Thousands of patients in India and elsewhere may have received a lifeline from a Chennai court on July 5.The Madras High Court dismissed a petition by international pharmaceutical giant Novartis, challenging a section of the Indian patent law. Doctors and health activists have welcomedthe judgment, saying it will protect India's role as the pharmacy of the developing world.

Novartis had challenged Section 3(d) of the Indian Patents Act, which patients' groups and health organisations regard as a safeguard to prevent patents on questionable innovation such as new uses, new forms and new combinations of known drugs or molecules. Madras High Court today held that 3(d) was not vague and ruled that the court was not the proper forum to decide whether Indian patent law was compliant with
the international trade agreement.

The ruling has evoked jubilant responses from patients' groups, health activists and doctors. "This is a huge relief for millions of patients and doctors in developing countries who depend on affordable medicines from India," said Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Director of the Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF) Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. Many international organisations rely on Indian generic drugs. Nearly 84 per cent of drugs that MSF provides to prolong the lives of some 100,000 HIV-infected patients in developing countries come from Indian generic companies.

"I'm very happy and excited," said Loon Gangte, president of the Delhi Network of Positive People. "HIV-positive people in India and abroad will be able to live longer,".

The case was centred on Novartis's product Glivec, used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a type of blood cancer. India's patent office had rejected a patent application on Glivec on the ground that it was a new form of a known molecule.

"We disagree with this ruling, however, we likely will not appeal to the Supreme Court,"
said Ranjit Shahani, Novartis India managing director. But many physicians believe 3(d) will help patients.

"This judgment is undoubtedly a relief," said Purvish Parikh, a senior doctor at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. A patient now spends about Rs 8,000 a month on a generic form of Glivec. The patented version costs Rs 120,000
a month.

"This victory will help prolong the lives of tens of thousands of people living with HIV around the world," said Leena Menghaney, a lawyer now working with MSF India's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines.

The dismissal of Novartis case by Indian court on July 5, 2007 is a victory for the access to medicine campaigns all over the world (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6933015.stm). It is time to rejoice the hard won struggle yet it calls for vigilance re future challenges in Novartis case that may come up. The struggle to maintain and promote global access to generic medicines produced in India is far from over.

The rejection of the challenge filed by Novartis will send a message to the big pharmaceutical companies that India means business when it comes to protecting the production of the generic medicines. Indian generics are a lifeline for millions of people globally. In June this year, Satwant Reddy Committee in India had concluded that there is no need to change laws that govern drug registration
(www.dgroups.org/groups/oneworld/oneworldSA/index.cfm?op=dsp_showmsg&listname=OneWorldSA&msgid=586814&cat_id=513)

However, continued attention must be paid to the pressure applied by powerful Global North governments to increase patent protection beyond TRIPS requirements in developing countries that places profits over public health needs.

Basel, 8 August 2007 –Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) delivered a petition with over 420,000 names to Novartis corporate headquarters in Basel on Aug 8. “we call on the company to refrain from pushing for a challenge of the Indian Patents Act at the World Trade Organization or otherwise”

The National Alliance of People’s Movements, a network of over two hundred people’s movements in India working for social and economic justice, believes that the India-US nuclear deal has grave consequences for India’s national security and sovereignty, for India’s relations with its neighbours, for India’s economy, for the health of its people and for the state of its environment. It will directly impact the rights and well-being of the people of India for generations to come.

The deal is of profound importance since it allows for India to import nuclear fuel, reactors and other technologies, and will enable India to expand both its nuclear weapons and nuclear energy programme.

The US Congress took a year and half to discuss and approve the new US policy and change existing US laws to enable nuclear commerce with India. But India’s parliament will not be allowed a vote on it.

NAPM believes that the people of India have been denied the right to debate the nuclear deal and the larger changes in foreign policy and other issues that it involves, and to express their opinion through their elected representatives. The nuclear agreement should not be accepted under these circumstances.

The US seeks to use India as a client state in its new confrontation with a rising China and to achieve other strategic goals, for example putting pressure on Iran.NAPM believes that India should not compromise its national sovereignty or its long standing tradition of an independent non-aligned foreign policy. The India-US nuclear deal will escalate the nuclear arms race between Pakistan and India, and create serious tensions between India and China, instead of helping improve relations. The deal with the US also threatens India’s relations with Iran,

The US sees India as an increasingly important source of cheap labour and high profits for its corporations.
NAPM believes that privileging business interests means pursuing neo-liberal economic policies which favour the interests of Indian and US corporations. These policies include the creation of Special Economic Zones and other such measures that come at the cost of the poor. These policies have been followed for almost twenty years and have failed. In 2006, India was ranked at number 126 among 177 nations according to the United Nations Human Development Index.

The nuclear deal assumes that nuclear energy is an economic and safe way for producing electricity for India. Nuclear energy has failed in India and offers no solution for the future. After 60 years of public funding Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) produces less than 3% of India’s electricity. For comparison, in less than a decade and without state support, wind energy now accounts for about 5% of India’s electricity capacity.

To escape its failures, the DAE plans to import large nuclear power plants and fuel. NAPM believes that the real energy challenge facing India is to meet the needs of the majority of Indians who still live in its villages. India needs an energy policy that works with the rural poor to develop and provide the small-scale, local, sustainable and affordable energy systems that they need. Renewable energy resources are better suited to fulfill this need.

Major General (Retd.) Sudhir Vombatkere, D. Gabriele, Aruna Roy, Medha Patkar, Sr. Celia, Suniti S.R., Ulka Mahajan, Mukta Srivastava, Thomas Kocherry, N.D. Koli, Sanjay M.G, Anand Mazgoankar, Geetha Ramakrishnan, P. Chennaiah, Arundhati Dhuru, Hussain P.T., Uma Shankari, Sandeep Pandey

The Independent People’s Tribunal on the WB in India held its meeting on 21-24 September 2007 at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi,

The purpose behind the Independent People’s Tribunal on the World Bank Group in India is to provide a just forum for people who have been impacted by projects and policies funded or promoted by the World Bank Group, to express their grievances and propose alternatives. The Tribunal will conduct an in-depth examination of the WBG’s influence and impact on a host of sectoral and crosssectoral issues through a series of depositions that will be presented to a panel of eminent experts from relevant fields The People’s Tribunal will look into the national impact of the World Bank and its allies on :

Vulnerable communities, The environment and human rights; The World Bank‘s agenda and whether it is largely influenced by transnational corporate interests; ;Financial indebtedness and loan conditionalities’ effects on social sectors (food, health and education), ;Transparency, corruption and accountability within government, the private sector and NGOs; Governance, sovereignty and democracy; Militarisation.

Why do we need an Indian People’s Tribunal on the World Bank Group? Given what seems to be the record of the projects funded and promoted by the World Bank in terms of human rights violations and environmental degradation; the feeble response of these agencies and the Indian government to proposals and appeals by the people of India to reconsider its projects and approaches, it is time to examine and judge their claims to serving the wider public interest. The chief focus of this exercise will be to study the impact of the World Bank’s policies and projects as it is increasing its influence in all directions encompassing the country’s economy as well as its educational, social and cultural fabric.

The Tribunal is being organised and coordinated by a Secretariat of 40 convening grassroots organizations and movements, who play a vital role in providing expertise to coordinate identified sectors. We are actively seeking organizations and individuals to endorse the Tribunal and to participate as advisors, sector Convenors, researchers, and interns. And monetary support.
Confirmed panelists include Upendra Baxi, Susan George Prabash Joshi, Lidy Nacpil, Alejandro Nadal, Arundhati Roy Justice P.B. Sawant, S.P. Shukla, V.P. Singh, Justice Suresh Sulak Sivaraksa, Eric Toussaint, and Justice Usha contact us:secretariat@worldbanktribunal.org
deepika d’souza +(91) 98200 39557 Harsh dobhal +(91) 98185 69021 benny Kuruvilla (Press contact) +(91) 9820181191 Please see: http://www.worldbanktribunal.org
.
A number of civil society groups are organizing an Indian Civil Society Summit in Bangalore on 25th and 26th of August to mark 60 years of independence. The event hopes to be an open forum for an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of our people and opportunities as we go forward. The summit is to bring together those who work for a strong, forward looking, people-centric India, to share experiences, discuss challenges and opportunities and create a broad vision together. It brings together those from diverse spheres for a synergy of ideas. Objectives1. Take stock of the civil society SWOT; identify key challenges and priority areas of cooperation.2. Root civil society within Indian polity.3. Create a platform for interaction of different stakeholders (network).4. Exposure to cutting edge issues: thinking globally, acting locally.5. A Space for diversity, dissent and continuing freedom struggles. Bangalore: Anita (OpenSpace) m: 94.4848.4797 e: anita@openspace.org.in

Mr. Subash Mohapatra, human rights activist and the director of human rights monitoring organization Forum for Fact-finding Documentation and Advocacy is arrested on 17 July 2007 at 03 50 P.M. by Gol Bazar Police, Raipur, Chhattisgarh under IPC 186, 353, 294 and 506.
These charges are made falsely and with ulterior motifs to harass Mr. Mohapatra and FFDA. As the Director of FFDA, Mr. Mohapatra has filed over 300 complaints to Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission on issues of human rights violations in the state during 2001-2007. Recently Mr. Mohapatra has written an open letter on extrajudicial killing to acting chairperson of Chattisgarh State Human Rights Commission seeking its accountability to people. It also questioned the role of the Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission in its monthly human rights review regarding the complaints filed with them.

On 8th May, 2007 Arun Ferreira (ex-st xaviers, mumbai), Ashok Reddy (originally from AP), Dhanendra Bhurle (journalist from Gondia) and Naresh Bansod (president, Andha Shraddha Nirmulan Samiti, Gondia) were arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), successor to notorious earlier laws like TADA and POTA. After severe torture at the hands of the police they were forced to submit to narco-analysis. A month later another court has ordered a second round of narco-analysis, which is nothing but a coercive interrogation practice that falls within the United Nations' definition of torture

According to the police, these are supposedly dreaded terrorists out to create trouble on a host of issues. They were supposedly found in possession of anti-government material on … SEZs, the Ramabai Nagar firing, the massacres at Khairlanji, farmers’ suicides..When civil liberties activists and others protested these arrests and the subsequent torture methods, the Nagpur Commissioner of Police was reported by the press to have warned that he is ready to arrest anyone who spoke in support of those arrested.

Earlier, Dr. Binayak Sen, the renowned doctor of Chattisgarh, who has spent most of his life as a health activist among the workers and tribals of the state. As secretary of the Chhattisgarh People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and its all-India vice-president, he has also been vocal against the atrocities committed by the Salwa Judum, a government-sponsored anti-Maoist programme which involves forced displacement of tribals into camps.

