The annual ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival has announced its second list of speakers for it’s12th edition, set to take place from 24-28 January 2019 at the traditional venue– Diggi Palace. 

The second list of 30 speakers include trailblazing Indian writers and literary powerhouses such as the bestselling Ashwin Sanghi, ranked among one of India’s most popular authors with two New York Times bestselling crime thrillers written along with James Patterson under his belt among other numerous books; the irrepressible, fearless and delightfully irreverent Shobhaa De who comments extensively on India’s socio-cultural-political contours and is author of 20 books and countless columns; the acclaimed Rana Dasgupta, author of the short story collection Tokyo Cancelled, winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book for Solo and a nominee for the Orwell and Ondaatje Prizes in 2015 for Capital; Amitabha Bagchi, author of the recent Half the Night is Goneand a nominee of the Dublin IMPAC Literary Prize 2015 for This Place, Professor of English at Vassar College and a Guggenheim Fellow, Amitava Kumar whose latest work, Immigrant, Montana: A Novel, is an erotic and enigmatic exploration of the quintessential immigrant psyche; Anita Nair,Sahitya Akademi awardee and celebrated author, playwright and poet  of The Better Man, Ladies Coupé, Mistress, Lessons in Forgetting, Idris: Keeper of the Light, Malabar Mind, among others; and New York Times & Guardian columnist, BBC presenter of the popular radio show Museum of Lost Objects and much feted debutante novelist Kanishk Tharoor, author of Swimmer Among the Stars, which was named the Guardian and NPR Best Book of the Year.

The list is a vastly diverse mix of historians, impresarios, educationists, activists and administrators with KJ Alphons, India’s Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology,  Culture and Tourism and author of Making A Difference and India Mattathinte Muzhakam; Egyptian writer and cultural commentatorAhdaf Soueif, bestselling author of The Map of Loveand Founder and Chair of the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest); the legendary social activist Aruna Roy  who helped co-found the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) to campaign for wages and other rights which eventually led to transformational Right to Information movement, and wrote The RTI Story: Power to thePeople, with the MKSS Collective; Sandeep Unnithan,  Executive Editor with the India Today magazine, an expert on national security, terrorism and issues concerning the Indian military, and author of Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11and an exciting hitherto-untold naval intelligence chronicle Operation X which will be launched at the Festival; Kim A. Wagner,teacher of the history of colonial India and the British Empire at Queen Mary College, University of London, who has written extensively on the subject of ‘Thuggee’, the Uprising of 1857 and colonial violence; Makarand R. Paranjape, Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, former Professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University and prolific writer, editor and academic whose latest books include Debating the ‘Post’ Condition in India, Cultural Politics in Modern India and The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi;former bureaucrat and India’s vastly experienced 16^th Chief Election Commissioner Navin B. Chawla, known internationally for his astute steerage of the 2009 General Elections and, in his forthcoming book Every Vote Counts: The Story of theGreat Indian Election, shares a thought-provoking, informative account of the process and challenges of executing free and fair elections in the world’s largest and most diverse democracies;  erudite historian, Professor of South Asian History at Emory University, Ruby Lal who has written extensively on Mughal India along with her recently published biography, Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan, lauded by The New Yorker, the Guardian, The New York Times, alike. 

India’s dizzying linguistic wealth will be on the programming radar withAshokChakradhar,a force to reckon with in Hindi literature; Manoranjan Byapari,whose tremendous struggle to emerge as a writer, having learnt toread and write while in jail at the age of 24, has been chronicled in his overpowering autobiography Itibritte Chandal Jibon; and James Mallinson, a Sanskrit scholar and writer from SOAS, London, who specialises in the history of yoga and has spent years in India living with sadhus and yogis which earned him the title of ‘mahant’ (awarded by the Ramanandi Sampradaya) at the 2013 Kumbh Mela! 

As always, the Festival list sparkles with the grit of journalist-writers with two-time Pulitzer Prize winnerSteve Coll, Dean of the Columbia Journalism School since 2013, a writer at The New Yorker since 2005 where he writes on politics, national security and the media, former reporter, foreign correspondent and senior editor at the Washington Post and author of eight non-fiction books,   Ã…sne Seierstad, award-winning journalist who has reported from war-torn regions such as Chechnya, China, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq and is author of A Hundred and One Days and The Bookseller of Kabul; Singapore-based author and journalist James Crabtree, currently Associate Professor of Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and writer of The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age; and Shubhangi Swarup, journalist, educationist, feature-writer lauded for her gender sensitive articles, who was awarded the Charles Pick Fellowship for Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

Cinema, the body of work and the writers it has given us figure strongly in the second list withJerry Pinto, veteran film chronicler, teacher, social activist, and winner of the National Award for the Best Book on Cinema (Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb); gifted film-maker Meghna Gulzar who has made searing films such as Talvarand the more recent and perfectly–crafted Raazi and who is in the process of working on her next film based on the life of Field Marshal Sam HFJ Manekshaw MC;  and Neelesh Misra,versatile  lyricist, radio storyteller, two-time winner of the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, writer and founder/editor of Gaon Connection, India’s biggest rural media platform, and the Content Project, home to some of India’s best emerging writers. 

