In a response, the likes of which we have not seen in the last few decades, both the Government of Uttarakhand and the Government of India responded to Dr. G. D. Agarwal's fast-unto-death protesting planned projects on the Bhagirathi which threaten the perennial flow of the Bhagirathi and the Ganga. Both central and the state governments have suspended work on the three projects and promise the maintenance of the perennial flow of the river under all circumstances. The central government has promised review by a high level committee before any further action.

Dr. Agarwal's fast prompted delegations by two independent groups (who could not be more unlike the other) to meet with state and central governments requesting action. The Alumni Association of IIT Kanpur and All India Associations of Sadhus met with the Central Government while representation was also presented to the Government of Uttarakhand.

Chattisgarh: The combined efforts of several activists, friends, film makers, journalists and organisations put enough pressure on the Chattisgarh police to accept that they did not have any evidence against Ajay TG, who was released from jail on Aug. 5.

Chattisgarh police failed to file the charge sheet against Ajay TG within the mandatory 90 day period. Ajay was therefore granted statutory bail.

The police however have not closed the case. The bail order placed conditions.

Organizations condemned the attempt of the Chattisgarh police to intimidate Ajay TG and keep him in a state of fear and silence. The campaign will continue until the case against Ajay TG is formally closed and Ajay TG's films will be screened all across the country, especially his film 'Anjam ' which is about the life, work and arrest of Dr. Binayak Sen. Contact: Amar Kanwar, Committee for the Release of Ajay TG. Email: releaseajaytg@gmail.com, www.releaseajaytg.in.

A Shia woman solemnising marriage of a Sunni couple....If that was not scandalous enough, the 'nikah' that made Lucknow sit up in disbelief, was to have only women as witnesses.

Twenty-nine year old Naish Hasan, an economics post-graduate and a woman rights activist, made history on August 11 by opting for an all-woman 'nikah' even as 'maulvis' scoffed and scowled in the background.

"Someone has to make a beginning and break the shackles of male dominance in Islam. I have volunteered, "Naish said." I consider myself fortunate for there are not many who can practise what they preach," she added."This is a message I want to send across to young girls and a protest I want to lodge against subjugation of women."

Her pre-conditions were no less unusual."I have told Imran I will not dress up as a traditional bride. There will be no 'vidai'; there will be no 'barat' and no dowry will be given," she says The 'nikahnama' she proudly displayed categorically mentioned that the husband will not have the right to pronounce triple 'talaq' at a sitting and the wife will also have a right to pronounce talaq if she so desired. "My humble attempt to demolish the patriarchal mind set," she smiled. (- Manjari Mishra,ToI)

The India Resource Center confirms that the Coca-Cola company has shut down another bottling plant in India - in Sinhachawar in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh.

A community-led campaign had demanded the closure of the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Sinhachawar because of indiscriminate pollution by the bottling plant as well as illegal occupation of land, said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization that works directly with communities in India to challenge Coca-Cola.

The India Resource Center had led a fact finding team to the plant in June 2007 and found shocking incidences of pollution that were in complete violation of environmental laws and regulations in India.

The bottling plant in Sinhachawar was a Coca-Cola franchisee owned unit operated by the Brindavan Bottlers Limited, In a letter to the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board dated October 27, 2007, Brindavan Bottlers informed the Board about the closure of the plant due to "huge" and "unbearable" financial losses. The letter was dated three days after a major protest at the plant.

"We welcome the official closure of the bottling plant which we had demanded. We will now hold Coca-Cola accountable for the damage they have caused in the area because of their negligence," said Mrs. Chinta Dewi, sarpanch and member of the locally based Coca-Cola Bhagao, Krishi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (Get Rid of Coke, Save Farming Struggle Committee).

Another Coca-Cola bottling plant - in Plachimada in Kerala - has been shut down since March 2004 due to community opposition." …now we will ensure that Coca-Cola bottling plants in Mehdiganj and Kala Dera also meet the same fate," said Nandlal Master of Lok Samiti, a community group challenging Coca-Cola's operations in Mehdiganj, near Varanasi.

The company was forced to agree to an assessment of its bottling operations in India as a result of a sustained international campaign. The assessment, released in January 2008, was a damning indictment of Coca-Cola's water management practices in India. The assessment recommends that Coca-Cola shut down its bottling plant in Kala Dera because the plant contributes significantly to water shortages in the area. For more information,visit www.IndiaResource.org.

Commercial banks have rushed into the hitherto exclusive microfinance territory that has, conservatively, an estimated size of Rs 40,000 crore. What was once the exclusive turf of NABARD and some exclusive venture group capitalists with social intentions, has now become the mantra for all commercial banks and now even the World Bank has given its seal of approval to microfinancing.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had earlier opened microfinance doors to moneylenders by proposing an "interest cap" and "compulsory registration" to encourage competition. Branding them as loan sharks, MFIs have resented their entry in the sector. Regulating the informal lending sector was considered critical as about 30% of all rural household loans come from moneylenders.

While MFIs consider it as trespass, RBI is trying to be historically correct. Aghast at the business strategies employed by a one-time charitable microlender that has become Mexico's most profitable bank, Banco Compartamos, Mohammad Yunus, winner of this year’s Noble prize for his micro-finance campaign in Bangladesh argues, "Microcredit was created to fight the moneylender, and not become one!" However, Mexican MFI Compartamos' Carlos Danel confirms that profits generated through commercial lending enable expansion of services to more borrowers than a donation-dependent charity.

The debate over capitalism's incursion into microlending has the ring of an ideological squabble. Although microfinance was initiated as a tool to release the rural folk from the shackles of usurious money lenders and to give them scope for additional funds through self-help groups, the microfinacing sector has found itself in a bind. Can it continue to give loans to more people at lower interest rates if they have to borrow at higher rates themselves to cater to this demand?
Capitalism has proven irresistible as big lenders, investment bankers, venture capitalists and pension funds grab a piece of the action. Meanwhile, a central assumption on which both the profit seekers and idealists agree-that tiny loans can uplift the poor-is far from an established fact.

But there has been an overly enthusiastic rush to declare micro-lending a success, an optimism that facilitated Yunus' winning the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, most scholarly and journalistic accounts have been far from conclusive in declaring micro-lending successful in poverty alleviation and economic development. Grassroot activists may disagree.

The crux of the argument is that while economic theory suggests micro-lending has benefits, there is no serious evidence that it does. Most of the evidence is at best anecdotal and impressionistic. The argument is that: as long as it comes at decent interest rates and is available to the poor, why should it concern the poor which ideological base credit eventually comes from? --(with excerpts from an article by S. Sudhirendar Sharma, a development analyst and chair of the Ecological Foundation)

New Delhi: Bhopal survivor organisations today celebrated victory after the Government of India announced that it will set up an Empowered Commission on Bhopal, and take legal action on the civil and criminal liabilities of Union Carbide and Dow Chemical. The announcement was made by Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Chemicals & Fertilisesr, at the Bhopal protest site at Jantar Mantar. Survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster and people affected by water contamination near Union Carbide's factory Bhopal had been on strike in New Delhi for the last 130 days.

After the month-long walk and 70-day dharna in Delhi by Bhopalis failed to evoke any response from the Government, 9 Bhopalis launched an indefinite fast lasting 21 days. More than 800 people from at least 10 countries joined them in solidarity by fasting for a day or longer. Diane Wilson, a noted peace and environmental activist from the US, award-winning author of Animal's People Indra Sinha and an environmental activist from Chennai joined the Bhopalis in their indefinite fast. "We have won our demands only after facing undue harassment at the hands of the Government and Delhi Police," the three organizations said International support for the campaign has been massive. Nearly 6000 faxes were sent by supporters to the Prime Minister's office during the campaign. Meanwhile, NRI and other supporters kept the pressure up by demonstrating outside Indian embassies and calling key Indian politicians over phone. Sixteen US congress persons and more than 80 British Members of Parliaments added their voice in support of the Bhopalis' demands, urging the Prime Minister to meet the demands and hold Dow Chemical accountable for the ongoing disaster in Bhopal.

Bhopal's Gen Next has been at the core of the public actions targeting the Government. Bhopali children not only sent letters written in blood to the PM, but also chained themselves to the Prime Minister's house and launched a campaign urging school children to send a heart to the Prime Minister. Contact: Bhopal Gas Peedit,Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh,Bhopal Gas Peedit, Mahila Purush Sangarsh Morcha,Bhopal Group for Information and Action.

Conservation Hero

Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) has selected Shailendra Singh from India as Disney Worldwide's Conservation Hero. He is the first Indian to receive this prestigious award.

Singh presently spearheads the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust/Turtle Survival Alliance's (MCBT/TSA) Fresh-water Turtle Conservation Programme to ensure the future of wild turtles in their natural habitat. He helped develop a small turtle head-starting facility, the Garhaita Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, near Etawah, and a second similar facility at Deori. He also oversaw the production of Batagur kachuga hatchlings and Batagur dhongoka hatchlings from in-situ riverside hatcheries within the National Chambal Sanctuary. The majority of the hatchlings were released into the Chambal River while some were reared at the head-starting facilities. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) was established in 1995 by Walt Disney Attractions. It works to enable global wildlife conservation .Through the DWCF, annual cash awards are distributed to non-profit organizations to protect and study endangered and threatened animals and their habitats. Contact: Centre for Herpetology, MCBT, Post bag No.4, Mamallapuram-603 104, Tamil Nadu. Tel: 044 - 27472447 & 2747 2953. Email: mcbtindia@vsnl.net OR mcbtindia@gmail.com.

Whitley Award for Dr. Deepak Apte

Dr. Deepak Apte of the Bombay Natural History Society was recently awarded the Whitley Conservation Award for his project of Marine conservation and local livelihoods in the Lakshadweep Islands. The project involves harnessing the islanders' expertise to make the marine environment healthier and to improve fish stocks and local livelihoods at the same time. It was focused on the globally endangered giant clam, a species that is also highly sensitive and therefore an important indicator of how climate change or other marine pressures are affecting the reefs in the islands. The project also resulted in the creation of India’s first Marine Conservation Reserve in Agatti Contact: Dr. Deepak Apte, BNHS, Hornbill House, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Mumbai 400 023 Maharashtra. Tel: 022-2821811. Fax: 2837615. Email: bnhs_conservation@vsnl.net.

