NGO Connect Vol 7 Issue 4. July - August, 2010. by ON-LYNE

Vol 7 Issue 4

Regn. no. MAHENG/2004/15104

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Jul-Aug, 2010

People who don’t know the joy of giving, keep their belongings to themselves and finally lose it” www.ngoconnect.org

A ‘SHAKTI’ PROJECT

CONNECTiNG

A COUNTRY FOR SOLD MEN!

Denounce the murder of RTI Activist Amit Jethwa

ne more dead. Yet another person who raised his voice against corruption was killed. And we remain silent. Politicians, parties, the government, officials, moneyed people and criminals have joined hands. They constitute a gang that is robbing the nation. Anyone who dares to raise his voice against this gang is killed. There is only one solution to this mayhem—the voice of the people. This recent spate of brutal and senseless murders of those who have raised their voice against corruption is a warning: our democracy is in danger; our own lives are in danger. We are the only ones who can set this right. Whenever any activist exposes corruption against someone mighty in the government, it is futile to expect any protection from police, which is directly controlled by the political executive. It is also futile to expect the anti-corruption agencies in that state to take any effective action because these anti-corruption agencies are directly controlled by political executive. The police and anticorruption agencies, on the contrary, collude with the corrupt. They either turn a blind eye to complaints and threats or openly victimise the complainant. Therefore, there is a strong need for an institution which is completely independent of political executive and has adequate powers and resources to deal with such issues.

The Empire strikes backand how!

he original report on ‘paid news’ of the Press Council of India sub-committee is relegated to the archive. Then too, it does not even appear on the PCI’s website. Presented with a chance to make history, the Press Council of India has made a mess instead. The PCI has simply buckled at the knees before the challenge of “Paid News.” Its decision of July 30 to sideline its own subcommittee’s report - which named and shamed the perpetrators of “paid news” - will go down as one of the sorriest chapters in its history. A chapter that will not be forgotten and the impact of which causes immeasurable damage to the fight against major corruption within the Indian media. Acting promptly at the time, the Press Council of India *suo moto* set up a sub-committee to probe the phenomenon of paid news. The twomember sub-committee of Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and K. Sreenivas Reddy produced a devastating report (see *The Hindu* April 22, 2010). One that observed all the norms and ethics you could demand of such an exercise. It did not carry a single allegation without full attribution. It spared no effort to obtain the responses of the groups accused of playing the paid news game. Laying the charges squarely before them, it gave them ample right of - and space to - reply. It recorded depositions from scores of individuals. In one instance, a media organisation apologised for what it had done. In another, a candidate from Andhra Pradesh placed on record the results of his own “sting” operation against a major media group. Some of these depositions were in the form of affidavits. Its outstanding effort stands reduced to a footnote in that report. The footnote says the sub-committee’s report “may remain on the record of the Council as a reference document.” (archive). This is the standard the PCI sets for the Indian media?

(excepts from an article by P. Sainath)

—Saint Thiruvallur

The Mumbai Marathon

he Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is one of India ’s biggest sporting events. Even bigger than that, is its role of being one of India ’s largest platforms for raising funds for charity. Last year the total funds raised amounted to INR 91,600,000 benefiting over 160 NGOs. United Way of Mumbai is the lead charity partner of the event. This can serve as a new and lucrative fund raising platform for an organization. Potential donors could be companies and individuals who wish to participate in this event. Any corporate or individual who applies through the charity partner gains guaranteed entry into the event. To participate, your organisation would need to register with United Way of Mumbai, the official charity partner. The run costs are: Marathon Rs. 600 ; Half Marathon Rs. 600; Dream Run Rs. 500;Sr. Citizens Run Rs. 300; Wheelchair Event Rs. 300 NGOs who wish to participate in the SCMM and raise funds need to register with UWM. The earlier an organization registers the better the chances of connecting with prospective donors. UWM puts up the list of registered NGOs on its website as well as on the event website which will help build awareness for participating NGOs. A total of 5000 running slots (bibs) have been reserved for NGOs who register for SCMM 2011. They can block a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 100 running slots each on a first-come-first served basis. This blocking can be done by just paying the event application fees based on the race category. After blocking the running slots, the NGOs will work within a pre-defined time period to find donors who would donate towards their cause. For the blocked bibs to be confirmed, the NGOs need to raise a minimum of Rs 3,000 per bib. For any queries write to scmm@unitedwaymumbai.org or call (022) 24937676/79. United Way of Mumbai, 309 Kewal Industrial Estate, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400 013. Tel: +91 22 24937676/79. www.unitedwaymumbai.org

UN recognises Right to water

he United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to adopt a resolution

recognising the human right to water and sanitation. There were 124 states in favour - 0 opposed and 42 abstentions, with the US calling for a vote. Abstaining States included, among others, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Netherlands New Zealand, Poland, Republic of Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States. We can now use this in all of our advocacy and efforts in our struggle for water justice.

NGOs may run Rs 13K cr govt plan New Delhi: The Planning Commission may rope in NGOs to implement its proposed Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for development of Naxal-affected areas This was discussed in a meeting attended by NGOs. Institute of Rural management, Gram Vikas, Pradaan and Samaj Pragati Sahyog were among the NGOs present in the meeting. “We are trying to form a new PPP model for rural India, where the private partnership will come from academic institutions, socially responsible corporate and civil society institutions”, said Mihir Shah, member Planning Commission for Rural Development. The IAP, being prepared by the Planning Commission, will require a budget of around Rs 13,000 crore. That could spell a huge opportunity for NGOs. The criteria for the NGOs to be included in the implementation of the government schemes will be decided by the Planning Commission. The proposal for formulating IAP had come from the Cabinet committee on security. The package under the plan would be for a three-year period for infrastructure development in the Naxal-affected districts, like roads, drinking water and electrification. The commission is also looking at the possibility of implementing the PESA (Panchayats Extension to Schedule Areas) Act, 1996, to give tribals the right to use minor forest produce. The special package for affected districts gains significance in the backdrop of the government’s flagship programmes, such as NREGA, Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana and Bharat Nirman, not achieving much success. (- Neeraj Thakur)

ur SEZ laws force the poor out of their only means of sustenance, without alternative, and for a pittance. It is happening quietly, but certainly. Little by little at first, and recently in ways far more brazen, whole chunks of our country are being sold.

Indian SEZs are all over the place. SEZs are not entirely new. SEEPZ in Mumbai, Kandla, Vizag and other places were all precursors. Every special zone had two distinctive elements: reduced taxes and milder labour laws. What the SEZ law now does is to make land available at a throwaway cost.

Privately owned land can always be acquired for public purposes. There are roads to be built, and dams, hospitals, bus stops, water works – everything we take for granted but which somebody has to build, maintain and run to provide the essentials of civic life. Previously, the public purpose was identifiable and while the rationale may have been questioned later, the motives were not.

For real estate developers, this is a bonanza: a statute that forces people to sell their land and simultaneously lifts all restrictions on what the developer can do on that land.

Today, civic authorities throw up their hands and say the only solution is to “privatise”. Privatise everything: from policing, to land laws, water supply and sanitation to all forms of local governance. As a vehicle for privatising an entire country, there has never been a statute as breathtaking in its sheer audacity as the law governing Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The lugubrious title of the zhunkabhaakar version of the central SEZ law, “The Maharashtra Special Economic Zones and Designated Areas Act, 2010 by a clever piece of legislative legerdemain will become ‘industrial townships’. This means that within these areas developer corporations will have all the powers of a municipal authority: transport, hospitals, health care, markets, schools and colleges, public monuments, parks, police and fire stations and even the registration of births, deaths and marriages. Governments point to China and claim that, for faster growth, India too needs SEZs. However: the first SEZ law in India was proposed in 2000, earlier in China. By 2006, China had only five or six SEZs. In India, by October 2006, a staggering 403 SEZs had been approved. The Chinese SEZs are all located near the coast, very close to major transport hubs and routes and within shouting distance of significant commercial centres like Taiwan or Hong Kong. The

The eradication of poverty is not achieved by the elimination of the poor. This is precisely what our SEZ laws do, for they force the poor out of their only means of sustenance, without alternative, and for a pittance. It comes down to our definition of progress. Where we should be pursuing the greater common good, we are, instead, only promoting the lesser private bad.

100 pledge money/time at ‘Giving Summit’ Mumbai: An elite group of business executives came together to pledge that they would donate almost Rs 5 lakh a year and dedicate 40 hours of their time to support non-profit organisations in the country. Over the next year, the 100 men and women who made the pledge at a “Giving Summit” organised by voluntary group GiveIndia, will participate in five workshops to understand areas that need attention and learn to choose an NGO or method in which they can lend their support. Inspiring the gathering was a family from the US, Kevin and his wife Joan Salwen, who, with their two children, decided one morning that they would give away half of their “things” to help others. “We associated ourselves with the Hunger project in Ghana for a five-year programme,” said Kevin. Indian couple Amit and Ardhana Chandra are emulating the Salwens. Amit, Boston educated and a former managing director of DSP Merrill Lynch, and Aradhana already have several support programmes. Now (continued on pg 5)

Poor response from NGOs for central Schemes for elders Chennai: Tamil Nadu has pioneeerd many social welfare programmes like the free nutritious meal scheme but many central govt. sponsored integrated welfare programmes for the elderly are going abegging as NGOs are reluctant to implement them. Out of the 17 central govt. sponsored programmes for the elderly,TN is implementing only three: maintenance of 78 old age homes, running of 17 multi-service centres and 6 mobile medical units. Programmes like running of continuous care homes, day care centres for dementia patients, physiotherapy clinics, mental care health centres, helpline and counseling centres, sensitization programmes for youth, providing disability aids have got little or no response from NGOs. For many of these schemes the Centre sanctions Rs. 10 lakh per year. The State provides old age pensions of Rs. 400 pm to 91 lakh poor elderly of which the Centre finances 50 percent. The State has decided to cover another 1 lakh people this year. According to the National Commission on Population by 2011 there will be nearly 20 crore people above 60…about 8.3% of the population. Thirty percent of these are below the poverty line with a majority of them in the rural areas.(Times of India, Chennai, Aug.4.)

