Friday 29 July 2016

CfPs | CCI National Conference on the Economics of Competition Law | 2-3 March 2017 in New Delhi

CCI's National Conference on the Economics of Competition Law 
2-3 March 2017 in New Delhi

Call for Papers
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is organizing the second annual two-day National Conference on the 'Economics of Competition Law' on 2-3 March 2017 in New Delhi. Papers are invited from Economists on the following
broad themes:
  • Market definition and measuring market power
  • Economics of cartels and collusion
  • Economics of abuse of dominant position
  • Economic analysis in merger review
  • Any other theme related to enforcement of the Competition Act, 2002.
Interested scholars are invited to send an abstract of 100 words and an extended abstract of 1,000 words of original research papers along with their bio-data and professional contact details to ecoseminar@cci.gov.in. The last date for submission of abstract is 5th September 2016. Authors of the accepted papers will be invited to present their papers in the conference. Depending on the quality of submissions, some papers may be considered for publication by the CCI. The authors of the selected papers will be considered for honorarium. Those from outside Delhi/NCR would also be eligible for reimbursement of TA/DA on the submission of original bills and invoices. For details please visit http://www.cci.gov.in.

CSIR-NISTADS Vitarka/Policy Debate on India's Current Agricultural Trade Policy is not Water Sustainable | 24th August | IIC New Delhi

Vitarka: A CSIR-NISTADS Outreach Programme for Inclusive Policy Debate

Topic: "India's Current Agricultural Trade Policy is not Water Sustainable"

Date: 24th August 2016 at 6:00 PM (Tea: 5:45 pm)

Venue: India International Center, Seminar Hall 1, New Delhi


NISTADS is planning a small group discussion comprising maximum 30 participants from various section of the society. Participation in Vitarka is by invitation based on direct invitation or selection from requests received through web registration. Kindly register on NISTADS website for participation by 20th August 2016. Email from NISTADS will be sent by 22nd August 2016 to the participants whose participation is confirmed.

About Vitarka
An active and inclusive public debate can make significant contribution to policy formulation and policy advocacy. CSIR National Institute for Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) is launching a public discussion forum Vitarka. The primary goal of Vitarka is to engage the public in policy debate for techno-socio-economic transformation, especially through S&T intervention.
Vitarka is planned as an open environment platform for informed and participative discussion. Vitarka sessions will be organized at India International Centre (IIC).
CSIR-NISTADS invites public and all stakeholders for their views, contribution and participation in this techno-socio-economic developments initiative. Vitarka will greatly benefit from your contribution and participation. The topics planned under Vitarka can range from Clean Water, Carbon Taxes, Energy, GM Crops, and Stem Cell Research to Space Mission and Nuclear Policy.

Background Note
Eliminating hunger and malnutrition has been a pertinent challenge for India since Independence. Despite the tremendous growth and phenomenal industrial and economic performance, India is still home to 190.7 million under nourished people (FAO and UN, 2014, The State of Food Insecurity in the World), a quarter of all undernourished population in the world. Moreover, projections of India’s population reaching 1.6 billion by 2050 (UN, Department of Economics and Social Affairs, June 2013, World Population Prospect) shall entail much higher food requirements than today. It is of highest priority for India to ensure secure access to food by every one of its citizens, now and for the future. Climate change, resource constraints, distribution and storage are some concerns that threaten India’s food security. 
Agriculture, the soul of food security, is a highly intensive resource sector. Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of total global freshwater withdrawals, making it the largest user of water. At the same time, the food production and supply chain consumes about 30 percent of total energy consumed globally (FAO 2011, Issue Paper: Energy-smart Food for People and Climate). Food security is related to the nexus between water and energy, and while water and energy are required for irrigation, energy is vital for water access, and water is critical for energy production. While water scarcity in the region increases, food price hikes and food access become grave concerns for many. A balance is crucial for the nexus approach. Agriculture is undeniably a resource intensive sector and this fact comes along with a need for efficient and effective management of finite resources, in order to ensure long term sustainability of agriculture and thus food security for all.
India is poised to lose its entire available water supply within 500 years if its current food export policy continues, a new method of calculating “virtual water” flow through trade has shown. India, in contrast, is a net exporter of water through agricultural products and the new analysis claims: “This can lead to a slow but irreversible loss of water sustainability”. India’s main exports are cereals, tea, coffee, cashew nuts and sugar, which all require vast amounts of water. The analysis concludes that the net virtual water export alone can severely impact on a nation’s long-term water sustainability. 
Water shortage in India is not merely because of bad monsoon. Water is now a policy challenge. Several countries have started analysing water demand and supply in the context of agricultural, trade and industrial policies. India and China are the world's biggest countries (in terms of population) and their water policies are the subject of global studies. Studies of Stockholm Water Institute and International Water Institute (available on the internet) show that China is managing its water resources better. Rainfall in India is 50 per cent higher than that in China, but India's water resources are 67 per cent of those of China's and per capita water availability is declining faster than that in China.
Looking at the exploitation of groundwater, river water and other water resources, India needs a comprehensive policy change on its water usage. This is essential because India hosts a massive virtual water trade at the domestic level, which involves the cultivation of crops like cotton, sugarcane and paddy in low rainfall areas of north-west and their supply to eastern states.
Through this debate, we would like to address the following questions:

  • What policy interventions (trade, investment, natural capital, climate) are needed to build co-ordination among water, energy and food sectors to address the issue of resource conflicts?
  • What are the technology solutions in agriculture that can support in attaining optimum efficiency and utilisation of resources along with the balance in the nexus? Are there market mechanisms required to mainstream such technologies?
  • What are the strategies needed to prevent incoherence of macro policies with local problems of resource availability and usage?
  • How can farmer ensure efficient use of resource keeping the Water-Energy-Food nexus in perspective?


Further Details
Dr. Mohammad Rais
Coordinator: Vitarka-NISTADS Outreach Programme (NOP)
CSIR-NISTADS, Pusa Gate, K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012, India
T: +91-11-25843052 (office)
E: mohammad_rais[at]hotmail.com; rais[at]nistads.res.in

Thursday 28 July 2016

New Book | Grassroots Innovation Movements | by A Smith, M Fressoli, D Abrol, E Arond, & A Ely |

Grassroots Innovation Movements
by Adrian Smith, Mariano Fressoli, Dinesh Abrol, Elisa Arond, & Adrian Ely. Routledge , 2016, paperback, ISBN: 9781138901223.