The Festival juxtaposes wide-ranging themes and writers with ease which the second list is evidence of, featuring in it Naina Lal Kidwai, Chairperson of Altico Capital India Ltd who is on the boards of Max Financial Services, CIPLA, Nayara Energy and Larsen and Toubro, former head of the boards of HSBC Asia Pacific, HSBC India and Nestle, who has authored 30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories and Survive Or Sink: An Action Agenda for Sanitation, Water, Pollution and Green Finance; and Devdutt Pattanaik, who has made mythology chicwriting voraciously on its acute relevance in modern times, especially in management, governance and leadership and has 30 books and 600 columns, including bestsellers such as My Gita, Jaya, Sita, Business Sutra and the 7 Secret Series, to his credit. 

Sir Roy Strong, writer and diarist, and former Director of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum, knighted for his services to the Arts, who has written books ranging from those on the England of Elizabeth I to ones on garden design and history to diaries covering 1967 to 2003,; Ruth Padel, award-winning poet and conservationist, Professor of Poetry at King’s College, London, Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and Royal Society of Literature, author of books on tiger conservation, a novel featuring king cobras, and most recently Emerald, exploring the life and death of her naturalist mother, Darwin’s great granddaughter; and the widely-exhibited Subodh Gupta, celebrated creator of the sublime in art, sculpture and installation, who elevates the mundane into the divine in his works, will add flair to a list of speakers exuding talent and vitality.  

Union Tourism Secretary Rashmi Verma rolled out the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification (IITFC) Programme in New Delhi, today. The Union Tourism Minister, K.J. Alphons, had earlier launched the IITFC on 27th September, 2018 on the occasion of National Tourism Awards function & World Tourism Day. With its roll out today, the participants will now be able to register for this programme through an online digital platform.  IITFC will enable Indian citizens to develop and enhance the skills associated with tourism, and where one can incorporate knowledge about facilitating tourists across the country.

The certification program comprises of basic and advanced self-paced courses designed in a manner that the users can learn at their own time, space, path and pace. The course kicks off today with a basic introductory module alongside the registration process. This will be followed by payment initiation on 19th November 2018, where any 10+2 pass out candidate can enrol in the basic course comprising of 7 modules aimed at training the facilitators for knowledge, skills and attitude domains at a nominal charge of INR2000. Successful completion of this program would enable the learner to become a Certified Tourist Facilitator of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. A refresher course is also proposed for launch in due time for those already in the field seeking at an advanced level course to enhance their skill set.

Speaking on the occasion Rashmi Verma said that the concept of ‘tourist guide’ has changed world over and the new age tourist facilitators are ‘story tellers’. The Secretary added that this online programme will have lot of advantages like job creation for local people, harness the local experience and traditional knowledge and also it has the flexibility of any age or any place people to join. This initiative will also ensure an enriching experience for the tourists, as this initiative will address the issue of shortage of tourist guides as well as it will provide a lot of competition which will further ensure in providing best tourist facilitators, the Secretary added.

The IITFC program aspires to reach out to a far-flung audience encompassing a diversity of candidates ranging from an enthusiastic student who has recently qualified for higher secondary to an ambitious homemaker willing to grasp tourist facilitation skills from the comfort of their home. It will also act as an enabler for transforming a local citizen with no specified skills having proficiency in a regional language into a potential bread earner for their households.

The online learning management programme has been developed by M/s Wipro Limited and the content supported by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the premier investigation agency of the country, has been in the news for wrong reasons, for few years now. It has been accused of being used by political masters, poor investigation and inapt handling of prosecution. Accused in number of important cases have either been acquitted or discharged in the recent past, which as dented its credibility. However, the recent spate between the Director and its Special Director, who have levelled serious allegations of corruption against one another, followed by registration of FIR against the number two has brought the Agency to an unprecedented low. Though the raging feud between the two has been in public domain for some time, the Government and the CVC, who exercise superintendence in their respective fields, desisted from taking any visible action. The crisis followed by registration of FIR on complaint of an accused that money was demanded and taken for extending favour by certain persons on behalf of Special Director and his earlier allegations against his boss compelled the Superintending bodies to send both them on compulsory leave. Later on a petition by the Director CBI against the government action to send him on leave before expiry of his secure tenure, the Apex Court ordered an enquiry as regards allegations against the Director to be completed within two weeks by CVC under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge. 

