PG Centre, The Oxford College of Arts, Youth Centre -Ashirvad, Indian Social Institute-Bangalore , Institute of Family Well Being and Global Concerns India. Contact: Brinda / Antonia (9845518138 / 9901444553)

Tribal villages adopt

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NGO News tigers....

Chnadrapur; The tigers of the Tadoba reserve in Vidarbha region, have new owners--the tribals who live in the 79 villages just outside the reserve (known as the buffer zone), who have been given a direct economic stake in the well-being of the tigers. The government move is aimed at reducing man-animal conflict, while ensuring income for villagers.

“Visitors who wish to see the tigers in the buffer zone have to pay a fee to the village,” said a senior forest official. “And, each party travelling in that area has to hire a guide, who must be a tribal, and pay him Rs200, up from the Rs100 earlier. This gives the tribals a sense of ownership in the wellbeing of the tigers.”It is expected that this will wean the tribals away from poaching activities, which is a major reason for the decline of tigers in India.

Tadoba, which is in Chandrapur district, is the location of one of the rare success stories of tigers in India. At 150 tigers today, Tadoba thus accounts for 8% of them.

If Tadoba is a success story, it is because the state has been able to make the population of sambhar and chital grow rapidly. This gives enough prey to the tigers without having to lift cattle, which keeps the tribals happy.

Farmer to Market connect: Maharashtra: Small farmers are joining hands to start producer companies to consolidate their buying and selling, and tying up with corporations directly, to avail better prices.

Farmers now give up factory jobs and return to farming.One such farmer says his monthly income from his 10-acre plot has increased fivefold, to Rs.25,000, thanks to the modern farm practices he has adopted.

This 32-year-old farmer, Shinde has also helped organize farmers to form a producer company in which he is now a director, even as he inspires young men to leave their city jobs to take up farming.

The man behind his success: social activist Sunil Pote. Pote, 40, who heads a NGO Yuva Mitra and has spent the better part of the last decade in Sinnar block, mobilizing farmers to make farming more remunerative. The Devnadi Valley Agricultural Producers Co. Ltd, a 550-farmer-strong producer company that Pote has created, buys farm inputs at bulk rates for its members and will soon open retail outlets after tying up with firms to sell crops and packaged food directly to consumers.

Small farmers do not have adequate bargaining power when they are either buying inputs or selling their produce to traders. Incomes suffer.

Low bargaining power both in the market for inputs and outputs leads to worse prices for small farmers, studies by Food and Agriculture Organization show.

A producer company helps small farmers consolidate their buying and selling, and earn more. The number of such producer companies in India, with farmers as sole shareholders, has shot up, nearly doubling to 270 over the past year.

Western Indian states such as Maharashtra, with a history of rural cooperatives, are leading the surge.

On the recommendations of a

committee led by economist Y.K. Alagh, a special section was introduced in the Companies Act in 2002 that allowed primary producers to start their own company while retaining the cooperative principle of ‘one vote, one share’ The common goal in these initiatives is to deliver higher returns to farmers and make small farms sustainable by shortening the chain between farms and markets.

The aim at Yuva Mitra is to ensure a decent and steady flow of income to farmers and they realized that can happen on a sustained basis only when farmers are trained and organized.

So far, two main kind of producer companies have cropped up in the country. The first and more numerous variety is of companies such as Devnadi, initiated by NGOs, often by bringing together preexisting groups.

The second breed are those initiated or supported by companies. that save costs in dealing with large groups of farmers directly, and had helped set up five producer companies in Punjab.

Inspired by the experiences of similar organizations in Gujarat, Devnadi Valley set up an agri-mall in September 2011 that buys fertilizers and pesticides at bulk rates from dealers or firms, offers cheaper tractors and makes it easier for members to get bank loans.

Pote’s initial success in mobilizing farmers revolved around water. He successfully revived a 140-year-old network of canals built by the British around the Devnadi river that had dried up by the late 1990s. Pote faced hurdles from panchayats (village councils) and local politicians but resistance waned and people contributed voluntarily to the canal rejuvenation project.

A Pune-based builder used his business skills in helping Yuva Mitra form Devnadi Valley and raise funds from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).

‘One must think like a businessman to run a company .

Two other producer companies, one of cotton-growers in Vidarbha, and another of horticulturists in Pune, have also turned to Pote for help.

Devnadi Valley now acts as a consultant for them in preparing detailed project reports required for Nabard loans.

PEOPLE (pix) The International Women’s Health Coalition(IWHC) has named Françoise Girard, long-time women’s champion in the fields of global health and human rights, as its new President.

Girard has a distinguished history in these fields with a particular focus on women’s health, sexual and reproductive rights, sexuality and HIV/AIDS. Girard will work closely with IWHC’s staff, board, partner organizations to advance its work for sexual and reproductive rights and health for women and girls worldwide. play a critical role in providing leadership, building capacity, mobilizing activists, and influencing policy-makers. ”The struggle for sexual and reproductive rights and health is at an important juncture today,” said Françoise Girard. “As an advocate and funder, I have been passionately committed for many years to ensuring that women, men and young people can control their lives and bodies, and can access the health care and information they

need without discrimination, abuse or coercion.

Girard has played a key role in advocacy in UN agencies and UN Conferences She recently concluded a six-year tenure as the Director of the Public Health Program at Open Society Foundations (OSF), She assumes the position in IWHC’s New York headquarters, following the retirement of the Coalition’s longtime president, Adrienne Germain.

Girard joined IWHC in Feb., 2012.

Gender Minorities Pride March Bangalore: On May 17 gender minority groups held a rally from Tulsi Park to Lavelle Road.

The Gender Minorities (Jogappas, Hijras, Kothis, F to Ms, M to Fs, Mangalamukhis etc.) marched on the streets of Bangalore to spread awareness about their concerns among general public and to express unity, power and pride.

They also demanded social entitlements, human rights and overall development of gender minorities.

The Pride March was organized under the leadership of Karnataka SexualMinorities Forum.

BMC increasesNGO allocation for TB Mumbai: Social workers say often medicines fail to work on TB patients due to their poor diet.

BMC’s TB officer for Mumbai Dr Mini Khetarpal confirms, “That is why this year, there has been a 100% hike in the allocation of budget for the NGO sector. Their role is very important and we need their help as they know the needs of the community.” One such intervention is by Navnirman Samaj Vikas Kendra, The civic body’s aim was to involve as many NGOs as possible to reach the masses.

Social workers believe that things can improve if awareness is increased at the community level, with the help of private practitioners and linking of TB patients with other schemes elaborated a member of an NGO. Leprosy illusion*

Elimination:

an

Although leprosy was declared eliminated in the year 2005 in India, a report by the Govt says India continues to contribute 55.5% of the new cases to the Global Case load. Though there is an overall decline in reported leprosy cases, 14 states showed an increase in fresh cases. The report also states that it may not be possible in the near future to eradicate leprosy from the country due to its long incubation period ranging from few weeks to 20 years.

A report published in a newspaper in March this year, highlighted that a recent campaign undertaken by the State in 19 districts of Maharahtra has identified 2440 new leprosy patients. Dr Pai noted that the proportion of child cases and multibacillary leprosy was high among the new cases seen at BLP centre indicating the need to increase awareness in the community.