About the Book
Innovation is increasingly invoked by policy elites and business leaders as vital for tackling global challenges like sustainable development. Often overlooked, however, is the fact that networks of community groups, activists, and researchers have been innovating grassroots solutions for social justice and environmental sustainability for decades. Unencumbered by disciplinary boundaries, policy silos, or institutional logics, these 'grassroots innovation movements' identify issues and questions neglected by formal science, technology and innovation organizations. Grassroots solutions arise in unconventional settings through unusual combinations of people, ideas and tools. This book examines six diverse grassroots innovation movements in India, South America and Europe, situating them in their particular dynamic historical contexts. Analysis explains why each movement frames innovation and development differently, resulting in a variety of strategies. The book explores the spaces where each of these movements have grown, or attempted to do so. It critically examines the pathways they have developed for grassroots innovation and the challenges and limitations confronting their approaches. With mounting pressure for social justice in an increasingly unequal world, policy makers are exploring how to foster more inclusive innovation. In this context grassroots experiences take on added significance. This book provides timely and relevant ideas, analysis and recommendations for activists, policy-makers, students and scholars interested in encounters between innovation, development and social movements. This book is part of the STEPS Centre's Pathways to Sustainability book series.

Table of Contents
Part 1: Overview
1. Introduction Download Chapter 1 
2. A Conceptual Framework for Studying GIMs
Part 2: The Cases 
3. Movement for Socially Useful Production
4. Appropriate Technology Movement
5. Peoples' Science Movements
6. Makerspaces, Hackerspaces and Fablabs
7. Social Technologies Network
8. Honey Bee Network
Part 3: Lessons
9. Grassroots Innovation Movements: Lessons for Theory and Practice
10. Conclusions: Constructing Pathways for Sustainability with the Grassroots

About the Authors
Adrian Smith is Professor of Technology and Society at the Science Policy Research Unit, and a researcher with the STEPS Centre (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability), University of Sussex, UK. Mariano Fressoliis assistant researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET, Argentina) and researcher at CENIT (Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación) and STEPS Latin America. Dinesh Abrolis Professor at the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), New Delhi India, and a Visiting Faculty with the Transdisciplinary Research Cluster on Sustainability Studies at Jawarhalal Nehru University. He was previously a Chief Scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies, India. Elisa Arond is a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, USA, and is also affiliated with the STEPS Centre, University of Sussex, UK. Adrian Elyis Senior Lecturer at the Science Policy Research Unit and Deputy Director of the STEPS Centre (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability), University of Sussex, UK.
 

Wednesday 27 July 2016

New Book | The Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India's Foreign Policy | edited by A. Ganguly, V. Chauthaiwale & U.K. Sinha

The Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India's Foreign Policy
edited by Anirban Ganguly, Vijay Chauthaiwale, Uttam Kumar Sinha. Wisdom Tree India, 2016, Hardback, ISBN: 9788183284837.

About the Book
States today are far more engaged in diplomacy than ever before, actively building relations with other states to harness their mutual commercial and cultural strengths. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's outlook to global affairs is no different, yet there is a nuanced approach in linking India's foreign policy to domestic transformation. While on the one hand, his policies seek to attract foreign capital, technology and open foreign markets for Indian products, on the other, they are geared towards regional stability, peace and prosperity. All events are texts to be analysed and the authors in this volume do so but emphatically underline that India's diplomacy under Modi has got a go-getting edge, that it is no longer foreign anymore but a matter of public affairs and that with Modi at the helm, India is set to leverage its role and make itself a ‘diplomatic superpower'. The nuanced and thought-provoking essays, by some of the most well-respected analysts and practitioners of diplomacy, make this book a must-read for not just professionals and serious readers but for the uninitiated as well. Know more: http://Twitter.com/TheModiDoctrine


Table of Contents
Foreword | Arun Jaitley | Modi's Foreign Policy as Problem Solving
Modi: A Global Leader But India First
Chapter 1 | The Modi Phenomenon: Rebooting Indian Foreign Policy | Cleo Paskal
Chapter 2 | Harnessing Multilateral Orders to India's Interests and Principles | Ramesh Thakur
Chapter 3 | Diaspora Factor in Modi's Diplomacy | Sreeram Chaulia
Rajmandala of Bilateral and Regional Connect
Chapter 4 | Steady Progress on India–US Security Ties under Modi Government | Lisa Curtis
Chapter 5 | India's Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh: Its Importance and Implications | Tariq A Karim
Chapter 6 | Narendra Modi: The Leader with Clear Vision | Karan Bilimoria
Chapter 7 | India and Sri Lanka: Right Leadership at the Right Time | Asanga Abeyagoonasekera
Chapter 8 | Modi's Modernising Effect: A Perspective from Nepal | Hari Bansh Jha
Chapter 9 | India–Afghanistan Relations: A Review | Shakti Sinha
Chapter 10 | Framework for Sustainable Relationship between Bangladesh and India | Shahab Khan
Chapter 11 | India–Japan Relations on a New High | Takenori Horimoto
Chapter 12 | India–Germany Relationship: Strengthening the Strategic Partnership | Christian Wagner and Gaurav Sharma
Chapter 13 | Modi in Central Asia: Widening Strategic Perimeter | P Stobdan
Chapter  14 | India–Mongolia: Spiritual Neighbours and Strategic Partners | Gonchig Ganbold
Thematically Tied to the World
Chapter 15 | Enhancing Economic and Strategic Space: Key Goals of Prime Minister Modi's Diplomacy | Mukul Asher
Chapter 16 | Cleaning Rivers in India: Experiences from Bavaria/Germany | Martin Grambow, Uttam Kumar Sinha and Hans-Dietrich Uhl
Chapter 17 | Energy Security: A Priority Concern for the Modi Government | Virendra Gupta
Chapter 18 | Modi's Economic Diplomacy: Turning Conventions on their Head | Manoj Ladwa
Chapter 19 | Defence Diplomacy: Good, and Needs to Get Better | Nitin A Gokhale
Chapter 20 | India's NSG Membership Quest: Completely Justified | Satish Chandra
Chapter 21 | Modi and India's Civilisational Quest | Anirban Ganguly


Monday 25 July 2016

New eBook | International Comparative Performance of India's Research Base (2009-14): A Bibliometric Analysis | by NSTMIS, DST, India

International Comparative Performance of India's Research Base (2009-14): A Bibliometric Analysis
by National Science & Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS), Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, New Delhi, India, April 2016, eBook.