All this has pained right thinking persons in the country and more so, to the officers, who spent their major part of career serving the organisation. The reputation of the CBI, known for its competence, fair and impartial investigation and successfully handling of several important and sensitive cases lies in tatters today. While the present crisis might have manifested into an ugly situation, it is a culminated result of decline in its overall functioning and standards of probity that started few years ago. The successive Directors, some of whom have been under cloud, failed to stem the rot so much so some insiders believe that the corruption in the organisation at various levels has reached alarming proportions and would require a massive purge and overhaul to restore its original glory.   

There is no doubt that there is something seriously wrong with the Agency that calls for urgent remedial measures. The suggestions made in this regard are an attempt to initiate a serious discussion on the subject. The induction process of senior supervisory officers, which has been brought into existence by amending DSPE Act (the law that governs CBI) first by CVC Act and later by Lokpal Act has failed to deliver which is evident from the fact that two former Directors are under investigation, the CVC is looking into the conduct of present Director under the oversight of a former Supreme Court Judge and even the Joint Director, now made interim Director, is also reportedly under cloud.  

The Director is appointed on the recommendation of a selection committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (or where there is no such Leader of Opposition, then the Leader of the single largest Opposition Party) and the Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him. The recommendation is to be made on the basis of seniority, integrity and experience in the investigation of anti-corruption cases. The selection committee, which selects officers from the rank of SP to Special Director, consists of the Central Vigilance Commissioner as Chairperson, Vigilance Commissioners, Secretary Personnel, Home Secretary (the Cadre controlling authority of Indian Police Service). It also provides that this Committee shall consult the Director before submitting its recommendation to the Central Government. 

On the face of it, both the Committees appear to be very formidable. However, the members of the committee mainly depend on the annual confidential reports and the vigilance clearance given the respective authorities, which by no means provide an insight, required to select right officers for premier investigating agency of the country. Moreover, the policy of inducting senior officers who have no experience of working in CBI as SP or DIG initiated by a particular Director almost a decade ago, and now almost a norm, has led to disastrous consequences. It is not to say that all such officers have proved to be failure but definitely most of them could not meet the required high standards of professional acumen and provide the desired supervision/guidance to the investigating officers in the field. 

There is need to identify officers working in the States keeping in view professional competence in the field of investigation and integrity, and encourage them to join CBI. The CVC led committee meant for selecting officers should be assisted by a body of professionals having expertise in the field of investigation and law who may interview prospective inductees and provide their inputs to the Selection Committee. The high power selection committee, designated to select Director should be assisted by a body of experts not only from the field of investigation, administration, human resource management, finance and budget control who may provide their detailed feedback to the Committee after interacting with prospective officers. The interviews may be recorded so that in case the Committee desires it may have access to the same. The committee may even call a limited number of shortlisted candidates for personal interaction to ensure that only a deserving candidate with qualities of leadership, professional competence in the field of investigation and law, as well as possessing administrative acumen is inducted. 

(The writer, an IPS officer, retired as Director General of Bureau of Police Research & Development and has served for long years in CBI, NIA & Andhra Pradesh. The views expressed are personal.)

New Delhi : Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan today announced development of a set of new firecrackers that promise to be less polluting without compromising on the sound or light effect. 

The new crackers have been developed by scientists of two national labs – Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) based in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in Nagpur. 

The researchers at CECRI have developed green crackers by modifying the chemical formulations for flower pots, `jil jil’ and so-called atom bombs. Crackers essentially comprise of alkali nitrates, aluminium powder of different grain sizes and in some cases a binder to enhance luminescence. Aluminium is used as a primary heat source and to produce the flash. 

Researchers decided to replace aluminium with magnesium on the understanding that it would reduce ignition temperature and subsequently minimise particulate matter coming from the cracker. The trick worked. Field trials were conducted at Sivakasi, which is also in Tamil Nadu and which is a major firework manufacturing centres in the country and the new composition showed positive results. 

The minister said the new products had reduced emission of particulate matter and toxic gases, had less smoke and was less noisy. The particulate matter mission was reduced by 25 to 30 per cent. 

