Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Bibek Debroy on Indian Frugal Innovations | IE OpEd

They can change India: Several of innovations and interventions emanate from the young. There's a slice of the young generation that does want to change India, for the better.
Written by Bibek Debroy | Indian Express | October 1, 2015

I doubt you have heard of Pengdhusi village in Odisha. Until recently, neither had I. Pengdhusi is in Kalahandi district in the tehsil/ block of Thuamul Rampur. In Census 2011, it had a population of only 568; 285 male and 283 female, distributed across 149 households. While Odisha's literacy rate is 72.87 per cent, Pengdhusi's is 48.13 percent; 69.26 per cent for males and 28.51 per cent for females. Out of that population of 568, 281 are SC and 284 are ST. Block and district headquarters are kilometres away. Pengdhusi is deprived and marginalised, still bypassed by development. Out of those 149 households, more than 110 are BPL. However, Pengdhusi is rich in bamboo. Ballpoint pens have proliferated.
Typically, these have a tube, with ballpoint, socket and store of ink, and all of this is encased in a shell. I recall there is a Mont Blanc ballpoint pen worth almost $7,50,000. But ballpoint pens with bamboo shells are cheap and can be produced by artisans in Pengdhusi. Produced there, they are now sold over an area that has an ever-increasing radius, extending to block and district headquarters. I know about Pengdhusi thanks to the SBI's "Youth for India" initiative, in existence since 2011. A fellow has one year to work towards being an agent for change in rural and deprived segments, in association with NGOs, instead of perennially complaining about lack of change. Some such fellows subsequently stay on in the development sector.
Pengdhusi bamboo ballpoint pens were the outcome of such an intervention. There was an ICDS centre (anganwadi) in Jeypore block (Koraput district of Odisha). There were problems with the supply of food (mid-day meals) to the anganwadi and malnourishment was high. Kitchen gardens solved the problem considerably. An easy cooker made of hay, bamboo and a jute bag is a bit like a hot-case. It is cost effective, economises on fuel and keeps rice hot for six hours. Weavers and self-help groups (SHGs) can make and sell these cookers, providing an alternative source of income to poor households.
There is a story from the Dang region of Gujarat, another area where there is plenty of bamboo. How about introducing mechanical tools (axes, splitters, etchers, sanders) made of bamboo? This worked in villages like Ambapara and Dagarpada. Not only are such tools relatively cheaper and locally made, by selling them, artisans can add to their income. Conventional stoves for cooking result in thick indoor smoke, with adverse health outcomes. Redesigned smokeless stoves with local materials (also in Dang) reduced firewood consumption and improved health. These stoves are easy to make and SHGs can sell them to add to household income. These SBI fellows can be between 21 and 32, though they tend to be towards the upper end of the range.
Whenever one feels depressed about what is happening, or not happening, in the country, thebetterindia.com is a good site to inject optimism. Better India isn't only about the young, though the young populate it to a high degree. In Ahmedabad's slums, instead of donating raincoats to slum children, someone teaches them to make raincoats with tarpaulin, buttons and rubber bands. In Mumbai, two young people have thought of a WiFi dustbin. The garbage can is connected to a router and has an LED display. When you use the dustbin to throw in your trash, an access code is generated and you can use the WiFi network. Instead of plastic cutlery, have you heard of edible cutlery made of a mix of jowar, rice and wheat flour? Did you know that human hair, sawdust and bird feathers can be used to clean oil spills from water? My point is not to harp on innovations.
Other than Better India, you will find plenty of those on the Honey Bee Network and Sristi (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions) websites. My point is that several of those innovations and interventions emanate from the young. There's a slice of the young generation that does want to change India, for the better.
Does the ecosystem facilitate or hinder it? Many countries have a system of compulsory government service, not necessarily equated with conscription.
If you look at a list of such countries, there is no correlation with countries that have, or used to have, command and control systems, equated with compulsion. Instead, paragons of market friendliness and economic freedom have such compulsory service. Apart from anything else, such compulsion probably instils a sense of national pride and helps integrate the country. You might argue that the voluntary National Cadet Corps (NCC) and mandatory SUPW (Socially Useful Productive Work) introduced in the school curriculum were meant to achieve this end. But neither achieves the purpose. They can't if they are part-time. When someone from Tamil Nadu spends a year in a rural village in Odisha and learns Odia, under the SBI initiative, can you imagine what it does to her perspective? On the other hand, if a student applies to an institution of higher education and says she has taken a gap year, eyebrows will still be raised. A gap year sounds a bit more acceptable than compulsory government service. Without getting into compulsion, can one not incentivise people to take gap years (by giving such experience weight for admissions)? (The NCC has incentives, but they don't amount to much.) As a metaphor, I haven't come across the expression "rat race" before the 1930s. There may be a moral in this.
The writer is member, Niti Aayog. Views are personal.
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/they-can-change-india/

Readers' Comments
Ramesh Grover: It is good to know about SBI's role in encouraging innovations in our backyard. The advantage of banks playing such a role is that they have an efficient methodology and are systematic in perceiving, narrowing down, selecting, implementing, and monitoring such opportunities. It is for the media to focus on this initiative to play a pragmatic role in bringing such ideas to the notice of other public sector banks.
Indianwellwisher: Even if we win the rat race, at most we can be a rat. There is no reason to doubt the innovativeness of humans in any region, including the so called 'uneducated', If politicians and governments don't interfere, people will prosper unhindered. Often the 'educated' class is too constrained in its thinking because of its rigid formal education. Then we invent laternal thinking ...
G M: Our youths have immense potential of innovation. If some how we channelize their energy properly we can excell. Question is - Whether we have in us to bring out best from us as the foreigners do successfully with us.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Just Published -- IFLA Journal Special Issue on Cultural Heritage