Table of Contents

India at a Glance
Introduction
Chapter 1. Output, Growth, Impact and Excellence
Chapter 2. Collaboration
Chapter 3. Knowledge Transfer
Chapter 4. Top 30 Academic Institutions
Chapter 5. Indian Researchers
Chapter 6. Top 10 Publications with Indian Affiliation

India's Scientific Research Performance: 2009-2013
Salient Highlights (DST Commissioned Study 2016: International Comparative Performance of Research Base - A Bibliometric Analysis, Elsevier, SCOPUS database)
Volume and Global Share of Publications
  • India's scientific research output has shown a significant rising trend over the past few years, research papers publication increased by 68% from 62,955 in 2009 to 106,065 in 2013. In 2013, India produced more research papers than Italy, Canada, Spain, Australia, Korea, Sweden, Singapore and other BRICS countries except China.
  • India's global share in scientific research publications increased from 3.1% in 2009 to 4.4% in 2013. In 2013, India's share in global research output by subject areas was highest in Pharmacology and Toxicology (13.5%) followed by Chemistry (7.1%), Chemical Engineering (6.4%), Material Science (5.4%), Environmental Science (5.4%), Veterinary Sciences (5.4%) and Physics & Astronomy (5.2%). India's scientific research publications grew by 13.9% (CAGR) as compared to 4.1% for the world during 2009-13.
Research Disciplines and National Output
  • India's volume of research publications by discipline was highest in Medicine, Engineering, Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry in year 2013. Publication share in national output by discipline in 2013 was highest in Medicine (20.5%) followed by Engineering (19.9%), Physics and Astronomy (14.3%), Chemistry (14%), Computer Science(13.5%), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (13.1%) and Material Science (12.1%). During 2009-13, high growth rate (CAGR) of research publication was observed in Pharmacology & Toxicology (17.3%), Medicine (16.9%), Computer Science (16.7%), Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology (15.3%), Engineering (14.5%). While Chemistry observed a growth rate of 7.9%.
Collaborations
International

  • 17,006 papers from India were the product of international collaboration comprising 16% of India's total research publication output in 2013. During 2009-13, India's international collaboration by research publications was highest in Physics & Astronomy (26.7%) followed by Earth and Planetary Sciences (24.0%), Material Science (22.4%), Mathematics (22.3%) and Chemistry (19.1%). India's top 3 international collaborating partner countries in research publications were USA, UK and Germany during 2009-13. India's share of international collaboration in world output increased from 3.3% in 2009 to 3.9% in 2013.
National
  • In 2013, national collaboration accounted for 32.1% of India's total scientific research output. In 2013, academic-corporate collaboration accounted for 1.2% of India's total scientific research output.  2013, academic-corporate collaboration was highest for Sweden (6.2%) followed by Japan (5.4%), Germany (5.2%), USA (4.7%), Britain (4.3%), Korea (4.1%), China (1.8%), BRICS (1.6%) and SAARC (1.1%). During 2009-13, the academic-corporate collaboration globally was concentrated in subject areas such as Engineering, Computer Science, Material Science and Energy. In case of India, it was concentrated in subject areas such as Computer Science, Chemistry and Pharmacology, Toxicology & Pharmaceutics.
Citation Impact
  • During 2009-13, India registered a citation impact of 0.75, higher than Russian Federation (0.62). Subject area-wise, citation impact was highest in Engineering (0.94) followed by Material Science (0.89), Chemical Engineering (0.87), Energy (0.87). In 2013, citation per paper (CPP) was highest in Chemical Engineering (4.53) followed by Chemistry (4.4), Material Science (3.83) and Energy (3.5). In 2013, India's citation share was 3.4% of the world citations. In 2013, India holds around 3% world share in top 25%, 10%, 5% and 1% of cited papers. This shows that India's growth is quite aggressive at the very top end of the excellence scale.
National Research Institutions
  • During 2002-2014, top 5 research institutions in terms of volume of publication were Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur; Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; University of Delhi, Delhi and Anna University, Chennai. During 2002-14, top 100 research institutions include DST's research institutions namely Indian Association for Cultivation of Science, Kolkata; Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore and Bose Institute, Kolkata. During 2002-2014, DST research institutions fall within 10 of the top 100 research institutions in terms of citation per paper (CPP). The top position being occupied by Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore followed by Indian Association for Cultivation of Science, Kolkata (4th); and Bose Institute, Kolkata (6th).
Prepared by: CHORD (NSTMIS) Division, Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, April 2016.

New Book | Moments of Eureka: Life and Work of Selected Indian Scientists | by Vigyan Prasar, CSIR-NISCAIR & RSTV

Moments of Eureka: Life and Work of Selected Indian Scientists
edited by Gauhar Raza, R. Gopichandran, Gurdeep S. Sappal & T. V. Venkateswaran. Vigyan Prasar, India, 2016, INR 400, Hardback, ISBN: 9788174802835.

Foreword by M. Hamid Ansari, Vice-President of India
When RSTV started the program 'Moments of Eureka', which showcased the life and the work of noted Indian scientists, I was very happy for two reasons. One, that RSTV was taking a step forward in fulfilling its mandate of being a knowledge channel for the country, and two, that the program would highlight and bring into focus the continued contribution of our scientists to nation building,which had not received its due attention. Over the past two years, this program has interviewed over 100 scientists who have excelled in their chosen fields.
The program is intended to inspire the younger generation in celebrating science and exploring a career in science. It brings home the message that for a nation to progress, it needs its brightest minds devoting their attention to solving problems of fundamental as well as practical nature. The program has also highlighted the important role played by our scientific and research institutions which provide the required facilities and congenial environment, enabling the scientists to continue with their work.
Spreading and promoting scientific temper is our Constitutional duty. The phrase 'Scientific Temper' with its current attributes was first articulated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his book 'Discovery of India' wherein he said that "scientific approach and temper are, or should be, a way of life, a process of thinking, a method of acting and associating with our fellowmen".
The quality and sustainability of the program has been the result of the collaborative efforts of three institutions, namely, CSIR-NISCAIR, RSTV and Vigyan Prasar. The decision to transcribe and publish 53 select interviews of eminent scientists in a book form will increase the reach and shelf life of the ,message that the program seeks to convey. I wish to congratulate and offer my best wishes to all who have been associated with the production of this series and preparation of this publication.


Sunday 24 July 2016

New Book | Scientifically Yours: Selected Indian Women Scientists | by Vigyan Prasar & CSIR-NISCAIR

Scientifically Yours: Selected Indian Women Scientists
edited by Gauhar Raza, R. Gopichandran, T.V. Venkateswaran, & Kinkini Dasgupta Misra. Vigyan Prasar, India, 2016, INR 150, Hardback, ISBN: 9788174802842.