From these reports it is therefore imperative that there is a greater need to sustain the Elimination programme .

Donate Newspapers to help Leprosy Patients: The Bombay

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Leprosy Project, an NGO, has formulated the simplest way for individuals/Corporates to involve themselves. Volunteers will come and pick up old newspapers, magazines stacks from your home / Office and use them to raise funds for the organization. Call Subhash Hoval or Ms B Pujary on 24054608 or 24056486 Contact: Bombayleprosy@gmail.com

ISSUES: Nuke The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has embarked upon the fourth round of indefinite hunger strike from May 1, 2012 at Idinthakarai with d e m a n d s : That The ongoing work at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) must be halted ; the Safety Analysis Report and the Site Evaluation Report must be released to the public immediately. And the full and final post-Fukushima safety audit report must also be released; A new and comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report must be commissioned with Tamil and Malayalamtranslations.

Disaster management training and evacuation exercises must be conducted; A copy of the InterGovernmental Agreement (IGA) on liability secretly signed between the governments of India and Russia must be made available to the project-affected public; Complete and truthful information must be given about nuclear waste that would be produced and its management; All the false cases against the members of the struggle committee andthe common people must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally and that the local people’s right to protest peacefully and nonviolently against the KKNPP and other related issues must be respected and honored. Contact: The Struggle Committee,People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE)

ENVIRONMENT Save a forest from vanishing Kathgodam : In India, a reserve forest has the lowest degree of protection as land use can be easily changed by the state government for development needs. But the Uttaranchal government can also upgrade its status to that of a wildlife sanctuary, and later into a national park or tiger reserve.

Nandhaur deserves an upgrade, say conservation activists who, over the past six months, have tracked wildlife in the region-they have pictures of tigers, leopards and bears, among other species to show for their e f f o r t s .

An insensitive state government has allowed the setting up of a railway sleeper factory, an Indian Oil Corp.

Ltd (IOC) depot and an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) complex on land carved out of the reserve forest and remains blind to illegal boulder mining and logging that are destroying the forest.

It’s highly likely that the forest interior harbours much more by way of wildlife than has been captured by the road-side devices, says Dipankar Ghosh, director of species and landscape programmes at WWF (World Wide Fund for nature)India, whose team set up the traps. ”If proper protection measures are put in place, Nandhaur can be as successful as Corbett, which has a high density of tigers and holds a large elephant population,” says conservationist A.J.T. Johnsingh.

In 2004, Wildlife Institute of India said

it was one of the three viable habitats key to the long-term future of the tiger, which was acknowledged by the state forest department in 2005.

Still, Nandhaur is outside the Protected Area (PA) network on India’s conservation map.

NGO in Dubai pays blood money!

Chandigarh” Three young men who were on death row in Sharjah for bootlegging and murder since 2009 were released and reunited with their families when a Dubai-based NGO, ‘Sarbat da Bhala” paid Rs. 18 lakh for their release. The founder of the NGO, SP Singh Oberoi said he paid Rs 12 lakh and the rest was arranged by family members. The youth insist they were falsely implicated. Thirty-two families have now approached the NGO for help.

LEGAL AIDWA welcomes the Union Cabinet’s approval of the Bill on the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at the Work place, and the inclusion of certain important demands such as bringing domestic workers within its ambit. However, it is most unfortunate that the clause relating to so called “false and malicious complaints,” which would make complainants punishable, has been reportedly retained under the proposed law.

AIDWA reiterates that this is totally against the Vishaka Judgment which had clearly stated that no action should be taken against a woman for making a complaint. The fact that she can be proceeded against will hang like a Damocles’ sword over the victim’s head. AIDWA demands that this clause be removed from the Bill forthwith. There are rules and laws to deal with false statements and evidencegiving and these may be invoked when required, along with provision for filing of suits for defamation.

AIDWA challenges this assumption and urges the government to address these concerns. The Bill must ensure that victims of sexual harassment are able to access justice without fear of victimization. (Excerpts from a Press statement issued by All India Democratic Women’s Association, NewDelhi. Tel:: 011-25700476, 25709565 Email: aidwacec@gmail.com, aidwa@rediffmail.com

Child-Labour-Free India Delhi: Following the clarion call by the Minister of Labour and Employment Shri. Mallikarjun Kharge towards a complete abolition of child labour through a Child Labour Abolition Act, the National Consultation on Child Labour Free India – held by Bachpan Bachao Andolan and Global March Against Child Labour, culminated with a comprehensive plan for legislative, policy and programme action to eradicate child labour and ensure the implementation of the Right to Education Act on May 12.

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NGO News Former judge Supreme Court of India, Justice Mr M K Sarma, said the goal is not only to make a Child Labour Abolition Act, but to abolish all forms of child labour and its causes, and ensure education for all children.” For right to education to be successful, child labour must be completely eradicated, and all stakeholders must work together to make this possible.

The consultation was attended by over 60 NGOs from 13 states.

During the inaugural session on May 11, Minister of Labour and Employment, Shri. Mallikarjun Kharge made a landmark announcement that India is gearing towards a complete abolition of child labour through a Child Labour Abolition Act. In his inaugural address as the Chief Guest of the first day of the National Consultation, he said, “All children must have an equal right, regardless of their background. We are paving the way for a Child Labour Abolition Act and are examining to the provision to ensure that all children below 18 years are prohibited from hazardous work.”

The two-day National Consultation was attented by the key members of Child Labour & Child Rights Commission. It aimed to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue among the government representatives, trade unions, teachers and child rights organisations, academicians, UN agencies and the child representatives, and move towards a concrete plan for child labour free India including changes in the child labour laws and policy and programme converge. Ms. Tine Staermose, Director, ILO, Subregional Office in New Delhi, Mr. Ravi Wig, Chairman, Council of Indian Employers, Razia and Rajkumari and other elected child representatives from 13 states.

Over 150 former child labourers from 13 states knocked the doors of the Members of Parliament, garnering support from 63 of them.

Rubbing shoulders with activists, volunteers and other supporters of the campaign, endorsing the Child Labour Free India Campaign were Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Nandita Das, Boman Irani, Mahima Chaudhary , popular singer Jasbir Jassi , Deepti Naval and Sushma Seth who made an earnest appeal to the nation to collectively root out child labour.

Child Labour Free India Campaign has received an overwhelmingly positive response online with over 1, 05,000 people signing the epetition.

Blood donation Vadodara: Friends Society organised the 13th Voluntary Blood Donation camp for the year 201112 at Narayan Powertech, Padra.and collected 64 units, of which 44 persons were first time donors making it a total of 515 units to Blood Bank, S.S.G. Hospital. The camp was organised through the efforts of Ami Patel and the initiative taken by Anand Shah (Class XII student) and her mother Sapnaben (the owners of the factory Narayan Powertech).Contact Jaya.anuj1@gmail.com

Getting School-ready Mumbai: In April LIFE Trust, as part of its Child Care Centre project, conducted an enrichment programme for anganwadi children in order to make them “School Ready.” The month long programme included a range of activities designed for children who are about to enter formal school. Sessions were conducted in Hindi, Marathi and English. The children were taught

educational songs, nursery rhymes, and games to enhance fine motor skills. Storytelling and role plays were also conducted for 200 children from the slums of Bandra, Dharavi, Chembur and Wadala.