IFLA Journal

Special Issue: Cultural Heritage


Download the Full Issue


October 2015; Vol. 41, No. 3


Guest editorial

IFLA Journal special issue on Cultural Heritage

Douwe Drijfhout and Tanja de Boer

 

Articles

Indigenous cultural heritage preservation: A review essay with ideas for the future

Loriene Roy

 

The digital library in the re-inscription of African cultural heritage

Dale Peters, Matthias Brenzinger, Renate Meyer, Amanda Noble, and Niklas Zimmer

 

Storing and sharing wisdom and traditional knowledge in the library

Brooke M. Shannon and Jenny S. Bossaller

 

The challenges of reconstructing cultural heritage: An international digital collaboration

Rachel Heuberger, Laura E. Leone, and Renate Evers

 

Born fi dead? Special collections and born digital heritage, Jamaica

Cherry-Ann Smart

 

Digitization of Indian manuscripts heritage: Role of the National Mission for Manuscripts

Jyotshna Sahoo and Basudev Mohanty

 

Preserving digital heritage: At the crossroads of Trust and Linked Open Data

Iryna Solodovnik and Paolo Budroni

 

The Universal Procedure for Library Assessment: A statistical model for condition surveys of special collections in libraries

Sam Capiau, Marijn de Valk, and Eva Wuyts

 

Cultural heritage digitization projects in Algeria: Case study of the National Library

Nadjia Ghamouh and Meriem Boulahlib

 

Abstracts

Abstracts

 

 

Steve Witt

Head, International and Area Studies Library

Associate Professor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois 61820 USA

Phone: 217.265.7518 

Email: swwitt@illinois.edu

 

Editor, IFLA Journal (http://ifl.sagepub.com/)

Follow IFLA Journal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/IFLAJournal

 


Monday, September 21, 2015

New CSSP Working Paper #6 "Meghnad Saha's Paradoxical Story: Railways and the 1922 North Bengal Floods" by Amitabha Bhattacharyya

CSSP Electronic Working Paper Series on S&T Policy and Innovation Studies


Meghnad Saha's Paradoxical Story: Railways and the 1922 North Bengal Floods


by Amitabha Bhattacharyya (Department of Physics, Sikkim University, Gangtok, Sikkim, India), September 2015.

Abstract
: The destruction caused by flood is well known. The effect of dams and barrages on floods is well documented. However, the effects of other structures, especially railway structures in causing floods are not well understood. In general, railways are portrayed as bearing the brunt of floods, or are praised for helping in relief activities. This article would like to highlight the role of railway embankments in trapping rain water and aggravating floods. Starting from the ground-breaking work of Meghnad Saha in 1922-23, the article follows evolution of understanding of the role of embankments in causing and aggravating floods, and the steps required to prevent or minimize the harm done. The present scenario in the context of rapid urbanization and mushrooming of development is also being explored.

Download: http://www.jnu.ac.in/SSS/CSSP/CSSP-EWPS-6.pdf

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Talk on Scientific Temper and Transformative Governance by Gauhar Raza, on 25 September; at IHC New Delhi

Logo PRISM 2015 horizontal

Talk on

Scientific Temper and Transformative Governance

by Gauhar Raza

Chair: Aditya Mukherjee


Gauhar Raza-

Fri. 25 September – 7:00pm | Gulmohar Hall – India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

The secular and scientific ideas that crystallised in the furnace of the French Revolution influenced the entire world. Nineteenth and twentieth century development in India did not remain untouched by what was happening in Europe. The freedom movement forged an inclusive 'Indian identity', for which the 'other' was British imperialism. This identity per se was secular and was based on 'scientific temper'. Jawaharlal Nehru, just before independence, introduced the phrase and accompanying notions, which took more than hundred years to mature. It provided the ideological basis for shaping both science. Since then it has been repeatedly discussed, especially during the times of crisis, and has reinforced Indian democracy.

Gauhar Raza is Chief Scientist at CSIR-NISCAIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources) and a leading Urdu poet. A film maker and a social activist, he directs documentaries of scientific vulgarisation, and he authored films such as Jung-e-Azadi and Inqilab (2008). His poetry works include Zazbon Ki Lau Tez Karon and he wrote the lyrics for the Hindi movie Say Salaam India (2007). He is Fellow of Mapungubwe Institute of Strategic Reflection, South Africa and Member of Science Committee, JHC, France.

Aditya Mukherjee is Professor of Contemporary Indian History, Centre for Historical Studies and Dean, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He was educated at St. Stephen's College and JNU. He is the Editor of the 'Sage Series in Modern Indian History' published by SAGE publications (fifteen monographs already published) and was editor of the Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru (2009-11). He specialises in Economic History, particularly business history and the political economy of post-colonial development. He was President of the Indian History Congress for Modern India, 2007-8. He has been Visiting Professor or Fellow in the USA, Japan, UK, Brazil, Italy. His publications include India's Struggle for Independence, and India Since Independence, both co-authored and translated into five languages, as well as Imperialism, Nationalism and the Making of the Indian Capitalist Class 1927-1947, among others books.

Friday, September 18, 2015

CSSP Talks on Applied Science in an Inclusive Society, by Prof Vikram Dutt; 23rd September at 3.00P.M.