The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace 2008 was made to former president Nelson Mandela in Durban. The honour will be bestowed in his absence at a function hosted by the Gandhi Development Trust (GDT) and Satyagraha - in pursuit of truth.

Paddy Kearney, a GDT trustee, said that in celebrating Madiba's 90th birthday, he would be honoured as an international figure whose contribution and sacrifice had touched the hearts of millions of South Africans and people across the world. Mandela had said on many occasions that Gandhi had a great influence on him.

"The former president was chosen because of his remarkable peacemaking skills,. Through his negotiated settlement, he brought about peace in South Africa by non-violent means," said Kearney.

The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace was created in 2003 in celebration of the centenary of Gandhi's first newspaper, Indian Opinion. The award is presented to personalities who have contributed towards reconciliation and peace.

Prakash Amte, (son of Baba Amte), and his wife Mandakini Amte have been awarded the 2008 Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership.

"In electing Prakash Amte and Mandakini Amte to receive the 2008 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, the board of trustees recognises their enhancing the capacity of the Madia Gonds to adapt positively in today's India, through healing and teaching and other compassionate interventions, " the board of trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation said while naming the couple for the award.

"Prakash Amte grew up in Anandwan, an ashram and rehabilitation center for lepers in Maharashtra founded by his father, Baba Amte. Prakash was busy with post-graduate surgical studies in Nagpur when Baba Amte called him, in 1974, to take over a new project among the Madia Gonds. In a leap of faith, he and his wife Mandakini abandoned their urban practices and moved to remote Hemalkasa," the citation reads.

Beginning in 1975, SWISSAID provided funds to build and equip a small hospital in Hemalkasa. There Prakash and Mandakini performed surgery and treated malaria, tuberculosis, and dysentery, burns and animal bites. To conform to tribal sensibilities, they placed most of the hospital's facilities out-of-doors, beneath the trees. They charged nothing.

Illiteracy had made the Madia Gonds easy prey for corrupt forest officers and other greedy outsiders. The Amtes helped them assert their rights and intervened to mediate disputes and rid the area of abusive officials. In 1976, they opened a school. The Madia Gonds were reluctant to send their children but, in time, the school prospered and became a center for both academic and vocational education. Prakash and Mandakini's own children were educated there.

The Amtes have used the school at Hemalkasa to introduce the Madia Gonds to settled agriculture-growing vegetables, fruits, and irrigated grains organically-and to encourage them to conserve forest resources. Today, the Amte's hospital has fifty beds, a staff of four doctors, and treats 40,000 patients a year free-of-charge. It is a regional center for mother-child welfare and health education. Its "barefoot doctors" bring first aid to outlying villages. The Amte's school, meanwhile, has grown to five hundred students and is comprehensive. Among its graduates are the Madia Gonds' first doctors and lawyers and teachers as well as officials, office workers, and policemen.

"More than 90 percent of the students have come back to serve in the community, including my sons," says Prakash, reflecting on his and Mandakini's legacy. "Maybe it's the way we have led our lives."

KOLKATA: Prodip Sikdar, a 17-yearold from Kolkata, has become the first visually-challenged person from India to win the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for Young People.

Prodip went to the UK to participate in the awards competition on July 9. Participants from 102 countries including Germany, UK, India, Molta and Spain participated. Pradip was the first and the only visually challenged contestant from India to participate in the programme. Prodip went with a group of 12 participants from India to Swinton near South Yorkshire, where all the participants took part in various kinds of adventure sports and mountaineering activities.

“I started participating in expeditions and adventure sports since I was in Class VII. But things started changing when I first participated in an expedition under the same programme,” an excited Prodip said.
He said it was extremely difficult to climb the steep rocks as it was raining incessantly in the UK during the monsoon. “The rocks were slippery and the co-ordinator’s instructions were in accented English," Prodip said with a smile on his face. “But I managed it somehow."

“My competitors treated me as an equal. I also participated in tree-climbing, rope-walking over river, canoeing and all other activities.,” he added. A student of Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission, Prodip’s father is a carpenter and he lives in a shelter in Howrah run by another blind mountaineer and teacher in the R K Mission, Biswajit Ray.

Theatre

Naujawan-E-Hind is a non-profit theatre group working on social causes like AIDS, drugs, illiteracy, communalism, population, pollution, etc. through the medium of street theatre. Naujawan-E-Hind was established on 24th May 1992 by a group of young students from SIWS College and has had over 4200 performances to their credit. It has organised two national street theatre festivals under the banner “Bol Jamoore”, performed plays for the Indian Navy, the Indian Army, Mumbai Police, CRY, DAIRRC, Nirmala Niketan, Department of Adult Education, Govt of Maharashtra and a host of others. Contact:naujawan_e_hind@rediffmail.com +91 9323932204 (Chinta), +91 9892603229 (Omkar).

TV Show of the Year Award

Kalyani, Doordarshan' s weekly programme on health issues, has been named the News Show of the Year by the Malaria Foundation International (MFI). The programme has been awarded the honour for using creative plays and other means to help and educate the Indian population about malaria and other diseases of major concern in India.

Kalyani is broadcast in nine states, creating health awareness about malaria, tuberculosis, tobacco, reproductive health, sanitation, hygiene and HIV/AIDS. The programme is produced in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Family Welfare and the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO). As a result of the programme, Kalyani Clubs have sprung up in various parts of the country to spread the message of good health. The concept of Kalyani clubs (with membership of local people of the village who watch the programme avidly and strategize on how to implement the health messages) was a crucial part of the communications strategy.

Film Festivals

Film Festival on Culture & Heritage
Will be held in Madurai, in September 25-28, 2008.If you have recently made a documentary, a short fiction film or a television programme on the theme of Culture & Heritage that is ground-breaking in form or content, inventive, challenging or going beyond conventions, deadline for the submission of films is15 Sept 2008. Send the Films with filled in submission forms to:
K. Ranganathan, Coordinator, DHAN Foundation, Centre for Development Communication, Madurai 625 016. Tamil Nadu. Tel.: 0452-4353983 Fax: 0452-2602247.Email: dhanfoundation_ tn@airtelmail.in Website: http://www.dhan. org/dff.

Tri Continental Film Festival, India (January) 2009

Breakthrough, an international human rights organization that uses education and popular culture to promote values of dignity, equality and justice announces the Tri Continental which will tour India and the South Asian region in January-February 2009. During the course of the year, films from the Tri Continental are also screened at universities, cultural institutions, citizens groups as well as general audiences.

If you are a filmmaker who works on human rights issues and wish to submit your film to the Tri Continental Film festival 2009, please send it to us along with the entry form. Forms can be downloaded at www.breakthrough.tv. The Deadline for submissions is 15 September 2008.

Voices from the Waters

The International Film Festival on Water in Bangalore will be held from September 13-18th 2008 at the Jnana Jyoti, Bangalore University City auditorium. Along with the screening of the films, conferences focusing on certain central water issues will be conducted along with various cultural programs, painting and photo exhibitions and 'Water Voices' in which grass-root level water activists will narrate their personal experiences. Voices from the Waters 2008 is a result of the collaboration of a consortium of National and International organizations active in water issues that includes Bangalore Film Society, Arghyam, SVARAJ – Society for Voluntary Action Revitalization and Justice, Bangalore University, Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, Ithaca College, USA (FLEFF) Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, USA, Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, Max Muller Bhavan, Bangalore and Water Journeys - Campaign for Fundamental Right to Water.Contact: Festival Coordinator, Bangalore Tel: +91-80-25493705/ +91-80-9448064513. E-mail: bangalorefilmsociety@gmail.com, Webdite: www.voicesfromthewa ters.com.

The Center for South Asian Studies is showcasing the very best talent in contemporary South Asian filmmaking, and is looking mainly for documentaries of any length, but will also consider feature films. For further information about submissions, please contact Punnu Jaitla at email: punnu@umich.edu.

Chromosome: Gender under the Lens
A two-day Film Festival organised by Jagori on 20th and 21st of September 2008 at Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi, to bring out the nuances of what gender means to us in our daily lives.

The focus of the festival will be the theme of "self and identity" under the overarching theme of gender, showcasing films that raise uncomfortable questions about gender roles and behaviours, and demand answers about what is "normal" and "expected". For details, visit: http://chromosome.org.in/movie. To recommend films, please write in to resource@jagori.org
<mailto: resource@jagori. org> with subject as Chromosome 2008.

Films
Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
Written and Directed by Alex Gibney
110 mins/ USA/ 2005, English

The film is based on the book The Smartest Guys in the Room: the Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron written by Fortune Magazine reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind.

Enron once valued at 70 billion dollars to acquire the position of the seventh largest corporation in the United States of America declares bankruptcy, 20,000 employees lose their job and two billion dollars of pension and retirement funds disappear. Through interviews with executives, stock analysts and ex-employees, we begin to understand the shocking story behind the collapse of the Enron Corporation in arguably corporate America's biggest accounting scam bust. What comes across is a case of intentional corporate fraud - fake accounting practices such as 'mark to market' to continuously inflate profits and conceal losses; creation of phony offshore companies to transfer debts and a sustained media campaign to consistently maintain an illusion of success and profits that would keep the stock prices high. For more information on the film visit: http://www.magpictures.com/profile. <http://en.wikipedia .org>.

Chitti Hatia
52 Mins, Hindi/Punjabi/Urdu (with English subtitles)
Directed by Sharad Sharma
Chitti Hatia, the story of Bittoo Sondhi, a Delhi based biker and his triumph over the unknown. Bittoo's father, at the age of thirteen, migrated to India during the partition. This 52 minute film explores the streets of Rawalpindi, to help Bittoo fulfill his fathers' long cherished dream of revisiting his birth place-a wish which could not be realized till his death. Bittoo however got an opportunity to fulfill his fathers dream. Chitti Hatia is not just a search, but rather a chronicle which talks about partition and a family that was forced to migrate from Pakistan and as well helps to break the stereotypical image of Pakistan.

The Weeping Apple Tree
English, Hindi (With English Subtitles)
28 Mts – Colour– PAL – 2007

The Weeping Apple Tree was awarded UK Environment Film Fellowship in 2005 and was among the first ever film series dealing with the impact of climate change in India. A short version of the film with an introduction by Sir Mark Tully has been screened on Discovery channel several times including on World Environment Day 2006 and 2007.