The researchers at NEERI have developed greener version of what are called `bijli’ crackers. Three prototypes have been developed and named SWAS (safe water releaser), SAFAL (safe minimum aluminium) and STAR (safe thermite cracker). The particulate matter was reduced by 30-35 per cent in SWAS and 35 to 40 per cent in SAFAL and STAR. 

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said greener crackers have been demonstrated to the manufacturers and their reaction has been positive. There was, however, a need for approval from Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), which is the nodal agency for safety requirements in manufacture, storage, transport and use of all types of explosives and petroleum. The manufacturers will have to approach it. 

He said work on several other greener crackers including electronic-based ones are underway in six other CSIR laboratories — Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur, Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune and Industrial Toxicological Research Institute and National Botanical Research Institute at Lucknow. 

Dr. Vardhan, however, declined to set a time frame for the crackers to be commercialised. “We are working on them. We will let you know when they are ready for the market,” he said. 

Photo Description – On the right is a false-colour image of the bright ultraviolet lobes of the Butterfly Nebula, images by AstroSat. On the left is the same image in red, with a cartoon in blue marking the full extent of the newly discovered ultraviolet lobes and the jets (Credits: Rao and Sriram).

Pune : Indian astrophysicists have discovered large ultraviolet lobes and jets that were hurled out from a dying star, using data from AstroSat – space observatory launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2015.

The discovery has been featured as the AstroSat Picture of the Month (APOM) for October. 

Professor Kameswara Rao of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and his collaborators used the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on board AstroSat to stare at a planetary nebula called NGC 6302, popularly known as the Butterfly Nebula. A planetary nebula is formed when a star like our Sun, or a few times heavier, is in its dying days. The term, a misnomer now, was coined by astronomers in the 19^th century since the nebula looked like planets through their telescopes. 

 Â“When hydrogen and helium fuel that kept the star shining gets exhausted, the star expands in size and becomes a red giant star. Such stars shed most of their outer layers which expands outwards, and the inner core, made of carbon and oxygen, shrinks further and becomes hotter. This hot core shines brightly in the ultraviolet, and ionizes the expanding gas. This glowing ionized gas is what is seen as a planetary nebula”, Prof Rao explained. 

Sriram Krishna, a student of Rao, spent many hours analysing the data from the Butterfly Nebula. “Its central star is one of the hottest that we know, at 220000 degrees. The name itself comes from the shape of the two lobes of expanding gas that look like the wings of a butterfly”, he said. One might expect a Planetary Nebula to be spherical, but it actually exhibits a range of complicated structures. “We used the UVIT on AstroSat to make four images of the nebula, each in different ultraviolet ‘colours’, or filters. The image made with the filter centred at 160.8 nanometres, called F169M, had a surprise in store for us,” said Sriram. 

Astronomers have studied the two lobes of the nebula for many years through visible light images. They expect that the more energetic ultraviolet light would be emitted closer to the central star, where the hot stellar wind hits the slowly expanding gas. “However, we discovered that the lobes imaged with the F169M filter in ultraviolet were about three times larger than the size of the lobes imaged in visible light”, said Sriram. After careful analysis, their study concluded that this ultraviolet emission must be due to cold molecular hydrogen gas outside the visible lobes which had gone undetected so far.  

“Our discovery points to an unseen companion star in an orbit with the central star”, said Firoza Sutaria, one of the co-authors. In addition, researchers discovered two faint jets blasting out from the centre, at almost right angles to our new ultraviolet lobes. The team led by Prof Rao has recently discovered a large ultraviolet halo in yet another planetary nebula using AstroSat, and will be looking at many more such objects in the future. They hope that such discoveries may provide the answer to the age old puzzle of the ‘missing mass problem in planetary nebulae’.

This discovery was made possible because of the uniqueness of UVIT. “Of all the ultraviolet telescopes in space, UVIT is special in its ability to image a large field of view with a very high resolution, or detail”, said Dr V. Girish of ISRO. “This ability, coupled with a novel image analysis software that we had developed led us to this discovery”, explained Prof Jayant Murthy, a co-author of the paper, and Director of IIA.

These results have been published recently in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics,  co-authored by Kameswara Rao, Sriram Krishna, Jayant Murthy, Firoza Sutaria and Rekesh Mohan of IIA, Alak Ray of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and De Marco of Macquarie University in Australia.

The AstroSat Picture of the Month series, or APOM, is a year-old initiative of the Public Outreach and Education Committee (POEC) of the Astronomical Society, as well as the AstroSat Training and Outreach Team. The aim of APOM is to share the excitement of AstroSat science as well as the beauty of the Universe with the public. All APOMs are archived at http://astron-soc.in/outreach/all-apoms/ 

The Chinese State Councillor and minister of public security Zhao Kezhi heading a large high powered  delegation will be visiting India for the first time from 21st to 25th  Oct.