A Public Meeting was held on, July 7th , K C College
1. Dr. Amar Jesani on the medical and ethical aspects of narco-analysis
2. Nandita Haksar, Supreme Court lawyer, on 'terrorist' organizations, and why organizations working with people's issues are labeled terrorists.
3. Gautam Navlakha, journalist and activist, on the assault on the civil liberties and democratic rights movement, and the state's aversion to any form of dissent, case in point- Binayak Sen The protest was supported by Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights, Lokshahi Hakk Sangathana, India Centre for Human Rights and the Law, Justice and Peace Commission, Forum for Medical Ethics, and other concerned citizens.

Saroj Mohanty, poet and long-time activist with Prakrutik Sampad Surakhya Parishad (PSSP), which has over 15 years been opposing the entry of large bauxite mining companies in Kashipur, has been arrested. Saroj was picked up at a railway station in Rayagada District, on Saturday, 14 July. He is currently in judicial custody in Rayagada district jail.

The charges against him are completely fabricated but serious. These charges include section 395 of the IPC (Dacoity), section 397 (Robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grevious hurt), and section 450 (House tresspass with intention to commit offence that is punishable with imprisonment for life).

These absurd charges against Saroj stem from attempts in late 2004 by the mining company UAIL and the Orissa government hell-bent on pushing the project for bauxite mining through to undermine the resistance to the project by slapping false cases on the leadership and mass base of PSSP. He completed his MA in Political Science from Sambalpur University and. has been a student leader throughout his college and university years. He is a well known progressive Oriya poet and intellectual and is currently the Editor of the respected journal Anvesha. Anvesha has been a forum for rich debate on questions pertaining to development, industrialization and other important socio-economic issues of our time.

The arrest of Saroj Mohanty at this time constitutes a setback to the movement in Kashipur and to movements that are erupting all over the country against the plunder of people's resources, lands and livelihoods by large industry. It is an increasingly alarming trend that activists and movements struggling for preservation of people's lives and livelihoods are being ruthlessly targetted physically and by the use of law.

Jharkhand : For most people in Jharkhand, the Koel Karo project has been a familiar name since the last three decades. The project was initiated by the Bihar government in 1973 with the objective of harnessing the Koel and Karo rivers to produce hydroelectric power. In 1980, the National hydroelectric corporation(NHPC) was given the task of building dams on the two rivers. Since the announcement of the project it was vehemently opposed by the tribals in Gumla, Ranchi and Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand. They felt the project would submerge a large part of their agricultural land and a number of religious places, especially forest groves called sarnas that have from ancient times, been considered sacred by the tribals.

Official assessment of the projects showed the number showed the number of villages affected to be 42, then 112, but tribal leaders claimed that 256 villages would come under the projects submergence area. Also 50,000 acres of forest area and 40,000 acres of agricultural land would be affected besides 300 sarnas,175 churches and 120 mandirs.

Although the govt. offered to resettle the affected villages, the tribals insisted on a total resettlement package. The Koel Karo Jan Sanghatan’s (formed by the tribals to oppose the project) demand for resettlement, is that it should be total ,social, environmental, religious factors should be considered. They proposed that 2 villages be resettled as a model .If the people were satisfied they would go ahead with the resettlement.
In 1985,.the tribals boycotted the police personnel. and the project died down. In 1995, when PV Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister decided to lay the foundation stone, more than 30,000 people mostly tribals agitated .Police opened fire and 8 people were killed. The stone laying was postponed. The Jan Sanghatan then resolved not to hold any more talks for resettlement. The Sanghatan receives support from the 16,000 families, most of whom contribute Rs.100 a year for the cause. In 2005, the govt. scrapped the project.

The second ongoing relay fast by farmers of Kushinagar district against the proposed Maitreya project entered its 60th day on Aug 19. About 150-200 people assemble everyday at the dharna spot, --Village Siswa Mahanth, one of the villages going to be affected by the project. The Maitreya project, with external funding ( www.maitreyaproject .org makes an appeal to contribute $US 250 million project,) aims to build a 500 ft. Gautam Buddha statue and develop Kasya, in Kushinagar district, as a tourist centre. Gautam Buddha passed away in Kasya and a number of temples dedicated to Buddha are already established there The famous statue of Buddha in lying position is also located here.
The 660 acres of land being demarcated, on which 700 families depend for their survival, is very fertile and cultivable. In addition, about 600 acres of government land, belonging to Gram Sabhas, schools, roads and for other public purposes will also be lost if the project is constructed. What would Buddha think of all this?
Maitreya Project Trust is a private entity and has roped in a number of private corporations in this project.. NAPM is supporting the struggle of local farmers and is holding a U.P. state level meeting in Village Siswa Mahanth, 3 km from Kasaya in Kushinagar district. Contact Keshav Chand at 9839883518 or Uday Bhan at 9935445489.

Mumbai (Reuters) - An exclusive magazine for prostitutes is offering a snapshot of life in some of India's biggest brothels, reporting the murky world of pimps and violent customers and showcasing the dreams and talents of sex workers.

"Red Light Despatch," a monthly publication, is full of emotional outpourings of women sold to brothels as children, personal accounts of torture and harassment, poems and essays by prostitutes, book and film reviews and advocacy articles.

Health workers and prostitutes sit together once a week in a tiny newsroom located inside a brothel in India's financial capital to discuss stories, headlines and the design of issues.

The reporters, often themselves prostitutes or their relatives, file their contribution after scouring the brothels of Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi and some smaller cities.

Launched six months ago, the magazine is a platform for the collective memories, nostalgia and dreams of the sex worker community and an attempt to wean their children away from the profession, said editor Anurag Chaturvedi.

With a little help from a voluntary group, the magazine prints about 1,000 copies in Hindi and English and is distributed free among prostitutes and residents of red light districts.

The ragtag magazine, without any photographs, looks more like a booklet but it apparently serves the purpose. "It's a platform, a vent for many prostitutes who deposit their anger, hurt and thoughts on these pages," said Anita Khude, a health volunteer associated with the magazine. "The magazine is for them and it is about them."
two former journalists help edit it. There also are plans to turn it into a more appealing tabloid in Hindi, English and Bengali. "we still pay our writers small amounts so that they realize they can earn a respectable living as well," said editor Chaturvedi. "When we go to people's homes they are comfortable and they talk," said Khude. "In the next issue we will write about how a 'normal' man -- a poor roadside snacks seller -- fought prejudices and married a prostitute he fell in love with."

Disappearing Daughters: the Tragedy of Female Foeticide
By Gita Aravamudan, Penguin Books India.
This book draws attention to systematic murder of the girl child and also studies the imperatives that drive this phenomenon. Ms Aravamudan, who has had long years of experience in journalism, has collected accounts of foeticide and infanticide from across the country and relates the experiences of women, some of whom have undergone as many as four abortions in five years just to have a son. According to the writer, though India has a history of skewed female sex ratio, what the country is witnessing today is the systematic extermination of the female child, with the ultrasound machine serving as an instrument of murder. Using the tools of investigative reporting, the author shows how elimination of the female foetus has burgeoned into an organised crime. The book also makes it clear that if the macabre practice continues, it would spell doom for both sons and daughters and will have a disastrous impact on the future generations.

Caste-Based Reservations and Human Development in India
by K.S. Chalam, Member, Union Public Service Commission. Sage Publications New Delhi, 2007. Price: Rs 275
The author has assessed the current status of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward classes in the Indian context and analysed the impact of one of the most contentious issues of our times – caste-based reservations – one which has seen tragic, needless deaths and riots. The book presents a chronological description of the reservation policy in India. It also deals with the role of the state during the colonial period and independent India. The book analyses the impact of caste-based reservations on the target groups, as well as on major human development indices. The volume provides historical data and exhaustive tables to support its modern day analysis of caste-based reservations and its ongoing impact on society. However, it lacks the much needed contemporary data.

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Gender, Subjectivity and Sexual Identity: how young people with disabilities conceptualise the body, sex and marriage in Urban India by Renu Addlakha (Centre for Women’s Development Studies)
31p. (Occasional Paper No. 46, July 2007)

Using qualitative data, this paper discusses notions of sexual identity among urban Indian youth with disabilities through case studies of college students in Delhi. Gender emerges as a key analytical category in perceptions of sexuality among young men and women with visual and loco-motor disabilities. The paper does not make claims to capturing the complex reality of ‘disabled sexuality’ in India, but highlights some key issues in a hither-to-largely under-researched domain. Contact: Centre for Women’s Development Studies, 25, Bhai Vir Singh Marg (Gole Market) New Delhi- 110001, India. Tel. (91-11) 23345530, 23365541, 23366930, Fax: 91-11-23346044.
E-mail: cwds@vsnl.com / cwds@cwds.ac.in Website: www.cwds.ac.in


Senses & Soul- A Workshop on Sexuality
Author: Sakshi, 2007
This resource pack is a creative inspiration for potential sexuality educators or for individual readers. The pack is equipped with a handbook of experiential exercises supported by six one minute films and a facilitator's guide on how to use these films. In addition the pack includes a documentary film by Sakshi called Mirror Mirror on the Wall… Who am I After All?, a 29 minute film which captures the positive and healthy spirit of one school's experience with Sakshi's sexuality education program.

Through this handbook, Sakshi's seeks to expand the fabric of natural and healthy conversation as well as sharing around sexuality doing away with myths, taboos, shame and silence. Sakshi seeks to enroll educators, students, parents and others into the language of sexuality as a natural and empowering process. For more information about the handbook or to order your copy please contact: sakshipaths@yahoo.com or write to Sakshi, 34 Akashneem Marg, DLF Phase II, First Floor, Gurgaon, Haryana- 122002


Seven Edited Anthologies
Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (New Delhi) invites individual and / or joint papers for its seven multi- volume anthologies co-edited by Dr Prasenjit Maiti on Studies in Indian Economy, Liberalization and Globalisation of Indian Economy, Global Environment: Problems & Policies, Poverty in India, Social Capital, Rural Development in India and Development Studies. Previously published papers can also be reprinted along with their earlier publication history provided there are no copyright restrictions to do so. Best Practices and Lessons Learnt (that may be replicated elsewhere) from Research Projects in these areas may be adequately reflecte. Papers that deal with broad theoretical issues and general empirical concerns rather than case studies / area studies that are limited to contextual experiences. Contact: Dr KR Gupta, Email: editorial@atlanticbooks.com. Website:www.atlanticbooks.com
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AUDIO RESOURCES
'Sampradayikta: Kya Sach-Kya Jhooth' (Communalism: Facts vs Myths)] (Hindi)
by Ram Puniyani
This is a secular education material in MP3 format containing 140-minute studio recording of perceptions related to communalism, about minorities and the truth behind them. It covers most of the popular notions, the prevalent social common sense, which forms the base of sectarian violence. Sectarian violence in turn is used by communal forces for coming to power. This communal politics is the major threat to democracy today. Price: Single copy Rs. 70, Five copies Rs 300, Ten Rs.550 . and add Rs 30 for Courier charges.
For copies, send DD to: EKTA,c/o Ram Puniyani,1102/5 MHADA Deluxe Rambaug Powai, Mumbai 400076.