The Weeping Apple Tree illustrates the complex issue of climate change by focusing on the shifting apple-growing belt in a part of the Himalayan region. Set in Himachal Pradesh, the film also highlights how humans struggle to adapt to forces of global climate change over which they have no control. If climate change is affecting agriculture in even the most pristine part of India what are the implications for rest of the country?

Wonders of Kambalwadi - Errata
The June 2005 issue of NGO Connect had erroneously mentioned that the film 'Wonders of Kambalwadi' is directed by Rajiv Bhat. The film is actually produced and directed by Rajiv Shah and it was telecast on DD National Network. Contact Rajiv Shah, A/2/72Greenfields, Andheri East, Mumbai 400093 Ph 9821144299 (The error is regretted --Ed.)

Apna Aloo Bazaar Becha has won the Golden Deer award (Best Short Film) at the ECOFILMS festival held in Rodos, Greece. This award is a tribute to the struggles of farming communities all over the world that are confronted with uncharted dilemmas in the face of expanding& capitalism, and in particular to the three persons who bared their souls in front of the camera: Bachni Devi, Rajbir Singh & Khem Singh. Nitin Das 98678 04264, www.filmkaar.com.

Love song...
Editing & Direction: Richa Hushing

Is it love or the lack of it? Certain uncertainties... Personal doubts and fears regarding love in relationship.. A fight for freedom and a need to belong... The film is a document of emotions questioning conventional notions of marriage, belonging, sexuality and morality amidst an urban Indian milieu... searching home... richahushing@gmail.com.

Kanchipuram
Produced by Percept Picture Co and 4-Frames,
Dir Priyadarshan, 145-minutes
The film has been selected to be screened at the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival. Shot in Mysore on a limited budget the film exposes Communists while depicting the plight of sari weavers in the temple town, and revolves around a man who wants to present a silk sari to his daughter on her wedding. Kanchipuram, 60 Kms from Chennai, is known for its four centuries old silk trade. It was also a seat of Buddhism, Jainism and Hindu temples for over 2,000 years.

The Lightning Testimonies (Roshan Bayaan)
113 mins, Dir. Amar Kanwar

The film reflects upon the history of conflict in the Indian subcontinent through experiences of sexual violence. As the film explores this violence, multiple submerged narratives emerge , sometimes in people, images and memories, and at other times in objects from nature and everyday life that stand as silent but surviving witnesses.

'Before the Brush Dropped (pix)
35-mm documentary
Directed by Vinod Mankara

This is a film on Raja Ravi Varma. Mankara explained that the diary of Raja Raja Varma, which he could gain access to in Thiruvananthapuram, was a rich source of information. According to Mankara, the profound influence of Parsi theatre in Mumbai, innumerable sketches the artist had drawn while watching the plays and the identity of the models and so on were elaborately discussed in the diary. "Ravi Varma would have been known as a prodigious poet, if he had failed as a painter," averred Mankara, who managed to locate 500 poems written by the artist. According to him, each painting was followed by a poem that is vouched by the works 'Ragamalika' and 'Manasa yathra.'

The film on Raja Ravi Varma appears as a flashback from this painting and hence the relevance of the title.

Sapne (Dreams)
60-70 minutes, Hindi
Every human on Earth nurtures a dream during waking hours and everyone is amused, frightened, flabbergasted by the dreams they see with their eyes shut. Both kinds of dreams play important roles in our lives. What happens when your dreams are shattered? What kind of crazy, weird, more-realistic- than-real dreams do you see when asleep? The things you wanted from life, the dreams that you had seen, have you realized them? Have they changed? Were they forced to change? Did you give them up? There are a million questions. Contact: Raheem Darediya, 91-9739803104, email: mailmashaal@gmail.com Website: www.mashaal. co.in.

Q2P
Documentary, Digital Video, 54 min., English/Hindi, India, 2006*
Producer: PUKAR Director: Paromita Vohra
Who is dreaming up the global city? This documentary peers through the dream of a futuristic Mumbai and finds...public toilets... not enough of them. As this film observes who has to queue to pee, we begin to understand the imagination of gender that underlies the city's shape and the constantly shifting boundaries between public and private space.. In the Museum of Toilets, at a night concert, in a New Delhi "international toilet", in a Bombay slum, we hear the silence that surrounds toilets and sense how similar it is to the silence that surrounds inequality. The toilet becomes a riddle with many answers and some of those answers are questions - about gender, about class, about caste and most of all about space, urban development and the twisted myth of the global metropolis.

Redefining Revolution-
23 min-English.
This film is based in Assam, and the assasination of Sanjay Ghosh by ULFA, while doing developmental work in this strife torn area. Sunil and Jenny continued their mission to help poorest of poor for last 6 years and inspite of violence of terrorist they could bring about the change in the fields of health, income generation. Contact: rajivcshah@yahoo.com.

'Urdu Hai Jiska Naam'
(The Story of Urdu) a documentary Researched and Scripted by Sohail Hashmi, Directed by Subhash Kapoor Ghazals composed by Shubha Mudgal & Dr. Aneesh Pradhan and sung by Shubha Mudgal Produced by Meka Films and Kaamna Prasad. For Public Diplomacy Division Ministry of External Affairs Govt. of India.

The story of Urdu begins many centuries before the arrival of the language itself. This 4 part documentary which includes the Ghazals of Quli Qutub Shah, Meer Taqi Meer, Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

'Dying for the Land'
A Pedestrian Ppictures and Third Eye films production
2008/36 mins/eng sub.

This film captures the adivasi land struggle in Chengara, Kerala. Located in Patnamthitta district, Chengara is witness to 20000 adivasis' occupation of over 2000 acres of land belonging to Harrison Malayalam Company Ltd. For the adivasis who took over this commercial tea plantation land, the occupation is a defiant way to highlight their situation - over the years, plantation companies with the active support of the government have ensured that the adivasis are alienated from land that they once called their homes. Contact: E-mail: info@theatticdelhi.org.

Unnayaner Name (For the sake of development):
Directed by C. Saratchandran Third Eye Films
2007/30 mins/eng sub
A Na Hanyate production
This documentary captures the struggle in Nandigram - a place that has become synonymous with resistance of the people in the face of neo-liberal aggression supported by the Left government of West Bengal. The people in Nandigram were protesting against the forcible acquisition of land for a chemical hub to be built by an Indonesian conglomerate. Through use of extensive live footage and interviews, the film captures the horror that unfolded when the CPM cadres supported by the local police tried to "recapture" their lost base under the pretext of restoring rule of law. Finally the cadres were able to capture Nandigram killing hundreds and injuring many more in the process. Contact: 94480 41063 (Sanjana) or 94483 71389 (Uvaraj) or email pedepics@gmail.com.

BOOKS

The World of the Defenseless
By Helander, Einar
Ahmedabad: Blind People's Association (India),
207p, Indian Edition, 2007, Price Rs. 250 only

"The World of the Defenseless" spreads awareness on the different issues related with the exploitation of children. Child abuse is a proliferating concern for the world's economy. This book addresses the problem with a stepwise prevention programme. The main focus of the book is about the violence experienced by children under the age of 18. It talks about the vast proportions of child neglect confronted by the growing poor child population.

Mail Order: Send payment of Rs. 270 (Price Rs. 250 + postage Rs. 20 as money order, bank draft or core banking cheque in favour of Blind People's Association, Jagdish Patel Chowk, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015 India Tel.(079) 2630 3346 Mobile +91 9327547212 , website: www.bpaindia.org.

The Prophet Muhammad - A Role Model for Muslim Minorities
By Muhammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui
This monograph is a brilliant contribution to the on-going debates about fiqh (Muslim jurisprudence) for Muslim minorities. It provides valuable insights for developing new and more relevant understandings of Islamic jurisprudence in Muslim minority contexts, envisaging the possibility of reconciling Islamic commitment with Muslim minority-ness, an issue that has largely escapade the attention of Islamic scholars but one that has sometimes been, and continues to be, a troubling one for many Muslims living as minorities.

6th 'State of India's Environment' Report on Mining

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi has brought out the 350-page report 'State of India's Environment' report, on mining: Rich Lands, Poor People -- Is Sustainable Mining Possible? Rich Lands, Poor People. For details visit CSE website.

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Islam in Post-Modern World: Prospects and Problems
by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer
159p. Price: Rs.350/-

This book deals with the problems faced by Muslims in the post-modern situation. In other words, the essays given here deals with the changes taking place around us and to help theology to make changes more acceptable. All may not agree with all that is said here nor is it necessary to agree. What is important is to raise questions, not necessary to agree with answers. Questions encourage us to think afresh. To submit without thinking is not faith, it is escape from faith. For copies contact: Hope India Publications, 85, Sector 23, Gurgaon – 122017, Haryana Tel. (0124) 2367308. E-mail: info@hopeindiapublications.com.

AIDSSutra (pix)
335p, Rs 295 (Rs 80 goes to Avahan for AIDS orphans)
An anthology on the virus

The Anthology on HIV/AIDS contains writings of Salman Rushdie, Siddhartha Deb, Kiran Desai, Nikita Lalwani, Vikram Seth, Nalini Jones, Shobhaa De, Sunil Gangopadhyay Amit Chaudhuri, Jaspreet Singh, William Dalrymple, Sonia Faleiro, Mukul Kesavan, Aman Sethi, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi and Ambai. For each copy sold, Rs 80 will go to support children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Muslim Minority: Continuity and Change
by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer
206p, Price: Rs.540/-

This book presents a new and refreshing view on various aspects of Indian life, including Politics, Society, Culture, Islamic Terrorism, Human Rights, Muslim women vis-à-vis Muslim Clergy, Islamic Conversions, Communal Riots, Hindu Politics of BJP, Police vs. Muslims, Indian Democracy and what not. The book is a collection of essays by the author time to time in a free wheeling style. Each and every essay presents a refreshing outlook at the subject with a liberal Muslim point of view. The essays are written on a simple and lucid style. Asghar Ali Engineer is known for his intellectual integrity frankness, and candid outlook. For Copies Gyan Publishing House24, Main Ansari Road, Darya Ganj,New Delhi: - 110 002. Tel. 011-23282060, 23261060 E-mail: books@gyanbooks.com.