Zhao Kezhi will hold bilateral talks with Rajnath Singh the home minister on 22nd , He will  meet National security advisor Ajit Doval and his team and  and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23rd.

Zhao Kezhi with the delegation will  visit Mumbai on 24rd and will be meeting with Chief Minster of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis for delegation level talks. He will leave for China on 25th .

The 15 member high level delegation led by Zhao Kezhi includes vice minister of public security and the Directer general of Public security of TAR Tibet Autonomous Region and other high level officials.

During the visit both sides are expected to sign a frame work agreement for cooperation in the field of internal security after many years of negotiations  , a first among two giant Asian neighbours, now trying to resolve several contentious issues after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at Wuhan.

The relationship hit a pause button during the Doklam crises after Rajnath Singh visited Beijing in Nov 2015 held delegation level talks with his Chinese counter part Guo Shengkun, State Councillor and Minister of Public Security and met  the Prime Minster Li Keqiang.

The relationship was revived again when Zhao Kezhi was invited to visit India during a meeting with the Dy NSA Rajender Khanna who led the Indian delegation to Beijing to attend the 13th SCO NSAs meeting in May 2018.

A five member delegation from Ministry of Public Security of China visited New Delhi on Aug 28 and met Indian officials  for the preparation of the talks between two sides and the proposed pact on the cooperation on Internal security.

Several contentious issues are expected to come up during the talks between two sides during the meetings.

Sources say that Home minister Rajnath Singh and others from the Indian side have raised the issue of supply of arms and ammunition to the Insurgents in the Northeastern states of India several times, the issue is expected to come up again at the meeting.

The Indian side is expected to demand from China to hand over Paresh Baruah the Chairman  of ULFA -I  The United Liberation Front of Assam – Independent  . Baruah has raised the heckles of the ruling BJP Bhartiya Janta Party leaders at the Central and the state governments by blasting a bomb near a temple in Guwahati just before the beginning of the auspicious festive period of Durga puja . Paresh Baruah called on phone all regional  news outlets opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and NRC (National Register of Citizens) update exercise pushed through by the ruling political party.

Paresh Baruah also the self styled commander in chief of ULFA-I ,who is waging a armed struggle for an independent Assam state  is hiding somewhere in the Jungles at the Border tri-junction of India-China-Myanmar with an active support from Chinese Authorities.

Experts say the idea of  surgical strike on the camps of Paresh Baruah was nixed by higher up in the security Establishment as Indian special forces may have to transgress unknowingly  into Chinese territory raising the temperatures in the relations of two neighbours to boiling point.

Paresh Baruah is taking advantage of the 143 Km stretch at the border Tri Junction which is still under “dispute” between Myanmar, India and China. Complicating the situation further Myanmar has asked India to first resolve the border issues with China before starting negotiations with it.

During talks the Chinese side is expected to raise several thorny issues including the Tibetan living as refugees in India, who are fomenting unrest in the [TAR] Tibet Autonomous Region of China. China also wants India to curb the “Political” activities of Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders which has an adverse effect on the internal security of TAR.

China also expects New Delhi to ban various organizations fighting for the Freedom of Tibet and functioning from the Indian soil ,as India has recognized TAR as an integral part of China.

The far reaching effect and the  political implications of democratically elected (CTA) Central Tibetan Administration in exile, functioning from its base at  Dharmshala ,Himachal Pradesh on the Authoritarian  communist party regime in the TAR Tibet is also troubling the Czars of public security  in China. They want severe restrictions to be imposed on the democratically  elected political leadership of CTA, which is trying to start a movement for democracy in Tibet.

“We are hoping for the best and prepared for the worst” an official in the Indian security establishment said on the condition of anonymity.

(Kanwaljeet Singh is a Freelance journalist based in New Delhi India his Twitter handle is @kjsingh001)

KUTUPALANG CAMP, COX’S BAZAR,  (Bangladesh): With her eyes welling up while narrating her family’s ordeal in Rakhine State in the neighbouring Myanmar, Jamila says the conditions will not be conducive and peaceful for the return of Rohinga refugees to Myanmar.

Speaking before a group of visiting journalists from a number of countries at this refugee camp, Jamila recounted that her husband Abdul Aziz and her teenaged son were killed two years ago in their village in Rakhine State by a marauding team of Myanmar army.

“They killed my husband and slaughtered my son and destroyed our village Buchidan. I fled with other family members to safety and found shelter in Bangladesh,’’ Jamila, 35, said.