Centre for Studies in Science Policy

School of Social Sciences, JNU

Invites you to

Talk on

Applied Science in an Inclusive Society

By

Prof Vikram Dutt

Professor and Mentor at Delhi Metropolitan Education, Noida

Venue:  Room No. 227, 2nd Floor, SSS-1

Time:   3:00 P.M.

Date:    Wednesday, 23rd September 2015

Abstract: This is the time when we are moving and working towards an inclusive society. One aspect of inclusion is the economically weaker people; but my focus would be on those who have disabilities, including elderly people as well as young mothers with babies, and pregnant mothers. Transport, housing, education, getting around, relaxation, entertainment including cinemas, malls, theatres and fair grounds, shopping for necessities – all constitute important elements of a meaningful existence. How can science help make society more inclusive… is the digitalized world better for this group?

About the Speaker: Dr. Vikram Dutt is currently Professor and Mentor at Delhi Metropolitan Education, a GGSIP University professional law, management and journalism college in Noida. He is Advisor of the All India Federation of the Deaf and Chairman of Manovikas Charitable Society and a member of the Core Committee of Experts on Disability under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and on the Advisory Boards of several international NGOs. He is also Chief Mentor for the Science Outreach Programme in India conducted under the aegis of Cambridge University and the Winton School of Physics, Cambridge Prof. Dutt, wears many hats: disability specialist, inclusive education innovator, sportsperson of distinction, documentary film maker, corporate executive and is a veteran in the fields of journalism and social work. Recipient of numerous awards internationally, he has over thirty five years of consulting, training and leadership experience in communications, education, health, children rights and disability. His International awards include '500 intellectuals to influence contemporary thought'; man of the decade and man of the year (all from USA), Global Peace Award from Italy, commendation from House of Lords Disability Rights Committee Chairperson for work in India, and the Family Values Award from LDS Charities, USA which has earlier been given to a pope and a president of USA. He is the first Indian to get the award. As a hobby, he makes documentary films and has made over 50 so far, four of which have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival and one at the Rome-Milan Festival entitled 'Retrospective of Indian Masterpieces' among several at lesser Film Festivals.

All are welcome to attend the lecture.

Coordinators, CSSP Lecture Series

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

IE OpEd India's Malnutrition Shame: It requires a far wider spectrum of interventions than mere clinical management, by Rajib Dasgupta, CSMCH, JNU

India's Malnutrition Shame: It requires a far wider spectrum of interventions than mere clinical management.
Written by

A civil society collective appealed to policymakers in a press release on July 23 to "declare malnutrition as a medical emergency to save India's children dying of hunger".

The latest edition of the Global Nutrition Report 2015 by the International Food Policy Research Institute, released on Tuesday, brings back the concerns over malnutrition into sharp focus. In July, the government of India, after much avoidable controversy, released malnutrition (used synonymously as undernutrition) figures from the Rapid Survey on Children (RSoC) data that was collected in 2013-14. This dataset was keenly awaited as it provides a nationwide assessment after the third round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), which is nearly a decade old now. The RSoC data also assumes significance as the world adopts the Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 2.2 seeks to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age.

The RSoC was conducted by the ministry of women and child development with  technical support from Unicef. It found 29.4 per cent of children (aged less than three years) to be underweight (low in weight for their age), while 15 per cent were wasted (low weight for their height) and 38.7 per cent were stunted (low in height for age). On the face of it, this compares well with the NFHS-3 data, in which the corresponding figures were 40.4 per cent (underweight), 22.9 per cent (wasted) and 44.9 per cent (stunted). But in absolute terms, the current levels of underweight and stunted children are abysmally high and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assertion that malnutrition is a "national shame" is still valid.

A civil society collective appealed to policymakers in a press release on July 23 to "declare malnutrition as a medical emergency to save India's children dying of hunger". The Union minister for tribal affairs on August 4 said that his ministry "will collaborate with Ramdev and Balkrishna to identify and document medicinal herbs helpful in the treatment [emphasis added] of malnutrition". But ready-to-use therapeutic food was introduced as a "treatment" to combat this medical emergency nearly two decades back.

The moot question is: can malnutrition be "treated"? Current mainstream global notions draw upon African experiences, where severe acute malnutrition (SAM) has been triggered by acute crises, such as drought, crop failure and civil wars. Classical SAM is a medical emergency, carries with it a high risk of mortality, and requires not just therapeutic feeding but other medical inputs. This global wisdom was bought off-the-shelf by national experts and Indian strategies and guidelines continue to be largely clinical, essentially seeking to treat malnutrition.

The predominant form of malnutrition in India is significantly different from classical SAM and standardised protocols for treatment are not as effective in the Indian context, where longer durations are required for achieving targeted weight gains. This is on account of the high levels of underlying stunting. Stunting signifies chronic undernutrition and has no scope for "cure" in a therapeutic mode. Its levels in India are higher than in Africa, and exceedingly so among chronically poor populations. Severe chronic malnutrition (SCM) in children is characterised by stunted growth and is a potentially less serious but continual form of malnutrition. SCM is generally an outcome of latent poverty, chronic food insecurity, poor feeding practices and protracted morbidities, but rarely a direct cause of mortality. In short, stunted children are hungry but not sick.

Chronic malnutrition requires a far wider spectrum of programmatic interventions beyond clinical management. Multi-sectoral actions are needed to combat multi-dimensional deprivations. Simultaneously, there is an urgent need for promoting practices to improve the quality of local diets, improving child-feeding practices, reducing exposure to illnesses, and paediatric care services. This would need a broad-based commitment of resources as well as the creation and nurturing of local capacities and leaderships.