About the Book
Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with CSIR-NISCAIR, has developed inspirational film titled "Scientifically Yours" on Indian Women Scientists who have contributed significantly to Indian Science. The films on Indian women scientists are unique one as this section of society has not been sufficiently covered in the country. This is a collective effort of the institutions to bring the women legend scientists on to the centre stage and highlight their achievements and contributions.
A Curtain Raiser of the films was screened in the presence of media persons along with other invited guests from scientific institutions and laboratories. The would help in creating role models for students and researchers especially for girl students and motivate them in pursuing careers in basic and applied sciences. The women scientists of eminence have been identified from various fields of research such as Physical sciences, Biological sciences, Chemical sciences, Immunology, Agriculture etc. The films have been produced in discussion mode at CSIR–NISCAIR studio.
The book presents transcripts of their interviews broadcasted on Rajyasabha Television. The book covers interviews of following Women Scientists:
1.  Indira Nath
2.  Bimla Buti
3.  Manju Sharma
4.  Vibha Tandon
5.  Sumita Saxena
6.  Kasturi Datta
7.  Chandrima Shaha
8.  Rupamanjari Ghosh
9.  Renu Khanna Chopra
10. Charusita Chakravorty
11. Chitra Sarkar
12. Shashi Wadhwa
13. Riddhi Shah

Saturday 23 July 2016

New Book | Public Health Perspective on Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines: A compilation of studies prepared for WHO | by the South Centre

Public Health Perspective on Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines: A compilation of studies prepared for WHO
by Carlos M. Correa. The South Centre, Geneva, 2016, ISBN 9789291620470.


About the Book: The purpose of this book is to facilitate the elaboration of national health policies and strategies to improve access to medicines, using fully the flexibilities allowed by the WTO's TRIPS Agreement. It includes documents of the WHO written by Professor Carlos Correa and published between 1997 and 2009. As consultant to WHO, Professor Correa helped to initiate and formulate WHO policy perspectives and to provide advice to Member States on intellectual property issues relating to the production, distribution and use of medicines. The content of this book illustrates the pioneer role that WHO played in identifying the public health implications of the binding rules introduced by the TRIPS Agreement.

About the Author:
Dr. Carlos M. Correa is Special Advisor on Intellectual Property and Trade of the South Centre and Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on Industrial Property at the Law Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires.

Table of Contents
Chapter I The Uruguay Round and Drugs
Chapter II Trends in Drug Patenting: Case Studies
Chapter III Protection of Data Submitted for the Registration of Pharmaceuticals: Implementing The Standards Of The Trips Agreement
Chapter IV Implications of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health
Chapter V Implementation of the WTO General Council Decision on Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health
Chapter VI Guidelines for the Examination of Pharmaceutical Patents: Developing a Public Health Perspective
Chapter VII Guide for the Application and Granting of Compulsory Licences and Authorization of Government Use of Pharmaceutical Patents



Friday 22 July 2016

Call for Research Proposals | NSE-IGIDR Corporate Governance Research Initiative, 2016

NSE – IGIDR Corporate Governance Research Initiative

Call for Research Proposals - 2016

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) are collaborating to promote academic research on Corporate Governance in India. This is the third year of this Initiative. The Initiative invites academics and scholars working in the areas of economics, finance, law and management disciplines to submit research proposals that are relevant for understanding, designing and implementing best-practice corporate governance policies. Proposals can be submitted under two categories, those specific to India (Group 1) and those relevant to emerging market economies in general (Group 2). Six projects in total will be selected by the Initiative and a token honorarium of USD 2000 will be paid per project.

Topics

The topics of interest to the Initiative include but are not limited to:

  •  Ownership and control structures, their evolution, minority shareholder rights,the role of large shareholders and institutional investors
  •  Governance issues in family firms/business groups including the role of internalmarkets, insider control, relational contracting and succession planning
  •  Board size, CEO duality, role of independent directors, Board assessment and term limits
  •  Gender and board diversity
  •  Auditor and audit committee independence
  •  Accounting and auditing standards, disclosure practices, transparency, and earnings management
  •  Related party transactions
  •  Role of proxy advisors in governance
  •  Governance of financial institutions and institutional investors
  •  Governance by financial institutions and institutional investors
  •  Corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investing
  •  Governance of public and private sector companies including listed and unlisted companies
  •  Executive compensation
  •  Mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance
  •  Corporate governance index
  •  Laws, regulations and enforcement
  •  The role of value, ethics, and trust in governance

Procedure for Submitting Research Proposals

Researchers can submit proposals in Group 1 or Group 2 or both. Each research proposal should consist of at most three single-spaced pages, and must mention the Group under which it is submitted, project title, CV of the principal investigator (PI) and the institution where the PI is affiliated; information on any co-PIs; a one-paragraph summary of the project; the project's intended contribution relative to the literature; the data to be employed; research methodology; and preliminary results (if any). While research proposals that are in the early stages of conception/formulation are also encouraged by the Initiative, proposals that are at relatively advanced stages are more likely to be accepted, provided they are still revisable. However, the project must not have been sent for publication in any form (working paper or otherwise) and the authors of the selected projects must undertake to first publish their papers in the Working Paper Series of the NSE and IGIDR.

The deadline for submitting research proposal is July 31, 2016. Research proposals should be emailed in a single file in pdf format to: nse-igidr-cg@igidr.ac.in. Project approval decisions will be intimated by August 15, 2016.Fifty percent of the honorarium will be made available upon approval of the proposal and the remaining fifty percent will be made available if the following conditions are met:

The Principal investigator of the approved project must

  •  Submit a preliminary draft by November30, 2016 for peer review. The Initiative will provide the author with a review report within a month of submission.
  •  Submission of the first revised draft incorporating reviewer comments by March 1, 2017.
  •  Present (or have a co-author present) the revised draft at a research conference to be organized by the NSE-IGIDR in Mumbai, India in end March, 2017 (dates to be confirmed).The NSE would cover the expenses relating to economy class airfare, accommodation and local transport arrangements for the presenter of the paper in the conference.
  •  Submit a second draft incorporating reviewer comments and discussions at the Conference byMay 31, 2017, on which a final set of comments will be provided by June 30, 2017.
  •  Submit by July 31, 2017, a final paper that gives due consideration to all comments and feedback for inclusion in the Working Paper series of the NSE and IGIDR.

Selection Committee

The committee to screen and approve the projects consists of:

  • Wenxuan Hou: University of Edinburgh Business School
  • Jayant Kale: Northeastern University, Boston, USA
  • Jayati Sarkar: Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, India
  • Subrata Sarkar: Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, India
  • Burcin Yurtoglu: WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany

About NSE

NSE is the largest exchange in India that has brought about a high degree of transparency, speed, efficiency and safety in the Indian securities market. As part of its mandate, NSE uses listing and disclosure standards and compliance monitoring to promote high standards of governance in its listed companies. Besides, it conducts workshops and seminars to discuss issues relating to corporate governance.