A similar experience was narrated by Zahid  Hussain whose family also fled from Myanmar to avoid bloodshed and conflict. Both of them are among 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who have found shelter in this area of Ukhiya sub-district of Cox’s Bazar coastal district of Bangladesh.

The refugee camps, temporary shelters made of bamboo and tin shades, have sprung up on the entire hill in this sub-district which borders Myanmar. “There 30 clusters of such  camps which are spread over 6,000 acres . Nearly 80 per cent of the Rohingya refugees have been accommodated in camps here while rest of them are housed in Teknaf which is closer to the border with Myanmar,’’ said Mohd. Nikaruzaman, Additional District Commissioner of Ukhiya sub-district.

Rohingya camps are located in hilly forest area , about 40 kms from the city of Cox’s Bazar, and the area, once inhabited by elephant herds and other wild animals, is teeming with blue and green tin roofs, bamboo and tarpaulin sheets and a mud road meandering through the camps.

Mr. Nikaruzaman said that Bangladesh provided temporary shelter to fleeing Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds and the initial trickle swelled up to a large number last year. He said that total number of Rohingya refugees has gone up to 1.2 million which is four times the total local population og Ukhiya sub-district.

Recalling difficulties in building settlements for them, he said that health and sanitation were big issues to be tackled. “We carried out vaccination for cholera and installed deep bore handpumps in clusters for safe drinking water. Toilets and bathrooms were also provided and now we even have a learning centre for children. Food distribution centres have been set up to supply food grains to the families according to their size,’’ he told journalists.

Cox’s Bazar’s District Commissioner Kamal Hussain said that arrival of Rohingyas from Myanmar has now been reduced to a trickle and admitted that it was a very challenging task to provide food, shelter, health and sanitation facilities to them.  “Our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended help on humanitarian grounds and its has been appreciated by the international community,’’ he said.

The senior official said that a number of global bodies, NGOs, local groups as well as several countries have extended assistance to Rohingyas in terms of medicines, food, clothing and shelter. UN bodies like UNHCR and World Food Programme have played a frontal role in such efforts.

The hilly area where such camps are located have been denuded as forests were cut to accommodate them. Solar lights have been installed at several locations and a 13-km long electricity line is all set to bring power to the camps. Many camps have also got LPG gas cylinders for cooking purposes and small shops have also come up in the area. The officials said that many Rohingyas also helped in the construction of a border road in the area.

Addressing the UN General Assembly’s 73rd session recently, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that she felt the pain and suffering of Rohingyas and called upon international community to give due importance to the atrocities and injustice suffered by Rohingya population in Myanmar.

She said that Rohingyas hosted in Bangladesh were living in an uncertain situation and her country made arrangements for their food, clothing, healthcare, child-care and security. She said the Rohingya crisis originated in Myanmar and its solution has also to be found in Myanmar and added that Bangladesh wanted an early, peaceful solution to the crisis.

Vulnerabilities of female sex workers (FSWs) should not be seen from the context of sex work alone, rather their structural, social and financial vulnerabilities need to be addressed to provide them with a safe and enabling environment.

This was the among the key conclusions of a landmark study undertaken by researchers from the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad, and Population Council, an international nonprofit that conducts research in public health and biomedicine. The research found that 55% of sex workers surveyed were vulnerable. The study was published in the prestigious journal of PLoS ONE and the findings have important policy implications for programs working with sex workers.

Titled ‘Measuring vulnerability among female sex workers in India using a multidimensional framework,’ the study was conducted in four Southern States (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) and a Western (Maharashtra) State.

The four Southern States were chosen as they are historically known for high HIV prevalence, and large number of FSWs. The HIV prevalence among FSWs in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana and Karnataka is around 6% each, 7% in Maharashtra, 1% in Tamil Nadu. The living condition of FSWs in these areas was one of the poorest with a large proportion of FSWs being exposed to harsh socio-environmental stress such as lack of proper health care and security. Nearly half the FSWs in Maharashtra, two-thirds in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, one-fifth in Karnataka and two-fifth in Tamil Nadu depended solely on earnings from sex work to make a living.

Measurement of vulnerability and identifying the context leading to vulnerability is important for strategic planning for any intervention. FSWs in India face multiple vulnerabilities by nature of their profession.

Speaking about the importance of this study, Dr. Ruchira Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Centre for Gender Studies and Development, NIRDPR, said, “this study is of profound importance to a range of development enthusiasts, starting from research scholars who are looking for an appropriate methodology to measure multidimensional vulnerability, to the policy makers who are designing solutions for public health and need appropriate, comparable and yet simple measures to monitor the situations of extremely marginalized communities.”

