NEWS YOU CAN USE -MARCH-2000.pdf

Media

extracted text
MARCH- 2000

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in millions

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Bihar
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Andhra Pradesh !S&i22SffiSG2SaSKisa&0 66.3
Madhya Pradesh rasasSEE^S^SagB 66.1

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Haryana
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CENSUS 91 SIX DENSEST STATES
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Tripura E3 2.7
800
Manipur ■ 1.8
600
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Meghalaya B1.7
400
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Nagaland 11.2
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Goa 11.1
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A monthly publication from

Communication for
Development and Learning
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NEWS YOU CAN USE (NYCU) is a specially formulated
development mediascan directed to meet the specific information
needs of NGOs. Published on a monthly basis, NYCU presents a
comprehensive compilation of selected media clippings of news
that could be direct use to NGOs working at the grassroot level.
This publication can also serve as a ready reckoner for development
news on a monthly basis.
NYCU includes a selection of newsitems/feature/articles/editorials/
letters from leading national newspapers and newsmagazines.
Each newsitem carries the source, name of publication and date
of publication. The compilation is categorised under appropriate
heads with an index for easy reference.

This issue : Rs. 30.00

NYCU Team :
Shangon Das Gupta
Vimmi Poovaiah
Shobha. C.

News You Can Use, is compiled and published by
Communication for Development and Learning (CDL) with support
from National Foundation of India
Please address your subscription to
Communication for Development and Learning
Post Box 3457,
Koramangala,
Bangalore - 560 034.

MARCH 2000

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Agriculture
Rain-fed farming effective for eradication of
poverty
Managing weeds in cereals
IARI develops 4 high yielding rice hybrids
High-yielding rice for samba
ICAR launches World Bank project on food
security
Bank launches credit scheme for farmers
Award for scientist
US scientists develop ‘water saving’ crops
An effective form of weed control
Lok Sabha Secretariat New Delhi

09
13
14
16
23
37
37
38
40
40

AIDS/HIV
AIDS control programme to focus on men
AP draws-up map of AIDS-prone areas
Carry-over blades
HIV cases on rise in Goa despite campaign
Inside the twilight zone
AIDS stalks this remote UP village

09
22
42
44
45
48

Child
After a dip, infant mortality rate is on
the rise again
Little sweepers
Welcome move
Slum kids yearn for education
Child resource directory released
Finally, Haryana learns to care for
its daughters

05
12
12
35
35

06
21
26
39

Environment
Union govt, decides to involve more
women in forest Management
Rs 9 cr okayed for M’rashtra wasteland
development
Narmada needs a historic judgement

30
31
32
40
42
44
48
49

Gender
Now everyone in the village knows me
by name
Women storm male bastion with sickles
Website offers inputs on hostile gender
reactions

07
10
17

Govt. Scheme/Policy

‘2001 will be Women’s Empowerment Year’
Rs 5,000 crore for rural uplift
Centre urged to include ‘disability’ as a
category in Census
India, Bangladesh research
Govt, effects changes in FCRA
Sex-related queries: Field workers wary
of this year’s Census
Social sector spending on decline
Nod for rural water scheme

01
01
12
14
20

28
33
39

41

Education/literacy

Here illiteracy is not an obstacle
Villages make their own kinds of schools
Making up for lost time
Education web site launched

Treatments prescribed for healthier cities
Greening of the gulf
Thimmakka gets Indira Vrikshamitra award
$6.5 b GEF funding for water programme
Clearing The Air
Well worth it
Village gets environment work award
Villagers turn arid lands of Rajasthan
green

16
18
24

Information Technology
Website on women, child development
09
Wiring women’s welfare
15
Rajasthan will set up IT instituted and
centres
22
AIDS internet site for South Asia
22
Okha in Gujarat logs on as India’s first
online village
34
Site for women
35
Women Power on the Net
40
Aid for Internet link
41
Nayala goes hi-tech with IT kiosks
43
Bellandur.com
50

Microcredit
Banking on illiterate women
‘Social uplift NEEDs a gender-sensitive
approach
Attention NGOs
Rural women in Rajasthan turning bold
entrepreneurs
Women as entrepreneurs

04
06
10

44
46

Technology
MP tops in rural electrification
Best amateur video
Games with a noble aim
Another wind power project in Rajasthan
Solar energy lights up home, lives of
Sunderban villagers

23
23
25
33

37

Tribals
NGOs
In his own tribe
Institute of Rural Management, Anand
The Third Sector
Japanese grant for NGOs
Learning how to be free political agents
Babu Varsities
3,000 NGOs blacklisted

05
11
19
23
30
31
43

Others
Sound scheme
Unique methods for unemployed
developed in UK
UP farmer finds his fortune in book trade
‘Sanitary marts’ to rehabilitate scavengers
State-of-the-art fisheries unit opened
at Kochi
Women rid MP village of liquor

14

22
27
39

43
43

Population
Reducing population growth
Towards new directions
One maternal death every five minutes
Safe motherhood
SC: Women daily wagers entitled to
maternity benefits
Feminists furious at MP population control
measure
UP to take special steps for population
control
‘Rubber’ band around this MP district
New birth control plan launched in M.P.

02
08
12
14

17
20
22
32
34

Panchayat Raj
Women’s participation has benefited
politics: study
Women panchs in UP all set to end
'proxy ruleWomen gear up for panchayat polls

13

19
29

Weddings are a mixed blessing for these
adivasi families
A headstart in computers for tribal
‘know-nots’
Victimised Bandipur tribals plan struggle
Rehabilitate tribals

27

28
48
49

Water
Use of water to be monitored in
Maharashtra
29
They defeated death with ingenuity
42
Farmers to have say in water management 44
All about Water Rights
46
Water for all is still a pipe dream
47

Waste Management
Manual for municipalities to manage solid
waste
Reward for saving plastic : More milk-__
Fight plastics
New waste-disposal method evolved
Lucknow’s cows die agonised deaths
due to plastic bags

15
15
25
36
47

Women
A woman's work is never done
'Recognise women as equal partners’
Bangladeshi women stage a motorbike
rally.........
Much to be done
Rajasthan adopts woman policy to
empower them
Women’s rights remain ‘unfulfilled
promises'
Scholarship for poor women
NICMAR to launch training programme
for rural women

36

These women are successful water
campaign managers

38

03
07
15
17
18

18
28

News You Can Use

‘2001 will be Women’s
Empowerment Year’
By Anita Katyal
The Times of India News Service

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Yashwant Sinha appears to have a slogan or a
scheme for every budget.
In his last budget speech, Mr Sinha
had proposed declaring the year 19992000 as the “Year of the Gram Sabha”as
he dwelt at length on the need for mak­
ing panchayats effective bodies in the
implementation of the schemes in rural
areas.
This year round, he announced the
launch of a new scheme — the “Pradhan
Mantri Gramodaya Yojana” — to un­
dertake time-bound programmes in rur­
al areas like provision of housing, drink­
ing water and roads. Added to this is
promise of observing the year 2001 as
“Women’s Empowerment Year.”
Last time, the finance minister had
proudly announced the launch of the
National Human Development Initia­
tive (NHDI) which sought to empower
the more vulnerable sections through
access to five basic requirements —
food, health care, education, employ-

ment and shelter.
The emphasis on the rural poor re­
mained quite pronounced in this budget
as well as Sinha promised to improve
the quality of their lives, listing five criti­
cal areas in this connection: health, edu­
cation, drinking water, housing and
roads.
And if last year, the minister an­
nounced the replication of Madhya
Pradesh’s education gurantee scheme
(EGS) at the national level, this time Sin­
ha allocated Rs. 350 crore for an ambi­
tious and revamped scheme — the Sarva
Siksha Abhiyan — for achieving universalisation of elementary education.
The government’s priority focus on el­
ementary education was quite clear as
the outlay for this sector has been raised
from Rs.2,931 crore to Rs.3,729 crore.
Though the overall budget for ele­
mentary education has gone up, the
budgets of several schemes considered
essential for achieving universalisation
of elementary education have been re­
duced. The midday meal scheme, for in­
stance, was introduced to improve en­
rolment and retain children in schools.

its 5,000 crore for rural uplift
New
Delhi,
Feb 29: A new
Rs 5,000 crore
scheme — Pra­
dhan
Mantri
Gramodaya
Yojana — is be­
ing . launched
to undertake time-bound prog­
rammes to fulfil basic rural ne­
eds of primary education,
health care, drinking water,
housing and rural roads.
Presenting the Union Budget
for 2000-2001 in the Lok Sabha
today, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha said of the Rs 5,000
crore provided separately in
the budget for the scheme, Rs
2,500 crore would be earmar­
ked for launching a nationw­
ide
Stating that there would be a
new initiative in elementary
education, Sinha said the scheme for its universalisation
would be called ‘sarva shiksha
abhiyan.'
The scheme would enable en­
rolment of all children by 2003
and expansion of the district

primary education programme
to cover the remaining distri­
cts in Uttar Pradesh, West Ben­
gal, Orissa and Gujarat, he
said.
Besides, the National Liter­
acy Mission (NLM) will be rev­
amped so that literacy rate
could be raised to 75 per cent

The National Literacy
Mission will be
revamped so that
literacy rate could be
raised to 75 per cent
by 2005'
by 2005, he said.
He said the plan allocation
for elementary education had
been increased from Rs 2,931
crore to Rs 3,729 crore.
Sinha said the outlay for the
department of drinking water
supply in the Ministry of Rural
Development had been enhan­
ced to Rs 2,100 crore from Rs
1,807 crore and it was proposed

to cover around 60,000 habitat­
ions and 30,000 schools in the
next year.
The reproductive and child
health programmes would rec­
eive Rs 1,051 crore against an
allocation of Rs 695 crore in
1999-2000, he said.
For rural housing schemes,
he said a provision of Rs 1,710
crore has been made.
As many as 25 lakh dwelling
units will be constructed in the
rural areas next year under
the ‘housing for all’ scheme,
Finance Minister Yashwant
Sinha said today.
He said Rs 92 crore was prov­
ided for construction of one
lakh houses under the creditcum-subsidy scheme for famil­
ies with an annual income be­
low Rs 32,000 per annum.
The minister in the Budget
said the National Housing
Bank would provide re-finance
for construction of 1.5 lakh
houses under the golden jubi­
lee rural housing finance to
construct about nine lak£
houses in rural areas • PTI

Yet, the allcoation for this scheme has
been slashed from Rs 1,500 crore to Rs
1,090 crore.
Human
resource
development
(HRD) minister Murli Manohar Joshi
has, on several occasions, declared his
commitment to make the right to ele­
mentary edcuation a fundamental right.
But the budget allocations indicate the
government is backtracking on this
promise for even the token amount of
Rs five crore provided for in the last
budget has been dropped with no provi­
sion being made under this head. The
ministry has estimated if the states are to
be helped to make education a funda­
mental right, it will cost the exchequer
Rs 136,000 crore.
Higher and secodnary education, on
the other hand, continued to be given
step-motherly treatment with the alloca­
tion for it being increased only margin­
ally from Rs 4380 crore to Rs 4650 crore.
Even the token amount of Rs 20 crore
provided for in the last budget for the
upgradation of libraries and laborato­
ries has been scrapped. The budget also
reflected the government’s shift towards
vocational education as the outlay for
this sector has been hiked from Rs five
crore to Rs 35 crore. With IT being a
buzzword, the budget proposals have
hiked the allocation for computer edu­
cation in schools from Rs five crore to
Rs 35 crore.
Like his last budget speech, Mr Sinha
spoke at length on providing succour to
the rural poor with a special allocation
of Rs 5,000 crore for the newly-an­
nounced “Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya
Yojana” which is tbe used for improving
infrastructure in the rural areas.The spe ­
cially-created department of drinking
water supply in rural areas has been al­
located Rs 2,100 crore as compared to
Rs 1,807 crore.
However, this hike seems to be at the
expense of the other rural development
schemes as the budgetary allocations for
the department of rural development
has come down from Rs 7,237 crore to
Rs 6778 crore. For instance, the outlay
for rural employment has been reduced
by Rs 1074 crore while the amount for
rural housing has come down from R<
1,659 crore to Rs 1,539 crore.

The Times of India
01 March 2000

The Indian Express
01 March 2000
CDL Media Clippings 1

Reducing population growth
By Devaki Jain
Y A curious and perhaps auspi­
cious coincidence, the Govern­
ment of India released its
Population Policy 2000 on the
same day that the Indian Association for
the Study of Population was closing a
three-day colloqium, The Millennium
Conference on Population 2000. Over the
three days, demographers and social sci­
entists took a close look at the changes
taking place at the ground level on the In­
dian development landscape, especially as
it impacted on the quality, the size and
other aspects of the composition of the
population.
The perspectives were varied — the pop­
ulation in relation to the natural resource
base and the economic situation; the pro­
file of. poverty and unemployment/employment; the social relations between
gender, between castes; the disparity be­
tween regions and between categories of
people. One view was that the relationship
between availability of food and the grow­
ing population is not alarming. In fact, a
couple of speakers suggested that a grow­
ing population acts as a stimulus to
growth. Another view was that poverty was
neither on the increase nor was consump­
tion expenditure across different income
deciles changing significantly. A third find­
ing was that every forecast of population
size made in the last 50 years had been
disproved by India's population growth —
it was in each case lower than that what
was anticipated. The argument was that
there was a downturn across the board in
the rate of growth of India's population
largely due to a lowering of the birth rate.
Some of the papers broke new ground,
showing that, more than any other factor,
geographical location had been the stron­
gest determinant of a particular fertility
rate. This could be tautological in that cer­
tain areas in India have entrenched con­
vergence of poverty, unemployment, high
rates of mortality and high rates of fertility.
But the paper had gone beyond the "black
heart of Mother India", and found that by
and large these rates were locationally
constant despite education, better health
aspects etc.
A paper from even a socially-advanced
State such as Kerala showed that more
than half the postb of service providers in

B

public health centres n'ere unfilled This

and other papers — which described the
condition of the public health system, the
reasons for unmet needs for contracep­
tion, and for birth rates differentiated be­
tween castes and classes — revealed an
alarming neglect of the health and social
development services sector. The Confer­
ence called for greater Government atten­
tion to public health, both in terms of
financial support and in terms of stream­
lining delivery.
Almost all the detailed papers dwelt on
what is called gender. The difference be­
tween men and women in terms of literacy
or health, mortality or morbidity. What
emerged was that ultimately the real issue

cial and political matters, so that they may
then translate this into power in the do­
mestic theatre.

Community health groups are able to
bridge the various sectoral and depart­
mental and sub-departmental divides
which plague the health delivery system.
What is needed is rationalisation of finan­
cial assistance patterns with a greater em­
phasis on untied funds being given for
achieving some specific outcomes — such
as reduction in female infant mortality, in­
crease in enrolment of girls into secondary
schools, and reduction of maternal mor­
tality. This could be a better monitoring
system than expenditure heads or targets.

The national population policy needs to have a deeper
look at administrative structures and procedures, apart
from finances for public health and devolution of powers
to communities and local governments.
between men and women was one of pow­
er. Men by and large still had control over
women’s lives. In a study on violence
against women most respondents suggest­
ed that the prime cause was disobedience
of male authority. It also emerged that
across class, caste, location, differences in
awareness, education, income levels, and
availability of contraceptives, women
could not fulfil their need or desire for con­
traception because of male authority. This
inhibition of women's reproductive choice
pointed to the importance of shifting pow­
er, giving women the capacity to say no.
This power seemed even more relevant
given the AIDS epidemic.
Empowerment of women will require
collective affirmation of their rights which
can be translated into their presence in
structures of power, structures which have
control over finance. Money is associated
with power and it was pointed out that in
the panchayati raj institutions women
hardly had any access to spending power
since all the social development schemes
were ultimately delivered by functionaries
of the departments. The need is for institu­
tional arrangements for enabling women
to have power in society. ,power in finan

Other alarm bells were rung throughout
the conference, calling attention to the
macro-economic policy and its neglect of
social development as well as environ­
ment and food security; and how this
would impinge on the quality of the pop­
ulation and social justice.
Interestingly, the new population policy
document released by the Government de­
tails the need for increasing funding for
and improving delivery of health services.
It focusses on devolving this power — to
deliver, manage and hold accountable —
to the local governments and on the need
for human resource development — ori­
enting and training service providers, link­
ing them to the new approach which is
target free and underlines reproductive
health. The policy moves away from the
incentive-disincentive approach.
One of the problems with Indian public
opinion and the media is that there is a
knee-jerk reaction to public statements. If
the policy had brought in the ugly clauses
of conditionality or of technologies of con­
traception which are dangerous, such as
invasive contraceptives, there would have
been an uproar. On the other hand, when
there is a policy statement which renego

tiates the approach and excludes condi­
tionality and exclusion, many newspapers
labelled it a population policy without
teeth, knowing fully well that population
policies with conditionalities put their
teeth into the worst-off and the most pow­
erless. Another Indian, and perhaps inter­
national, fallacy is that a policy statement
is required on every issue and that national
structures with the Prime Minister leading
them will give it the importance, money*
political and social support to see it
through. This has never been the case.
Such stmetures which have the Prime
Minister in the chair have invariably found
themselves hampered in performance or
in speed of action as the Prime Minister’s
time is scarce.
The one advantage of making a declara­
tion like the national population policy is
that it might set an ethic or an approach
which could be used by advocacy groups
as a peg to critique and deconstruct re­
gressive policy approaches taken by some
of the States. Since this is a State subject,
the influence of the Central Government is
limited. However, it might trigger the ener­
gy of public opinion to remove the blots
from some other State-level policies which
are using ideas such as restrictive entry,
knowing very well that it not only discrimi­
nates between classes, but it has the most
minimal impact on fertility.
The national population policy needs to
have a deeper look at administrative struc­
tures and procedures, apart from finances
for public health and devolution of power
to communities and local governments. If
it is to have a dramatic impact, steps must
be taken, initially in the States with the
highest rates of reproduction, to lay a base
of social and economic security for the
poor, to create institutional arrangements
for women’s empowerment, and to set up
auditing frameworks.
Instead of once more playing football
with the population policy, it would be
wise for both the state and civil society to
address how it can be worked and join
forces to ensure, in the national and State­
level budgets, investments in public health
and the use of the community approach
which has worked well in India.
(The writer is member of the Swaminathan
Committee on population ftolicy)

News You Can Use

A woman’s work
is never done

T A Tumen’s work is
1/1/ becoming visible. Oa.
V V the first International

enter the marketplace may be
computed either by time or by
comparable market rates for
Women’s Day of the third mil­
the same production.
lennium which falls on March
A compilation of scattered
8, one of the most proud
national studies on time-use.
achievements of the women’s
by the UN Secretariat in 1993,
movement worldwide, is that
found that, overall, Women
women are not only emerging
worked longer hours than
from the more restrictive
men, but were paid for less.
aspects of homes, they are
UNDP reports show that
finally successfully asking for
while women in the USA put
recognition of their economic
•In an average 56.4 hours of
productivity
within
their
work a week, against 59.5
homes.
hours by men, they were paid
In 1993, the World Bank
for just 24.5 hours, against
released a revised ‘System of
men being paid for 41.3 hours.
National Accounts,' worked on jointly with the International
In Lithuania, women put in 72.2 hours of work a week but are
paid for 47.5, while nien work for a total 66.6 hours every week
Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union
and are paid for 50.6.
(EU). The 1993 revision recommended, for the first time, that
Indicators for Japan show as retrogressive a trend as the back­
production of goods for household consumption be included in
ward Central Asian country: women work 46.6 hours a week
the measurement of national economic output This accounting and are paid for 19.5, while men work for 43.6 and are paid for
system has been supported by the United National Statistical
40.8.
Commission (UNSC).
The country with the best record (for 1986) was the former
With the revised accounting system, the World Bank not only Soviet Union, where women were being paid for 56% (38.5
admitted to having ignored the vast army of the faceless cre­
hours) of their total weekly working hours (68.6) against 75%
ators of wealth in households worldwide, for generations, it
(49 of the total 65.1 working hours) for men. Surveys (quoted
acknowledged that wealth includes goods beyond commerce.
in the UN Secretariat compilation) have shown that men least
The UNSC commented that the new accounting system would
share responsibilities in preparing meals and in childcare, par­
ultimately provide planners and policy makers “with a complete ticipating more in shopping and other housework, where they
picture of ... important activities ,... outside the production
do share household responsibilities. This, in fact, points to one
boundary.”
. significant lack in the revised
If national governments com­
‘System of National Accounts’
pute the value of such activi­
- the exclusion of production
ties. the officially reported
of services for the household.
level of global wealth would
Intra-household
services,
jump significantly. The first
especially childcare Ind care
for the elderly, provided gener­
country to undertake such an

exercise was Germany (in
1994), which found - pre­
dictably - that the main cre­
ators of household wealth are
women.
According to the revised
‘System of National Accounts’,measurement of the value of Source: Compiled by the Statistical Division
household products that do not
of the United Nations Secretariat

MAHESH BENKAR

ally by women, have real-time
economic value. The same
services are marketed by pri­
vate and government organi­
sations. Yet, these have not
been rated for accounting pur­
poses by the World Bank and
its partners.
(The Women’s Feature Service)

The Observer
05 March 2000
CDL Media Clippings 3

Banking on
illiterate women

ADITI KAPOOR

URNOOE, ANDHRA PRADESH: She

K

may be illiterate but she is a competent
executive of a commercial bank.
Nagalakshamma. founder president of
Bhramaramba Mahila Cooperative Banking
Society, is giving the local branches of the State
Bank of India and four rural banks stiff
competition. During the last five years,
government banks have given loans to just
421 of the 4.000 families officially categorised
as living below the poverty line (BPL) in the
district. In the same period. Nagalakshamma's
bank has given loans worth almost Rs. 50
lakhs to over 7 30 poor families. The recovery
rate is a whopping 98 per cent.
Nagalakshamma. resident ofTalamudapa
village, has worked hard to set up and operate
this bank that is best described as a financial
institution of the women, for the women and
by the women. Registered under the State's
Mutually Aided Cooperative Society Act, 1995.
on August 15.1998. the bank has 2,400
women members. Only women sit on its 22member Board and banking operations are
handled by an all-women stall.
"We wanted to create our own Kamadhenu,”
said Rehmabi. the bank's treasurer.
“Commercial banks are like huge boulders, it is
impossible to push them to give us loans. We
had been borrowing from local moneylenders
who charge anything between 48 and 60 per
cent as interest. Worse, we have to do their
household work for free and send our children
to tend their cattle. All our energies go towards
repayment.”
The seeds for the Bhramaramba bank were
sown in 1995, when poor women in 22
villages of the Midthuru mandal
(administrative block) were encouraged to
form thrift and micro-lending self-help groups.
This social mobilisation initiative, part of the
United Nations Development Programmefunded South Asia Poverty Alleviation
Programme (SAPAP) implemented jointly by
the UNDP and the Slate government* has
taken root in 20 mandals across the district of
Kurnool. Anantapur and Mahabubnagar. The
entry point is thrift and credit, but the pilot
project has successfully demonstrated that
rural poor, especially women and the landless,
can be empowered through social
organisation, skill development and capital
formation to pul! themselves out of poverty.
People's institutions, or community-based
organisations, have been key to the
empowerment process.
Members of the self-help groups, each
comprising 1 5-20 members, have internalised
the concept of self-help. Many groups have
perfected fund rotation mechanism.
prioritisation of loans, fixing of repayment
schedules and close monitoring of recoveries.

was more transparent. Candidates - 4 7 had
applied - were asked to appear for a written test
and interviews. Apart from assessing their
English, general awareness and skills to
undertake bank-related operations, the
candidates were questioned on their
understanding of self-help groups. The selected
candidates have paid security deposits and
submitted their educational certificates in
original to the Board as an insurance against
quitting the job without any notice. "We
members have paid for the stalls' (raining from
our hard-earned sayings and put our trust in
them," said vice-president Khajabi.
The Bhramaramba bank is one of (he
successful outcomes of the UNDP-AP
experiment which has initiated over 4.000
self-help groups, grouped at the village and
mandal-level. There are about 4 30 village
organisations. These community based
organisations have become the foci of many
government poverty alleviation schemes and
private enterprise. For instance, village officers
conduct house-to-house surveys to identify
beneficiaries and form marketing cooperatives
They liaison with government functionaries
and employ village youth as specialists on
community health, livestock and education.
They efficiently manage and utilise the micro
capital assistance received from the projeci lot
productive enterprises. Most consumption
needs are satisfied with collective SHG savings
The Bhramaramba members have utilised
loans for animal husbandry (48 per cent).
agriculture and allied activities (28 per centj
organisations have evolved into rural financial
and for petty business (16 pcr cent).
intermediaries though Rehmabi pointed out
The UNDP project comes to a close this yeai.
that setting up the Bhramaramba bank was
The State government has plans to scale it up
not a bed of roses: "Our cooperative is like a
to six districts, excluding Kurnool. with donoi
piece of paper with a stone (paperweight) kept
funds, including from the World Bank. The
on it. The paper indicates the huge amount of
Bhramaramba women display confidence.
paperwork we had to do to set it up. The stone
Manikyamma and Rehmabi have opted to
symbolises the bribes we had to pay and the
supervise the bank’s overall functioning and
influence we had to use."
have been trained for this. They are equipped
The ability of women to take critical
for interface with outside agencies. “We have
decisions has come to the fore in the whole
the grounding and the self-confidence now to
process. For instance, the women of
articulate our concerns to anyone, anywhere ’
Bhramaramba bank discussed the issue of staff
said Venkatnarsimha, 58. member of the loan
recruitment and concluded that “outsiders"
appraisal committee. “We are united by our
could exploit the women. “We are illiterate,"
purpose so we are able to make our voice
explained Manikyamma, a Board member.
heard.”
“We may also appear crude in our expression.
Venkatnarsimha and many other members
Outsiders are not familiar with our norms and
our culture. So we decided to recruit our
have set their eyes on the forthcoming
educated daughters and daughters-in-law to
panchayat elections this March. “We haw
gained a lot of experience in handling big-wigs
run the bank.” Subbalaxmi, 21, a commerce
while setting up this cooperative." said
graduate, is the cashier-cum-accountant and
Rehmabi. Mehbubi, the Bank's secret ary.
Sushanti, 24. a trained graduate teacher, is
added. “We have gained the confidence to ask
manager. Anuradha. with an intermediate
for benefits due to us and to pull ourselves out
(class XII) qualification, is employed as a field
officer.
of our poverty.” ■
The author is a freelance jpurnalist who writ* \
Significantly, the recruitment process
on developnirnl
mirrored that of any nationalised bank - only it

Sound management of group dynamics has led
to asset creation and management at the
household level. Take Parautamma of
Krishtipara village, Anantapur. Advised by her
group to take on lease 1.5 acres of land with a
loan from the self-help group to grow high
value betel leaf. Parautamma is well-off today.
Her husband, earlier a drunk and a wife­
beater, was convinced by the group to enter
into partnership with an experienced betel
grower. The husband has become a teetotalLer
and Parautamma has opened a fixed deposit in
her 11-year-old daughter's name.
The Bhramaramba women have used their
self-help groups to mobilise resources from the
government. The district authorities have
contributed Rs. 19 lakhs towards share capital
from the Integrated Rural Development
Programme (IRDP) wherein 20 per cent of the
funds is earmarked for infrastructure
development. Over Rs. five lakhs was mobilised
from the women's savings in just a week. The
fact that South Asia poverty alleviation
programme is implemented by a project team
comprising committed bureaucrats on
deputation and private professionals working
directly with the women has helped access to
government agencies. Indeed, several village

Focus

The Hindu
05 March 2000

4

News You Can Use

In His
OwnTribe
WENTY-SEVEN years Nagepalli, which was LBP’s base
ago, on a chilly Decem­ camp. So, we had to walk nearly
ber day, Baba Amte and 60 km into the forest to reach
some of his associates Hemalkasa,” recalls Sadhanatai,
pitched a tent in the forest of Baba’s wife. “No one has suf­
Bhamragarh, in Maharashtra’s fered like Prakash and Manda,”
tribal region of Gadchiroli. The she adds.
Prakash had to skip his stud­
surroundings were hostile, in­
fested as they were with reptiles ies midway to join LBP in 1974.
and man-eaters. There was no His wife Manda, then a lecturer
electricity, and no motorable at Nagpur’s Ayurvedic College,
road. But the indomitable Baba and Baba’s daughter Renuka
decided to make friends with the joined him. Leading an austere
inhospitable terrain so that he life, the team began its mission.
could work for the Madia Gonds, Malaria, diarrhoea, tumours and
the tribe that inhabits this comer animal bites were common
if die country.
among the Madias who had an
But before long, Baba Amte average life-span of 50 years.
had to leave for London to be Added to it was the exploitation
treated for spondilytis. Yet, today by Bhumkas, the native quacks.
his now-famous Lok Biradari In the midst of this, the Amtes
Project (LBP) at Hemalkasa has started coaxing the tribals to go
achieved the goals he had set for in for medical treatment. The
himself. His success in absentia couple even learnt the Madia di­
was made possible by his doctor alect to win their trust. The turn­
son Prakash and daughter-in-law ing point was when Baba Amte
Manda, who have helped change successfully treated a patient with
the face of the Madias.
bum injuries. Since then, an end­
Today, LBP has become a pil­ less stream of tribal patients has
grimage centre of sorts for those been visiting the LBP Hospital.
with humanitarian instincts. It At times, the rush would force
has a well-equipped hospital the Amtes to skip their sleep.
which caters to over 40,000 pa­ And all this was undertaken
tients from 1,000 villages every mostly in the poor light of the
year, a sprawling school building, hurricane lamp, because power
a community hall and a small came to Hemalkasa only in
zoo. Recognition has come grad­ 1988.The spirit soon rubbed
ually but surely and now even the off on the visiting doctors from
principality of Monaco has issued urban areas. Today, they also
a postal stamp with a picture of help by holding free medical
the Amte couple.
camps at LBP, which has diver­
It took an arduous journey of sified into many areas, the most
nearly three decades to get there. outstanding one being educa­
From reclaiming the forest land tion. In 1976, Gopal Phadnis,
for agriculture to winning the su­ a follower of Baba, set up a
perstitious tribals’ trust, the school. “It was difficult, as we
Amtes had to bear with innumer­ had to go from house to house
able problems. “During the mon­ convincing the parents and
soon, no vehicle could go beyond children,” he says. But his re-

Icntless efforts paid off. From a ^ave so™e rcsP,te as ^e,r
modest 25 students, the school tor son Digant has taken ovi
now has a strength of 485. And Today, their project is bustlii
the crowning glory came when with activities ranging fro
two students from the school, teaching modern farming tccl
Karina Madavi and Pandu Pun- niques to repair of hand -pumi
gati, graduated as doctors, the and fish farming. Not to forg
first from the Madia commu­ an informal court of justice cl
nity. What’s more, the story of Amtes organise to solve the tril
Kanna Madavi is the theme of als’ family disputes. With ths
a Hindi feature film shot re­ Prakash and Manda’s quest i
win the trust of the Madia tril
cently in Hemalkasa.
I
Prakash and Manda now als has come a full circle

The Indian Expres
05 March 2000

After a dip, infant
mortality rate is on
the rise again
for. the* economic condition of a
community. It is also a reflection of
the availability of health services at
NEW DELHI: In contrast with the the grass-roots level.
rosy predictions being made on
Until a few years ago, the results
the economic front, recent data
reveals that India’s infant mortali­ achieved on the infant mortality
ty rate (IMR) is actually rising. front had been positive. From a
After coming down to 72 deaths high of 139 during the early 1970s.
per 1,000 live births in 1996 and the rate had declined sharply to 79
then 71 in 1997, the IMR—a cru­ by the early 1990s. This was expect­
cial indicator of the population’s ed to go down further, especially
well-being—climbed back to 72 in with Kerala achieving a low IMR of
1998. the latest year for which 12. However, recent data suggests
information is available. In some that something is going wrong.
states like Kerala and Karnataka,
Infant mortality in Kerala—
the rise in infant mortality has
India’s best performing state in all
|een quite dramatic.
The plateauing of the ali-India social indicators—has jumped to
16 deaths per 1,000 live births. In
IMR at the 1996 level raises seri­
Karnataka,
the IMR has risen to
ous questions about the efficient
implementation of programmes 58 from a low of 53. Other states
concerning the welfare of women. showing an overall increase arc
and children. The infant mortality Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat.
Madhya
Pradesh.
rate is an indicator of the social Haryana,
and health status of women and Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh.
children in the country and a proxy Orissa and Punjab.
By Kalpana Jain
The Times of India News Service

The Times of India
05 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 5

Social uplift NEEDs a sender­
sensitive approacn
By Partha Maltra
The Times of India News Service

LUCKNOW: Villagers continue to
stay in the vicious cycle of penury,
(rapped in the intricate web of
moneylenders and landlords. How­
ever, a silent revolution is sweeping
UP — the instrument is micro­
credit and micro-enterprise. To be
precise, the concept of Grameen
banks which has struck a chord
with women.
Dasheri village in (he Kakori
block of Lucknow is a model village
where residents have broken the
stranglehold of moneylenders
building^elf-help groups. Over 15
to 20 women from the village have
been sensitised to form a self-help
group bringing about a change in
education, health and economics.