RTI Bombay HC issues notice to State Govt PIL challenging RTI Rules Amendment. The court has given the state government six weeks time to file its say in the matter.

Recruitment: According to the original spirit of the Right to Information, people of eminence from backgrounds as varied as such as science, law and journalism and administration were to be information commissioners to ensure people received the information they were seeking. However, Less than 10 per cent of information commissioners have non-civil services background, says a study by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).

In April 20, 2012: Supreme Court noted that State Information Commissioners must be selected non-transparently. While issuing notice to the respondents in the Special Leave Petition no. 12830 of 2012, the court noted “Any appointment made hereinafter shall remain subject to final adjudication of the special leave petitions”. See http:/ /tinyurl.com/SC-Interim-transparentSIC-sel Invite applications so that “all eligible persons can participate in the appointment”. Section 15(5) of the RTI Act states, So far, nobody outside the inner circles of Mantralaya knows when this selection will be made. The selection procedure detailed in Section 15 is generally bypassed; the selection happens earlier, and the three-person committee specified in Section 15(3) is only used as a rubber-stamp. This makes it a political appointment based on nepotism rather than merit.

Shailesh Gandhi is setting the bar very high for Central Information Commission itself, in terms of its owm compliance with the Right to Information Act.

he High Court has endorsed MANUSHI’S submission that the restrictive licensing regime should be replaced with “Registration on Demand”; with simple procedures; Equitable” road space to be provided for plying eco-friendly and cost friendly rickshaws that do not add to air or noise pollution. (As of now, the police has declared 90% of city roads as no entry zones for rickshaws); Adequate space to be earmarked for rickshaw day stands, night parking and repair yards: www.manushi.in/ articles.php?articleId=1610 Email: madhukishwar@manushiindia.org

April 22 — ‘Earth Day’.

Earth day was initiated in San Francisco in 1970 and is now celebrated in more than 175 countries corresponding to the environmental needs of their communities.

New Delhi: In collaboration with the Kriti team, Cinedarbaar, World Wide Fund for Nature and All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association, the American Centre celebrated Earth Day on April, 21/22 with an Earth Day Mela full of fun activities, film screenings, a music concert, puppetry, and art-music-imaging workshops to appreciate the natural environment.

The one-man forest Jadav Payeng has singlehandedly grown a sprawling forest on a 550-hectare sandbar in the middle of the Brahmaputra.

It now has many endangered animals, including at least five tigers, one of which bore two cubs recently.

The place lies in Jorhat, some 350 km from Guwahati by road, and many side roads later you reach ‘Molai Kathoni’ (Molai’s woods) after Payeng’s pet name, M o l a i . *

CIO fined: In Decision No. CIC/SM/A/ 2011/ 000610/SG/ 18357, CIC Shailesh Gandhi orderedCentral Information Commission itself to give a compensation of Rs 3000 * to the appellant for the harassment caused to him”.

Gandhi remarked: “Harassment of a common man by public authorities is socially abhorring and legally impermissible. “

”Iin 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar Payeng only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life.”

The forest officials said nothing would grow there except bamboo. “It was painful, but I did it. alone says Payeng now 47.*

Dismantling Corruption

Hhe started living on the sandbar.

After a few years, the sandbar was transformed into a bamboo thicket.”I then decided to grow proper trees. I also transported red ants from my village, Soon, there were a variety of flora and fauna which burst in the sandbar, including endangered animals like the one-horned rhino and Royal Bengal tiger. Deer and cattle have attracted predators,” claims Payeng .

In 2008 when a herd of some 100 wild elephants strayed into his forest after a marauding spree in villages nearby they also destroyed Payeng’s hutment . It was then that assistant conservator of forests Gunin Saikia met Payeng for the first time. ”We were surprised to find such a dense forest on the sandbar.

He treats the trees and animals like his own children. Seeing this, we, too, decided to pitch in,” says Saikia. “In any other country he would have been made a hero.”* >

Delhi: On April 2 Manushi won a major victory in a long drawn battle to dismantle the corruption friendly License Quota Raid Raj for rickshaw owners and pullers. The Supreme Court of India dismissed the plea of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi challenging the historic judgment of the Delhi High Court of February 10, 2010 scrapping the lawless cycle rickshaw policy and regulations on the ground that it is discriminatory, violates due process and is therefore unconstitutional.

Immediate gains from the High Court Order, now upheld also by the Supreme Court of India:1) End to lawless confiscation of rickshaws: Municipal inspectors or police cannot anymore use the authority of law to forcefully impound thousands of cycle rickshaws every month, which they were doing for decades for offences 2. No more crushing of confiscated rickshaws by the municipal authorities and selling them as junk...

No more groveling and bribing to get a license for plying or owning a rickshaw:T

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has decided to set up a residential school for “deprived childrden”, in order to provide them adequate opportunities to excel in studies.

Orissa-based Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences will manage this exclusive school for SC, ST, OBC and Muslim students, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit said on May 11.

KISS runs the biggest residential institute for tribal children in South Asia where 10,000 tribal children are provided residential facilities and education from kindergarten (KG) to post-graduate (PG) level.

Existing school premises at Ishapur would be renovated by the Public Works Department (PWD) as per specification provided by KISS. The government will provide infrastructure and financial assistance for running the school for five years and after that, the school is expected to be selfsustaining.

NGOs to revive sick hospitals in WB Kolkata: In its bid to tone up healthcare system in West Bengal, the State government has decided to handover state-owned sick hospitals to non-profitable organisations or trusts for operations and management.

To begin with, the State Government has decided to entrustthe 100-bed North Suburban Hospital for its revival on experiment basis. The State Health Department has invited expression of interest from interested organisations which have adequate experience in hospital management and operations on a no-loss, no-profit basis.

Confirming the development, Director of Health Services, BR Satpathi said the Government decided to rope in NGOs or Charitable Trusts to revive sick hospitals across the state. “The objective of this initiative is to bring in operational efficiency, coupled with care for the poor and vulnerable sections by involving non-profitable philanthropic organisations,” Satpathi added.

The sick hospitals will be mainly primary and secondary health care systems across the state. By the terms and conditions of the agreement for the initiative, the sick hospitals will be handed over for a maximum of four years.

The agreement will be renewed for another four years if the Health Department is satisfied with the performance of the organisation’s operations and management of the concerned hospital. The State Government will provide a grant to the organisation for operating the hospital utilising its own manpower and other resources.

(Source—iGovernment Bureau)

Maher for women Pune: Aware of the intense outrage that the issue of female foeticide has presently generated Maher Pune made a call for all public bodies and individuals to come forward to discuss this issue and help create public opinion against this atrocious and inhuman practice.