Despite recent gains, malnutrition continues to be a national emergency; though not a medical one. The National Nutrition Mission (a multi-sectoral programme earmarked for 200 high-burden districts) has not taken off in any meaningful manner. The penchant for a magic bullet to treat and cure malnutrition draws attention away from the Indian epidemiological reality. Policymakers and opinion leaders are increasingly impatient with the tardy progress of the current set of interventions. The way forward requires a reorientation of Indian research to inform policy and practice and change the current tenor of policy discussions. The Make in India call should apply no less to research and practice.

The writer is professor and chairperson, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/indias-malnutrition-shame/

Download: Global Nutrition Report 2015

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Call for Participation - MPhil/PhD Colloquium, 12 November at Colombo



MPhil/PhD Colloquium 2015 - 12 November


Call for Participation


The National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS) M.Phil/PhD. Colloquium provides students the opportunity to present, discuss and share their research with colleagues as well as senior researchers, receive constructive feedback from members of the research community and expose themselves as emerging researchers. During the Colloquium, selected students will present the work they have performed so far and the results that they have obtained. They will also reveal the difficulties, problems and questions that they encounter in the continuation of their work. 


The colloquium is a joint event conducted with the International Conference in Information Science (ICIS 2015) - 12-14 November 2015.


Goals

  • Enhance visibility for students' research
  • Obtain constructive criticism and advice from experienced researchers
  • Improve/Practice writing and presentation skills
  • Develop/Enhance a network among MPhil/PhD candidates of different disciplines, faculties, departments, institutions and countries
  • Build up cross-disciplinary research opportunities.

 

Submissions

We are seeking broad representation and the Colloquium is not limited to students of NILIS.


We welcome submissions from a broad range of disciplines and approaches including Library and Information Science, Information Management, Information and Communication Technology, Education, Sociology.


Students are invited to submit their extended abstracts (2-3 pages) which should include:

·         The name and affiliation of the student, Contact details

·         Purpose/Research aim

·         Research design/Methodology/Approach

·         Results achieved and/or Prospective results

·         Research limitations/Implications (if applicable)

·         Significance of the research


Extended abstracts should be submitted by e-mail to MPhil/PhD Programme Coordinator (premilagamage@gmail.com) with the subject line "NILIS MPhil/PhD Colloquium 2015" on or before 20 September 2015.


The Colloquium review committee will select approximately 10-12 papers for the presentation at the Colloquium based on the extended abstracts.


Registration, deadlines and other information are available at A/O Section Web


 

MPhil/PhD Colloquium Co-Chairs:

Director (NILIS)

Dr Premila Gamage (MPhil/PhD Programme Coordinator)

Dr Ruwan Gamage (Chair, NILIS International Symposium)

ABDR Special Issue on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is released

The Asian Biotechnology and Development Review Special Issue on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Vol 17. No 2. July 2015 was released on 9th September at the one day consultation on SDGs held at New Delhi and organized by RIS and NITI Aayong in collaboration with UN and FIDC http://ris.org.in/events/832.
 
The issue is now available for downloading from http://ris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/ABDR%20July-2015.pdf

Table of Contents
1) Editorial Introduction- Balakrishna Pisupati and K. Ravi Srinivas
2) Dealing with Biodiversity Related Goals within the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) - Balakrishna Pisupati
3) Access to Justice and Sustainable Development – How Can Environmental Access Rights Achieve Sustainable Development for All? -Elizabeth Maruma Mrema and Matthias Häntschel
4) Ethical BioTrade, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development.- María Julia Oliva
5) A Footprint Analysis of ASEAN: Ensuring Sustainable Development in an Increasingly Resource Constrained World- Katsunori Iha, Pati Poblete, Dharashree Panda and Winkler Sebastian
6) Business as a Force for Good: Action and Leadership Through and Beyond Post 2015 Agenda - Pooran Chandra Pandey
7) Reconciling Food and Industrial Needs for an Asian Bioeconomy: The Enabling Power of Genomics and Biotechnology- Kathleen D'Hondt, Gerardo Jiménez-Sánchez and Jim Philp
 
Download ABDR July 2015 Special Issue on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): http://ris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/ABDR%20July-2015.pdf
 
For further details contact:
Krishna Ravi Srinivas, PhD
SSRN link for publications http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=290086
Responsible governance in science and technology policy: Simone Arnaldi , GianLuca Quaglio, Miltos Ladikas, Hannah O'Kane, Theodoros Karapiperis, Krishna Ravi Srinivas, Yandong Zhao Technology in Society Vol 42., August 2015,Pp 81-92 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X15000342
RIS,CORE -IV B, IVTH FLOOR,INDIA HABITAT CENTER LODHI ROAD NEW DELHI 11 00 03 INDIA
TEL +91 11 24682177 - 80 Fax: 91-11-24682173-74
email : ravisrinivas@ris.org.in k.ravisrinivas@gmail.com
http://www.ris.org.in

New Article "Globalization of R&D and open innovation: linkages of foreign R&D centers in India", by Patra & Krishna

Globalization of R&D and open innovation: linkages of foreign R&D centers in India
by Swapan Kumar Patra and Venni V. Krishna
Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market and Complexity, 2015, 1(1),7 doi:10.1186/s40852-015-0008-6