They pool in their savings collec­
tively at the end of the month,
which is then cycled by way of inter­
loans among members of women's
organisations. The loan repaid in
easy instalments at a minimal rate
of interest, boosts the principal
amount.
The man bringing about this cul­
tural revolution in UP’s villages
through women's emancipation
while catering to market-driven
forces is Anil Singh, a Fellow of the
Ashoka Foundation, Washington,
and chief executive of NEED (Net­
work for Entrepreneurship and
Economic Development), a non­
government organisation. He
wants to turn the hourglass of de­
velopment upside down.
Development from the micro to

the macro is his mantra. “I am try­
ing to implement the economic
principle of Nobel laureate
Amartya Sen.” he says. His devel­
opment module has received inter­
national acclaim, and plans are
afoot to implement it in the Latin
American countries of Chile and
Mexico.
He and his wife, Pushpa Singh.
development manager. NEED,
have been selected to represent In­
dia at an international seminar in
Berlin on economic empowerment
of women. Significantly, NEED has
formed self-help groups in over 32
districts in the state.
From ploughing the Helds with
his father in a remote village in Arrah district of Bihar to winning the
prestigious Ashoka fellowship and

Here Illiteracy is
not an obstacle
HEY can barely manage a
few words of English. In
fact, many have never even
been to school but mention the
words computer and cyberspace
and some Indian slum children
are completely at home. This Is
thanks to a unique experiment
in computer literacy for slum
children in northern India, initi­
ated by Sugata Mitra, senior
vice president of the prominent
up-market computer education
institute, NUT Ltd.

T

Mitra has won international
recognition for his experiments
in getting slum children, hooked
to computers and the internet,
using
“minimally
invasive"
techniques. "If we presume
that basic computer literacy is
a desirable thing, then It requires
a lot less money to Implement
than what we earlier thought.
But it also needs a totally
different approach," said Mitra.
In fact, he himself had not
bargained for the tremendous

6

success that his programme
achieved In northern India, In­
cluding Delhi. "After three
months of using computers,
the slum children (many of
whom don’t attend school and
have hardly any knowledge of
English)
were
downloading
MPEG3 files to-play songs from
the internet," he reported.
Mitra said a free-to-access
computer had helped slum kids
find their own way around
cyberspace, despite seemingly
unsurmountable odds like illit­
eracy and language handicaps.
A computer was kept in a
neighbourhood near a slum and
children were allowed to access
it through a touchpad.
Interestingly, they were not
given any instructions and had
to find their own way around. A
video camera was fitted nearby,
so that the moves of children
could be monitored without their
knowing It. Within minutes, the
children were seen discovering
the relationship between the

mouse and the screen, and
moments later, they were found
to be familiarising themselves
with the internet. “That iseight-year-old
Rajendra, the'
paanwalla’s son. And the little
girl by his side is his student,"'
Mitra said proudly, pointing at
a video clip. Showing immense
ingenuity, the youths began to
learn operations like clicking
the mouse, cutting-and-pasting,
viewing picture files and even’
surfing
the
internet
and
downloading music files within
a few months. "Students reach­
ed the same level of competence*
they would have by spending
two hours a day at a top-end
computer training institute, pay-'
Ing a fee of Rs 4,000 to'5,000," he said.
Mitra also said that there.*
was a “special relationship?
between a computer and a.
child, which adults, didn’t seem
to understand.

Best Citizen’s award. life has conic
full circle for Anil Singh. A research
fellow with the Indian Institute <»l
Management. Ahmedabad. Anil
spurned the glitter of the corporate
world and strove to use his techni­
cal skills for social upliftmenl.
During his earlier stint with thi
IDBI block adoption project, hi
roughed it out in (he difficult ter
rains of the Naxalitc-infested Gaya
district before he quit his job i<*
form his own NGO (NEED) in
1995. “NEED has changed the Ira
ditional income generation process
through a gender-sensitive ap
proach to enterpreneurship linked
to income generation for self-em­
ployment,” he says.
Earlier, tea bags used to be ini
ported from Calcutta at exorbitant
rates and supplied to tea deale rs. It
was here that NEED tapped the
opportunity for micro-enterprise
training villagers to make tea bags
from jute, thus creating scope fci
self-employment through resource
generation. Now inter-state import
has fallen and jute products is a
nourishing micro-enterprise .it
Dasheri village in Kakori. when
the women are making school bag'-.
hottie covers, and travelling bags • »l
jute and making profits.

.

Interestingly, the United Nation-.
Fund for Women's Development
New York, has made a film on (lie
NEED model on women's empuu
erment and has strongly recoin
mended implementation of the
model in south-east Asian coun
tries.

The Times of India
07 March 2000

The Observer
FraMiek nwmIm / ians 07 March 2000

News You Can Use

‘Now everyone in
the village knows ’
me by name’ ;
By Anita Katyal
The Times of India News Service

in her village for over five yeans
now.
-.-p*

NEW DELHI: * We were like
birds in a cage but now we have
been setfree.

The programme, initiated *bV
the human resource development

♦ I used to do al! the work at
home and help in the fields, yet I
had no identity of my own. Now
everybody in the village knows
me by my name.

(HRD) ministry in 51 districts,
seeks to empower women in rural
areas, particularly those belong­
ing to socially marginaljsed
groups, mobilising them liiio
sanghas. The effort here, say'bfiicials, is to enable women to mdye
from a passive state where they
accept their predicament to* cme
where they become active agents
in their own transformation.
n

.^Recognise women
“as equal partners’
MUMBAI: “Only when women to the principle of equality be­
are welcomed into full par­ tween men and women. He said,
tnership in all fields of human “The emancipation of women,
endeavour will the moral the achievement of full equality
and psychological climate be cre­ between the sexes, is one of the
ated in which international peace most important, though less ac­
can
emerge,”
Baha’u’llah, knowledged, pre-requisites of
founder of the Bahai faith, has peace. The denial of such equality
observed.
perpetrates an injustice against
International Women’s Day one half of the world’s popula­
will be observed the world tion.”
over on March 8. While this cele­
Feminine qualities like com­
bration of womanhood might ap­ passion, co-operation and empa­
pear to be a contemporary thy have been described as ex­
concept, a glimpse into the writ­ tremely crucial in creating a
ings of spiritual thinkers and the peaceful, just and sustainable
texts ,of different faiths reveals world civilisation. Jesus Christ, in
that a celebration of this kind is his teachings, has described both
just a reiteration of what several sexes as equal in honour and
scriptures have emphasised—the grace and has said that both are
need-to accord equal status to endowed with equal gifts and re­
women.
sponsibilities.
The Holy Koran, for instance,
Although treating women with
has compared woman’s role in
the family or society to that a rib respect is important, they must
in the human body. It further ex­ also be treated as equals. Al­
plains that men and women are though women have been given
equal before God and that the due recognition in our texts, soci­
roles .of both complement each ety as a whole still needs to recog­
nise their social, economic and
other.
Die rights and responsibilities personal worth as equal to that of
men.
of bb’th are equal and balanced in
The ultimate recognition of
(heir totality.
The Bahai faith, too, gives con­ women, some say, will be when
siderable importance to equality there is no need to celebrate a
of the sexes. Baha’u’llah has said woman’s day to reinforce their
that society must reorganise situ­ identity and status in society.
ations to give practical expression
—Roli Srivastava

* We have learnt there is strength
in numbers.... if we stand together,
we can fight all the injustices
heaped on us.
* Nobody took us seriously - the
The women explain how thpy
village pradhan, the daroga or the
BDO — all ignored us when we discovered their inner strength
went to them with our problems. since their involvement with the
sanghas. For instance, they say-it
But all that is now changing.......
TYuly, there is change in the air. is no longer possible for anybody
to short-change them by paying
Though not dramatic, nor a head­
line grabber, it is a slow and quiet them less wages. “Now we*aje
transformation that definitely is armed with information. We
underway in remote and far-flung know what the minimum wagq is
villages. Women, who so far, had and demand it without hesijpbeen diffident and withdrawn, are tion,”” says Gyana from Sitapur
gradually shedding their earlier (UP). Earlier, the pradhan would
reticence and stepping out of the bring in cheap labour from neigh­
four walls of their homes to ac­ bouring villages to work on gov­
ernment projects. “This is ab­
quire an identity of their own.
solutely illegal. we fought agaihst
Evidence of their newly-found
confidence is on display in the it and battled it out to ensure that
capital as 1,400 women from As­ the work was allotted to our Vil­
sam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gu­ lagers and that they were paid
jarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya their rightful wage,” she adds
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have proudly.
Hadisan from Muzaffarptir,
gathered to share experiences,
and to debate and decide their fu­ Sardoon from Sitamarhi arid
ture plans. In fact, the Bhara- Kashmira from Rohtas (Bih Ar)
teeyam Gram, where the partici­ are equally excited about th'dr
pants are housed, crackles with newly-acquired powers. They tell
energy as the women, high on you about the high incidence *of
(heir successes, narrate their sto­ violence against women in their
villages and how they managed Io
ries —eagerly and passionately.
Bela from Chitrakoot district bring rapists to book, take oh
(UP) is so excited that she can families found harassing thfeir
barely stop talking about her ex­ daughters-in law for dowry arid
periences. “I used to be so igno- husbands who deserted thbir
rant^nd barely stepped out of my wives. Sardoon proudly narrates
house, but now I know where the how her 15-year-old daughter
BDO sits and where the Collec­ fought off an eve-teaser as she
tor’s office is located. If the village had been trained in karate. Not
pradhan does not listen to our willing to let matters rest there,
problems, I do not hesitate to go Sardoon virtually forced the vil­
straight to the higher officials to lage into holding a meeting where
lodge my protest,” she says, stat­ the mukhiya and the eve-teaser
ing her confidence stems from her were forced to sign a bondlof The Times of India
involved with the Mahila Rs.50,000 to insure against recur­
07 March 2000
Samakhya programme, operating rence of such incidents.

The Times of Indir
07 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 7

Towards new directions
echnically, since the

T

National Population Policy
2000 is a policy statement of
the present Union Government, it
does not apparently have to be
approved
by
Parliament.
However, to ensure wide support,
the Government intends to place
it
for
discussion
before
Parliament. This has been delayed
by the intervention of the Union
Budget, the political scramblings
in Bihar, and the furore in
Parliament over the RSS issue.
Now, however, with the Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister having
stated that the State would focus
on introducing disincentives tar­
geted at "specific groups and com­
munities which have a higher rate
of growth of population", popula­
tion policy is once again the focus
of attention.

Disincentives
The
Union
Government's
National Population Policy (NPP)
has been keenly awaited by many
in part because of the concern
over the last few months, while it
was being drafted, that it might
contain electoral or other disin­
centives like those that the Uttar
Pradesh Government appears to
want to impose. Such disincen­
tives would once again open up a
Pandora's box of ethically ques­
tionable
practices.
The
Government of India (in a remark­
able consensus with the other
members of the United Nations)
firmly repudiated such practices
in 1994 at the International
Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo. It is now
well known among population sci­
entists that most disincentive
schemes have had only marginal
impact on fertility, and in some
cases have been counter-produc­
tive. Governments therefore are
now generally agreed that it is
more effective as well as morally
defensible to focus on education
and voluntary measures instead.
The Uttar Pradesh Government
and other state governments that
may be tempted by ill-informed
reasoning to coerce people
through disincentives would do
well to think again. Moving

large number of questionabl*
health providers especially in tintowards disincentives would approach
is
laudable. The rural areas; and contraceptive
direct population programmes Ministry of Health and Family technology and research giv<
away from what is the heart of the Welfare deserves to be congratu­ strong priority to women** *m;
problem in the country poor qual­ lated for foregrounding an ethical trolled and safe methods.
It is essential that the Nation:*
ity and inaccessible health approach at the very front of the
(including family welfare) servic­ document, and for side-stepping and State-level Commissions am!
the
propose*1
es. the desperate need especially the pressures to bring in electoral especially
in States like Uttar Pradesh for or other disincentives which Technology Mission within th*
effective public health including would only serve to distance ordi­ Department of Family Welfare
include those from within an<*
reproductive health services, and nary people from the policy. We
the gender inequality that leaves hope also that the NPP will be outside the Government who a«v
women with so little control over linked to a comprehensive health clearly committed to and knowl­
edgeable about women’s health
their health and lives.
policy in an effective manner.
Fortunately,
the
Union
There is need, however, for an needs and women’s empowerinert
Government's own approach even stronger emphasis on pro­
Responsive
appears to move in a more moting gender equality and equity
humane direction. A reading of in programmes; strengthening the
To help NPP genuinely become
the short summary of NPP 2000 quality of family planning and
indicates there is little to fear in health services on a priority a people’s and particularly
terms of imposition of disincen­ basis; ensuring serious implemen­ women’s policy, it needs to move
in a direction where people appro
tives. Apparently, the issue was
tation of a participatory approach
ciate and respond to its goals and
heavily debated within the Union
based on community needs assess­ methods without a need for either
Cabinet itself, and also with key
ment; and training and motivat­ disincentives or incentives. Whib
members of Parliament from
other parties. The opening sen­ ing. service personnel and their many of the specific "promotion r.
tence of the NPP summary states supervisors at all levels towards and motivational measures" anclearly and unambiguously "...that ensuring gender equity and serv­ unobjectionable, there is reason *.<*
be seriously concerned about th*the most effective development ice quality improvements.
following: the proposal to reward
policies are those which are
Mechanism
panchayats and zilla parishads for
socially just and focus on the well­
exemplary performance should
being of all people." This approach
The NPP also needs to ensure not translate into ground-Iovol
attempts to achieve a balance
between the Government's stated an inter-sectoral approach with a coercion of (especially) pomgoal of stabilising population strong institutional mechanism, women towards unwanted am!
growth and the need to make and a clear and time-bound man­ unsafe sterilisations or IUD inset
reproductive health care accessi­ date to evolve workable proce­ tions.:.
The ethics of rewarding those'
ble and affordable to all. increase dures and operational guidelines,
access to education, extend basic and to ensure that such coordina­ "below the poverty line", whether
amenities such as safe water and tion between departments and through health insurance or an?/
sanitation, and empower women ministries actually occurs; collab­ thing else provided they accept
and increase their employment oration between NGOs and gov­ sterilisation, is highly question
ernment should take the form of able. Poor people and especially
opportunities.
genuine and mutually respectful poor women and girls need access
Laudable
partnerships: increasing institu­ to safe and good quality healibtional deliveries rapidly is neither services on a priority basis ply­
Furthermore, the immediate feasible nor desirable unless their ing conditionalities on this -'em
objective of the NPP is clearly quality and access can be dramat­ forces a mindset among provider*
stated to be addressing existing ically improved: re- focussing on and politicians that poor prop!*
and unmet needs for contracep­ strengthening the capacity of tra­ deserve nothing bettor. Suri
measures should be dropped Iron
tion, health infrastructure and ditional birth attendants and
Nurse
Midwives the policy.
personnel, and integrating the Auxiliary
The writer is Professor. India:
service delivery for basic repro­ (ANMs) to provide safe services
Institute
of
Managemem
ductive and child health care. will be much more in line with
Insofar as "unmet need" is meant ground realities and also with Bangalore, and Member. St ecru
Committee of ’Health Watch that
to focus on providing good quali­ women's preferences; emphasising
ty, safe and effective family plan­ the "diversity of health care monitors the National Populattut
ning Services to meet people’s own providers" should not lead to an Policy.
child-bearing asnirations this uncontrolled legitimisation of the

________________ By GIT \SEN________________

Deccan Herald
07 March 2000
8

News You Can Use

AIDS control programme to focus on men
HT Correspondent
New Delhi, March 6

HE FOCUS of the AIDS
control programme this year
will be on men, both young
and old.
The theme of Year 2000 World
AIDS Day campaign of the Joint
United Nations Programmes on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is "AIDS:
Men make a difference." It aims at
including as many men as possible
in the war against AIDS.
Addressing the campaign launch
ceremony here today, UNAIDS
Executive Director Peter Piot
emphasised the need for "striking a
careful balance" between recognis­
ing how men's behaviour con­
tributes to the epidemic and
"pointing a finger at all men" and
their actions.

T

Stating that the need of the day is
to see men as part of a solution
rather than the problem, Mr Piot
said there were some very concrete
reasons to work with men. These,
he said, were the inadequate atten­
tion given to their health; their
behavioral patterns which made
them, as also women, vulnerable to
HIV; unprotected sex between
men, posing danger to both men
and women; and, finally, encourag­
ing fathers and future fathers to
consider the likely impact of their
sexual and drug-related behaviour
on their partners and family.
Confident that working with men
can make considerable difference
in responding positively to AIDS,
Mr Piot said it called for encourag­
ing men to take care of their part­
ners, ensuring that young men
were empowered to live healthy

lives and respecting the human
rights of each.
Union Minister for Health and
Family Welfare N T Shanmugham,
who was the chief guest at the
function, welcomed UNAIDS
decision to select India to launch
the campaign.
Mr Piot said that India had been
selected because of the complex
nature of the epidemic here, which
involved outbreaks among inject­
ing drug users, and the extensive
spread among female sex workers
in several regions.
"Surveillance now shows that the
epidemic has reached the critical
point when it spreads out into the
population; more than one percent
of women attending antenatal clin­
ics are positive in South," Mr Piot
observed while hammering the
need to shake off the complacency.

The launch of the campaign here
is to signal the fact that a "signifi­
cant difference" can be made to
the numbers here.
The Minister said that men had a
special role and responsibility in
the control of the epidemic in this
region because of their special sta­
tus in society.
Later at a Press conference, Mr J
V R Prasada Rao, Project Directoi
of the National Aids Control
Organisation (NACO), said that in
the next five years the government
hoped to cover at least 90 per cem
of schools and colleges with sex
education programmes.
At present, it is estimated that
HIV has what is being seen as a
"significant grip" on the urban pop­
ulation in India with over one in
every 50 pregnant women testing
HIV positive.

The Hindustan Times
07 March 2000

Rain-fed farming effective
for eradication of poverty
Dhar (MP), March 4

o

THE WESTERN India Rain-fed
Farming Project (WIRFP), aimed
at enhancing the living conditions
of communities living below pover­
ty line, has opened new vistas of
poverty eradication for the tribal
communities living in the hilly
areas along the borders of Madhya
Pradesh.
Sponsored by the Department
for International Development
(DFID), United Kingdom and
being implemented on a project
cost of Rs 200 crore, the project
was started in 1993 in three States,
including Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh.
The central thrust of the Wirfp is
to enhance the living conditions of
the communities living below the
poverty line and dependent on
subsistence agriculture. Burdened
with staggering debts, the commu­
nities are compelled to migrate
each year or sell their labour in
advance to contractors.
Says the project manager for the
State, Mr P S Sodhi," Prior to the
initiation of the project, a cam­
paign for rapport building was con­
ducted in the MP villages." A*
group of community organisers
here stain the villages in the nights

to interact with the villagers in
order to understand their prob­
lems and prioritise them more
closely."
These nights camps and video
shows were organised in all the vil­
lages and the newly identified clus­
ters of Dhar district, he added.

The programme has
encouraged village-level
planning, formation of
saving and credit1"
groups, skill
development for local
specialists, attention to
the needs of women to
help them secure a
better deal
The government, before imple­
menting the Wirfp, kept into con­
sideration, the issues discussed in
the various villages meetings
including the repayment of loans,
starting of income generating
schemes, usefulness of Giriraja
and Girirani poultry birds, seed

distributed under crop trial pro­
gramme and boring of wells.
With the implementation of the
project there has been a substan­
tial improvement in agriculture
productivity which was possible
through improved crop varieties,
water conservation and forestry
projects.
NEW DELHI. March 7 (DHNS)
Another achievement of the pro­
ject was the cultivation of upland
The Minister of State for Women
rice and chickpea, two of the main
and Child Development. Ms
crops grown locally, and methods
Sumitra Mahajan, today (the eve
related to participatory plant
of International Women’s Day)
breeding in which local fanners
launched a website of the Depart­
were involved- jointly with agricul­
ment of Wbmen and Child Devel­
tural researchers.
opment (wcd.nic.iri/mos).
The
Apart from improving farming
website has all relevant informa­
systems, the Wirfp has encouraged
tion about the activities and pro
village-level planning, formation of
grammes of the department, and
saving and credit groups, skillalso has a suggestion box.
development for local specialists,
Deccan Herald
attention to the needs of women
through creation of women-only
08 March 2000
groups and development of a
migrant labour support pro­
gramme to help them secure a bet­
ter deal.
The co-operatives implementing
the Wirfp programmes include the
Krishak Bharti Co-operative
Limited (Kribhco), Gramm Vikas
Thust and Indian Farm Forestry
Development
Cooperative The Hindustan Times
(IFFDC)
(UNI) 05 March 2000

Website on women,
child development

CDL Media Clippings 9

Women storm male
bastion with sickles
day on an average. Is it an example of
globalisation-driven consumerism threatening the
livelihood of self-reliant rural women?.
CHANNAPATNA, March 7
Well, why not women like Chennamma,
As a zipping Cielo or Maruti screeches to a halt near
Jayamma, and Bhagyamma try to diversify and
Madapura Gate, a 75-year woman emerges from behind
sell some soft drink bottles and cigarette packets
a heap of fresh tender coconuts with a sickle in her
along with the tender coconuts? They do not have
hands. As thirsty people inside the car get out, the
a definite answer. They said they have not
woman selects the tender coconuts, and cuts them with
thought of it so far. They do not know how to go
about it.
dexterity and speed which matches that of a man
Tender coconuts are available right here, and
in the same job.
She is Chennamma, and has been vending
there are people who supply them regularly, whereas
tender coconuts for the last 40 years under a
they are unaware of modem business routes. “At
tamarind tree on the roadside near Channapatnapresent, this is the way I have been able to sustain the
Maddur border on Bangalore-Mysore highway.
family," says Chennamma.
For, a long time Chennamma was the lone
Deccan Herald
woman to be spotted among the tender coconut
08 March 2000
vendors dotting the busy highway. Now, there are
Jayamma, Lakshmi, and a few other women
selling coconuts. For the travellers on this road
who see only men vending tender coconuts, this
ATTENTION
stretch offers a difference, with women manning
the small tender coconut vending points with a
LOOKING FOR INCOME GENERATING
homely smile on their face.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR POOR WOMEN?
Chennamma stepped into the business —'which
was a men’s domain — forced by poverty. The
WRITE TO
income of her husband, an agricultural labourer,
DIRECTOR
was not dependable. A mother of nine-children,
MINISTRY OF SSI&ARI
Chennamma one day hit on this idea of offering
'
UDYOGBHAVAN
tender coconut water to the thirsty travellors, and
did not look back. Hardships continued with all
(ROOM NO. 254)
her four sons meeting untimely death one after .
NEW DELHI-110011
other, but the “tender coconut" business kept her
' TO AVAIL' BENEFITS UNDER THE SCHEME
going.
But, Chennamma is too old now to stand on the
“TRADE RELATED ENTREPRENEURSHIP ASSISTANCE
roadside for hours on end. One of her daughters. , : AND DEVELOPMENT (TREAD)” FOR WOMEN
in-law, Yeshodamma, assists her now.
Following Chennamma’s footstep, Jayamma
Provision for grant upto 1 /3rd of the total project cost
started a similar business under another tamarind
— concessional loan from Small Industries Development Bank of India '
tree, just a stone’s throw away. She has been there for
In order to participate In the Programme a NGO should:
the last 25 years. Jayamma’s daughter Sudha and her
— be a legal entity with a minimum registration of three years.
—• have experience in thrift and saving programmes with Self-Help Groups
sister have taken over from her now. “Is there a law
(SHGs)/individuals.
that only men should sell tender coconuts?" asks
— be engaged in entrepreneurship arid income generation activities with
Sudha when questioned why she has been into the
women.
business. “It was sheer poverty which forced us to try
— ‘have basic infrastructure, qualified support staff and services to undertake
this out. Somehow, the idea clicked, and we have been
micro enterprise development for women.
able to supplement the family income a little," she
~ willing to mobilise ppor women/SHGs, prepare project proposals on besaid.
„half of them, borrow from SIDBI to lend to SHGs.
BUSINESS HIT: Over the years, the number of1
vehicles plying on Bangalore-Mysore highway
davp.8022(98)99____________ ________
multiplied rapidly. Does this not mean more
The Pioneer
business for these women?.
Unfortunately not. Recent times have seen
07 March 2000
hundreds of restaurants and dhabas coming up
on either side of the highway, luring travellers.
KSRTC buses no longer stop near Chennamma’s
or Jayamma’s yelneer shops. When buses used to
stop earlier, Chennamma had sold 500 to 1,000
coconuts a day. Now, buses stop near big
restaurants. People travelling in cars, says
Chennamma, prefer to drink “coloured juice in
bottles" (soft drinks). Now, each of these vendors
is hardly able to sell 40 to 50 tender coconuts a
By Narayana A
PH News Service

NQQs

10

News You Can Use

Institute of Rural
Management, Anand
HISTORY
Fiercely proud of its ‘autono­
my', the Institute of Rural Manage­
ment, Anand (IRMA), which is nei­
ther affiliated to any university
nor to the University Grants Com­
mission (UGC), was established in
1979. Supported by the government
of India, the Gujarat state govern­
ment, the National Dairy Develop­
ment Board (NDDB) and the erst­
while India Dairy Corporation
(IDC), the institute aims to pro­
mote sustainable, eco-friendly and
equitable socio-economic develop­
ment of rural people through the
“professional management" of
their institutions.

ADDRESS

f

Institute of Rural Manage­
ment, Anand, 388001, Gujarat

AMBIENCE
Locating the campus is not
difficult once you reach Anand. It
stands out as much for its tranquil­
lity and perfectly manicured lawns
as for its beautifully designed
buildings. Squeaky clean roads
wind their way through the 60-acre
campus and any noise beyond the
acceptable decibel level leads to
raised eyebrows and pointed looks.
The atmosphere is low-profile,
as though preparing students for
the hard life ahead. “A manage­
ment institute with a difference,”
says professor G. Krishnamurthi.
“The ambience is, after all, created
by students. Here you have those
who want to change the way things
are. We design tests to ensure that
only those stay back who are pre­
pared to spend years in remote
areas with temperatures soaring
to 46°celsius, without electricity or
running water."

VITAL STATISTICS
The aim is to create rural man­
agers with appropriate ethics,
help rural organisations profes­
sionalise their management, em­
power villagers through self-sus­
taining processes, and build rural
management theories through ac­
tion-oriented and problem-solving
research. A major area of empha­
sis is public policies.
IRMA offers a two-year residen-

tial programme in rural manage­
ment (PRM). Students have the op­
tion of completing the course ei­
ther at a stretch or in two stages.
They can opt for the certificate in
rural management (CRM) at the
end of the first year and rejoin the
PRM within three years and com­
plete the second year. Having suc­
cessfully completed the second
year, candidates receive the post­
graduate diploma in..rural man­
agement (PGDRM), recognised as

equivalent to a master’s degree in
rural management by the Associa­
tion of Indian Universities (AIU)
and approved by the All India
Council for Technical Education
(AICTE). The programme offers
flexibility to working executives
sponsored by IRMA’s client organi­
sations. It comprises three aspects
— classroom, fieldwork and man­
agement traineeship. While the
first involves exposure to skills
and knowledge in classrooms, the

other two focus on first hand expe
rience of villages and rural organi
sations. As director Katar Singh
says, “It is difficult but it helps yov
understand the real India, takes
you there and gives you a chance tc
change it for the better." There art
short-term refresher courses anc
management development pro
grammes for practising managers
Also on offer is a six-week manage
ment appreciation programme.

WHO IS THE BOSS?
Professor Katar Singh, director

Flashback: Shankar Narayanan

EASY TO GET THERE?

THE WORLD BANK SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
ALMOST MISSED OUT ON A PLACE AT IRMA
It was a stroke of luck that helped Shankar Narayanan enrol for the
course in rural management at I RMA in 1983. Having appeared for the
written test and the interview, he received no subsequent intimation from
the authorities.**! assumed I had not been selected and was ready to accept a pending job offer. But a senior IRMA student ran into my father and
told him that rejected candidates always received a letter of regret He fol­
lowed it up and I soon received a telegram asking me to
join the course. It turned out that the earlier call let­
ter was lost in the post."
Narayanan, then a naive 20-year-old, liked the
lush green campus, but, like a few others in
his batch, was not sure what the course of­
fered. “Some of us were from the voluntary
sector, others looked on IRMA as a second
rate management institute," he says. The
course structure was similar to that at the
IIMs but one had to spend two-and-a-half
months on fieldwork, a month in a village
and another one-and-a-half months with the
dairy or oilseed sectors.
The dasstoom ambience was extremely infor­
mal. “I remember Dr Sanjeev Phansalkar, who
taught us managerial analysis and communication.
He was a stern taskmaster but I think he taught us the most useful course
in the syllabus. I also remember professor Mukesh Bhargav, who taught us
to love marketing," says Narayanan. “We stayed in a hostel and were the
first to move into the new campus. Earlier, students stayed at the NDDB
campus. The mess was run by students like a co-operative," he adds. There
was a lot of extracurricular activity. “We played carfom, cricket, volleyball
and football. Some of us even broke our legs playing football,” he says.
Once he completed the course, Narayanan was selected for the Aga Khan
Rural Support Programme and put in charge of Bharuch district. However,
he kept coming back to IRMA every weekend. “It was to tell the faculty what
I was doing and possibly to look for encouragement,” he says.
Narayanan feels while his theoretical grounding at IRMA was invaluable,
the field experience gained during his first job was equally crucial. “Those
going through the programme need not to feel a sense of emptiness at the
end. Once we start on our jobs, what we have studied begins to make
sense,” he says. Indeed.
Avljlt Ghosh

You must be a graduate in anj
discipline with a score of 50 pet
cent. You can also be an employe*
(including a trainee), of a co-opera
five or a development organisatior
and be sponsored by your employ
er. Candidates take the written tes
on English, quantitative tech
niques, analytical reasoning anc
social issues. Those who qualify
are interviewed by the faculty a
Anand. There are 27 examinatioi
centres, including Calcutta.

GLITTERING ALUMNI
Vidyanand Jha, professor at th<
Indian Institute of Managemen
Calcutta, Sanjay Tripathi, sale.*
manager (east), Leo Mattel Toys
Gautam Roy of Mother Dain
Ashvini Hiran of Hindustan Level
Ltd, Calcutta, Dipal Basu o
GROPED, among many others.

CHEAP TO LIVE IN?
Not exactly. The entire pro
gramme costs about Rs 1,05,000
However, partial aid is available tc
a few candidates from low-incom<
families under a merit-cum-mean1
scholarship scheme.

CAMPUS NEWS
The 15-day campus recruitmen
programme draws almost 600 com
panies during March/ April
Sports are popular, as is the Thurs
day Afternoon Seminar Sene
(TASS). Jatra, the seven-day fest i
val, and Terra Firma. the insti
tute’s magazine, are other majo
areas of interest.

Anand Sunda

The Telegraph
08 March 2000

CDL Media Clippingsit

Centre urged to
include ‘disability’
as a category
in census
The Times of India News Service

Little Sweepers
ave you noticed how people
respond to the little urchins in
the train, who try to earn a few
coins by taking the shirt off their
backs and sweeping the floor with
it? Given the record of the railways
and the uncivic-minded pigs who
travel on it, there's invariably plen­
ty to clean up—mountains of
peanut shells, orange peel, plastic
bags that held chivda and chikki,
paper packets that once held bhel,
sandwiches, chips, and god knows
what else.