July - August 2010 ○

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NGO Connect ○

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NGO News CONF HELD A two day workshop on “Natural Resources and Governance” with special reference to mining was held on July 31-August 1, 2010 in Bangalore. The workshop dealt with both, the issues of the accelerated abuse of Natural Resources: Jal, Jungle, Jameen, Khaneej and beej (water, forest, land, minerals and seeds), on one hand, and the deteriorating governance which is leading to a very adverse impact on the livelihood and health of the rural poor including the tribals and environment. The workshop also focused on the widespread illegal mining in Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh (AP)-Karnataka border and the role of the mining mafia of Bellary. Contact Persons: Shri Gururaj Budhya: 09448849353 (M); Dr. Vishnu Kamath: 09448265698 (M) or Shri I G Pulli: 09449865021 A training course for Voluntary Organisations on “ NGO Finance Management “ was held at Bala Vikasa People Development Training Centre, from Aug.9-11, org. by Bala Vikasa – Warangal, A.P.to give analytical skills on Financial Management and legal compliances. www.balavikasa.org. Contact Ms. Sunitha Reddy on 919849844868 or 91-870-2453255 SPJIMR’s Socialbrics organised a three day workshop on “Creating an NGO Brand” from Aug 9-11 to help NGOs in fund raising, NGO communication and projecting the organization to the masses in the right perspective. Prof.Rukaiya Joshi Socialbrics-Centre for Training & Management for Social Development <ngotraining@spjimr.org> The fourth National Convention on the Right to Food and Work, was held in Orissa from Aug.6-8 . The discussions on the first day focused on issues related to determinants of food security and hunger. The second day focused on the National Food Security Act, entitlements and government schemes. On the last day issues of access to the Right to food in areas of Conflict and displacement were discussed. The Convention ended with a Rally and public meeting. National Campaign Contacts: The Right to Food Campaign secretariat 011-26499563. mobile: 9560923178 (Deepika) righttofood@ gmail.com, website (www.righttofoodind ia.org) A two day workshop on Environment Teaching to engage the teaching community how to contextualise predominant environmental concerns such as global warming and climate change, habitat conservation, biodiversity loss, agricultural crisis, toxic waste, water insecurity, development induced dislocation and dispossession, etc was held in August in Bangalore by Environment Support Group. Contact: Bhargavi S. Rao, Coordinator (Education and Training), Environment Support Group, Bangalore-70 Tel: 080-26713559-3561 Email: esg@esgindia.org Web: www.esgindia.org Sambodhi on Aug 05-07, 2010 held programmes on Basic & Advanced Analysis using SPSS; on Aug 13-14, on Process Documentation of Development Interventions, and on Aug 20-21, on Proposal Development & Report Writing for Development Projects, in New Delhi. Contact: Anish Kumar Sahay, Excella Orbit, Sambodhi Research & Communications Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi Tel. +91 11 65492502. www.sambodhi.co.in, www.excellaorbit.com

NEERI, Jal Biradari and Mithi Nadi Sansad held a Jan sunwai on July 25 on the banks of the Mithi River, to lay in the public domain work done on and planned for the Mithi river by the various agencies, civil society’s observations and salient comments. MMRDA and BMC were invited to make presentations and build up citizens’ confidence against a recurrence of that eventful day. A plan to form Mithi Mitra Mandals for various sections from Powai to Mahim to care for the mithi in their locality was also muted.

Inauguration of the ‘Rising Star’ Pune: Seven months after it was started, Rising Star, Maher’s 24th Children’s Home was inaugurated on July 4 with fanfare and enthusiasm. Marjan Holtvluwer, Chief Guest for the function, who had substantially donated towards the construction of the home, symbolically cut the ribbon to mark the formal opening of the building. Others who participated in the ceremony were actor and guest of honour, Madhav Vaze; Ashok Pawar, MLA from Shirur; Catholic Bishop of Pune, Thomas Dabre; Bhante Kanhu Gaikwad (the Budhist monk), Maulana Hafiz Nazruk Haque and a Hindu pujari. After the lamp was lit the Maher children performed a dance that symbolized respect all religions. Mangesh Pol paid compliments to Sister Lucy on behalf of the young boys who will shortly make Rising Star their home. From November 2009 to March 2010, Maher received four different awards for its work, including the Paul Harris Fellow Award by the Rotary Club of Pune Central, the Mahaentrepreneur Award instituted by Praj Industries in recognition of her work on environmental issues; Finix Foundation, a local philanthropic organization, identified Maher for the conferment of its Award for

children on their rights, their participation and their Protection and to advocate the concerns to other stake-holders, especially in HIV programs. The consultation with children was for three days and on the final day children presented their issues to the key stakeholders. The consultation brought in issues around treatment, special concerns of semi-orphans and orphans, disclosure and adolescent specific sexual health and positive prevention.The key guests for the consultation included Tamilnadu State AIDS control society (TANSACS), AIDS Prevention and control (APAC), Community Health Education Society (CHES), Indian Network for People living with HIV (INP+), Network for Chennai people living with HIV (NCP+), South India Positive network (SIP+), Positive friends welfare Association (PFWA+) Contact: Daisy David, Coordinator, HIV & AIDS World Vision India, +91-94440 13390 w w w . w o r l d v i s i o n . i n : email:Daisy_David@wvi.org

Anhad opens office in Mumbai Anhad now has an office in Jogeshwari West, to work in Mumbai in a sustained manner on issues related to minority rights, communal harmony, defending freedom of expression and democratic rights especially amongst the youth. A Seminar on Indian Constitution and Minority Rights was held on July 3, in Mumbra, Thane in memory of Ishrat Jahan. Among the topics were Minority Rights under Indian Constitution by Mihir Desai; Communal Violence Bill and Its Implications for Minorities by Vahida Nainar,followed by Poetry Recitation by Gauhar Raza (Poet, Scientist, Filmmaker from Delhi) & local Mumbra poets. Contact:

while the childrens family contribute a minimum as base, then this would cover the rest of the expenses and also ensure sustainability of this worthwhile project. Ofcourse there will be no profits or dividends for the investors. We can think of the modalities of execution.” Dr P S Sreemathi, Head of the Department,Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, K J Hospital Research and Postgraduate Centre,182, Poonamalee High Road, Chennai 600084 EMail: sreemseshadrinathan @gmail.com

LEGAL Special bench for Seniors Chennai: In a significant move, the Madras High Court has created a special bench to hear and clear cases filed by senior citizens. On August 4, Chief Justice M. Yusuf Eqbal ordered that all cases filed by senior citizens be posted before Justice P. Jyothimani. He also directed the filing sections of the HC to make special entries regarding the cases of senior citizens so that they could be disposed off on a priority basis. Consequent to the announcement, more than 60 applications were received by the Court- within 3 days. Shikrapur women organize rasta roko to protest against voting misdeeds The women of Shikrapur were going to vote in a referendum against the liquor shops in their village until they realised that their alcoholic husbands had successfully deprived them of their identity cards required for voting. The liquor shop owners had successfully won over these men to their side through bribes and prevented the women from exercising their voting right. Furious at this shameful act of their own husbands, the women organised a rasta rook demonstration which brought the traffic on the road to a standstill for two hours. Maher workers, Sister Lucy, Vasudha Sardar and some Yuvak Kranti Dal activists tried to control the frayed tempers of the demonstrating women. The women sat on the road in the scorching sun demanding the authorities retrieve their identity cards and the right to vote again, and didn’t move from the road until they extracted from Mr. Nawale, the Prant Officer, a promise to help them vote again.

Maher News

Sister Lucy of Maher in the center at the Inauguration of the Rising Star Distinguished Social Work and Sister Lucy was presented with ‘TMC Award of Excellence-200809’ at the hands of Hon. D. Y. Patil, Governor of Tripura. Contact maherpune@gmail.com. Children’s experiences of living with HIV Chennai: In order to gain a deeper understanding of issues that affect children, a three-day regional consultation was organised from July 9-11at St.Thomas International center,Chennai. The main objectives of the consultation included a platform for expression by children on issues such as their health, stigma, education, nutrition, disclosure and Succession plan, to sensitise

Waqar Qazi, Prem Danghwal anhad.mumbai@gmail.com, anhad.mumbai1@gmail.com.

Free cardiac surgeries for kids- Chennai “Under a project ‘Needy Little Hearts’ we perform free cardiac surgeries and follow-up of poor for children. Research for prevention of heart diseases in children is another phase of this project. We have so far performed 98 surgeries. Two thirds of the expenses for each surgery is borne by the Government of Tamilnadu under its Public Private Partnership Program through Star Insurance. If the parents of these children who are to be operated are encouraged to take part in microfinancing and loans are given from various banks

Maher is actively involved in organizing Shikrapur women in the form of self help groups. Growing alcoholism among men in the village was a matter of great concern to the women. The Maher office at Shikrapur has been operational since November. An adult literacy class was started on 11th March at the Pernephata slum. The same shed accommodates three programmes: kindergarten, coaching classes and adult literacy classes. Shiamak Davar trained the children in dancing. Dr. Hemant Devasthali, Principal of Pune’s Wadia College of Commerce, has now joined Maher as an honorary advisor after his retirement. Jharkhand: . The house which has been rented is running to full capacity. The branch has 2 kindergartens and 3 Self Help Groups. Kerala: The Kerala staff are very busy organising the anti-alcohol campaign at schools,junior colleges and villages. Ratnagiri: The license was received and over 30 children returned after being sent back. Contact : maherpune@gmail.com

Tribals may get equity in mining cos . New Delhi: In a bid to put an end to antagonism in the central Indian tribal belt that feeds the naxal cadre, the government is debating providing a 26% equity in mining entities to the affected people, mostly tribals, where excavation of minerals takes place. The Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by FM Pranab Mukherjee, met to discuss the proposed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act but the debate on whether the affected people should be provided shares in the company or directly provided a share in the annual revenues from the company without getting embroiled in distributing equity remained unresolved. Pointing to the alienation of the local population, incidence of naxalism and backwardness in the minesrich belt, the ministry of mines has recommended that the people affected be provided shareholding rights, apart from the compensation given under the resettlement and rehabilitation package. The bill provides for consultation with the local community before notifying an area for mining-related activities and consultations with gram sabhas and district councils before grant of concessions for mining minerals. The bill has also suggested prior green clearances under the Forest Conservation Act before notifying an area for mining. To ensure that miners can’t get away by keeping the mining area just a bit lower than that requiring scrutiny for environmental impact, the bill provides that the ministry of environment and forests’ recommendations on minimum area for minor minerals would be followed. The mines ministry estimates that the annual earnings in case of iron ore excavation could be as high as Rs 2 lakh per year per person. The debate continues. (- Nitin Sethi)

Audio movies for visually challenged Mumbai: Swarnamadhya successfully entered into a new venture ,with India’s first ever Audio Movies. For the pre-launch & launch event of the movies visually challenged persons were present as special invitees through NAB (National Association for the Blind). The venture aims at providing quality entertainment & knowledge to the visually challenged through listening. It is also focused on converting the audience into performers and making common people aware of the problems faced by the visually challenged. A performance was held on July 23 at R.Ruia College. The 45 min performance was followed by an interaction session between the performers, organisers & audience.Contact: 9892251264 Nikhil Hazare, Pradnya Ganla Registration of Societies in Delhi decentralised Delhi Government has decentralised the registration of Societies. It will now be placed under Sub-Divisional Magistrates. You would need to go to your area office for new registrations. Records for societies already registered will remain with the present Registrar of Societies till these records are eventually transferred to the respective SDM.