Maher established in 1997 as a home for destitute and battered women has organized an unlimited number of awareness programmes on women’s issues over the last 15 years. On June 19 Maher organized a giant rally at Shikrapur to arouse public opinion against the practice of female foeticide at Gajanan Mangal Karyalaya,

The Annual Maher Summer Sports Camp- 2012 was organised from April 19 to April 22 by children and inaugurated by Dr Babasaheb Sangle, Principal, BJS College, Wagholi. Other guests at the function included Prafulla Shivale (Sarpanch) and Rahul Shinde of Man Shakti Kendra at Lonawala. Contact: 020 – 27033421/9011086134. maherpune@gmail.com/ www.maherashram.org.

Stray Dog Workshops Mumbai: The Welfare Of Stray Dogs (WSD) held some fun-filled summer workshops for kids on various activities with a street dog theme.

Reading workshops , Story Telling , A Painting Workshop with Art For Akanksha;Photography Workshop with Arko Datta;An Origami Workshop; ‘Be a street dog reporter’—A Writing Workshop with a Journalist,; The Street Dog Treasure hunt and ending with A Mega Book Sale fundraiser held on May 21-24.Also on sale were 25 magnificent framed photographs of birds and animals in the wild shot by Mandar Deshmukh,.Call WSD on 64222838 or 9819100808 The Welfare Of Stray Dogs(WSD), Helpline : 64222838 Website : www.wsdindia.org E mail : wsdindia@gmail.com

Panchayats to call shots in MGNREGA New Delhi: The government has now given more powers to the Gram Panchayats to priorities the works and schemes to be undertaken under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in their areas. It will be upto the gram panchayats to decide which work to take up, irrespective of the priorities of MGNREGA schedule list. (Source—iGovernment Bureau)

SAMPARC grows-Be a friend Maharastra: Starting with an Orphanage at village Bhaje, near Lonavala known as ‘Balgram’ for 120 girl Children, Samparc has added several more to their name: SAMPARC is a registered non-profit making Society and Trust working since 22 years for the care, protection, education and rehabilitation of orphan, needy, destitute and children of socially victim women in the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and West Bengal. It is a recipient of “National Child Welfare Award” awarded by President of India for its endeavor in working to empower children, youth and women of weaker sections of the society.

There are other areas of work and concern include a Vocational Training Centre for Rural School dropouts in Welding, Electrical Wiremen, Motor Winding, Computer, House Keeping, Retail Sales, Tailoring and Fashion Design; Medical Centre and Medical Mobile Clinic for 25 Villages i; Women’s Self Help Groups etc.

If you want to volunteer at any of these places and be a Samparc friend, visit their Website www.samparc-india.org or email samparc_1990@yahoo.com.

Delhi plans school for deprived kids New Delhi: The Delhi Government

May-June 2012 ○

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NGO Connect ○

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AWARDS Management Development Programme - 1, from Aug. 21-24 Folk School Koraput, At Ishopanthi Ashram, Balia Panda Road, Puri, Odisha.

The Training Programme will focus on : Developing individuals for group growth; Group process and conflict resolution Setting goal and task accomplishment; Essentials of a high performance team; Role of a team leader.

The training course would help the participants with inputs on enhancingthe quality of their functioning in their teams.

The training fee is Rs. 4000/- per person inclusive of boarding, lodging and material cost. Apply by August 10th, For details call +91-9437125539 K. Anuradha,Course Coordinator Folk School, Koraput, email- folkschoolkoraput@ gmail.com

in Chennai, Delhi ,from Nov. 20th - 24

This aims to bring together those who work with communities and give them ataste of community life competence approach

Student Conference on Conservation Science, Bangalore Aug. 2-4 The Society for Conservation Biology 2nd Asia Regional Conference will be held in Bangalore Aug.711 Online and early registration (reduced fee of INR 1500) deadline 30th June 2012 Online late registration (1- 31 July only) and spot registration at venue fee INR 2000.

Workshop registrations will be online only and will be open to all paid and registered participants from 1st July 2012. The primary contact for SCCS-BNG is sccs@sccs-bng.org

Masters Programme in Social Work Centre for Studies in Rural Development (CSRD), Institute of Social Work & Research, Ahmednagar ie is affiliated to University of Pune and recognized by UGC under Section 2 (f) and 12 (b) or the UGC Act, 1956. The Institute is aided by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of Maharashtra.

Recognized by University of Pune . Full time two years post graduate degree programme offered in two specialisations viz. Uraban and Rural Community Development and Human Resource Management.

The Master’s degree programme equips trainees to work as agents of change from grassroots up to policy levels. The career opportunities are available in various field and places like hospitals, schools, industries, govt departments, industries, etc. Trained graduates after the course can also get opportunities to work in International Organizations.

The course instructions involves classroom teaching as well as field work. For more details see the website of University of Pune – MSW Guidelines. For syllabus, see Syllabus MSW I year & Syllabus MSW II year.

Strategies and Programmes for Development of Scheduled Castes July 16-19, 2012 at NIRD, Hyderabad.

The programme is designed to train Government officials about the “Strategies and Programmes for Development of Scheduled Castes”.There is no programme fee for Government officials and NGOs. Board and lodging facilities will be provided free of cost. Contact: Dr. N.V. Madhuri, Programme Director Tele. Fax. 040 – 24008488/ 09441406067 E.mail: madhurinv5@gmail. com /maduri@nird. gov.in

Decentralised Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Training programme for civil engineers, architects, urban planners, environment consultants, NGOs, students and academicians with interest in the theory, practice and policy of urban water management.

June 28-29, Course content:- New and emerging on site technologies in domestic wastewater treatment- Water efficient sanitation practices- Economics of decentralized wastewater treatment systems- Planning, designing, implementation and monitoring of localized treatment systems Further details: http://www.cseindia.org/content/trainingprogramme-decentralised-wastewater-treatment-reuse. contact:DeblinaDwivedi,CSE New Delhi Phone: +91 (011) 29955124/125 Mob: 9899596661 Email: deblina@cseindia.org

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CONFERENCES An International Summit on Waste to Energy

m o v e m e n t .

No. of Participants : 30, Medium : Kannada; Registration fee : Rs. 100/-

Theme: An emerging trend towards sustainable environmental

Food, accommodation, and training charges for all three days will be borne by Indian Social Institute. The participants will pay a fee of Rs. 100/- and take care of their travel.Contact: Sagaya Shanthi . Indian Social Institute Bangalore Email: sagayashanthi@ gmail.com Ph: 9980331471.

July 9 & 10, NDMC Convention Hall, Delhi Org. by Mission Energy Foundation Topics and key challenges:Difficulties to promote settingup of projects to recover energy from waste; Developing new technologies on waste-r-t0-energy through R&D projects and polit plants; Implement strategies to incentivize and finance new projects; Public-private partnershinps etc.

Supported by Ministry of Urban Devpt., Ministry of Power, Ministry of Environment. Chief sponsor: Jindal Steel and Power.

Contact:Bagwan: 09819984644 email: a.bagwan@missionenergy.org

India Youth Jam

Global Learning Festival Org. by Constellation, SIAAP and India Competence

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Sept. 3-9* at the Redstone Organic Farm, Panchgani, Maharashtra.