About IGIDR

IGIDR is an advanced research institute located in Mumbai and established by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country's central bank.Faculty and students at IGIDR contribute to qualityresearch in the areas of money, finance, governance and other areas related to development.The Institute carries out projects funded by various international organizations like the World Bank, USAID, Asian Development Bank, and IMF. IGIDR is well known for its biennial India Development Report that surveys contemporary economic issues.

Further Details

Thursday 21 July 2016

CfP : India-EU Water Partnership Workshop on Water Allocation, Water Economics and Ecological Flows in River Basin Management | New Delhi | 14-15 September

India-EU Water Partnership Workshop on Water Allocation, Water Economics and Ecological Flows in River Basin Management

When? 14-15 September 2016

Where? The Park Hotel, New Delhi.

What? A two-day workshop to analyse water allocation challenges in river basins in India, with special emphasis on Ganga Basin, focusing on key issues regarding related rules and procedures, as well as the consideration of socio-economic and cultural aspects and the role and implementation of environmental flows, within the planning process. The workshop aims to provide an overview on the current status, planned developments and challenges in India, the EU and OECD countries. An outline of European and international experiences will enable the identification of commonalities and potentials of tailor-made adaptation of EU approaches to tackle challenges in India.

Why? The EU Delegation in India, the Ministry of water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the National Mission Clean Ganga have agreed to develop actions towards the implementation support for the Ganga RBMP. Some exchange on principles of the EU Water Framework Directive already took place at the India-EU Water Forum in November 2015, via briefings in February 2016, and Workshop was developed in June 2016 on river basin management planning and governance.

This workshop will be held in cooperation with OECD and WWF and builds on the previous activities of the IEWP. The top elements to be included in this workshop are:

  1. Setting of agreed targets, rules and implementation procedures for water allocation (between users and territories);
  2. Setting of agreed targets, rules and implementation for the environmental water allocation (environmental flow).
  3. Considering socio-economic and cultural aspects within the river basin planning and management, so that water allocation contributes to sustainable growth and development in India, besides ensuring environmental objectives.

Who? The meeting is targeted to some 50-60 water resources managers at the Union (e.g. NMCG, NWM) and State level, as well as key stakeholders, experts and implementers. 

Please approach the Support Service for further information and if you're interested in participating. This website will be updated as soon as further information is available.


If you are interested in attending the workshop, you can pre-register here. However, this registration is not a guarantee to attend.

Documents: PDF icon Draft programme 20 July 2016

Further Information


Wednesday 20 July 2016

Call for Abstracts: Lives of Data Workshop | 6-7 January 2017 | at CSDS, Delhi, India

Lives of Data Workshop
6-7 January 2017
at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi, India


Call for Abstracts
'Data' has been recently termed as the new oil, new soil, new world currency and the raw material for the new industrial revolution. It has been hypothesised that the era of Big Data will finally see the 'end of theory'. This hyperbole has it that the new technologies being developed today can produce truth based on computations of large amounts of machine readable digital data. Beyond such deterministic claims, the 'Data Revolution' indeed poses compelling theoretical and methodological challenges in all fields with stakes in knowledge. The present conjuncture, we would argue, is loaded with possibilities for rethinking 'data-driven knowledge' through longer histories of classification, enumeration, quantification, techno-scientific practices, and forms of media storage, retrieval, computational analysis and use.
Scholarship in the emerging field of data studies has established close connections with science & technology studies (STS), and media and software studies. There is now a growing body of work which questions the Big Data hubris and the excesses of the post Web 2.0 digital deluge. 'Raw Data', as Geoffrey Bowker and Lisa Gitelman among others have suggested, is an 'oxymoron'. In the Indian context, concerns about statistics, governance and knowledge, evident in the histories of colonial census, the work of P C Mahalanobis at the Indian Statistical Institute and the Planning Commission, the emergence of scientific computing in the 1950s-60s, government regulation of media, electronics and telecom, provide a vivid background to think about the new technics, materiality and aesthetics of our digital cultures.
In times when Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have passed their initial developmental hype-cycles and mobile phones have somewhat flattened the so-called 'digital divides' (while creating many new ones), the fields of information research in India are grappling with socio-technical reconfigurations of a widening scope and scale. The projections and contestations around our much promoted march towards a #DigitalIndia with the world's largest biometric database (#Aadhaar); a nation-wide digging campaign for broadband connectivity in villages and the building of one hundred #SmartCities; and the intense pursuit of the 'Next Billion' users by a floating array of large technology companies and startups (#FreeBasics, #StartupIndia); have inundated the space for reflection and critique. The many known and unknown lives and after-lives of data in this ecosystem of flux demand description, interpretation, concepts, and – if the data permits – theory.
In the past Sarai has organised workshops on 'Social & Cultural Lives of Information' and the 'Lives of Information', to reflect upon the cultures of information practices and the connections between colonial and post-colonial information infrastructures in South Asia. Continuing our focus on contemporary realities, ICTs and infrastructures, the 'Lives of Data' workshop aims to encourage research on pertinent questions concerning 'data' – its imaginaries, infrastructures, knowledge politics, and techno-science and media cultures in India and South Asia.
The 'Lives of Data' workshop hopes to bring together interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners to examine the historical and emergent conditions of data-driven knowledge production and circulation in Indian and South Asian contexts. We are interested in a conversation which dynamically moves back and forth in science, technology and media history and anthropology to reflect upon the many layered abstractions and materialisations of data, information and knowledge.

The key questions which the workshop will explore are:

– What is data? How is it imagined, collected, archived, developed, scraped, parsed, mined, cleaned, used, interpreted, re-produced, circulated and deleted?
– How do we map the relationships between data, infrastructure and knowledge production?
– How do we reimagine data and information through longer histories of statistics, bureaucracy, governmentality and development?
– What are the stakes involved in analysing the ever increasing volume, velocity, variety and value of data? How do practitioners understand the changing nature of their work with data?
– How do we conceptualise the new data publics?

Workshop themes include:
– Histories of State and Statistics, Classification, Enumeration and Planning
– Data Analytics, Data Ontologies, Digital Objects
– Digital Humanities, Computational Social Sciences, Cultural Analytics
– Cultures of Software Engineering and Design
– Data, Memory and Materiality: Archives, Paper/Digital Databases, Warehouses, Data Centres, Server Farms
– Thinking through Digital Infrastructures: Hardware, Code, Meta-Data, Formats, Protocols, Programming Languages, Information Architectures, Algorithms, Apps, Interfaces, Platforms, APIs, etc.
– Data-Driven Urbanism: Geographies of Mobile Computing, Locative Apps and Social Media, GIS, and Smart Cities
– Openness, Transparency and Access to Data/Information/Knowledge. #RTI #OpenData #DNAProfiling #Copyright #Encryption #Privacy
– Platforms as Government: Transnational Networks of Intermediaries and the Flows of Data/Capital
– 'SysAdmin' like the State: Bio-Politics, Surveillance, User/Citizen, Governance, Policing and Law. #Aadhaar #ITact #CyberSecurity
– 'Beautiful Data': Design, Aesthetics, Vision and Visualisation

The Sarai Programme invites submission of abstracts for the 'Lives of Data' workshop. Besides academic researchers, we strongly encourage media, design and software practitioners to apply for the workshop. Abstracts should not exceed 300 words, and should be sent to dak@sarai.net by 15 September, 2016, with the subject heading 'Proposal for the Lives of Data Workshop.' Authors of the selected abstracts will be notified by 01 October, 2016.
The workshop will be held on 06-07 January, 2017 at Sarai-CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi. The Sarai Programme will cover three days of accommodation for outstation participants. In addition, participants from India will be eligible for travel support.