NGO Connect ○

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July - August 2010 ○

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NGO News Names and Addresses of respective SDM(HQ’s): 01. SDM H.Q (North) 1, Kripanarayan Marg, Sham Nath Marg,Delhi,Ph: 23918044 02. SDM H.Q (South) B.D.O. Office, M.B. Road, Saket, New Delhi. Ph: 29536773 03. SDM H.Q (Central) 14, Darya Ganj, Delhi Tel: 23284931 04.SDM H.Q (New Delhi) 12/1, Jam Nagar House, New Delhi. Ph: 23384549 05.SDM H.Q (South West) Admn. Blk. Old Terminal Tax Building, Kapashera, New Delhi Ph: 25069185 06.SDM H.Q (West) Govt. Middle School Building Coplex, Rampura, New Delhi Ph: 27395615 07. SDM H.Q (North East) DSIDC Complex, Opp Gagan Cinema, Nand Nagri, Delhi Ph: 22132201 08.SDM H.Q (East) L M Bandh Complex, shastri Nagar, Delhi. Ph: 22013258 09.SDM H.Q (North West) Vill - Kanjhawala, Delhi Ph: 25951140 References: http://www.delhi. gov.in/wps/ wcm/connect/ DoIT_Revenue/ revenue/home

Financial wizards see big career growth in MFIs Chennai: A number of financial executives across the country are now migrating to the microfinancing sector. Executives, who have moved into this segment, comment that when a number of industries were bleeding during the economic slowdown, the microfinance sector increased its compensation by an average of 8.1% for its employees. “Over the past two years, many financial executives have chosen microfinancing as their career option. Not only that, many of them have even started their own ventures across the country. A slew of employees from Citibank, HDFC and Cholamandalam have also migrated into this segment,” said Arjun Muralidharan, chief executive officer of Trichy-based Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance. Grama Vidiyal has an outstanding portfolio of around Rs 650 crore with around one million customers. Now micro financing is not just for social purpose. It can be a profitable venture too, if the model chosen proves to be successful. With the MFIs attracting substantial private equity funding and getting corporatised, the demand for management cadres is going up. The financial executives find it to be a lucrative career with some of them planning to go public. Equitas Micro Finance India MD, P N Vasudevan, said, “Equitas has around 1,800 employees in its database spread across seven states”. A top official of Asirvad Microfinance agreed that there are many executives who have migrated from the other parts of financial sector into microfinance. MFIN, the self regulatory organisation of 37 NBFC MFIs, that aims to work with regulators to promote microfinance to achieve larger financial inclusion has appointed Alok Prasad, a veteran banker, as its CEO. “The microfinance sector as such is at its peak growth phase and it helps one touch the lives of many people. Not only that, this sector is

an important market need, as it promotes and supports the growth of our country,” said Mr Alok Prasad.

Sevalaya News -August Chennai: Akshaya Engineering College, Kancheepuram came forward and offered a completely free seat for Sevalaya’s school topper in 12th grade, Ms.Praveena, who selected the computer science group. She will not be charged any fee; in addition the hostel accommodation, food and the complete package for her four year education will be given free to her. Captain Murthy and Dr. Ananthakrishna offered their house in Chennai, to be used as “Sevalaya Yoga Prayaga” centre to teach yoga and meditation free of cost. The yoga classes began on July 11. In addition they have also offered two guest houses at Tirupathi to be used by Sevalaya. Ms. Radhika, a senior dentist in T.Nagar, has offered her clinic to Sevalaya for free treatment to poor people. Mahindra holidays and resorts offered a one day free stay in their resort in Pondicherry to the Std. X topper, Ms.Jothilakshmi.

Soc. Work Practice Seminar Bangalore: Karnataka association of Professional Social WorkersBangaore in association with the Dept. of Social Work, Bangalore Uvty. held a National Seminar 2010 on “Social Work Practice towards ethical social responsibility in the era of global diversity and equity— A challenge or opportunity on August 12/13, at the Jnana Jyothi Auditorium, City campus, Bangalore In her key note address – Prof. Janaki Andharia, Tata School of Social Sciences, Mumbai said the difference between the powerful and the powerless was growing. “The uncomfortable aspect is hat Social Work ers talk of things globalisation doesnt like. They are only inerested in economical rationalisation”. Contact 23564883

Law to protect whistleblowers passed New Delhi: The Central Vigilance Commission will be made the nodal office with powers of a civil court to deal with the complaints. A Bill to protect the persons who make public interest disclosures has been finally passed. Under the name, The Public Interest Disclosure (Protection of Informers) Bill, 2009, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) will be designated the authority to which complaints against any central government employee or central government-backed institution will be made. The CVC will have the powers of a civil court, including powers to summon anybody, order police investigation and provide security to the whistleblower. The issue of protection for whistleblowers caught the attention of the entire nation after the murder of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) engineer Satyendra Dubey who had sent a letter to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, giving an account of corruption in the construction of highways.

Life Insce for Disabilites New Delhi: Asmita - A Group Life Insurance Scheme for Parents / Guardians / Supporters of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation & Multiple Disabilities

was inaugurated

on July 29.

The National Trust is for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation & Multiple Disabilities and has been introduced by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India.,16B, Bada Bazar Road, Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi - 110060, Tel.: 011 -43187878 Website : www.thenationaltrust.in, Email : nationaltrust@ nic.in, Helpline : 011 - 26466250

Tripura gives more power to tribal council Agartala: Tripura has decided to hand over seven more departments to the tribal autonomous district council as part of efforts to provide more autonomy to tribals. “Earlier we had given five departments to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). Now we have decided to give seven more to the autonomous body,” Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma said. Tribals constitute one third of Tripura’s 3.5 million populations. The politically important TTAADC was formed under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution in 1985. The TTAADC is the most powerful self-governing body among the existing 16 autonomous district councils (ADCs) in northeast India facilitating the socio-economic development of tribals, who make up 27 per cent of the region’s total population of around 40 million. Debbarma said the 12 departments handed over to the TTAADC in Tripura include education, health, agriculture, fisheries, animal resource development, social welfare, social forestry, cultural affairs, cooperative (partial) and panchayat (partial). The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front stormed back to power in the 30-seat TTAADC last month for the second consecutive term. Tribals have been on a series of movements, including road blockades, in Manipur since April 14 demanding more financial and administrative powers for the six ADCs.

Change adoption policy to favour NRIs..... Rajkot: The rules of adoption should not differ for Indians, whether they are living abroad or in the country. There are many childless NRIs who would like to adopt a child from India, but are deterred because they have to follow intra-country guidelines meant for foreigners, often delaying the entire procedure. This is a suggestion of Kathiawar Nirashrit Balashram in Rajkot,to Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in a letter. “At present, intra-country guidelines of 2006 for adoption apply to those who have Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) or are NRIs. CT Parikh, a retired district and sessions judge and chairman of the adoption committee of the orphanage said: “In 2006, when the adoption guidelines were issued, concepts like dual citizenship for NRIs and other Indians living abroad did not exist. The question therefore is whether such Indians with dual citizenship can be treated as foreigners when they are being given the same status as a citizen living in the country,” Parikh added. Foreign nationals who want to adopt children from India have to apply through CARA, an autonomous

body under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, which has a list of recognised institutions from which children can be adopted. CARA sends the applications to the various orphanages in the country. Indian nationals, on the other hand, can apply straight to the various institutions and pick up the child they like.

Remembering Amit Jethva Lucknow: At a condolence meeting of the National RTI Forum on July 22 in remembrance of the slain RTI activist Sri Amit Jethwa, a few important decisions were taken. These included-To create a separate permanent “RTI Fund” to be operated by the Forum which shall be exclusively for RTI activists. The first substantial amount from this Fund shall be given to the family members of Sri Amit. It was also decided that since Sri Amit’s father Sri Biku bhai Jethwa has directly accused the Junagarh BJP MP Sri Duinubhai Solanki, it would be appropriate to get the investigation done by an agency outside the State. Sri Jitendra Kumar, a Supreme Court advocate has shown his willingness to pursue the matter there. It was also been decided that the details of the RTIs that were being pursued by Sri Amit shall be obtained from his father and the Forum shall now pursue them. The first issue of the Journal for Right to Information to be published on Oct. 13 this year would be dedicated to Sri Amit and one of the three “RTI Gallantry awards” to be given by the National RTI Forum wouldl be given to Sri Amit Jethava. Contact: Dr Nutan Thakur, Convener, National RTI Forum, Lucknow# 94155-34525

Care and Rehabilitation of Persons affected with Leprosy Mumbai: As part of its integrated rehabilitation of persons affected with leprosy, under its disability care programme in urban areas, Bombay Leprosy Project has been providing aids and appliances to leprosy patients attending the Main Referral Centre and satellite clinics in the slums. Though most of the patients are managed with the routine services which includes aids and appliances like splints, simple footwear, dressing kits some patients need special modified footwear. The footwear need to be specially designed and molded based on the type of deformity of the foot and costs more than the conventional one. BLP in collaboration with well wishers and donors arranged for the special footwear for some patients. Contact: <bombayleprosy@mtnl.net.in>

WEBSITES Now, you too can do your bit to conserve the ecologically sensitive western ghats. Just log on to www.westernghatsindia.org and mail any information you possess on the region. Launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), these inputs will be incorporated in the policy agenda for the biodiversity rich region. The interactive website is among the first activities proposed by the ministry when it constituted a14-member panel to suggest measures to save the region in March. “We would like people to upload documents and photographs. In fact, they can even put up comments on any aspect on the western ghats ecology that will be taken into account,”said Madhav Gadgil, chairperson, Western

WRITING & EDITING EXPERTISE Shakti has extensive experience in writing reports, documentation of workshops / seminars, production of newsletters; writing, publishing and editing of books and would be happy to offer these skill to NGOs who may need them. Contact 98203 39608

Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. Declared among the 25 global hotspots by UNESCO, the Western ghats covering states of Maharashtra, Gujarat,Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu has over the years witnessed extensive forest degradation with increasing number of resorts being constructed. Let Me Know.in is India’s web portal for youth opportunities and has received over 400,000 unique visitors from 150 Indian cities. A popular, time-efficient, and currently free channel for companies, startups, universities, international agencies and student bodies to advertise competitions, conferences, events, and jobs, and quickly gain access to students. Grassroutes create platforms where in urban communities will be able to experience authentic village experiences and re connect with their roots and the village communities access and avail of sustainable livelihood opportunities thus conserving their way of life, cultures, biodiversities and knowledge systems. We are in need of an office space, where in the Grassroutes team could work from. Our website is www.grassroutes. co.in

Women may get equal rights in adoption of children New Delhi: Women in India are likely to get equal rights in guardianship and adoption of children.The Personal Laws Amendment Bill, 2010 — introduced in the Rajya Sabha on April 22 — has been referred to the parliamentary standing committee on Law and Justice for eliciting public opinion on the issue. It is learnt that all members of the Committee were unanimous in supporting its provisions. With this, the proposed Bill, which seeks to amend the Guardians and Wards Act (GWA), 1890 and the Hindu Adoption Maintenance Act, 1956, is likely to be tabled in the Lok Sabha According to the GWA, which applies to Christians, Muslims, Parsis and Jews, if a couple adopts a child, the father is the natural guardian. The proposed amendment to the 120 year-old Act allows the mother along with the father to be appointed as a guardian, making the process gender neutral. The Bill provides for the mother to be appointed as a guardian along with the father so that the courts don’t appoint anyone else in case the father dies. The second amendment, proposed in the Hindu Adoption Maintenance Act, 1956, (applicable to Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs) aims to remove the hurdles in the way of a married woman to adopt and also give a child for adoption. Presently, unmarried and divorced women as also widows are allowed to adopt a child but women separated from their husbands and engaged indivorce battles cannot adopt a child.

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NGO News The new amendment would allow a married woman separated from her husband to adopt with the consent of her husband even during the time of divorce proceedings.However, if he changes his religion or is declared to be of unsound mind, no consent from the estranged husband would be required.

MoEF no to Upper Ganga Canal Expressway Ghaziabad: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has refused Uttar Pradesh permission to build the 148-km-long Upper Ganga Canal Expressway, contending that the project would result in massive deforestation and threaten many rare wildlife species. The decision, following an inspection ordered by the Conservator of Forests (central zone) also noted that there were already two roads on the canal’s left bank, which were being upgraded. “If the expressway is constructed, it would cause lot of damage to the vegetation all along the canal and would definitely disturb the habitat of wild life which are having natural abode all along the canal,” it added. The Ministry, in a letter to the state government, said that the construction of the expressway would lead to uprooting of around 100,000 trees in the stretch from Sanauta in Gautam Budh Nagar to Purkazi in Muzaffarnagar district which also comprises two rich protected forests and dense vegetation cover and is also bound to affect the habitat of some of the most endangered species like snakes, blue bulls, monitor lizards, porcupines, foxes, jackals, rabbits and rats. The Ministry has also criticised the state government. In his report, Chief Conservator Azam Zaidi mentioned that to subvert the process of getting approval from central government, the state government submitted the proposal in five parts so that the losses of trees and other environmental properties could be reflected at the minimum and the project come in preview of regional office for clearance without routing it through New Delhi.

Assam to set up health helpline -104 Guwahati: Medical advice in Assam will soon be a mobile phone

call away with the state government set to open a 24-hours health helpline in the state. The state Health Department on Tuesday signed an agreement with Hyderabad-based Health Management Research Institute (HMRI) for the health helpline which will start functioning from October. People facing any medical and health problem will get counselling and medical advice after dialling 104. Health Department officials said as per the understanding 50 doctors would be ready round-the-clock to reply to the queries related to health related problems. ”Doctors after hearing to the queries will provide them medical advice. Patients will get medical prescription through mobile SMS for any ailments or emergency medical need. In case of serious medical problem, our doctors would advice them to get admitted to nearby government hospitals. This is a very significant development in the state’s healthcare sector,” the official sai Besides medial help, the call centres will have facilities for psychological counselling. The project would function on public-private mode. Assam became the second state after Andhra Pradesh to have 104 helpline facilities. The state Health Department had started 108 emergency ambulance services jointly with Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI), another Hyderabad-based firm two years ago. Assam is the only state to have passed a Right to Health Law making health care a right for its people.

MoEF rejects Uttarakhand hydro project proposal New Delhi: The Environment Ministry rejected a proposal for diverting forest land for constructing a hydroelectric project in Uttrakhand’s Pithoragarh district, saying it will affect the “highly ecological sensitive wildlife habitat”. The Ministry, under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act 1980, has denied approval for diverting 217.522 hectares of forest land for 30 years for constructing the 261 MW Rupsiabagar-Khasiyabara Hydroelectric Project in Pithoragarh,. The Uttrakhand government had submitted this proposal in

December 2009 and it was rejected by the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) in May this year, citing several reasons, including the project area being highly sensitive to erosion and construction of roads further escalating the problem, reports IANS. The other reason was the wildlife management plan under the project was not adequate to ensure proper safety of major endangered species in the area, the impact of the project on endangered species needed an in depth analysis and the project was located in the mid-stretch of the river.

Uttarakhand launches ‘delayed’ literacy programme Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government planned to formally launch its delayed Sakshar Bharat Mission programme —with the objective to reduce illiteracy especially among the women. The groundwork of educating the target groups through the service of the ‘preraks’ would begin from end of July 2010, reports said. The programme which was launched pan–India in 2009 had been delayed in the state owing to some litigations in the court. The mission sets itself the goal of educating 70 million learners, 60 million of them women, by 2012 through an investment of US $1billion; it replaces the old adult literacy mission that began in 1988. The State Literacy Mission (SLM) is conducting this programme in Uttrakhand and the initial focus is on five districts where the percentage of women literacy hovers around 50 per cent. The key resource persons for this scheme have already been trained and are being deployed. The scheme is being implemented at the Gram Panchayat level with the opening of public literacy centres or Lok Shikshan Kendras which would act as clusters for education.

Haryana to construct 8,225 anganwadis Chandigarh: The Haryana government has decided to invest Rs 64 crore on building new anganwadis and upgrading the existing ones during the current financial year. ”The Haryana government will

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construct 8,255 anganwadis during the current financial year at a cost of Rs 57 crore. Besides, the existing 6,500 anganwadis will be provided with better infrastructure to improve the quality of childcare as the Union government has sanctioned Rs seven crore for the purpose,” Social Welfare Department Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary Shakuntla Jakhu said. ”The plan is to set up all anganwadis in primary schools to improve the enrollment of children in the schools. The Local Bodies Department has also been directed to issue guidelines for providing sites on concessional rate for the construction of anganwadi buildings within the municipal periphery. Pre-school education is one of the important aspects of the ICDSP and the Women and Child Development Department. The department has made it mandatory to cater to the pre-school education of the children of the age group of 3 to 6 years. All these steps are meant to make anganwadis attractive and wellequipped so that the objectives are effectively achieved,” the Principal Secretary said.

Bill to curb child abuse soon In the wake of more than half of the children under the age of 18 being victims of sexual abuse, India’s Union Law minister M.Veerappa Moily, in a landmark Bill, has attempted to curb child molesters by putting the onus on them of proving themselves innocent. In the first-ever law aimed specifically at curbing child molesters, the government proposes to put the onus of proving innocence on the accused, in a landmark shift from the existing laws. The draft Protection of Children from Sexual Assault Bill, 2010, says if a person is charged with sexually abusing a child, the prosecution will not have to prove him guilty. The accused will have to prove his innocence. Until now, child abuse cases were all tried under provisions relating to rape or sexual assault. “A government study in 2007 found 53 per cent of an estimated 420 million children surveyed had faced some form of sexual victimisation,” Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily told Hindustan Times. “This convinced us that a special law was mandatory to effectively tackle the issue.” The bill also proposes special courts to try these cases.

Amit Jethva Right to Information (RTI) and wildlife activist from Gujarat, Amit Jethva was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside the High Court in Ahmedabad on the 20th of July. Jethva was President of the Gir Nature Club and had been campaigning passionately for the protection of the forests and animals of Gir. He was murdered outside the Gujarat High court. Lucknow: On July 22, a condolence meeting of the National RTI Forum was held at its office at 5/426, Viram Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow in remembrance of the slain RTI activist Sri Amit Jethwa, the State Coordinator of RTI Forum at Gujarat who was so brutally murdered by vested interests before the Gujarat High ...Court A rally was organized on July 26 from Gandhi Peace Foundation towards Rajghat to denounce the murder of Amit Jethwa and demand that all parties make a public commitment to put appropriate systems in place to address corruption. The rally was jointly being organized by several organizations including NCPRI, Parivartan, National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM), Aasha Parivar, Yva Koshish, Journalist’s Union for Civil Society, Sadbhav Mission, Lohia Vichar Manch, Hum Hindustani, Journalist for Peace, Pardarshita, IGSS, Shahari Adhikar Manch etc. contact Aswathi at 9891148748. Rev M.J.Joseph Rev M.J.Joseph , Father of Mr. M.J.Vijayan, passed away on 11th July after a fierce heart attack at Pushpa Giri Hospital, Thirualla., Kerala. He was a pastor, and a social activist. For many years he was the chairperson of Programme for Social Action. He was involved in many struggles of Peoples Movements. The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) is deeply indebted to him. His commitment to the poor, working class, tribals, dalits and fisher people is known to everybody. He was actively involved against Emergency along with Dr. M.M. Thomas, and Bishop Mar Paulose. He was very supportive of Chengara struggle. For many years he was actively working with Dynamic Action. Contact Vijayan’s Mobile number is +91 9868165471 “Vijayan MJ” <vijayanmj@gmail. com>, “Vijayan M.J.” <vijayan@delhiforum. net>, Thomas Kocherry

A key provision of the bill, which awaits cabinet approval, is that the child should not have to face the accused while giving evidence. Other important clauses maintain that trials should be completed within a year, and that government servants or army officers found guilty could face life imprisonment. Moily also said the conviction rate in child sexual assault cases was less than five percent and putting the onus on the accused would help in raising it.Source : Hindustan Times

2nd National meet on Improving Health in India Hyderabad: The Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), an association of 3303 health institutions ranging from small dispensaries to tertiary care hospitals spread over all over India, emphasises on promoting community health, disaster management, Infectious diseases, rational drug therapy and alternative systems of Medicine.