The ‘India Youth Jam’ aims to bring together 30 young, passionate changemakers from various parts of the country and diverse backgrounds, for a week of bonding, learning, shared dialogue and building bridges between the varioussocial change efforts in the country., create new collaborations, and work in the presence of friends on a similar journey.

To date, more than 40 Jams have been held on five continents, bringingtogether young leaders from more than 65 nations.

Organized by Jam alumni in India, and supported by YES!, a nonprofit organization that connects, inspires and collaborateswith changemakers towards creating thriving, just and sustainable ways oflife for all., please visit http:// www.yesworld .org.

‘Laadli’ Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity Population First, working on health, population and women’s issues invites entries for the 4th Edition of the Laadli Media Awards 2011-2012 for gender-sensitive reporting and advertisements from print, electronic and advertising media of the southern region. The Southern Region Award function will be held in Thiruvananthapuram .The Award winning entries of the Southern Region will be considered for National Awards.

Criteria for eligibility:The entries should highlight the value of the girl child and women in Indian society or promote public awareness and understanding of gender issues or contribute to public benefit.

Categories:1.News features, articles, editorials, investigative reports, op-eds, and columns from print & electronic media, web,blog, e-magazines, etc in individual category and media houses on gender issues 2. Ads and jingles from ad agencies for products, services and public service announcements.

3. Documentaries 4. Languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam Who can apply: Individuals, NGOs, bloggers, print & electronic journalists, web media & advertising professionals.

Entries should have been published / displayed / broadcast or televised between July 1st, 2010 and Dec. 31st, 2011.

Deadline for receipt of entries - July 15th, 2012 For more info Email: laadli.south@ gmail.com

The Jam will be held mainly in English. However, translation services will be available for some Indian languages.

Participants must make and cover their own travel arrangements, and also contribute Rs. 1800 toward their food and accommodation. Scholarships and/or work-trade arrangements possible. Email application to indiayouthjam@ gmail.com or or Vartika Kolkata Tel: 9830032014) – vartika.poddar@ gmail.com; Sukhmani – Chandigarh-Ph: 9779078752 sukhmani.kohli@ gmail.com ,

Leadership trg. for Dalit Women Sept. 12 - 14 ,Venue: Indian Social Institute - Bangalore.

The situation of Dalit Women in India needs special attention.

However, though women in the community are active in large numbers, they lack leadership skills. Hence a training on Capacity building for these women to enable them to lead their federations and become empowered to act as a role model and provide leadership among other women. This training will help them to build awareness, help in participating in the movement, in its struggles and actions and will help them to grow individually and also as a

S ATE R . d A

You can:

Social Entrepreneurship Outlook Programme Centre for Social Initiative and Management (CSIM) Starting Nov. 26, Bangalore For Active volunteers, NGO staff, trustees, social change agents in corporate and academic institutions and NGO founders.

Duration of the course: Classroom sessions and field action at NGOs every Saturday for 4 months.

Batch Size : 20 Venue: No. 294, 4th cross, 8th Main, Dollars colony, JP Nagar 4thphase, Bangalore - 78.

CSIM is a learning center that helps in grooming socialentrepreneurs. This management school enrolls students who have a passion for social action and change.

For moreinformation about CSIM, kindly visit www.csimbangalore. com and For further details on the course, write to: info@csimbangalore. com call Ramalakshmi Subramanian @ 9740978420 / ArunaSubramaniam @ 9886833665 .

“f you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.

--Booker T.Washingtom

* sponsor an issue for Rs. 20,000/- per issue * release an ad (10cms. x 1col.) for Rs. 1000 per issue.

Mar-Apr.2012 -

Please enrol me as your subscriber at the price of Rs.150 / USD 15 / GBP 8 per annum for 6 issues (Including postage). Please mail ___ copies at the address given below. DD/ cheques should be in the name of “Shakti Trust”

This newstabloid goes out to hundreds of NGOs, Corporate houses and the public.

Name: _______________________________________________

If you would like to insert an ad/ sponsor an issue, pls contact us.

All ad copy/ news should be sent/ emailed to: shaktisrc@yahoo.com

Type of activity: ________________________________________

Organisation: _________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ _____________________________Pin code: _______________

SHAKTI TRUST c/o ERA, 1st fl.

5E, Gulmohar, 20, Convent Road, N. M. Wadia Bldg.

123 M G Road, Bangalore Mumbai 400001 560025 Tel: 09341867487 email: shaktisrc@yahoo.com 6

Phone No:_____________ E-mail: ________________________ Cash/Cq/DD No: ___________________ Amt. Rs.____________ On Bank : ________________________ dated:______________ Mail to: SHAKTI TRUST 5E, Gulmohar; 20, Convent Road, Bangalore 560 025 Tel. No: 093418-67487 E-mail: shaktisrc@yahoo.com.

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NGO Connect ○

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May-June 2012 ○

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OPPORTUNITIES

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Manager, Delhi

The Deshpande Foundation based in Karnataka works on inculcating leadership among communities through its youth development programs. Check www.dcselead.blogspot.com

The Public Health Foundation of India, is a public private initiative to build large scale human resource capacity in public health through its three pronged integrated charter of (a) establishing a network of world class, India-relevant schools of public health & strengthening some of the existing schools (b) establishing standards for public health education through the formation of an accreditation agency and (c) strengthening research and policy in areas related to public health.

Accounts Manager - Chennai This position involves facilitating the functioning of the regional office, field offices of the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems in Kotturpuram, Chennai. This position will work directly with the Director, Research Director of the trust.

Responsibilities include: leading the 3 member accounts team in all accounts and finance related matters, assisting developing and implementing sound accounting systems and practices, maintaining project and non project accounts in 93 Tally accounting software etc.

Qual. and Exp. Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, and must be a CA Inter/ICWAI Inter Pass, minimum experience of 10 years out of which two years with a recognized NGO in a supervisor capacity; Proficient in English & Tamil, both spoken and written. Apply before July 15 to info@ciks.org

Senior Project Coordinator – Communication and Media, Delhi The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) is a leading advocacy organization working towards promoting the rights of persons with disabilities in the country. NCPEDP has succeeded in bringing about several policy changes with regard to disability. websites www.ncpedp.org and www.dnis.org.

NCPEDP invites applications from talented and committed individuals for a senior project coordinator to assist in planning & developing content for its websites and for Disability News Information Service (DNIS), a fortnightly news service which is envisaged to work like a news agency, to provide support to other NCPEDP departments in the production of all communication / printing related matter, coordinate Press Conferences.

Qual.: Post - Graduate/ Graduate degree (Preferably English Honours) Exp: minimum 2 years in content writing and editing; excellent command over English with good editing skills; personal experience/understanding of disability and disability issues (desired but not essential). Salary: 25,000 – 30,000 per month (depending on experience). Apply by June 30 to: ncpedp.vacancy @gmail.com. Address: NCPEDP, A - 77, South Extension Part II, New Delhi – 110049. Please mention the title of the post applied for in the subject line of the E-Mail or on the letter

Research Associate / Senior Research Analyst, Delhi Amaltas works in development to provide high quality, world class consulting and research services to support accelerated improvement in the lives of people in South and East Asia. Amaltas has substantial experience in executing assignments, particularly in the health sector, for governments, international funding agencies and non-governmental organizations. www.amaltas.asia The Research Associate / Senior Analyst is expected to provide technical inputs to research and consultancy projects undertaken by the organization and to take the lead in / support study design, reports and other project documentation. S/he will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer.