H

NEW DELHI: Six per cent of the
Indian population is estimated to
be affected by disabilities. However,
real numbers arc not available as
the census has not included disabili­
ty as a category for data collection.
To protest against the non-incluDespite one's protesting that here
sion of disability as a category in
are kids trying to earn an honest liv­
census, the Disabled Rights Group,
ing, instead of stealing money or
an advocacy group of disabled and
doing drugs, people don’t get it.
non-disablcd people, took out a
rally in the capital. Convenor of the
No, they insist, the boys do it onlgroup Javed Abidi said the decision
for show, look at that one grape­
of the census commissioner not to
seed under the bench, he hasn't
include disability as a category for
cleaned it, the dishonest rascal. Or,
data collection in the coming cen­
he's raised so much dust, we can't
sus had come as a big blow to the
breathe.
disability movement.
Does anyone have any sugges­
“Over 65 million people in the
tions? For one, I think the railways
country are affected by various dis­ could initiated some sort of pro­
abilities. We cannot afford to ignore
gramme to pay these urchins for
this population. No country can cleaning services—and the money
ever progress or develop in the tme could be raised by fining people for
sense leaving such a vast segment of littering and spitting, instead of
the population behind,” he said.
merely painting boards that
Disability was taken up as a cate­
gory during the census exercise
conducted in 1981. However, Mr
Abidi said, (he figure arrived at
during the census was a mere 0.9
per cent of the disabled population
and in the subsequent census the
category was completely dropped
because of the drawbacks in con­
ducting such an exercise.
While an assurance was given to
include the category during the cen­
sus exercise of 2001, Inst December
the advocacy groups for the rights pompously proclaim ‘CST is a plas­
of disabled people were told that tic-free zone' or some such, right
this could not be done. Minister of above a plastic litter pile.
social justice and empowerment
The Times of India
Maneka Gandhi too had made a
statement that census 2001 should
06 March 2000
incorporate the number of people
with disabilities to ensure that a
database was available to facilitate
welfare planning for the deprived
sections of the society.
Collecting data related to disabil­
ities dates back to the very incep­
tion of the Indian census. In fact, nbled.
However, (he scope of (he exer­
the questionnaire of 1872, called
the House Register, included ques­ cise was limited (o including alle­
tions not only on the physically dis­ gories like “totally blind, totally
abled but also the intellectually dis­ crippled and totally dumb.” It left
abled and people affected by lep­ out categories such as mental dis­
rosy. According to the disability ability, hearing impaired, speech
rights group, this practise was dis­ impaired and visually impaired, Mr
flbldi said.
continued after the 1931 census.
The Times of India
The reason for conducting the
exercise during 1981 was that it was
09 March 2000
the International Year of the Dis-

12

Welcome move
i: jion Minister of State for Social Justice and Women’s
h npowerment Maneka Gandhi’s proposal to review the
Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) to empower the Juvenile Board to
..nd over abandoned children to recognised institutions for
n labilitation through adoption has not come a day too soon.
.(* Government needs to go ahead with the proposal because
fi -re is a general impression that a lot needs to be done to
•-..prove the adoption rate in the country. And this would be
possible only by reviewing the JJA and streamlining the workof both the Central Adoption Resource? Agency (CARA) and
• i:** Juvenile Board. The JJA, in its present form, has several
^upholes. These have come in the way of improving the rate of
adoption in the country. According to Ms Gandhi, the new Act
will have the provision that while declaring a destitute child as
abandoned. juvenile boards at the Centre and in the States
would have the authority to directly hand over such children
rc- recognised institutions for their adoption. Adoption is a legal
urd legitimate activity with a social and humanitarian pur­
pose. There are an estimated 30 million children in the country
ir the age group of 6-18 years living in conditions of neglect and
destitution. The Government has to take effective steps to popu irise adoption of these children so that the problem of destin non could be solved.
At the same time, voluntary organisations and philanthrop <ts too should come forward to supplement the government's
effort in tackling this gigantic problem. Very often poverty and
societal attitudes of parents are exploited to make them part
v. th their children. The tendency of foster parents to prefer
J*.<=ys instead of girls for adoption is a pointer to the prevailing
latitude to the female child. Most unfortunately, some
unscrupulous organisations are believed to be violating the
norms and rules of adoption. Documents are reportedly forged
about the babies being given in adoption. There have also been
••(•ports about child export rackets by fake welfare associations
and some adoption agencies certified by no less than the CARA.
The Government should step in and intensify efforts to identi­
fy the culprits, plug the loopholes and punish the guilty.
<’early. once an organisation is given a licence for facilitating
adoption. there is also the need for continuous monitoring of
n .n working of the organisation.

Deccan Herald
07 March 2000

‘One maternal death The major cause of maternal
deaths in India are sepsis, haemor •
every five minutes’ rhage, anaemia and obstructed
labour, all of which are pre­
ONE WOMAN dies every five ventable, they said at the meeting
minutes from pregnancy-related organised by the White Ribbon
complications
which
claim alliance for safe motherhood —- a
1,21,000 lives every year in the group involving 23 organisations.
country, experts said today.
Highlighting the importance of '
The number of maternal deaths midwives in rural areas, Indi;
could be reduced significantly Capoor from an Afi’mcdahad
through proper training of mid­ based NGO said the government
wives who work at the village level, should support 'dais' (midwives)
they said at a seminar on Safe who work at the grassroots level.
PT1, New Delhi
Motherhood in India here.

The Hindustan Times
08 March 2000

News You Can Use

Managing weeds
in cereals
W

ITH THE increasing spread ing the yield of maize and intercrops.
Interaction between intercropping
of modem dwarf and
system and weed management practic­
Among the 1WM practices pre-emer­
semi-dwarf varieties of ce­
es was noticed. Among these, interac­
reals coupled with high in­ gence application of metolachlor 1.5 kg tion maize + cowpea system and
put oriented intensive agricultural ha-1 combined with hoeing on 30 days pre-emergence application of metola­
practices, the weed problems have after sowing was found to be superior chlor 1.5 kg ha-1 followed by one hand
in controlling all category of weeds and
been aggravated considerably.
weeding on 30 DAS gave higher weed
recorded higher weed control efficien­
Investigation was carried out in India cy of 84.0 per cent and increased the control, higher maize yield and net re­
for the identification of herbicides for a maize yield by 76 per cent over un turn to the farmer.
wide range of crops under different weeded control.
• S. Kannan, C. Ganeche
agro ecosystems to supplement the tra­
& K. Vairavan.
ditional practices of hand weeding and
The
Hindu
economizing the production costs.

Considering the diversity of prob­
lems no single method of control
whether it is manual, mechanical or
chemical could reach the desired level
of efficiency under all situations
though the effectiveness of herbicides
was more pronounced under assured
irrigation.
This calls for a holistic approach to
evolve integrated weed management
packages for a cropping system as a
whole.
Based on three decades of research,
major components of 1WM have been
identified as off season village, stale
seed bed technique through presowing
village, maintaining optimum crop
stand, use of improved tolls and imple­
mented, mixed or inter cropping sys­
tem involving smother crops such as
legumes and lastly supplemental use of
herbicides at lower rates combined
with manual weeding.

For developing an integrated weed
management programme in maize
based pulses in inter cropping system
an experiment was conducted at De­
partment of Agronomy, Agricultural
College and Research Institute, Mad­
urai during summer and Kharif seasons
of 1998 by taking four intercropping
systems viz., sole maize, maize + soy­
bean maize + blackgram and maize +
cowpea as paired row system.
The weed management methods
adopted were pre-emergence applica­
tion of alachlor 1.5 Kg ha-1, metola­
chlor 1.25 Kg ha-1 and metolachlor 1.5
kg ha-1 and all herbicides were com­
bined with one hand weeding on 30
days after sowing and these were com­
pared with hand weeding twice on 20
and 40 days after sowing and unweed­
ed control.
Among cropping system maize +
cowpea system effectively checked the
weed competition. All integrated weed
management practices were more ef­
fective in controlling weed and increas­

09 March 2000

Women’s participation has
benefited politics: study
NEW YORK: Male politicians hold their
from that of men and 92.6 per cent agreed
tongues in the presence of a large group of that their participation would bring about
female colleagues, a study by the Interchanges in politics.
Parliamentary Union (IPU) revealed.
“Women’s long march towards parity
The study was presented in advance of
and a place in the political arena does
the International Women’s Day on
seem to have made some important
Wednesday, which will be celebrated at
differences to society,” the study said. A
the UN headquarters with meetings of
West African woman told the study that
various non-governmental organisations
the qualitative effect of women’s political
to advance professional careers of women. action had forced men to acknowledge the
“There has been a virtual elimination of role of women. “Women today are
becoming actors and even leading actors
sexist language,” a respondent from a
on the political stage,” the woman said.
North American country told the study.
“There used to be incidents in our
Those interviewed for the study were
Parliament where women MPs were
not identified by names. The Geneva­
called ‘slut’, ‘bitch’, ‘baby’,” she said,
based IPU, which groups most
adding, “Once, a woman MP was laughed
Parliaments around the world, gathered
at for raising the issue of violence against
the data for the study from interviews with
women.There is still a tendency to
200 women politicians in 65 countries.
discount the contribution when women
“Women are, all in all, less adversarial
raise issues of particular relevance to
and more consensus-driven (than men),
women.”
seeking solutions to problems rather than
According to the study, 86 per cent of
scoring points,” a Western European
the respondents said women’s
woman said.
participation had changed the nature of
The study quoted a respondent from the
politics by causing positive
Pacific region as saying that women
developments in both the form and the
focussed more on community rebuilding.
substance of political behavior as well as
creating real security and opportunity for
in the methods used and the result
citizens.”
achieved.
It said women had four specific motives
Respondents from Western Europe said to enter politics: A natural interest in or a
female participation in politics had
vision for society, the family background,
“humanised” the political world.
the current political circumstances of the
However, the study showed that 81 per
country or region and the desire to
cent of women interviewed believed that
transfer locally-acquired experience to the
their perception of politics was different
national level, (dpa)

The Times of India
08 March 2000
CDL Media Clippings 13

Sound scheme
The controversy brewing in Kerala over the State govern­
ment’s plan to launch the “People’s Police Scheme” from May
is more a result of the government’s failure to convince the
Opposition of the merits of the scheme than of any negative
aspect associated with it. The basic idea behind the scheme is
sound. It is that there should be constant interaction between
the people and the police at the lowest level and that there
should be greater community participation in policing. The
scheme envisages constitution of people’s police committees at
the ward level in panchayats, municipalities and corporations.
The committee would have as its convener the head constable
of the local police station and the prominent citizens of the area
would be its members. The committee would meet regularly
and the people can vent their grievances relating to crimes and
the law and order situation in their locality at these'meetings.
Complaints against the police can also be made and it is expect­
ed that the committees would help to prevent crimes and to cre­
ate legal awareness among the people. They can also help in
identifying criminal elements in society and in preventing the
outbreak of serious law and order situations if the plan is
implemented effectively.
The plan is a positive and innovative one but the government
has not been able to convince the Opposition of its bona fides.
The Opposition parties have charged the government with try­
ing to bring in “cell rule” by local CPM units and to establish
control over the police. Politicisation of the police is a fact of
life in any State, whichever party is in government and Kerala
is no exception. The scheme should in fact be used as an
attempt to reduce political interference in the' functioning of
the police. If enough safeguards are available to prevent the
domination of the committees by members of any political
party or communal or caste groups, the scheme can help in
establishing a bridge between the police and the people and
make policing more positive and easier. The alienation of the
police from the community is one reason for its brutalisation
and ineffectiveness. The Opposition in the State should try to
plug any loopholes in the scheme and try to make it effective,
rather than criticise and oppose it blindly on political consid­
erations.

Deccan Herald
09 March 2000

Safe motherhood
• NEW DELHI (PTI): Speakers
at a seminar on safe mother­
hood said with 1,21,000 women
dying every year from preg­
nancy-related complications,
the number of maternity
deaths could be reduced
through proper training of
dais (midwives), who work
at the village level.

The Telegraph
08 March 2000

14

IARI develops 4 high
yielding rice hybrids
New Delhi, March 7

THE COUNTRY'S premier agri­
research
centre
Indian
Agricultural Research Institute
(IARI) has developed four rice
hybrids which will yield 30 per cent
more than the best existing
Basmati rice varieties.
The institute has been conduct­
ing trials for the last three years in
different parts of the country. It is
now ready to release them next
month, IARI director Dr P.K.
Singh told newsmen here today on
the eve of Krishi Vigyan Mela,
beginning in the Capital from
tomorrow.
"Four Basmati rice hybrids name­
ly Pusa RH10, Pusa RH12, Pusa
RH18 and Pusa RH22 have estab­
lished their overall superiority in
the national hybrid rice trials," said
Mr Singh.
These hybrids would have a yield
advantage of about one tonne per
hectare over the highest yielding
check variety Pusa Basmati he
added. 'These hybrids have a
potential for expanding our export
market," he commented.
The institute recently released an

improved wheat variety HD24O2
for the entire wheat growing belt
of northern India which is suitable
for cultivation under irrigated and
very late sown conditions.
The variety is an early maturing
one, resistant to rust and having
tolerance to high temperature, Mr
Singh said.
IARI has also developed another
wheat variety HD4672 (Malva
Ratna) which is suitable for rainfed and limited water availability
condition of central zone, Mr
Singh said.
He said this variety was suitable
for export and good for suji and
noodles.
For spring and summer seasons,
the institute has released a
"moong" bean variety Pusa 9531
which is tolerant to yellow Mosaic
virus. Itjnattfres in 60-65 days and
its yield potential is 14 quintals per
hectare.
In chickpea, an extra bold seeded
true kabuli type variety BG 1053
has been released for cultivation
for the states of Punjab, Haryana,
Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat
and Madhya Pradesh under irrigat­
(PTI)
ed agro-ecosystems.

The Hindustan Times
08 March 2000

India, Bangladesh research: New Delhi - India
and Bangladesh will carry out joint research projects in leather
technology, information technology and disaster management
to solve some of the socio-economic problems faced by both cou­
ntries, Union Science and Technology Minister Murli Manohar
Joshi said on Wednesday. “We can provide technology at a
much lower cost than what others offer,” Joshi said after a mee­
ting with Bangladeshi counterpart Lt Gen Md Nooruddin to dis­
cuss the deal • PTI
The Indian Express
09 March 2000

News You Can Use

Manual for municipalities
to manage solid waste
Rahul Datta

New Delhi
CONCERNED OVER the rising
volumes of solid waste in urban
India, the government has draft­
ed a manual for the municipal
bodies to effectively manage sol­
id waste.
The 900-page manual prepared
by an expert committee of the
Ministry of Urban Development is
aimed at providing proper guid­
ance in the planning, designing
and management of solid waste.
It will also serve as' a practical tool
for urban local bodies.
The document, circulated only
among a few officials and de­
partments concerned, has covered
a whole range of issues. It points
out that there has been no major
effort to build up informed com­
munity awareness about the waste
due to poor waste management.
The municipal authorities, over
the .years, have also not educat­
ed the masses about the steps they
can take in reducing waste gen­
eration and promote effective
management of slide waste gen­
erated. The document also
laments that fact that the degree
of community sensitisation and
pubic awareness is low. Moreover,
there is no systematic segregation
of organic, inorganic and recyclablewastes at household level.
Door to door collection of waste is
not practiced in most of the cities.

the manual says.
It is estimated that the total slid
waste generated by 300 million
people living-in urban India is
about 38 million tonnes every
year.
About 1,00.000 metric
tonnes of municipal solid waste is
generated daily in the country. Per
capita waste generation in major
cities ranges from 0.20 kilos to 0.6
kilos, as per the manual.
It is alarmed over the’ collection
rate of the dangerous solid waste.
The collection ranges between 50
to 90 per cent leaving the balance
unattended. It is also estimated
that the urban local bodies spend
about Rs 500 to Rs ljSOO per
tonne on solid waste for collection.
transportation.treatment and dis­
posal.
About 60 to 70 per cent of the
amount for collection is spent on
collection, 20 to 30 per cent eh
transportation and less than five*
per cent on the final disposal of
waste. The manual says, this
process indicates that hardly any
attention is given to the scientif­
ic and.safe disposal of waste.
Most of the municipalities of the
country have not yet identified
landfill sites while in others the
sites have ben exhanspted and the respective local bodies do not have
the resources to acquire new
land, the manual underlines.
' The management of municipal
solid waste involved* development
of an insight into the impact of
.waste generation, collection.

transportation and disposal meth­
ods adopted by a society on the en­
vironment. The other principle,
according to the manual in man­
aging the solid waste, is the
adoption of new methods to re­
duce, this impact.
» Barring a. few progressive mu­
nicipal corporations in the coun­
try, all other local bodies suffer
due to lack of adequate expertise
and experience, leading to envi­
ronmental pollution and health
hazards.
The purpose of the Manual, ac­
cording to the experts associated
with its preparation, is to create
an understanding that municipal
solid waste management is part of
a broader urbanisation problem.
The document also strives to cre­
ate an awareness'of need for
competent management of mu­
nicipal solid wastd in urban ar­
eas and to provide operational
guidelines for efficient manage­
ment systems.
The Expert Committee, which
drafted the comprehensive man­
ual, was constituted by- the
Ministry of Urban Development jn
February 1998.
The manual has covered as­
pects such as'composition and
quantity* of solid waste, storage
at source, primary collection,
transportation, composting, en­
ergy recovery, emerging tech­
nologies, sanitary land filling,
community participation and le­
gal aspects.

The Pioneer
09 March 2000

Wiring women’s welfare
New Delhi.March 8&A website- on welfare^ programmes for
women in India was launched today.to mark the International

NGOs woriobgforthe welfare ofwomen and children to a c^
mon fortimx crying

The Indian Express
09 March 2000

Bangladeshi women
stage a motorbike
rally in Dhaka to
mark the
International
Women's Day on
Wednesday They
called for equal rights
for men and women
in Jobs and an end to
all discrimination
against women Reuters
The Indian Express
09 March 2000

Reward for
saving plastic:
More milk
Ponda, Goa, March 2:The
Goa State Co-operative Milk
Producers Union provides
half-a-litremilk free to cons­
umers who support plasticfree environment :•
Goa Dairy provides cons­
umers half-a-litre milk on re­
turn of 100'empty packets.
The consumers ;can hando­
ver bundles of 100 packets
each to the milk-booths; be-*
mg operated by ■ the Goa
Dairy, on prescribed dates?
every; month. And the resp­
onse is overwhelming • UNI

The Indian Express
09 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 15

High-yielding
rice for samba
S

By Our Agriculture Correspondent tity of 4802 kg seeds have been distrib­
cientists at the Tamil Nadu uted to the farmers already, according
Rice
Research
Institute to the scientists.
A seed rate of 30 kg per hectare is the
(TNRRI), Aduthurai, have devel­
oped a long- duration, high- recommended seed rate, and the nurs­
yielding rice variety suitable for grow­ ery of 20 cents will be enough to cover a
ing in 'samba' season (August 15 to hectare. The seedlings are ready for
September 15 sowing). The new rice planting on the 25th day of sowing, and
variety has been released for commer­ a spacing of 20 cm by 15 cm should be
cial cultivation by the Tamil Nadu Agri­ adopted to keep a plant density of 33
hills per square metre. The nutrients
cultural University (TNAU) recently.
Christened "ADT-44", the improved should be applied based on soil testing
rice variety has a duration of about 145 results. Liberal quantities of farmyard
manure and other organic amend­
ments should be applied.
The application of biofertilisers such
as azospirillum and phosphobacterium
would prove beneficial. One kg of azos­
pirillum should be used for treating the
seeds, and another two kg may be ap­
plied to the nursery. The main field
should be treated with two kg azospiril­
lum per hectare. The entire quantities
of 60 kg phosphorus and 30 kg each of
days, and it has a record grain yield of nitrogen and potash should be applied
6.2 tonnes per hectare. Endowed with as basal dressing.
The remaining nitrogen is applied as
good tillering, the total biomass of the
variety was put at 14.3 tonnes per hec­ top dressing on four equal splits of 30
tare (6.0 tonnes, grains and 8.3 tonnes, kg each on 25th day, 50th day, 75th day
straw), and it has a potential to go upto and 100 days after planting. A remain­
15.8 tonnes per hectare, according to ing 30 kg potash should be applied on
the 75th day of planting. Zinc sulphate
the scientists, who bred this variety.
at 25 kg per hectare should be applied
It has been found to be resistant to at the time of planting, and blue green
green leafhopper and blast, and has algae at 10 kg per hectare may be in­
shown field resistance to stem borer oculated on the 10th day of planting to
and brown spot disease. It is also toler­ get good results, according to the sci­
ant to the attack of leaf folder. It pro­ entists.
duces white, short and bold rice with
The Hindu
high head recovery of 61.5 per cent.
When cooked the rice gets well separat­
09 March 2000
ed, and it is moderately soft with desir­
able taste. It has very good linear
elongation of 1.68 times.
ADT 44 is a selection from OR
1128-7-S1 (1ET 14099-IR 56/OR 14299). It is a medium-tall (112.7 cm) va­
riety with a maturity’duration of 145 to
150 days, and average duration of 148
days. The variety has been found to
have high nitrogen use efficiency. It has
a tendency to lodge at maturity, and it
has low shattering. It is ideal for irrigat­
ed (wet) condition as a transplanted
crop in “samba" season throughout
Tamil Nadu.
It performed well in all the trials con­
ducted, and it has been recommended
as an alternative to CR 1009 for “sam­
ba" season. Farmers have taken to
growing this variety on seeing its good
performance, and it has spread among
more than 320 farmers in Thanjavur,
Nagapattinam, Tinivarur, Cuddalore
and Trichirapalli districts. A total quan-

16

Union govt, decides to
involve morelwomen
in forest managemen
}4EW DELHI: If women have a greater say in rhx.
Jnanagement of forests, will it help?The Union goveru
Jncnt certainly thinks so.
J zJts latest guidelines on the joint forest management
ffiFM) programme, conceived a decade ago to create a
Apple’s movement by involving village committees tn
*8S protection, regeneration and development of de
Sijded forests, say there is “immense potential” and
fjenuine need" for women’s participation in this pre&mme.
4 So from now on, at least half the members of a cum
Jnittee general body have to be women. At least half the
J/omen members should be present for any meeting
* At least a third of executive committee members
Should be women —the quorum for a meeting in this
ease will be a third of women members present or a
Aiinimum of one, whichever is more. One of three posts
president, vice-president, secretary—should be held
®y a woman.
J This move to empower women has been welcomed
Jy the World Wide Fund for Nature-India as have the
ether steps taken to streamline and “democratise” this
programme, adopted by 22 slate governments—1024
Wiillion hectares of forest land is being managed under
the programme through more than 36,000 committees.
Sx/fhe other measures:
* Ail states should register JFM or village commit
lees under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, to give
these legal backing This process should be over by the
end of this month.
* Memorandums of understanding, with clearly de­
fined roles and responsibilities for different work or ar­
eas should be assigned separately and signed between
the state governments and the committees. Give the
committees a uniform name: JFM committees. All
adults in a village should be eligible to become mem
bers. In certain states, community groups are already
performing the essential functions of forest protection
and regeneration; these should be verified and regis­
tered as JFM committees.
* Dependency on forests should be the main criteria
for allowing a JFM programme in an area. This pro­
gramme will henceforth cover not just degraded
forests but good forests (defined by crown density) as
well.The treatment plans and MoUs will be different
for the two types.
But implementation.of JFM in good forest areas will
be done in a phased manner, initially on a pilot basis.
The results may be monitored for a few years before
considering an extension of this part of the pro­
gramme.
♦ Micro-plans prepared by forest officers and village
forest protection committees should reflect the con­
sumption and livelihood needs of local communities
and provisions to meet them in a sustainable fashion.

The Times of India
09 March 2000

News You Can Use

Much to be done
Another International Women’s Day has been marked with
speeches, rallies and workshops. Programmes celebrating the
new woman’ have been organised and awards given away to
women in recognition of their contributions in various fields.
Panels have been set up to chalk out action plans to improve
the status of women and scores of programmes announced for
their uplift. This has been the routine observed on Women’s
Day year after year and March 8, 2000 was no different. And as
in previous years, little will be done to improve the lot of
women. While this may seem a cynical view of efforts launched
on Women’s Day, persisting gender disparities and the contin­
uing discrimination suffered by women are evidence that much
remains to be done.
Women are subjected to discrimination and violence at
every stage in life. In fact, this is the case even before the child
is bom. Despite stringent legislation banning female foeticide,
abortion of female foetuses continues. According to one esti­
mate, around 20,00,000 female foetuses are aborted every year.
Violence against women is widespread and it is reported that a
woman is molested every 26 minutes, while a rape occurs every
36 minutes. These shocking statistics do not include the large
number of incidents of domestic violence. Discriminated
against within the family too, women suffer from malnutrition,
poor health and illiteracy. The adult literacy among women
stands at 36 per cent compared with 64 per cent among men.
Gender bias in employment is evident in the low employment
rate of women. At the lower income levels, for instance, the
female, participation rate is 45.4 per cent compared with the 85.7
among males. Of course the scenario is not all bleak. Women,
especially in the cities, have forged ahead, despite numerous
social, legal and institutional hurdles and gender discrimina­
tion. But the success stories are few and far between. The bat­
tle against discrimination and violence has to be comprehen­
sive. By increasing their representation in Parliament, women
can hope for more empowerment and better participation in the
democratic process. Awareness of their rights will increase
when women gain access to education. Piecemeal plans will not
deal with the issues that lie behind the violence and discrimi­
nation.
__

Website offers inputs on
hostile gender reactions
Sunita Aron
Lucknow, March 8

HE WOMEN’S Information
Network
(WIN)
pro­
gramme, launched by the
Institute of Management Develop­
ment, Uttar Pradesh (IMDUP), is
a novel way of undertaking gender
sensitisation on the Internet.
The programme seeks to counter
several sites “dealing exclusively
with hostile gender reactions”.
According to Mr A K Rastogi,
director, IMDUP: "We thought it
would be interesting to focus on
this aspect to assist in introspec­
tion so that necessary sensitisation
may be provided to people, who
are giving feminism and the female
gender an unnecessary harsh
image. It is our gift to the fair sex
on International Women's .Day."
Hence
log
on
to
the
http://www.imdup org, click on
WIN and information pours in at
the touch of a mouse on various
subjects related to women, also
touching upon the socio-economic
and psychological status of Indian
woman. Even details of relevant
legal cases have been put up along
with their interpretations. Thus, it

T

is site that is extremely educative
and informative for all those con
cemed about gender issues.
There is a classified index listing
information on sexual harassment
and
the
topic
Affirmative
Approach is especially informa­
tive. The subhead offers advise on
how to deal with victims of sexual
harassment such as: Support vic­
tims of abuse, speak up for them,
form associations, do whatever it
takes to put pressure on the perpe­
trators of such abuse, approach the
topic openly at home, reaffirm
support to your daughters, listen to
your children and employees.
Another topic, Problem Sharing.
reveals the findings of a survey. "In
the workplace or at home, as many
as 60 per cent of the respondents
talked to their friends rather than
family members or someone in
authority. "The story in the work­
place is not any different. Women
largely confide in friends; only
occasionally in colleagues, and
authority, almost never. The fig­
ures read 60, 33 and 7 per cent
respectively. Most women prefer
talking to their contemporaries.
many of whom would have had
similar experiences," he said.

The Hindustan Times
09 March 2000

Deccan Herald
10 March 2000

SC: Women daily wagers
entitled to maternity benefits
IN A significant ruling coinciding ,while directing the Municipal a woman.
with the International Women’s Corporation of Delhi to pay “The employer has to be consid­
Day, the Supreme Court said today maternity benefits to the female erate and sympathetic towards her
and must realise the physical diffi­
that the women daily wage earners wage earners.
Dismissing an appeal by the culty which a working woman
are entitled to maternity benefits.
The decision is expected to benefit MCD, a Division Bench compris­ would face in performing her
such women workers in the unor­ ing Justice S. Saghir Ahmad and duties at the workplace while car­
Justice D.P. Wadhwa noted that a rying a baby in the womb or rear­
ganised sector.
“Women , who constitute half of social order could be achieved ing up a child after the birth," the
(he society, have to be honoured only when irregularities are oblit­ Bench said.
The Court said that the
and treated with dignity at places erated .
where they work to earn their 'To become a mother is the most Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, aims
livelihood," the Apex Court said natural phenomenon in the life of at providing all these facilities to

the working women to help them
overcome the "stress of mother­
hood honourably, peacefully and
undeterred by the fear of being
victimised for forced actions dur­
ing the pre and post natal period."
The MCD had petitioned the
Apex Court against the Delhi High
Court judgement upholding an
Industrial Tribunal's order.

The Hindustan Times
09 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 17

Rajasthan adopts woman
policy to empower them
HT Correspondent
Jaipur, March 8

R

ajasthan became the

first State in India to
announce a woman policy
which envisages the empowerment
of women, eradication of gender
bias from society, equal rights in
property, participation in the polit­
ical set up and their economic
independence.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
today unveiled the women policy
at a function that was organised by
Harish Chander Mathur, the
Rajasthan State Institute of Public
Administration
and
the
Department of Women and Child
Development in the confer­
ence hall of the institute. He
also inaugurated a women
resource
centre,.
an
autonomous body that would
develop strong resource base to
highlight the issues related to
women in Rajasthan.
The State Government will adopt
a three pronged strategy to imple­
ment the new women policy. This
would include change in the men­
tal attitude of men towards
women, redressal of the grievances
of oppressed and suppressed
women and involvement of non­
governmental organisations in
enhanced manner in Rajasthan.
As per the new women policy,
there would be no discrimination
against the girl child. Women must
get constitutional rights to live with

honour in society. Second, women
would be made economically selfreliant which would give them the
confidence to fight against social
taboos prevailing in the State.
Third, the Government would
make efforts to increase the low
percentage of literacy among the
women. This would lead to popula­
tion control in the State.
Fourth, proper atmosphere will
be created at all levels in the
administration to give recognition
to the women to have equal rights.
Finally, there is urgency of partici­
pation of the women in political set
up besides ensuring their involve­
ment in the activities of non-gov­
ernmental organisations, govern­

Women's Day
ment departments, social organisa­
tions, etc.
Mr Gehlot spoke about the ageold tradition of wearing a ghungat
(veil) by rural women which covers
their faces. He said, "Women need
to discard such social practices
which make them inferior to men
in society. He said Rajiv Gandhi
was responsible for giving reserva­
tion.
Ridiculing the attitude of men
towards women,
the
Chief
Minister said three new breeds of
husbands have come up in
Rajasthan.
They
included
sarpanchpati, pardhanpati and par-

mukhpati.
Mr Gehlot strongly felt that liter­
acy percentage must be brought at
par with men that would help in
population control, equal constitu­
tional rights, economic selfreliance etc. among women.
The Chief Minister said that the
new women policy could be imple­
mented only if NGOs, social
organisations, social activists,
women
organisations
jointly
launched a campaign. Otherwise it
would remain confined to papers
only.
Mr B. D. Kalia, a senior Minister
said it would not be possible for
government alone to implement
this policy. We would require the
contributions from one and all
to make it a success.
Mrs Zakia Imam, Social
Welfare Minister said women
were not paid daily wages at
par with men in Rajasthan. This
was unconstitutional and illegal.
She said 96 percent of the culprits
involved in rape cases did not get
punishment. She pleaded for strin­
gent laws to handle them.
Mrs Kanta Kathuria, chairperson
of
the
Rajasthan
Women
Commission, said they had
received 550 applications from the
women that pertained to crimes,
dowry, land disputes, murders etc.
She said they had disposed -of 200
cases. She resented the negative
attitude of some people who were
in a position to help the aggrieved
women.

The Hindustan Times
09 March 2000

Women’s rights' remain 'unfulfilled promises’
fi LONDON: WOMEN'S rights throughout the world boil down to
a lot of rehetoric and unfulfilled promises, Amnesty International
said in a statement published to mark International Women's
Day. Despite promises made five years ago in Beijing during the
fourth World Conference on Women, there have been very few
positive developments in women's rights and protection, the
London-based rights group said in a statement Only 165 of the
188 UN members have ratified the declaration on the
elimination of violence against women. The Beijing meeting had
set the end of 1999 as the target date for full ratification. Until
the rest of the nations, including the US, ratify the treaty and
start honouring their commitments “universal human rights for
all women will remain an unattainable and distant goal,*' the
statement continued.

18

Rs 9 cr okayed for
M’rashtra wasteland
development
Observer Economic Bureau
MUMBAI

THE Government of India has
sanctioned funds to the tune of
Rs 4.52 crore for Ratnagiri district
and approximately Rs 4.71 crore
for Sindhudurg district, under
the Integrated Wastelands Devel­
opment Project in these two
districts of Maharashtra.
This follows relentless efforts
of Union minister for chemicals
and fertilisers Suresh Prabhu to
expedite the disbursal of funds
by the ministry of rural develop­
ment under the scheme. Both
the schemes have been granted
funds for the development of
watersheds.
The money will be spent by
the District Rural Development
Agency (DRDA) of both districts.
These funds will be spent
during the five-year period starting
from 1999-2000 to 2003-2004.
In the first year, approximately
Rs 67 lakh will be spent in
Ratnagiri district and about Rs
70 lakh in Sindhudurg district.
The total treatable project area
is 11,320 hectares in the Langa
block of Ratnagiri district.