The second national meeting of improving health in India was organized on July 30 at CHAI training centre at Medchal, with the focus on “Health is Your Right, Demand it.” The Program began with a lighting of the lamp by Dr Jayaprakash Narayan,, ex- IAS officer, President of Loksatta Party and MLA, gave his presidential address on health is your right, demand it. Prof. Dr.R.k.Mutatkar, spoke on “Community monitoring mechanism- Peoples health in peoples hand” and cited Dr Arole’s pioneering work in this field. Dr.John Franco Tharakan spoke on “Regularization of Private Health Systems”, and presented different ways how the pro-profit private sector could be regularized. About 200 participants participated in the rally in Medchal.

Vidyaposhak students Bangalore: Vidyaposhak’s approach has been to nurture the meritorious students from the economically challenged families in rural areas to continue their higher education and increase their employability through skill enhancement and transforming them into contributing citizens. The program has reached out to touch the lives of students who were in dire need of financial support to continue their education and complete education. - A sum of more than Rs.80.00 million has been distributed as financial assistance among 11,000+ students Since 2001 in the state of Karnataka and Maharastra - timely support has made it possible for many students to choose right courses and professional courses like engineering/ medicine - More than 55,000 text books have been lent through libraries/ learning centers Areas covered so far: 26 districts in Karnataka and 3 districts of Maharashtra www.vidyaposhak. org Contact: Narendran T, narendran.t@vidyaposhak.org

Manas Tiger Reserve Information System Bodoland: The environmental NGO Aaranyak in collaboration with the Forest Department (FD) of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) has developed an information database for the Manas Tiger Reserve called the Manas Tiger Reserve Information System (MANTRIS)--a web-based Geographical Information System (GIS) that will be of immense help for park managers and stakeholders besides nature and wildlife enthusiasts. It contains detailed information on all aspects of the tiger reserve including administrative centers, forest boundary, land use pattern, drainage, forest villages, NGO locations, roads network, elephant points, golden langur points, and a digital elevation model (topographic model) of the tiger reserve. The project was financially supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and is the first of its kind web-based information software on any of the protected areas in the North East of the country. The digital copy of MANTRIS is available for conservation agencies on request.Contact: Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Aaranyak, Guwahati Tel: 0361-2230250. Email: bibhab@aaranyak.org,

Pension scheme for unorganised sector workers

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NGO News Anti-trafficking Hero

yderabad: Inspector general of police Sattaru Umapathi of Andhra Pradesh is working to end ttrafficking and to alter mindsets. One day in 2005 he came across an 11-year-old girl at Prajwala, a Hyderabad-based nongovernmental organization (NGO). The girl had been rescued recently from a brothel, where she’d entertained as many as 35 customers a day. Umapathi was shocked. On probing a little further, he found that there were districts of Andhra Pradesh such as Kadapa, Chittoor and Anantapur, from which nearly every third girl had been trafficked into sexual slavery in the brothels of Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.“That’s when I realized,” says Umapathi forcefully, “that things needed to change.”

New Delhi: The government has decided to launch an ambitious old age social security scheme involving an annual pension assistance of Rs 1,000 each to four million workers in the unorganised sector for next four years, beginning this fiscal. Rechristened Swavalamban Scheme, the New Pension System (NPS) is the first major national scheme aimed at providing old-age security to all sections of society,. To finance the scheme, the government has approved an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore over a period of four years as cocontribution to subscribers of the New Pension System, the statement said. IBeginning this year, the government expects enrolment of around one million subscribers each fiscal till next four years, The government will annually contribute Rs 1,000 per pension account during the current year and for the next three years, provided the subscriber contributes Rs 1,000-12,000 p.a. The statement said the scheme would be managed by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and the government will release its contribution to PFRDA for crediting the same to the pension account of old age pension scheme. The government will also provide Rs 100 crore to PFRDA for the promotional and developmental activities for enrollment and contribution collection under the scheme. As per official estimates, a majority of India’s 30 crore informal sector workers are highly vulnerable to old age poverty because they have traditionally been excluded from formal pension provisions and are unable to access regulated retirement savings products at an affordable transaction cost.

Course in Conservation Biology and Wildlife Management Satpuda Foundation, the SGB Amravati University, the Wildlife Department of Maharashtra and

Today, just five years down the line, Umapathi, inspector general of police, is at the forefront of the movement against human trafficking in India. On 14 June, the US department of state in its Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 selected him as one of nine anti-trafficking heroes worldwide, commending his work in “rescuing victims and arresting traffickers” and in “changing the mindset of his state’s law enforcement community by teaching officials to stop treating trafficking victims as criminals”. The results of his efforts have already started showing.Over the last year and a half, 85 sex traffickers arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police department have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from 4 years to 14 years. The state now has three anti-trafficking units

Nature Conservation Society, Amravati will hold a three-week International Course in Conservation Biology and Wildlife Management in Amravati, from Dec. 2 -20. The main objective is to train wildlife biologists, managers and environmental educators in the conservation of biological diversity. The topics covered during the course include biodiversity inventory and monitoring, conservation biology, protected areas management, wildlife management and animal ecology and behavior. SGB Amravati University will host the course and field assignments will be conducted in two Project Tiger reserves in central India. Few deserving Indian participants will be selected at the subsidized cost of INR 25,000. Contact: Kishore Rithe. Email: rithekishore@gmail.com

ATREE Small Grants Programme 2010 The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE) invites proposals for its Small Grants Programme 2010. The small grant will support 7 – 8 proposals in each of the two areas of focus: Biodiversity & Conservation, and Environment and Development. Each research grant is up to Rs 1 lakh and is available for duration of 1 year. Grants can be used for fieldwork, research writing, or internships with ATREE faculty. Proposals will be accepted from civil society organizations such as NGOs, community based organizations, academic organizations and individual researchers. Last date for submission of proposals is 15 th September 2010.Contact: Madhavi Latha, ATREE, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur Post, Bangalore-560064, Karnataka. Email: madhavi@atree.org

Univ. of Mumbai The Department of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai is starting five innovative postgraduate weekend diploma courses from this academic year:Consumer Protection; Women’s Studies; Environment and Development;

based in Hyderabad, Eluru and Anantapur, which conduct rescue operations across the country. Umapathi puts the successes down to the complete change that has taken place in the mindset of police officials in the state.Trafficking, they realized, could only be tackled meaningfully if everyone worked in concert. The concept of a nodal NGO in every state, NGOs that the Andhra Pradesh police could rely on for information, take on their raids and work with closely for the rehabilitation of the victims, took shape. Sunitha Krishnan of Prajwala, who inspired Umapathi’s anti-trafficking work, believes that Andhra Pradesh’s success in tackling trafficking “demonstrates the possibility of a perfect and systematic partnership between the

Public Policy; and International Studies. For further details contact: Dept. of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai, , Kalina, Mumbai .(Telephone no. 26526175) or email: kraman24atgmail. Com

Bangalore Univ. Courses Directorate of Correspondence Courses & Distance Education in collaboration with CBR Network(South Asia) invites applications for Community based Rehabilitation Courses for the Academic Year 2010-11 offered through distance mode.Contact: CBR NETWORK(South Asia)Associate Member, Rehabilitation International, Bangalore.Tel. 91-8026724273, 26724221, www.cbrnetworksouth asia.org,email-cbrnet@ airtelmail. in

Quotes from the earth: The Environment Film Festival (2010) 4th-5th Dec 2010, New Delhi Organised by Toxics Link and India International Centre, New Delhi Call for entries: The films should be in and around the environmental milieu and be able to bring to the fore a subject/issue/ concern on it. The films should preferably be recent, however a film from the past which has not gained much public attention but deserves it may be sent. Send in your entries with the completed application form latest by 1st of September 2010.Application form can be downloaded directly from http://toxicslink. org/filmfestival /2010/web/ films.html

police, government agencies and civil society”. The police would plan raids in conjunction with nodal NGOs. Once the victims were rescued, they’d be placed in one of the homes of the women development and child welfare department. In cases where they received information about women and children from Andhra Pradesh being trafficked to other states, Umapathi’s group of officers would liaison with police officials and the nodal NGO from that state, and conduct joint raids with them. While the cases were being heard, NGOs would provide the victims, most of whom according to Umapathi are addicted to either alcohol or drugs, with counselling and de-addiction support. At the end of the process the police would, using its own funds, send the victims back home.

— non-traditional films : silent films, mobile films,animated films and photo montages 90-300 seconds in length;Student Shorts under 10 :30 mins. Upload via the WVN website (www.womensvoicesnow.org) by November 1, 2010. The prize winners will be announced at the February 2011 event in Los Angeles. Cash prizes totaling $31,000 will be awarded to the top three films in each category. Eight Honorable Mentions will receive an additional $4,000. Contact : info@womensvoicesnow.org

The JOB FAIR for People with [Dis] abilites “NO DISABILITIES, INFINITE POSSIBILITIES” 25th & 26th Sept ‘10 Venue: J .P. Naik Centre for Education and Development, Pune. Tel: 09604285631, 09823226900, 09850210443, 09890200581, 020-25385674 Email: jobfair@ekansh. org ...More information at: www.ekansh.org

A Short-Film Festival

under 21 minutes in ; Fiction Shorts under 21 minutes in length ; Experimental Shorts

One of the biggest was in Delhi in 2009, when the Andhra Pradesh police officers rescued 54 girls from the notorious brothels of GB Road. The most recent was in Pune in May. NGOs such as Delhi-based STOP, which work on the trafficking of women and children, are all praise for Umapathi. Managing trustee Roma Debabrata says it’s his (Umapathi’s) work that has made Andhra Pradesh an “excellent” model for anti-trafficking efforts. The next step, according to him, is to venture into prevention (as opposed to their current focus on prohibition).

(GiveIndia continued from pg 1) they also support Jai Vakil, a group which helps mentally challenged children, and Hear India, which supports children with hearing challenges... Both decisions were based on experiences of Amit’s own problem with hearing and Archana’s health issues. “ Even if you give five percent it does not affect your lifestyle,” said Amit. Explaining the idea behind such pledges, Narayan Vaghul, former CEO of ICICI and now chairman of GiveIndia, said, “the idea is not to narrow down our contribution to writing a cheque... We should be interested in betterment in society to create equality in opportunity.” “I began from a personal experience. We had a son and we realized that there were many who did not have a bed to sleep at night. We started by supporting an organization for orphans in Bangalore. Later, as we kept looking for more, we came across a much neglected area of mentally challenged homeless women. A group called The Banyan was working in this area and we have been supporting them,” said Dr Nachiket Mor, former ICICI board member and Chairman, Institute for Financial Management and Research. Mor inspired members to share professional skills in the area they choose. Deval Sanghavi, co-founded Dasra, which provides philanthropists with intelligent investment strategies. The former NY investment banker created India’s first venture philanthropy fund, Impact Partners in 1999. He has played a key role in incubating and scaling organisations including Magic Bus, Rural Innovations Network and Aangan Trust. “I wondered why we cannot use our skills in the non-profit sector. I started out with helping in UP and Bihar. It gave me immense personal satisfaction but the question of impact remained. That is when we founded Dasra.”