Qual. and Exp: Post-Graduate Degree in community medicine, economics or management from a leading university . Specific experience in the above disciplines or in public health and epidemiology would be an advantage. Proven experience of at least seven years in social research or implementation of research and consultancy projects, of which at least three years in leadership roles, is essential. Demonstrable familiarity with projects funded by the international donor community and experience of working with government programmes would be beneficial. Excellent oral and outstanding writing skills in English are required. Knowledge of Hindi and other Indian languages is desirable.

Amaltas offers competitive compensation and an enabling work environment. Applicants should submit a resume responding to the job description and requirements. Candidates may submit the resume to info@amaltas.asia along with a covering letter describing why they consider themselves suitable for the post. Deadline: 30 Jun 2012

Senior Contracts and Finance

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(despite deadlines, you are advised to apply)

Program Associate - Hubli, Karnataka

Responsibilities of the Program Associate include program management of LEaders Accelerating Development (LEAD) Program in the given area, organizing community service and youth development programs for college students, collaborating with degree/diploma colleges, recruiting and mentoring college students. Qual./exp.: candidate must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a graduate/post graduate degree in management from a reputed university with at least 1-2 years of experience in youth development programs, management or marketing or sales, flexible in travelling.Interested candidates can send their CV to talent@dfmail.org

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The USAID has awarded a 5-year project to PHFI to manage “The HIV/AIDS Partnership: Impact through Prevention, Private Sector and Evidence-based Programming (PIPPSE) Project”.”

The project will achieve its goal through: (1) technical assistance to NACO and State AIDS Control Societies (SACS) in Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, to improve the quality of Targeted Intervention programs for Most At Risk Populations (MARPs) and Migrants; and to promote private sector engagement in HIV/AIDS programs and services; and (2) to improve the coverage and access of MARPs and Migrants to a continuum of preventionto-care services.

Desired profile of the candidate: Applicant must have a Professional degree in financial management. and good communication and interpersonal skills, proficiency in spoken and written English and Hindi is essential, strong business management and negotiating skills with hands on experience of setting up of USAID-awarded project. At least 10-15 years’ experience of working with USAID or agencies with direct USAID funding of which at least 4-5 years should be with agencies with direct USAID funding, prior experience with grants/cooperating agreements/contracts under USAID and FAR regulations.• Compensation : Best in the industry.Applications, along with cover letter and detailed CV, may be sent to: hr.phfi@gmail.com by mentioning the Position code (PHFI/2012/ 21-PIPPSE) and the position name in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview.

Last Date of Receipt of Applications: 30th June 2012.

Manager, Bangalore Industree Producer Company Industree Crafts Foundation, (http://industree.org.in/) is a hybrid social enterprise based out of Bangalore linking rural producers to contemporary urban markets in an equitable way. The market end ‘Mother Earth’ a sustainable lifestyle brand while Industree Crafts Foundation is the not for profit end set up in 2000 to help develop rural producers develop enterprise and craft. Industree has reached across to more than 10000 artisans across the nation using the SHG model and integrating them to the market.

Industree’s Self Help Groups(SHGs) in Bangalore comprises of around 250 artisans working collectively with a turnover of about INR 40 million last year. Job responsibilities of the Manager: To form and manage operations of a producer company of artisans based in Bangalore and nearby areas; incubation of new self help groups and integrating into the producer company; Preparing of business plans, maintaining a timely budget and cash flow statements for all SHGs; Qual: Candidates should have a experience of social analysis and knowledge of production; proven experience of handling business / management of a production facility successfully.

S/he needs to understand SHG and group development concepts and a Post graduate in Management, Rural Development or allied subjects and minimum of 6 - 8+ years of experience. Approximate salary – Rs 4.8 – 6.00 Lakhs CTC annually

Manager – Public Projects Industree Producer Company involves directly managing all Government of India projects (7500 beneficiaries in 7 states); Skills up gradation and design development workshops in various states under the above scheme; Baseline survey and formulation of project plan & community empowerment for mobilization of artisans into self help groups. Qual: Candidates should have experience with Public Financed Projects / Cluster development. S/he should have very strong conceptual and communication skills. S/he would be a qualified Post graduate qualification in Management, Rural Development from a reputed institute with a minimum of 8-10+ years of experience. The above profile would have to travel extensively and work with communities. Salary – Rs 5.5 to 6.5 Lakhs CTC annually. To apply please send your applications with a recent photograph with 3 references via email to hr@industree.org.in by 30th June 2012

Assistant Manager - Development Support, (UP and Rajasthan) Child Rights and You (CRY) invites applications for the post of an Assistant Manager – Development Support in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Assistant Manager will be the link between CRY and CRY-supported projects in the project areas of Uttar Pradesh. Responsibilities will include planning, monitoring and evaluation of supported initiatives, assessing and providing for partners capacity building needs, environment scanning, identifying areas/projects for CRY’s intervention and planning and supporting networking efforts.

Qual: Post - Graduate in Social Work, Sociology or Rural Development from a reputed institute with 4 - 6 years experience in the field of urban or rural development, having experience in planning, monitoring and evaluating projects, interfacing with the government and other stakeholders.

Strong written and oral communication skills in English & a working knowledge of the local language are essential.

Experience of having worked with communities within the state of preference would be an added advantage.

Manager - Volunteer Action (Chennai) CRY The Manager will be the prime mover of CRY’s landmark initiative-the Public Action Groups that enable people to take action for children in their own spaces. The manager’s role would be to ensure that citizen’s voices on child rights get heard by the local administration, policy makers and the public at large, and will create opportunities for an increasing number of people to make their dreams for India’s children become a reality. Qual. & Exp: Post Graduate in Social Sciences or Social Work from a reputed institute with 5-7 years experience in mobilising/ working with youth/ volunteer groups. Strong written and oral communication skills in English and the local language are essential. Send in your CV to careers@crymail.org mentioning the Reference Code & preferred location on the subject line.

Executives -Accounts & Admin Bihar (Bodhgaya & Aurangabad); Punjab (Muktsar); Rajasthan (Sirohi);Maharashtra (Satara);Odisha (Keonjhar & Koraput), Jharkhand (Hazaribagh & Champaran), New Delhi.

A4e is a global organization that manages and delivers public services in partnership with the Government, public and private sector organizations and the not for profit sector. It works with the Indian Government, Industry, Academia, Not for Profits and Multi lateral agencies with a mandate that promotes sustainable employment by providing vocational skills and training.

4e India has been appointed as a Project Implementation Agency under the SGSY (Special Projects) of the Ministry of Rural Development to offer placement linked training and certification to rural BPL, operating out of 18 locations in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra ; head office at New Delhi.