The study found that not having insurance, in particular, was a key factor in defining the financial vulnerability of the sex workers. Given the increasing emphasis on ensuring access to insurance for all individuals by the Government of India, this is yet another opportunity for the policymakers to leverage and provide this vulnerable group with financial security.

It was found that lack of insurance contributed most (32%) to financial vulnerabilities, followed by lack of savings or investment in gold, land or property (26%),lack of alternative income other than sex work (20%) and not having saving accounts in bank orpost office (16%). Loan from an informal source contributed only 6% to the overall vulnerabilities.

Lack of awareness of their legal rights is another area which needs to be addressed, which will enable them to become more resilient to exploitation.

The study revealed that the absence of social support and network contributed about one quarter to the overall vulnerability level. The absence of social coherence – as indicated by the reluctance of community members to come together to offer aid to the FSW in times of crises – alludes to the need for concerted efforts to building community collectivization. 

In addition, the findings suggested that 23% of the vulnerabilities among FSWs were due to their personal attributes, with their degree of dependency and being mobile/migrant for sex work contributing to 42% and 34% of the vulnerabilities respectively. Street based solicitation contributed to only 4% of the overall vulnerability, claimed the study.

The study also showed positive associations between vulnerability and HIV-related sexual risk factors suggesting that addressing vulnerabilities of FSWs would eventually lead to better HIV risk behavior among them.

The highest vulnerability was among sex workers surveyed in Maharashtra. The study also found that vulnerable FSWs were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. The research is of profound importance for health policy enthusiasts, as higher vulnerability means a greater chance to engage in behaviors that put them at risk of sexually transmitted infections.

Intervention programs need to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to address multidimensional vulnerabilities and should be specifically designed to address financial vulnerabilities. This can be achieved by facilitating access to formal financial services and helping them to increase their saving habits and make investments in different movable and immovable assets. This study demonstrated that a multidimensional approach to measuring vulnerabilities among FSWs may help in identifying a range of factors that can be prioritized by interventions.

In light of the fact that India has been dealing with an HIV epidemic and FSWs continue to be one of the core sources of transmission, the existing interventions aimed at HIV-prevention among this group must continue uninhibited. Further strengthening of these efforts will require the system to address some of the vulnerabilities as mentioned in this study. This will enable and empower the FSWs to adopt safe and free behavior without any compulsion or fear. The first step in this direction is identifying vulnerable FSWs and measuring the degree of vulnerability faced by them.

The percentage share of female workers participating in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) convergence projects has been found to be much higher in the hills than the plains of Uttarakhand.

On an average, it was found that the percentage share of female workers participating in the MGNREGA convergence projects is much higher in the hills (70% in Pauri and 81% in Champawat) districts than the plain districts (22% in Udham Singh Nagar and 0% percent in Haridwar). 

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), Hyderabad, have jointly studied the convergence activities under MGNREGA in Uttarakhand. They include days of employment provided, wages earned, asset creation, the participation of various social and occupational groups, its impact on socio-economic issues including social empowerment, migration and agricultural productivity.

Titled Â‘Assessment of Convergence Activities under MGNREGA in Uttarakhand,’ the study investigated into the extent to which convergence activities under the scheme have been implemented in the State.

Speaking about the importance of this study, Jyothis Sathyapalan, Professor at the Centre for Wage Employment at NIRDPR said that the findings are really encouraging implementers since women’s participation is high in convergence works related to land development, water conservation and draught proofing, which not only enhance women’s livelihoods in hilly rural areas but also helps to restore the mountain ecosystem services.

The study found that in terms of the overall employment generation per household, the performance seemed better in the hill districts, with higher market wage rates in the hills (Rs.306 in Pauri and Rs.310 in Champawat) than the plain districts (Rs.291 in Haridwar and Rs.283 in Udham Singh Nagar).

A majority of households working in the convergence activities were found to be below the poverty line. The percentage of such households was observed highest in Champawat (99 percent), followed by Pauri (86 percent), US Nagar (80 percent) and Haridwar (63 percent).

One of the key recommendations is digitalization of socio-economic data and GIS-based resource mapping and planning in each GP should be given top priority by the State government. This will help identify relevant projects for convergence to achieve more inclusive and sustainable rural development—ecologically, economically and socially.