During
1999-2000,
in
Ratnagiri, approximately Rs 14
lakh will be released for training,
around Rs 18 lakh for community
organisation and Rs 68 lakh for
works. During 1999-2000, In
Sindhudurg, approximately Rs 14
lakh will be used for training,
approximately Rs 18 lakh for
community organisation and ap­
proximately Rs 71 lakh for
works.

The Observer
10 March 2000

The Observer
10 March 2000

News You Can Use

The Third Sector
By ANDRE BETEILLE

HE non-governmental organi­
sation or NGO has emerged as
an important feature of the Indian
social landscape, and the last
decade of the 20th century may
justly be described as the decade of
the NGO. This development is not
confined to India. It is aworld-wide
phenomenon, although it has'
become particularly conspicuous in
the less developed countries of
Asia, Africa and Latin America.
In some of these countries,
the NGO is seen as the main
driving
force
in
economic
development and social change.
NG Os are now active in practically
every field: literacy, education,
health, sanitation, child-care,
nutrition, habitation and so on.

and social initiative. In seeking to
take over the commanding heights
of the economy, it created a regime
of licences, controls and permits
which left less and less room for ini­
tiative in economic action. In seek­
ing to extend its patronage to all
sectors of society, it narrowed the
space for voluntary effort in au­
tonomous institutions.
No one will deny the great signif­
icance of voluntary action in the
life of a democratic society. To the
extent that they release the impulse
for it, voluntary associations and
non-governmental organisations
make a valuable contribution to
public life. But it will be a mistake
to believe that there is room for in­
dividual initiative and voluntary ef­
fort in only the NGO and none in
False Inference
the university, the laboratory or the
hospital. The universities in India,
There is also a growing body of no matter how debased their pre­
literature on NGOs, although much sent condition, are neither govern­
of this takes the form of advocacy mental organisations nor organisa­
rather than detached and objective tions for profit. If they, and other
analysis. Here they are coming to public institutions of their kind
be represented as the Third Sector have failed to live up to our
of society in which the state and the expectations, that does not mean
market are viewed as the first and that they must now be written
the second sectors. This is a very off, and public support and
large claim, for there are a sympathy directed away from them
great many things in the life of a and into the NGOs.
society that are not covered by the
state or the market} and it is State Funding
doubtful that NGOs, no matter
how numerous or versatile, can do
Voluntary action if it is to be so­
all the things that are not done by cially effective, must acquire some
the state or the market.
kind of organisational form. When
The NGO is distinct from .the an association becomes successful
state because it is a ‘non-govern­ and expands its activities, it has to
mental organisation*; it is distinct contend with the problems inher­
from the market because it is a ent in all organisations, namely, ad­
‘non-profit organisation*. But there ministration, funding and account­
are many institutions in contempo­ ing. These present challenges to its
rary Indian society, such as the Uni­ self-reliance and autonomy. In the
versity of Delhi, the National Nehru era, universities and other
Library or the Indian Institute public institutions yielded all too
of Science that cannot be justly easily to the temptations of official
described as creatures of either patronage, and expanded beyond
the state or the market. To the their capacity to deal with the ob­
extent that it is inferred that jectives they were created to
the functions of such institutions achieve.They thundered about au­
can be better performed by NGOs, tonomy, but did everything that
that inference is false and needs leads institutional autonomy to be
undermined.
to be repudiated.
In the larger social perspective,
The advocacy of NGOs has
grown in part from the disenchant­ institutional autonomy can only be
ment with the state and the statuto­ relative, and never absolute. Every
ry institutions that depend for sup­ institution does not need to be au­
port on it. Some have turned that tonomous in every respect, but it
disenchantment into enthusiasm has to safeguard its autonomy in
for the market, and others into en­ those respects that are crucial to its
thusiasm for the NGO. In the chosen or designated form of activ­
decades immediately following in­ ity. Too much should not be made
dependence, the state, by over-ex­ of the need for financial autonomy
tending itself and its bureaucratic in public institutions. The universi­
apparatus, stifled both economic ties of England and Holland have

T

maintained substantial autonomy
in teaching and research, despite
having to depend on the state for
funding. On the other hand, the
NGOs themselves do not secure all
their funds from the voluntary con­
tributions of their own members.
They depend for funds on the gov­
ernment, and, increasingly, on in­
ternational agencies. Their autono­
my from the agencies on which
they depend for financial support
cannot simply be taken on trust.
There are other questions be­
sides those relating to the sources
of funding. While it is true that the
component of voluntary action in
our public institutions has steadily
declined, it is also true that that
component is not equally strong in
all voluntary associations. In some
NGOs, the component of voluntary
action is very weak indeed. In a
landmark study in Britain, Lord
Beveridge had pointed out that
voluntary action is propelled by
two distinct motives, which he
called the mutual aid motive and
the philanthropic motive. There is
not much evidence of the salience
of the mutual aid motive in the
working of NGOs in India. As to
the philanthropic motive, that is
more readily directed into religious
than into secular institutions.
Where NGOs in India have
benefited from the philanthropic.
motive, the philanthropy has
come more often from outside than
from within India.

Wholesale Denigration
In the end, while the claim that
the NGOs constitute the Third Sec­
tor of society has to be taken with a
large pinch of salt, it still remains
true that many of them are en­
gaged in useful and productive
work. There are many things that
the government could have done
for the people, but did not do or did
badly. If the NGOs can do some of
these things and do them better
than the government, they deserve
public support and sympathy. But if
an excess of zeal for their actual or
possible contributions leads to a
continuous and wholesale denigra­
tion of the work done by the agem
cies of the government and by au­
tonomous and semi-autonomous
institutions or to
the withdrawal of
public support and
sympathy
from
them, that will act
against the well­
being of society.

Women panelis
in UP all set to
end ‘proxy rule’
Sunita Aron
Lucknow, March 9
THE WOMEN representatives ?1
the Panchayat in Uttar Pradesh are
finally coming out in the open to
end the ‘proxy rule’ by their spous­
es and are now ready to enter a
keen contest in the forthcoming
Panchayat elections.
Some years back, woman-empow erment in the rural segment was
certainly a dream, but now it’s fast
becoming a reality in L’llar
Pradesh.
Mr Om Prakash. Secretary.
Panchayat, says, “Merely two years
ago, I had gone to Pipraich block
in Gorakhpur district to address
block development training pro­
grammes. To my astonishment I
found men occupying the front
chairs while their spouses, the
elected ‘pradhans’, were mecklv
sitting on the floor in the last row
with their faces covered by
‘ghoonghat’ (veil). The next day.
majority of them were found sit­
ting on the chairs, taking part in
discussions.” “Today, some of
them even visit me in Lucknow,"
he adds enthusiastically.
Pipraich is one of the blocks in
UP which symbolises women
empowerment with 60 per cent of
the 2.5 lakh woman represent a
tives of the Panchayats finally corn­
ing out of their ‘ghoonghat’ to end
the ‘proxy rule’ of their ‘pradhan
pads’.
In contrast to the 1995 civet tons.
when majority of the women j epresentatives were literally forced
by their male family members into
the electoral arena so that* they
retain control oyer their ‘tradition­
al’ seat, today more and more
women are aspiring for the indc
i pendent control of the ‘seal of
power’.
Significantly, despite the lack of
exposure and illiteracy, the women
representatives have utilised the
funds in a proper manner, further
adding a feather to their cap.

The Hindustan Times
10 March 2000

The Times of India
10 March 2000
CDL Media Clippings 19

Feminists furious at MP
population control measure
SanJay Sharma

tary health will be the secretary through
Padhana-Badllana
of this committee. For coordination Samitis and active participation
of the activities at district level, of the community will be ensured
MADHYA Pradesh government’s district population and develop­
at every level in formulation and
decision to make ineligible those ment sub committees too will be implementation of the
pro­
having more than two children consltuted
under
the grammes.
for government jobs and contest­ chairmanship of the district plan­
Further, practice of marriage
ing civic body and panchayat ning committees.
registration will be started, incen­
elections as a population control
The Cabinet also decided that tive and priorty Would be given
measure, has drawn flak from the state government would ob­ in rural programmes to the
feminists. It is argued that the serve May 11 as the Population panchayats doing outstanding
ban would discriminate against Stabilization Day every year. Indi­ work in this field and training
women, because it is not women viduals and organisations con­ will be imparted to improve the
who decide on the number of tributing significantly in the field efficiency of the works and officers
children to be had, but men. And of population stablisation and working at different levels.
the first voice of displeasure has reproductive and child health will
These and other decisions have
been heard from Rajya Sabha be
suitably
awarded
and been taken by the cabinet to
member Shabana Azmi.
honoured.
At
village
level, stabilise the population. The popu­
The state cabinet chaired by organisations of women would lation of Madhya Pradesh was
chief minister Dlgvljay Singh de­ be strengthened. The non-govern- 2.60 crore in 1951 which incided that any person having ment
Institutions would
be creasedto 6.60 crore in 1991.
more than two living children, of ecouraged to include adolescent In the middle of 1994, it has
which one child is born after and family life education in their crossed 7 core mark. If this
January 26, 2001,.would not be proejcts. An effective and suitable trend continues, the population
eligible for the government Jobs communication strategy would be would cross 8 crore by 2001
or for contesting civic body or prepared to allay misconceptions and would be doubled in next
Panchayat election and declared and misgivings prevailing in so­ 32 years.
that Madhya Pradesh Civil Ser­ ciety about family welfare.
The mission of the policy,
vices (general conditions for ser­
The Cabinet also decided to according to the sources. Is to
vice) Rules 1961 would be make necessary amendments in ensure balance between popula­
amended in compliance with this the service performance strategy, tion, resources and environment
decision.
organisational structure and pro­ which is possible only when
Sources said that Shabana in cedures of family welfare pro­ there is a fast decrease in the
a letter to Chief Minister had gramme and the role of different reproduction qnd death rate. The
expressed her displeasure over government departments will be rate of eligible couples using
the ban saying that the ban specified in achieving population contraceptives would have to be
would discriminate against the stabilisation.
increased to prevent 42 per
women and would lead to women
As per the decision of the cent to 65 by 2011. The infomt
being 'kept out* of politics be­ Cabinet those marrying prior to mortality rate needs to be lowered
cause It was not the women but the minimum age of marriage from 97 per thousand to 62 by
their husbands who decide on after May 11, 2000 would also 2011 and the maternity death
the number of children they can be disqualified to apply for a rate from 498 per lakh births to
have.
government Job and to contest 200 by 2011.
Earlier, the Cabinet in January elections for mandis, cooperative
But Azmi also doubted the
had decided to have a population bodies and civic and panchayat feasibility of the proposed ban
stabilisation policy aiming at bodies. They would not be eligible which would be effective in the
achieving stablisation of popula­ to get government housing plots, state from January 26, 2001.
tion by middle of the next century loans etc.
She said that on the population
and to bring down the population
It has also been decided to issue, the focus seems to be oh
growth rate to 2.1 by 2001. For launch schemes for promoting bringing down the total fertility
implementation of the policy ef­ girls' education and to prevent tate (TFR), which according to
fectively a population and devel­ child marriages. Newly wed clubs her Is a 'grave error.’
opment council, it has been will he constituted and the mem­
She said that there was a
decided, will be constituted under bers will be encouraged to discuss tendency among politicians to
the chairmanship of the chief issues pertaining to family plan­ regard such -social issues as
minister.
being 'soft’.D
ning and reproductive health.
And to ensure proper co­
Besides, Self Help Groups would
The Observer
ordination between different de­ also be constituted in each
10 March 2000
partments in Its implementation, panchayat by 2003 and primary
a state population policy imple­ education would be universalised
mentation committee, headed by by year 2005 in the state. All
the Chief Secretary Will also be women in the 15-35 years age
constituted. The principal secre­ group would be made literate
BHOPAL

20

Govt effects
changes
in FCRA
Observer PoMSoel Bereea
NEW DELHI

THE home ministry on Thursday
modified* citizens charter relating
to the Foreign Contribution Regu­
lation Act (FCRA), which has
been simplified in the process. A
web-site has also been launched
for the purpose.
As per the proviso, all institu­
tions and NGOs receiving foreign
assistance or public servants
receiving foreign hospitality are
required to seek permission of
the the Centre under the Act.
"At present there are around
18,489 organisations registered
under the FCRA, of which 12,198
organisations have filed their
re turns,’’sources said.

Sources said most of the do­
nation were in the field of health.
family welfare, rural development,
educational trusts for the devel­
opment of poor, old age and
destitute in the country, adding.
“changes in the procedure would
effect expeditious processing of
applications both prior permission
and its verification.”
The FCRA changes would help
various organisations and it has
been mandatory for the govern­
ment departments to take a
decision about the application
within three to six months time.

All organisations have also
been asked to file their return by
July
31
every year.
"Any
organisation having definite cul­
tural, economic, educational relig­
ious, health or social programme
may receive foreign contribution
after getting itself registered with
the Central government.

The Observer
10 March 2000

News You Can Use

Villages make their
own kinds of school?

amudi, a village on the Amarkanlak- teaches students through educational ganwc “Tho
children to explore their creative 'potei
’ Shahdol road in Shahdol district of Madhya Adivasis. have taken to the school Children
through exercise and games interspersed 1
Pradesh has risen to fame for its unique studying in class III and IV i„ gov^™
Namra’s literary talent. It has come as a g
educational
experiment.
houses
Shram schools cannot even read or write a sentence n7,t
Niketan
Sahsathan
(SNS), It
set
up by Shyam
mer of hope for the people living in this ne£le
Bdhadur Namra,'a progressive Hindi poet and his
district."
In
city-based
Wife, Anuradha Singh, who launched Apna
Prior to Apna school, Namra and Arturad ha
School Pariyojana in the adivasi-dominated dis­
taught the labour working oh their three i
formal education system
trict bn November 1996. It is funded by Madhya
farm. Without any institutional support they
Pradesh Government's Rajiv Gandhi Prathrhik
work;
veloped a process*which linked farming with i
Shiksha Mission ’aimed at involving students,
formal education. The curriculum was debig
system
fears around seasonal agricultural activities inqlu<
teachers and villagers in all activities related to
the >school.
production, planning and marketing. Tw<
and aspirations of
• Villagers have pooled resources for setting up
learners were drawn from Koi, Gond and mlg
schools. Teachers were, appointed from.the local
Oraon tribes. Moving away from any. instriic
functiohs
better.
Shifting, to. fpi^naj.system. of in­
of the formal system. The experiment wds v
struction, the curricula's main thrust is not on­
in
the framework .of man-nature and man-i
about such an
ly to impart the students with three R's bijt also
conflicts in the region.
tQAeach them the native skills so that they could
experiment in Madhya Pradesh Learning included activities and tours to
make best use of it without migrating to cities jn
actual sites of agricultural production and n
search of jobs.
in Apna schools they are fluent enough keting. The goals of Shram Niketan, startei
The large influx of population from village to
to read Bala Babli'ki Kahani and Apni 1977 .was to provide wider understanding o
the cities has reached"a saturation point. Migrants
Kitab. Aao Khelain Aur Geenain has cal conditions in a holistic perspective to the k
from-village live in sub-human conditions.Says
made arithmetic simple and easy. gin al, small artd medium-sized fanning comi
Anuradha Singh, the Director of the Apna School
Students use domino cards tp learn ad­ hities. Landless peasants ware'directed towt
Pariyojana, “Before setting up the schools Namraj
dition, subtraction, division and multi­ understanding wage and quantity calculations
and I visited the villages. Villagers .asked us what
price mechanisms in the market. The educath
plication," says Yadav.
is the use of sending their children* to the
towards application of scientific t<
“We find th? pedagogic process adopted thrust was,.
schools? They* felt students passing'out from
in the schools easy, comprehensible and " niques and increased
mcreasei production, ft was kep
schools would only add to the swelling tribes of
interesting. We could generate interest mind for all the groups thaj. the essential
educated unemployed." The villagers in rural
among the students as we thoroughly quirement was to give then) a^cj^ti^c^prld x
countryside see their children as income-gener­
grasped the process. Apna schools have built upon
J
ating assets as a large .<part of their time is con­
minimum dropouts. In our school regu­ ena. ’
Enriched by'over two-decade long experiei
sumed in cutting firewood, arranging fodder, graz­
lar students haVe finished their primers
ing cattle and tending-their siblings.
within a span of .nine to 10 months. the Sahsathan how thinks, that education to
But SNS fixed up the school timing in such a '
Interest in learning of our students has marginalised section of the population can c
manner that children had sufficient time for do­
increased as they borrow books from li­ be successfill if development programmes (
mestic activities. The school is not more than four
brary for reading. The relationship be­ ering all spheres in rural society are launch
hours aday. Apna school does not follow any dress
tween students and teachers is healthy. A frontal attack on poverty and ignorance he
to be unleashed. Only then Would Apna sdh<
code or impose any uniform:
We have, been strictly instructed by SNS
Going to school can be an arduous journey for
not use the c’ane,"says Amardeen Rohini, really benefit the rural countryside.
children in remote villages. In Kanclhuwa Tola a
a post graduate teacher of Apna school
Charkha Featu
government school was opened in Kansha village
in Kholi Tola village.
The Pioneer
after rich peasants pot pressure bn the local au­
Apna School Pariyojana, which complet­
thorities.. Children going to the -school, from
ed three years has earned the apprecia­
10 March 20
Kandhuwa Tola.had to wade through the slushy
tion of the villagers for its curriculum and*
muddy paths in the rainy season. Faced by nu­
educational games. Initially, parents and
merous such hardships parents were "compelled
teachers had shown their apprehension.
to withdraw their wards from the government
But seeing the children learn faster than
school.
"
those studying in government-run formal
Besides the extreme poverty, made many avoid
schools they changed their opinion.
school. Rural activists running night schools to
Sarosh Koshy. a researcher who was con­
teach the ad^.qyild.nQX.^pakc much headway
ducting a study of 20 different schools im­
»fllpngthev
r
1^.parting alternative education spread over
They could hot oomse a larger number of
the country visited Apna schools also.,
adults. TJtey felt exhausted to come-to school so
He said, “Since October 19971 have keen­
late. But after Apna school came up in Kansa
ly observed different schools giving al­
things have changed. Parents have responded pos­
ternative education. I was astounded at
itively by admitting their wards in the Apna
the creative skills in developing the
school.
books. Teaching methods are excellent.
Lalla Prasad Yadav, senior teachei»-ofthe school.
The set of bools developed by SNS helps__

J

villages, the

does not
An alternative
which reflects the
the villagers
Tarun.Bose
writes

CDL Media Clippings 21

Rajasthan will set up
information technology
institute and centres
By Prakash Bhandari *
The Times of India News Service
JAIPUR:The state will focus its en­
ergies to leverage the benefits of
information technology (IT) for
the benefit of the people. The state
cabinet on Wednesday approved
the IT policy.The state government
will set up Indian Institute of Infor­
mation Technology in the state
with the help of private sector. In­
centives will be offered to make
Rajasthan an attractive location
for IT investments. The state gov­
ernment is keen to reap the bene­
fits of the IT based service industry
whose turnover is expected to be
around Rs 81,000 crore by 2008
“The state will take the benefit
of a number ofjob opportunities in
the field of IT. It is the aim of the

Unique methods
for unemployed
developed in UK
London: The British govern­
ment is to provide free trans­
port, money for new clothes.
internet access and advice on
drug problems to the long-term
jobless from areas badly affect­
ed by unemployment.
A mixture of public and pri­
vate partnerships will run 15
employment zones across the
country, in a project the gov­
ernment hopes will benefit
50.000 unemployed people.
One of the
companies
involved says it will employ
specialists to help people with
drugs and alcohol. (DPA)

The Asian Age
10 March 2000

22

government to create an IT friend­
ly environment for integrated par­
ticipation by all in the develop­
mental process by implementing
the IT policy.This shall be for the
improvement in the quality of
every human life, emergence of a
competitive society and a vibrant
economy through transparent gov­
erning systems, sound infrastruc­
ture and skilled human resources,'’
chief minister Ashok Gehlot said.
The state government has decid­
ed to create an integrated IT cen­
tre at each of the 32 districts. It is
also envisaged that IT shall be in­
troduced by the government at all
points of contact between the gov­
ernment and citizens positively by
the year 2002.
Rohit Singh, director depart­
ment of information technology
said electronic governance will im­
prove the efficiency and effective­
ness of government’s delivery sys­
tems and administration, “Special
focus will be made to develop
competence through IT in rural ar­
eas and for this customised training programme in educational in­
stitutions will be imparted. Com­
puter training facilities will be es­
tablished in all the panchayat
samitis’ headquarters in the next
two years. Rajasthan will be the
first state to undertake such a comprehensive statewide training pro- »ne I lines Of India
gramme”, said Mr Rohit Singh.
11 March 2000

AIDS internet site for South Asia
• In the first of its kind in South Asia, the internet portal site •
“You and AIDS" — was launched in the capital on Thursday night
by the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
reports UNI from New Delhi. Union Minister of State for Rural
Development Subhash Mahariu. who was chief guest at the launch
function, said the new portal site would play a mttfor role in
disseminating vital information about the dreaded epidemic.
especially among the poor serf ions who were hardest hit due to
little or no information on important health issues.

Deccan Herald
11 March 2000

UP to take
special steps for
population contro
Parmlndar Singh
NOIDA

THE UP government is consultinj
experts to evolve a new populatioi
policy and will shortly launch at
effective strategy to arrest th<
population increase.
An expert committee whicl
met in Lucknow in first week o
March has advised the methodol
ogy to be adopted. While ever
6th person in world is an Indian
in India every sixth person h
from UP. With a population o
16 crore in UP the state govern
ment is quite concerned abou
it All its development programme
and achievement are going awr
due to increased number o
mouths to feed and to provid<
education, employment, healtl
care etc. According to Chaudhar
Sardar Singh, UP minister fo
family welfare "we are seriousl
considering ways and means t<
make the lower strata of couple
in productive .age particularly ii
rural areas and workers, laboui
ers, those in urban slums am
minority community to adopt twe
child norm. Help is being sough
from NGO's, social organisation
and others bodies.
UP with Rs 1,000 budge
under family welfare has anothe
Rs 1,000 from an AmeriCai
organisation SBSA. “But budge
is no constraint as more fund:
can be allocated if needed fo
the success of the programme.
the minister said. A multi-medi;
approach for mounting an educa
tion and awareness campaign i;
being finalised by the govemmen
while village panchayats and so
cial organisations are also belnj
roped in for launching publfr
campaigns for the purpose
Sardar Singh added.

The Observer
11 March 2000

News You Can Use

ICAR launches World Bank
project on food security
Frew Trust of India

assessment of technology Inter­
vention impact.
NEW DELHI
Speaking on the ocassion, ICAR
THE Indian Council of Agricultural director general R S Paroda said
Research (ICAR) on Friday launch* besides providing the much need­
ed a three-year mission project ed food and nutritional security
on household food and nutritional for these areas, the mission
security for increasing production would help in widening the food
and
productivity
of
crops, basket of the country.
The
livestocks and fish in tribal, hilly project will demonstrate the po­
and backward areas.
tential of underutilised species
The Rs 38.65 crore World of agri-horticultural crops, choice
Bank supported project, launched of suitable variety, production of
by eminent agro-scientists M S quality seeds and adoption of
Swaminathan here, envisages en­ improved agro-techniques.
hancing the economic viability of
The activities of the mission
farmers in harsh environments also include rejuvenation of de­
through a holistic approach of clined orchards, improvement in
development in many spheres of the production, productivity and
farming by addressing six areas availability of animal and fresh
and tasks.
water fish production systems,
The project aims at enhancing enhanced opportunities for post­
the productivity of 11 selected harvest processing and value
life support crop species embrac­ addition and impact assessment
ing minor and pseudo-cereals, of technology interventions and
indigenous pulses and oilseeds, diversifications.
improving livestock productivity
The 11 selected life supporting
and expanding scope of horticul­ crop species include amarnath
ture and vegetable gardening for (cholai), buckwheat (kuttu), finger
broad basing food and nutritional millet (ragi), little millet (kutki),
security.
kodo millet, foxtail millet (kangni),
The programme will also focus ricebean and lathyrus (khesari).
The mission is divided into six
on enhancing fresh water fish
production,
expanding
utility programmes to be supported by
range through value addition and National Agricultural Technology
post harvest technology for im­ Project (NATP). the work will be
proving market potential besides carried out by 50 cooperating
monitoring sustainability through centres including ICAR Institutes,

state agricultural universities
(SAUs), Central agricultural uni­
versity and NGOs.
The activities will cover all the
major tribal and backward areas
of the country, including the
North Eastern hill regions. Highest
priority has been assigned to
the transfer of technology-related
activities and fine tuning of tech­
niques for effective transfer and
adoption.
In the programme on ‘increas­
ing production and productivity
of life support species*, it is
proposed to intensify research
and development efforts on ident­
ified coarse grains, indigenous
pulses and oilseeds for the de­
velopment of promising varieties
and suitable agro-technologies.
The programmes on specific
crops will be executed through
the All India Coordinated Research
Project networks.
The project on horticulture crops
and vegetable gardening for food
and nutritional security, will focus
on popularising the improved hy­
brids suitable for specific situ­
ations having multiple disease
resistance. Standardisation of
production and protection tech­
nologies, application of Integrated
Pest Management and the trans­
fer of these improved technologies
to the farmers through training
will top the programme.D

The Observer
11 March 2000

Japanese grant
for NGOs
Express News Service

Chennai, March 10: Consul
General of Japan, Ryuichi
Ishii yesterday signed a grant
contract with the Sevai Soci­
ety, Madurai, extending it
80,831 US dollars to help the
needy through self-help progr­
ammes. Contracts were also
signed with the Werner Wolft’
Foundation for Rehabilitation
of the Mentally Disabled
(WWRMD), Tiruchi for a grant
of $ 79,150 and with the Madu­
rai Jesuit Downtrodden People
Welfare Trust (MJDPWT)for
US $ 79,020 for empowering 100
young girls.
Sevai Society will use the
fund for constructing a prim­
ary school building for orph­
ans and rural children, with
the aim of providing them edu­
cation and eradicating child la­
bour.
The grant to WWRMD will
be utilised for accommodating,
educating and training 36 men­
tally
disabled
children.
. MJDPWT will use the grant for
setting up a home for the girls
belonging to the lower classes.

The Telegraph
11 March 2000

MP tops in rural
electrification
Bhopal, March 11

Best amateur video
• A documentary titled ‘The ground above: Unearthing the
Mangalore tile,’ produced by Manipal Institute of Communication
(MIC) and directed by Rupali Mehra, a student from 1999 batch,
has won the ’Best amateur video production of the year' award at
the 12th UGC-CEC National Educational Video Competition. The
award carries a citation, a trophy and cash prize of Rs 10,000. The
film is about the eco-friendly Mangalore tile and its replacement
byconcrete, the dwindling reserves of quality clay, fuel wood and
lack of government support. Two other students, Nikhil Narayan
and Susirn Mohanty, of MIC, have secured first place in the
national level ‘Media Melange 2000' paper presentation contest on
media issues, organised by Communication Studies. University of
Pune on March 4 and 5.

Deccan Herald
12 March 2000

THE
CENTRAL
Rural
Electrification Corporation has
assigned Madhya Pradesh top
position in its assessment of rural
electrification carried out by dif­
ferent States in the country.
The State has also topped in the
electrification of Scheduled Caste
localities and energisation of irri­
gation pump sets, an official
release said here today. According
Io the 1991 census, Madhya
Pradesh has 71,526 villages and
50,000 majara tolas. By the begin­
ning of the current year, 68,259 vil­
lages and 27,743 majara tolas had
been electrified.
(PTI)

The Hindustan Times
12 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 23

Narmada needs a
historic judgement
BY JAI SEN

accepted. The campaign also played a Nimar Bachao Samiti. Mobilised h>
central role in triggering the formation in Rameshwar Patidar, till recently a BJ P
1998 of WCOLD (World Commission on MP, the Samiti even approached the
fegjragtfffi HE SUPREME Court’s final Large Dams), a collaboration of the Prime Minister. The late Seventies saw
hearing on the Sardar Sarovar IUCN (International Union for the another protest against the dam’s height
case,
which
began
on Conservation of Nature), an intemation- in Madhya Pradesh, and this time the­
February 29, constitutes a his- al civil body based in Geneva, and the farmers came together under the banner
Esl
toric moment. For, the case World Bank, to look at the very future of of the Nimar Bachao Andolan, which the
has a long civil and political history, and large dams.
Congress had floated.
the issues it has raised are fundamental
Large dams such as the SSP affect the The issues associated with the
in nature and have universal relevance.
lives of millions worldwide. They are Narmada were first articulated by a civil
The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) also, however, major money-spinners. organisation in Gujarat, ARCH Vahini,
filed the Sardar Sarovar case in 1994. The stakes involved in the final hearing which began working in 1980 in the 19
Since 1985, the NBA movement has consequently have both financial and Adivasi villages in Gujarat affected by
received widespread support from those social implications.
the dam. Some years later, SETU, an
affected by the project. This includes
Gujarat proposed the SSP immediately Ahmedabad-based civil organisation that
both the adivasis or tribals, who live pri­ after it was carved out from the larger included Medha Patkar, started provid­
marily in the hills bounding the river Bombay state and made into a separate ing relief to affected villages in
immediately behind the dam, and the entity in May 1960. The project was Maharashtra — and this organisation
prosperous Patidar farmers and traders, expected to lay the foundation for devel­ later became the now famous Narmada
who constitute the majority of the popu­ opment in agriculture and industry, and Bachao Andolan.
lation in the Nimar valley further help Gujarat assert its identity. In the
Both the NBA and ARCH Vahini ini­
upstream. Also, the movement has late Sixties, farmers of south Gujarat tially wanted just rehabilitation for all;
received fairly extensive support from launched an important but short-lived the NBA, though, also demanded the
other Indian movements and from the movement in favour of the project.
right of affected people to information
intelligentsia in cities.
Then, the Madhya Pradesh government about the project that threatened to
Outside India, the NBA consciously had strongly opposed the project, dema­ change their lives forever.
built links in those countries which are nding that the height of the proposed
In the course of their sustained cam­
the major shareholders in the World dam should be lowered in Gujarat, and paign, the NBA also exposed environ­
Bank. The NBAs supporters abroad increased in Madhya Pradesh. This con­ mental devastation, displacement, and
mounted sustained pressure on their tentious issue was referred in 1969 to an extensive violation of human rights in
governments to force the Bank into inter-states disputes tribunal — the the implementation of the project. They
pushing the Central and state, govern­ Narmada Waters Disputes Tribunal — argued that full and adequate resettle­
ments in India to meet social and envi­ which arrived at its award in 1979. The ment of those displaced was not feasi­
ronmental standards they had agreed early Nineties saw the state government ble, nor was the project economically
upon. It was because of this pressure that demand a reduction in the height of the viable.
the Bank ultimately withdrew from the dam, willing as it was now to forgo its And they also accused the project
project.
gains from the project in exchange for authorities and the World Bank of mis­
The NBA has been at the crest of a attenuating its harsh impact.
management and deception, which the
wave of independent civil movements
Review
(or
Morse
It is erroneously believed that the for­ Independent
incorporating environmental, develop­ mat ion of the NBA sparked off the pop­ Commission) found to be true. Arguing
mental, social, and human rights issues ular movement against the dam. In fact, that the project could only be completed
that have risen in India and abroad. And the first protest dates back to 1961, when ‘by
unacceptable
means’,
the
precisely because of its success in mobil­ Adivasi farmers protested for a more just Commission recommended that the
ising this kind of support, the issues the compensation package than what they World Bank step back from it.
NBA has raised have become symbolic of had received in lieu of their villages The NBA, obviously, faced intense
a much wider universe of concerns.
being demolished and cleared for the opposition from the project’s propo­
The NBA has played a key role in pre­ dam and the project’s township, Kevadia. nents, and were subjected to severe
cipitating policy reforms in institutions
Landowners in the Nimar valley, repression from time to time. But all this
such as the World Bank. Public access to Madhya Pradesh, which is located on the has contributed to the democratisation
information on Bank-related matters, wrong side of the dam, too began of project planning and implementation,
and the rights of project-affected peoples protesting against their possible displace­ at local, national, and international lev­
to appeal to a semi-independent ment in the late Sixties, and organised els. Underlying this was the recognition
‘Inspections Panel’, for instance, were themselves into the Narmada Bachao,
Contd...