Role and Purpose: To support the day to day Financial & Admin activities.· Help the Finance Head to maintain GL, AP, AR and FA.· Daily maintenance of Financial & Admin records.· Help & maintain the monthly MIS; Liaisoning and coordinating with various departments within the corporat/ branch offices Qual. & Exp. M. Com./ B.Com. Should be well versed in Ms office.· Knowledge of Tally is must & other financial accounting packages ; 2-3 yrs of experience as accountant in middlesized organisation. Salary: upto 1.2 L/annum based on experience, skills & competencies. Apply by July 4 to GMahmood@)a4eindia.com mentioning your current & expected CTC on your CV along with your preferred joining location/s:

Program Assistants, Delhi Sanskriti Pratishthan, works in the field of promoting and nurturing the finest in arts, culture and the environment : www.sanskritifoundation.org. Sanskriti Pratishthan requires Program Assistants at the Head office located at C-l 1, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi.The job requires assisting in the day-to-day office work and also rendering support to the Programme office in carrying out the specific projects of the Foundations initiatives. Qual: Graduate with good verbal and written communication skills and basic computer knowledge.

Fresh graduates from Delhi University are encouraged to apply. info(at)sanskritifoundation.org

Research Associate, Mumbai Executive- Projects, Pune, Concern India Foundation requires an executive at its Pune office. The candidate must have the ability for planning, monitoring and evaluation, Impact assessment and budgeting and must be willing to travel to all our regional projects for evaluation on a regular basis. Qual.& Exp: required: MSW degree is a must. Good analytical skills, effective communication and reporting skills, computer literate, good presentation skills Knowledge of Marathi language an added advantage. Freshers are welcome to apply. Please apply to: admin@concernindia.org

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for ADAPT (formerly the Spastics Society of India), a non-profit organisation in Mumbai, working in the disability sector for 40 years, The Research Associate will be working under the Founder Chairperson to assist in all aspects of research undertaken by the organisation, to guide and supervise research projects undertaken, to identify key techniques and strategies for evaluation and assessment of research activities and their impact .

Qualification required: PhD in Education/Psychology/Child Development or other related fields. Please email your CV mentioning the post and contact details of two references to Ms Shahana Chatterjee: shahana.adapt@gmail.com

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NGO Connect

May-June.2012 ○

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Media FILMS NEWS Nottanki is a traditional art form in the north. It is like a musical theater but this art form is slowly disappearing from the mainstream cultural arena. In this context Atamjit Singh(well known theater artist) and his son Sarbjeet Singh have initiated a brave attempt to experiment with the art form. They have produced a nottanki on “Bhagat Singh” This nottanki is trying to present political subjects. Ideas like equality, secularism, revolution for and by the working class, socialism, etc., are discussed in this nottanki.http:// w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=7BVWwQv04D0&feature=youtu.be Contact: Biju Mohan, Jahangirabad Media Institute. www.jmi.edu.in http://gbijumohan.blogspot.com/ Dbica Short Film Festival (DSFF)Festival which exclusively screens only Tamil Short films, Documentaries and animation films to the audience of Chennai, India Exhibit your film to various filmmakers, media students, critics, film theorists, film lovers and all those associated with the production and business of film and members of the press.

FESTIVAL DATE AND VENUE: 30th June, 2012Phone: +91-04426423930/+91-044-26651435 http:// Website: www.dbicafilmfestivals.org

Long Live Cinema presents India’s first Independent Film Database —a one-stop place for information about Independent films made in India. This database’s purpose is to serve as a repository for Indian Independent Films, creating a platform for film-makers to showcase their work to a wider audience, gain access to the possibilities of theatrical release, DVD release or film festival screenings. Check http:// indie.longlivecinema.com email:: longlivecinema@gmail.com

From The Margins: A Series of films on M (East) Ward TISS, English and Hindi, 2012 Produced by the School of Media and Cultural Studies From The Margins:8 mins, Dir. by Nikhil Titus Thomas : An introductory film which explores the present conditions in M (East) Ward and outlines the M ward project of TISS. Do Andolan :17 mins, Dir.by Avadhoot Khanolkar, Kaikho Paphro Chachei, Sumit Singh, Shazia Nigar and Raju Hittalmani.

Slums such as Jai Ambe Nagar and Sathe Nagar in M (East) Ward have been repeatedly demolished by the BMC demolitions as they are dubbed encroachments. Both Rabia, from Sathe Nagar and Manisha, from Jai Ambe Nagar are involved in the Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan (GBGBA) a movement engaged with housing struggles in the slums of Mumbai. The film explores the negotiations they and other women make in their daily lives, as they manage their homes and participate in the movement to save their h o m e s .

City’s Edge:19 mins, Dir. by Sandeep Kumar Singh, Shweta Radhakrishnan, Sharib Ali and Abhishekh Yadav. The Deonar Dumping Ground is the largest

dumping ground in Asia. Everyday, on the back of thousands of trucks, the dump receives half of all that the city exudes. And everyday most of it finds its way back- picked and processed. The dump is a powerful symbol of most of the city’s people who are constantly dumped, recycled, and dumped again, while perpetually remaining out of sight.

The film explores this space through its protagonist - Mohammad Hussain aka Babu.

Cornered City:12 mins, Dir. by Aakriti Kohli, Vikram Buragohain, Manoj Bhandare and Daisy Leivon. Ravi, a college-going youth and his grandmother, Hirabai Thorat, live in Lallubhai Compound, Mankhurd, which is considered one of the most ‘successful’ slum rehabilitation projects in Mumbai.

Originally from the pavements of P D’Mello road, they faced constant demolition and eviction due to the state’s ‘clean-up’ and ‘beautification’ drive. Narrating their personal stories they make us question the idea of an ‘ideal’ habitat and slum rehabilitation in the city of Mumbai.

Through their accounts the film explores the implications of ‘rehabilitation’ for the people who are ‘rehabilitated’.

Fish Tales: 12 mins, Dir by Shweta Ghosh, Anurag Mazumdar, Amol Ranjan and Joyasree Sarma This film traces the location of Trombay within the M-ward and the subsequent challenges posed to the Koli community in times that put into question their traditional occupation and customs, including the very borders of the fast-changing village.

Kahani Pani Ki: 12 mins, Dir. by Devendra Ghorpade, Prakash Sao, Ufaque Paikar and Arpita Chakraborthy Through the stories of Sushila Patel, a balwadi teacher and Santosh Thorat, an activist, the film highlights issues such as the threat of demolition and the lack of access to basic amenities as well as the resistance of the community to this systemic marginalisation.

Contact: Anjali Monteiro, Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay Tel: 022 2552 e-mail: monteiro@tiss.edu URL: www.cmcs.tiss.edu

In-transience: Behind the tin sheets project Documentary, 27 minutes, 2011 Dir: Yashaswini Raghunandan & Ekta Mittal “in_transience” is an attempt to find these overlaps from the migrating world(s) of the worker – behind the tin sheets, between work, after work, on the phone, at his cigarette breaks, where he fleets between the mundane and the magical.

Through the film we elusively find the worker enter into the realm of fantasy, which wanders between desire and fear, between cities and his village/home.

Good Morning Mumbai!