Abstract: In the new form of Globalization of R&D, Multinational (MNEs) firms have established their R&D units in emerging Asian countries, particularly in India and China. In the 1980s MNEs located their R&D units in their country of origin and were very reluctant to go offshore beyond triad (USA, Western Europe and Japan). However, in the last decade there is a growing trend of MNEs going emerging markets such as India and China. Beside this, sourcing knowledge from globally dispersed knowledge hubs is also one of the major motives of this emerging trend. These foreign R&D centers have developed linkages with the other actors of the host economy to build their assets. This study has investigated the linkage patterns of foreign firms in India from an in-house developed database. The ICT sector is considered as a test case to investigate the linkages of foreign firms with the Indian entities. The study observed that most of the foreign firms are collaborating with the other foreign firms located in India. Next to the foreign firms, Indian firms are preferable compared to university or government research institutes. It shows that industry-academia linkages are quite weak in India. Foreign firms' embededness with the local innovation system is only by linking with the local firms. Although, India has very strong government research laboratories, these are not playing important role in collaborating with the foreign firms. From the policy perspective, industry - academia linkages needs to be strengthened. MNEs enter markets such as India not only for potential markets and 'cheap' skilled human resources but also for knowledge and technology base emerging in the knowledge hubs of these countries. Also, most of the collaboration happens in peripheral (joint development) rather than core domain (joint R&D). Many of the firms are going for 'Open Innovation' mode to build up their assets in India.

Download
: http://www.jopeninnovation.com/content/1/1/7

Sunday, September 13, 2015

CSSP Talk on Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development in South Asia: Need and Opportunities, by Prof Paul van Gardingen, FRSA; 16th September at 3.00P.M.

Centre for Studies in Science Policy

School of Social Sciences, JNU

Invites you to

Talk on

Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development in South Asia: Need and Opportunities

By

Prof Paul van Gardingen, FRSA

UNESCO Chair in International Development, University of Edinburgh, UK

Director, UK's Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA)

Venue:  Room No. 227, 2nd Floor, SSS-1

Time:   3.00- 5.00 P.M.

Date:    Wednesday, 16th September 2015

Abstract: Sustainable development has emerged as a key development framework to promote and strengthen development which is integrated, inclusive and ensures inter-generational equity. Efforts towards this end have resulted in the design of many ambitious and result-oriented programmes to better identify sustainable development needs and priorities at the local and regional levels across countries. Year 2015 is a watershed moment for all these efforts as global and national leaders will discuss a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the upcoming United Nations Sustainable Development Summit (25-27 September, 2015). Better and informed engagement among citizens, scientists, policymakers, private sectors and a whole range of other stakeholders is essential for collective action on and progress towards these goals. These goals are of critical importance in a rapidly developing south Asian region where resources, goods and services are shared across political boundaries. How can Science & Technology (S&T) and the scientific and research community can contribute to the political and diplomatic engagement and action on SDGs across this region? And how can science diplomacy efforts be better supported in south Asia through regional cooperation on science and research, capacity enhancement and policy-practice engagement?

About the Speaker: Prof Paul van Gardingen is the UNESCO Chair of International Development at the University of Edinburgh, UK and Director of the UK's Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) global research programme. He is one of the leading international scholar in sustainable development and advises many UK Research Councils, government departments, development donors (like World Bank and DFID) and national governments on promoting research, science and innovation for international development cooperation. He has facilitated the design and implementation of many environment and development focused global research programmes on environment, forestry and natural resources management (NRM). He was instrumental in the overall design of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA), an innovative global research programme funded by UK's DFID and two research councils (NERC and ESRC) in more than 50 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. As Director-ESPA, he also oversees and guides the research-policy-practice engagement activities to promote evidence-informed decisions on sustainable management of natural resources for poverty alleviation and human well-being.

All are welcome to attend the lecture.

Coordinators, CSSP Lecture Series

Current Science article "Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013: outline of a coherent strategy for translating it into action" by D Mukhopadhyay

Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013: outline of a coherent strategy for translating it into action

by Dipankar Mukhopadhyay

Current Science, 10 September 2015, 109(5), 863-868.

Abstract: Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2013, announced in January 2013 during the centenary session of the Indian Science Congress held in Kolkata, declared in no uncertain terms that the science, technology and innovation (STI) system would be the driving force for a faster, sustainable and inclusive economic growth of India. In the past we have witnessed successful applications of science and technology (S&T) in addressing societal problems in India, in the Green Revolution, the White Revolution and in space and communication science to name a few. This has helped improve the quality of life of a large part of our population and strengthened our economic independence. We have also before us, the examples of war-ravaged Japan, which resurrected its economy post World War II and systematically went up the technology ladder by virtue of its reliance on strength of S&T. In the recent past countries like South Korea, have emerged as technological giants in the competitive world. In this backdrop, our new STIP appears to be most appropriate. It is absolutely necessary to launch policy initiatives simultaneously in different spheres to create an enabling environment for successful implementation of the different aspects of this STIP. This article attempts to draw an outline of such a coherent strategy.

Download: http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/109/05/0863.pdf

Friday, September 11, 2015

Call for Applications: Fung Global Fellows Program 2016

Fung Global Fellows Program

Princeton University is pleased to announce the call for applications to the Fung Global Fellows Program at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS).  Each year the program selects six scholars from around the world to be in residence at Princeton for an academic year and to engage in research and discussion around a common theme.  Fellowships are awarded to scholars employed outside the United States who are expected to return to their positions, and who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly achievement and exhibit unusual intellectual promise but who are still early in their careers.