24

News You Can Use

Game with a noble aim
Pioneer News Service
Mussoorie

IF A recently organised competi­
tion here, of manual pit-husking
of paddy, was uncommon in any
respect, it was not because the
all-women participants beat apart
large quantity of rice in a allot­
ted time interval. It was because
the competition was meant to in­
culcate among the hill women old
habits of working with the local­
ly available technologies and to
help rejuvenate the fast declining
traditional art of rice-hulling in
the hills.
This unique competition was
held at village Sainji of Jaunpur
development
block
near
Mussoorie on Monday last, in
which 23 groups of women from
10 neighbouring villages regis­
tered their participation.
The competition was organised
by Society for Integrated
Development of the Himalayas
(S1DH), a Mussnorie-based vol­
untary organisation to motivate*

local residents revert to userfriendly old technologies. The
various technical innovations
made here have become a thing
of the past.
There has been a growing ac­
ceptance of concepts, alien to the
hill culture, by the locals while ig­
noring the .traditional technologies
as a direct result of which the de­
velopment and growth of the hill
societies has been impeded,
Surendra Pundir of SIDE told The
Pioneer.
It is only by making the hill so­
cieties self-reliant by holding
such competitions that they can
be made economically self-sus­
taining, which would ultimately
lead to their growth and devel­
opment, Mr Pupdir said.
Here, in the competition, each
group of participants is required
to shell nine "patha" (a local con­
tainer) full of paddy in half-hour
time during which they must al­
so take care of proper separation
of rice from the husk, and also
spillage from the pit.
These added conditions ensure

that women develop proficiency
in the art of manual paddy­
hulling while keeping this timetested method alive, Mr Pundir
said.
Earlier, a customary puja was
also performed before the start of
the competition, which was wit­
nessed by a large number of lo­
cal residents and from the neigh­
bouring villages.
The event was characterised
by the presence of women com­
petitors who said that they no
longer practiced hand-husking of
paddy and consumed mechani­
cally husked rice instead.
"Earlier, we used to mill our
floor and beat paddy into rice but
now use mill-ground floor and
buy milled rice from the market",
said Paro Devi of Sainji, the host
village.
Another local woman resident
said that paddy shelling not only
ensured a superior rice quality•
but was also good for
health."Pregnant women prac­
ticing paddy hulling deliver eas­
ily than those who don't. As such.

they are saved from the trauma
of having caesarean sections for
child-birth", she said.
Later, a panel of live judges
comprising old women residents
gave their verdict on the final out­
come of the competition. But the
names of the winners were an­
nounced by the judges only after
they had scrupulously checked
with the qualifying standards. The
women team from village Bherian
was adjudged as the winner
while the one from village
Ghandiyal was declared fis run­
ners-up.
The team from village Talli
Kanda was declared as the sec­
ond runners-up.
Kunwar Singh, pradhan of vil­
lage Sainji, said that the compe­
tition had acted in a morale
booster for the local women-folk.
Anuradha Joshi of SIDH said that
her organisation plans to or­
ganise similar activities in the
area to spread the underlying
message of growth of traditional
practices in the hills.

The Pioneer
12 March 2000

Contd...
of the notion that society and civil actors in the context of decolonisation in the
have a crucial role to play in planning Fifties and then the Non-Aligned
and governance.
Movement. For all our other weaknesses,
The Sardar Sarovar’s long history India remains, as Professor Ignacy Sachs
makes one hope that the verdict of the says, one of the ‘whales’ in the develop­
judges would contribute to the ongoing ing world.
global dialogue on the kind of develop­ This is also true of the civil world. The
ment we need, and who should decide its Narmada movement has now become a
parameters.
global symbol of the struggle for sustain­
The main actors in this case are the able development. My own research in
marginalised Adivasi communities and other countries has shown that the
the middle and large farmers aj\d Narmada movement is widely known
traders; those supporting the project are among activists and politicians alike. The
contractors, politicians, and industrial­ judgement in the Narmada case could
ists. The victims and beneficiaries are become historic. Just as the courts in
more or less the same in other such pro­ India periodically cite cases from the
jects worldwide. The case, therefore, has House of Lords in Britain, or from the
global implications.
US Supreme Court, it is quite likely that
True, the judgement would have no this particular case too could achieve
legal bearing in other countries. But that status.
what must not be forgotten is that devel­ Obviously, this can happen only if the
opment issues in India have been of judgement addresses the fundamental
tremendous interest to people and gov­ issues and the universal concerns that the
ernments outside the countiy, especially Narmada agitation has raised.
The Hindustan Times

Fight plastics
S1RSI:

■ All of you who hate plastics, but do
nothing except wish that somebody would do
something, will be glad to know that the
Tattisar Group Seva Shakari Sangha at the
Salkani Road, about 12 kms from Sirsi, has
come up with a new scheme to fight them. And
they decided to rope in people who are rather oj
level with the ground - children.
The society issued identity cards to about
800 schoolchildren around the area, so that
they could collect plastic wastes, for which
they were paid Rs 5 per kilo. It will be credited
to their account.
Rajiv Ajjibal

Deccan Herald
12 March 2000

12 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 25

Making up for lost time
ncoliterates like Kunhi Akka are not only participants in NDS meetings are women,
UNHIAKKA is 42 years old.
who actively participated in welfaregenerously sharing their experiences at
When the Neoliterates
meetings, but also celebrating literacy in oriented programmes. Much of the
Development Society (NDS) of
motivation for work in environmental
their cultural activities, in articulating
Dakshina Kannada district meets every
protection, repair of roads, school
their views on every subject under the
month. Kunhi Akka satisfies her appetite
sun. from politics to the environment and buildings, came from women, who also
for anything readable that she can lay
confidently contest the panchayat
her hands on. At the meeting are dozens pollution.
When Kunhi Akka attends the
elections.
of women and men from all over the
What lingered as the neo-literates
monthly meeting of the neoliterates in
district, who (eel the same way.
stood waving goodbye. looking like a
Dakshina Kannada, held each month in
Until eight years ago. Kunhi Akka was
defiant surge of sea. was Kunhi Akka's
one taluk, she is struck by the fact that
like millions of others, about whom it was
dream, the dream, perhaps of every neo­
the district is crawling with women and
always asked. “Why should Ramakka
literate. which they at once hoped and
learn to read and write?” She would have men like herself, who want more out of
feared would come true - a political party
literacy than to read and write.
then nodded sagely and agreed that
for the neo-literates that would teach
Kunhi Akka's children go to school.
reading or writing were of no use to her.
corrupt politicians a lesson. Just once.
Bom in a family that depended on her She spends every minute she can spare
they would like to say no, and slam the
from work in motivating women to join
father's meagre earnings as a labourer in
the literacy campaign. The woman who door in the face of the vote-seekers.
Guttigaru village. Sullya taluk. Kunhi
★
★
★
used to.scurry for cover at the sight of an
Akka had no expectations about being
HAD Nagalakshmi lived anywhere but
sent to school. She stayed home, minding autorikshaw driver thinking every khaki­ in Puttur’s Mardal village in Dakshina
younger siblings, including the only son clad person was a policeman, today
Kannada, she would probabljr be
in the family, who was also the only child calmly takes delegations to meet the
married, and minding a couple of infants
Superintendent of Police, the Zilla
to go to school. When she was old
at home. Or been at the receiving end of
Panchayat CEO. the tahsildar.
enough, she joined the family work-force.
abuse from her husband, driven to
As a taluk representative on the zilla
adding her mite to the family's meagre
suicide. Happily, young Nagalakshmi is
panchayat CEO's citizens' committee (a
income. Soon she was married off, the
none of these things. She is, as she ought
second wife to a labourer. She carried on neoliterate from each taluk is invited to
be on this committee). Kunhi Akka is no to be. a promising student of law at the
working.
V.B. Law College, lldupi, aspiring to excel
longer bashful in discussing social evils
She had four children, and life was a
like drinking, fighting nuisance elements, at criminal law.
straight line from work to wage and food
Nagalaksbmi's father chose to comply
and discussing women’s safety. Mostly.
until 1991 when the Karnataka
with “family traditions” that frowned on
though, she talks about the importance
Government initiated the literacy
education for girls, and pulled her out of
of self-help. And how literacy is the only
campaign in Bijapur and Dakshina
school when she ought to have gone
means to get there.
Kannada districts. Learn and Teach Ramakunja gram panchayat president ahead to middle school. Besides, he could
" Kaliyiri KaiisirF. reached out to the five
not afford to waste money on education
Ratnavati S. Gowda, another neo­
lakh people in these two districts, whose
literate. feels she has been more effective for a daughter, his salary being meagre.
lives could change with literacy.
Nagalakshmi was not pleased,
in her job, thanks to literacy. She helps
Kunhi Akka signed up. She ignored the
women organise self-help groups, having particularly as she herself had enjoyed
barbs. When Kunhi Akka proudly .signed
studying. But there was little she could do
six in her bag already. Dairying, and
her name at the ration shop, people
about it, and she began to help her
other income-generating activities find
stopped laughing. The literacy campaign
younger brothers with their lessons when
eager takers after she goaded a few
has come a long way since 1989. even
they came home. Until the year she
stubborn residents to join night school.
re-inventing itself when the first forays to
There are 426 neo-Iiterates in her village, turned 15.
break the jinx of four decades failed to
That was when the literacy campaign
and she has plans to build an office for
erase the image of sad little films that
NDS. Literacy has made her more vocal, was blazing new trails and volunteers
took the moral high-ground on the bane and self-confident, she thinks, as she
were swarming the district, fishing out
of illiteracy, but failed to make an impact moves on to another dream of hers - the everyone from age 15 to 3 5 and roping
all the same. Ten years of the Total
village is divided along caste lines, and
them in for night school. Younger
Literacy Campaign has touched 35 lakh she wants to remove them, and bring
children who had dropped out of school
people across the State, including women every child to school.
were talked into enrolling again. When
who have come out of their homes for the
A study by social workers Shecna
K. P. Mohan, a campaign manager in
first time, held a book in their hands or
Shetty and Krishna Moolya for the
Puttur. visited Nagalaksbmi’s home, be
written a postcard for the first time.
sociology department of Mangalore
prevailed upon her parents to send her to
Women who are now determined to send University, on the impact of NDS at
night school, at least.
their daughters to school and keep them various levels shows that the innovative
Nagalakshmi signed up, and within
there. Women who are articulate, and
methods adopted have paid off. The visits three months, topped her class. Everyone
seek to understand the world outside
wanted her to resume regular school, and
to government offices have ensured
through the window of literacy that has better rapport between the neo-literates
so she did. She took tuitions and passed
suddenly opened new vistas for them.
and officials. Neo-literates are making the the seventh standard privately. At school.
Kunhi Akka is today counted among
most of information booklets on schemes one of the teachers who seemed to have
jhc 3.5 lakh volunteers who till eight
taken a dislike to her began to make
meant for them. A monthly journal for
years ago, never held a book in her hand. neo-literates. Akshara Karavali. is avidly
school life difficult for Nagalakshmi. She
but went on to help scores of others like read, and even contributed to.
bore this harassment silently, but when
her to join the campaign, become a part
The NDS has chosen to lend emphasis the master refused to allow her to take
of the process. Such is the success of the to the benefits of literacy for women, and her eighth standard exams on specious
campaign, the high-point of which was a the study finds that literacy has promoted reasons, it was the last straw. She
massive Jatha that went to every village
reported this to Mohan. By this time.
greater participation by women in the
last year, demonstrating the power of
Deputy Commissioners and most district
decision-making process at various
literacy to all who stood and stared, that levels. It notes that nearly 80 per cent of
Contd...

K

26

News You Can Use

UPfarmerfinds his
fortune in book trade
By Mazhar Farooqul
The Times of India News Service
VARANASI: It’s a typical rags to riches story — the
kind which you read in books only. And books it’s all
about. Son of a small time Lucknow farmer, Ramanand Tewari, set up a book stall on the footpaths of
Varanasi during the ’70s and earned enough to rent a
shop near the tourist bungalow. But just as the sales
picked up, the landlord doubled the rqnt. Mr Tewari
packed up and headed for Kathmandu in Nepal where
he opened another book shop.
This time he had better luck.The shop became popu­
lar and went on to become the biggest book shop in
Asia. Riveting stories of MrTewari’s successful transi­
tion from farming to book business have already ap­
peared in several international publications.
Spread over 20,000 square feet on Thamel road in
Kathmandu, Mr Tewari’s five-storey Pilgrims Book
House is a literary oasis of sorts, frequented by the
likes of Ricky Martin, Gulzar and renowned director
Bcrnado Bertolucci of Little Buddha fame.
Besides a wide range of books on various subjects,
the shop also has a garden restaurant serving vegetari­
an delights and traditional Nepali dishes to discerning
tourists and visitors who wish to combine the pleasure
of browsing with eating.
Prompted by the stupendous success of the Thamel
road shop, Mr Tewari has recently opened two more
bookstores — one at Kupondole in Kathmandu and
the other near Durga Kund in Varanasi — the city
where he started it all. In association with its sister
company Book Faith India, today, Mr Tewari not only
just sells books, he publishes them as well.
Fittingly, the publishing house is based in Varanasi it­
self. Run by Chaitanya Nagar, managing editor, and his
wife Sasya, art director, the plush Varanasi store is de­
signed in the traditional old-world European style and
is a veritable treat for bibliophiles.
From mountaineering and fiction to spirituality and
religion, it has books on all subjects. While Chaitanya
selects the manuscripts, his wife designs the jackets.
“This is perhaps the biggest book store in the eastern
region of the country. In the one year that have rolled
by since we opened, the store has become immensely
popular with tourists who come to Varanasi,” says
Chaitanya. “In fact, we are thinking of starting a small
cafe and meditation centre here shortly,” he adds.
The publishing house has several projects up its
sleeves, the chief of which is a series of Haiku, by John
Brandi.

The Times of India
11 March 2000

Contd...
officials had been co-opted into the
literacy programme and word of
Nagalakshml's harassment reached his
ears. “The Deputy Commissioner,
Rajnish Goel, asked me over to his office,
and I wrote my exams in his presence**.
She wrote her tenth standard exams in
private, and went ahead to pre-university
classes. That was when she decided to
study law. By this time, Nagalakshmi had
become the new icon of the literacy
movement, the success story that
everyone wanted to emulate. An article
in Taranga, a Kannada week!}' published
from Manipal in Udupi district, caught
the eye of a Indian in the U.S. and so it
was that Chandrashekhar Shetty offered
to see her through law college.
Nagalakshmi left Mardal to study in the
prestigious V.B. Law College. Now in her
third year, only a film and a documentary
on her achievements, made by a
Bangalore-based film-maker used
extensively by the Directorate of Mass
Education in the State to inspire
neoliterates, convinces her of her
achievements.
While she plods through copious
volumes on law. lapping up lessons on
the Indian Penal Code, and tort law,
Nagalakshmi makes no secret of the fact
that she has much to thank Shetty for.
“I’d like to go and study in America,” she
says. Why? “Because I have a debt of
gratitude to repay. I have someone to
help me realise my dream. One which I
never thought would come true. Going to
America would mean an opportunity to
do well and earn more. Then I can help
other students like me.”
What of her other dream? To become a
women’s rights lawyer? Well, that too.
Drcams that come true, only make more
dreams happen. And every dream begins
with going to school. Ask Nagalakshmi.
who almost never did. ■

The author isfellow of the National
Foundationfor India and this article is part
of thefellowship series.

ALLADI'JAYASRI
The Hindu
12 March 2000

The Times of India
13 March 2000

Weddings are a
mixed blessing
for these
adivasifamilies
By Meenakshi Shedde
SAVARSAI, PEN (RAIGAD):
Weddings are a mixed blessing for
these adivasi families, as they take
loans of about Rs 15,000 for a sin­
gle wedding. With earnings of Rs
20-60 for a day’s labour in season.
they take up to a decade or more
to square it off, and often force
their children to labour on the
thakur’s fields or brick kilns to
help pay up. In order to break this
exploitative cycle, the Family
Planning Association of India, the
Rotary Club of Pen, and the grain
panchayat of Savarsai jointly
sponsored and organised the si­
multaneous weddings, which cost
each bride’s or groom’s family
only Rs 500.
Gynaecologist
Usha
Malgaonkar, the dedicated chairper­
son of FPAI, Pen, says, “I was with
the BARC in Mumbai. But with
more than a lakh gynaecologists in
the city, who needs me? These
people really need us. I have been
in Pen for 22 years and am very
happy here. We hold marriages
only for couples legally old enough
to do so—18 years for women and
21 for men. For six months prior to
the marriage, we counsel them
about family planning and spacing
children, and do follow-ups. The
weddings are a great way to get
our prime targets concerned about
family planning. The three organi­
sations have spent Rs 80,000 on
this community wedding, and we
think it is worth it. In fact, some
under-aged couples are delaying
their marriages because if they
wait until they are older, they
can get married through us so
cheaply.”
Dr M.L. Sharma, director of pro­
jects, FPAI, sums it up thus, “In
keeping with FPAI’s philosophy of
family planning through integrated
development, we assist the villagers
through a number of programmes
concerning overall health, income­
generation and legal awareness. We
find that when women earn some
money, they often tend to spend it
on family welfare and become
aware of the importance of family
planning.” The 16 couples are not
entirely aware of this concerted
strategy, but gauging from their
broad beams, it seems to have been
vorthiL

CDL Media Clippings 27

A headstart in computers for
tribal ‘know-nots’

Bhopal, March 12: A tribal
child in a remote hamlet in
Madhya Pradesh will soon bec­
ome computer savvy and be
able to make optimal use of
knowledge services, thanks to
the innovative “headstart” sch­
eme.
Amid a “hi-tech flu” sweep­
ing the urban metropolis, the
project has outlined a novel str­
ategy to bridge the schism bet­
ween the 'know’ and the ‘know
nots.” The method planned is
cost effective and will make

use of a judicious mode of inter­
active computer learning.
Operationalised by the Rajiv
Gandhi Shiksha Mission as
part of its comprehensive strat­
egy to raise the quality of equa­
lity, the project will start funct­
ioning in 1,000 schools by Aug­
ust this year.
The proposal aims to give a
“headstart" to children in the
primary and middle schools of
the State in terms of computerenabled education.
While the students of middle

schools will actually use the
computers for learning, at the
primary school-level a basic
familarity with computers will
be ingrained.
Observing that the project
was motivated to inculcate
computer education from ‘be­
low’, mission co-ordinator R
Gopalkrishnan said the sch­
eme would spell a paradigm
shift towards computer enab­
led education.
“The central theme was on
how to push the learning front­

Sex-related queries: Field workers1
wary of this year’s census
Ambarioh Mukherjee
CALCUTTA

SEX Is taboo for the average
Indian and questions regarding
one’s married life Is all set to
pose this year’s census as a
difficult job to field workers col­
lecting primary data from house­
holds.
Census work in West Bengal
will begin from March 17 and
according to government guide­
lines, most of the workload this
time is being shared by school
teachers and other departmental
workers of the government coupl­
ed with a handful of freelancers
on assignment basis. And these
questioners are, to a certain
extent, apprehensive of the imp'act
their questions might make.

The census workers In West
Bengal are already complaining
of the embarrassing situation

that they anticipate they might
run into while trying to get
answers for the 34 questions in
this year’s form.
And this is because of the
nature of this year's census,
which tries to capture the socio­
economic positioning of respective
households along with the popu­
lation, their sex and age profile.
Says Subimal Sanyal, this
year's census worker and a
Calcutta school teacher in his
early 40s, T wonder what will
happen when I will be asking
questions like — Do you and
your spouse spend the night in
the same room? or, Does all the
couples staying in the building
have a room for them or they
share a room?”
“You see,” he continues, "We
will mostly be visiting people's
residences during office hours
when the male mambers remain

outside their homes and mostly
It is the ladies who stay at home
and answer our queries. It is not
only that I will feel a bit awkward
and uncomfortable to ask a lady
such a question but she too may
find It quite offensive? Wfiat
happens to me then? If they
refuse to answer on such personal
matters, what should I do?"
The answer has been provided
by the deputy director of the
census department of the Union
government and his answer is
highly interesting. According to
Sumita Chatterjee, another school
teacher based in Calcutta, who
has already undergone a training,
"When we asked what we should
do if someone refuses to answer,
all we were instructed were
"Don’t try to act smart when
you ask such questions but some­
how manage it and get the
Information".

The Observer
14 March 2000

The Telegraph
15 March 2000
28

ier in an interactive format of
self learning. Instead of using
the computer as a machine, we
aim to prudently use it as a pla­
tform for interactive learn­
ing," he said.
The challenge was to create
the right kind of academic soft
ware where the potential of a
sophisticated technology beco­
mes the interactive child-frien­
dly pedagogy, he said.
The State has 6,500 Jan Shiksha Kendras or JSK (cluster re­
source centres) located in the
middle school premises in 48
districts. These kendras would
be used to impact computer-en­
abled education to all children
in those middle schools. Besi­
des. it will familiarise primary
school children in the catchm­
ent of the JSK with computers
Students of Classes 1-5 will
be brought to the JSK for appr­
opriate demos, including com­
puter games. The choice ul
games will be carefully made
so that students are enthused
to think and learn • UNI

The Indian Express
13 March 2000

Scholarship
for poor women
Akshara, a women's resource cen­
tre, will launch a scholarship pro­
gramme titled Run With Your
Dreams for poor women between
13 and 25.
The centre aims to empower
women through education and help
them get better jobs, training and at­
tain independence. Most applicants
are from families with only one earn­
ing member whose average income
is between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500 a
month.
A donation of Rs 5,000 will see a
woman through three years of col­
lege; Rs 2,000 will cover the ex­
penses for a vocational training
course and Rs 1,500 will cover col­
lege fees for a year. Donations may
be sent to Nandita Shah/ Nandita
Gandhi, Run With Your Dreams
Scholarship Programme, Akshara.
Neelambari, 501, Road 86. nadar
West, Mumbai 400028.

News You Can Use

Women gear up for panchayat polls
By Shobha Mathur Pandian

Chennai, March 13: Rural wo­
men from various districts in
Tamil Nadu are gearing up for
2001 Panchayati Raj elections.
Hailing mostly from the Dalit
communities and working pre­
dominantly as agricultural lab­
ourers. they will be contesting
for the posts of president, vicepresident, ward members and
district counsellors.
Stakes are high - at least 50
•all-women’-member panchayats are being aimed in the next
round of polls.
Over 2000 self-help groups
from the State Women’s Collec­
tive Organisation (WCO) are
busy training prospective hea­
vyweights in 15 districts of
Tamil Nadu, through program­
mes. Training focuses on the
responsibilities and rights of
panchayat members. Ways to
tackle local problems relating
to civic and land issues, illegal
brewing of arrack in the villa­
ges and the threat of MNC en­
try into the rural sector are

some of the areas that are con­ are also being initiated in selfcentrated on.
sufficiency - ecofarming techn­
MNC’s have been increasing­ iques using bio-pesticides and
ly marginalising unsuspecting bio-fertilizers as well as food
farmers with the lure of high and seed preservation method­
prices for lands as
ologies,
to
well as • techno­
ensure food
Over 2000 self-help security at
logy. In the last
family and
five years alone,
groups are busy
community
5000 acres in Mad­
training prospective level.
urai,
Dindigul,
heavyweights in 15
The
33
Ramanathapuram
and Gummridipo- districts of Tamil Nadu per cent reservation
ondi village, 40through programmes extended to
kms north of Che­
in
nnai, have ti been — ———— women
taken over by MNC’s (Dupont, the 1996 local body elections
Monsanto, Ford Motors and strengthened the women’s role
Hyundai), says WCO member in the administration, says co­
F Sheelu. To counteract this, ordinator WCO, (Tiruvallur) V
women are being educated on Chandra. More than three lakh
‘genetic warfare’ like Monsa­ women were elected with a thu­
mping majority. Interestingly,
nto’s 'terminator technology’
which threatens the livelihood only half of them were educa­
of farmers and on weedicides ted but this did not stop them
that destroy all crops other from picking up the ropes any
than Monsanto plants. These less faster. Illiterate and semi­
weedicides are available in the literate women fare better
markets despite stiff opposit­ than their educated counterpa­
rts’(read. till school-level), she
ion by NGO’s, she says.
says. They are more eager,
Women panchayat members

quicker to learn and less tied
down by social constraints.
However, only one lakh wom­
en panchayat members have
so far been successful in tak­
ing on the strength of the menf­
olk. The remaining are still
functioning in the shadows ol
their husbands and other fam­
ily menfolk. A new post has
been created - the' panchayat
president’s husband’ scoffs co­
ordinator WCO (Kancheepuram) Shenbagavaly. Someti­
mes the husbands even attend
the trainings instead oF their
spouses giving excuses for
their absence. There is just not­
hing we can do about it, she la­
ments. Till date, no ‘All-Wom­
en’ panchayats have been
elected in the State. The maxi­
mum women strength of 50 per
cent exists only at Vadapuzhthur in Tiruvanamallai, says
Sheelu. Panchayats are conti­
nuously faced with fund short­
ages with minimum support
from State Government. The
rest has to be raised from local
resources, she says.

The Indian Express
14 March 2000

Use of water to be
monitored in
Maharashtra

system of operation, mainte­ activities and it would raise funds
nance and repair of the rural and . through bonds.
urban water supply schemes and
This move comes in the backsuggest
appropriate arrange­ drop of the declared policy of the
ments for sustainable operation. Government not to rely on bonds.
Dr. Alexander expressed con­ The ruling Democratic Front’s
By Our Special Correspondent
cern over the excessive exploita­ had earlier charged that the State
mumbai, march 14. The Maha­ tion of ground water and said the had landed in an internal debt­
rashtra government has decided State Government was deter­ trap because of market borrow­
to set up an authority for plan­ mined to implement and enforce ing. Unable to roll back the
bonds, the Government has
ning and monitoring the use of the ground water legislation.
The Government would pay Rs. though declared that it would
water and review all irrigation
600 per month to every project- maintain the ratio of open market
projects in die State.
On the first day of the budget affected family which had lost its borrowing to the contribution of
session on Monday, the Gover­ land, till irrigation facilities were the Government at 50:50.
Dr. Alexander said-the Govern­
nor, Dr. P. C. Alexander, said in made available on the substitute
his address to the joint session of land in the command area. Each ment had decided to set up a Ma­
Acid
Arthik
Vikas
both houses of the State Legisla­ family would also be paid a spe­ lign
ture that the proposed authority cial grant of Rs. 10,000 for the Mahamandal, a corporation for
would lay down policies regard­ construction of a house in the the welfare of unemployed Mus­
new setdement.
lim youth. The corporation would
ing fairdistribution of water.
A corporation would be set up provide financial assistance to
The State has already set up a
committee to study the present to strengthen water conservation them for self-employment.

The Hindu
15 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 29

Treatments
prescribed for
healthier cities
By Bindeshwar Pathak
t is no exaggeration to say that sanitation will be one of
the main issues of the 21st century. .With the world popu­
lation touching the 11.2 billion mark as indicated by the
United Nations projections, urban areas worldwide will face
greater stress in this regard. This is because most cities in the
developing world will have neither adequate water to carry
effluents nor enough funds to build an efficient sewerage sys­
tem. This in turn will hamper a healthy and hygienic living.
Out of the 4.4 billion people residing in India, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, nearly three-fifths of the popula- >
tion are deprived ofsafe drinking water and more than a
quarter of them are yet to get-’adequate housing. One-fifth .
have no healthcare facilities and one-fifth of the children
here are school dropouts, according to a 1998 report Of the
estimated 3.5 million children who die from diarrhoea each
year in the developing countries, nearly 600,000 alone suc­
cumb to sanitation-related diseases. Moreover, refugees and
children suffering from malnutrition are the main victims.

I

Inadequate sewerage

Learning how
• to be free
political agents
By Radhakrishna Rao
iscrimination against women has remained an insep­
arable part ofsocial dynamics all over the world.
While women in many parts of the world including
India have made it to the top of the power structure, at the
grassroots level they are yet to be empowered.
The 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments ensuring
33 per cent reservation of seats for vvomen in local bodies
grant women their due in grassroots level governance. Now a
non-governmental organization has moved the Supreme
Court to give teeth to the legislation.
The Dehra Dun based NGO, Rural Litigation and Entitle­
ment Kendra, moved the apex court to direct states which
never held panchayat elections under the new dispensation
ofthe panchayati Raj system to hold elections soon. Accord-ingly, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Orissa were di­
rected to dissolve their panchayats and hold fresh elections.

D

Motivation of a community

In India, unfortunately about 750 million people defecate on
open railway tracks or in open parks and community toilets.
The severity of the problem can be judged from the fact that
only 20 per cent ofthe urban population has access to flush
toilets connected to the sewerage system, 14 per cent are
equipped with water-based toilets linked to septic tanks, 33
per cent have bucket latrines and the remaining 33 per cent
have no latrine facilities.
The safe disposal offaeces is vital for improving health
and environment Over 50 infections can be transferred from
a patient to a healthy individual through direct and indirect
routes—human excreta being the main source, and causing
almost 80 per cent of diseases. Unless appropriate human
waste management is accorded top priority, a healthy society
and cleaner environment will continue to be elusive goals.

Good scavenging

The RLEK has also taken up educating and motivating rural
women to participate in elections and have at least some
knowledge of their role in local self-governance, especially in
the rural areas in the Dehra Dun district of Uttar Pradesh
In the “pre-election phase” of the training, a team of com­
munity motivators is built up in each village of the district
These teams educate women voters on the salient features ol
panchayati raj as well as on the intricacies ofvoting.
The awareness campaign resulted in many women con­
testing the elections and a large number ofwomen coming
out to vote. In many panchayats several women got elected in
the general seats as well. However, one disquieting trend was
the apprehension that women’s empowerment in this man­
ner would lead to men’s disempowerment.

Against all odds

The task force on scavengers formed by the planning com­
mission in 1990-91 reported that the number of bucket priv­
ies in India was about 7.6 million and ofthese, 5.4 million
were located in urban areas. The Tata Energy Research Insti­
tute reported in 1998 that “nearly half the country’s popula­
tion does not have access to drinking water, about 90 per cent
of the water supply is polluted and only 10 per cent of the
sewage treatment plants are in working order”.
Though India and China have approximately the same
birth rate, the mortality rate of children is three times higher
in India. Some experts have even observed that India loses
$ 10 billion (halfthe total currency reserves of the Reserve
Bank of India) in annual productivity because of workers
falling ill amid deteriorating physical conditions. However,
with sanitation gradually attracting the attention ofthe Cen­
tre and affluent citizens, hygiene and living conditions
should improve in the future.

According to Avddesh Kaushal, chairperson ofthe RLEK, the
local bureaucracy which had all along treated the rural areas
as their virtual fiefdom is disturbed over women entering the
local governance matrix.
After the elections, the organization trained women pan­
chayat members and pradhans, the basic thrust being to im­
part informatics on how to conduct and participate in the
process of self-governance and how to put forward their de­
mands. Training material brought out by the RLEK de­
scribes the salient features and provisions ofpanchayati raj.
The pre-election educational campaign and post-election
training programme went a long way towards helping
women like Natho Begum, pradhan ofEnfield Grants in
Vikas Nagar block ofDehra Dim district, to effectively take
up the cause of the poor and underprivileged. Against several
social odds, Natho Begum emerged as one of the most popu­
lar panchayat pradhans because of her ability to deliver the
goods in the face of non-cooperation from the bureaucracy.