Animation, 12 minutes, 2010 Dir: Rajesh Thakare & Troy Vashant Winner of the Silver Conch at MIFF 2012, this beautifully animated film is about a slum tenant who sets out to do his morning duties and a series of unfortunate events that causes a barrier for the purpose he had set for. The film depicts the basic problems caused by urban growth

such as lack of space and infrastructure, sanitation problems, Pollution, density and the inter relationship with each other.

Jan Villa Experimental, 20mins/16mm/2010 Dir: Natasha Mendonca After the monsoon floods of 2005 that submerged Bombay, the filmmaker returns to her city to examine the personal impact of the devastating event. The destruction wreaked by the floods becomes a telling and a dismantling of other devastation and the sanctuaries of family and home. In its structure, Jan Villa is a vortex, drawing to its center all that surrounds it.

BOOKS Environment, Technology and Development Edited by Rohan D’Souza Rs.495 Orient Blackswan This is a collection of articles published in the Economic & Political Weekly (EPW) over the past decade which were about the question: “development at what cost?” Mr. D’Souza asst. Prof. Centre for Studies in Science Policy,JNU has divided the essays according to five thematic areas: Stories of our Time: ‘Technology as the new anti-hero’; Development solutions become Political Questions’; Rewiring technology to debate justice and equity’;; ’;Rethinking agriculture as ecological relationships’; and ‘Livelihoods versus lifestyles’.

All the articles are written by experts and those involved at the grasssroot level or researchers.

There are stories that are as relevant today as they were when they were written from the nuclear establishment, GM crops; desalinization of water public transport etc.

The book is a must-read for those who want to understand the issues surrounding various controversial topics in India today.

More than Maoism Ed. By Robin Jeffrey, Ronojoy Sen and Pratima Singh Rs. 1250 Manohar Publishers & Distributors For those who aren’t really sure about what the Indian Maoist movement is about this book’s 34 chapters which make the reader analyse and scrutinize the revolutionary movement through as many eyes. Besides a comparative analysis of the Indian and Chinese Maoist movement it is the response to the Indian State is the biggest challenge to the internal security.

Comparisons with Maoist movements in neighbouring countries; the role of women in the movement; interviews with various leaders. In India the insurgency has risen to greater offencive strategy making it a matter of political and social concern.

The Indian Maoist movement is the biggest challenge for the Indian polity and has confused the Indian citizen about the reasons for the struggle: Is it an outcome of the inefficient government policies and actions or an alien, misguided ideology.

The Game Changers:

By Yuvnesh Modi, Rahul Kumar and Alok Kothari, Random House India, 262 pages, Rs. 150.

In the 60th year of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, two students, Yuvnesh Modi and Rahul Kumar, and an alumnus, Alok Kothari, have brought out a collection of 20 stories of entrepreneurs from IIT Kharagpur in their book The Game Changers.

The book tells individual tales of success, a broader tale of what studying at an institute like the IIT can achieve, and the change that these people brought about in India and abroad-in the technological, social, agricultural and industrial sectors. From stories of Suhas Patil and how he founded Cirrus Logic, one of the first Indian success stories of Silicon Valley, to the story of Vijay Kumar who co-founded Bharati Shipyard, the first private shipyard in India to go public in 2004some are rags-to-riches stories, others of sheer genius, and yet others about the vision to bring much-needed social change in India.

A chapter titled “Tech Visionary” tells the story of Arjun Malhotra, a graduate of the 1970 batch who went on to become a pioneer of the Indian information technology (IT) industry. Malhotra was one of the founders of Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL) in the licence raj era, at a time when start-ups were a rarity, yet succeeded.

Unearthing Gender Folksongs of North India

By Smita Tewari Jassal Publ: Duke University Press The study focuses its investigation on the way songs, as an oral traditional, inform of the people’s social traditions. It is an analysis of folksongs sung primarily by lower caste women in North India in the fields, at wedding, during travels and other settings. In fact in North India there is a song for almost any and every occasion..

Ms. Jassal uses the songs to explore how ideas of caste, gender, sexuality, labour and power can be empowering, questioning through the lyrics of the songs. Naturally at the heart of the book is a library of songs in Bhojpuri with English translations.

Speaking for the Bench Selected Judgements of Jce. VR Krishna Iyer Ed. By PB Sahasranaman Oxford University Press Rs. 895 Jce Krishna Iyer can easily be considered one of the foremost judges of this decade with many of his judgements and later, after his retirement, his speeches, being spoken of as erudite, fair and inclusive. He was a “People’s judge” and this book is a part of that legend.

From Individual to Community Issues in Development Studies, April 2012 Essays in Memory of Malcolm Adiseshiah Edited by: Rathinasamy Maria Saleth, Director, Madras Institute of

Development Studies, Chennai, India Pages 280, Rs 695 Available at Sage Publications From Individual to Community brings together a set of papers that provides critical commentaries on various facets of the ongoing process of development. The book addresses issues that concern developing countries—such as globalization, economic growth, rural transformation, gender equality, educational reforms and the Dalit movement—from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Based on the theoretical framework of the normative principles, the book evaluates issues that are specifically relevant in the Indian context—rich versus poor, globalization versus sustainable development, and so on. Devoid of any ideological rigidity, this book is an unbiased exposition of the material as well as ideological positioning of globalization, development and change.

This book also commemorates the birth centenary of Professor Malcolm Adiseshiah, former Deputy Director General of UNESCO and a Padma Bhushan awardee, who was also founder of Madras Institute of Development Studies.

Growing Stories from India— Religion and the Fate of Agriculture

By Whitney Sanford The Uvty Press of Kentucky Most consumers are distanced from the origin of their food. And the production of food has become a war-like situation. The author argues that it is not necessary to “control” the production of foodepitomised y industrial agriculture.

A sustainable alternative is to balance the need for food with the needs of the earth environmentally.

The answers, she says are found in philosophy and religion and cites the story of Balram (Krisna’s brother) and the idyllic situation then.

People have used fears about food supply to justify violent industrial agriculture she suggests.

In modern India and America the model seems to be farming with toxic chemicals to raise yields and kill rivers. As the country witnesses several conflicts in agriculture, nature-friendly farmers are becoming more common and the book confirms their beliefs.

Daughter Deficit— Sex selection in Tamil Nadu

By Sharada Srinivasan Publ: Women Unlimited, Delhi Rs. 595 This book covers social, cultural, economic and political processes that have surrounded the phenomenon of “daughter aversion and son preference” among some families in Tamil Nadu leading to either sex selective abortios or neglect of the female child..

The decline in kinship marriage, dowry, small family, and family lieneage in the studied community led to the daughter deficit in that community. But these reasons could be extended to any community in any part of India.

The book concludes that attempts to create awareness in India are growing even as immigrant sex ratios in Canada and UK continue to be distorted.

All matter in the newsletter is published with the best of intentions. Printed, Published and owned by Rima Kashyap. Printed at W Q Judge Press, 97, Residency Road, Bangalore - 560 025, Published by : Shakti C/o ERA, N. M. Wadia Bldg, 123 M G Road, Mumbai 400 001 Tel. 09341867487 E-mail : shaktisrc@yahoo.com Editor : Rima Kashyap.

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