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Indian Doctor in Jail: The Story of Binayak Sen, A Report to the Nation by Doctors in Defence of Dr Binayak Sen; Publishers: Doctors in Defence of Dr Binayak Sen, Promila & CoPublishers in association with Bibliophile South Asia, New Delhi and Chicago; 112p; price: Rs 250.*

The Story of Binayak Sen, is a report to the nation in his defence compiled by a group of doctors who have known him and his work and followed his thoughts and actions from a medical student to a public health practitioner to a critic of health policy and a human rights activist. The book has been written specifically because the campaign for his release has overwhelmingly focused on human rights issues. The Chhattisgarh Police has disputed that he is a genuine doctor since no medical equipment was found during the search in his house. Under the façade of healing people, he has been accused of carrying out illegal activities.The book, therefore, showcases his work in public health and his engagement with the Chhattisgarh State in this field. It is essentially an effort to show that his work as a civil rights activist was really an extension of his work as a public health specialist.

Grantline
216p
Projectvision, a Kerala-based NGO has prepared this guide for the benefit of autonomous institutions, NGOs including charitable societies, trusts, educational & training institutions, The The book contains brief description and contact addresses of 1001 international funding agencies It gives useful hints on how to design project proposals for submission to funding agencies.

If any Organisation / individual is interested in its re-printing, PROJECTVISION will permit them for a fee, to print and sell the book to generate funds for them. Write to projectvision@rediffmail.com or write to: Director, Projectvision, Trivandrum-695 005, e-mail: projectvision@rediffmail.com.

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Guide to getting a community radio license
by N Ramakrishnan
Published by Ideosync Media Combine
This is a step-by-step guide for applying for and getting a license to set up a community radio station in India is convoluted. A new publication offers a step-by-step guide to the entire process along with useful information on how and what to prepare before applying.

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Proceedings on Water: Challenges & Solutions.
Published by Center for Media Research & Development (CMRD)
Price: Rs 400/-
This book is helpful to NGO's and social activists who are working in the field of water.To order send bank draft in the name of Center for Media Research & Development, payable at Jaipur, to: Center for Media Research & Development, F-3, Balaji Apartment, A-35, Nemi Nagar, Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur- 30202. Rajasthan Surendra Chaturvedi, Secretary CMRD +91-9828151843 (Mobile).

WILDLIFE

Orang tigers to be camera trapped

Guwahati: A project has been recently launched in the Rajiv Gandhi (Orang) National Park for the documentation of the tigers here through camera trapping in tandem with other methods. The project is being executed by the NGO, Aaranyak, in collaboration with the park authorities. The project’s technical support is from the Wildlife Institute of India, while financial aid has been provided by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, Seaworld Busch Gardens’ Conservation Fund and the US Fish and Wildlife Services.
>>>>The project hopes to identify existing or possible dispersal routes of tigers into and out of the park. The forests of Orang are presently estimated to have about 20 tigers. Contact: Aaranyak, Samanwoy Path (Survey), PO Beltola, Guwahati – 781028, Assam. Tel: 0361-636768 / 266087. Fax: 266087.

Artificial water points in Gir for summer

Gujarat: Forest authorities constructed about 215 artificial waterholes in summer for animals in the Gir forests. The wildlife division sent in a number of tankers to replenish the water-holes, and also kept a watch on the movements of the lion prides in the forests. The NGO, Wildlife Conservation Trust is also said to have constructed 200 similar water points to help the wild animals tide over the dry period. Seven rivers pass through Gir, but they generally dry up during summer. The forests here also have only about 250 watering points to cater to the needs of more than 390 lions, 350 leopards and 40,000 ungulates, including spotted deer, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, and wild boar.

Gir gets award for eco-tourism site

The Gir National Park and Sanctuary has been awarded as the best wildlife and eco-tourism site of 2008. The award follows a survey of frequent upwardly mobile travellers from 12 important cities in the country which was undertaken by a business television channel. The survey was supported and recognised by the central tourism department's Incredible India campaign. Contact: CF (Wildlife) Junagadh, Sardar Bag, Junagadh, Gujarat. Tel: 0285 - 631678/ 630051. Fax: 631211. Email: cfwildlife_ad1@sancharnet.in.

Newsletter on Vembanad

Kerala: The Vembanad Team of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) has initiated a newsletter ‘Vembanad’ that will be dedicated to various issues concerning the Vembanad Lake, one of the important Ramsar sites in Kerala. Contact: Vembanad, ATREE, #659, 5th 'A' Main Road, Hebbal, Bangalore 560 024. Tel: 080-23638771, 23533942, 23530069. Fax: 23530070. Email: vembanad@atree.org Web: www.vembanad.org.

Effort to save dolphins, develop Harike

Punjab: The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature (WWF) India, in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industries – Punjab, has proposed to develop the Harike wetland as a tourism site. A meeting for this was held in Chandigarh in the first week of July, and was attended by representatives from NGOs, the scientific community, industry and government. A six-member core committee to protect the dolphins and develop Harike has been formed to take up related projects.

Contact: Wildlife Warden, Harike Lake WLS, Near Police Station, Harike, Dist. Firozpur, Punjab. Tel: 0181 - 248409
Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab, SC No. 2463-64,Sector 22-C, Chandigarh - 160022.Tel: 0172-2705828(O), 2675661(R). Fax: 2705828.

Violence Against Women Campaign-Nov 25

Mumbai: Women Networking (Mumbai) is organising a campaign against violence against women from 25th November (International Day Against VAW) till 10th December (International Human Rights Day). Campaign which has started preparations, will be undertaken on the following issues of violence against women: domestic violence, violence at work place, violence in public-(society and community), violation of basic rights like right to be born (girl child), right to food, right to education, property, employment and health, which will result in violence in society. Awareness campaign will be held on these issues in schools,colleges, slum communities, hospitals, and general public by means of lectures and discussions, audio-video presentation and discussions, poster exbibitions, films, street play, songs, puppet shows. It will culminate in a peace march on 10th December with the submission of a Memorandum to Mantrayal with the following demands: Women’s desk at police stations; sensitizing programmes for students in schools and colleges as compulsory; strict action and monitoring of PNDT Act and others. Contact: Jaya Menon-9820616760, Email: jaya11200@yahoo.co.in or Lalita Dhara-9819683940.

Sevalaya gets artistic
Chennai: To bring in education in different forms is a great challenge and to make it interesting to children is a bigger challenge. Sevalaya was selected as the Best Institution for Value Based Management by Pegasus Institute of Excellence at a meeting on July 11. A cash award of Rs 3 lakhs was presented to Sevalaya.

Artist Mari Anand came forward to have his select paintings displayed in Sevalaya for a day. This art exhibition was open not only to the children of Sevalaya, but also for all children studying in nearby schools. Mari Anand was personally present to explain each painting and also to answer any questions on art. He had also written small poems for each paintingMr. Mari Anand has offered to donate all his paintings to Sevalaya – at an art exhibition in the city shortly these paintings will be available for sale. The proceeds from this sale will be used for the construction of their second school building.

This program was followed by an invitation by Revathi, noted film star and social activist,to our children, to witness the dance programs organized to celebrate the 70th annual function of Saraswathi Gana Nilayam, of which she is a student. This was a rare chance for the children. There was one more program – a musical discourse, where the artiste intertwined a story with songs E.mail : sevalaya@vsnl.com visit at: www.sevalaya.org Phone Nos. : 9444346699, 9444620286, 9444620289, (044) 26344243.


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New portal for rural India

New Delhi: A multilingual web portal www.undg.in on July 4 by the President, would cover agriculture, primary education, health, rural energy and e-governance. Data on childs rights and girl child education, nutrition, hygiene, common diseases would be available along with agricultural credit, crop insurance schemes, region-specific crop production, dynamic information on market and weather. Visitors can even register for online courses in agriculture!

Scholarships for hearing impaired

Nilam Patel Bahushrut Foundation, a public charitable trust, encourages integration, higher education and equal opportunity by awarding scholarships for college education to hearing impaired students. The scholarships are given at SSC, HSC, Graduate and Post Graduate levels. So far 331 hearing-impaired students of Maharashtra and Gujarat have benefited by the scheme.
Applications for scholarships are invited from Hearing Impaired students who have passed, SSC, HSC, Bachelor's or Master's level examination in any discipline from regular school, college or institution in June 2008. Scholarships are open to students of Maharashtra and Gujarat only. The application forms can be obtained from the foundation's website. www.bahushrutfoundation.org The last date for submitting duly filled form is 31st August 2008.

Balajothi centre for the disabled
Bangalore : Committed to the care and rehabilitation of disabled persons, Balajyothi offers a free 6 months caregiver course' covering various disabilities including m r, m i, visual impairment, hearing impairment, multiple disabilities, learning disability & autism, child growth & development
- *free training (theory & practical)*
- *placement assistance provided*
- *education & age no bar*
- *open to girls & boys*
-- The new batch commenced in July 2008.
call 23541940

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Gandhian peace walk in Australia

A five days long Peace Walk for creating an awareness about Mahatma Gandhi and his message is being organized in Australia during 17th to 21st September 2008. The walk is organized by an Australian Gandhian, Garwin Brown and will start from Caboolture and end at Brisbane. The distance of 73 km will be covered in 5 days. In between, they will interact with school and college students and some media people. Their ‘walking song’ will be ‘Raghupati Raghav…’. People from different parts of the world will join the walk. Three Indians from Parijat Academy will also participate in the event.
http://mgawarenes.blogspot.com/2008/07/peace-walk-caboolture-to-brisbane_15.html

Free Kidney treatment
Tamilnadu Kidney Research Foundation treats all kidney- related problems free of cost.
They even do Dialysis free of cost. For further Details contact: 044 - 28273407 and 28241635.