The Telegraph
15 March 2000

The Telegraph
16 March 2000

30

News You Can Use

een ihg ~
lighting from the car reclaimed from the sea”, Mr will be used in all the UAE.” The

A

outside the splendid Hellyer said. "Although some peo­ simple recipe was picked up in
National Theatre com­ ple believe the trees are changing India by German experts who
plex in Abu Dhabi, I was startled the climate, meteorologists are took it home and thence to Sudan
to hear birdsong from the trees not convinced. But the micro-cli­ where Mr al-Ali, a Sudanese,
standing tall against the pale blue mate has been changed in particu­ leamt the formula before bringing
sky. The familiar, clear voices of lar locations. Birds breed where it to Dubai.
robins and warblers belonged to they never bred before, wintering
Shaikh Zayed also endeavours
kinder western climes. Are they birds stay and migrating birds to populate parks and reserves
residents or tourists passing stop. The habitat is different," he with local and foreign endangered
through ahead of the scorching, remarked.
wildlife. His most ambitious proj­
soggy summer, I asked myself.
"Mistakes were made”, he ect is an "Arabian ark” on the
They are natives, I learnt. admitted. Eucalyptus drank too island of Sir Bani Yas, which lies
Breeding well due to the greening much water, so neem and other off the coast between Abu Dhabi
of the Gulf. On my first trip to the native trees were planted. Too and Qatar. The barren and arid
UAE last winter, 1 was amazed to much fossil ground water was island's only advantage was its
see thick blocks of mature trees pumped so wells became saline. natural harbour. Its rugged moun­
along the road between Dubai and The
Agriculture
Ministry tains and man-made pastures and
Abu Dhabi. On my second jour­ switched to recycled sewage tree plantations provide a home to
ney, I found new plantations of water. Today all gardens in Abu rare sand gazelle, nearly extinct
tiny saplings stretching in Dhabi and Dubai are watered by Arabianoryx, wild cat, lynx, leop­
straight lines into the desert. In recycled
sewage.
Tomorrow ard and cheetah, Arabian wolf
the distance a lonely water lorry desalinated water will also be and striped haeyna as well as
dispensed a daily ration of life-giv­ used for trees and gardens.
imports from the west and Africa.
ing fluid to everyone. West Asia is
Maan Nadeem, an engineer at
Three veterinary surgeons
suffering its fourth year of the Jebel Ali power and desalina­ reside on the island to look after
drought.
tion plant, described how the the animals and birds.
Peter Hellyer, a 20 year British combined facility produced both
Shaikh Zayed, the first ruling
resident of Abu Dhabi and an electricity and potable water head of state to receive the World
environmental campaigner, told using natural gas and some oil for Wildlife Fund's Gold Panda
Foreign Panorama, "I am always fuel. For the time being, all the award, promotes both domestic
reluctant to say something is the desalinated water produced is for environmental education and
work of one man. But this is the human comsumption, but he global awareness. In February
case here. It is Shaikh Zayed’s believes that once domestic needs Dubai hosted a major internation­
vision. He began planting trees are met, excess desalinated water al conference on desertification
and gardens in the late 40s when will be used for irrigation.
while next year Abu Dhabi is
he was made the ruler’s represen­
A technical expert at the cooperating with UN agencies to
tative in the oasis of al-Ain. He Ministry
of
Agriculture, stage a conference entitled "The
planted trees before laying streets. Muhammad Abdullah al-Ali, said Environment 2001”. The Zayed
Al-Ain is a garden city today.”
that there are 40 dams in the International Prize for the
Mr Hellyer believes that country, 10 supervised by his min­ Environment, offering a 1 million
Shaikh Zayed, now the ruler of istry. A modern irrigation system dollar purse, will be awarded in
Abu Dhabi and president of the supplies 87 per cent of needs. 2001. By then at least another mil­
federation, was inspired by the Seventy per cent of the water pro­ lion and a half saplings will join
"Muslim view of paradise as a vided to vegetable farms is dis­ the ranks of trees greening the
place of running water and trees” tributed through the drip system UAE.
and by the "bedouin desire for and only 12 per cent by sprinklers
Michael Jansen
greenery." While a young man which allow for too much evapo­
in Abu Dhabi-Dubai
Shaikh Zayed roamed the desert ration.
with the tribesmen, learning their
He revealed that the planting
Deccan Herald
ways and hunting gazelle. But at of neem trees, native to the area,
16 March 2000
the age of 25, after a day 69 of has had a major side-benefit. The
these graceful creatures were small, oval neem fruit, used in
killed, he stopped shooting and Indian medicine, is collected,
became a conservationist. Since dried, crushed and stored at a low
he succeeded his brother in 1966, temperature away from sunlight
Shaikh Zayed has established until it is mixed with water and
wild-life reserves and used Abu used as a pesticide. "AU the spray­
Dhabi's oil revenues to "green” ing in Dubai is with neem”, he
less wealthy neighbours.
stated. "It's particularly effective
"One hundred and twenty mil­ in winter (the rainy season) and it
lion trees of many varieties and 26 does not kiU birds and animals.
million palm trees have been We’ve stopped importing chemical
planted in naturally fertile areas, sprays. Abu Dhabi is in the
on rolling dunes and on land process of adopting neem. Soon it

Babu Varsities
This refers to Andre BeteiUe’s ar­
ticle on NGOs (The Third Sector.
March 10). It is wrong to argue that
universities in India are not govern­
mental organisations. Central and
state universities depend on gox ernment hand-outs. Their heads are
appointed directly or indirectly by
the government. University em­
ployees, too, enjoy lifetime employ­
ment and inflation-indexed wages.
As in the government, merit plays a
negligible role in promotions and
seniority is everything. Finally, like
sarkari babus, university employees
believe that more pay and less work
is their birthright.
The choice is not between au­
tonomous institutions and NGGs.
but between the state and the mar­
ket. The former is now unable even
to fund the mess it has created in
higher education.
Shreekanl Gupta, Delhi University

The Times of India
17 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 31

‘Rubber’ band around
this MP district
Abhllash Khandekar
Bhopal, March 15
RABRI MAY be brimming with
'confidence* in Bihar, but here, it is
the 'inflated' rubber that's doing
the rounds. A unique campaign to
curb population explosion in a
backward district of Sidhi is gain­
ing momentum.
An exceptionally large number
of married couples are now show­
ing greater interest in using con­
doms distributed by senior
Government officials, including
the
District
Collector,
Mr
Vishwamohan Upadhyaya.
The first of its kind, this popula­
tion control programme was
launched
in
Chitrangi Devel­
opment Block in
January, with six
"motivating couples" spreading the
'good word* among newly-wed and
semi-literate couples.
Bordering UP, the Sidhi district
in Rewa division —with a good
measure of tribal population—has
a fairly high birth rate at 39.2 per
cent which is at least 11 per cent
higher than the national percent­
age of birth rate. Like other back­
ward regions, awareness about the
dangers of burgeoning population
is negligible in this pastoral com­
munity. But with the rubber being
available in Government offices
and across bank counters, things
are changing fast.
The special action plan —to be
emulated by other districts soon —

turned into an instant success.
Within a week of its launch, the six
'motivating couples not only
approached 300 others but also
convinced them to use condoms.
Now every village seems to be
thriving on the rubber blubber
scheme. According to the Health
Department sources, the message
of making safe sex has spread very
fast and "a large number of people
are now showing definite inclina­
tion to make use of condoms" cir­
culated by Health Department
officials and other senior officials.
The birth spacing programme,
with specific stress on promoting
use of condoms, is being under­
lined in small meetings of men and
women in vil­
lages. The meet­
ings are not only
being addressed
by the District Collector but Mr
Upadhyaya distributes the condom
packets to the target couples. The
district has over 18 lakh population
out of which a staggering 2.95 lakh
couples have been targeted for use
of condoms in the next few
months.
Speaking to The Hindustan
Times, Mr Upadhyaya said that the
target of the scheme is to bring
down the birth rate from 38.2 to 25
per thousand by the year 2004,
besides curbing the mortality rate
of 110 (per 1,000 deliveries) to 70.
Mr Upadhayaya said that check­
ing the growing menace of AIDS
was also among the main objects of
launching such a scheme.

Popu/at/on Control

Thirnmakka gets Indira
Vrikshamitra award
DH News Service
NEW DELHI, March 16

Saalumarada Thirnmakka was today conferred the Indira
Priya Darshini Vrikshamitra Award 1997 in individual cat­
egory by Planning Commission deputy chairman K C Pant
while Karnataka’s MolaKalmuru range and Kadamakal rev­
enue forest Kodagu district too bagged prizes.

Thirnmakka, who created awareness among the people of
Karnataka by planting sapplings and protecting them, was
given a citation and a plaque “in recognition of zeal and life­
time commitment to the cause of afforestation by her.”
The citation which was read out in the presence of environ­
ment and forest minister T R Baalu, said Thirnmakka and her
late husband Bikkala Chikkaiah had started planting of ban­
yan trees about 40 years ago on each side of Kudur-Hulikal
road over a length of four km. So far 287 banyan trees have
been planted. These trees show a healthy and uniform growth
as compared to the other avenue plantations. Motivated by
the work of Thirnmakka, the other villagers have also carried
out plantations work on their own lands.

The Molakalmuru range in Chitradurga forest division re­
ceived the Vrikshamitra award in government category and
it was received from Mr Pant by Mr J N Raj, division forest
officer, Chitradurga for raising 8.69 lakh seedlings in seven
nursaries and distributing 1.17 lakh of them.
The citation said the work by the range had created asset in
the form of trees which will have a lasting socio-economic im­
pact. The staff of Molakalmuru range should be appreciated
for their unique and pioneering effort, the citation said. In
recognising the award the effort in increasing tree cover and
restoration of barren land, the award for 1997 has been con­
ferred, the citation said.
The Kadamakal revenue forest in Sampaje range of Madikeri
taluk was given the award in “Mahavruksha” category for
ensuring proper growth and protection of 21 metre high Bui*ga
tree. Conservator of forest M Munireddy received the award

Deccan Herald
17 March 2000

The Hindustan Times
16 March 2000

AP draws up map of
AIDS-prone areas
Express News Service

ent in the country, the Govern­ lakh people have been affected street children in 19 areas had
ment has prepared a map giv­ by the killer virus in the State, been identified as prone to the
Hyderabad, March 16: The ing the precise location of sex
second only to Maharashtra,
killer disease. Mapping in the
Government has identified workers, truck drivers, street
As many as 9.93 lakh slum categories of men having sex
over 20 lakh people in the high children, slum dwellers and
dwellers in 48 different locati- with men (MSM) and trans-gen
risk groups in different parts other high risk categories in 21
ons in the State, 4.54 lakh indu- der was also taken up.
of the State who are prone to districts of the State. The deta­
strial workers (SO places), 2.5
The |ndian Express
get infected by the HIV virus ils of vulnerable groups in Hyd:
lakh migrant labour (67), 1.71
M
. ?nnn
that leads to the dreaded AIDS erabad and Khammam are yet lakh truck drivers (64), 66.638
1 ' Marcn 2000
to come.
disease.
sex workers (67) and 40,478
In a first of its kind experimAs of now, an estimated four

32

News You Can Use

Social sector spending on decline
By Soma Basu
NEW DELHI, MARCH 17. It is generally assumed that the
Government is focussing increasingly on the social
sector by way of enhancing the sector’s budgetary
allocation each year. But actually the opposite is
true. In fact, the Government spending on the social
sector and rural development in percentage terms
has been stagnating since 1996-97. While the Budget
Estimate (BE) presented each year has remained
more or less static with only negligible increase dur­
ing certain years in between, the decline in the Re­
vised Estimate (RE) on social sector has been steady.
Quoting statistics related to the Central Plan out­
lay for major schemes of social sector and rural de­
velopment from successive Economic Surveys, an
Ahmedabad-based group, People's Budgetary Infor­
mation Services, has concluded that "the percent­
age of GDP at current market rate is decreasing in
the Revised Estimate constantly for the past four
years".
"This is a highly concerning phenomenon as the
Government tries to paint a picture while presenting
the BE each year that despite mounting revenue and
fiscal deficits and borrowings, the Government is
not neglecting the social sector spending. But its
own data proves contrary to its claims," Mr. Madhusudan Mistry of the group told The Hindu here.
For comparison purpose, the BE for social sector
during 1993-94 was 1.09 per cent of the GDP and in
the RE it increased to 1.17 per cent of GDP. In 199697, while the BE was 1.2 per cent of GDP, it became

1.07 per cent of GDP in the RE. In the subsequent
year, the social sector spending was 1.21 per cent of
GDP in the BE which reduced to 1.09 per cent of
GDP in the RE. Again during the financial year, 199899, the RE reduced to 1.09 per cent of GDP from the
BE of 1.18 per cent. In other words, speaking in
terms of money, the RE has seen a decrease from the
BE by Rs.1,707 crores in 1996-97, Rs.1,948 crores in
1997-98, Rs.1,601 crores in 1998-1999 and Rs.1,782
crores in 1999-2000.
The Government's major schemes of social sec­
tors and rural development are broadly categorised
under education, health and family welfare, women
and child development, welfare, rural employment
and poverty alleviation and other central pro­
grammes of employment generation.
The employment generation schemes such as the
Jawahar Rozgar Yojana — which was recently re­
named as Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojana in April
last year, or other Rural Employment Generation
Programmes, the Million Wells Scheme, the Inte­
grated Rural Development Programme and the edu­
cation schemes have seen highest reductions in this
gone decade, and moreso during the past four years.
Since 1996-97, Central education schemes such a$
the Free Education for Girls, District Primary Educa­
tion Programme, Operation Blackboard, Non-Formal Education have seen a reduction in the RE from
the BE at a average difference of more than Rs.550
crores. In 1996-97, the elementary and adult educa­
tion outlay came down by Rs.814 crores in the RE,
while in 1997-98, the difference was of Rs.745 crores.

The Hindu
18 March 2000

Another wind power
project in Rajasthan
By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR, march 17. As part of the
initiative to develop non-conventional energy sources, the Rajas­
than Government has undertaken
the task of establishing the sec­
ond wind power project at Deo­
garh in Chittaurgarh district after
installing a similar plant in Jaisalmer.
The Energy Minister, Dr. Chan­
drabhan, laid the foundation
stone for the Rs. 8.5-crore project
at the tribal- dominated Deogarh
village this week. Addressing the
gathering, he said the State ex­
pected to generate at least 100
MW power through the wind
power plants in the next two
years.
To be established jointly by the
Rajasthan Energy Development
Agency (REDA) and the Rajasthan
State Power Corporation, the De­
ogarh project would become op­
erational by May.31 and generate

62 lakh units of power every year.
The Chennai-based Asian Wind
Turbine Private Limited — which
has been assigned the task of set­
ting up and operating the project
— will install three generators
each at a height of 55 metres. This
will be the first time that gener­
ators of this capacity would be in­
stalled at the proposed height.
Deogarh, situated in the Dhamotar-Pratapgarh belt in Chit­
taurgarh district, was selected for
the second wind power venture of
the State because of the availabil­
ity of 21.30 km per hour wind ve­
locity at a height of 30 metres
during six months in a year. The
Rajasthan State Electricity Board
(RSEB) has signed a power pur­
chase agreement with the State
Power Corporation to buy power
at the rate of Rs. 3.03 per unit.
Dr. Chandrabhan said the State
Government had announced a
wind power policy aimed at en­
couraging private investments in

this sector. It had exempted the
electricity produced by wind
power plants from duty till March
31, 2005. He hoped that the suc­
cess of the two projects would
fetch an investment of Rs. 500
crores to Rajasthan.

Underlining the need to devel­
op the non-conventional sources
of energy, the Minister said the
solar, wind and bio-mass sources
had provided viable alternatives.
The 140 MW Mathania solar
power project, pending since
1988, had been approved recently
by the Centre, and Rs. 872 crores
had been sanctioned for estab­
lishing it, he added.

Work on the much-awaited
Mathania project would begin
this year and the plant would be­
come operational by 2003, Dr.
Chandrabhan said and added The Hindu
that it would be a unique project.
onnn
of the country.
18 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 33

Okha in Gujarat
logs on as India’s
first online village
By Ambar Basu
The Times of India News Service
CALCUTTA: Okha is a tiny coastal
village in Gujarat. An all-weather
natural port, barely 50 nautical
miles from Karachi across the Ara­
bian Sea, it has a higher secondary
school equipped with a computer
laboratory and concrete roads lined
with sodium vapour lamps.
It is also the only village in the
country to have a website of its own.
Log on to www.okhaonnet.com.
Spread over 15 sq km, the village
found its way into the dotcom
world, courtesy Mansukhbhai
Barai, sarpanch of the Okha panchayat since 1995. Mr Barai
launched the website in August
1999 to “put this prosperous village
on the map of the world** and at­
tract investments.
Today, the village has a computer
laboratory at the village higher sec­
ondary school, and computer edu­
cation is a part of the curriculum for
students, right from the primary lev­
el up to class XII. The Sarvodaya
Mahila Samity, a welfare organisa­
tion for women, also has a computer
centre. One-and-a-half hour classes
are held here everyday for men and
women. “There are 20 students,
each of whom pay a monthly fee of
Rs 300. More people are keen to
join the class and we are planning to
expand operations soon,*’ Man­
sukhbhai told TOINS over phone
from Okha on Wednesday.
The panchayat too has a comput­
er and plans to go online with its
routine administrative work.
An agency has been hired to de­
velop the software needed to com­
puterise day-to-day administrative
functions. “It should be ready in a
couple of months,” Bharatbhai,
Mansukhbhai *s son, said.
Mansukhbhai and his panchayat
colleagues are however, not willing
to stop at this. In the next 10 years
they envisage Okha as a model in­
fotech village on the world map,
built on the lines of Bangalore, Hy­
derabad and now, Gandhinagar.
“Funds are not a problem,” Man­
sukhbhai says. “What we need is a

comprehensive planto,channelise
our money and energy.” And he is
clear about one thing: the panchay­
at will not brook political interfer­
ence and will hold out till it can.
The Okha panchayat is also on its
way to complete construction of an
English-medium school. Classes I to
IV are already functioning and by
the end of this year, the panchayat
plans to extend it to class X. In two
years’ time, the village should also
have a higher secondary school for
girls, an auditorium and a college of
arts and commerce.
Introducing a ferry service be­
tween Okha and Kutch in Saurashtra is also on the agenda of this
well- knit 30-member apolitcal
panchayat team. “By road, we take
20 hours to reach Kutch.The ferry
service will cut this time to two
hours,” a panchayat member said.
“The 20,000-odd residents of our
village are a happy lot. Mainly into
the fishing business, families are
well-off and the crime rate is close to
nil,” Bharatbhai, who is involved in
the functioning of the panchayat,
said.The village also boasts of a 24hour water supply, which is signifi­
cant, considenng the fact that the
area is plagued by a scarcity of water.
But for a village never short of
funds, the situation was not the
same even five years ago. Ravaged
by the war against Pakistan in 1965,
entrepreneurs kept shying away
from this once very prosperous in­
dustrial port. The Calcutta-based
Hindustan Motors wound up its as­
sembly plant in Okha, as did the
Railways. Petroleum companies
like Indian Oil, Burma Shell and
Caltex, too closed down their de­
pots. “All these civic facilities, which
even larger cities can only dream of,
have been possible mainly due to
proper management of the octroi or
chungi tax collected from the port.
We started doing it from 1995 and
collection of chungi has gone up
from a mere Rs 35 lakh to Rs 1.35
crore,” Bharatbhai pointed out.
Today, the panchayat is hell bent
on regaining Okha’s past glory as
an industrial hub.

The Times of India
18 March 2000

34

New birth control
plan launched
in M.P.
By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, MARCH 17. A novel scheme for controlling
population that lays special emphasis on the posi­
tive role males can play in spacing children and con­
trolling births has been launched recently by the
district administration in the backward Sidhi district
falling under the Rewa division of Madhya Pradesh.
The initiative to implement the State Govern­
ment’s Population Policy, announced on January 13
this year, has been taken up for the first time by the
Sidhi District Collector, Mr. Vishwamohan Upadhyaya. This scheme has been lauded by the Chief
Minister, Mr. Digvijay Singh, and the State Minister
for Panchayat and Rural Development, Mr. Ajay
Singh.
Under the new scheme, a special team of 1000
motivators has been selected from the remote rural
areas whose members have fanned out into the vil­
lages to spread awareness among the target group
on the benefits of using condoms.
The message being given to the villagers is that
condoms help prevent the spread of the dreaded
AIDS as also in controlling child birth.
The Sidhi district is yet to catch up with the glob­
alisation process and lacks proper communication
facilities. The previous census showed that nearly 40
per cent women in this district had more than four
children and 4.2 per cent women above 40 years
were still bearing children. The birth rate in Sidhi
district is 38.2 per cent, which is 11.2 per cent more
than the national average.
The campaign for promoting the use of artificial
birth control methods has not produced the desired
results so far and so the new birth control campaign
was launched.
A report on the latest campaign reveals that 50 per
cent women in Sidhi district are suffering from some
disorder or other. It has been said that the ’’tablet”
used as an oral contraceptive has failed to catch on
in the rural areas of the district mainly due to its side
effects. Also there are few takers for copper-T be­
cause on the one side there is a dearth of trained
nurses for implanting it and on the other the general
health of women also does not permit them to go for
this.

The Hindu
18 March 2000

News You Can Use

Slum kids yearn for education
VEN as slum dwellers in
the capital continue to
be deprived of education
facilities and clean environs,
there has been a perceptible
shift in their aspirations es­
pecially children, who now want
to go to school and strive for
a better atmosphere. According
to a recent survey by Vastav,
a non-government organisation
working among the slums in
South Delhi, children in the
jhuggi jhopri (JJ) clusters, even
though half of them are illiter­
ate, nurture an ardent desire
to leam and attend school.

E

Initial studies on a group of
250 jhuggies in South Delhi
have showed that adult illitera­
cy rate is around 55 per cent
and as many as 76 per cent
of women cannot read or
write. Out of the 360 children
surveyed, non-school going
male children constituted 55
per cent and 67 per cent
female children did not go to
school, a rather significant
point however, was that the
children yearned to go to
school, says Usha Rani, project
manager of Vastav.
Around 160 children survey­
ed did absolutely nothing and
understandably lived very close
to the state of delinquency.
“There is an obvious willing­
ness to. undertake schooling
by children of all age groups,
who have missed out of formal
education due to an economic
crunch or due to some other
problems”, says Usha Rani.
Unfortunately for the chil­
dren, most of the time activists
are constrained in their work
because both parents and their

children don't understand the
need to pursue formal educa­
tion, says Rani. But for occa­
sional help by government in
terms of medication and pre­
scription, the health of slum
dwellers too is in a bad shape
with most of.the occupants
suffering from tuberculosis, re­
spiratory and other water borne
diseases. Another startling
finding of the survey was that
■despite exposure to the mass
media, slum dwellers interview­
ed had no awareness of AIDS
and other diseases arising

Studies on a group of
250 Jhuggies have
showed that adult
Illiteracy rate Is
around 55 per cent
and as many as 76
per cent of women
cannot read or write.

out of unsafe sex practices,
says Gita Dasgupta, president
of Vastav.
The health of women, pres­
ented a grimmer picture with
almost all women complaining
of gynaecological problems.
These women do not come
forward to report the case$ in
the face of severe economic
crunch, their health not being
on the list of priorities, says
Dasgupta, who also offers cli­

nical intervention through her
services.
With 76.47 per cent of the
dwellers earning around Rs
3000 a month, sanitation and
hygiene are not given much
Jmportance as the families
have to spend on other Impor­
tant living support systems,
reveals the survey. Urban influx
had led to inter-caste mar­
riages in the clusters and
also to an increase in child
marriages on the flip side,
says Dasgupta.
According to Dr Dasgupta,
Vastav is planning similar sur­
veys in different jhuggi clusters
in the capital. “We hope to
carry out similar projects in
other parts of the capital aridprovide a holistic solution totheir socio-economic problems.
Meanwhile, we have chalked
out a plan for slum dwellers
of the Jai Nehru Camp”, says
Rani. Children from all age
groups would be informally
taught basic subjects and after
some time would be put through
formal schooling which would
help them in their orientation,
says the project manager.
There is also a move .to
educate slum dwellers over
the need for proper sanitation
and hygiene. “It’s difficult to
communicate, the need for
maintaining a proper atmos­
phere. But, we are going step
by step by educating women
groups and distributing medi­
cines for small disesases, says
Dr Dasgupta. But the govern­
ment also has to step In to
provide the much needed re­
sources, says she. (pti)

Site for women
The Delhi Commission for
Women has launched a
website, www.ernpowering
Luornen.com, to educate
women on their rights and to
provide information on
various welfare schemes.
Sheila Dikshit, chief minister
of Delhi, who inaugurated the
site, stressed the importance The Statesman
of education for women.
— Press Trust ofIndia.
13 March 2000

Deeplka VIJ

The Observer
17 March 2000

Child
resource
directory
released

“Fingertips” — a child resource
directory providing information
about more than 400 organisations
and individuals working for chib
dren, and children-related services
offered in Bangalore, was released
by Rotarian and entrepreneur
Madhura Chatrapathy at a func­
tion here today.
The directory also gives infor­
mation regarding adoption agenc­
ies. alternative schools, artists.
hotlines, associations, counsellors.
educators, funding agencies, gov­
ernment agencies, hospitals, li­
braries, magicians, nature camps.
non-governmental organisations.
orphanages, puppeteers, recre­
ation centres, resource centres,
special needs, teachers* training
institutes and yoga centres.
The directory, which is the first
of its kind in the country in its
focus on children, is brought out
by Sutradhar, a Bangalore-based
educational resource centre.
The directory comprises six sec­
tions — child development, educa­
tion. health, disability, recreation
and support services.
Sutradhar Director Mandira
Kumar told Deccan Herald that
the directory has been compiled to
create awareness, and bring co
ordination
among
various
organisations that are working in
the field of child welfare in
Bangalore.

Besides, the directory is aimed
at making the existing children-r<*
lated services better known, sh«added.

Flach listing in the directory |.r«»
vides — apart from details on ad
dress and phone number
short profile of key services ami
opportunities for help, she said
Those interested in purchasing
“Fingertips”,
could
contact
Sutradhar at 599, 17th ‘A’ Cross
7th Main, Indiranagar ll Stage.
Bangalore 560038. Phone: 080
5288545. E-mail: sutrafa vsnl.com

Deccan Herald
19 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 35

NICMAR to launch training
programme for rural women
Klran Thakur
PUNE

THE National Institute of Con­
struction Management and Re­
search (NICMAR) here has de­
cided to undertake an ambitious
Rs 30-takh programme to train
rural women in computer and
other vocational skills required
by the construction industry. The
training would be given free of
cost. Matriculate girls in villages
will be trained in computer appli­
cations that are used by builders
and contractors beginning this
July. Currently, software engineers
and graduates in computer appli­
cations are employed to do these
jobs that prove to be waste of
their high level of skills, according
to NCIMAR director general Prof
K N Vaid.
The National Institute of Con­
struction Management and Re­
search will also launch another
programme to train women in

skills of plumbing, wiring, white­
washing, plastering and the like.
These skills are required by the
building and construction indus­
try. The trained women would be
able to earn' also from providing
services to people who need
repairs and maintenance services,
he said. The decision to launch
these programmes was taken at
the 5th National round-table on
HRD, organised by the NICMAR.
Representatives of leading cor­
porate houses of the construction
industry promised that they would
provide jobs to these trained
women.
The round-table on ‘Redefining
Priorities For Human Resource
Management in Construction’ was
attended among others by Hudco
chairman and managing director
V Suresh and top executives of
corporate houses like Gammon
India, Shapoorjl' Pallonjr and
Bechtel International Inc, besides
top bureaucrats from the states.

The representatives also evolv­
ed a consensus on introducing a
system to certify plumbers, elec­
tricians, carpenters and other
technicians' offering them grades
depending upon their level of
skills. Such a system Is non­
existent ■ at present Similarly,
there is no prescribed bench­
marking practices for the con­
struction industry, although some
companies have gone in for ISO
certification.
The round-table authorised the
National Institute of Construction
Management and Research to
form an association to evolve
the bench-marking practices.
Addressing the media, Suresh
said the bench-marking practices
and quality standards are con­
sidered essential now, since in­
ternational companies have en­
tered the country in a big way,
adding the domestic construction
Industry would have to .adopt
these standards if it wants to

remain in business in competition
with the international giants.
The industry has woken up
from slumber when it realised
that not a single domestic com­
pany could reach recent pre­
qualifying bids for tenders in
infrastructure sector, he said.
The companies realised that
they would have to adopt modern
technology, quality management
practices, transparency and em­
ploy skilled manpower as a pre­
requisite to bid for contracts of
national importance, Suresh said.
He also wanted the states to
follow the lead given by Andhra
Pradesh, which had imposed a
levy of 2.5 per cent of contractual
amount, which would be utilised
for training of construction
workers. Vald said the NICMAR
would
institute
‘Millennium
Award* to a distinguished aca­
demician engaged in research
and development relating to the
construction industry.

The Observer
20 March 2000

New waste-disposal
method evolved
By Our Special Correspondent
new DELHI, march 17. The Tata En­

ergy Research Institute (TERI) has
developed a high rate digester for
fibrous and semi-solid municipal
waste with the promise of revolu­
tionising the waste disposal in­
dustry.
Described as TERI acidification
and methanation process, for
which patent has also been filed,
the digester is said to be quick,
economically viable and suitable
for food and agro-based industri­
es and markets.
In the face of evident environ­
mental drawbacks of waste dis­
posal methods like land-filling
and incineration, the process of
biomethanation of waste by an­
aerobic digestion has economical
and social benefits apart from be­
ing environment-friendly. The
technology is recognised interna­
tionally.