During the academic year 2016/17, the theme for the Fung Global Fellows Program will be "International Society: Institutions and Actors in Global Governance." The growth of international organizations and transnational actors has brought about the emergence of a dense international society above the nation-state.  Under what circumstances do new international organizations or transnational associations emerge, and when do they expand in their membership and jurisdiction?  Does international society function as a constraint on states? How do states and societal actors navigate the complex and overlapping jurisdictions of international organizations? In what ways do international organizations and associations function as distinct cultures or as bureaucracies with their own interests?  This year's cohort of Fung fellows will examine the emergence, functioning, and effects of international organizations and transnational associations of all types (state and non-state, focused on a single issue or world region, or examined comparatively) from a cultural, historical, political, sociological, or other perspective.  Researchers working on any historical period or region of the world and from any disciplinary background in the humanities and social sciences are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due on November 1, 2015.  To be eligible, applicants must have received their Ph.D. (or equivalent) no earlier than September 1, 2006.  Fellowships will be awarded on the strength of a candidate's proposed research project, the relationship of the project to the program's theme, the candidate's scholarly record, and the candidate's ability to contribute to the intellectual life of the program.  For more information on eligibility requirements and the application process itself, see the program's website at http://www.princeton.edu/funggfp/

Princeton University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

CSSP Invitation: Talk on Management of Water Resources in Alwar: Past and Present, Dr Anuradha Mathur, on 16th September, at Room No. 227, SSS-1

Centre for Studies in Science Policy

School of Social Sciences, JNU

Special Lecture Series

 

Talk on

Management of Water Resources in Alwar: Past and Present

By

Dr. Anuradha Mathur

Govt. Arts College Alwar, University of Rajasthan

 

Venue:  Room No. 227, 2nd Floor, SSS-1

Time:   11:30 A.M.

Date:    Wednesday, 16th September 2015


Abstract: This presentation is a study of the whole system of water management during state time. Alwar had water resources in abundance. Absence of perennial rivers in the state made the rulers dependent on underground and other water resources. Alwar state had agriculture based economy. Industrial growth attracted the influx of people which made necessary to increase the production of crops, and that could be solved only by developing irrigation facility and supply of drinking water. It was possible only through a systematic irrigation plan by collecting water during the period of excess rainfall and release it to the crops as and when needed.  Water in the form of rivers, springs, streams inspired rulers to store it by constructing tanks, step wells, dams, wells and reservoirs.

Gradually in the coming years depletion of water resources changed the scenario altogether. Water which played a major role in the growth and prosperity of state, became a scarcity. Daily needs of local people forced them to cut trees, subsequently decreasing to scanty rainfall. It decreased water level and increased water storage and supply problem. Poor implementation of government policies further spoiled the condition..
About Speaker
: Dr. Anuradha Mathur, Associate professor of History in Govt. Arts College Alwar, University of Rajasthan, has been teaching history for the last 20 years. She has successfully completed two Minor Research Projects on "Anarchy to Alliance" 1775-1818 with special Reference to Jaipur State and other was "A Study of Management of Water Resources in Alwar State During 17-18 Century". She has presented 26 papers in National and International Seminars in the last 5 years and 10 published papers to her credit.

 

All are welcome to attend the lecture.


Coordinator, CSSP Lecture Series

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Invitation to Workshop: 'Finance, Innovation Policy, and Sub-national Actions: Towards Low Carbon Development in India' on 17th September at IHC, New Delhi

Workshop on Finance, Innovation Policy, and Sub-national Actions: Towards Low Carbon Development in India
Date: 17th September 2015
Venue: Marigold Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India

---------------------------
We extend an invitation to you for a workshop on Finance, Innovation Policy, and Sub-national Actions: Towards Low Carbon Development in India. The workshop will be held on 17th September 2015 at Marigold Hall, India Habitat Centre from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

The workshop will focus on three implementable policy relevant areas of finance, innovation policy and sub-national actions. This workshop is being organized by The Energy and Resources Institute with the support from Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. The workshop concept note and structure is attached for your reference. We will also be circulating the detailed agenda along with discussion papers.
The questions that will guide the workshop discussions include:
  • What are current policy initiatives relevant for low carbon development in India? Are these sufficient? How can these be strengthened?
  • What are key barriers and constraints – institutional, technological, and financial – to low carbon development initiatives?
  • What good practices exist in India and globally? How are these relevant in the Indian context?
  • What strategies and measures could facilitate adoption of low carbon development policy measures?
Three policy themes to be discussed in the workshop: 
Theme 1: Science, technology and innovation policy
Theme 2: Financing
Theme 3: Sub-national actions

To participate in the workshop, please register through the weblink: http://events.teriin.org/terievent/public/registration/regstep1/11

Your participation will deeply enrich the discussions in the workshop and we will look forward to your inputs.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Manish Anand

***********************************************
Manish Anand
Area Convenor & Fellow,
Science, Technology & Innovation Area,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Editor, The International Journal on Green Growth and Development
TERI | India Habitat Centre | Lodhi Road | New Delhi -110003
Tel: +91 11 24682100 or 41504900
Mobile: 9968 370 275
Fax: +91 11 24682144 or 2145
E: manand@teri.res.in
www.teriin.org
***********************************************
(See attached file: LCD workshop-Concept.pdf)(See attached file: LCD workshop-Structure.pdf)


JNU CSDE Invites Abstracts for the Young Scholars Seminar 2015

Jawaharlal Nehru University

CSDE, Invites Abstracts for the Young Scholars Seminar 2015

The Centre for the Study of Discrimination and Exclusion is organising a Young Scholars Seminar on 5-6 October, 2015.