Further Details

Monday 18 July 2016

Intellectual Property and Access to Science| by Carlos M. Correa | The South Centre Research Paper No. 69, July 2016

"Intellectual Property and Access to Science"
by Carlos M. Correa | The South Centre Research Paper No. 67, July 2016.


Abstract
: The boundaries between scientific and technological knowledge are nebulous in some technical fields, such as the biological sciences and their applications. This has led to the appropriation under patents of knowledge (such as on specific genes) of scientific nature, which may not only have negative effects for the further development of science and new technological contributions, but also encroach on the fundamental right of access to science. The patenting policies adopted by some universities and other research institutions may aggravate this problem. Court decisions in the USA and Australia and some national laws (e.g. Brazil) have limited the possibility of that appropriation, which is still feasible, however, in many jurisdictions. Other measures – such as a well formulated research exception, the limitation of the patent claims' scope, and legislation mandating open access to research results achieved with public funding – may mitigate the effects of the exclusivity granted by patent rights, but more fundamental policy changes may be necessary in order to preserve scientific outcomes in the public domain for free use and follow-on research.

Call for GYA New Members | Join the Global Young Academy (GYA) in 2017

Call for New Members

The call for GYA membership from 2017 is now open. The deadline for applications is 25 September 2016.

Applications are sought from young, independent scholars who combine the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering impact.

Research fields: The call is open to all scholars working in any research-based discipline, including the sciences, medicine, engineering, social sciences, the arts and humanities.

Excellence: Applicants must be able to demonstrate a high level of excellence in their discipline.

Impact: The Global Young Academy is committed to a broad range of programs around the world to support young scholars, promote science to a broad audience, engage in policy debate, and foster international and interdisciplinary collaboration. Applicants should provide evidence of interest or experience in one or more of these areas.

Age/career point: Applicants should be in the early years of their independent careers. The majority of the GYA's members are aged 30-40 and the typical period from completion of a PhD or similar degree is 3-10 years. Applicants falling significantly outside these ranges may be considered under exceptional circumstances.

Diversity: We encourage applications from all qualified candidates. Applications from women, researchers in the social sciences, arts and humanities, scholars working in government, industry, and non-governmental sectors, and from candidates in regions where the GYA has no current representation are particularly welcome.

Expectations: Each GYA member is expected to attend the GYA Annual General Meeting each year and is also expected to actively contribute to one or more of the organization's programs, which include participation in policy development, promotion of National Young Academies, supporting science and education at the international level. The GYA is an active working group, and being a member requires a time commitment on each member's part. In the event that applicants are selected as new GYA members, they should be available to attend the next Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled for the week of 15 May 2017.

Applications should be completed personally by the candidate and must be accompanied by a letter of support. Application forms and instructions can be downloaded below and should be emailed to applications@globalyoungacademy.net.

Downloads:

GYA Call for New Members 2016 (PDF)

GYA Membership Application Form 2016 (MS Word)

GYA Selection FAQ 2016

 

Call for new members 2016

Apply now!

The 2016 call for new members to join the Global Young Academy in 2017 is now open. Applications are sought from young, independent scholars who combine the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering impact.

See the full call for more details >>

New eBook | 2016 State of the World's Forests - Forests and Agriculture: Land-Use Challenges and Opportunities | by FAO

2016 State of the World's Forests - Forests and Agriculture: Land-Use Challenges and Opportunities
by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, 2016, eBook, ISBN 9789251092088.

Summary: Forests and trees support sustainable agriculture. They stabilize soils and climate, regulate water flows, give shade and shelter, and provide a habitat for pollinators and the natural predators of agricultural pests. They also contribute to the food security of hundreds of millions of people, for whom they are important sources of food, energy and income. Yet, agriculture remains the major driver of deforestation globally, and agricultural, forestry and land policies are often at odds. The State of the World's Forests (SOFO) 2016 shows that it is possible to increase agricultural productivity and food security while halting or even reversing deforestation, highlighting the successful efforts of Costa Rica, Chile, the Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Tunisia and Viet Nam. Integrated land-use planning is the key to balancing land uses, underpinned by the right policy instruments to promote both sustainable forests and agriculture.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Trends in Land-Use Change
Chapter 3: The Governance and Management of Land-Use Change
Chapter 4: Making Room for Forests and Food Security
Chapter 5: Towards Better Governance of Land Use for Forests and Agriculture

CfPs: CSIR-NISTADS National Workshop on Opportunities and Challenges for Regional Innovation System | 6-7 October | IIC New Delhi

CSIR-NISTADS National Workshop on Opportunities and Challenges for Regional Innovation System
October 06-07, 2016
Venue: India International Centre, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi


Call for Participation

In the modern globalized world, the economic development of a country is premised on its ability to develop, adapt and harness its potential to innovate. Most of the governments in world including India are proactive in initiating policies that would promote a culture of innovation and create institutional mechanisms for exploiting innovation for socio-economic welfare.
India has made a strong commitment for creating an innovation driven economy through novel policy initiatives/national mission programs 'Make in India', Skilling India, Startup India. Given the federal structure of the Indian economy, these critical programs will be successful if innovation culture permeates at the regional level and institutional mechanisms evolve that can help translational efforts.
In this context, CSIR-National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies is organizing a national workshop on regional innovation system and relevant issues. The workshop would consist of a mix of invited and contributed papers along the following themes. The workshop intends to provide valuable insights for policy makers and scholars to underscore the interventions that can strengthen regional innovation system.