36

According to the experts who
had been working on the project
since 1996, research in the field of
biomethanation has revealed that
organic fractions of solid waste
have high biochemical methane
potential. Their high moisture
content and availability of nutri­
ents make them good substrate
for biogas generation by anaero­
bic digestion.
The process produces both en­
ergy and compost from waste.
Further, the land requirement is
comparatively less than that for
the aerobic composting process.
For, it involves extraction of a
high organic strength liquid waste
from the vegetable waste in an
acidification reactor and its treat­
ment in an upflow anaerobic
sludge blanket (UASB) reactor.
Moreover, the reactor is so de­
signed that it takes care of the
conventional problems of floating
feed, scum formation and feed

material flow. While the acidifica­
tion phase has a retention time of
six days, the UASB reactor oper­
ates with a retention* time of 16
hours and that makes the process
cost-effective. Biogas generated
in the UASB reactors has a me­
thane content of 70 per cent and
can be used either for thermal ap­
plications or for power genera­
tion. Good quality organic
manure, it is claimed, is another
by-product.
This process could be utilised
for disposal of waste from major
vegetable and fruit markets which
are seen as a potential source of
biodegradable waste. All cities,
towns, districts and tehsils have
major vegetable markets produc­
ing significantly large quantities
of waste. In Delhi, the Azadpur
Mandi produces about 15 tonnes
of vegetable waste every day, ex- _
u.
perts connected with the project Tn© Hindu
say.
18 March 2000

News You Can Use

Solar energy lights up home,
lives of Sunderban villagers
Calcutta, March 19
A BOUT two lakh people in the
remote villages and hamlets situat­
ed in Sunderbans in the Gangetic
delta of West Bengal would have
been still groping in the dark, but
for the rural electrification pro­
gramme
of
West
Bengal
Renewable Energy Development
Agency (WBREDA) using nonconventional sources.
Prohibitive costs and technical
problems made it difficult, if not
impossible, to extend grid electric­
ity to these areas, separated from
the main land by wide rivers or
creeks.
In order to Overcome the power
problem in the Sunderbans,
WBREDA along with the Union
Ministry of Non-Conventional
Energy, has undertaken a major
programme to generate 8.5 MW
energy from non-conventional
sources including solar power and
bio-mass by 2003.
Five solar power plants are
already providing electricity to 500
consumers in 11 villages and three
more are up coming in the Sagar
Island of the Sunderbans area,
WBREDA sources said.
"Sales have gone up in my shop, ”
says Santosh Das, who owns a
sweet shop in Haradhanpur vil­
lage.
For Bharati Acharya, a house­

wife having five lights from solar
power, it has become much easier
to sort out betel leaves and pack
them properly." I do not have to
pester my children to sit down and
study in the evening. My motherin-law can enjoy her spare time
watching TV in my neighbour's
house."
Anil Barik has opted for solar
power purely for economic rea­
sons...
"For consumption of 120 watts of
solar power for six hours, which
means keeping on three lights, one
fan and one TV, you have to pay
Rs 120 per month. For 60 watts,
the cost is Rs 70 only. While elec­
tricity from diesel generator set for
only one point costs Rs 4, you can
have as many as five points at same
cost for solar power," says Barik.
The only other alternative is
lighting lamps with kerosene,
which costs Rs 15 per litre.
The only problem is the initial
investment of Rs 1000 to get solar
power connections, which some­
times becomes difficult to pay at
one go. "But once you compare the
costs the initial investment will
seem
insignificant,
"
says
Sachindranath Acharya.While cost
per unit from a private diesel gen
set is Rs 14 -16, that for solar
power is. Rs 840.
"The solar power project has
changed our lives and we are very

possessive about it," says Susanta
Mondal of the local panchayat
samiti, adding that there is no
hooking in the village as ”we are
always on our toes."
Besides, Sagar Island, renewable
energy has been tapped in other
parts of Sunderban as well,
WBREDA sources said. Nilai
Bera, a tailor in Gosaba, has been
able to double his income as he
can stitch even after sunset.
WBREDA has already set up a
500 KW gasifier-based power
plant in Gosaba along with an
energy plantation covering about
100 hectares of wasteland.
The biomass-based plant con­
verts fuelwood, agricultural and
agro-industrial residues, etc into a
combustible gas mixture normally
called producer gas that is fed into
internal combustion engine for
production of electricity.
Work' has also started on a 500
KW biomass-based-power plant al
Chotamollahpur
Island
of
Sunderban.
Mnes and the West Bengal
Government are funding a wind
power project and a one MW wind
farm will be commissioned at
Fraserganj by may this yearA pro­
posal to set up India's first tidal
power plant of 3 MW capacity has
also
been
conceived
in
Durgaduani creek of Sunderban..
(PT1)

The Hindustan Times
20 March 2000

Bank launches credit
scheme for farmers
Chandigarh, March 22
THE HARYANA State Co-opera­
tive Apex Bank (Harcobank) has
launched a new scheme known as
"revolving cash credit limit for
socio-economic and consumption
needs of farmers" to make them
self-dependent.
Under the scheme, loans up to
Rs two lakh for three years will be
made available to fanners owning
five-acre or more land. The agri­

cultural land would have to be
mortgaged as security for the loan.
A bank spokesman said here
today that 332 branches of 17 cen­
tral co-operative banks in cities
and towns of Haryana catered to
credit and finance needs of the vil­
lagers through a network of 2315
Primary Agriculture Co-operative
Societies (PACS). The aim of the
scheme was to create more alter­
native resources and avenues for
the farmers.
(UNI)

Award for scientist
M.S. SWAMINATHAN. noted
crop scientist and the father of
India's Green Revolution, has
been selected for the prestigious
Franklin
D
Roosvelt
Four
Freedoms medal for 2000 in recog­
nition of his leadership in the field
of agriculture.
PTI, New Delhi

The Hindustan Times
22 March'2000

The Hindustan Times
23 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 37

US scientists develop
'water saving’ crops
Vasantha Arora

Washington

FARMERS AND scientists are in­
novating new crops like 'miracle
rice* and 'hardy com* to help en­
sure food production for the 2.7
billion people who will be living in
water-scarce regions by the year
2025.
Scientists from the Consultative
Group
on
International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
have also helped create a new
user-friendly database called
'World Water and Climate Atlas
for Agriculture* that will serve as
a high-tech tool for managing wa­
ter resources for farmers, agron­
omists, engineers, conservation­
ists, meteorologists, researchers
and government policy makers.
"The world is facing a deadly
water gap: some 20 per cent more
water is needed than is available
to feed the nearly three billion ad­

ditional people who will be alive
by 2025, and there is no way to
manufacture new water," says
Ismail Serageldin, CGIAR chair­
man,.as well as World Bank Vice
President for Special Programmes.
"Crops that are improved to
flourish in low water environ­
ments, together with this power­
ful new tool, the Water and
Climate Atlas, make up one key
component in an overall global
water strategy," he-says.
Serageldin is also Chairman of
the World Commission on Water
for the 21st Century, which was
formed to call public attention to
the water crisis and to find solu­
tions. The World Commission will
present its report on a vision for
the future of global water re­
sources and their management at
the ongoing Second World Water
Forum
in The Hague, the
Netherlands, from March 17 to
22.
The innovations that CGIAR is

developing to help a water-short
world include- 'hardy corn’.
Researchers at the International
Maize and Wheat Improvement
Centre, known as CIMMYT, one of
16 CGIAR centres, have created
hardy new breeds of tropical
com that can increase harvests by
40 per cent in the tough environ­
ments of the developing world.
One of the new com varieties
was specifically developed to grow
under drought conditions, with a
much higher yield than tradition­
al com gives in the same condi­
tions. Drought caused the loss of
an estimated 24 million tonnes of
com in 1993 in the developing
world, a drop of 15 per cent from
the potential crop without any
drought.
The new com will also help the.
environment by allowing farmers
in the developing world to stay on
what was becoming non-produc­
tive lands, thereby saving virgin
rain forests and other fragile

These women are successful
water campaign managers
z
By Parul Chandra
The Times of India News Service

THE HAGUE: Curiosity yes. But there is certainly no
diffidence in their manner as Poona, Kunvarben and
Shantaben walk about the vast and sprawling Nether­
lands Congress Centre here where the Second World
Water forum meeting is presently on.
And illiterate though they may be, they can hold
forth on the benefits of watershed development pro­
jects just as confidently as the scores of water experts,
professionals and officials milling about at the centre.
After all, the three women from Gujarat arc successful
water campaign managers in their respective villages.
And they have been sharing their experiences with
those gathered here at two sessions on “Women, Work
and Water.”
Success hasn’t come easy to these women who got
guidance and assistance from the Self Employed
Women’s Association (SEWA), But they aren’t com­
plaining. Rather, there is justifiable pride in their tone and
their visage as they give details of the work done by them.

And their work only lends further strength to the
words of Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the Unit­
ed Nations Environment Programme who told jour­
nalists on Sunday, “Without integrating women, we
cannot deal with problems concerning water.”
Take Poona Bharawad from Dhokawada village in
the dry and rocky Banaskantha district who would walk
nine km daily to fetch just one pot of water.The average
water consumption by a person in her desert village—
merely 200 ml. Or Kunvarben from Sure! village in the
Surendranagar district of the same state where the wa­
ter is saline and the water table extremely low.
While Poona led the village women in digging a
pond which was then lined with plastic, Kunvarben
who would otherwise dig out saline water from the dry
river bed spearheaded the building of underground
tanks for harvesting rain water. In fact, in Kunvarben’s
village, women themselves dug earth to make under­
ground water storage tanks. And the tiny and frail­
looking Shantaben from the Sabarkantha district not
only trained to repair hand-pumps but learnt to instal
new ones too.

The Times of India
23 March 2000
38

tropical lands.
Similar is the 'miracle rice'.New
water-saving techniques are being
developed that could save up to 25
per cent of the water now used to
grow rice, according to scientists
at two CGIAR centres - the
International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), based in Manila,
the Philippines, and the
International Water Management
Institute (IWMI) in Colombo, Sri
Lanka.
The link between water and rice
is crucial, especially since fresh
water is becomming more and
more scarce. The number of wa­
ter-scarce countries is expected to
increase to 48 by 2025, peaking
at 55 countries by mid-century,
2050.More than half of the world's
population will depend on rice as
its principal food source in 30
years. Rice production must in­
crease by more than 40 per cent
from the present production to
avoid a rice shortage. But avail­
able land for cultivation is ex­
pected to decrease because of ero­
sion, desertification, salinisation
and rapidly increasing urbanisa­
tion.
Researchers have also devel­
oped 'durable whpat', by modify­
ing wheat, once mostly restricted
to temperate and subtropical
zones, to make it productive even
in hot climates. One main reason
for growing wheat is it requires
less water than rice. Wheat is al­
so a cash crop that has relative­
ly few natural insect enemies.
Thanks to years of intensive plant
breeding work, modem wheat va­
rieties now have strong built-in re­
sistance to major diseases?
That means poor farmers in de­
veloping countries are assured of
stable yields and can more easi­
ly adapt pest management pro­
cedures that make maximum use
of biological control measures.
minimising chemical use.
IANS

The Pioneer
22 March 2000

News You Can Use

‘Sanitary marts’ to rehabilitate
scavengers
Express News Service

Chennai, March 22: The Dep*
artment of Adi Dravidar Welf­
are is considering setting up
‘sanitary marts’ to rehabilitate
scavengers
following
the
Tamil Nadu Government’s dec­
ision to abolish dry latrines
and manual scavenging in the
State by March 31.
The proposal pending with
the Union Government envisa­
ges forming co-operatives and
enabling them to set up cera­
mic sanitary ware production
units at a cost of Rs 5 lakh each
with funding from the Natio­
nal Safai Karamchari Finance

Development
Corporation
(NSKFDC).
To be implemented in the
coming financial year, the pro­
ject will, not only repatriate
about 40,000 scavengers, who
were hitherto engaged in clear­
ing night soil in the State, but
also help them avail loans
from nationalised banks. Since
‘scavengers’ have been defined
as only those whq. carry night
soil on their heads, the banks
have been refusing loans to
them. Enquiries reveal that
the State Government has wri­
tten to the Union Ministry of
Social Justice in this regard.
Adi Dravidar Welfare Secret­

ary K Sampathkumar said
once the Centre clears the proj­
ect, tie-ups would have to be eff­
ected with industries and mon­
itoring and steering committ­
ees set up at every level.
The Tamil Nadu Adi Dravi­
dar Housing Development Cor­
poration (TAHDCO) is also inv­
iting scavengers to register for
rehabilitation schemes. The en­
listing process is expected to
be completed by May. How­
ever, about 600 scavengers un­
der the Department of Munici­
pal Administration and Water
Supply have opted for jobs of
<rvet sweepers, it is learnt
About Rs 15 crore has been

Nod for rural water scheme
By Our Staff Reporter
CHENNAI, march 22. The Union Government has approved the
implementation of a community-based rural water supply
scheme in Coimbatore, Vellore and Cuddalore districts.
Each district has been sanctioned Rs. 40 crores to execute the
scheme in three years, official sources say.
The project has been formulated to benefit 28 lakh people in
3,100 habitations in the three districts.
To be carried out under the Accelerated Rural Water Supply
Programme (ARWSP), the scheme’s emphasis is on people’s
participation by involving them from the stage of planning to
designing to implementation, and even to operation and
maintenance (O&M) of the water supply systems.
As part of the ARWSP, the beneficiaries have to contribute 10
per cent of the capital cost and 100 per cent of the O&M cost.
For the three districts, a sum of around Rs. 90 lakhs has been
mobilised.
The sources say a decision will be taken shortly on extending
the Programme to Perambalur district.
All over the country, the ARWSP is now implemented in 58
districts.

spent by the Municipal Admin
istration and Water Supply De­
partment to convert all the pub
lie dry latrines in the 611 town
panchayats into flush ones
Although there are no dry
latrines in Chennai, quite a
few exist in Nagercoil, Tindiva
nam, Tirunelveli and Coimbat­
ore. While 329 public toilets
are dry latrines more than
13,000 are in households In
town panchayats alone. 6.780
households still use dry toilets.
the largest number being in
Nagercoil.
Following the enactment of
the Tamil Nadu Employment
of Manual Scavengers and Con­
struction of Dry Latrines (Pro­
hibition) Act 1999, the State
government adopted the Cen
tre’s deadline of March 3). 2<MM>
for the abolition of dry latrines
and manual removal of night
soil.
While government sources
confinn that all public dry lair
ines have been converted, they
are unsure as to how many pri
vate households have mot the
deadline. The local bodies an*
empowered to issue notice*- ’<«
those households that have nni
complied with the order. Non
compliance is a cognisable off
ence. The process of prosecur
ion has begun.

The Indian Express
23 March 2000

The Hindu
23 March 2000

Education web site launched
• Education Secretary Mr M K Kaw on Wednesday launched the
web site of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in
New Delhi, DHNS reports. The web site provides a lot of useful
information relating to teachers’ education. It has profiles of over
2,000 teachers’ education institutions which have been recognised/
conditionally recognised by the Regional Committees of the NCTE.
Some important NCTE publications useful for teacher educators
and student-teachers as well as procedure for applying for
recognition, online access to application forms are available on
the site. The site could be reached at the address :www .ncte-in.org.

Deccan Herald
23 March 2000
CDL Media Clippings 39

LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT
NEW DELHI
JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE PROTECTION OF PLANT
VARIETIES AND FARMERS’ RIGHTS BILL 1999
The protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Bill, 1999 introduced in Lok
Sabha on 14.12.1999 has been referred to a Joint Committee of both the Houses
of Parliament. The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of an Authority to
give an effective system for protection of the rights of plant breeders and farmers
and to encourage the development of new varieties of plants; to register extent and
new plant varieties; to develop characterisation and documentation of varieties; to
provide the compulsory licensing of protected varieties if the right holder does not
arrange for production and sale of the seeds to ensure that protected seeds are
available to the farmers; to collect statistics with regard to plant varieties, seeds
and germplasm for compilation and publication.
The issue of enacting a law relating to Plant Varieties Protection and Farmers’
Rights in India has also become important particularly on lndia”s signing of the
Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) 1994.

The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Bill, 1999 as introduced in
Lok Sabha, was published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary Part II, dated 14th
December, 1999.
With a view to hold informal discussions with the representatives of the various
associations/ organisations and individuals interested in the subject matter on the
proposed legislation on the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights, the
Parliamentary Joint Committee will undertake a study visit to Bangalore.
Those desirous of expressing their views, are requested to meet the Joint Committee
on March 26th, 2000 from 1500 Hrs to 1700 Hrs at Conference Hall, Room No.
334, Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore.

Deccan Herald
25 March 2000

> 861

I Women' Power on the Net

An effective
form of weed
control
WHILE CONSIDERING various mcfli
ods of weed control, soil solarisation
proves to be a simple, cheap and mure
over highly efficient method too.

in soil solarisation the only price n>
put involved is of plastic sheets.
To solarise the soil, first the soil must
e in moist condition and covered with
J. 125 mm thick black polyethylene <>i
0.J mm thick transparent polyethylene
sheet for 4 to 6 weeks.
The sheet should be in a full
stretched condition and the edges but
ied in the soil to hold the sheet in place.
Due to solar radiation the soil under
plastic sheer gets heated up anti the
temperature inside the sheet around
45-50”C.

Due to heavy heat, weed seeds pre­
sent in the soil under the polythene
cover gets affected.

The effect of this oil solarisation inainiv
depends upon the exposure rime of the
soil and soil temperature that is to be
maintained.
In addition to weed control the other
advantages of soil solarisation are — it
controls plant diseases, it alters some
of the physical and chemical propenir*
of the soil to promote better crop vivid.

• A Karthik & C. George Thomas
Department of Agronomy
College of Horticulture
Kerala Agricultural University
Trichur 680 6^6

The Hindu
23 March 2000

ggg g J.

GTtfre ndirifter pf women’s sites tW ere proliferating in- the

$6.5 b GEF funding for water programme

chunkptihe surfing population, Not exacts
In the US, the Interne!/ hea^;wbWns attained a position of
online parity .only recently. In India, womenbejcomihg an
online majority is a farfetched Idea/atteast-for
the promoters of fabwmen.com, tauhetoed thii. w^kj in/New
l^lhl by Mrs Maneka GandhL doqT think so.
One of them/ Sudlpto Majumdar; asserts that the site is
different from the other sites on the'net for the: Indian woman,
tin
from the start/ So we do not believe jita site which is high on
valuations but loses money. Second, we would promote
payment through dash ratherWafr credit which keeps in: mind
the Indian p^che.’* The third is services obviously,
M

■ HAGUE: GLOBAL Environment Facility (GEF) has announced
funding of $6.5 billion to be used for addressing global water
and related land degradation issues in developing countries. The
increase in GEF funding comes at a time when water and
related land degradation are Increasingly recognised as major
barriers to global sustainable development, GEF chief executive
officer Mohamed Elashry said. There have been many conferences
and declarations in the last decade with little progress and.
unless action replaces rhetoric, the number of people experiencing
water shortages and stress will rise to 2.3 billion and
devastating effects on human health and the global environment
will continue to grow, he said. Without better policies, the large
sum of money needed to reverse current degradation of water
resources will not materialise, Mr Elashry said.

The Observer
25 March 2000

40

The Observer
25 March 2000

News You Can Use
Shree Venkatram

•

Finally, Haryana learns to
care for its daughters

•

THE HARYANA GOV­
ERNMENT’S Apni Beti
Apna Dhan (ABAD)
scheme has had tremen­
dous impact. Launched
six years ago, Haryana
then had the second low­
est female ratio — only
864 women for every
1000 men — in the coun­
try. Particularly worri­
some was the rampant
female foeticide, and
that even in the prosperous districts
of Sonepat, Rohtak and Hissar, girls
were not being sent to school.
Viewed as paraya dhan, girls were
expected to be married off as early as
possible.
The ABAD scheme was launched
oh October 2,1996, and promised to
the mother* living below the poverty
line a cash award of Rs 500 were she
to bear a female baby, and another
Rs 2500 to be kept in fixed deposit
for 18 years. The sum of Rs 25,000 at
maturity was to be handed over only
if she was unmarried till then.
In its recent review of ABAD, the
Population Council, a non-government body, says among the scheme’s
positive effects is the fact that the
mother is no longer made to feel as if
she has committed a grave crime by
giving birth to a girl. The veiy fact
that the state honours her with a cash
gift — in the initial years the govern­
ment organised public functions to
honour such women — has made a
discernable difference in the way
families look at girls.
Girls here are no longer named
Bathen* (enough of girls) or Sukhni
(thin) or Rukri (stop being bom) and
Mooli (radish). Instead, they are now
named after prominent women such
as Indira Gandhi or Kiran Bedi or
after women officials in the district.
Their mothers now dream of educat­
ing them.
The Council found a perceived
reduction in the num­
ber of female foeti­
cides and an improve­
ment in the registra­
tion of female births.
Immunisation follow-

up, and future benefits
of ration and voting
rights are the other
unintended benefits of
the scheme.
Families now ensure
that daughters receive
proper medical atten­
tion. No wonder, in
Kurukshetra district infant morality
declined from 54.3 in 1994-95 to 39.2
in 1996-97. Moreover, the death of
an ABAD has the state demand
explanations from families and the
scheme’s field staff.
Also, women are beginning to han­
dle money — a substantial number
invest the Rs 500 award in saving
schemes in their own or daughters’
names. Of course, an
equal number of women
hand over the cash to
their husbands or mothers-in-law.
The government has
yet to evolve a foolproof
method by which the
deposit certificate is
encashed by the girl and
not others — and that
she alone controls the
money.
When
the
scheme was devised, it was proposed
that this amount should be utilised by
the girl for further education or start­
ing business. Now, though, the
deposit money is being viewed as
funds the government provides for
her marriage.

Girls should get a share of assets
or money in a bank account
instead of dowry..
Girls should not suffer violence.

The girls do repeat these sponta­
neously, but the boys can’t get them­
selves to say they are equal to girls.

Rediscovering a hero
THE DISPOSSESSED find their
own symbols. One such is Tantia Bhil,
the man labeled a murderer and
dacoit by the British and hanged by
them in 1889. For the
Bhils, Tantia is a revo­
lutionary. Last month
they marched to his
memorial to seek his
blessings
before
launching a protest
against the exploita­
tion by landlords, cor­
rupt government offi­
cials and moneylen­
ders.
The Adivasi Ekta
Parishad is concerned
that even after 50
years of independence, there are no
wide-ranging
development
and
employment programmes for them;
the health and education systems are
in a shambles; and that projects like
the Sardar Sarovar and forestry
schemes are alienating adivasis from
their land. And when they raise their
voice, false criminal cases have been
registered against them.

The Hindustan Times
26 March 2000

Aid for Internet link

Six commandments
ADITHI, AN NGO, has Six
Commandments which the five-to10-year-olds who collect for its nonformal education classes in Bihar
have to repeat daily. These are:

•
•

Girls and boys are equal.
Girls and boys can and should
work.
• Girls should have income
generation skills and should
be able to choose whom they
want to many.
• Girls should not marry with
dowry.

By Our Staff Reporter
HYDERABAD, march, 24. The U.S. President, Mr. Bih
Clinton, announced an aid of $ 5 millions to bring
Internet to schools and businesses in under-servcc
areas in rural India.
Speaking at the Hitech City here on Friday. Mr
Clinton said that the State of Andhra Pradesh was
doing a “remarkable job” in providing Internet faci
lity all over the State covering all the villages.

The Hindu
25 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 41
>3?

They defeated death with ingenuity
By Mukesh Bhardwaj

Passiawal (Kapurthala), March 25: It
took the death of one villager to prod the
others, but today the residents of this rem­
ote village have what no neighbouring vil­
lage has: its own water supply system, org­
anised and financed by the villagers. With
a little help from brethren overseas.
This village, and those around it, has al­
ways suffered the problem of contamina­
ted water. Water-borne diseases are a com­
mon occurrence, as are fatalities caused
by them, says former sarpanch Jaswant
Singh Sodhi. The latest victim was Param­
jit Kaur, whose death shocked the villag­
ers into action. They realised that the only
way out of this cycle was clean water to
save themselves.
With Jaswant Singh’s wife Inderjit Kaur
- the new sarpanch - at the helm, wheels
began to move. The first move came when

one of the sarpanch's six sons returned
home from the US. As he heard the villag­
ers speak of contaminated water, he arra­
nged for a separate water tap to be instal­
led outside the house (the sarpanch has
the only other submersible pump in the vil­
lage). This was soon transformed into the
idea of a pump for the village.
The pump was sunk, 350 feet deep, with
Rs 37,000 loaned by the Sodhi family. That
meant the villagers could go to the pump
to fetch water, but they weren’t satisfied
with that.
That's when one villager, Sadhu Singh
Ahluwalia, came up with the idea of lay­
ing down’ a pipeline to provide safe runn­
ing water in every house. The cost of the
project worked out to Rs 2 lakh approxim­
ately. This time the village gurdwara chip­
ped in with Rs 51,000.
Today, the villagers can drink the water
without fear of disease. It’s a confidence

that has inspired the district administrat­
ion to initiate similar effort for other villa­
ges. District Deputy Commissioner Vijoy
Kumar Singh says they plan, in the com­
ing financial year, to provide seed money
for similar projects elsewhere. It’s cost-eff
ective when done privately, he says
Through the government, the system
would cost approximately Rs 25 lakhs; the
village panchayat managed on Rs 2 lakhs.
In Passiawal, meanwhile, they’re not re­
sting on any laurels. The villagers have al
ready worked out how to repay their loan
to the Sodhis: The Rs 1 lakh reward they
will get from the government for electing
the sarpanch unanimously will be handed
over to the contributors.
And they’re already working on the
Next Big Thing: 24-hour electricity supply
to the 60 houses in the village. That will
hopefully, light the beacon for all the neig­
hbouring villages.

The Indian Express
26 March 2000

Clearing The Air
■ GREEN POLITICS
Edited by Anil Agarwal, Sunita Narain andAnju
Sharma Centrefor Science and Environment
Price not stated

when the rules are being set for future global governance—
developing countries be more alert and aware.
The preface says that there will be two more vol­
umes in the series completing the picture. Whether
they will spark off a debate or not is difficult to say but
at least this book will lead to better informed interven­
tions in global negotiations in the future.

F the plethora of conferences on environmental ne­
gotiations were just names for you and you wanted
— Sonu Jain
to know where exactly the environmental debate was
poised, the first report in the series Global Environ­
mental Negotiation, Green Politics, is handy reference.
For this is more than just a report, it is a reasonably
comprehensive study of major global environment ne­
gotiations since the Rio conference in 1992.
Carry-over blades
There are few books which are written from the per­
spective of the South, so this is a welcome addition to
Sir—AIDS and other killer diseases like
Hepatitis B are spreading fast across
green literature in the country. The inequality of global
the country. We must take preventive
environmental negotiations is what has added to the
measures at the individual and collec­
feverish intensity of debates, deadlocks and deals in en­
tive level. Government agencies must
vironmental issues. Understanding the divide, how one
step up the monitoring of such efforts.
country's stand influences the other, would make our
One such area crying out for atten­
policy-makers and negotiators a little more organised,
tion is the ubiquitous barber shop, usu­
helping them speak louder and clearer on the negotiat­
ally located in dingy areas without any
ing table.
care for cleanliness and hygiene. More
often than not. blades are not changed
The book has been divided into nine chapters —
for successive shaves and hair cuts.
framework convention on climate change, convention
Municipal authorities must ensure
on biological diversity, convention to combat deserti­
cleanliness at these shops; barbers must
fication, global treaty on Perspective Organic Pollutants
be trained. Till then, it is advisable for
(POPs), convention on forests, trade and environment,
patrons to carry their own blades.
Global Environment Facility (GEF) and battle for turf
Rajendra Sharma
since Rio.,
The Indian Express
The book has also successfully revealed that though
25 March 2000
these issues and various conferences seem far removed from
The
Indian
Express
our immediate concerns (“we have to care about hungry
.
stomachs first"), this is a fallacy. It is imperative that now—. 26 March 2000

I

42

News You Can Use

Nayala goes hi-tech with IT kiosks
K. S. Tomar
Jaipur, March 26

obtained through Rajnidhi Kiosks.
Mr Rohit K Singh, director infor-

WITH THE establishment of
Rajnidhi Information Kiosks,
Nayala has become the first hi-tech
village in Rajasthan, which had
been appreciated by US President
Bill Clinton during his visit to this
village recently.
Through these kiosks, villagers
will have easy access to informa­
tion about health, family planning,
immunisation schedules for chil­
dren, employment, transportation,
agriculture, water and electricity
connections, birth and death regis­
tration etc. Printouts of the forms
for obtaining the driving licence,
vehicle registration, etc can be

These kiosks will give
information about
health, family planning,
immunisation sched­
ules, employment,
transportation, agricul­
ture, water and electrici­
ty connections,' birth
and death registration.
mation and technology depart­

ment, said here today that he had
explained to President Clinton
about State government’s plan to
install such Rajnidhi kiosks in all
9,184 panchayats in Rajasthan by
the year 2003.
Smart Card system introduced by
Smart Chip Limited at Dhabaloi
Dairy Development Society has
benefited the village women.
Smart Card was also presented to
President Clinton, which made
him honorary member of Dhabaloi
Daily Development Society.
This Smart card acts as electron­
ic passbook, which contains com­
prehensive details of name of pro­
ducer of milk, address, district and
picture of each member of dairy
society.

The Hindustan Times
27 March 2000

WmenridMP
village of liquor
YoceshVajpeyi ?

tion ■ auctioned . liquor shops
in other parts7 Of Ujjain recen­
Bhopal, March 27: There’s tly, fetching the State Rs 38.2
no official prohibition in crore. Officials, claim the* dec-;
Madhya Pradesh. Yet there ision? vindicates /the State’s:
will be no sale of liquor in new excise policy which
Mahidpur itehsil of Ujjain gives womeha say: in;the loca­
from ApriLU
'7^4 tion ‘ of liquor shops in their
Mahidpur will be: the first gram ' panchayats.
'‘More
tehsil in the State to go offliq- than 50 per cent'women; of
uor. ‘‘it’s victory for women the- area, had opposedthese
power?’ says local MLA Kalp- shops,” they say. “We may
ana Parulekar how-that -the have won a battle but the
State Government has given fight to' win the war will con­
in to her demand that all the tinue,”, 7 Parulekar jcautiofis.
14 liquor shops in her constit­ Having freed her constitue­
uency, be closed down.
ncy from the clutches ofth? li­
Mahidpur was.declared out quor'mafia, she now plans to'
of bounds - for contractors ; repeat /the Mahidpur formula
when- the district administra­ elsewhere in the State.

3,000 NGOs
blacklisted
THE CENTRAL Social Welfare
Board has so far blacklisted 3000
non-government
organisations
(NGOs) in the countiy, chairper­
son Mridula Sinha has said.
Admitting irregularities in the
functioning of NGOs, she said in
Patna on Friday that the board had
blacklisted 3000 NGOs from 1991.
About 700 NGOs were blacklisted
during the past two years, she
added. Measures have been initiat­
ed to trace fake NGOs which had
pilferaged several crores in the
name of social work. Asked about
the gross irregularities prevailing
in the Bihar State Social Welfare
Board, Ms Sinha said the annual
allocation of Rs two crore to the
board had been banned for the
past three years.
UNI, Patna

The Hindustan Times
26 March 2000

State-of-the-art
fisheries unit
opened at Kochi
KOCHI. March 25 (PTI)

A Rs 20 crore materials and
transducers-simulated test centre
(MATs), the first of its kind in
Asia-Pacific region and one of the
very few in the world, was todax
dedicated to the nation by Dr V K
Aatre. scientific adviser to the <l<fence minister.
Addressing the gathering. Dr
Aatre. who is also the socretarx
Department of Defence Research
and Development and Director
General Research and Devol»»|'ment, stressed the need for opu
mum utilisation of the under x»;;ter resources.

Exploitation of the resources
was absolutely necessary for hu­
manity to survive in years ic
come, he said adding India had a
long way to go in exploiting th«*
resources. The* countrx
had
utilised only 10 to 15 per cent <»l
the fisheries resources of .»•
waters, he said.
India had also the potential i >
utilise the vast seabed nodules ri
its waters for which ”wo have, m
develop excavators which can go
up to 5,000 metres below sea level
to pick up the nodules.** he satd.
Mats, established at the Naval
Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) here, is designed
for undertaking any statical thnamic measurements, evaluatin' .
calibration of any materials
censors or transducers for unde*
sea* use.

Deccan Herald
26 March 2000

The Indian Express
28 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 43

Rural women in Rajasthan
turning bold entrepreneurs
Dungarpur, March 26

AT NAYALA, when US President Bill
Clinton was feeling "astonished to see how
India was using its democratic institutions to
tackle its problems", the rest of the world
was wondering whether what was showcased
was actually the real picture or just a facade.
Nayala might have been "sprucely pack­
aged" for President Clinton and the con­
sumption of the rest of the world but the
whole idea about the emancipation of the
rural women was indeed realistic and a mat­
ter of fact.
Seeing the perceptible changes in the com­
munities visited, one tends to admit that a
silent revolution hitherto unknown and
unheard of is taking place in the backward
areas of Rajasthan, a picture of real India
that lives away from the din of realpolitik.
Thanks to micro-credit scheme of the
Central Government, illiterate and povertystricken women here are increasingly don­
ning the mantle of small-time entrepreneurs.
Now they have become aware of the fact that
"money” rules the world and empowers their
gender.
"These women who were earlier consid­
ered non-productive and non-asset worthy
are today increasingly being regarded as
agents of change and economic develop­
ment," says Devilal Vyas who runs People's
Education and Development Organisation.

When 30- year-old Mani of Mada here
narrated how with the help of micro-credit
she set up a roadside tea shop in the area,
she only underscored the fact that micro­
financing leads to benefit realisation for the
poor.
With formal banking institutions out of
their reach, the women here, mostly belong­
ing to the Bhil tribe, find non-formal micro­
credit lending institutions set up by
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh easy to access.
RMK, created by the Centre in 1993 with a
corpus fund of Rs 31 crore, has been work­
ing silently in the interiors of various states
in partnership with 700 NGOs. The RMK
has developed a strategy of extending credit
through intermediate micro-credit organisa­
tions which in turn lend to the self-help
groups comprising a maximum of 20 women
sharing homogeneous background.
Today advancement in this district is quite
visible.
Savita of Naya Gaon says, "Now men don't
dare to beat us and they think twice before
getting drunk, not just because our status
within the family has risen but also because
of the fact that group members come to one
another's help whenever needed."
Because of the elevation of their status in
the family and the society, these women
have acquired a role in decision-making and
are getting better recognition and respect.
(PTI)

The Hindustan Times
27 March 2000

Farmers to have say
in water management
“
IN ITS continued bid for decen­
tralisation process of governance,
the Madhya Pradesh Government
has decided to involve the farmers
in both significant sectors of irri­
gated water -- management and
distribution.
It will help farmers of the State
to take up the whole irrigation sys­
tem in their own hands. Keeping
these views in mind the State will
go for elections to various water
consumer forums on April 18, a
Government source said.
These elections are being con­
ducted under "farmers" participa­

tion in the M-P Irrigation
Management Act, 1999". The
source added that. The motive
behind the act is to strengthen the
relationship among the canal­
water consumers, channels the dis­
tribution of water among others.
An electoral roll of water con­
sumers and farmers falling under
the command area has been pre­
pared for first time in the history.
A total of 25 lakh fanners and
other beneficiaries would cast their
votes in the forthcoming statewide
elections.
HTC, Raipur

The Hindustan Times
26 March 2000
44

HIV cases on
rise in Goa
despite campaign
PH News Service
PANAJI, March 26

Despite a sustained awareness
campaign launched by the govern­
ment and NGOs, and counselling
facilities provided in this state,
HIV cases have been on the rise
here.
The 405 new HIV positive cases
detected last year signifies that
more than one person a day is be­
ing infected by the deadly virus
every year.

Goa now has 1,631 cases record­
ed over seven years. The majority
of HIV cases here have been de­
tected in heavy growth centres
like Mormugao (a port town) and
Salcette and Bardez which have a
concentration of tourism.
According to the state’s Health
Minister Suresh Amonkar, blood
collected at the state-run blood
banks was being tested for the
AIDS virus.
But the Opposition Congress
which took up the issue in the
House on Friday wanted the gov­
ernment to deport HIV positive
sex workers from this state.