Notwithstanding the academic rigour with which the caste question has been examined by historians, anthropologists, sociologists, economists as well as political scientists, caste still appears to be a perplexing lived reality. Rather than a fixed, essentialised or exclusive category, caste is contextual, intersects with various other identity markers and manifests itself in various local ways. One of the most intriguing features of caste is its ability to persist and adapt itself to the changing modern situations. The Young Scholars Seminar is aimed at encouraging M.Phil, PhD and post-doctoral scholars, working on various new dimensions of caste, to present their work, engage in constructive discussion and receive feedback. The seminar is intended to highlight the complexities that underlie caste practices as well as its variegated forms in past and present. Young scholars are invited to submit a 300 word abstract on any one of the following broad themes; along with one page C.V.

  • Caste in History:  Challenging Essentialism and understanding transformations
  • Institutionalisation of Caste based discrimination: Ideology, Practice and Experience
  • Caste in Everyday life from a variety of perspectives: Scheduled castes/Muslim Dalits/Dalit women/others
  • Caste and Religion
  • Caste, politics and processes of secularisation
  • Anti-caste movements: Resistance, Assimilation and Collaboration
  • Intersections of caste with gender, class, region, religion and culture
  • Dalit middle class
  • Caste and Diaspora
  • Caste, love and marriage
  • Caste in Urban India

Note: Paper on other creative themes related to caste are welcome too.

Deadline for abstracts:       14th September, 2015
Notification of acceptance: 16th September, 2015
Submission of full paper:    30th September, 2015

All the correspondence should be address to csde.sss@gmail.com

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Invitation: Workshop on Big Data and Ontology, at IIT Delhi, on 19th September

Dear Sir/ Madam,                                                                                                                                                        

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we are pleased to invite you to attend the one-day academic Workshop titled "Big Data and Ontology", which will take place at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, on the 19th of September 2015. Details of the workshop are as follows:




We would be most delighted and grateful, if you would accept our invitation.

Kindly send us the following details to email ID : teqip.bigdata.ontology@gmail.com with subject:"Big Data and Ontology Workshop Registration" so that we can formally register you for the workshop :


Name :                                                                                    

Designation :                                                                          

Organisation :                                                                         

Email :                                                                                    

Phone :                                                                                    


(On behalf of the Worksop Co-ordinators)

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Brejesh Lall,

Associate Prof., EED, IITD

Organising Chair, Workshop on Big Data and Ontology

Email : teqip.bigdata.ontology@gmail.com


Advertisement: Vacancy of Assistant Professor at CSSP, JNU, India

Advt. No. RC/55/2015 : Opening for the faculty position at the level of Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor in the areas of specialization as indicated against each.
Last date for submission of applications completed in all respects, shall be 28 September, 2015 

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Call for Papers -- Area Development and Policy: A new journal from the Regional Studies Association

Call for Papers -- Area Development and Policy: A new journal from the Regional Studies Association

Area Development and Policy

Area Development and Policy (ADP) aims to be a world-class journal publishing original academic research examining the multi-scalar and geographically differentiated relationships between economic and political organization, ways of life and work and their context, as they shape regions, cities, rural areas and their inter-relationships.

Geographically it concentrates on issues relating to the Greater BRICS, and aims to publish research emerging from these countries as well from the developed world. ADP recognizes that the economic, political, cultural and geographical context plays a fundamental role in shaping development. ADP therefore recognizes that research should examine the role of diverse national and regional institutional configurations and value systems, and that theories should derive from the experiences and values of these countries and regions and not necessarily from the possibly exceptional experiences of Northwest Europe and North America. ADP aims to expand common ground while accepting differences, improve mutual communication and increase cooperation and shared learning.

All submitted research is refereed, evaluated by a distinguished board of Editors and Editorial Advisors and accepted for publication only if it meets high scholarly standards of originality, significance and rigour in advancing understanding of area development and policy.

Authors are welcome to submit original research articles (not exceeding 8,000 words), shorter review articles (of up to 6,000 words), and research notes (not exceeding 4,000 words) dealing with themes relating to the mission of the journal, which may include, but are not confined to:

  • Alternative paradigms for spatial development
  • Governance and territorial development
  • Diversity (cultural, ethnic) and local/regional development
  • Human/social capital and territorial development
  • South-South relations and urban and regional development
  • Inward and outward foreign investment, MNEs and territorial development
  • Geopolitics, rising powers and spatial development
  • Uneven/comparative development, spatial convergence/divergence
  • Endogenous innovation, spatial innovation systems, knowledge flows and territorial development
  • Inclusive urbanisation, land rights, urban-rural integration
  • Informality, segregation, exclusion and city development
  • Urban renewal and area-based initiatives 
  • Property, housing markets and land use
  • Geographical mobility and spatial development
  • Interregional migration, demographic trends and contexts
  • Geographies of industrialisation and deindustrialisation
  • Development of remote/northern/ecologically sensitive areas
  • Restructuring old industrial areas, emerging new industrial areas 
  • Commodity-driven territorial development
  • The role of infrastructure in urban and regional development
  • The role of local and regional institutions in development
  • Urban and regional finance, fiscal federalism, transfers and spatial development
  • Regional planning and policies
  • Political economy of natural resources within federal/unitary systems 
  • Cross-border development
  • Trade and energy corridors
  • Rapid metropolitanization and the urban crisis 
  • Regional economic and political integration: successes and failures
  • Resource efficiency, green economy and spatial development
  • Climate change, adaptation and regional resilience

Submission instructions

All papers should be submitted via the ScholarOne system. Visit the ADP Instructions for Authors page for more details about submitting your work.