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Project Green Karnataka by Eco-Watch inaugurated

Bangalore: Eco-Watch, Centre for Environment & Sustainable Development has been working towards improving and protecting the environment and ecology over the last 10 years. Currently Eco-Watch has been working on enriching the green cover in Bangalore and key areas in Northern Karnataka region.
Nearly 400 acres of land belonging to the Government of India, near Doddaballapur has been provided to the centre to undertake the forestry project. This project titled "Green Karnataka" was launched on 12th July at the All India Radio Siper Power Transmission Centre which is the project site. The key objective of the project is to enrich green cover, improve environmental quality and conditions, rejuvenate environmental resources, involve community in project implementation by planting One Million Trees in identified regions of the state. Contact: Akshay HeblikarEco-WatchBangalore Ph:91-80-22453422, 26655070 ecowatch22@gmail.com Web: www.ecowatchindia.Org.

Social Sync are doing NGO websites at very reasonable rates. Contact Akshay Surve +91-9819319609. Swapnesh Dave, +91-9820972486. Email Us: knowmore@socialsync.org.
Visit: www.socialsync.org.

WSF 2009

*The WSF 2009 will happen in Brazil, in the city of Belem, in the state of Para, from January 27th until February 1st. Registrations for organizations and its members, individuals, medias, volunteers and self-organizing activities for WSF 2009 starts in mid-August and will be made only in the website: www.fsm2009amazonia.org.br <http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br /
http: //www.fsm2009amazonia.org.br>

World AIDS Conf in Mexico
India Response to HIV and AIDS: Lessons Learnt was broadcast by satellite on August 6, Speakers:Dr. Anbumani Ramadaoss, Union Minister for Health and FamilyWelfare, Govt. of India Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS,Mr. Ashok Alexander, Director, Avahan India Initiative Mr. Ashok Row Kavi, Consultant MSM and Transgender Desk, UNAIDS, India;Mr. Anand Grover, Lawyers Collective and Ms. K.Sujatha Rao, Additional Secretary and Director General, NACO will moderate the session.

Friends Colony at work

Baroda: The 1st Voluntary Blood Donation Camp by Friends Society for the Year was conducted successfully on July 22nd at Faculty of Science, M.S. University .55 students donated blood, out of which 40 were first time donors. the IInd Voluntary Blood Donation was conducted successfully on 27.07.08 at M.V. Hall (Boys Hostel), M.S. University. 24 students donated blood, out of which 12 were first time donors. With above, we have contributed 79 units to Blood Bank, S.S.G. Hospital in the year 2008-09. The IIInd Voluntary Blood Donation Camp for the Year on 29.07.08 at Architecture College, M.S. University, where 34 students donated blood. The IVth Voluntary Blood Donation Camp was conducted on 03.08.08 at S.D. Hall (Girls Hostel), M.S.University, where 14 students donated blood. In the above 2 camps, more than 50 % students had donated blood for the first time. Vth Voluntary Blood Donation Camp for the Year 2008-09 was conducted successfully on 08.08.08 at M/s. Eclipsys Corporation, where 60 employees donated blood-- 50% of them for the first time. VIth Voluntary Blood Donation Camp for the Year 2008-09 was conducted successfully on 10.08.08 at M.M.Hall (Boys Hostel), M.S.University. 23 students donated blood, out of which 12 were first time donors. With above, we have contributed 210 units to Blood Bank, S.S.G. Hospital in the year 2008-09.

Disability Info line 022 - 26404019/24/43 & 155206
Mumbai: Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Mumbai in the Silver Jubilee Year 2008 Re-dedicates Disability Information Line (24*7 service) to Maharashtra - Goa Dial: 022 - 26404019/24/43 & 155206 for information on causes, prevention, diagnosis, intervention / treatment, aids & appliances, education, employment & Govt. schemes and concessions for persons with disabilities are available through Disability Information Line.
Operator assistance during working hours only. Contact: Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped Mumbai Tel: 26422638/26404170 (Director's Office). Exch. 26400215/26400228. Fax: 91-22-26404170 E-mail: ayjnihh@vsnl.com* Website: www.ayjnihh.nic.in.

RTI
BCAS Foundation is conducting a free clinic by appointment on Right to Information (RTI) on 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. at 7, Jolly Bhavan No.2, New Marine Lines, Mumbai 400020. For appointment contact 66595601-05. www.rtidirectory.in.

Website
The Govt. of India Portal has launched new facilities for online submission of Complaints and 2nd Appeals to the Central Information Commission. The site has been revamped and new facilities have been added. Check http://rti.india.gov.in.

Filing queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act is just a click away. The Central Information Commission (CIC) in India has launched an online system for submission of appeals under RTI.

Now, the applicants will just have to log on to the website of http://www.cic.gov.in/ and click on the 'RTI complaints and appeal' link, which will provide them with an application form.

Shabnam resources teach children about disasters

Chennai: Training vulnerable childrenhow to handle disasters-- natural and man made such as fire, flood and earthquakes, bomb attacks, mob attacks, riots etc were taught during the summer holidays..: how to keep safe in times of fire and earthquakes with mock sessions, and brain storming session where the children shared valuable points like shutting off electrical appliances, cooking gas . keep water ready, preferably fire extinguisher, first aid kit, place the phone numbers of fire brigade, ambulances services legibly written on the prominent eyesight levels.. The first camp for children from broken families, child labour and trafficking was conducted from may 14-19., "michael hubert" 24721379<hubertmr@gmail.com>.

News from ivolunteer
Mumbai: The 4th batch of iVolunteer India Fellow Youth concluded with a 3-day convocation meet in Mumbai. About 50 Fellows aged between 16 year and 23 years, selected from the 4 metros of India spent 6 weeks of their summer vacation volunteering in the rural communities under the guidance of over 25 host NGOs from across India. The Fellows were placed in pairs they were assigned to volunteer for a diverse range of development themes including agriculture, child rights, women, education, environment, health and livelihoods.

The convocation meet was the time for the Fellows to revive memories of their rural lives and gain more insights from other's experiences. They presented their works on various aspects of their assignments, including their learning and contribution to the host NGO. 'Youth as Change Agents', a panel discussion graced by Vimlendu Jha, Contact: 022-26105235 / 65828875 or write an email at mumbai@ivolunteer.in.

LEGAL

Lucknow: State Women Commission and Islamic Centre of India have hailed the state government's decision to give unmarried girls equal right of inheritance in their parents' agricultural land.

Abha Agnihotri, chairperson of State Women's Commission, while terming the state cabinet's decision as `historic', has congratulated chief minister Mayawati on behalf of women of the state. Agnihotri said that this decision of the government besides strengthening women's empowerment would create self reliance among them.

In the same vein, general secretary of Islamic Centre of India and member of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali has welcomed the decision of the Mayawati government to amend section 171 (2) and section 174 of the UP Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950.

The maulana added that it was necessary to include married, widowed and divorced women in this decision because in Muslim Personal Law there was a provision of equal rights of daughters in parents property and there was no discrimination between married and unmarried daughters. He hoped that the government would remove this lacuna while presenting this Bill in the Assembly.

Corrupt NGOs under the scanner

BANGALORE July 29: The state government is awaiting a report from the CBI, after which it will take action against officials of the Karnataka AIDS Prevention Society and 14 NGOs. They are facing charges of corruption. The Society has also been accused of violating guidelines related to Public Private Partnership in NGOs. The World Bank had expressed its dissatisfaction over this.

Out of 23 NGOs engaged in AIDS control programme in Karnataka, 14 NGOs were put under the scanner due to their conduct. The Society gets grants from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). After examining some records, NACO had filed a complaint with the CBI. Health minister B Sriramulu said the government will take action after receiving the CBI report.

‘New Tactics’ notebook - Building Child Friendly Villages*

This notebook will introduce and share the concept of Child Friendly Villages or Bal Mitra Gram (BMG) which directly address the multi-dimensional problems that generate, maintain and perpetuate the child labor situation. BMGs attack the triangular paradigm, a vicious circle of illiteracy, poverty, and child labor.

The BMG is an innovative concept that offers a long-term, sustainable solution to a wide variety of problems such as child labor, trafficking for forced labor, poverty alleviation, and illiteracy, among others. Download the notebook for free on <http://www.newtactics.org/en/ChildFriendlyVillages>

Diwali gifts(box)

MANAV Foundation is taking orders for diyas and other diwali gift items. Corporations and other organisations interested in corporate gifting with a social cause for diwali contact Anupriya Das, MANAV Foundation, Mazgaon, Mumbai. Tel:022 23724889/ 022 65280145.

Integrated Centre for PLHA in jail

Chennai: The country's first Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC), aimed at providing HIV counselling and testing for convicted prisoners, was inaugurated at the Central Prison Complex in Puzhal near here today. Inaugurating the centre set up jointly by Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA), Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society (TNSACS) and the Additional Director General of Prisons, Madras High Court Chief Justice A K Ganguly said the centre would play a key role in identifying the HIV status of prisoners.
"We want the convicts to come back and join the mainstream society. This type of centre will help the convicts return to society," he added. TNSACS Project Director Supriya Sahu said similar centres would soon be opened at the Central Prisons in Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruchirappali and Vellore. She said the centres would provide free counselling and testing to all prisoners, who come forward to check their HIV status.

Village health workers to get rapid HIV test kits in India
Thousands of village health workers across India will soon be equipped to conduct AIDS tests through rapid HIV test kits, which need just a prick on a person's fingertip and the results are known in 20 minutes.

"We have recently adopted the Whole Blood Fingerprick Testing Technology (WBFTT) and have piloted the project in a few districts. We hope it will be rolled out across the country by early 2009,"said Ajay Khera, Joint Director of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

"This will allow the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANMs) visiting families in rural India to conduct HIV tests on people willing to do it. I am sure, it will revolutionise the concept of AIDS testing and help give a better picture of the disease," Khera He said since the health workers have good relations with the villagers and have access to families, equipping them for HIV tests would go a long way in reducing fear of the disease. "If ANMs finds some one positive, then the person can come to the nearby Integrated Counselling And Testing Centre (ICTC) for confirmed tests and further counselling," he explained with the new technology, we can save much time," Khera added. A pilot project to study its effectiveness is being conducted in 10 districts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. As soon as the pilot project's results come in, it will be rolled out across the country.

Gay India does exist.

Waving rainbow flags and chanting "Gay India does exist," nearly 1,000 gay activists and their supporters marched in coordinated parades in three Indian cities, demonstrating their growing confidence and hope for change in a country where homosexuality is illegal.