“Women’s Voices from the Muslim World” The Festival is a unique project that will highlight pro-women voices from within the Muslim World and present an unfiltered and honest account of these women’s stories. The scope of the films’ subject must be pertinent to the spirit of the Festival and should address the experiences that shape these women’s lives. Categories: Documentary Shorts

“Every conviction here translated into saving 100 girls from being trafficked,” says Umapathi. Once the system was institutionalized, success came quickly.

Unwanted Attention : Sexual Harassment in colleges in Mumbai. Prod. by Akshara, contact: aksharacentre@vsnl.com or Tel: 022 2431 6082, Price : Rs. 100/DVD Rs. 250/-

Talking about the increasing trend of investment in NGOs and spending money in India, Dr Nitin Nohria, the first Indian dean of Harvard Business School, said “Since the last two decades. People feel more secure and confident of giving and are sure of their future.” ❑❑❑

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OPPORTUNITIES Programme Coordinator Centre for Dalit Rights Location: Jaipur Last Date: 25-Aug-2010 Center for Dalit Rights (CDR), is a State level resource Centre for promotion and protection of Dalit rights in Rajasthan. It invites applications from Jaipur based candidates for the post, Programme Coordinator for Dalit women programmes at the State Office of CDR, Jaipur. Only women candidates can apply for the post. This post is for a short period and is likely to be extended Qual: graduate in social science/ humanities, 3 years experience in implementation of women rights project, Good command over English and Hindi (both verbal and written), Good understanding of socio-economic and cultural issues of Dalits in Rajasthan, aware of both national and international human rights instruments, computer skills The Programme Coordinator would be responsible for the implementation of the project in the state, coordinate with women organizers, administration and communication, and strengthen Dalit women movement in Rajasthan. Send your CVs and applications provided at:http:// www.devnetworkindia.org/ index.php? post_id=1281

Programme Coordinator The Hub, Mumbai The Hub houses all the tools, resources and connections needed to launch a socially relevant project and operate a social business. This incoudes, space,events and incubation of your idea through trainings etc. The Hub is an initiative of UnLtd India, a foundation for start up social entrepreneurs. www.unltdindia.org Responsibilities: Building the community of Hub Members, Keep in tune with members’ and their ideas/projects’ needs, Liaise with the peer Host to organise dynamic events catering to members’ needs, Financial & Administration; Monitoring. Sskills, experience and qualities: 2 years of experience -at least a year with a non-profit or social enterprise, Excellent people skills, Competent offline and online communication skills,Computer literate – Fluent English & Hindi Applicant must be over the age of 16, and have an idea or an existing project. The project must not be legally registered for more than four years. Applicants could be working part time on their idea/ project.Applicants need not have registered organizations. Contact incubation.support@unltdindia.org. Deadline for applications is August 31st, 2010

(Deputy) Director of Implementation The Micro Insurance Academy (MIA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing technical assistance in microinsurance and works with partners from civil society, academia, funding agencies and national governments in several regions of the world. We have developed a model that raises awareness among poor communities to their risks, and empowers them to manage financial risks through tailored insurance solutions that match people’s needs and ability to pay”.

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(despite deadlines, you are advised to apply)

For more information, http:// www.microinsuranceacademy.org. The Director of Implementation will be responsible for MIA’s implementations in South Asia,coordinate a team of Project Officers, and will report to the Chairman of the MIA and the Board of Trustees. Qual. experience and skills: 3-5 years experience in microinsurance / microfinance with a demonstrated track record of success in managing complex projects. Remuneration commensurate with experience and skills. Email CV and motivation cover letter to jobs@mia.org.in.with subject line “Director of Implementation.” and mention current and expected salary and earliest possible start date in your cover letter.

Programme staff for tourism-related research EQUATIONS, an advocacy and campaigning organisation working on the impacts of tourism is currently looking for people in the following thematic areas: 1.

Ecosystems, Communities and Tourism

Economic Impacts of Tourism/Globalisation Impacts and Tourism

Women and Tourism

Communication, Website, Media, and Information Management

Contact: Shanti. Email: hr@equitabletourism.org Web: www.equitabletourism.org

Couple required as foster parents Maithree runs a group home for adults in Vembakkam near Kanchipuram. This is an 8 bed facility situated in a green field surrounding, for mild/moderately retarded boys above 18 yrs. Activities include light garden work, yoga, horticulture, weaving and other group activities. We require immediately a male/ female special educator with spouse to take charge as fosterparents and live with them at the home. Salary negotiable. Contact Mrs. Uma Sridhar 94440 45159 or 044-2483 2026

Frederick Douglass Award Deadline—Oct. 1 Free the Slaves is accepting nominations for the 2011 Frederick Douglass Award. This award will be given to an individual who has survived a form of slavery and is now using his or her life in freedom to assist others. It offers US$10,000 for training and capacity building to support a survivor in continuing and expanding his or her work and a total of US$10,000 over two years to be used as he or she feels is appropriate. Both nominations and selfnominations are welcome. Individuals in any part of the world are eligible for this award. Contact: Free the Slaves, Washington DC 20036, United States. Tel: 202 775 7480 info@freetheslaves.net, freedomawards@freetheslaves.net Green Awards for Creativity in Sustainability Deadline: Sept. 30 The Green Awards were set up to recognise and reward creative work that communicates the importance of corporate social

responsibility, sustainable development, and ethical best practice in any sector and across any marketing discipline. The Green Awards showcase across 16 categories. Contact: Iain Patton, Event Producer, Green Awards, UK Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7939 3958 or + 44 (0) 20 7939 3959 Green Awards website, iain@greenawards.co.uk

Excellence in New Communications Awards Deadline: Sept. 10 The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), a group which studies new communications tools, technologies, and emerging modes of communication, and their effects, is offering its annual Excellence in New Communications Awards. These awards honour the work of individuals, corporations, governmental and non-profit organisations, educational institutions, and media outlets that are pioneering the use of social media, information and communication technology (ICT), mobile media, online communities, virtual worlds, and collaborative technologies in six divisions of business, media, and professional communications, and in 13 categories including marketing, public relations, and advertising, as well as entertainment, education, politics, and social initiatives. Entrants are asked to submit case studies detailing their initiatives and technologies. Entry fees: US$75 per entry. Contact: Jennifer McClure, President, Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), USA Tel: 408 266 9658 Email: jmcclure@sncr.org, info@sncr.org

Global Media Awards Deadline: Sept. 7 The Population Institute’s Global Media Awards are devoted to drawing attention to global population issues. The awards honour those who have contributed to creating an awareness of population problems through journalism. Entries will be evaluated on their potential to educate and inform policy-makers or the general public about issues related to population growth. Awards will be presented in the following categories: Best Article or Series of Articles (This excludes any opinion pieces); Best Book; Best Online News Service; Best Radio Show; Best Film or Miniseries; Best TV Show; Best Editorial Cartoon; Best Print Editorial or Broadcast Commentary- print; Best Online Commentary or Blog; Best Serial Drama- TV or radio; Best Game. The jury will score entries on the following criteria: Is the programme reporting: accurate and fair; easily understood by the audience; offering a new or enhanced perspective on the subject of population; relevant to the public policy debate on population or public understanding of issues related to population; and well-presented? Eligible works must have been published or aired between September 1 2009 and August 31 2010. Entry guidelines include:1. Entries must contain nominee’s name, address, phone, and email.2. Entries must be accompanied by a brief

description of the entry and a justification explaining why it should be considered for a Global Media Award.3. English translations must accompany entries in other languages. 4. Applicants must submit three printed copies of their work. Contact: Jennie Wetter, Global Media Awards Program, Washington DC United States,Tel: (202) 544 3300 ext. 108 email: jwetter@populationinstitute.org

‘Engineers for Social Impact’ This is a unique fellowship program that connects top engineering talent to credible social enterprises. It matches talented students with worthy social enterprises and increasing awareness of for-profit approaches to development.The E4SI fellowship offers support for new social for-profit ventures. The 4 ESI Fellows commit to completing the immersion experience they have been selected for at our partner enterprise, and are required to participate in a leadership workshop organized towards the end of their assignment. .http:// www.e4si. org

Child Welfare Officer Centre For Equity Studies, New Delhi’s Dil Se Campaign is a rights-based collaboration between government and citizens, with the objective of building inclusive, just, humane and caring urban settlements for the urban poor, We are liaisoning with governments all over the country to establish over 100 homes all over the country impacting more than 10,000 children directly and indirectly for which CES intends to initiate an action research project. The project is headed by the Project Coordinator and the Welfare Officer is expto ected work alongside him/her in implementing the action research project. Contact: Reshmi Mitra, Centre for Equity Studies, New Delhi Email 1: reshmi81@gmail. com

Trainers needed for program in rural Maharashtra Our work involves building employability and life skills in Tribal and Rural youth through a unique seven steps Training model (workshop) to build these skills. We are now admitting 100 students and have targeted 4000+ tribal and rural youth to be a part of the program. We are looking for Soft skill/behavioral trainers who will be certified on our methods of training. The remuneration would be commensurate with experience. Prerequisites: Flair and passion for training/coaching and mentoring the young students, Minimum 2 years of soft skill training experience. Medium of communication will mostly be in Marathi with basic understanding of English.Those interested can send their interests and a brief introduction to aditi.bhattacharya@ dheya.com .