Workshop Themes:
  • Innovation System - A National Perspective
  • Indian Regional Innovation System
  • Regional Innovation System - International Perspective
  • Regional Innovation System - Case Studies
  • CSIR Impact in Promoting Regional Innovation System
  • Pressing Problems of India and imperative for S&T Intervention

Key Dates
  • Deadline for submission of extended abstracts July 25, 2016
  • Communication of acceptance of abstracts August 10, 2016
  • Submission of full paper September 15, 2016
  • Conference dates October 06-07, 2016

Format for Extended Abstract: Extended abstract (around 500 words) .should preferably include following subsections (a) Purpose (b) Design/Methodology/Approach (c) Findings (d) Implications (e) Originality/Value (f) Keywords (minimum5)
The papers should not have been published earlier in any form. Authors of the accepted papers will be invited to present their work at the workshop and their expenses on travel, accommodation will be covered by NISTADS. Papers by PhD students below 30 years are particularly encouraged. All submissions should be sent through email at istipworkshop2016@gmail.com. All other communications regarding the workshop should also be addressed through the above email.

Organizers
: This conference is being organized under the project ISTIP (Indian S&T and Innovation Policy). This is the first study of its kind focusing on various dimensions of innovation activity in India; aiming at providing valuable inputs for S&T and Innovation decision making.

ISTIP Project Leaders:
Dr. T.Jamal; Dr S. Bhattacharya; Dr. S. Pohit; Dr Y. Suman.

Friday 15 July 2016

New Book | Technology-Enabled Learning Implementation Handbook | by Commonwealth of Learning, 2016

Technology-Enabled Learning Implementation Handbook

by Adrian Kirkwood and Linda Price. Commonwealth of Learning, Canada, 2016, eBook, ISBN: 9781894975810.

 

Foreword

In its Strategic Plan 2015-2021, "Learning for Sustainable Development," the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) introduced a new initiative - Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL). There has been a significant increase in access to technologies, particularly mobile technologies, in developing countries in the past decade, and more educational institutions, teachers and students in the Commonwealth now have access to digital tools and the Internet. However, this increase in access to and use of these technologies is not evenly distributed across all countries, and technologies are not being used to their full potential in some areas. The interventions planned under the TEL initiative will allow more government and educational organisations to "adopt policies and strategies for, and devote resources to, technology-enabled learning for innovation and skills." In order to achieve these outcomes, COL has embarked on several activities with governments and educational institutions to promote policy, technology and capacity building.

The Technology-Enabled Learning Implementation Handbook has been developed to assist educational institutions in adopting appropriate policies, strengthening technology infrastructure, building the capacities of teachers, helping learners to take advantage of the available technology and open educational resources (OER) for learning, and undertaking a rigorous approach to the assessment and evaluation of TEL. The objective is to provide both a systematic approach and evidence of improved learning outcomes in a TEL environment. We expect that institutions implementing TEL will use this handbook to gather data for evidence-based decision making. This handbook provides you, our partners, with a strategy to engage in a systematic process of critical thinking, decision making, implementation and reflection not just to promote but also to demonstrate improved student engagement and learning.

I am sure this handbook, along with the questionnaires on technology use by faculty and students and the institutional technology audit, will prove useful in implementing TEL in your institution.

We look forward to your comments and feedback based on your experiences of implementing TEL in your institution. These will go a long way in helping us to revise this handbook to serve the specific needs of different contexts and collaborators.

Professor Asha S. Kanwar | President & CEO | Commonwealth of Learning

 

Table of Contents

Foreword

Section 1: Introduction to Technology-Enabled Learning

Introduction | What is Technology-Enabled Learning? | What are the potential benefits of adopting TEL? | The need for clear institutional aims or goals | Learning from the experience of others Avoiding disappointment in the adoption of TEL | Teacher as agent: The crucial role of the teacher in TEL | Significant influences on teachers and how they use technology | How prepared for TEL is your institution?

Section 2: Reviewing Institutional Policies and Infrastructure

The complexity of teaching and learning in large institutions | The interrelationship between the components | The impact on TEL of differing beliefs and practices | Preparing an institutional review for TEL | Some tools to help you undertake an institutional review | Reviewing institutional policies and strategies | Auditing existing resources and infrastructure | Anticipating what additional requirements will be necessary | Creating a Policy Review & Infrastructure Audit (PRIA) Report

Section 3: Developing the Institutional Stakeholders

Engaging academic staff | Demonstrations and hands-on experience | Working in teams to develop TEL materials and resources | Reconciling differences between departments | The importance of good communication flow | Reporting structure | User-group scrutiny of TEL initiatives | Developing a scholarly approach to Technology-Enabled Learning | Valuing scholarly approaches to Technology-Enabled Learning | Evidencing Scholarly Approaches to Technology-Enabled Learning | Engaging Students

Section 4: Developing Institutional Policies and Strategies for TEL

Introduction | Teachers' assumptions about teaching and learning | Students' expectations about teaching and learning | Institutional assumptions about teaching and learning with technology | Adding TEL to existing courses | "Doing things better" or "Doing better things"? | Developing shared understandings and use of terminology | Unintended consequences of technology-led professional development activities | Using external resources for teaching and learning | Exploring the use of OER within the institution | Enabling students to work effectively with external resources | Drafting institutional policies and strategies for TEL

Section 5: Implementing Policies and Strategies

Implementing the technical infrastructure for TEL | Technical training for academic staff | The importance of capacity building and professional development | Academic professional development | Development of students' digital literacy skills | Monitoring and evaluating TEL developments | Conclusion

Appendix 1: Questionnaire on Learner Use of Technology

Appendix 2: Questionnaire on Faculty Use of Technology for Teaching and Learning

Appendix 3: Questionnaire for Survey of Technology-Enabled Learning in Educational Institutions

Appendix 4: Interpretation of Preparedness for Technology-Enabled Learning Questionnaire Results

Appendix 5: TEL Policy Template

Download Full-text PDF (Open Access)

NISTADS 1st Vitarka Policy Debate| India Should Support Large Homogeneous Agriculture against Small Holding Diversified Agriculture| on 20th July | at IIC New Delhi

Vitarka: A CSIR-NISTADS Outreach Programme for Inclusive Policy Debate

First Vitarka: Policy Debate

Topic: India Should Support Large Homogeneous Agriculture against Small Holding Diversified Agriculture

Date: 20th July 2016 at 6:00 PM (Tea: 5:45 pm, Dinner 7:45 pm)

Venue: India International Center, Seminar Hall 1, New Delhi

Online registration: http://www.nistads.res.in/vitarka/register.php

NISTADS is planning a small group discussion comprising maximum 30 participants from various section of the society. Participation in Vitarka is by invitation based on direct invitation or selection from requests received through web registration. Kindly register on NISTADS website for participation by 17th July 2016. Email from NISTADS will be sent by 18th July 2016 to the participants whose participation is confirmed.

 

About Vitarka

An active and inclusive public debate can make significant contribution to policy formulation and policy advocacy. CSIR National Institute for Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) is launching a public discussion forum Vitarka. The primary goal of Vitarka is to engage the public in policy debate for techno-socio-economic transformation, especially through S&T intervention.