FILMS
Maribu pache Daribu nahi (Die we may, we are not afraid!)
43 minutes; Hindi, Urdu, Oriya and English (English Subtitled)
Director Rashid Ali
The film journeys through the history of TATAs negotiating with colonial or postcolonial state with a scriptural or edicted justification drawn from the ancient regimes of Kautiliya and Ashoka (invasion of Kalinga). After all, Arthashastra is all about statecraft and Kalinga Nagar was just an apostrophe where 13 tribal people were killed by the Police at the behests of TATAs. The film is all about the holy grail of 'profits' and 'development' and also about the struggle of the marginalized, with a special focus on the identified target territory called 'Orissa'. In nutshell, this film covers a vast history from the Arthashastra of Kautiliya to the coming of POSCO in Orissa. Contact Rashid Ali at creative.rashid@ gmail.com or 91-11-9873744756.

Jashn-e-Azadi (How we celebrate freedom)
138 mins
Kashmiri/Urdu/ English (English subtitles)
Written and directed by Sanjay Kak, Photography Ranjan Palit, Edited by Tarun Bhartiya
In India, the real contours of the conflict in Kashmir are invariably buried under the facile depiction of an Innocent Population, trapped between the Terrorist's Gun and the Army's Boot. But after 18 years of a bloody armed struggle, after 60,000 civilians dead (and almost 7,000 enforced disappearances) , what really is contained in the sentiment for Azadi–for freedom? Shot and edited between August 2004-2006 Jashn-e-Azadi engages us with the idea of Azadi in Kashmir.

Tiger: The Death Chronicles
Filmmaker Krishnendu Bose, 63 mins, English
The film tries to encapsulate some 30 years of diverse conservation attitudes in this country. Bose said: "There are two questions: Is there any political will? And is there a will from the people to save the tiger? For the last 30 years, largely nobody has shown that will..." He points out that there may be a total of under 1,000 tigers in India at present. The film looks at states like Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Goa and "how they maybe trading their tigers and forests for more economic revenue".The film also maps the curious case of a mining project in the heart of a tiger habitat in Orissa. Apart from that, it highlights the positive work being done in reserves like Corbett and in the hills of Karnataka..

Passengers: a Video Journey in Gujarat
Director: Nooh Nizami and Akanksha Joshi
English (subtitled), 52 min, 2003, India
Spanning over a year and a half, it is a record of people who have survived one of the worst failures of state machinery since the partition and of the people who were never victims, but who chose to care for those who are. It is a record of Ahmedabad's past and present. More importantly, it is a record that needs to be set straight. Or our country will edge closer to the precipice. And then perhaps, tomorrow may be too late for answers. Contact: Gaurang Raval, Drishti Media, Arts & Human Rights, 103, Anandhari Towers, Sandeshpress Road, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad –380054. Tel. (91-79)26851235 Email: nazariya@gmail.com Website: www.drishtimedia.org

Kumar Talkies
By Pankaj Rishi Kumar
60 minutes
Location Sound, Sound Design Satheesh PM, Camera Avijit Mukul Kishore
The film explores the relationship between Kalpi--a small town in northern India--and its only surviving cinema hall. The film chronicles Kalpi's economic decline and its citizens' hopes and frustrations while taking a nostalgic look at the lost, lavish world of cinema. The film also considers the influence of television, which is gradually reducing the audience at the hall.
• Best Film: L'Alternativa, Barcelona
• Special Jury Citation: Zanzibar Film Festival
• National Award for Best Audiography, 1999
• Screenings at 0ver 40 International film festivals

Mohua
This documentary, mapping tribal population in four states, depicts how the tribals were thrown out of their own land by mining companies for the promises that were never met. Story of hundreds of tribals in Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand has just one message -- mining companies have degraded their natural resources necessary for their sustainability. The 82-minute real life shots of tribals in remote parts of the country is also an interesting mix of how tribals are trying to survive with their ancient culture in modern India, and how reaping benefit of India's economic development is still a distant dream for most tribals. Incidentally, the documentary comes at a time when the government is finalising the rules to operationalise the Tribal Rights law, notified earlier this bill. The rules, once notified, will provide limited land and forest produce usage rights to the tribals for the first time.

Documentaries needed
Department of Communication, Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai wants to purchase and collect documentaries on various issues made within and outside India. Please send information regarding the list of films, synopsis, filmography, posters, cost of VCD/DVD, copies, mode of payment etc. Contact: Dr. T. Manonmani, Professor and Head,Department Of Communication, Madurai Kamaraj University,Madurai at her email: dr_manonmani@ hotmail.com

Nazariya Films for Peace Festival
Nazariya, an initiative of DRISHTI Media, Arts & Human Rights is organising a non-competitive Nazariya Film Festival for Peace to promote and encourage awareness, appreciation and understanding of peace though films. The tentatively dates of the festival would be the last week of November 2007 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Films are selected on the basis of theme, quality and originality. The festival promotes youth to raise their concerns for peace and involve them in the process of peace. The festival also includes a 'Best debut films by young film makers of Ahmedabad' competition for the young film makers of Ahmedabad and cultural programmes by Nazariya Youth Club. Submission deadline is 15th September,2007 for selection process. Publicity materials to be sent include a still of the film (minimum 5), photograph of the director (minimum 3). Contact: Gaurang Bharti Raval, Drishti Media, Arts & Human Rights, 103, Anandhari Towers, Sandesh press Road, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad -.380054, Gujarat. Tel : 91-79-26851235. Email: nazariya@gmail.com Website: www.drishtimedia.org

9th Madurai Documentary and Short Film Festival 2007
The 9th Madurai Film Festival, jointly organised by 15 organisations including educational institutions, voluntary organisations, media groups and film societies, will be held on 2-6 December 2007 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The festival will be a non-competitive one with no entry fee. There is no limit for duration of the films. Short films and documentaries produced after January 2006 are eligible to take part in the festival. The films in non-Tamil, non-English language should have subtitles in English. Films will be screened under three sections: 1) Tamil 2) Rest of India 3) Foreign Films Film makers are invited to send their entries on DVD format with synopsis, filmography, stills, posters and other publicity materials on or before 30 September 2007 to: Marupakkam, A 9/4 K.K.Nagar, Madurai 625 020, India. Tel. (+91) 9344479353; 9344156392; (91-452) 2523992 Email: marupakkam@rediffmail.com
There will also be a retrospective section under which 10 best films (5 each) of two veteran documentary film makers will be screened. Besides Magic Lantern Foundation, New Delhi will screen 10 films from their Under Construction collection.

Environment and Wildlife Film Festival
CMS, a Delhi based research and advocacy organization is coordinating a film festival on environment and wildlife documentaries - 4th CMS VATAVARAN- Environment and Wildlife Film Festival to promote space for environment issues in the public media. The festival is slated for from 12 to 16 September 2007 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Send entries to: vatavaran@cmsindia.org with subject line Cms Vatavaran Delegate Registration or call (91-11) 24992597, 9899979165. Log on to www.cmsvatavaran.org for more details. Contact: Alka Tomar Festival Director CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival Directorate CMSRESEARCH HOUSE,Saket Community Centre, New Delhi 110 017, P: 91-11-24992597 (D), 26522244/ 55 F: 91-11-2696 8282. Email: vatavaran@cmsindia.org info@cmsvatavaran.org Website: www.cmsvatavaran.org

60 One-minute Film Commissions
60 one-minute film commissions are offered to sixty artists living in Britain, India and Pakistan, who define themselves as coming from the South Asian Diaspora. Both established and emerging artists, working in a variety of mediums and spanning a wide age range, are invited to present their unique views on how their identities are informed in an age of globalisation.

All sixty films will be launched and premiered in Britain, and via the web in March 2008. Following the launch 60x60 Secs will tour in all three countries. These films will work as effectively on TV as in digital arts festivals, in art galleries or within shopping malls and feed into the National Curriculum, translating equally well in Delhi as they do in Lahore and London.
Application Deadline: 14 September 2007. To download 360? Overview, 60x60 Secs Artists
Criteria and Application Form, please follow the link:
http://www.motiroti.com/work/projects/current.php?data_id=61

CONF HELD
ARPAN conducted a full day workshop on the issue of child sexual abuse on Aug.23 at
Don Bosco Youth Services Hall, Matunga for practicing counselors and professionals in the NGO sector. The workshop was a platform for exchange of thoughts and experiences Registration fee was Rs.200/- per head. Contact: pushpa@arpan.org.in

A programme titled 'Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Projects' was held by Sambodhi, at Delhi from 29-31 Aug. 29-31 aimed at augmenting the knowledge and skills of operational and middle level functionaries involved in M & E functions in development organisations. Contact Ms. Rajata Nayak, Senior Executive, Sambodhi Research & Communications, New Delhi Tel:11-40560734, 65492502 www.sambodhi.co.in

CONF HELD
The Consult for Women and Land Rights (CWLR), New Delhi, organised a two-day seminar in July to make women aware of their rights and also, how they can efficiently use their resources.The seminar, titled "Capacity Building and Leadership development of Muslim Women for owning and Managing Resources", is a part of a series of workshops, to be organised by CWLR. The first of such workshops was organised at Saharanpur in April 2006,where even the Ulemas of Deoband were present.The second workshop was organised at Fatehpur. This workshop will see experts from UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra coming together.
The Uttar Pradesh Voluntary Action Network (UPVAN) organised a workshop on the status of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), along with its network partners in the state capital on July 6.to analyse how far the scheme had been implemented in the 22 districts of the state and share their experiences with the villagers.Sunil Singh of Rahi Foundation, one of the network partners, said,"Various organisations have different experiences related to NREGS. But so far, whenever we have tried to speak to governmental departments, we have been faced with difficulties. UPVAN is giving us a platform to interact with the government officials and discuss our
problems."
(MAD in SAD) Make a Difference in Sustainable Agricultural Development
a Capacity Enhancement Programme was held in New Delhi on July 14-15. Seeing the criticality of the roles of Sustainable Agriculture in addressing livelihood issues and inclusive economic growth individuals and organisations working in the area of research, Policy formulation, Capacity building of farmers, Outreach Programmes, farmer rights and Communities shared views and ideas to enable the creation of sustainable collaboration of various stakeholders through responsenet.org Contact: Resource personDr. Haridas V.R Caritas India, Responsenet E - 13, Anand Niketan,New Delhi -Tel: 011-65422890

The 6th National Training Course on CBR for Project Co-ordinators was held from Aug 23-30 at Mumbai f Programme Co-ordinators of organisations involved in development and disability initiatives, through community based approaches. The training focused on a rights based approach to equip participants with appropriate attitude, knowledge and skills necessary to Plan,Co-ordinate and Monitor a Community based initiative for persons with disabilities. Contact: Raghavendra B.Pachhapur, ,ActionAid, No.139, Richmond Road,Bangalore - 560 025.Ph. 080-25586682 Fax: 080-25586284 Mob. 9449278229
email: raghavendra.b@actionaid.org
To discuss, share and promote a holistic and assimilated approach towards sustainable agricultural practices, using information on the latest research and technologies,the Uttar Pradesh Council for Agricultural Research (UPCAR), Lucknow,in association with the National Centre for Organic Farming,Ghaziabad, oganised a national seminar on `Organic Agriculture:Hope of Posterity' at Kisan Mandi Bhawan on July 13 & 14.Vice-chancellors of many agriculture universities,eminent scholars and scientists along with senior government officers and some progressive farmers participated in the seminar.