Manager, Finance & Administration for an NGO: Delhi The Finance & Administrative Manager will be responsible for advising and supporting the Country Representative (CR) concerning overall financial and accounting practices, contracts, reports, grants, legal, HR, tax,

audit and administrative matters. Qual:The candidate must possess a post-graduate qualification in finance or business management. Preference for candidates with MBA, CA with experience of the non-profit sector in India/globally; Minimum of 5-7 years experience in finance, accounts, HR & Administrative functions supported with at least 2-3 years experience in managing or assisting to manage organization-wide functions. Apply to : pathfinder.international407@gmail.com with cover letter, Current cost to company:, Notice period in your current company, Age

Marketing-in-Charge Navnirmiti , Mumbai Last Date: September 15, 2010 Email: navnirmiti@yahoo.com Navnirmiti is a self-reliant NGO working in the field of education, especially for underprivileged children which has developed various and toys/tools for easy to learn method for subjects like Math, Language, Science and other brain teasing games. The Marketing-in-Charge must develop the market for their products and various activities. Person should be interested in working with NGOs and should have marketing experience. He will be responsible for -Development of marketing goals and strategy,incl. branding, budgeting, research etc. Contact: Neeta Ramakrishnan, 9819863382

Sr Project Manager Rural Arghyam, Bangalore Last Date: September 1, 2010 Email: geetha@arghyam.org Arghyam is a not-for-profit foundation working in the water sector in India. Check out www.arghyam.org for details. We need to hire a Senior Project Manager to strengthen our Project Grants team to Manage a set of key projects through the entire grant cycle, starting from approval to implementation to impact assessment of the project. Req: BA from a reputed institution with an excellent academic record Strong Project Management experience with 12 - 15 years in executing mid-to-large development project in WATSAN sector. Pay will be commensurate with experience. Please send your resume to jobs@arghyam.org

Program Manager – Education, Mumbai The Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that designs its own programmes in the areas of Health, Education and Employment Generation and also supports ongoing projects of various organizations.The Foundation seeks to hire Programme Manager – Education, who will be responsible for providing leadership in the Education The Programme Manager – Education, will be responsible for providing leadership in the Education vertical of the Foundation, and effectively manage various programmes & projects. Contact: Namita Ady,a Third Sector Partners Office Tel: +91 22 4349 3333 , 6660 3558, 6660 3559 www.thirdsectorpartners.com Namita Adya <namita@thirdsectorpartnerscom ❑❑❑

NGO Connect ○

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July - August 2010 ○

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AWARDS / CONFERENCES INNOVATION AWARD FOR GOONJ

eople have started thinking about this most ignored need of women—sanitary pads— on a policy level. Today GOONJ produces about 2,00,000 napkins a month by recycling donated clothing. The central government announced plans of reaching pads to 150 districts, but the implementation is yet to be seen. Recently Goonj was awrded the Marico Innovation for India award. “A proud moment for everybody who trusts and supports us. It is humbling to see that using old cloth as a resource for village development and turning old cloth into a sanitary pad is appreciated in the middle of hundreds of other technical and social The Marico Innovation for India award. innovations. replication is already happening on various levels, we are looking forward to a day when people understand the power of old material not as wastage but as a huge resource.”

Rs 20,00,000 for Innovations that democratize healthcare Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship at IIM Ahmedabad and Piramal Foundation announce “Piramal Prize 2010” - to enable bold entrepreneurial ideas with potential to reduce the burden of disease across India. The Prize is an initiative to solve the health crisis by encouraging innovative ideas in the field of health care. Entries may be in the start up/ idea/ growth stages, ideally with a prototype/pilot project completed or underway Nominees may be not-for-profit or for-profit, but should present measurable impact on healthcare in large scale. Entries may include, but are not limited to, innovations in service delivery, technology applications, health-related products, or mechanisms to address public health necessities such as potable water. Contact : Charmie Haria, CIIE, Indian Institute of Management, Tel: +91-79-66324208 Email: piramalprize@ciieindia.org http://www.piramalprize.org

The Evaluation Enclave: Making Evaluation Matter 25-28 October 2010, New Delhi A new vision is emerging of how evaluation can serve development. This calls for greater participation and dialogue amongst evaluation practitioners and users of evaluation. The evaluation conclave is designed to contribute to this vision.The conclave will bring together sector experts, leading practitioners, thought leaders and development professionals from across the globe. This event will be the first-of-its-kind in South Asia. “Making Evaluation Matter” is the theme for the conclave. The theme also reflects an attempt to move away from the methodological polarization currently characterizing the field of evaluation. For registration contact Ms.Rebika Laishram, contact@evaluationconclave.org,www.evaluationconclave.orgTel +91 47593300,40560734

XIMB’s ‘Developmental Sector Training Programs for the year 2010 Managing Change, Building Relations & Leading a High Performance Team; AFoundation Program for Development Organisations--Sept. 13-17, Bio-Waste Management for Environmental Sanitation, Human Health and forOrganic Manure--Sept. 27-29 Information Technology (IT) & E-Governance; A Foundation Programme for Govt.Officers & Development Practitioners-October 4 & 5

Green Manufacturing Nov. 24/25, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (E) Green Manufacturing is the latest buzzword of many manufacturing companies the world over. Environmentalists and manufacturers often discuss the controversy surrounding global warming and how business has impacted life on Earth.

Sub-themes of conference 1.Social psychology and Women 2.Personality and Women 3.HIV/AIDS and Women 4.Gender Similarities and Differences 5.Profession/Occupation and Women 6.Psycho-social Aspects and Foeticide 7.Crosscultural. Organized by: Government College, Malerkotla &University Grants Commission, New Delhi I

14th Praxis Annual Commune on Participatory Development

This residential workshop is an annual event that brings together development workers, policy makers and proactive individuals from across the world to share information and experiences. It provides an opportunity for the participants to exchange ideas and innovations in the field of participatory development. For further details visit www.theworkshop.in or write to info@theworkshop.in. The workshop team may be contacted in Delhi 011-47132224 (Huma and Nilima)or Bangalore, Vandana Sanjay , 080-41534699; 9845459413. Send a copy of your application by email to avworkshop2010@gmail.com

Script writing workshop for professionals in the disability sector Sept. 6-10, Noida (UP) Brotherhood, pioneer in organizing film festival on disability issues in India, is organizing 8th edition of We Care Filmfest 2011 from August 2010 to May 2011.

More than 50 organisations and volunteers exhibit their creative talents and work through various activities and

Participation at the DIREC 2010 is free of charge, attending the Ministerial Conference and visiting the Trade Show. For further details, please write to: info@direc2010.gov.in. Event website: www.direc2010.gov.in or write to Mr. Rajneesh Khattar, Tel: +91 11 4279 5054, Fax: 91 11 4279 5098/99, Mobile: +91 98717 E-mail: rajneeshk@eigroup.in and rajneeshk@direc2010.gov.in, direc2010.gov.in..

Emerging trends in Psychology Oct. 23/24 Malerkotla, Punjab, Website: http://www.psychohealth.netContact name: Dr. Mohammad Irfan Farooq

Contact Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar.

The Al Gore Sustainable Technology Venture Competition is Asia’s first and most prestigious sustainable clean technology business plan competition. The AGSTVC is a student-led business plan competition which provides mentoring, exposure, and prizes for development of sustainable technology ventures from around the world.

27th - 29th October 2010 at New Delhi India emerged in 2008 as an aspiring producer of solar PV. Both National and State Governments announced new policies to support solar PV manufacturing in special economic zones, including capital investment subsidies of 20 percent. These policies led to USD 18 billion in new solar PV manufacturing investment plans or proposals by a number of companies.

National conference on Well-being, Women and Work -

Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Thrissur (Kerala), India Apply online on www.theworkshop.in

SEVA Mela 2010: Chennai,

Conference on Renewable Energy

Contact: 1.For Child care and Geriatric: Mr Muralidharan, email id: sevalayamurali@gmail.com2. For Disability: Ms Parvathi vishwanathan: info@aikya.org3. For Environment and Women: Ms Latha Suresh: lathasuresh86@yahoo.com 4. For children Mr Radhakrishnan: surabi_trust@yahoo.com Organised by Ma Foi Foundation,16, Jayalakshmipuram Ist street,Nungambakkam, Chennai 34 Mobile No 9282339070. Prasanna” prasanna@ciosa.org.in

Sustainable Tribal Development; A Perspective programme in India” Incollaboration with CARE--Oct 23 – 25

Al Gore Sustainable Tech. Comp.

CONFERENCES

Seva Mall: Stalls for NGOs; Seva Talents: Competitions for Schools and Colleges on social issues Seva Fest: Inclusive cultural programmes by students with different abilities and talent; Food Festival: NGOs can partner with a hotel and sell food for two days. The proceedings fgo to the NGO directly

22nd to 30th September 2010 Kerala

Samhita - a collaborative social marketplace - has launched The Hari Chopra Social Awards 2010 (HCSA) in partnership with Global India Fund. HCSA disburses grants of up to Rs. 5,00,000 each to multiple organizations annually, particularly ones that integrate girls’ education, training and livelihood with health. HCSA will provide unrestricted grants for program as well as organizational support. Visit www.samhita. org to apply

The winners of AGSTVC will be given a prize money of Rs.100,000, Runners-up Rs.70,000. All participants will be mentored and will have a chance to discuss and fine tune their ideas with the best minds of the country.Contact agstvc@shaastra. org

The Events of Seva Mela:

Setting and Promoting Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises/ Entrepreneurship-initiating Self Employment: A joint program of EDII, CYSD & XIM.Oct. 7-11

To promote film festival and to involve persons with and without disability working in the disability sector as part of the upcoming film festival on disability issues, the organizers are organizing Script Writing workshop for professionals with and without disability working in the disability so that they can learn to communicate issues and concerns related to disability through the medium of films and documentaries. Last date of registration is August 31, 2010. Fees: Rs.1000/- per participant for five days. Contact: ritika sahni , TRINAYANI Email 1: trinayani.contact@ gmail.com Email 2: sahniritika@ yahoo.com

Samhita HCSA grants of upto 5 lacs p.a

performance at Valluvar Kottam on Sep 26th and 27th.

Ad.RATES

Interdisciplinary Approaches In Environmental Sciences” 12th Annual Conference of Society of Science and Environment”. Oct. 9/10, Vadodara at Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda,Vadodara (Gujarat). For details contact: Dr. Kauresh D. Vachhrajani, Division of Environment and Toxicology,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science,M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara-390002, Gujarat .M: 09427839382E-Mail: confzdmsu@gmail. com ❑❑❑ People who don’t know the joy of giving, keep their belongings to themselves and finally lose it”

You can:

—Saint Thiruvallur

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

July / August 2010

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July - August 2010 ○

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NGO Connect ○

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Media FILMS In Search of my Home Dir.by Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas 30 mins/ English/ 2010 In the world’s largest democracy live thousands of men, women and children with lost homes and forgotten names. Sheltering one of the largest refugee populations in the world, India still lacks a comprehensive domestic refugee law that could guarantee them their basic human needs and a life of dignity. In Search of My Home is a journey with a Burmese and an Afghan family, as it explores the complexities in their everyday battle for survival. Weaving their emotional stories of hope and despair, love and loss, the film uses live-action, photography, music and text narratives to tell a story that is absent from India’s collective conscience. This film was made as part of the Infochange Media Fellowships 2009.