Sex workers should be compul­
sorily tested and given health cer
tificates. Congress MLA Nirmal?
Sawant said.

Deccan Herald
27 March 2000

Well worth it
■ For 3$ year-old Gargi Banerji it is well-deserved recognition. Winning
this year’s £50,000 Whitley award — the largest conservat ion award scheme
—will help Banerji in more ways than one. She hopes to plough back much
of the award into her Himalayan scheme. Delhi-based Banerji founded
Pragya, a group dedicated to saving the flora of the inaccessible valleys
around Lahaul and Spiti in northern Himachal Pradesh. Her efforts to save
the medicinal plants of these remote Himalayan valleys from extinction
won her Britain's most valuable conservation prize, beating a field of ex­
perts dedicated to saving endangered animals. Organised by the Royal Geo­
graphical Society, it is the first major award to an expert in plant conserva­
tion.

The Telegraph
25 March 2000

News You Can Use

Inside the twilight zone
AIDS has entered all realms of society. Anybody can become a victim. But
there is a way out, as Shyamala Natraj discovered in a village in Tamil Nadu
ECENTLY, I accompanied a group of
women from different regions in Tamil
Nadu to Morappur, a village near
Dharmapuri town, in the northern part of the
state; We had requested an NGO known for its
grassroots training abilities to assist us with
strengthening our women’s collectives. We were
informed that the people here are still learning
on how to deal with AIDS. Life has somehow
pushed them into it. “People are beginning to
fall ill and die in this region and we have no idea
what to do, where to go, what to say”, said a
local health worker.
That is how one was able to enter and sensi*
tise oneself to the world of community workers
and their struggle With HIV related issues.
Predictably, most of them were women, many
had passed class ten, a few people had grad­
uated and at least one couple had gone for
higher studies. All of them were articulate,
well up on basic developmental issues and
committed to progress and dynamic action.
There is a certain passion which lingers in
their daily activities, in the'way they talk and
reach out to the world. The women weave
the village into an arena of constant activi­
ty, unlearning old myths, injecting new hope.
At 45, a tenacious Mangamma has contest­
ed the panchayat elections — and won. She
is now a ward counsellor. Sparkle eyed, 60year-old Kanaka is the president of the local
cooperative bank that manages a revolving
fund of nearly Rs 1 crore; this is the precious
sum that the villagers in the area have saved
over the years. Ironically, the two
Government banks here might just about
shut down any day. There is a spirited aware­
ness which has hit the village. Only last month,
Lakshmi led her sangham to the consumer
court in a fight against a corrupt public distrib­
ution outlet. And yet, it seems, the transforma­
tion is just about beginning. There are still miles
to go for the women of this village.
Several years after organised efforts in HIV
prevention in Tamil Nadu, not one of these
women are still aware of several basic facts they
can effectively use to help themselves or others.
They acknowledge that “neighbours are ill,
some have even died, but we don’t know what to
do, how to stay safe ourselves or how to educate
others to protect themselves. All we know for
sure is that AIDS is spread by lorry drivers and
prostitutes, by blood transfusions and injec­
tions. And the only thing we can do is live with
Ozhukkam — moral discipline”.

R

PLATFORM
There is equal confusion regarding what is
safe (touch, clothes, mosquitoes, toilets etc).
Most significantly, not a single person is aware
that treating reproductive tract infections and
sexually transmitted infections (RTIs/STIs) is
absolutely critical to prevent HIV infection.
Quizzed on the subject, almost everybody
agrees, that many women in this area suffer
from symptoms of possible RTIs/STIs. As long
as these remain untreated, they are perfect con­
duits of HIV infection.
Because HIV thrives mainly in blood, semenal
and vaginal fluids, and because infection occurs

most easily when the virus has easy access to the
blood stream of an individual, any unhealed
cuts, sores or inflammations caused by
RTIs/STIs are open invitations for HIV.
Empirical evidence the world over suggests a
dramatic decrease in infection rates wherever
comprehensive care against RTIs/ STIs is taken
by people. Indeed, reproductive health care is
the first line of defence against HIV
The single largest reason why HIV is spread­
ing so rapidly in our country is the widespread
presence of RTIs/STIs among our people, the
grossly inadequate “care mechanisms” at pri­
mary healthy centre levels and the total absence
of practical information in the exorbitant,
Government-run media campaign on the issue.
Add unhealthy levels of sexual activity and the

proven presence of HIV in rural populations
and you have the perfect recipe for an epidem­
ic that is well in place.
We returned from Morappur to find a mes­
sage waiting from a leading voluntary organisa­
tion in Trichy district. “Though we were against
starting awareness programme on AIDS, now
we feel the necessity. With Karur and Dindigul
— two business towns close by, we are experi­
encing deaths due to AIDS in our project area.
In a few villages, we observe significant deaths
among young men. Certainly, the situation is
serious.”
The epidemic has spread among commoners
in a large section of rural and urban society but
it is strange that our national policy responses
continue to target principally women who are in
prostitution, truck drivers, migrant labour
and others considered vulnerable. While it is
important to narrow down on certain possi­
ble areas of awareness, this is certainly not
enough.
It is crucial to realise that the AIDS phe­
nomenon cannot bq wished away by locating
it into narrow zones of the “other society on
the social margin”. Active social or policy
interventions will now have to include the
bulk of sexually active people — old, young.
married, single, gay, straight, men, women.
perhaps even children. Because the truth is
that the rate of hew HIV infection is increas­
ing more rapidly among those sections of
society who were hitherto supposed to be
outside the realm of danger.
Equally important is a media strategy. Il
has to focus on RTIs/STIs care rather than
on “AIDS”. When I asked the women in
Morappur to choose how they address HIV
among their people, every single one of them
unhesitatingly chose to address it as an issue of
reproductive health. As Sarojamma explains,
“Now that I know that RTI treatment is a very
important part of HIV prevention, I can talk to
people in a positive manner. Earlier, I really
didn’t know what to say about AIDS, there are
no specific symptoms and you need to have an
expensive blood test to even know if you have
the infection. Everybody says if you. get AIDS
you will die.
Besides, it is considered very shameful. But
now I can relate it to reproductive health prob­
lems which we are all familiar with. In the past
I could only say, ‘Don’t do that’. Now 1
can say, ‘Do this’
And what’s more.
she’s absolutely right.

The Hindustan Times
28 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 45

All About Water Rights
Negotiating Water
Rights: Edited By
Bryan Randolph
Bruns, Ruth S.
Melnzen-Dick;
Published By:
Vistaar
Publications, 32,
M-Block Market,
Greater Kailash-I,

Women as entrepreneurs
a T Nayala, when US Presi/A\ dent Bill Clinton was
Zrufeeling ‘astonished to
see how India was using its
democratic
institutions
to
tackle its problems', the rest
of the world was wondering
whether what was showcased
was actually the real picture
or Just a facade.
Nayala might have been
‘sprucely packaged* for Clinton
and the consumption of the
rest of the world but the
whole Idea about the emanci*
pation of the rural women was
indeed realistic and a matter
of fact. Seeing the perceptible
changes In the communities
visited, one tends to admit
that a silent revolution hitherto
unknown and unheard of is
taking place in the backward
areas of Rajasthan, a picture
of real India that lives away
from the din of realpolitik.

Thanks
to
micro-credit
scheme of the central govern­
ment, illiterate and povertystricken women in Dungarpur
are increasingly donning the
mantle of small-time entrepre­
neurs. Now they have become
aware of the fact that money
rules the world and empowers
their gender. “These women
who were earlier considered
non-productive and non-asset
worthy are today increasingly
being regarded as agents of
change and economic develop­
ment", says Devilal Vyas who
runs People's Education and
Development
Organisation
(PEDO).
When 30-year-old Mani of
Mada narrated how with the
help of micro-credit she set
up a roadside tea shop in the
area, she only underscored
the fact that micro-financing
leads to benefit realisation for
the poor. With formal banking

institutions out of their reach,
the women, mostly belonging
to the Bhil tribe, find nonformal micro-credit lending in­
stitutions set up by Rashtriya
Mahiia Kosh (RMK) easy to
access.
RMK, created by the Centre
in 1993 with a corpus fund
of Rs 31 crore, has been
working silently in the interiors
of various states in partnership
with 700 NGOs. Kosh has
developed a strategy of ex­
tending credit through inter­
mediate
Micro-Credit
Organisations (IMOs) which in
turn lend to the Self-Help
Groups (SHGs) comprising a
maximum of 20 women sharing
homogeneous background.

In India, about 25 per
cent of the rural
women devote their
time to activities
which can generate
some Income. As they
do not have any
significant assets and
literacy level amongst
them Is quite low, they
do not have easy
access to credit
Savita of Naya Gaon says,
“now men don't dare to beat
us and they think twice before
getting drunk, not Just because
our status within the family
has risen but also because of
the fact that group members
come to one another’s help
whenever needed".

This statement by Savita
and many others of her like
goes to prove that credit pro­
gramme can be transformed

into a movement of women’s
self-empowerment, of course,
through
their
collective
strength.
But ironically, Dungarpur —
where 86 per cent of the
population is tribal with 90
per cent classified as below
povery line — has already
been declared 'economically
viable*, as per a recent state
survey. Contradictions end up
not just there.
As per Vyas, "the literacy
rate in this tribal belt is
barely ten per cent whereas
the state government this year
washed its hands off all re­
sponsibilities by showing 100
per cent literacy here".
Elucidating about the pur­
pose behind the scheme, RMK
manager S S Sharma says,
"in India, about 25 per cent
of the rural women devote
their time to activities which
can generate some income.
As they do not have any
significant assets and literacy
level amongst them is quite
low, they do not enjoy easy
access to credit.
“But the micro credit facil­
ity, though in small doses, is
made available to them at
their doorstep which helps them
in acquiring some income-gen­
erating assets’*.
No doubt that with the help
of . micro-credit facility, the
needs of the tribal women in
Rajasthan are increasingly find­
ing expression. Because of
the elevation of their status in
the family and the society,
these women have acquired a
role in decision-making and
are getting better recognition
and respect. No longer is the
saying valid that poverty has
a female face! (pti)

New Delhi-110 048; Price Rs 475;
Pages 394.

ATER is becoming an
important component in
the world. Future wars, it
is said, would be fought for
water. A key element in this involves
negotiating water rights between local
states and national bodies. Recently,
states have recognised the role to be
played by researchers and policy-mak­
ers over property rights on natural
resources.
However, attention to water rights
has received a back seat. This is
because water is a mobile resource and
staking an ownership over it involves
different types of rights.
This book tries to address the vari­
ous issues, involved in evolving rights
over water. The chapters show that
water rights are not static, but as fluid
as the resource itself.
Through apt case studies, the authors
have put together some of the findings
and approaches.
The case studies in this book are
interesting. It shows how water rights,
conflicts and resolutions can dis­
parate. Water-users too have a major
role to play.
The book is a collection of studies of
key negotiators and researchers in the
. fields of water rights and management.
It is a valuable asset for people
involved in water rights and negotia­
tions. It is central for persons dealing
with irrigation management and
watershed issues.
The cases are so diverse that they
build up a reservoir of knowledge
based on examples. The chapters are
comprehensive and highly focused.
. It provides different perspectives on
Karuna Madan
water rights and does not focus merely
on state laws; it recognises claims that
The Observer
are based on customary law and prac­
29 March 2000 tices.
The introductory chapters lay down
the broad framework that help
researchers understand and manage
conflicts over water education. And

W

Contd...
46

News You Can Use

Water for all Is
still a pipe dream
HE name of the game is “play with water." A new multi­
lingual interactive internet game on the WWF website takes us
to a lab where a "crazy" professor has to solve the world’s
water problem. The visitor has to assist him with his experiments.
Water is to be taken out of the track between the tap and the
sponge. It is to be put into a reservoir by placing pipes and dikes.
by straightening crooked pipes and evaporating and condensing
water. The player earns points if he plays well. If not. he will lose
the water available to him.
The game, in a sense, symbolises the challenge before us all —
the looming, freshwater crisis and the need to address it before it is
too late. That freshwater is vital for all life forms Is welhknown. In
fact, it is recognised today as a basic human right. Yet, how many
people have access to safe drinking water? It is estimated that over
a billion people In the world do not have adequate water supply. Not
many realise that water, though renewable, is a finite resource.
Freshwater ecosystems provide food,, employment, pollution control
and flood management But these ecosystems are threatened today
by human overuse, as are the species that depend on them. Almost
half of these species are in danger of extinction, indicating the
extent and scale of damage to the freshwater ecosystems
worldwide. Climatic change is already compounding these effects
through increased frequency of extreme weather events. The
environment is sending a warning signal that is being largely
ignored at present, says WWF.
An attempt was made to address the problems of dwindling
resources and non-availability of freshwater by the World Waterforum,
which met at the Hague from March 17 to 22. The objective of the
forum was ostensibly to discuss all aspects of water resources
management and raise, international awareness of the issues
involved. The forum featured, a ministerial conference, water fair and
a technology exhibition. Governments, NGOs, the private sector and
the general public participated in the deliberations.
The challenge before us all is meeting the human requirement for
freshwater equitably and in a sustainable manner so as to protect
the ecosystem for safeguarding water resources and biodiversity for
the future. This precisely was the challenge before the forum.
The forum, however, failed to integrate environmental conservation
into its "framework for action" which set targets to ensure "safe
and adequate fresh water worldwide."
WWF has said that the "framework" is flawed, built as it Is on a
"basic misunderstanding of the role of nature in meeting human
needs such as water for drinking and food production".
The regional frameworks that draw on the overarching "framework
for action" are weak. In-the case of South Asia, It is felt that
instead of looking at alternatives, the "framework could end up as
a blueprint for unnecessary construction of more dams at high
financial and ecological cost". A review of the existing framework by
August this year has been called for to ensure that the "target's
better meet the needs for drinking water, food, sanitation and
energy, while conserving the environment."
As WWF has said, the need, is for national and international
action. Improved land-use planning and better managed and
protected terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, for instance, could
lead to avoiding flood damages. Levying water prices to suppliers
and users Incorporating environmental costs and benefits is a way
out for reducing water wastage. Also, it is essential to fund
technologies and practices that protect the quality and quantity of
freshwater such as rain-fed agriculture, fish caught* in the wild, and
renewable energy production.
, .A Jot wa^jsay,
forum. about water being a social and
economic good, or a hurnarb right,; but pne -thing water • Is definitely

not Is’^a "resource-to bel exploited at -the expense of the poor and
nature," said Dr Biksham, Gujja of WWFs Freshwater Programme.
Clearly, the need of the hour is to recognise water as a finite
resource, failing which its very sources, be they river, lake or forest,
wlH be lost forever. Only if nature, the .ultimate source of water, is
protected will we have water to drink.

C Shekhar Nambhr

The Observer
29 March 2000

T

Contd...
then, the authors transport readers to
experiences in various countries,
including India, Pakistan, Nepal,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Spain and New
Mexico. Putting all this together, the
book concludes with implications for
research and action.
A good book for researchers
involved in water, management, rural
development and common property
resources management
It can also been an ideal research and
reference material for students of soci­
ology, anthropology, water resource
engineering, environmental studies
and agricultural economics.

The Indian Express
28 March 2000

Lucknow's cows die agonised
deaths due to plastic bags
The Times of India News Service
LUCKNOW: Increasing use of polythene bags is not only wreaking havoc
with Lucknow’s drainage system but also posing a deadly threat to stray
cows. The government, however, continues to sit over a proposal to ban
their use in the city.
In Gausadan, a voluntary shelter run by a non-govemment organisation
for stray cows spread over three bighas in Jankipuram, some 20 cqws are
dying every month from consuming discarded polythene bags. There are
currently about 200 homeless cows in the shelter.
The recurring deaths made Gausadan’s management suspicious that the
cattle were being poisoned, so it began conducting post mortem examina­
tions on every dead animal
“What came to Light was shocking. Ninty per cent of the cows died be­
cause they had swallowed an enormous amount of plastic bags while for­
aging for food. The plastic, mounds and mounds of it, had blocked their al­
imentary canals,” said Rakesh Ranjan Dube, Gausadan’s manager.
adding, “They must have died agonised deaths.”

The Times of India
29 March 2000

CDL Media Clippings 47

AIDS stalks this remote UP village
From Subodh Ghildiyal
PH News Service
PRATAPGARH (UP), March 28

Far from the hustle and bustle of
the city and covered in a green
blanket, the only sign of
‘modernity’ in this predominantly
rural belt is a huge hoarding on
the edge of a kucha road,
preaching the virtues of Rakshak
(saviour) condom. One wonders at
the relevance of the advertisement in these safe environs.
But a quick round through
Patti region makes one change his
opinion. The discussion at tea­
stalls and chaupals (where vil­
lagers gather) these days veers
around the death of a taxi driver
which has sent shock waves
through the district. Having ac­
quired AIDS and passed it on to

his
unknowing
wife,
Shyamsunder Tiwari (40) wiped
out his family of four to avoid the
’humiliation of society*. The dead
include Pushpa (38), son Mithesh
(11) and daughter (14). The area's
most-talked about death in the
last few decades has left behind a
broken Tiwari family, wary of
fellow villagers, a conservative so­
ciety ready to talk about ‘safe sex*
and grown-ups wondering if El
Dorado Mumbai is just a mirage.
Shyamsunder had left Grain
village as a young boy of 15 to join
his maternal uncle in Mumbai.
The hardworking boy moved up
fast, driving taxi in the Cos­
mopolis and went on to own a cab,
still recalled with pride by few.
Everything was fine until he in­
dulged
in
some
‘timepass’
(pleasure-seeking) as the villagers

suspect. The family recalls that
when he returned on March 9 for
Holl, he was in poor health.
“He did not disclose it to
anyone. Not in Mumbai either.
Probably only the doctor knew
about it,’’ said Mr Sadashiv
Tripathi, a neighbour and a
family friend.
On the morning of March 24,
Shyamsunder did not open the
room till late. Even the children,
who were sleeping in the open,
had been taken inside by him at
midnight “When he did not reply
after repeated knocks, the Tiwaris
informed the police who broke
open the doors,*’ said Mr Ram
Shankar Tiwari. The wife and
children lay dead on the cot while
the man was on the floor, with an
empty bottle of sulphas in his
hand.

A suicide note, recovered from
his pocket, said “I and my wife
have AIDS. I am killing the
children to save them from hum 11
iation at the hands of society.”
The news has spread like
wildfire. And that is troubling the
bereaved family. “He has taken
our name to the remotest village.'
sobs an inconsolable mother
Even at Mujahi, a good 15 kmsaway, people are. huddled to­
gether, talking about the mass
suicide-cum- murder. However.
AIDS is no longer unheard of. Dr
Aswin Srivastava, a small-time
medic, reveals that three cases of
AIDS-death have come to light.
What has sent the jitters across
is that a large populace from the
district is settled in Mumbai,
driving taxis, running paan-shops
or worki” ns milkmen.

Deccan Herald
29 March 2000

Victimised
Bandipur
tribals plan
struggle

lakh. The award has been initiated by Down to Earth, the environment
magazine. It is funded by the family of environmentalist Joseph C. John,
who is known for his work on the environment and for his contribution
against the Silent Valley Hydroelectric project.
“Water is a basic need of life. It is realised by all that the non-availabil­
ity of water is becoming a-very grave problem. The Arvari, which flows
through Gopalpura and Bhaonta-Kolyala regions, was absolutely dry.
Lack of water had destroyed agriculture and forced people to. leave the
village to earn their livelihood elsewhere. In such a situation, Tanin
"Sy Our Correspondent
Bharat Sangh and the villagers paved the way resourcefully. The vil­
DI News Service*
lagers asked the Tanin Bharat Sangh to start building johads instead of
Alwar (Rajasthan), March 28:
CHAMARAJANAGAR.
March 29
The
meaning
of Sujalam talking about plans. The johads and the check-dams became a perennial
The Girijan Shreyobhivriddhi
source
for
the
villagers,
”
the
President
said.
Sufalam Malyaj Sheetlam is
Sangha of the taluk has expressed
The President added: “They have also introduced a democratic set up
rightly portrayed by the people
discontent over the way in which
of Bhaonta-Kolyala village by called Arvari River Parliament, which deals with problems regarding
the Girijans, who were residing in
water management and invites ideas from the villagers. This has proved
saving the Arvari village,
the concept of real Gram Samaj, which functions on its own without the
and around the Bandipur forest
President K.R. Narayanan said
help of government."
area, were thrown out by the gov­
while felicitating the village
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the villages of his state
ernment but never rehabilitated.
community with the Down To
have started understanding their problems. “The President’s visit will
At a meeting held here re­
Earth-Joseph C. John Award for
provide great encouragement to the environmentalists of the state,” he
cently, the sangha members dis­
an outstanding environmental
said.
cussed the plight of the victims
community at Hamirpura.
Rajasthan governor Anshuman Singh, speaking at (he function, lauded
who were driven out of the forest
This is the first time that a vil­
the
efforts
of
the
villagers
and Tanin Bharat Sangh. The vole of thanks
lage community has received an
area in the name of Project Tiger.
was proposed by the chairman of the Arvari project.
award for outstanding environ­
The Forest Department has re­
The Asian Age
mental work.
mained tone-deaf to the plight of
“While it is the responsibility
the tribals who have been ren­
29 March 2000
of the government to create a sit­
dered homeless now.
uation where people can devel­
The meeting passed a reso­
op, it is up to the people them­
lution to keep up the struggle
selves to work for the achieve­
against the injustice done to the
ment of true Gram Samaj,” the
hapless tribals and apprise the sit­
President added.
uation of the tribals to the chief
The Centre for Science and
minister and the district MLAs.
Environment chose the BhoantaThe meeting also decided to or­
Kolyala village of Thanagazi
ganise a State-level convention in
Block of Alwar for the award
May this year after mobilising the
from 149 entries for reviving the
r\
li
u tribals at taluk and district levels.
Arvari river. The award carries a
Deccan Herald Sangha President Cheluvaraju
citation and a cash prize of Rs 1
30 March 2000 presided over the meet

Village gets
environment
work award

48

News You Can Use

Villagers turn arid lands of
Rajasthan green
Satyen Mohapatra

Hamirpur (Rajasthan), March 28
THE FACE of a number of villages in arid
Rajasthan is undergoing a sea change with
community effort in water harvesting
through traditional methods.
President KR. Narayanan, in recognition
of the work done by a community, present­
ed the Down to Earth-Joseph C John Award
for India's Best Environmental Community
to the villages of Bhaonta-Kolyala in Alwar
district of Rajasthan.
The award carries a citation and a cash
award of Rs 1 lakh.
The award has been instituted by the fam­
ily of environmentalist Joseph C John who is
best known for making the first legal move
in Kerala High Court against the Silent
Valley hydro-electric project, the first suc­
cessful environmental movement in India.
Small earthen check-dams called johads'
were the life blood of drought prone villages
in the rugged hilly Alwar district traditional­
ly, but over the years those had gone into
disuse.
The 'johad' prevents rainwater from run­
ning off, allowing it to percolate into the
ground, recharges groundwater acquifers
and improves the water balance of the earth.
Praising the villagers for their achieve­
ment, President Narayanan said the initia­
tive taken by the villagers gives a direction
to the whole countiy. Their self-dependence
sets an example and inspiration for others.
"Similar work has been started in several
other states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Delhi, Orissa and rest of
Rajasthan, I learn," he said.

He said the villagers of these areas had
really achieved 'Gram Swarajya* by not
depending on the Government but trying to
work for their own upliftment. He referred
to the fact that nearly 75 per cent of the
money for the works undertaken by the vil­
lages was raised by the villagers themselves.
He said, "You have shown how develop­
ment can take place without harm to nature
and environment."
The village community in the Alwar dis­
trict was facing chronic drought, distress
migration and poverty in mid 1980s when a
voluntary organisation called Thrun Bharat
Sangh under the leadership of Mr Rajendra
Singh started the work of reviving the
'johads'.
Soon wells and other ground water
sources got charged leading to a greening of
the area and a return of economic prosperi­
ty. It took only 20 per cent of the rain water
that was trapped by the check dams to
regenerate the ecology of the area.
People of Bhaonta-Kolyala not only built
these check dams but went ahead to build a
huge stone masonry dam above the village
for which they were collecting money from
village for a year. This served as a percola­
tion tank and re charged the dead river
Arvari, which started flowing again. It
became a perennial river in 1995.
Talking to journalists, Mr Rajendra Singh
said that while mobilising people to co-oper­
ate in this field they had to simultaneously
struggle and agitate with the bureaucracy
over the years which refused permission to
build dams and asked for penalty for planti­
ng trees.
When river Arvari started flowing again
and there were fishes in it, the Fisheries

Rehabilitate tribals

Department banned fishing. A campaign
launched by the villagers helped to stop con­
tracts being given by the department to out­
side agencies for fishing and it also made the
Government accept the peoples' right over
the river, he added.
Several neighbouring villages started
building 'johads* inspired by the success of
Bhaonta-Kolyala.
Interestingly, even though for the past
three years it has rained poorly in the area
but the 70 villages of the Arvari basin have
enough water to drink and for irrigation.
All the agricultural land is under cultiva­
tion, which is five times higher than in 1985.
Milk production has increased ten times and
diesel expense has been reduced by half due
to the rise in water table.
According to an estimate, every rupee
spent on a 'johad* increases the annua)
income of a village by about three times.
Showing great social awareness, the 70 vil­
lages of the Arvari river basin have formed
an Arvari River Parliament and have come
up with strict rules regarding use of both
ground water and river water, urging people
not to plant water intensive crops like sugar
cane. This parliament also mediates in any
dispute on water among villages.
Rajasthan Governor Anshuman Singh
said that the effort of the villagers was cred­
itable keeping in mind the drought prone
areas of Rajasthan, where even today 26.000
gram sabhas were facing drought.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stressed the
need for utilising the modem scientific and
technological inputs like data from Remote
Sensing Centre, which had come out with a
Watershed Development Atlas to find out
where to built water harvesting structures.

The Hindustan Times
29 March 2000

The report that the Giryans, who were thrown out of their
continued sufferings of these people following their eviction. Ar
dwellings in and around the Bandipur forest area, are yet to be
a meeting at Chamarajanagar on Wednesday, they voiced con­
rehabilitated is most unfortunate and a matter of serious con­
cern over the Government’s inaction and decided to organise a
cern. It speaks volumes for the authorities’ lackadaisical atti­
State-level convention in May. As the issue in question is one
tude towards the problems of tribals. In the first place, the evic­
of helping the tribals, there is a need for the Government, the
tion of the tribals itself cannot be justified if the matter is to be
Forest Department in particular, to intervene and formulate a
viewed strictly from the humanitarian point of view. This
plan of action to rehabilitate them as early as possible. The mat­
apart, the tribals’ fundamental right to eke out a living in their
ter should be treated with a sense of urgency and the authori­
own natural surroundings too has been violated. In the name of
ties, in close co-operation with the people’s representatives.
implementing Project Tiger, the authorities may have justified
should rise to the occasion and try to alleviate the sufferings of
the need for evicting the poor Girijans. But surely, they should
the Girijans by rehabilitating them. The authorities could also
have made suitable alternative arrangements for housing them
explore the possibility of providing assistance to the victims in
before throwing them out of their dwellings and leaving them ■
cash or kind to build houses.
high and drv.
The decision of the Girijan Shreyobhivriddhi Sangha to
Deccan Herald
launch a struggle against the Government for prompt rehabili­
31 March 2000
tation of the affected tribals should be seen in the context of the

CDL Media Clippings 49

U1
o

s we drive, on, there are
enough indications that
we are leaving Bangalore
far behind. The metro spreads its
scum and stench to the villages
around - even as it tries to remain
clean and tidy!
When we reach Bellandur
village after a 20-km drive, there
is nothing special on display. It
seems similar to other villages in
the country. The roads are badly
maintained; cattle and chicken
are straying here and there; and a
foul smell seeps out from the vast
tank of Bellandur....
Stop! The reeking smell is not
from this village. Nor are the
mosquitoes that hum around us
in the daytime. Because the
village does not have open drains.
Bellandur is different from other
villages of India.
We had planned the visit to see
the computers in the gram pan*
chayat there. The panchayat
building could be seen from a dis*
tance. As we approached the
building, the words, ‘the first
completely computerised gram
panchayat in India', carved on a
stone panel, became visible.
The president came out when
he heard that we'd arrived * a
young man called K Jagannath,
(He must have by now made way
for another enthusiast following
the recent gram panchayat elec*
tions.) Proudly, he takes us to the
computer room.
T S Shobha, who is entering
some data, calls some files on the
screen to show us die work that
is going on. So if a fanner, say
Mayanna. comes to the pnnehayat

A

to know how much tax he should
pay, printed information rolls out
in two minutes flat, after Shobha
types out his name.
In the print-out, apart (torn the
tax Mayanna has to pay, there is
other information such as his
house address, the number of his
family members, his farm survey
number, number of wells, total
property, the cattle count, pre­
vious tax records and tax pro­
posals for the future...
We had wrongly assumed that
only Bangalore's stench is swept
here by the winds. The waves of
Bangalore's
modernity
too
touched the village three years
ago!
You get to Bellandur after
crossing many villages big and
small beyond Varthur, in the di­
rection of the airport. Last
December, the village got internet
and e-mail links the first in the
nation again.
There is a small story behind
how it all started:
Three years ago, to get a letter
typed or photocopied, one would
have to go to Bangalore. To avoid
this hassle, a computer was pur­
chased by the gram -panchayat.
"It arrived, all right. But we did
not know why we should use it.
There was opposition from the
people. They were thinking that
the computer was a sort of tele­
vision. They started supporting
us when we began using it for the
village's
work,"
recalls
Jagannath.
When the news that a com­
puter had arrived in the village
was published in an English
newspaper. Compusel. a software

Bellandur.com
company came forward to
provide additional help. The
company gave us a software
package free of cost. It trained the
staff and taught them ‘Baraha' (a
Kannada keyboard operation
software). Then followed the in­
ternet and e-mail.
Keeping a computer is not
enough. Information has to be col­
lected about the people and an­
imals in the village and the ma­
chine has to be fed. A private
census was held to achieve this.
Details regarding the people.
birth-death certificates, tax and

property details, government
projects undertaken, money sanc­
tioned, pending projects, the
Jawahar Kamgar Yojna, pan­
chayat budget details... infor­
mation was either culled from
records and ledgers or collected
from the people. Every villager
has an identification number.
You may forget your name, but
your number will zip all the de­
tails conerning you.
Of course, it need not be pre­
sumed that everything is fine
merely because there's a com­
puter. Electric power fails often

The telephone cable has not been
repaired for 15 days and. leave
behind e-mail, there is no phone.
Thus, there are many troubles
plaguing the village boasting of a
computer.
Even then, this is the first
village in the state to have a com­
plete
underground
drainage
system. All the 600 houses here
have toilets. There is no liquor
shop in the village. "Most of the
villagers have stopped drinking,”
says Jagannath. Another claim to
fame is cent per cent tax col­
lection.
There is fame. There is a com­
puter. But does the village have
autonomy? Would the computer
help the villagers in setting up
their own electric connections.
cooking gas and clean drinking
water sources? Would the farmer
here e-mail to Bangalore and get
to know the price of vegetables
and then crop the harvest? Let
ussee.
The primary school children
here study computers with the
aid of Lions Club. If there were
help from similar organisations,
this could become an ideal
village.
Whether Bellandur becomes
an ideal village or not, it may
well become an ideal laboratory
for researchers. Health., edu­
cation, economic conditions, agri­
culture, other professions, the
rise and fall of population index...
if all these are fed into computer,'
the researchers can tell the world
how Indian villages can step right
into the 21st century from the
19th._____________
(Translated by Prabodha S V)

Deccan Herald
31 March 2000

Communication for Development and Learning (CDL)
is a Bangalore-based non-profit voluntary organisation
working to integrate communication more effectively into
the development process. Realising the importance of
working closely with the mainstream media, CDL works
closely with professional journalists to ensure that
issues related to social justice and development are given
a planned and sustained exposure in the media.

CDL also undertakes:

•

Media research to study patterns in development news
in the mainstream publications

•

Documentation of NGO experiences

•

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material

•

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•

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CDL is the Regional Coordinator for Charkha - a national
level network for development communication.

For more information, please write to:
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Post Box 3457, Koramangala
Bangalore - 560 034

email : cdlblr@bgl.net.in

This issue of News You Can Use has been compiled from
The Observer

The Hindu

The Times of India

The New Indian Express

The Hindustan Times

Deccan Herald

The Pioneer

The Asian Age

The Statesman

The Telegraph

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