On 23rd July, 2007 People’s Vigilance committee on Human Rights (PVCHR),Bunkar- Dastkar Adhikar Manch, Action Aid International, India(LRO) and Asian Human Rights Commission(AHRC) ,Hong Kong organized a state level brain storming consultation on weavers and artisans in era of Globalization in Lucknow-Contact Dr.Lenin www.pvchr.blogspot.com; www.ahrchk.net

Masum institute for training in rights-based activism (mitra)– Pune, The MITRA project of Mahila Sarvangeen Utkarsh Mandal (MASUM), a rural women's organization working in drought prone villages of Maharashtra since 1987 held the second of its series of national level training courses on human rights and the rights based approach from August 1-12, 2007 in Hindi for participants from NGOs, CBOs or people's organizations working at the community level within India. (Funding support provided by the Ford Foundation, New Delhi.) Contact Malavika Kadam or Swati Vaid at masum.puneindia@gmail.com or at masumfp@vsnl.com

A Livelihood Approach for Prevention of Trafficking and Migration Training was held from 7th, 8th & 9th August 2007 to systematically acquaint and sensitize participants on the concept of Gender, in relation to violence against women and trafficking along with ways of combating it;• To understand the relationship between trafficking, migration and livelihood and to develop skills of livelihood promotion as an effective way of combating trafficking and migration. Contact e-mail: trainings@devalt.org Development Alternatives, 111/9-Z, Kishangarh, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi -1100 70

A discussion in preparation to launching a public campaign For Police Reforms was presided by: Shri Julio Rebierro Ex - IPS on Aug. 9 at the: Lok Satta Movement Auditorium, to finalise a minimum set of police reforms. The points for discussion included how: To substantially improve the functioning of Indian police force and enhance its public accountability by a three way division of functions into: an independent crime investigation mechanism, maintenance of law and order and local police force; To ensure the necessary independence of the police from unwarranted political interference; a need to constitute an independent oversight body that will have jurisdiction over complaints of obstruction of justice and abuse of authority by the police through a local police ombudsman. Tel; 2377 2242 / 2377 2248 E-mail: loksatta.maharashtrachapter@gmail.com; web: www.loksattamovement.com

Visakha guidelines
Mumbai: As the government comes up with the first ever law aimed at stopping sexual harassment and provide minimum protection to women joining the workforce, and to discuss status of implementation of the Vishakha guidelines and create awareness among people about the issue of sexual harassment at workplaces and education institutions, India Centre for Human Rights and Law, Mumbai organised a public meeting on
Aug. 13 at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh. An outreach campaign in buses, trains, colleges and other public places began from the Aug. 13 – 18 to reach out to the public.
Contact 23439651 or 23436692 Anagha Sarpotdar and Snehal Velkar
Campaign Against Sexual Harassment

Ban on Coke and Pepsi at BHU
Benaras: Cold/soft drinks will not be allowed on Banaras Hindu University campus in Varanasi from August 1, 2007. BHU has placed a ban on Coke and Pepsi on campus. This decision was taken by the BHU administration This is the first time when a north indian university has placed a ban on coke and pepsi. fFr Nandlal, and other youth from rural backgrounds, who have
led a popular grassroots movement against the coca-cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj in Varanasi district for the last 5 years
this is a morale boosting development.Contact nandlal, at 9415300520 or email: napm_up@yahoo.com, sandeep email: ashaashram@yahoo.com

DFID, UK commitment
New Delhi:: Even as donors scale back funding programmes, the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) announced July 2that it would give more than Rs 2,000 crore as additional development aid, over the next eight years.

It plans to include a system of more direct giving to the Union and state governments. UK officials have said they want their efforts to also reach states such as Bihar, where non-profits had feared that a corrupt environment prevents aid from reaching those who need it. Susanna Moorehead, head of DFID's programmes in India, discussed key issues for India's largest bilateral aid programme.

Imphal declaration on HIV/AIDS hailed
Manipur: The state is moving towards positive action in the fight against HIV/AIDS, functionaries of NGOs working in the field of AIDS said while welcoming recommendations of the one-day conference of legislatures of Manipur. The comments of the officials of the NGOs came after constitution of The Legislators Forum and signing of the historic "Imphal Declaration of Manipur Legislators - 30th June, 2007" at a one-day conference on HIV/AIDS held at the Assembly hall with the aim of strengthening the Response to HIV/AIDS in the state. The conference was the first of its kind in the state

"It will be a milestone for the state of Manipur if the government and politicians convert into action the recommendations in the declaration as early as possible," Bobby, general secretary of the Manipur Network for Positive People, MNP+ said. “Committed leadership is integral to the fight against HIV/AIDS," Chitra Ahanthem,state coordinator, Centre for Media advocacy and research, Imphal observed.

Manipur became the 11th state in India to have a Legislators Forum on HIV/AIDS. The forum was constituted under the guidance of the Parliamentary Forum on HIV/AIDS formed in 2000 with support from UNAIDS and NACO.

The country coordinator of UNAIDS-India, Denis Brown, who attended the Imphal legislatures` conference said, " Fair leadership can make a Difference and nothing will happen without leadership.Your call should be that in the next five years, Manipur is not included amongst the six high prevalence states of India”

Peers help truckers combat HIV/AIDS
New Delhi: Twenty-year-old Vimal, helper in a truck now conducts sessions for other helpers and truck drivers about general hygiene, health and, most importantly, sexually transmitted infections at a ‘Khushi’ Clinic. He is one of 360 peer educators at the clinic. Inspired by Bill Gates, it is supported by Transport Corporation of India (TCI) in Ghaziabad through its corporate social responsibility arm, Transport Corporation of India Foundation (TCIF).

Situated near a truckers' trans-shipment centre, it is part of a chain of mobile and static general health clinics set up by TCI near truckers' halt points at 17 locations in the country and is part of its Project Kavach, (kavach is armour in Hindi) which aims to check the spread of HIV among long-distance truck drivers.

After the programme was launched, an internal survey was conducted, in which it was found that truckers suffer from "low self-esteem and stigma," said Anil Nair, project manager, Project Kavach, TCIF ."So, we decided to emphasise on their role in society and their responsibilities as individuals. Awareness about sexually transmitted diseases is just one part of this," he said.

The trainers earn Rs 125 per hour per session, or about Rs 2,000-3,000 a month. A typical Khushi Clinic, is a general health clinic with a doctor, a nurse, counsellor and paramedical staff. There is also a mobile unit, with separate staff, which goes to pre-determined areas for a certain number of hours each day.

Consultation fees are waived and medicine is provided at cost. Though no testing for AIDS is done at the clinics (except for the one in Bangalore),referrals to other hospitals are given.TCIF, aims to cover 1.4 million truckers by 2008, and has tied up
with local NGOs. In Ghaziabad, it has tied up with the Cyriac Elias Voluntary Association. Other activities include street plays, film screenings and "trucker utsavs" besides sale of condoms through 800 non-traditional outlets. (The Business Standard, July 3, 2007.)

A life cover for HIV/AIDS
Mumbai: In a landmark move, local standalone health insurance company Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Ltd has decided to provide life cover to victims of HIV/AIDS. The new policy would target over 5.7 million people infected by HIV/AIDS in India, including 7.5 lakh full-blown HIV patients, V Jagannathan, managing director, Star Health, said. In an informal chat with the media after introducing the new policies on July 4, Jagannathan said, "We have already received the green signal from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) and hope to get its final approval soon. It is part of Star Health's internal strategy to serve the need of different people with different products. We have products on diabetes, senior citizens, non-resident Indians as well," he said.The company plans to rope in a lot of NGOs and activists group to roll the policy as early as possible.
The company earlier launched two new products, namely Senior Citizen's Red Carpet and Diabetes Safe.The Senior Citizen policy aims at targeting people between the age group of 60 and 69. It has a standard premium of Rs 5,000-10,000 annually, with a life-long renewal guarantee.The diabetes safe covers diabetic patients against the risk of Complications like retinopathy, nephropathy and diabetic foot ulcer, he said. "We plan to launch one more high-end medical policy with a claim amount of Rs 10 lakh," he added. Star, has 100 branches across the country. (The Financial Express, July 5, 2007.)

NGO wins discrim case
Thiruvananthapuram: FIRM, (Foundation for integrated research in mental health) who had filed in the High Court of Kerala challenging the discrimination meted out to HIV +ve children at MDLP School in Pambady in Kottayam in Kerala, two months back has won the case.

The school management and the Parent Teacher’s Association had thrown five HIV+ve children from school because of their HIV status in December 2006. At that time FIRM had intervened, and the issue was settled.This year when the classes reopened, the same issue cropped up again in the same school against the very same children in a more organized way.

FIRM moved the High Court seeking direction to the management to allow children to continue studies without any discrimination.

On July 3,2007, a Division Bench of the High Court closed the case after recording the written statement of the management that they would allow the children to do their schooling in the same school without any discrimination.The court also put it on record that the petitioner (FIRM) is free to approach the court again if the management does any act of discrimination against the children.( The Hindu, July4, 2007) Contact FIRM, Bhaskar lane, Pattom ,Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695 004 Tel:(0471)3266114, 2530758

LEGAL
Chennai: The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA) circumscribes sex work; influencing livelihood, health, risk & vulnerability of sex workers. Last year, the Government of India introduced the ITPA Amendment Bill, 2006 amidst opposition from sex workers, women's groups, public health & HIV/AIDS organisations. A Parliamentary Standing Committee suggested further changes. The Revised Bill remains contentious; equating adult, consensual sex work with trafficking & sexual exploitation.