Vitarka is planned as an open environment platform for informed and participative discussion. Vitarka sessions will be organized at India International Centre (IIC).

CSIR-NISTADS invites public and all stakeholders for their views, contribution and participation in this techno-socio-economic developments initiative. Vitarka will greatly benefit from your contribution and participation. The topics planned under Vitarka can range from Clean Water, Carbon Taxes, Energy, GM Crops, and Stem Cell Research to Space Mission and Nuclear Policy.

 

Further Details

Thursday 14 July 2016

New Book | The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable | by Amitav Ghosh

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
by Amitav Ghosh. University of Chicago Press, 2016, 176 pages, hardback, ISBN: 9780226323039.

About the Book
Are we deranged? The acclaimed Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh argues that future generations may well think so. How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first major book of nonfiction since In an Antique Land, Ghosh examines our inability—at the level of literature, history, and politics—to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.
The extreme nature of today's climate events, Ghosh asserts, make them peculiarly resistant to contemporary modes of thinking and imagining. This is particularly true of serious literary fiction: hundred-year storms and freakish tornadoes simply feel too improbable for the novel; they are automatically consigned to other genres. In the writing of history, too, the climate crisis has sometimes led to gross simplifications; Ghosh shows that the history of the carbon economy is a tangled global story with many contradictory and counterintuitive elements.
Ghosh ends by suggesting that politics, much like literature, has become a matter of personal moral reckoning rather than an arena of collective action. But to limit fiction and politics to individual moral adventure comes at a great cost. The climate crisis asks us to imagine other forms of human existence—a task to which fiction, Ghosh argues, is the best suited of all cultural forms. His book serves as a great writer's summons to confront the most urgent task of our time.

Table of Contents

I. Stories
II. History
III. Politics

Wednesday 13 July 2016

New Book | Not in My Backyard: Solid Waste Management in Indian Cities | edited by Sunita Narain & Swati Singh Sambyal

Not in My Backyard: Solid Waste Management in Indian Cities
edited by Sunita Narain and Swati Singh Sambyal. Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, paperback, INR 490.0, ISBN: 9788186906903.

About the Book:
The book is an attempt to highlight the present status of solid waste management in the country and what should be the way ahead. It is clear that cities are producing more and more waste and solid waste generation in our country is increasing. In such a scenario, we need to re-invent waste management in our country.
The book highlights solutions to this growing problem and shares case studies from cities that have been able to resolve the issue of solid waste management
It is ideal for practitioners, regulators, consultants, NGOs and students.

Press Release
  • CSE's Clean City Awards conferred on three Indian cities
  • Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu to give away the awards
  • CSE's book on solid waste management in Indian cities, Not in my backyard, will be released by Naidu
  • CSE rated Indian cities on their management of solid waste; metros like Delhi feature at the bottom of the heap
  • The book is one of the first of its kind attempts in India to understand the state of solid waste management in the country, the numbers behind it, the gaps that exist and the path towards harnessing the opportunities.
New Delhi, July 11, 2016: Alappuzha, Panaji and Mysuru are three of the cleanest cities in India, with municipal waste management systems that actually work – says a latest rating by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The three cities will be awarded CSE's Clean City Award here today by the Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
Mr Naidu will also officially release CSE's latest report on solid waste management in Indian cities, titled Not in my backyard. CSE director general Sunita Narain said: "This book started as a survey—we wanted to know simply which city is India's cleanest. We knew that once we found out which is the cleanest, we would also find out what makes it so. This would give us the answers for future policy."
Apart from several new and exciting findings, what also became clear was the imperative need for policy changes in garbage management. CSE had assumed that this was a much-researched area, which, however, was not the case. The last survey to understand quantity and composition was done over a decade ago. The methodology used to calculate waste generated is to simply extrapolate an assumed quantity estimate with the population. There is however no real on-ground data available. In addition, not much information is available on the composition of waste regarding organic, bio-degradable, or plastic, or the quantum. In essence, what had started as a survey was turning out into a gap analysis.
In 2007, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) published a damning report on the "first generation" of solid waste management and a lack of compliance with MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) Rules. The report found waste was collected in 22 per cent of 56 sampled municipalities, segregation was done in 10 per cent, storage in 17 per cent, transportation using covered trucks was done in 18 per cent of the sampled municipalities and only 11 per cent had waste processing capabilities. The report also found that only six municipalities had landfills—others were dumping in open sites.
As an example of how bad things were, in December 2006, a convoy of garbage trucks working for the Kochi municipality, was caught in Bandipur national park in the neighbouring state of Karnataka, smuggling waste from the city for illegal dumping in the forest.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) estimates, over 90 per cent of Indian cities with a functional collection system dispose of their waste in landfills. These landfills are not made according to stipulated sanitary standards. In 2008, CPCB's monitoring of cities found that 24 out of 59 cities were making use of landfills, covering 1,900 hectares of land. Another 17 planned to create landfills. Since land was becoming scarce within city limits, municipalities were looking for "regional sites" to dump their waste.
In 2009, the Department of Economic Affairs's position paper on solid waste management argued that urban India was already producing some 80,000 MT of waste a day. It projected that by 2047, India would be producing 260 million tonnes of waste annually needing over 1,400 sq km of landfills. This is an area equal to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai put together.
CSE deputy director general Chandra Bhushan said: "As India becomes more literate and politically aware, most cities are encountering stiff resistance when they attempt to dispose of waste in somebody else's backyard. In Pune, Bengaluru, Panaji, Alleppey and Gurgaon, village communities have been up in arms against the dumping of waste by a neighbouring city. This resistance will continue to grow. Cities are also finding it difficult to secure 'environmental approval' for their landfills."
Sunita Narain said: "What is absolutely clear to us as we researched for this report is that technology for waste disposal is not the problem. The problem is two-fold. One, households and institutions are not responsible for management, through segregation or payment of the waste they generate. Two, there is an absolute collapse of financial and institutional (human) capacity and so accountability in our municipal systems."
"In this scenario, the best option is what we have found exists in Kerala, where municipalities have withdrawn from the waste business. People segregate and compost; informal recyclers collect and sell. This is perhaps the most exciting model for future waste business in the country. And even if it cannot be emulated completely, it holds important lessons for other cities," added Narain.
The book release and the Clean City Awards will be followed by a day-long workshop on July 12th, 2016, to share best practices from across the country in solid waste management. Representatives from the cities rated by CSE, municipal authorities and regulators, media people and civil society functionaries will come together to deliberate on the three key phrases of the workshop -- Reinvention, Opportunities and Way Ahead.