Editors

Michael Dunford, IGSNRR, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Liu Weidong, IGSNRR, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Clélio Campolina Diniz, Center for Development and Regional Planning, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil 
Amitabh Kundu, Institute for Human Development and Delhi Policy Group, India
Leonid Limonov, ICSER 'Leontief Centre' and NRU Higher School of Economics - St Petersburg, Russia
George C.S Lin, University of Hong Kong
Sam Ock Park, Seoul National University, South Korea
Ivan TurokHuman Sciences Research Council, South Africa

Further Details: http://explore.tandfonline.com/cfp/pgas/area-development-and-policy

New Books of Pawan Sikka "Education for All: Human Resource Development in India, National Policy and Planning for the Education Sector" and "Globalization and Education in India: Higher Education, Skill Development, Empowering India with New Strategies"

Education for All: Human Resource Development in India, National Policy and Planning for the Education Sector
by Pawan Sikka, Kausar Wizarat and Kiran Mehta; Uppal Publishing, New Delhi, 2012, ISBN: 9788176580717.
Book Summary:
Education is considered the most crucial investment in human resource development. The policy-planners in India have had appreciated the role of education towards the economic development. The development of education system in India was incorporated, as an integral component from the very first national five-year plan of India. Besides, National Policies on Education were enunciated in 1968 and in 1986 (modified later in 1992), by the Government of India for the development of educational system towards the generation of human resource-essentially required for attaining national development Recently, a Right to Education Act has been also enacted, by amending the Constitution of India, to provide education for all sections of the society. The system of education has a determining influence on the rate at which economic progress is achieved and the benefits which can be derived from it. There is no doubt that education in the future will be vastly different from what it is today. And, for any nation to grow and develop, Education for all its citizens is a must. The future of the nation lies with how well we prepare our next generation to face it. This book
discusses the national policy on education; planned approach to the development of education system in India, Right to Education Act, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, National Mission on Education through information and communication technology, Statistical profile of the educational sector in India, etc. This is a useful reference book for the education policy planners, administrators, academicians, research scholars, students, etc. from all over India and abroad. This is an important addition to the existing literature on the subject in libraries.
Further Details


Globalization and Education in India: Higher Education, Skill Development, Empowering India with New Strategies

by Pawan Sikka; Uppal Publishing, New Delhi, 2014, ISBN: 9788176580779.
Book Summary: Globalization has a multi-dimensional impact on the system of education which is an important investment in building human capital that is driver for technological innovations, and economic development. The globalization and its concomitant demands on the manpower require a different education. It has underlined the need for reforms in the educational system with particular reference to the IT digital technology giving productivity dimensions to the system of education-producing thereby the quality manpower for the domestic and the world market. Globalization is an opportunity to expand our educational services. This book discusses issues related to the challenges of globalization for higher education, right to free early education and vision for school education ICT, skill development ,etc. besides the UGC Roadmap, National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy-2013, National Skill Development Policy-2009, National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology, ICT, Skill Development in India, besides a discussion on the wide variety of issues related to the theme, both theoretical and practical in dimensions w.r.t. India. It is a useful reference book for the educational policy planners, academicians, administrators, teacher-educators of educational and training institutes and is a must for the libraries as a useful reference book.
Further Details

Call for Participation: CSRD Research Workshop on Child Labour and Youth Employment, 7-8 September

Centre for the Study of Regional Development
School of Social Sciences
&
Understanding Children's Work Programme

(An inter-agency Research Cooperation Programme)

Will hold a

Research Workshop on

Child Labour and Youth Employment

September 7 & 8, 2015

Interested students who would like to participate are requested to send their names and brief CV to:
Prof. Ravi Srivastava (ravi@jnu.ac.in)
and Balakrushna Padhi (padhicds@gmail.com)

Call for Papers: Diaspora Studies

Call for Papers: Diaspora Studies

The Editor of Diaspora Studies is currently welcoming submissions.

Diaspora Studies is the biannual, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, academic journal of the Organisation for Diaspora Initiatives (ODI). It is a journal dedicated to multidisciplinary research, study and writing on the history, culture, social structure, politics, and economics of both traditional diasporas and new transnational migrants. Besides other issues pertaining to diasporas and transnationalism, the journal wants to focus more specifically on diasporas as resources for both home and host countries. The scope of the journal includes the role of diasporas and migrant (immigrant) communities as important drivers in international relations, in development, and within civil societies. The journal welcomes contributions on comparative diasporas in order to better understand their emerging global interrelations and transnational identities.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page on the journal homepage for more information.

Manuscript submission

Manuscripts for consideration should be sent to Professor Ajay Dubey, JNU at diasporastudies@gmail.com or office@diasporastudies.in.

Authors must submit manuscripts electronically. Electronic submissions should be sent as email attachments using a standard word-processing program. If email submission is not possible, please send an electronic version on CD.

Please complete this form and send it to the Editor with your submission.

Current Issue: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rdst20/current

Fwd: APSTSN Newsletter, September 2015 issue

Asia-Pacific STS Network (APSTSN) Newsletter, September 2015 issue is now available at
http://apstsn.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/apstsn-newsletter-september-2015.pdf.



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Dear APSTSN members, 

On behalf of the convenor, attached is the latest newsletter with network and regional STS news.

Kind regards,
Kiran

Dr Kiran Pienaar

Research Associate

National Drug Research Institute – Melbourne Office

Curtin University
Tel | +61 3 9079 2204
Web | ndri.curtin.edu.au

Address | NDRI – Melbourne Office 54-62 Gertrude St Fitzroy VIC 3065 AUSTRALIA

E: kiran.pienaar@curtin.edu.au

--