* Should sale & purchase of sexual services by consenting adults be criminalised? * Should peer based HIV risk reduction be abandoned?
* Who needs empowerment - Community or Police?

A Meeting organized by TASA (Tamil Nadu AIDS Solidarity Action), Action Aid & Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit to debate on sex work law reform was held on Aug 4 with Speakers: Anand Grover of Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit ; P.N.Shanthi & Kalaivani, Community representatives , MCCSS Drop in Shelter Ms.Vanitha, IPS, Member, Tamilnadu State Women's Commission, Dr. Neelavalli, IWID, Mr.V.Sithannan, D.S.P. & Vigilance Officer, Corporation of Chennai, Contact: Esther Mariaselvam, ActionAid, (M) 9444951927,Tripti Tandon Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit 63/2, 1st Floor, Masjid Road, Jungpura, New Delhi Tel.011- 24377101/ 02, 24372237 www.lawyerscollective.org e-mail: <tripti.tandon@lawyerscollective.org>

Empowering Persons With Special Needs
Mumbai: SPJ Sadhana School inaugurated the newly renovated Visual Arts & Crafts Dept on July 10 at the hands of Dr. Naina Lal Kidwai Group General Manager and Country Head of the HSBC group of companies in India.
Later, on July 24 an exhibition to display items made by the special children was organised at the Inorbit Mall at a Build-a-Bear Workshop organized by Mr. Vijay Murjani, MD of the Murjani Group in an event called "It's Raining Goodness" where 15 NGOs participated.. Contact:Sr. E. Gaitonde SPJ Sadhana School,Sophia College Campus Mumbai E-Mail: spjsadhana@gmail.com Tel: 23517913/23510853 Website: www.yougivemewings.org

Restoring democracy campaign
Ahmedabad: Anhad started its 'Restore Democracy' campaign in Gujarat in Feb., with a state level Youth Convention, the first public screening of Parzania, and a major demonstration against Babu Bajrangi demanding his arrest and innumerable other smaller protests.

In collaboration with 15 Gujarat based organizations, Anhad flagged off three Youth Karwans on June 5th which have been since then been traveling and covering villages across Gujarat. As part of the The Restore Democracy campaign the Youth Karwans will cover 25 districts and around 800 villages. The young volunteers after reaching a village first display an exhibition on our independence struggle, on the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, on the Indian Constitution and alarge number of photographs on two huge panels exposing the myth of Vibrant Gujarat. The youth volunteers then organise public meetings in the villages and talk about the conditions in present Gujarat both economical, which are in a messspecially in the rural belt, and the constant attack on our democratic rights and on the freedom of expression. They screen documentaries and feature films.

After the public meeting and the question and answer session the youth group performs a street play and sings a few songs. In one day one group covers 3-4 villages. More than 3 lakh leaflets and one lakh copies of the Preamble of the Indian Constitution have been distributed. Anhad plans to launch major campaigns in the coming months beginning mid-August in Gujarat to defeat the present fascist government. If all our efforts result in their defeat it will be a major victory for secular forces. If it does not even then the need to resist and fight can not be undermined. Contact Anhad, 23, Canning Lane, New Delhi-110001 tel-23070722/ 40 e-mail: anhad.delhi@gmail.com

WEBSITES (Box)
Tamil Nadu Environment Council (TNEC) has been functioning in Tamil Nadu, India since 1992 addressing the issues related to Environmental Protection. The victims of the environmental degradation and the activists have always needed the support of the Scientists and Lawyers for study and legal action. Realising this need, TNEC organised a dialogue between the victims & activists and the scientists & lawyers in 2006. As a result of the consultation, Environmental Lawyers Forum and Environmental Scientists Forum were formed. In this consultation, it was also resolved to create an e-group to interlink the victims & activists and the scientists & lawyers. Hence this group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/environmentallawyersscientistsforum
Email environmentallawyersscientistsforum@yahoogroups.com
The Interagency Youth Working Group (IYWG) announces the launch of a new Website, "Resources on Youth Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS" –
www.youthwg.org.This unique global resource provides materials designed for those working with youth in developing countries. The site features:• guidance on key program areas and best practices;• publications grouped by organizations with major youth resources;• an easily searchable database of more than 900 recent resources;• research tools;• training materials.The site is hosted by the INFO Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School ofPublic Health Center for Communication Programs, with content managed byFamily Health International. More than 15 organizations collaborated to
create the site. e-mail youthwg@fhi.org.
Anti-Corruption Internet Site Launched "A grouping of companies launched a website dedicated to collecting information about officials and governments around the world who seek bribes. The US-based Trace International, a non-profit grouping
of multinational firms, said their new website Bribeline.org will allow people or organizations to anonymously report bribe requests.

The information compiled from BRIBEline will help companies determine where corruption is most prevalent and will help governments strengthen their ability to tackle corruption. " The information gathered through BRIBEline will be collected and publicly reported by country and by ministry or sector – for example the customs service, the judiciary or the police. .( Source: World Bank)

Save Hebbal Tank campaign
Bangalore: A candle light vigil as an expression of solidarity towards the efforts to save the Hebbal tank was held on Aug. 11. The usage of heavy earth movers has ravaged every bit of the tank bed. The entire habitat stands totally destroyed. We need to do this in order to ensure the sustenance of urban wildlife. We need to do this in order to ensure the sustenance of the last few surviving watersheds. We need to do this to ensure the access of this public space to millions of our citizenry, who will otherwise be excluded. And let us not forget that this tank has played an invaluable role as a natural sewage treatment plant. The 'living machines'- the plants, birds, insects, fishes and millions of teeming microbes – without much of a fuss, steadfastly had worked to clean up the sewage dumped by us. And they did all this without any exchange of currency. Contact The save hebbal group _ Mahesh - 9972072429

RTI on the right track
Mumbai: Mahiti Adhikar Manch (with the goodwill of the Nani A. Palkhivala memorial trust)is conducting a year long mass awareness campaign on Right to Information Act at selected Western Railway Stations in Mumbai.

The 6th Mass Awareness Campaign on RTI was held at VIRAR Station(West) on Aug. 9 and 16 near the main ticket booking area.

Earlier as part of the campaign at railway stations, at Dadar Station, around 3000 registered and filled up the deficiency form. At Bandra Station, around 500 forms were filled up. The silver lining was that the quality of those who approached the kiosk was that of pro-active and concerned citizens, who shared their experiences.
At Andheri Station almost 1000 forms were filled up in two days. Adolf D'Souza, Corporator of Ward 63 and Shailesh Gandhi were present.

At Malad Station there was a good response inspite of the very rainy weather as Bombay Catholic Sabha Unit sent volunteers and 325 registered and filled up deficiency forms. At Borivili station 300 registered and filled up deficiency forms.

Raja John Bunch (9969163547) VirarAnand Castelino (9821133032)Gaurang Vora 9869195785) Hema Sampat. (9820508140) Bhaskar Prabhu (9892102424)

Shelter for children
Dampara Village (Jharkhand).: Setting a unique example in community care for orphans, residents of Dampara Village, located 90 kilometres from Jamshedpur, are running a shelter for around 40 orphaned and abandoned children.

An underdeveloped village, Damparag's Munda, Santhal and Karmakar tribals have gained a reputation for their austerity and simplicity.

A local youngster Kantha Singh, mobilised support for a collective effort for the common good of the village. Kantha is educated and owns a tiny garage on National Highway-33. Disappointed with the State Government's non-supportive attitude towards initiating progress in tribal-dominated Dampara Village, Kantha generated public support to form the Dampara Development Committee in February, 2007.

The Committee then established the orphanage, which today shelters 38 tribal boys and girls from Dampara and other places in Jharkhand. They are orphans living with relatives or working as child labourers,' Kantha Singh said. The school provides education up to Standard III. Kantha Singh and others, go door to door to collect rice, wheat, milk, clothes, money and other essentials.

Daily chores like cooking, cleaning or other related works are voluntarily taken care of by village women. In a short span of five months, other villages neighbouring Dampara have appreciated the community spirit. --- ANI

SUCCESS: HIV leadership
Bhubaneshwar: Around 100 HIV positive persons from Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh were awarded certificates in Leadership and Managerial Proficiency (LAMP) by the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB).
In four batches of 25 each, the HIV infected persons were imparted short term training courses on LAMP as part of the management programme introduced by the XIMB exclusively for people living with HIV (PLHIV).The 100-odd participants included members from various networks of PLHIV and HIV infected people in different professions and NGOs.
Officials of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and UNDP attended the graduation ceremony- the first of its kind. Chief Project Coordinator of XIMB Dr S. Peppin said: "The trained PLHIV would spread the awareness message on HIV/AIDS prevention."In the six weeks management programme, stress was laid on two aspects - competencies required to build the personal capacity of PLHIV and competencies required to sharpen the professional knowledge and skills of PLHIV “The PLHIV also need to boost their morale to regain their mental strength and the urge to take leadership in various works," said Ajay Patra, a member of the Kalinga Network Programme for HIV Positive People.
( HT; Pg: 5; 7/8/07
Hiroshima day remembrance
Mumbai: NSS Units of SNDT & Mumbai University, Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal and Hindustani Prachar Sabha organized a Peace Rally to commemorate Hiroshima Day. About 2500 students from 65 colleges, social activists, peace loving citizens in the city were participated in the Peace Rally today to mark the anniversary of the devastation of Hiroshima with a deadly atomic attack by America during World War II & to join hands with the people of the world to make a nuclear-free world.
The Peace March started from Azad Maidan and concluded at Hutatma Chowk where a Pledge were taken by 2000 participants to work for peace & a nuclear-free world. The students were carrying Placards and Banners depicting slogans like “No More Hiroshima”, and “We want bread, not bombs”.