Activists in New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata called the parades the largest display of gay pride in India's modern history. They said the public rallies would have been impossible just a decade ago. "Today a celebratory march occurred," said Pramada Menon, 42, a human rights activist who deals with sexuality issues. "Globalization has made sexual orientation a celebration. Today, we are ready to walk without masks."

The Indian Penal Code’s Section 377, which prohibits sexual activity that is "against the order of nature." carries punishment of up to 10 years in prison. The law has been repealed in other former British colonies and in India the Courts are considering repealing it.
"In India, gays and lesbians still live highly closeted lives," said Vikram Doctor, 40, a member of the Queer Media Collective. "There is still violence. There are still many desperate suicides by gay couples. There is still harassment. And there is still intense pressure to marry those they do not want to be with. But today we have a voice.."

In, New Delhi, the parade on July 27 was more a celebration than a protest. Festive drumming filled the hazy air as marchers unfurled banners that read "Queer Dilliwalla," and "377 Quit India." In Mumbai the parade began at August Kranti Maidan on August 15- a new kind of independence!

The parades were peaceful, amid a heavy police presence. Attendees included families pushing strollers, foreigners and transvestites clad in bright saris and rainbow boas.

Wearing a T-shirt that said "Stonewalled, " with an image of a famous ancient Indian sculpture of two women embracing, Giti Thadani, 47, a member of Sakhi, an organization for lesbians, said she remembered when the first openly gay organization formed in the mid-1980s. It had just four members.
"Today,young Indians are economically independent --they have access to information and they have their own sexual preferences. This parade is a sign of modernity."

WSPA office in New Delhi,

Ms. Amrita Pal (amritapal@wspa- asia.org) will work with WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) from the Delhi office on specific projects. Gajender K. Sharma is the Finance and Admin Manager (gajenderksharma@ wspa-asia. org) and Dr. Ashish Sutar (ashishsutar@ wspa-asia. org) is the Disaster Management Senior Veterinary Officer in New Delhi. 906, 9th Floor, International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi, Tel: 4653 9341 Fax: +91 11 4653 9345
--- Dawn Peacock www.wspa-international.org, dawnpeacock@wspa-asia.org.

(pix) IDF meets MSS
Chennai: The work of Indian Development Foundation needs to be commended in the areas of health and education, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan told members of India Development Foundation when they met him on August 16. “Leprosy work requires great courage and commitment and if today India has succeeded eliminating leprosy, it is due to the self-service of stalwarts. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and Chairman of M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation received the IDF team comprising Dr.A.R.K. Pillai (Founder President), Dr. Narayan B.Iyer (National Co-ordinator), Mr. C. Chidambaram (Manager-Southern Region) and Dr. S. Franklin (Karnataka Area Manager) at MSSR Foundation office.

Dr. Swaminathan appreciated IDF's initiative towards establishing Bal Gurukuls to empower underprivileged children in India.Contact IDF, Mumbai,Tel: 022 - 2876 2008/ 2876 3008 Cell: +91 98 19 13 13 88 Email: idfmumbai@gmail.com or indef@vsnl.net.

RISES
Andhra: Rural Institute For Social Education Society [RISES] is actually working in 40villages in Markapur Mandal to organize the marginalized groups to fight for their Rights. Because of socio, economical backwardness the problems of child labour, migration, illiteracy, persons with disability and HIV/ AIDS add to the backwardness of this region. Contact G. SEKHARÂ M.A.M.DIV.. RISES DIRECTOR, MARKAPURÂ, - 523 316 PRAKASAM DISTRICT. CELL NO 09247368693 EMAIL: gurram_sekhar@yahoo.co.in.

RITES News
2 year innovative course
The final examinations for the First Year and Second Year students of the 4th 2-year Innovative diploma course were held in April 2008. 100% pass results were declared by the SNDT Women’s University in June.. The new academic year began on 23rd June 2008 for the senior batch while the new batch started in July 2008.

Required:Lecturers: Eligibility - M.A./ B.A. (Psychology / Sp.Ed) with B.Ed / M.Ed & 3 years teaching experience.
Sr. Accountant: with knowledge of statutory and tax matters as well as budgeting, preferably pertaining to a voluntary organisation. Retired persons welcome.

Recently a team of four children from Mobile Creches, Mumbai bagged second place at an international School Education Programme on Wetland Conservation held in HongKong for their puppet show on saving mangroves. Innovative approaches to teaching and learning can exist in any school- It is the teacher who matters.

The Foundation plans to develop the centre into an Institute of Integrated Education with – ? A Demonstration School, A Teacher Education College, A Research and Documentation Unit and A Resource cum Pedagogy Centre.
Contact: The Rite Step, Sir Shapurji Billimoria Foundation Tel: 2369 6596 / 6664 8768 / ritestep@gmail.com.

Petition re. Anonymous donations
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha committee on petitionsInvites suggestions on a petition praying for exemption to charitable organizations from payment of I.T. on anonymous donations (GUPT DAAN)

The Committee on Petitions of the Rajya Sabha, under the Chairmanship of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Member, Rajya Sabha, is considering a petition praying for grant of exemption from payment of income tax to certain categories of charitable organizations, on receipt of anonymous donations (Gupt Daan). The types of charitable organizations, in whose favour the I.T. exemption has been sought, are us under -
(a) Orphanage, (b) Old Age Home, (c) Neat House and Cow Pen (Panjrapole and Goshala), (d) Institutions which are related to handicapped people, (e) Hospitals for Birds and Cattle, (f) Institutions which provide free treatment for deadly disease, (g) Institutions which provide free shelter to oppressed people, (h) Institutions which serve meal free of cost, (i) Institutions which are meant for providing humanitarian assistance in case of natural calamity and disaster, (j) Institutions which are related to widows and boycotted women.

The Committee has decided to undertake consultations with all stakeholders, individuals, organizations on the subject and it, accordingly, invites two copies of memoranda to the Committee (each in English and Hindi) to be sent to Shri J. Sundriyal, Joint Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi - 110001 [Tel: 011-23034541 (O), 23012007 (Fax) and E-mail: sundriyal@sansad.nic.in] indicating whether they would also be interested in giving oral evidence before the Committee.The memorandum should not be printed, circulated or publicized by anyone, as such an act would constitute a breach of privilege of the Committee. (Pl. call before sending).

Incentive scheme for SC, ST girl
NEW DELHI, July 16: To ensure that girls belonging to scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST) continue their education after ClassVIII, the Centre has launched an incentive scheme from this academic year (2008-09).

Under this scheme, Rs 3000 will be deposited for of every SC and ST girl joining Class IX in a government, government-aided or local body school. They can withdraw this amount after attaining age of 18. But it will be mandatory for them to pass the Class X examination as a regular student for getting benefit of the scheme.

Girls passing Class VIII from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and getting enrolled in Class XI will also get the benefit of this scheme even if they don't belong to SC or ST.The maximum age limit for the beneficiaries has been fixed at 16 at the time of enrolment in Class IX.

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Urban Changes

STUDY
Grim reality: A survey of sex workers
The Times of India, July 21, 2008.
These are shocking statistics that belie the close to 10% growth rate of the national economy.

More than 41% women sex workers in the Capital's GB Road enter the profession because of sheer poverty, 39% of their own free will. Only 50% use condoms and the social welfare department says despite their best efforts health and hygiene standards cannot be improved too much beyond the occasional anonymous checks by mobile vans as the law does not recognise the existence of these women.

All the anti-trafficking laws notwithstanding, almost the entire population of GB Road comprises women, who have come from other states, Andhra Pradesh topping the list with 28.7% sex workers hailing from that state. These are the findings of a first-of-its- kind survey of Delhi's sex workers done by the Delhi Commission for Women.

The study - 400 commercial sex workers from G B Road were studied and inputs were also taken from the rescued women in government homes in order to draw up a comprehensive policy for prevention of trafficking and incidence of HIV-AIDS.
The study found that the work is mainly conducted through the kotha malkins who pockets a large percentage of the income so that for an average sex worker the monthly income is quite low, 72.5% earn between Rs 3,000-5,000 and 20.7% earn more than Rs 5,000.

State social welfare minister Yoganand Shastri said: "The study which is the first of its kind, will help us get a perspective on the extent of the problem and formulate policies accordingly.
But, it is only when a woman rescued and taken to Nirmal Chhaya that we can really help them because the law does not recognise the profession at all."

Commenting about the low condom usage and dismal awareness about STDs (less than 50% know about them and 46.5% are infected). A whopping 57.5% of respondents admitted to substance abuse with smoking being the most popular one, followed by alcohol, heroin and marijuana. 23.7% complained of exploitation, 54.4% of them held the police responsible.

Interestingly, more than 85% of these women have some sort of identity proof like ration card, voter I-card or even passport which they procure with help from cops. While more than 60% of women surveyed have children, only 40% of them go to school, a figure that commission officials say bodes ill for the objective of preventing second generation entry into the profession.

HIV+ youth get a forum

Mumbai: A Network of Positive people in Mumbai will enable the city’s HIV positive people fight stigma and get emergency medical care. The Network of Positive people in Mumbai (NPM), a first such forum in the state, was launched by a group of 16 HIV positive youths, aged between 18 and 25 years, on July 11.

“A few months back, an HIV positive man suffered a severe paralytic attack. There was no one from his family to take him to the hospital. A few neighbours took him to the hospital but as soon as his status was revealed, they deserted him, said Bharti Sonanwane, president of the NPM.
”It was then that we realised that it is very important that someone should take up the responsibility of providing emergency healthcare services to people suffering from HIV”. The forum will help those who need hospitalisation, and will take care of the admission formalities and other basic requirements, said Anand Ishware, the project manager.
The network, active in Vidyavihar, has more than 500 members, both HIV positive people and family members of those infected.

Test 1m for World AIDS Day

AIDS Healthcare Foundation has committed to a worldwide, united effort to Test One Million people on World AIDS Day 2008. The event will be a week long one starting a week before the World AIDS Day until the eve and continuing thereafter wherever possible.
Commitments from partners and friends to participate in this event by committing to provide some support like:Performing HIV Screening, Mobilization and Outreach, Transportation to testing services o r any other support to the Campaign.

The Campaign Organizer, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, will organize HIV Screening Training and provide Test Kits for this event for those partners who sign on the letter of commitment and commit for some activity.

