Full Coverage: India

31.01.2008 A massive debt relief package for farmers is being finalised by India’s agriculture ministry. The scheme will provide debt relief to small and marginal farmers who own land up to two hectares and large farmers. The total outgoings over four years are expected to be around INR 700 billion.

31.01.2008 As India paid its homage to Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, the 60th anniversary of his assassination, his great-granddaughter poured his ashes into the Arabian Sea off Mumbai. Gandhi was shot dead on January 30, 1948 at a prayer meeting in New Delhi.

31.01.2008 Want to solve real-life water problems of today? Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment’s short course on the theory, practice and policies of urban rainwater harvesting for working professionals offers expert advice and hands-on lessons in planning and designing systems. Register now for the March 17-21 course.

31.01.2008 The next generation Nokia cell phone, loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech, promises to make lives convenient for the visually impaired.

29.01.2008 Street names and buildings in India once linked people to their local culture, geography and livelihoods. To deal with this loss of identity and regain the richness of its architectural landscape, India needs to research and document traditional houses in villages and old towns, writes architectural consultant Kiran Keswani.

29.01.2008 Säätietoja, ennakkovaroituksia kasvitaudeista ja vaikkapa ohjeita karjan pitoon. Kaikkea tätä lupaa Intian Rajasthanin osavaltion uusi tekstiviestipalvelu, jonka viljelijät ovat viranomaisten mukaan ottaneet innokkaasti vastaan.

28.01.2008 An initiative "to secure the economic, social and environmental sustainability of around a million cocoa farmers and their communities in Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean" was unveiled by chocolate manufacturer Cadbury and the UN Development Programme today.
From Cadbury Schweppes

28.01.2008 Sambodhi, a leading research and training organisation, will hold an international workshop on designing development projects from February 18-23 at New Delhi, India. The programme will help development professionals improve their understanding of all relevant factors in planning a successful project.

25.01.2008 Avian influenza or bird flu continues to spread in Bangladesh, with 84 poultry farms now affected. Health officials are worried over the lack of awareness among local people and are monitoring workers who took part in the culling.

24.01.2008 Senior journalist and Ramon Magsaysay winner P. Sainath takes on the media and its propagation of ‘reverse discrimination’ where upper castes are being plugged as the victims. The bitter world where Dalits are discriminated at every step of their lives is etched explicitly in this biting critique.

24.01.2008 Development Alternatives, an Indian NGO working to create sustainable livelihoods, is organising a training programme on Organisation Development from February 12-14 at TARAgram in Madhya Pradesh. The course aims to equip the civil society organisations with necessary skills for social action.

23.01.2008 A Dalit-centric policy framework can help the disadvantaged community to have a greater say in local and national programmes and their implementation, says a report released this month by the people’s campaign Wada Na Todo Abhiyan.

22.01.2008 Vandana Shiva continued to stand up for the rights of women, small farmers, and others marginalized by modern society, particularly in the face of corporate-led expansions in the agriculture and biofuel sectors.

21.01.2008 A comprehensive data pool on gender issues was launched by the SAARC Secretary General at the inaugural of the recent Sixth South Asian Regional Ministerial Conference by UNIFEM at New Delhi. The Gender Database will provide records on violence against women and trafficking in the South Asia region, and on women’s health and HIV/AIDS.

21.01.2008 British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has backed calls for a permanent place on the UN Security Council for India as he prepares to announce measures designed to modernise international institutions.

21.01.2008 As the debate on Special Economic Zones (SEZ) continues, a novel idea has been proposed by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) to make farmers direct shareholders in an agri-based food processing venture at Nellore, in southern Andhra Pradesh. SEZs are lands earmarked for industrial growth with massive subsidies granted to capitalists.

18.01.2008 Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, invites applications for a five-day refresher workshop from February 12-16 on how to use the environment to eradicate poverty in rural India. By drawing lessons from village experiences, the workshop aims to devise a framework for sustainable villages.

17.01.2008 NEW YORK, Jan 17 (OneWorld) - A diverse coalition of environmental and peace organizations in the United States is urging Congress to reject the Bush administration's move to send nuclear technologies to India.

17.01.2008 India may be considered a world leader when held to standards of population, military strength, or economic development, but this country's most valuable advantage lies in its vibrant cultural exports, comments Indian author Shashi Tharoor.

17.01.2008 Video Volunteers and local NGOs are helping rural communities in India voice their issues to a global audience. Locally relevant video produced by community video units, are empowering people to lead, change and take action.