Ek sau awaaz
Delhi: On Aug. 8 , at 4.30 p.m., the 100th episode of Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz.was aired on 102.6 AIR FM Rainbow India .Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz is a community radio programme initiated by OneWorld South Asia.
Initiated in 2004, Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz has enabled over 2,000 grassroots broadcasters – Ek Duniya Fellows – to write their own scripts, give their own voices and produce their own programmes on the MDGs and other pertinent social issues. Participating NGOs from Delhi , Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Orissa have used the radio as a medium to empower the people they work with.
Through this community radio programme, participants develop their understanding on MDG-related issues and learn the technical know-how of radio production. They also learn how to disseminate these recorded stories through listeners’ clubs, community volunteers and mainstream broadcasting. OWSA’s audio studio in New Delhi also provides free facilities to NGOs and local communities to produce their shows on development issues. Contact Geetha N Bhardwaj,OneWorld South Asia, C 5 Qutab InstitutionalArea New Delhi. Tel: +91-11-41689000 Mobile: 0 98105 48262
http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/frontpage/158/1792
Through the TV screen
‘Through the Looking Glass’ is a new show on CNBC-TV18 that celebrates the power and artistry of documentary films by giving the marginal voices of documentary filmmakers a space through which they can reach out to a larger audience.
To find out more about this show.http://www.ttlg-cnbc.blogspot.com / or call Tara MisraTV 18

Lepchas in Sikkim oppose hydel project
Sikkim: Local communities are opposing a set of hydel projects planned in Sikkim that threaten homes, livelihoods and the local economies. Not surprisingly, though, the government continues without taking into account people's concerns.
Dzongu is a reserved area in North Sikkim for the Lepchas, the indigenous people of Sikkim. The government has decided to build six hydel dams in the area under the 1200MW Teesta III project, one of which lies within one kilometre of the Khangchendzonga National Park. The proposed dams will have devastating effects in the region which is a bio-diversity hotspot with many species of rare flora and fauna. The lives of the Lepcha communities are intricately woven into ecology around them.

In spite of the opposition by the people of Dzongu at the Public Hearings, the government is pushing ahead with their plans. Fearing the destruction of their communities and way of life, members of Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) launched an indefinite hunger strike to make their voices heard which started on 20th June 20, 2007.
Various communities, groups and individuals around the world are writing to the government demanding it recognize the rights of the people in formulating development policies – Check www. thesouthasian.org to sign the petition. Vibha Arora, D.Phil (Oxon)http://web.iitd.ac.in/~aurora/ tel:011-26591381

The Broadcasting Regulatory Bill
From the Alternate Law Forum: “We are of the opinion that the Broadcasting Regulatory Bill in its current form may have adverse impacts on democratic processes and the free functioning of media and does little to ensure that citizens have access to better and diverse information. The Bill as it now stands, will give the Government the power to censor almost anything it arbitrarily deems undesirable with out checks and balances.

The Bill, for instance, gives too overarching a role for the Central Government, from laying down policy, to nominating/selecting members of the BRAI, and the Public Service Broadcasting Council. The identity, as well as division of responsibility, and labour between the Central Government, the Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) is not clear.

There is no evidence of any intention to set up an independent autonomous, professionally competent, regulatory organization in the Broadcast sector. The Bill provides for a negligible role for the public and civil society organisations though the bill is being drafted in the name of the public. The Bill provides for a Public Service Broadcasting Council, but it is the Government which decides "from time to time" what obligations public service broadcasters should follow.

The Bill also cursorily touches upon the topic of cross-media restrictions on ownership.The Content Certification Rules, 2007 explores new ground in the Broadcasting sector by proposing self-regulation. The Content Code lays down guidelines for what type of programmes are allowed to be broadcast based on detailed but illogical categorizations. A submission from Alternative Law Forum, No 4, 3rd Cross, 8th Main, Vasant Nagar, Bangalore Tel 080-22356845

NGO Mela for World Elders Day
Mumbai : On the occasion of World Elders Day Oct. 1, FWA is planning an ‘NGO Mela’ for three days, for the senior citizens and their care givers.
10,000 senior citizens and their family members are expected. The aim is to make people aware of services available for them at various NGOs scattered all over Mumbai. Free health , eye check,diabetic check up and dental check up camps are proposed to be held on Oct. 26,27,28 at ‘Palamkote Hall’, Near Five Gardens at Wadala (W), Mumbai. The Family Welfare Agency (FWA) located at BDD chawls, Lower Parel, is working on three projects for the elderly:

a) Multi service center – Need based health and cultural services used by 200
b) Networking in the area of services for senior citizens in the city of Mumbai with developmental perspective.
c) Home based care for the home bound elderly in collaboration with LTMG Hospital.A team of expert doctors, along with agency’s staff, visit the patients in the community, once every fortnight.

FWA has taken the initiative in networking with organizations that work with senior citizens, in the city of Mumbai, They have published a directory, with maps and information about organization and services for the elderly. Networking NGOs and hospitals are FWA, Shri Manav Sewa Sangh, Alzheimers and related diseases society of India, Aditya jyot eye research institute, Sion senior citizens association, Nandadip senior citizens association, Five gardens senior citizens association, LTMG hospital, Community outreach programme, Society for health and environment. FWA, Dharavi center, in collaboration with Shri Manav Sewa Sangh successfully started free legal aid cell, Helpline.
For info re stalls etc. email tfwas@yahoo.co.in or rbingole@yahoo.com. or The Family Welfare Agency:Tel. 24015150 (O), 9833406288(M)

No sex please, we’re Indian
Statement by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shri M.A.A. Fatmi as a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Ministry of Human Resource Development in collaboration with National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), has launched Adolescence Education Programmme which is meant for secondary and higher secondary classes with the objective to empower the adolescent population to make informed choices and develop life skills for addressing psychological, social and health concerns.

According to information received by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), State government of Gujarat has decided not to implement Adolescence Education Programme, and the State Government of Kerala has decided to review the content of the programme. The State Government of Maharashtra is in the process of reviewing the content of the programme. The State Government of Rajasthan has informed that it has decided not to implement the programme in its present form.

Reasons for refusal are not uniform, but the main cause for opposition has been some of the material for use under the Programmme.

(c): Before introduction of Adolescence Education Programme, A National seminar involving various stakeholders including experts, educationists, State Govt. representatives, teachers, parents and the adolescent was held to elicit opinion. These were followed by regional seminars.

Short Say Home for PLHIV
Patna: A short stay home is soon going to be opened at Patna (from 1st July 2007). This will be run & managed by Bihar Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS Society (BNP+), the State level network of INP+. The Bihar State AIDS Control Society, Patna and the staff members of UNDP TAHA Project, Bihar will provide technical support to run this Home.

The UNDP TAHA Project (SPMU, Bihar) has conceived this idea and dedicatedly funded it in the service of poor patients who are coming from remote villages, and have to stay at Patna for 3-4 days for treatment purposes in ART Center at PMCH.

Since the facilities in the home is cost free, hence the financial burden related for boarding & lodging of the patients will be eased .

The facilities available Free of Cost are –

1. Free boarding & lodging
2. Free Counseling
3. Referral Facilities
4. Testing & Treatment Related services
5. 24 hour information Helpline facility. (TollFree No.1800 180 1000)
Rajesh" e-mail: <rajs_xiss@yahoo.com>Shor ttay home: E.mail - bnp_resu@yahoo.com rajneeshresu@yahoo.co.in

SUCCESS! GERC Accepts CERS Proposals,
The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) accepted two major proposals of Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), Ahmedabad, while issuing its order on 31 July 2007 on the proposed revision in tariff. CERS had proposed that separate tariffs for Ahmedabad and Surat should continue, and unscheduled interchange (UI) charges should not be included in the fuel price and power purchase adjustment (FPPPA) formula.
CERS also welcomed the GERC’s refusal of any revision in tariff, as had been demanded by Torrent Power Ltd. (TPL), for 2007-’08. The GERC also rejected the FPPPA formula submitted by the TPL. Contact:Consumer education and research society
"Suraksha Sankool", Thaltej, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, Ahmedabad 380 054
Phone: 079-27489945-46, 30121001-2-3 Fax: 079-27489947 Email: cerc@cercindia.org Hospices for HIV Positive Women.

New Delhi. Renuka Choudhry, minister in charge of women's affairs announced that the government is planning to set up hospices for HIV positive women., "We plan to start hospices in villages for those women who are thrown out of their homes due to their HIV positive status. These women will be provided training so that they could be self-reliant."

The hospices would be in villages so that the community takes care of the HIVpositive women and their children, she said a couple of days ago in New Delhi,while launching National Women Forum, the women’s wing of the Indian Network of People Living with HIV..

Chowdhury also called upon women not to be embarassed about keeping condoms handy."Men cannot be trusted. A woman should not feel shy about keeping Condoms with her.She is equally responsible for her health and she should be prepared
for any kind of eventuality. Women are always more vulnerable," she noted.

She also stressed that condoms were not for family planning, but meant as protection against sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. She also made a forceful plea for sex education in schools and denounced those opposing the idea as hypocrites.

Beej Bachao Andolan
Garhwal: After the so-called success of the green revolution, High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds were introduced all over the country and cash-crop driven agriculture replaced traditional farming.

Slowly, crop yields of the HYV started becoming less in Garhwal, while soil fertility was declining and dependence on toxic chemicals was increasing. The ecosystem was also severely damaged. As a result, Chipko activist and a local farmer, Vijay Jardhari, and other activists from Jardhargaon and nearby areas of Tehri Garhwal, formed the Beej Bachao Abhiyan, later re-named as Beej Bachao Andolan (BBA), to revive traditional farming methods and rejuvenate agriculture diversity. The aim was to create awareness about 'modern but destructive' agricultural practices, search and conserve indigenous seeds and promote traditional and sustainable farming.

Says Jardhari. "It was an easy choice to discontinue the cultivation of chemical-dependent seeds, but we were shocked to find only two varieties of local paddy available in my village." This shocking realisation was followed by long arduous treks or food marches to distant villages to look for local, traditional, and diverse seeds. These yatras also became occasions for cultural re-assertion, reciting folk stories, re-thinking oral traditions, poems, songs and reviving collective wisdom.
Now BBA, a non-formal collective of farmers and activists, is spread all over Uttaranchal. The andolan is responsible for producing over 200 varieties of rajma, over 350 varieties of rice ,about 30-35 varieties of wheat, varieties of millet, soyabeen, corn, horsegram, lobia,etc.
The movement has also promoted the use of traditional farming method called 'baranaja' whereby 12 crops are grown simultaneously in the same field. This unique method provides a security against drought and crop failure.