Please download the following letter and sign on to this commitment. Download Link:
http://www.4shared.com/file/56146446/eb7b5b7f/WADletterofCommi tment.html?dirPwdVerified=df6058f4

scan the signed letter of commitment and send it to:
Dr. Mahesh Ganesan at Mahesh.ganesan@aidshealth.org, or Dr. Nochiketa Mohanty at Nochiketa.mohanty@aidshealth.org or AIDS Healthcare Foundation India Cares, S-7 Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, India 110017.

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iCONGO- Indian Confederation of NGOs in association with Indian Council for Cultural Relations, presented Divya Arora, a young woman, rules the entertainment industry on the wheelchair, to support her cause and the NGO that supports the cause.
Her message: If I myself can support many like myself and my cause, so can you all, requests Divya.
Divya Arora presents, 'THE MELODY OF LOVE'
Starring- Tom Alter, Mantra and Divya Arora
contact: RashmiArora@9810043525, or DivyaArora@9810033734 proceeds will be donated to the NGO- "AHEAD"

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Rev. Fr. Maria Gregory, Secretary of Bangalore Catholic Diocesan Schools inaugurated Mary Immaculate Bal Gurukul, an empowerment programme of Indian Development Foundation at Benson Cross Road, Bangalore on 22nd July. A good number of children from neighbouring colonies and slums in Benson Road will benefit from the gurukul.

Bal Gurukuls are the Empowerment Class programme initiated by Indian Development Foundation (IDF) to provide learning skills and creative arts to the poor and the needy.

IDF has so far established 16 Bal Gurukuls in different parts of the country and Mary Bal Gurukul is 17th in the row and 4th in Karnataka. “We plan to increase the number of Bal Gurukuls to 25 as we are celebrating the silver jubilee year”, observed Dr. S. Franklin, Area Manager of IDF.

Mapping of NGOs to be part of strategic interventions for addressing `Migration and HIV/AIDS in India'

IOM, International Organization for Migration as part of its Migration Health Assistance and Advice is implementing a project on `Preparatory assistance for development of a programme on safe mobility and HIV and AIDS' in partnership with UNDP. The main objectives of the project are to develop better knowledge of the risk factors for HIV infection in the context of migration.

An important component of this project is to map and list out NGOs who are working in HIV/AIDS, migration or both. The mapping exercise is basically to identify potential NGOs and to build their capacities on prevention aspects, care and support and strategic interventions for addressing "Migration and HIV/AIDS" management aspects of programmes related to migration and HIV.

Contact Mr. K. Jose Michael, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Hyderabad Tel: +91-40-66106651
E-mail: jmkannur@iom.int Website: www.iomindia.in.

Care centre for PLHA in Ajmer

Ajmer: Bal Sansar, on June 30 inaugurated the 15-bedded “Sambal Community Care Center “(CCC) for People Living with and Affected by HIV and AIDS (PLHA), at village Hathikhera, Ajmer, Rajasthan.

The project is funded by HLFPPT and 5 additional beds are dedicated to the AIDS orphans with the support from individual donors and corporate partners.

Sambal aims to link them with ART, treat them for their opportunistic infections, provide nutritional support, emotional, social, spiritual counseling and other needed support helping them with treatment education and home based care issues. The project also aims to provide them with information on their legal, human rights, and livelihood options, etc. with a special attention to the care needs of the children infected with HIV and AIDS orphans.

The infrastructure development for Sambal was done with private contributions and support from the MPLAD and MLALAD Schemes executed through PWD, under the MoU between District Collector, Ajmer and Bal Sansar Sanstha. Bal Sansar Jaipur - E-mail: bsansarindia@yahoo.co.in Ph.:+91-141- 2710996/2709968.

Rs 400 cr goes down the 'drain'

LUCKNOW: Here is more evidence proving that over Rs 400 crore pumped in for cleaning of river Gomati have gone down the drain. According to the data available with UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and Lucknow Jal Sansthan (LJS), the pollution load in the river has increased by over 20 per cent ever since the grand plan was conceptualised in 1993.

In fact, the average annual increase in the pollution load following discharge of untreated sewage into the river had been to the tune of five million litres per day (mld).

Domestic discharge accounted for the maximum increase: thanks to unprecedented increase in the population in this area.A senior official with the UP Jal Nigam said that it was not until all the culverts were diverted and the sewage discharge treated at the STP of requisite capacity that there would be chance of a possible solution.

Rainbow Pride Week 2008 Events

Pix the pride week’s signature event, the Rainbow Pride Walk, was first organized in India in Kolkata in 1999. This year from June 24-29, Swikrit, MANAS Bangla –Sangram in Beherampur and other places;Kolkata Rista and film shows, photo-presentation and panel discussion on gender, sexuality, human rights, HIV/AIDS and Section 377, Indian Penal Code were organized by SAATHII, Kolkata Rista and students of WBNUJS and Jadavpur University.

On June 29, 2-6 pm: Rainbow Pride Walk, Organized by all agencies walked from College Square to Esplanade East (Metro Cinema). Contact: Astitva Dakshin: astitvadakshin@yahoo.co.in; Bandhan: ranjitbandhan@rediffmail.com; Jalpaiguri Uttarapan: jalpaiguriuttarapan@rediffmail.com; Kolkata Rista: kolkatarista@yahoo.co.in; Koshish: koshishsanjay@yahoo.co.in; MANAS Bangla: manasbengal2003@yahoo.com; Northern Black Rose: northernblack_rose@yahoo.co.in; PLUS Kolkata: plus@india.com; Pratyay: pratyaygendertrust@yahoo.co.in; SAATHII: saathii@yahoo.com; Sangram: sangram_06@hotmail.com; Swapnil: swapnil_burdwan@yahoo.com; Swikriti: swikriti2003@hotmail.com.

MediaNest initiative

Lucknow: The Announcement Ceremony of Media Medical Corpus - a MediaNest Initiative WAS HELD ON June 21 with His Excellency the Governor of Jharkhand Syed Sibtey Razi presiding with Mr. Shiva Kumar, Chief General Manager - State Bank of India, will be the Guest-of-Honour.

Media Nest, a forum of concerned journalists was set up on 23rd October 2007 in Lucknow to give a voice to issues that concern both journalists and the society they represent MN will also provide a voice and platform to those among us who risk our lives to bring out truth. The idea is to create a forum where hands-holding comes to us naturally in times of crisis and where greater interaction is possible between the families of media persons.
The first activity of MN was a Workshop on contempt and media. Patrakarita ki Lakshmanrekha on 4th Nov. 2007 at UP Press Club. Present were journalists facing contempt.

Contact: Kulsum Talha Email: neelofarmustafa@yahoo.co.in, medianestcares@gmail.com.

SETU - assoc of NGOs in Pune

In December 2007 a dozen self-help support groups working for different social causes like cancer, deaddiction, mental health, epilepsy, vitilgo, kidneys, divorcees, suicide prevention etc got together to benefit from each others' experiences and strengths. Thus, SETU, the Association of SHSGs was formed. Aim of SETU is promoting self-help culture, mutual learning, help formation of SHSGs for unorganised/ unrepresented social issues, help revival of defunct SHSGs and, above all, empower thru education the affected families to cope with stigma and reintegration back into the mainstreamFor more information or assistance contact * Aastha Breast Cancer Support Group - Ms. Aparna Ambike - 020 25431116 & 09822667683.

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Obit

Karnataka State Anti-Liquor Andolan President, NAPM-Karnataka state Convener and an active member of Karnataka Social Forum Mr. A.T. Babu aged around 50 yrs. was attacked by hired-killers of the liquor lobby and chopped to death with logs and rods in broad day-light on Bangalore-Mysore High-way, on 21, July 2008 around noon.

A.T. Babu was a pure Swadeshi and Gandhian who lived a simple life and was fighting against the Liquor lobby for decades in the whole of Karnataka State. He never wanted any monetary help for his social work spending his own money to travel throughout Karnataka to create awareness among the common people against liquor. Apart from this he was involved in all the people¹s movements and struggles. He was always seen with Khadi Topi on his head.

On 21st July he was driving his car to Mandya to address a meeting when he was attacked and murdered.

Protest Dharnas and condolence meetings were organised throughout the country. In Bangalore on 24th July in front of the Gandhi Statue with Ms. Medha Patkar is taking part in this Dharna. Contact: Bhoga nanjunda Bhoga Nanjunda" wsfkarnataka@yahoo.co.in 9448206461.

_ Public Hearing on Acid Attacks on Women

Public Hearing --Campaign and Struggle Against Acid Attacks on Women was held on July 24th Thursday at Senate Hall, Central College campus, Bangalore. Enough of waiting for the State Government and High Court to act and a journey that goes three steps forward and falls two steps behind! CSAAAW had demanded that the State Government get serious about its promises to revamp government hospitals in Bangalore and in district headquarters towards ensuring adequate facilities for acid attack victims, distribute the immediate relief (Rs. 2 lakh reimbursement of medical costs). We had also demanded concrete action to control the sale of concentrated acid. One year later, our demands have not changed. The public hearing will highlight the problematic understanding of the judiciary and the government officials and the gap that consequently arises between the required solutions and their actual proposal.
Government representatives from Women and Child Development, Director General and Inspector General of Police; Health and Family Welfare Dept, Women and Child Devpt Dept; Directorate of Prosecution and Govt. Litigation and advocates and social activisits and acid victims were also present. Contact Mallige: 99455 16296 or Sanjana on 94480 41063 or email at csaaaw@redifmail.Com.

A company for farmers.?
These are interesting times for farmers. Foodgrain prices are rising, but farmers are getting impoverished. The government has launched a massive waiver of farm loans, but farmers’ distress remains unmitigated. Farm credit increased at an annual compound rate of 24% during the 10th Plan (2002-2007) period, but farm productivity has remained stagnant and farmers’ dependence on moneylenders has risen.

The reason why many of the government’s well-intended measures fail is not far to seek. The actual problem that farmers face today is low incomes due to the absence of post-harvest infrastructure, low value addition and absence of organized marketing processes. The solution, in fact, lies in ensuring that farmers get a higher portion of the price paid by consumers, which will ensure higher incomes for them.

This, in turn, will spur investment in agriculture, leading to increase in farm productivity and easing of supply-side constraints responsible for spiralling foodgrain prices.