Highlighting the salient features of this study, Prof S.P. Singh, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Roorkee, said, Â“Convergence of MGNREGS with other rural development schemes intends not only to optimize the use of scarce financial, physical and human resources but also to improve the delivery mechanism, and ensure creation of durable and quality assets with their effective utilization. However, MGNREGA convergence in the state was found limited to only a few activities with quite moderate impact due to a number of reasons. These included lack of institution-building at all levels, repugnance of the line departments and gram panchayats towards the convergence activities, lack of motivated and trained manpower and shouldering the programme responsibility on the temporary staff like DPOs, and lack of coordination between panchayat and rural development officials. Nevertheless, there is immense potential of improvement in the rural livelihood of the hill regions through better conceptualization and planning of convergence activities, especially replicating the convergence model of Tea Board in other activities such as horticulture and agro-forestry”.

A review of the convergence projects revealed that in all the sample districts, rural connectivity was the main activity under the convergence initiative. It was also observed that not enough importance was given to the conceptualization and execution of convergence projects related to activities such as water conservation, water harvesting, micro-irrigation and renovation of water bodies. This was alluded to the possible non-involvement of concerned line departments in the MGNREGA-convergence initiatives. An analysis of the awareness level of the workers showed that they had very limited knowledge about the key provisions of MGNREGA convergence. Even elected members of Gram Panchayats (GP) were found to be unaware of the convergence modalities. Most respondents said that relevant information was not displayed in the GP. The percentage of respondents stating that the information was not displayed in the Gram Panchayat was highest in Champawat (100%) followed by US Nagar (99%), Pauri (92%) and Haridwar (79%).

Further, findings suggested that there was no institutional set-up for MGNREGA convergence. There was a capacity deficit at all levels, with a lack of training, awareness and capacity-building. There was also a lack of coordination observed between the departments of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. There was negligible or no involvement of line departments in the convergence projects; as the strong accountability, transparency mechanisms and non-negotiable parameters of MGNREGA seemed to deter the line departments from converging their activities with the former. NGOs also seemed to be missing from the capacity-building and awareness creation programmes.

The study was carried out with multifold objectives to review the planning, execution, and monitoring and evaluation of the MGNREGA convergence process, to evaluate the outcomes of the convergence projects in terms of quality, durability and utility of created assets, and their impact on the livelihood of marginalized groups, and to assess the extent of convergence of MGNREGA with the untied funds of Gram Panchayats.

Several key recommendations came out of the study. First, there is a need for the State government to prepare detailed operational guidelines on MGNREGA convergence and disseminate them among the concerned officials and elected functionaries. A District Convergence Coordination Committee should be constituted, and the Draft District Plan should reflect the convergence activities.

A need for a survey to assess the requirements of the State for different kinds of rural development and NRM projects under MGNREGA convergence was also identified. There was also a felt need for there to be a functional merger of the departments of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj as having to deal with both in parallel seemed challenging for the rural people.

Further, MGNREGA convergence is only limited to a few activities, with limited impact on the overall rural livelihood and natural resource development, calling for an urgent need for the convergence of line departments dealing in the areas of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fishery, livestock, water and sanitation, NRLM, Green Indian Mission, tourism, literacy and health etc.

Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a $110 million loan to finance the upgrade of 2,800 kilometers all-weather rural roads in the State of Madhya Pradesh under the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Program (PMGSY).

Tranche 2 loan is part of the $500 million-Second Rural Connectivity investment Program for India approved by the ADB Board in December 2017. The overall program is aimed at improving rural connectivity, facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through improvements to about 12,000 kilometers rural roads across the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal. Tranche 1 loan of $250 million is currently under implementation in the 5 project states, upgrading over 6,000 km of rural roads.

The signatories to the Second Rural Connectivity investment Programme were Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed on behalf of the Government of India; and Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB.

“The tranche 2 of the project will provide continued assistance to the PMGSY by upgrading rural roads in Madhya Pradesh that will support the Government’s long term goal to achieve inclusive economic growth in rural India. lt will give a big boost to the country’s rural connectivity initiative,” said Mr. Khare after signing the loan agreement.

“The loan will improve mobility for self-employment and livelihood opportunities in rural areas by improving access to district centers,” said Mr. Yokoyama. “The project will continue to support the Government’s drive for innovative approaches to reduce costs, conserve non-renewable natural resources, and promote the use of waste materials in rural road construction.”

In view of increased rainfall and storm surges in Madhya Pradesh, the road designs take into account these climate risks with measures such as greater elevation of road embankments and slope protection. Women were extensively consulted during the project design and will gain some key benefits, including improved access to healthcare, livelihoods and schooling.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. in 2017, ADB operations totalled $32.2 billion’ including $11.9 billion in co-financing.