SUCCESS: Management for rural women
Rural women of Maharashtra, many of them illiterate, can now look forward to a business school education for running a small business enterprise. A first of its kind, Mhaswad-based Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank, a cooperative bank for women and run by women in the Satara district of Maharashtra has formed a business school for rural women, Mann Deshi Udyogini. Formed in association with HSBC Bank - which provided a grant of Rs.7 lakhs for the establishment of the school, under RBI guidelines for financial institutions to provide small funds available to the poor - Udyogini's aim is to empower rural women with knowledge of how to run small enterprises - bag-making, a wada-pav vending, and goat-rearing - through its programmes.
"We are addressing the needs to two groups of women: first, those who are beyond 25 years of age and have completed their family obligations, and would like to do something; the second group consists of younger girls, who might have dropped out after higher secondary schooling. The 18 courses at the business school are of varying lengths - ranging from one week to three months - and cover technical skills, financial literacy, marketing skills and confidence building. The school does not provide any placement opportunities for those trained to work through its programmes, or marketing products made by its graduates. But, Sinha says that they are alert to opportunities that exist for their graduates, and the courses are selected with these in mind. For instance, since there are a number of hospitals in the region, finding employment for the hospital helpers shouldn't be a problem.
Gradually, an environment of entrepreneurship is being strengthened around the business school. The institution plans to expand its operations throughout western Maharashtra in stages.

SUCCESS: Water conservation-rural style
A homestead home at Onnikere, 20 km from Sirsi , 400 km from Bangalore, is also called 'banavasi Onnikere', or 'forest dweller', “We spent the first year on acquiring know-how," says Ananda, "and we planned the next year in doing plots." By 2006, the community had covered 400 acres in plots with about 1500 trenches approximately 20 ft apart on higher slopes. It is in turning this water-scarcity and soil-degradation situation into one of regeneration that the two areca farmers of Onnikere, Ganapathy Dattatreya Hegde and his brother-in-law Ananda Subbray Pratakahal have become community leaders, workhorses and heroes, all in one.
Their story of water-conservation is one of trial and error, started in 2001. In May 2003, the water-level in one well in the village was 3.1 feet. This increased gradually to 4.3 feet at the same day and month in 2004, became 5.7 feet in May 2005 and by May 2007, the water-table in the wells reached 8.8 feet. And what a regeneration has happened in Onnikere! The three natural lakes within betta lands at Onnikere have filled up to host o water-birds and geese coming in to roost in the evening light. Flash floods that happened each year, even with just five cms of rain because of the lack of soil cover have already been arrested. Word of Onnikere's water-wealth has now spread and others are coming in to see what the community has been doing. One community of villages near Kalawe and Gubbigadde in the same taluk have also begun similar rainwater conservation measures.

OBIT---vipula kadri and Jeroo khan
It is with profound sadness that we heard of the death of a good friend of Shakti and NGOConnect- Jeroo Khan. One of the most brilliant and innovative fund-raisers in the country, Jeroo worked ceaselessly and undauntingly for Cancer patients and for the National Association of the Blind. She roped in celebrities from every field to support her cause and her sincerity and dedication convinced them to support her. Jeroo died of a heart attack in Bangalore where she was visiting on July 19th. For one who never believed in resting, RIP.

OBITUARY: Dr Muana, who passed away in July, was a well known Social Worker, actively involved in curbing drug use and with HIV/AIDS related issues in the world was one of the pioneers of Harm Reduction approach and strategies in the country.After working for more than 20 years at Govt health set ups, he started his work in the field of drugs and HIV/AIDS in the year 1995 after taking voluntary retirement from the government service and began SHALOM. Born on 17 March 1994, he came to Manipur in the year 1959 He joined the government service in 1971 and was posted at various nooks and corners of Manipur The funeral service was conducted on July 8 with more than 39 organisations and individual from various background and expertise attended the ceremony.NEIHRNImphal West, Manipur Phone : 91-0385-2413850Mobile : +919862027734
Email : dodonamaram@yahoo.co.in, dodonamaram@gmail.com
_._,_.___
“I am really sad to inform you that Prakash Kardaley,- one of the doyens of the RTI movement in India,- expired at Pune. Prakash had been pursuing RTI and other causes since many years, and to people like me he was a father figure. A large number of journalists were trained under his guidance when he was Pune Editor for Indian Express.
The largest and most respected and active egroup on RTI,- Humajanenge, - was a one- man effort of Prakash. He was around 63 years. His demise by a massive heart attack is a huge loss to the RTI campaign. The best tribute to him will be ensuring RTI delivers its promise.” Shailesh Gandhi shaileshgan@gmail.com

NABARD goes VATD way
On the occasion of NABARD's Silver Jubilee year, an ambitious programme of Village Adoption and Total Development (VATD) scheme is planned for integrated and holistic development. One village in each of the 400 districts with DDMs, will be adopted. In addition, the Lead Bank of the respective district will also be requested to adopt 2/3 villages. Development plans will encompass preparation and implementation of social and economic infrastructure plans for achieving 100% financial inclusion. It will entail, among other things, debt counseling, financial education, centre for information on prices, seed replacement, testing and quality certification, extension practices, deepening of SHGs etc. Financial education and counseling, credit counseling and debt counseling are extremely important for the villagers www.nabard.org/newsletter/newsletter.asp

Rehab for PLHIV
Bihar: YATHARTH is working in Bhojpur district of Bihar in India. Presently we are working in rural as well as urban area. We are working in HIV/AIDS sector since 4 years. We are keenly interested to give them support for livelihood. We have experienced street play team & musical team.We are using them to generate awareness among the community on different topics.

We have a donor, who is ready to give 16,000 sqft.land for construction a hostel for their rehabilitation & capacity building for livelihood.

Bhaskar MishraSecretary, YatharthPakri, Ara, Bhojpur, Bihar.802301mob.- 9431452579
e-mail: <yatharth_ara11@sify.com>

Data for child abuse
Delhi: The growing need for a proper data base for child abuse, child prostitution, street children etc was acknowledged at the second meeting of the state-level consortium of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) for child protection, organized in the state capital Over 30 NGOs from all over the state discussed the need to have a comprehensive state-level Child Protection Policy. The various issues that got the nod for inclusion in the agendaincluded rehabilitation programmes for children, a child tracking mechanism to ensure proper protection, the creation of a safety net for children who are vulnerable, sharing of data within various departments of the state etc.

One of the presentations at the meeting highlighted the absence of estimated data on child trafficking or child abuse and record keeping before the Nithari incident. The only data available is of 719 children missing since 2006. The meeting was also informed that child labour in Uttar Pradesh constituted around 20 per cent of child labour in the country as a whole, but still no concrete action has been taken.

University of Lucknow organisied a two day conference and exhibition on `Safe and affordable technologies for household water
purification and their management' on June 28, 2007 at CMS auditorium in Gomtinagar.The conference is sponsored by Technology Systems Group, department ofscience and technology (DST). Discussions about latest technologies for safe and affordable water to Indian citizens would be major theme.

Public Disclosure Bill to be introduced soon
Mumbai: The state urban development department introduced the landmark Public Disclosure Bill during the monsoon session of the assembly, Maharashtra will become the first state in the country to have such a law, which makes it compulsory for local bodies like the BMC to disclose information on their spending and decisions. Passing the Bill is one of the mandatory reforms which states must undertake to avail of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) funds.. The model act drafted by the centre makes it mandatory for civic corporations to reveal their medium term fiscal plans and status reports of their works to residents through the media, advertisements or posters. "It includes details on working of staff, important decisions taken by committees like the Standing Committee and Improvements Committee and funding,'' a senior official in the urban development department told TOI. The BMC, with an annual budget of Rs 12,000 cr, has already begun the process of declaring its quarterly budget spending. The first disclosure was made last year and was for a six month period. While civic activists welcomed any step towards greater accountability, they said the devil lay in the implementation. “We can keep having new laws which will make us look good at international conferences, but the important thing is for these to actually be read and used,'' Sailesh Gandhi, RTI activist noted

SHIS gets Star at the first sitting
Year 2007 is remarkable for SHIS Sishu Bikash Academy. In this year, the first batch of students sat for Madhyamik (High School final) examination.. Of the ten students appeared at the examination, 3 scored first division and 7 scored second division marks. On 19-21 May, 2007 a three day seminar cum workshop was held at Pathar Pratima, Kakdweep and Namkhana on the treatment of diseases by Ayurvedic medicine and role of SHIS Ayurvedic Center in manufacturing those medicines at very low cost for the poor people of Sunderbans. 56 local medical practitioners and hundreds of villagers attended the workshop and appreciated the role of SHIS Ayurvedic center for the service to the poor villagers.
An eye camp was organized by Nabadisha Welfare Trust in association with SHIS Eye Care Hospital at Aminpur Market of 24 Parganas North on Sunday, the 20th May, 2007. 324 patients were examined and 72 went eye micro surgery by the doctors of SHIS Eye Care Hospital, on this day.

Rural hospital for Gwalior
A 30 bedded rural hospital with OPDs and primary care facilities including basic investigations in Snehalaya Campus was inaugurated on 23rd Aug. on the occasion of the annual day celebrations of Snehalaya , village Sikroda, Gwalior In addition to residents in Snehalaya,these facilities will cater for much needed services there forthe people from surrounding villages as not available at present. Gwalior Childrens Hospital Charity in association with Gwalior Health and Education Society, Snehalaya and Gwalior Hospital and Education Charitable Trust is not just a Childrens hospital but it includes hospital for children and women, a general hospital, eye centre, physiotherapy centre, dental centre, hospice for children with HIV, mobile hospital,rural health clinics, schools and Orphanages including “Snehalaya a care home fordisabled and destitute children, homeless women and the aged,including a school for special needs, multi-sensory room andvocational training centre spread out in an area of 15 acres www.helpchildrenofindia.org.uk Dr.B.K.Sharma,Email: Gwalior.Hospital@care4free.net

Nutrition programme in UP
Lucknow,: Care, working towards reducing malnutrition in the state, on july 12, launched its Integrated Nutrition Health Programme The programme will be coordinated at the district level by Vatsalya.

Shubhra Trivedi of Care said that the programme has already completed two phases in 12 districts of Central UP, where it had the support of the ICDS department of the state government. "We are targetting children between 0 to 3 years, who are suffering from malnutrition. We aim to train not just the anganwadi workers and mothers of new-borns, but also ensure that the children get proper nutritional support and regular checkups," Trivedi said. The programme for Lucknow district was launched at the CMO office,where those present included Chief medical officer Dr AK Shukla, Regional Manager for Care Anupam Raizada and Dr Neelam Singh fromVatsalya.