Bannada Neralu (Under the green wood tree) Director : Umashankar swamy; 110 min / 2006 Amaresh, a small time city-based contractor, gives up his occupation in the city and comes to his in-law’s place intending to take up farming. He decides to fell the trees on his fatherin-law’s plot in order to cultivate fruit trees in their place. The saw-mill owner, to whom Ramesh has agreed to sell the trees, sends labourers to cut down the trees. Banavva, the previous owner of the plot prevents the labourers from chopping down the trees.

Dir. by Amar Kanwar/ 9 mins/ English

1876-An entertainment Dir.Anasuya Vaidya/ 29 mins/ English / 2008 Nineteen years after the First Indian War of Independence, the colonial British Government in India passed a law to suppress and control theatre. This was the Dramatic Performances Act of 1876. The Act gave sweeping powers to a government representative to ban the enactment of plays and dole out severe punishment, including imprisonment, to the playwright, actors, theatre owners and audiences for attending or getting associated with such plays. The film uses the medium of theatre to present various classes of the Act which amazingly is still on the Indian statute books. The film also briefly explores two other acts - the Entertainment Tax Act and the Societies registration Act, which together with the Dramatic Performances Act, create a stifling and oppressive environment for live performance in India. An important film in the context of campaigns against censorship and uninterrupted public viewing of documentary films.

The Lament of Niyamraja a Dongria Kond song Dir.Surya Shankar Dash 13 min/ Kui Shaman, healer, bard, druid, & farmer all rolled into one, Dambu Praska sings the soul stirring song of the sacred mountain of Niyamgiri in Orissa. The film captures some moments from this paradise which is yet to be lost to the attempts of Vedanta, an aluminium company wanting to undertake mining on top of Niyamgiri.

Neerundu Nilamundu Dir. Bala Kailasam, 40 mins. This film is about a group of government engineers working in the water sector in rural Tamilnadu who are attempting precisely that. The film traces their journey to 2003; how it started in the ‘The Tamilnadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD)’ as a voluntary experiment to review the way it provided service; its work culture, its values and performance, following several years of severe drought and the threat of privatization. Today their experiment has enlarged to include other departments working in the water sector with the engineers from TWAD, originally cynics, now taking on the mantle of trainers, passionately extolling the virtues of conservation to their brethren. The film show cases exemplary stories of individual transformation and institutional transformation suggesting a whole new way of governance through the point of view of an Agricultural Engineer undergoing training. “B. Kailasam” <bkailasam@gmail.com>

Shivaji: Sarvadharmasambhabi Chatrapati Shivarai Edited and compiled by Ram Puniyani 56 pages, price Rs.70/- . Marathi (Hindi and English booklets planned); Published by AISF Av. :Ram Puniyani (AISF) Mumbai . 022 25704032 /e-mail; ram.puniyani@gmail.com AISF ....Pradeep Deshpande 022 25638328/9867847874. e-mail; proton54@gmail.com An exclusive booklet on the Maratha King Shivaji with a view to explore the true personality of the historical king and expose those who instigate communal passions and tensions portraying Shivaji as anti-Muslim and pro-Brahman. This claim has been a set norm for long and quite a number of myths have been carried further into school texts.

The Face In The Face you see a unique image of the most brutal dictator in the world - General Than Shwe of the Burmese Military. The Face also remembers Win Ma Oo and Thet Win Aung and the sacrifices of the students of Burma in their movement for freedom. The Face is a tribute to the democracy movement in Burma and a criticism of India’s support to the Burmese military

BOOKS

‘It is true that I have sold the land, but I have not sold the trees,’ is Banavva’s argument. Banavva, becomes the laughing stock of her village because of her stand on the issue. But she does not succeed. Having lost her voice, Banavva falls silent and later dies a natural death. The impact made by her death on Amaresh and the villagers constitutes the story of ‘Banada Neralu.’

Do Din Ka Mela Directed by Anjali Monteiro and KP Jayasankar 60 mins, 2009; Kutchi and Gujarati with English subtitles “Nothing in the world will last – it is but a two day fair” sings Mura Lala Fafal, drawing inspiration from the Sufi traditions of Sant Kabir and Abdul Lateef Bhita’i. He is accompanied on the Jodiya Pava (double flute) by his nephew Kanji Rana Sanjot. Kanji taught himself to play and make his own flutes after hearing the music on the radio. Mura and Kanji are Meghwals, a pastoral Dalit community that lives on the edge of the Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. They are both daily wage labourers and subsistence farmers in an arid zone. The film is a two day journey into the music and every day life of this uncle-nephew duo, set against the backdrop of the Rann.—a vast salt marsh/desert that separates India and Pakistan. http://atwodayfair.wordpress.com/Phone: +91 22 2552 5660 e-mail: kpj@tiss.edu

‘I am – Megha’ Directed by Onir A film touching upon the lives of Kashmiri Pandits forced to flee Kashmir and starting their lives anew in a new place and environment. It is one of four films made on protagonists who share a common dream – a desire to regain their lives. The series ‘I am’ is an initiative of film director-producer Onir and actor-producer Sanjay Suri. Contact: kauladityaraj@gmail.com> Cell - +91-9873297834 Web: http:/ /activistsdia ry.blogspot. com/

Mean Sea Level Dir. Pradip Saha; English / 58 minutes / 2009 Mean Sea Level takes us through the story of the inhabitants of the small islands at the southern tip of the Indo-Gangetic Delta. Almost 7000 inhabitants have been forced to leave Ghoramara in the last 30 years, as the island has become half in size. 70000 people in the 9 sea-facing islands are at the edge of losing land in the next 15 years. For these people climate change is real. Rising Sea level, 2mm a year, is resulting in daily insecurity for home and livelihoods. Experiences of this new breed of climate refugees are a little different from simplistic explanation of sea level rise that will cover their islands with water. These rivers break islands 24/7 to create the extra space. People face a constant loss of their land and home to erosion, and keep on moving inside the islands till there is no space. Mean Sea Level is a testimony of the reckless political economy of our times.

Radiation Stories

Gandhi’s Children

Produced and directed by Amudhan R.P 54 min; 2010; Tamil with English subtitles The lush green ambiance of Kanyakumari district conceals the artificially created radioactive sand dunes and large number of radiation related deaths and illness.Trucks carry around radioactive sand across villages and towns through the day and night. Ponds, rivers, plants, trees, our crew and shooting equipment all can be possibly radioactive. Some call it natural radiation. Some call it man-made radiation. The film explores the impact of radiation in the day to day life of the villagers in Kanyakumari district. Contact Deepu 9448367627, Uvaraj -9448371389

Dir. David MacDougall; India/Australia 2008, 185 min. English & Hindi with English subtitles Gandhi’s Children tells of the boys in a shelter in Jahangirpuri, Delhi. You see them in their daily routine - making beds, having lessons, washing their clothes, the pranks of the older boys - but beyond that they tell of all the things they’ve already had to experience in their relatively short lives. There are criminal children among them, handed over by the police, but also orphans, outcasts, the abused. A tender joy beams from their faces as a couple of small pickpockets praise the artistry with which they pinch a mobile phone from a stranger’s pocket, and mimic the movements with their fine-featured hands.

Shivaji has been manipulated by various political parties and groups with communal tags since last four decades. The book speaks out for attempts and firm steps taken by the King to guard his republic against the exploiting and powerful sects in his times. He treated his people with equal justice and never resorted to divide them on communal line. There’s a special document on the Muslim Army heads and others who remained honest and faithful to their King .

Govt. Annual Reports 2010 Rs. 200 each. (Free Courier/ Postage) Depts of Biotechnology, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Commerce, Food & Public Distribution, Health & Family Welfare, Health Research, Space, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers, Civil Aviation, Coal, Commerce & Industry, Communication and Information Technology, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Culture, Defence, Development of Ne region, Environment & Forests, External Affairs, Finance, Heavy Industriesand Public Enterprises, Home Affairs, Human Resource Development, Information and Broadcasting, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Mines; New and Renewable Energy, Overseas Indian Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs; Personnel, public Grievances & Pensions; Power; Social Justice & Empowerment; Statistics and Programme Implementation; Steel; Textiles; Tourism; Water Resources; Women and Child Development. Contact Nitish Kumar Rai, Marketing Manager, Delhi Information Bureau, New Delhi. Tel: 011-23324142, 23324153 Mobile : 9968390759 , 9968144355 Email: dib747@hotmail. com .Web : www.bookskhoj. Com

Breathing Space A Fact File of 600 Reserved Open Spaces in Greater Mumbai A Survey by CitiSpace, 276 Pgs ; Price: Rs. 350.00, students and institutions for Rs.250.00. Hard & Soft Copy: Rs. 50/- per detailed survey CitiSpace –Citizens forum for Protection of Public Spaces, conducted a survey of Reserved Public Open Spaces of Greater Mumbai in 2008-2009 which was published as a book in June 2010. CitiSpace is an NGO which networks over 600 Resident Associations, Community Based Organisations (CBOs), NGOs, Trade/Commercial Establishments and individuals in most of Mumbai’s 24 Wards. The data includes all Recreation Grounds and Playgrounds as designated in the Development Plan and all large plots measuring 15000sq.m or more in area, irrespective of their reservation, that are acquired by the MCGM. The plots have been colour coded according to their existing status. Additional information on any of the surveys carried in the book is available at the CitiSpace office in hard or soft copy for a nominal price of Rs.50.00/per survey – this will include the proforma details, the location of the plot on the Development Plan, the satellite image of the plot, a sketched layout of the plot at the time of the survey and pictorial evidence. Available at CitiSpace, Mumbai, Contact: 22021621/ 22882018; Email: citispace@nagaralliance.org

Social Development: Critical themes and perspectives Publ. Routledge, NewYork; Ed. By Manohar Pawarand David R. Cox Focused on Social Development in the 21st Century, the book contains chapters on Conceptual Understanding of Social Development, Local Level Social Development, Participatory Development; Self- Reliant Development; Capacity Building for Local Development; Building Partnerships for Social Development ; Personnel for Local Level Social Developmen; Importance to Poverty Alleviation of Bottom-Up Approaches to Social Development ;The Ethics of Social Development Hartley Dean.

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. 9820339608. E-mail : shaktisrc@yahoo.com Editor : Rima Kashyap. Design : Nagashree Girish 8

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