Organizing farmers in a structured mode that’s conducive to efficient value addition and marketing will be in the interest of millions of small and marginal farmers –the primary producers. In view of this, the Centre had amended the Indian Companies Act, 1956, in 2002-03 to provide for “producer companies” —a hybrid between cooperative societies and private limited companies—on the recommendations of an expert panel led by Y.K. Alagh. However, in the five years since then, progress on the ground has been rather slow.

Let’s take a look how these com panies can work.

Producer companies, with the intention to organize farmers into a collective to improve their bargaining strength in the market, are owned and governed by shareholder farmers (or artisans) and administered by professional managers. They adopt all the good principles of cooperatives and the efficient business practices of companies and also seek to address the inadequacies of the cooperative structure.

Producer companies can be formed by any 10 or more primary producers or by two or more producer institutions, or by a contribution of both. They can undertake activities related to production, harvesting, procurement, grading, pooling, marketing, processing, etc., of agricultural produce.

Non-producers seeking to invest in these companies as shareholders are precluded under the statute concerned. Governance is democratic as each producer member gets equal voting rights irrespective of the number of shares held. There is a limitation on the amount that can be distributed as dividend. Profit is largely distributed on the basis of “patronage”, which acts as a reward for members contributing to the business. There can be 5-15 directors and expert directors can be coopted for professional guidance.

A total of 75 such companies have been formed so far. Vanilla India Producer Co. in Kerala was the first to be set up in 2004 to meet the challenges arising from the global crash in the price of vanilla in 2003-04. Seventeen producer companies, set up in Madhya Pradesh under the aegis of DPIP, a World Bank-sponsored programme, are engaged in marketing seeds, grains, vegetables, milk, spices, etc.

Tassar silk yarn producers of Bihar and Jharkhand have been organized as a producer company Masuta by a reputed NGO—Pradan. Baif (Development Research Foundation) has formed Vapcol to market agriculture and horticulture produce of tribal farmers in Maharashtra.

Rangsutra is another producer company formed by five artisan groups from Uttaranchal and Assam to bridge the distance between artisans and consumers.

The working of these companies shows that the structure is truly beneficial to farmers as it reduces the number of intermediaries in the value chain and also brings in higher income for the farmers.

However, these companies are beset with a number of problems. There is a restriction on trading in their shares, which blocks the exit route for investors. Further, since non-producers cannot invest in the equity of these companies, it becomes difficult to mobilize sizeable funds as primary producers do not have the wherewithal to contribute large amounts to the share capital.

Besides, the companies get no support from state governments, as they are not yet eligible for state support. Donor agencies are also constrained to support them, as they are profit-oriented organizations. They do not get credit from commercial banks either, as banks are not familiar with the concept.

They also face difficulties in getting the APMC (agriculture produce marketing committee) licence, which is a must for trading in agri produce.

There is a need to make concerted efforts to promote and nurture producer companies. State governments need to extend all the benefits of farmers’ cooperatives to them. The legislation concerned needs to be amended to make these companies more attractive for investors. Then awareness has to be created about this structure among banks so that they may provide term loans and working capital loans to producer companies. Since agriculture income is exempted from income tax, it would be appropriate that similar exemptions are also given to producer companies set up by farmers.

The concept is an excellent one; if implemented in right earnest, it offers great promise of being a win-win proposition for farmers as well as consumers.
----Sunil Kumar (graduate of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, and fellow of IIM Lucknow. He has worked on development financing for about 20 years. theirview@livemint.com.

7th year of Plachimada struggle. 2008

Kerala Many events were planned for the anniversary of the Plachimada struggle: Remembering the 5th anniversary day of the BBC radio 4 revelation on “hazardous waste pollution by Coca Cola at plachimada”. Sing against criminal colas ,children's camp at Plachimada.; Boycot criminal colas; state convention at Palakkad Town.; Prosecute criminal colas , ending with a People's March from Coca Cola at Plachimada to Pepsi at Chullimada.
Organised by the Plachimada anti - Coca Cola struggle committee., Plachimada Solidarity Committee.
Kannimari (P.O), Palakkad € ’¶ 678534. E-mail: plachimada2002@rediffmail.com Ph: 9744831675 (Vilayodi Venugopal) 9447019546 (N.P. Johnson).

Conf. held

Citizens for Peace, in solidarity with AGNI, Aman Biradari, ANHAD, AVEHI, Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal, Citizens for Justice and Peace, Human Rights Law Network, Karmayog, Mohalla Committee Movement Trust, Muslims for Secular Democracy, Parivartan: a Need for Change, PRAJA, PUKAR, and several other organisations, held a short and solemn event with music and poetry as well as readings on peace by Shyam Benegal, Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das and several others from different walks of life. On August 6th at SNDT Womens University, Churchgate contact: michelle@citizensforpeace.in (Michelle: 9860030888) gulan@citizensforpeace.in
(Gulan : 9820003572) Citizens for Peace office: 022-22830022.

Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) as part of their Capacity Building Events for professionals of Civil Society Organisations held a Workshop on 'Gender Sensitisation and Engendering workplaces' from 12-14 August 2008(in English) at PRIA, New Delhi.. Contact: Pradeep Sharma pradeep@pria.org.

South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN www.sayen.org) set up in July 2002 organized the SAYEN National Youth Meet from 12th-14th August at CEE, Ahmedabad. Contact Ms. Keren Nazareth Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad Ph: 00-91-79-26844788/ 789 www.ceeindia.Org; www.sayen.org.

The Women’s Unit of ISI organised a Workshop attended by 40 participants on Health rights for women to discuss discrimination against women as it influences health, and ill health may reinforce discrimination from August 05 – 07 in Kannada at ISI, Bangalore. contact Radha S.R. 23536189 € ¢’¶ Ext. (219) or E-mail: radha_christ@yahoo.co.in.

Bombay Leprosy Project in collaboration with Indian Association of Leprologists – Maharashtra State Branch organized a seminar on “Leprosy in Spain and Japan---Management of Leprosy in sanatorium” as a part of the Continuing Medical Education program at Acworth Municipal Hospital for Leprosy, Mumbai on July 30. Experts on history of leprosy, Leprologists, clinicians, leprosy workers and post graduate students from medical colleges participated.

SPACE- Society for People's Awareness, Care & Empowerment, New Delhi, at the XV11th International AIDS Conference, Mexico City held a screening of the film "GOONJ'- Breaking the indifference"- A film directed by college youth at the Global Village Youth Pavillion/Video Lounge on 5th/6th August, and a discussion "Youth as Advocates of Change Through Effective Peer Education" followed by a talk on Homophobia: "Widespread Myths about Male Homosexuality Leading to Greater Stigma and Discrimination"on 6th August, 2008.
contact Anjan Joshi,Executive Director, SPACE, New Delhi, spaceorganisation@gmail.com.

Commercial Interference in Tackling Hunger and Malnutrition

A rally is being planned on Sept 2 i Delhi to give a memorandum to the government on the issue. of preventing commercial interference in infant and young child feeding. In 1992, India passed the “The Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act”, or the IMS Act, for the “protection and promotion of breastfeeding”. The Act, amended in 2003, is one of the strongest pieces of legislation in the world that prohibits manufacturers of breastmilk substitutes and baby foods from advertising or promoting their products for infants below six months of age, as this can interfere with exclusive breastfeeding. It prohibits sponsoring gifts, meetings, conferences, seminars, contests, or giving funds for any other activity to health care workers and their associations. And explicitly prohibits commercial interference and influence with regard to food and nutrition.

However there is no such legal or policy framework for food fortification or micronutrient supplementation in the country. Nor are there any guidelines on the kind of ‘public-private partnerships’ that can be entered into, in the food and nutrition sectors. This vacuum in the policy is being used by several groups, often those with profit motives, to enter the large-scale programmes to tackle hunger and malnutrition such as the ICDS, MDMS and PDS. For instance, several groups such as the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), which are linked with food and baby food corporations, are lobbying with the government to introduce micronutrients into national nutrition policies and programmes.

GAIN is also in the process of setting up an “India alliance”, which among other things, is expected to engage in “high level advocacy to create an IYCF friendly policy/ regulatory environment and removal of roadblocks in improving breast feeding practices and increasing access to affordable complementary foods / complementary food supplements in accordance with the regulations in the country.....” (The Right to Food campaign and Jan Swasthaya Abhiyan- Working Group for children under 6).

The Bornfree Art School along with Hiroshima peace memorial Museum affirmed their commitment to peace with a celebration of Hiroshima Day from 6th to 9 th August 2008 in Bangalore.
Dialogue between survivors of Hiroshima and peace lovers of Bangalore through a video conferencing; Performance of Peace ballet Shiroi Hana {White flowers} by the Bornfree Art School, to be watched by the people in Bangalore and Hiroshima.; An Art exhibition on the issues of War and peace; Making of a peace monument from collected symbols of violence, like blades, knives, swords to be set up as a public monument in the contemporary sculpture park in Ravindra Kalakshetra. Photography exhibition on the impact of an A-bomb on Bangalore, Exhibition of Posters and Photographs on the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.; Presentation of the History of Article 9 by 12 Japanese students from 6 Universities who participate as delegates. Contact: Mioi Nakayama 9886011830 www.bornfreeart.org John Devaraj 9886306366 mioinakayama@gmail.com; bornfreeart@gmail.com; johndevaraj@gmail.com.

Devalt, A non-profit organisation established in 1983 creating large scale sustainable livelihoods as part of their Capacity Building Series (2008- 09) and Experiential field based training organized a Training on Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Management from 27-29 August 2008 at TARAgram, Madhya Pradesh. Contact Juhi Nigam,Training Assistant,Jhansi (UP), Tele. No: - + 91 510 2911 368, +91 983 9820 689 E-mail: tla@devalt.org.

The Human Rights Unit of Indian Social Institute, Bangalore had a two-week Course on 'Legal Resources for Social Action and Empowerment' for NGOs and activists, from 4-17 Aug to give a broad legal framework covering The Constitutions, Fundamental Rights, Civil and Criminal Laws, Labour laws, Laws related to Dalits, adivasis, women, minorities and a few practical tips on accounting procedures, FCRA, Society Registration etc. The participants also visited a Police Station, the Courts and NGOs. <isihumanrights@gmail.com> or call (080) 23536189/23536960.