Viva aviva!
Rajnish Virmani, chief executive officer, Aviva Global Services (AGS) announced on July 13 that his company would commit € ¦£50,000 (Rs41 lakh) for the education of underprivileged school children.
The company will set up four schools and 12 education centres across the city, in collaboration with Akanksha, While the likes of the Tata Group have been involved in projects related to Aviva has been working with Akanksha and 11 other nongovernmental
organizations on an informal basis for over a year now, but Virmani says he decided to stop spreading the available resources too thin and focus on just one project that would make a difference. "I think education is the single most important thing that will change people's lives and that is why we decided to tie up with Akanksha," he says. Aviva will contribute funds and volunteers from their employees for running the education centres. Aviva will work out a flexible schedule for employees who want to help out at the schools in any capacity from teaching mathematics, science and English to just painting the walls or keeping their books, he said " EMAIL sudha.m@livemint.com

More than just music
Weaves of genres and blend of melodies swayed the crowd in the concert by Artistes Unlimited at Siri Fort auditorium on friday. It marked the release of the band's debut album 'En route'.
From classical to jazz to rock, Artistes Unlimited(AU) has been experimenting insatiably on an array of music genres with artists who hail from multifarious professions.'Trying different genres helps us to explore music and we look forward to much more experimentation in the future', spoke Annette,the director of AU.
After supporting Tsunami relief, Indo-Pak peace initiatives,etc., Artistes Unlimited has collaborated with the Naz Foundation(India) Trust, which is a Delhi based NGO that is actively involved with issues related to HIV/AIDS and sexual health. 'The concert is a great way to spread awareness amongst the youth about the discrimination that people living with HIV have to face', remarked Anuradha,the Programs Manager,Naz foundation. As part of their awareness programme Naz Foundation put up information stalls at the concert venue. A part of the proceedings generated from the sales of CDs and tickets at the concert would be forwarded to the care home at Naz.

Sex workers to turn cab drivers
Chennai: As many as 26 women from underprivileged sections of society including sex workers, embarked on a new profession as cab drivers in the city on Saturday as a part of an alternative livelihood Programme pioneered by Indira Peer Educators Collective (IFPEC).

A wing of the Indian Community Welfare Organization the IFPEC is helping the women take up the new profession with the help of India Positive Network.

Thirty six year old Mathura, (name changed), a victim of trafficking said, ". Initially I was afraid of the traffic on the road but now I am confident and do not think it's a man's job,' she said. A.J.Hariharan, (ICWO) said the choice of alternative livelihood was entirely y theirs. "As many may not have passed high school the women came up with many alternative livelihoods. Car driving was the most prominent among them," he said.

Mr.Hariharan said to their surprise many travel agencies wanted women car drivers, Source: (deccan chronicle, chennai , 24th june 2007)

No to Reliance
Seventeen farmers and activists from twenty four villages in Raigad District of Maharashtra have gone on indefinite fast since 19 July 2007. This is a symbolic non-violent struggle against the unabated land acquisition by the Reliance group for their 10,000-hectare-plus Maha-Mumbai SEZ (special economic zone).
The protest fast has been undertaken to demand withdrawal of Notification section 6 pertaining to land acquisition for SEZ projects which has not happened in spite of Maharashtra Chief Minister's public statements to this effect.
Women farmers and activists are on the forefront of the struggle and more than 50% of those sitting on the fast are women at the Tehsil headquarters in Pen (Raigad district).
Local Officials who met the farmers today spoke to activists Anant Patil and Ulka Mahajan who have demanded suspension of the corrupt Talati instrumental in fake sale deals for the SEZ. Activists also informed the official that top level Reliance officials in cohort with local agents have been involved in fake land acquisition.
Supports and solidarity groups are flooding the struggle Contact: 24 Gaon Sangharsh Samiti and NAPM.

SUCCESS: Using the Dom. Viol. Act
Lucknow,: The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDV) has started showing its effect in Lucknow. More and more women in distress now want to move the special court set up in April this year for dealing with the cases under this Act.
Social organisations have also started coming forward to help the women, though they feel a lot more needs to be done for successful implementation of the Act.

Since April, the special court has given interim relief in three cases, while it is hearing seven others. The Association for Advocacy of Legal Initiatives (AALI) recently got two cases settled at the interim level in the special court. The court ensured that the victims got speedy justice and were not rendered homeless.

Another assuring factor for the women is that they are getting justice in time. Suraksha, an organisation working for the women who are victims of domestic violence, too, is planning to take three of their cases in family court to the special PWDV court to ensure quick justice.

So far, four-odd cases have been transferred from the family court to the special court. According to the NGOs, there is a need to generate more awareness about the Domestic Violence Act and the special court. They say people don't know who is the protection officer for the state or how can an individual approach the court.

The PWDV court came in handy. "The family court deals onlywith marital problems, but the Act gives support to the women," shesaid.

PEOPLE -
Rajan Agarwal has joined NAMI- Gurgaon. From now onwards he will handle NAMI – GURGAON office.His mail ID would be agarwraj@rediffmail.com and contact number is 9910353070 and his address is Rajan Agarwal 1107 amaruti vihar
gurgaonharyana122001

Lucknow:: New office bearers of the State Women's Commission,Chairperson Abha Agnihotri and Vice-Chairpersons Namrata Pathak and Sunita Devi formally took over their offices on July 2..Seventeen is the maximum strength ever of the commission.

Measuring backwardness:

A complete list of 447 districts ranked on their backwardness as defined by the Planning Commission. This list is referred for
selecting districts for development programmes like the NREGA and the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) .

The Planning Commission, in consultation with the Union ministry of Rural Development, has ranked 447 districts of the country on an index of backwardness. In its May 2003 report, the `Task force on identification of districts for wage and self employment programmes' had selected three variables for computing the index of backwardness. These were: agricultural productivity per worker, agricultural wage rate and schedule caste (SC)/schedule tribe (ST) population.

The Planning Commission confined the ranking to 447 districts, and used data on agricultural productivity from 17 states. The task force did not include urban agglomerates of over one million population as per the 2001 census, and state capitals. Both distributional and economic parameters were used for ranking the districts. The SC/ST population was a distributional parameter, while output per agricultural workers and agricultural wages represented average income level parameters.

The lower the index value, the more backward the district. To download the ranking of 447 districts on Index
of Backwardness http://www.cseindia.org/programme/ nrml/pdf/district-ranking.pdf

A ‘ reserved’ seat
The decision taken by Punjab University to reserve one seat in every
department for HIV or cancer patients is an eye opener for everyone to remove the stigma of the afflicted people. We should appreciate such challenging and encouraging step/initiative taken by the Vice Chancellor of the University.

HIV care centre
Sangli Mission Society, by analyzing the immediate need of the area, is going to start a care centre in Miraj, Sangli Dt. for poor and abandoned HIV/AIDS patients. This centre will be functioning as short stay home for the patients who are on ART and palliative care for the destitute. The centre was inaugurated on 28th July 2007 in Darga Mahoallah, Amannagar, Malgaon Road, Miraj, Sangli. Fr. Sabu Mathew, Dilasa HIV/AIDS Counseling Centre Miraj,Sangli, Maharashtra
0231-2225757, 09420678520,e-mail: <smsdilasa@yahoo.com>

Some moré data
Data collected in 2005 by the National Human Rights Commission has revealed that out of every 100 women trafficked in India, 26 are from Uttar Pradesh. This finding is seconded by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Majority of
the victims remain untraceable and those who are rescued live to narrate horrific tales of abuse. Unfortunately, even though the Government has set up posts to check trafficking and has alerted the border police, the business runs profitably," said Sunil Singh of Rahi Foundation, that works towards creating awareness about trafficking and AIDS. Rishikant of Shaktivahini, an NGO working specially to help rescued women across the country, said the state does not offer any help.

Agitation against CZM gathers strength
Kerala: The Central Government's continuing move to implement the Costal Zone Management (CZM) will destroy the traditional rights and privileges of the fishing community violating the Coastal Zone Regulation Act of 1991, according to activists. The agitation is generating wider response under the `National Campaign Against CZM Notification' while the coastal community has decided to intensify the agitations.

As part of the campaign, the Kerala Campaign Committee Against CZM conducted a seminar on the topic 'CZM and Fish workers' July 23. From August 1 to 8, 2007, a vehicle campaign was conducted in the districts of Trivandrum, Kollam, Ernakulam and Calicut. During the campaign, a documentary film directed by K P Sasi – 'Resisting Coastal Invasion' was screened.

On August 9th,, protests initiated by the National Campaign Against CZM Notification were organized in different parts of the country. Contact email: peter.ksmtf@gmail.com

Visakha discussion
It will be ten years 0n the 13th August 2007 since the Supreme Court of India gave the Vishakha judgement. The Supreme Court of India, for the first time acknowledged the existence of sexual harassment at workplace, and the need for in house complaints mechanism for the same. Indian government is going to come up with the first ever law aimed at stopping sexual harassment and provide minimum protection to women joining the workforce of its booming economy.

To discuss status of implementation of the Vishakha guidelines and create awareness among people about the issue of sexual harassment at workplaces and education institutions a public meeting to spread this message was held on 13th August 2007 by the Campaign Against Sexual Harassment, ICHRL, Mumbai at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh. An outreach campaign in buses, trains, colleges and other public places from Aug 13-18th August will also start. Contact: 23439651 or 23436692; 9869661721 (Anagha)

Videos in the community
Ahmedabad: A truck driver, a labourer are using the power of visuals to bring social change in their neighbourhoold. With the help of the Community Video Unit of Drishti , seven of them are producing episodes on social issues for television. Drishti has been working with local NGOs to set up video units and train local youth in video film making. At present six units consisting of 40 producers in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and AP with NGOs--Akshara, Saath, Navsarjan, Dappu, Laya, Yuva and Janvikas
The Navsarjan Trusts, Manjula Pradeep said they had videos on issues like inequality, social justice and unemployment while working with Dalit upliftment. Video Volunteers, a USA based organization spearheading the movement plan to launch community video units in TN, Maharastra, Rajasthan and UP by Nov. Drishtiis also rolling out four education CVUs-‘Video Shala” by year-end. (Business standard, pg. 13, Aug 17)

Sponsoring mothers
Kolkata: Working in eight districts of West Bengal, CINI (The Child In Need Institute) runs its intervention programmes by supporting poor mothers and children through sponsorships. Last month it celebrated the sponsorship of its 500th mother! CINI now plans to expand its activities to Kolkata.

The LABS way
Kashmir: Rural students are being given soft skills and learning spoken English in 90 days through a programme clubbed as “:Livelihood Advancement Business Schools” (LABS) has so far covered one lakh youngsters across the country in six years. Developed by Dr. Reddy’s Foundation and financed by the Ministry of Rural Development, the three-month programme teaches four soft skills: communication, computer, technical and soft skills free.
The programme which started in AP is now active in 13 states.Twenty corporates including HSBC, HDFC, ICICI Outsource, McDOnalds and Java Green subsidise elements of the programme. The programme is now being adapted to suit rural India. Spearheaded by Anuradha Prasad, the programme has been adopted in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia.