7 Feb, 2008

‘Gandhian’ Solutions Urged To Combat Climate Change

Imtiaz Muqbil

The World Future Council (WFC) today launched its operations in India at the international conference on ‘Gandhi, Globalisation and Climate Change’ in New Delhi. The WFC will work with the diverse movements, inspired by Gandhian philosophy, which are creating alternatives based on renewable energy.

In this dispatch:

1. INDIA TO DEVELOP MORE WOMEN CONSULTANTS

2. SUSTAINABLE ‘GANDHIAN’ SOLUTIONS URGED TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

3. MUMBAI FIRST AIRPORT IN INDIA TO IMPLEMENT SELF-SERVICE CHECK IN

4. SECURITY POLICY IN A NEW WORLD ORDER

5. JAPANESE WANT INDIANS TO TEACH THEM MATHEMATICS

6. MAJULI RENOMINATED FOR WORLD HERITAGE STATUS

7. INDIA, KYRGYZSTAN TO PROMOTE TOURISM AND CULTURE

8. DIRECT TAX COLLECTIONS UP 40%

9. TRADE BOOST WITH U.S. SOUGHT, WITH FOCUS ON SMEs

10. WATER LEVELS AT IMPORTANT RESERVOIRS LOWER THAN LAST YEAR

11. NO LIFE WITHOUT WATER – NEW BOOK

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[Editor’s Note: In order to prevent any inaccuracy, all numbers in the following are being retained in their original Indian reporting format. One crore is 10,000,000, and one lakh is 100,000. Pls use www.xe.com for conversion]

1. INDIA TO DEVELOP MORE WOMEN CONSULTANTS

05 February 2008 — Consultancy Development Centre of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India has launched a Study on “Status of Women Consultants in India” to assess the role of women professionals in consulting. The Study is being carried out in association with the International Management Institute (IMI), a leading business school in Delhi. The objective of the study is to map the competencies among women professionals and identify gaps, based on which a plan for competency enhancement of women professionals for consulting across sectors/disciplines and functions can be developed.

Many women professionals have personal and family responsibilities that play a part in determining ability to reach their desired career paths. Finding the right opportunity to maintain an effective balance between personal and professional responsibilities is the challenge for every professional woman today. With the present IT and communication technologies, most consulting activities can be carried out from home resulting in low overheads as well as flexibility. This is an added advantage for women as it helps them in maintaining an effective balance between the professional commitments as well as the family responsibilities.

Studies carried out by McKinsey and IBM indicate that in the coming years women will be an increasing% age of the workforce at all levels and shall play an important role as members of diverse consulting teams. The Study by CDC will include personal interviews in mini/metro cities across the country, besides desk research and questionnaire based survey. The outcome would help in evolving a Road Map including policy initiatives to be taken for development of women consultants in the country. The Study is expected to be completed in six months, leading to a series of seminars for dissemination of the findings of the Study.

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2. SUSTAINABLE ‘GANDHIAN’ SOLUTIONS URGED TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

Delhi, 6 February 2008 — The World Future Council (WFC) today officially launched its operations in India at the international conference on ‘Gandhi, Globalisation and Climate Change’ in Delhi at which former Indian Prime Minister V.P Singh is one of the speakers. Together with Navdanya, the environmental organisation founded by Vandana Shiva, the WFC will draw attention to the non-sustainability and inequity inherent in the current fossil fuel dependent development. The WFC will work with the diverse movements, inspired by Gandhian philosophy, which are creating alternatives based on renewable energy.

India, the land of Gandhi, is emerging as an economic super power, fuelled by a dramatic increase in the use of fossil fuels. 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination. This is an appropriate time to revisit models of democracy and economy that Gandhi has inspired. It is an opportunity to highlight the alternatives which are vital to respond to Climate Change and socio economic inequality.

Vandana Shiva, member of the World Future Council Executive Committee and founder of Navdanya said: “At a time when climate change is compelling a transition from fossil fuel driven industrialization to renewable energies and sustainable economies, the global division of labour and the global outsourcing of pollution is transforming India into a fossil fuel consumption hub. This is also leading to huge displacement and uprooting of small peasants, small traders and the poor.”

Navdanya and World Future Council believe that Gandhi’s philosophy and practice are relevant not just to India but to the entire world. It can inspire solutions to climate chaos and the deepening economic and social divide between countries and people due to increasing non sustainable systems of organizing productions and consumptions.

In its work in India, the WFC will concentrate on identifying and disseminating policies that will help the country on its way towards a just and sustainable future. Advocating sustainable agriculture and renewable energy will be the main areas of focus.

World Future Council Program Director and renowned environmentalist and film-maker Herbert Girardet, who is currently in Delhi to launch the World Future Council, said: “Although solutions do already exist that would accelerate the transformation towards a decentralized and clean energy market, the steps that have so far been taken to combat climate change are far from sufficient. This is due to a lack of political will and public awareness, combined with the refusal of certain parts of industry to drop their preference for huge, centralized energy production plants.”

Through the experience, connections and skills of its members, the WFC is uniquely positioned to play a catalytic role in helping to prevent climate chaos and bridge the “implementation gaps” which currently delay urgently needed action. As the voice of future generations, the World Future Council will, in its campaigns, speak up for those who cannot stand up for their rights. This is illustrated by the KidsCall campaign, also currently in India as part of a world tour. For more information, visit www.kidscall.info.

The World Future Council is a global forum of 50 respected personalities who give voice to the shared ethical values of citizens worldwide. The Council works closely with policy-makers, civil societies and business to identify and implement best policies to protect the rights of future generations. For more information on the World Future Council, please visit www.worldfuturecouncil.org.

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3. MUMBAI FIRST AIRPORT IN INDIA TO IMPLEMENT SELF-SERVICE CHECK IN

MUMBAI – 08 February 2008 – Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL) and SITA today signed an agreement which will aid in the on-going transformation of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, into one of the world’s most modern airports capable of operating both CUSS (Common Use Self Service) kiosks and CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) check-in systems.

Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, MIAL said: “”MIAL has always pioneered the implementation of industry leading initiatives for CSIA, currently the busiest airport in India. The deployment of SITA’s self-service kiosk technology is a step in this direction. We chose to partner with SITA since they have specialized expertise in providing airport technology services, which in turn will translate into better facilities and an enhanced experience for both passengers and airlines at CSIA. As our requirements evolve over a period of time we are pleased to have SITA on board as our long-term technology partner.”

Francesco Violante, SITA CEO, said in Mumbai today: “This five-year agreement to introduce the full SITA range of self-service capability will transform Mumbai into an IT technology showcase for the region. The agreement has many innovative features which will benefit both airlines and passengers including the first-ever remote deployment of self-service kiosks for an airport in India. It will also allow for the first time in India complete integration of the overall airport management system with the check-in platform being used by the airlines.”

MIAL will provide a standardized self-service check-in environment with the potential to support every airline operating flights from the international terminal. While CUSS is primarily a front-end tool that will enhance passenger experience, CUTE is essentially a back-end enabler that allows an airport to efficiently organize gate and check-in counter allocations, as well as systems management.

In agreement with the 45 airlines based at the airport, SITA will deploy its AirportConnect Open technology across 150 check-in counters at the airport and 50 CUSS (common-use self-service) check-in kiosks which will include 20 located in prominent Mumbai hotels. The self-service kiosks will reduce check-in time by more than half and will also be able to print baggage tags.

AirportConnect Open is SITA’s next generation passenger processing solution which enables airports and airlines to access their proprietary and CUTE (common-use terminal equipment) applications on the same platform in a shared, totally secure environment. Multiple airlines can share the same facility allowing maximum use of gate and counter resources.

Gerry D’Lima, Chairman, AOC (Airline Operations Committee), said: “The deployment of SITA’s self-service kiosk technology will allow airlines operating out of CSIA to enjoy the benefits of sharing dedicated IT systems and facilities, including the check-in counters and self-service check-in kiosks. Given the consistent strong growth in passenger traffic in the last couple of years, this would maximise the terminal space at CSIA, thereby helping airlines increase efficiency and reduce costs – the two most vital factors in today’s airline business. The implementation will also provide us with a robust and secure operating environment.”

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4. SECURITY POLICY IN A NEW WORLD ORDER

05 February 2008 – The 10th Asian Security Conference was held here today, bringing together military, civilian and Government security personnel. Following are excerpts from the speech delivered by the Defence Minister Mr A K Antony”

Of late, the Asian region has acquired a unique centrality in global strategic affairs. The challenges for the Asian region – and indeed all the nations the world over — are of a similar nature. Terrorism, nuclear proliferation and sectarian conflicts are some of issues that require our urgent and focussed attention.

Today, the world has truly become a global village. Thus, security of nations cannot be restricted to narrow geographical and political boundaries. With increasing globalisation, it is often argued that the chances of the breakout of a conventional war are remote. All the same, we have to be eternally vigilant and ever-prepared for any eventuality.

In recent years, conflicts have broken out between states and non-state players. Such conflicts are differently categorised as civil war, insurgency, ethnic conflict, irregular war, or even – terrorism. The nature of conflicts notwithstanding, it is the civilian population that bears the brunt of such conflicts. The traditional distinction between soldiers and the civilians is increasingly being obliterated, for both are targets for terrorists.

It is well-known that no price is too high for the security of a nation. Global defence expenditure during the 1990s had registered a marginal decline. However, of late, global defence expenditure has registered a sharp upward growth.

The world today realises that no nation can consider itself to be immune from terrorism. The lessons learnt elsewhere can prove to be useful in devising our policies. Similarly, other nations too can benefit from our experiences. Nations must devise ways and means to cooperate to effectively counter terrorism.

The Indian policy makers will keenly look forward to these deliberations as they have implications for our own strategies. I also urge IDSA scholars to continue to pay attention to this phenomenon on a long-term basis and generate ideas and policy options that are useful to decision makers.

Increasing use of information technology will mean that wars in future will be hi-tech, intense, yet brief. The mobility and destructive capacity of weapons has gone up several times. Experts apprehend that with proliferation of technologies – particularly information technology, space technology, bio-technology, nano-technology and genetic engineering will only multiply the lethal force of new weapons.

Nuclear proliferation continues to be a serious challenge for mankind. I am sure that experts attending this Conference will deliberate on the future of the nuclear order, its relevance and implications for security of the Asian region.

The emergence of non-state players is another grave challenge confronting all nations. These non-state players do not recognise any territorial boundaries. They utilise latest global communication and transport networks and rely on garnering international support. Their common objective is to disturb existing state apparatus, destabilise neighbouring states and create new states based on ethno-cultural identity. Most of these non-state players are not fighting for a national identity, or territory and have abstract notions of carving out a separate and unique identity of their own based on ethnicity, religious and tribal basis.

According to estimates of Military Balance, out of the 343 non-state armed groups operating in the world, 187 groups operate in Asian region. India has been the target of disruptive elements for several years. Major powers of the world then believed that they would be immune to such elements and had as such, little sympathy for our concerns. However, now all nations realise and accept the need for greater cooperation in effectively meeting such challenges.

The conference will also consider another important issue that has a direct bearing on Asian Security in the 21st century – the generic issue of fragile states and nation building, with Afghanistan as a live case. Trends indicate that international efforts at nation building are faltering on many counts. This is a potentially dangerous situation. It is therefore only appropriate that this conference will consider the challenges posed by the recent developments in Afghanistan.

The deliberations during the special session will address the questions such as – what is the assessment of major players regarding the future course of action in Afghanistan? What can be done to stabilise Afghanistan? I am hopeful that the Conference will come up with creative solutions for the well-being of Afghanistan.

I have briefly referred to some of the principal challenges that Asia and other regions of the world are likely to face. All these challenges are transnational, or have the potential of becoming transnational. While we must guard against the outbreak of conventional wars, we must recognise that newer forms of conflict are more likely. In my view, the following measures can help the Asian states in meeting various challenges effectively.

The first one is to maintain an active dialogue process, not only among governments, but also defence establishments to build strong channels of communication and dispel mistrust. Secondly, we must develop mechanisms to share intelligence about terror groups, criminal elements, drug cartels and other transnational networks that foment violence and subvert states.

Thirdly, we must attempt to devise common solutions to common challenges that threaten our collective security. We need to develop multilateral frameworks to promote dialogue and prepare strategies for cooperative action. It is heartening that this year’s Asian Security Conference will touch upon several important issues and will conclude with a discussion on cooperative frameworks for Asian Security in the 21st century.

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5. JAPANESE WANT INDIANS TO TEACH THEM MATHEMATICS

Mumbai, 04 February 2008, Indo-Asian News Service –Japan may soon open its gates to Indian primary schoolteachers specialising in mathematics. For, the Japanese believe that Indians are the best in the world when it comes to teaching this subject.

The deputy leader of the visiting Indo-Japan Business Co-operation delegation, Ryuji Inamura, says the Japanese are extremely interested in the way this crucial academic subject is taught in India. “Even though the idea is still in an incipient stage, we in Japan have already started poring over the Indian elementary mathematic syllabi and plan to take concrete steps ahead in the matter,” Inamura told IANS here.

Inamura said: “India has brought out IITians who are respected technocrats and sought after all over the world. Their foundation of mathematics is laid in the way they were taught during elementary schooling.”

When asked how the Japanese planned to tackle the language barrier, Yoshihiro Nishida, chairman of Yokohama Foreign Trade Association and co-chairman Yokohama India Centre Council, explained: “Mathematics is primarily a subject having its own unique numerical language. Just the basic knowledge of Japanese is enough for teaching purposes at the primary level.”

Nishida revealed that they were seriously planning to introduce the Japanese language in India in a big way. “It will not only help iron out the psychological barrier, but also the language barrier if trade between the two countries has to flourish.”

Concurring with Nishida, Inamura pointed out that the interest in the subject could be gauged from the fact that two copyright cases of Indian school mathematics textbooks were currently pending in Japanese courts. “I do not have more details on the issue, but then it shows the kind of influence the Indian educational system has in our country.”

When asked the reason behind the spurt of interest in this subject, Makino Masatomo, a special writer for one of Japan’s top ranking newspapers Kanagawa Shimbun, explained at length. “Since the 1980s and 90s, there has been a sharp dip in mathematics education in Japanese schools. After making a deep assessment of educational systems all over the world, particularly the developed countries, a majority of our educators have concluded that the teaching system in the Indian subcontinent can do wonders for Japan. After all, India has right now the best IT professionals. And take a look at academic institutions the world over, you find Indians occupying high-level teaching chairs. ”

Apart from the keen interest in Indian primary education system, the delegation has come to India with a focus on reviving economic ties. Nalin C Advani, director and chairman, Working Group, Yokohama India Centre Council, told IANS: “In recent years, the Japanese have made India synonymous with a one-liner – ‘Oh, your country had discovered the concept of zero isn’t it?’ That is very true and a good sign of the high level academic excellence of our own teachers, despite severe handicaps.”

Referring to the business tie-ups, Advani said that Japanese businessmen are very keen that Indian businessmen explore sunrise Japanese industrial sectors like bio-pharma and IT. “However, many others are keen to explore joint ventures in areas like city planning, real estate, rail network, port development and infrastructure development, specially in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Primary discussions have been conducted, but the fact remains that the Japanese certainly are among the best town planners in the world.”

Another aspect of immense interest is boosting tourism between the two countries. Apart from specialised tours, Nishida said efforts are now on to promote Indian culture and put the country among the Most Favoured Tourist Destinations for the Japanese traveller.

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6. MAJULI RENOMINATED FOR WORLD HERITAGE STATUS

05 February 2008 — India has nominated the Majuli Island in Jorhat district, Upper Assam for inscription on the World Heritage List under the “Cultural Landscape” category in 2008. Majuli is among the world’s largest reverine islands. It is located in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra river. For the past five hundred years or so, Majuli has been seen as the cradle of Assamese culture and a centre of the neo-Vaishnavite movement. It has 31 Sattras, which are institutions of culture and education, and are also the main repositories of the cultural resources of Majuli.

Located in a complex delta system, Majuli is formed at the confluence of Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers. A number of other tributaries also join the rivers close to the island. The island witnesses an annual cycle of floods, erosion and siltation and has a complex and fragile eco-system, with a delicate balance of interaction between man and nature.

Majuli was first nominated for World Heritage Status in 2004. The International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, had carried out a detailed evaluation of the Majuli Island in 2005. Based on the ICOMOS report, the World Heritage Centre sought additional information by way of the mapping of Sattras and their influence, inventory of cultural resources of the Sattras, their condition analysis, preparation of a risk preparedness strategy for the island, etc. The nomination came up for consideration before the World Heritage Committee in 2006, but was referred back for collating and providing the additional information.

India has 27 World Heritage Sites, 22 of which are Cultural and 5 Natural. Red Fort was the most recent addition to the list last year. If inscribed, Majuli Island will be first world heritage site in India under the ‘cultural landscape’ category, which contains both cultural and natural components.

The Prime Minister had called a meeting in October, 2007 to discuss issues relating to Majuli with Mrs. Ambika Soni, Minister (Tourism & Culture) and Prof. Saifuddin Soz, Minister (Water Resources). These issues included the threat of erosion by the Brahmaputra river and the status of Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) preparedness to resubmit the site for consideration by UNESCO in 2008. A high level central team visited Majuli Island in November, 2007 for an on-site review of the status on both counts.

The ASI, which acts as the nodal agency for nomination of Indian sites on the World Heritage List, has prepared a detailed document with the help of consultants and has submitted the additional information for consideration of the World Heritage Committee at its next meeting to be held at Quebec City, Canada in June 2008. Given the complexity of the site, the additional documentation has been prepared using a multi-disciplinary approach and in consultation with a number of field agencies including those under the Ministry of Water Resources and the State Government of Assam.

In addition to Majuli, the Kalka-Shimla Railway has been submitted as a fresh Cultural nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List in 2008. This nomination has also been evaluated by ICOMOS for UNESCO.

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7. INDIA, KYRGYZSTAN TO PROMOTE TOURISM AND CULTURE

06 February 2008– The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Ednan Karabaev today called on Minister of Tourism & Culture, Mrs. Ambika Soni. During their half-an-hour meeting here, both the leaders stressed the need to promote further cooperation in tourism and culture areas. The visiting minister said there is a necessity to promote tourist traffic from India to Kyrgyzstan. He said India can offer training to students from his country in tourism and hospitality sector and both the countries can sign document for strengthening bilateral cooperation in tourism sector.

On the culture side, Mr. Ednan Karabaev sought India’s cooperation in the field of libraries and setting up of a Centre of Hindi Studies in the premises of Diplomatic Academy in Kyrgyzstan. Showing keen interest in the proposed Library Mission in India and in the work of restoration of cultural and historical monuments, he proposed that both the countries may have a joint archaeological expedition either in India or Kyrgyzstan to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of archaeology. He said his country is keen to organize ‘Days of India in Kyrgyzstan’. He expressed hope that both the countries will sign a Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) soon.

Mrs. Soni welcoming the guest said that both the countries have potential to promote tourism further bilaterally. She said exchange of writers, authors, academicians, travel writers, tour operators between the two countries will promote the understanding better between the people of the two countries. She suggested that the people of Kyrgyzstan can take advantage of beach tourism, wellness tourism and shopping festivals in India. Mrs. Soni said both the Governments can exchange information on the ways of increasing tourist traffic. She said Kyrgyzstan can utilize India’s expertise in the library sector particularly in building book banks.

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8. DIRECT TAX COLLECTIONS UP 40%

05 February 2008 — Direct tax collections continued to record a growth of over 40% for the first ten months of the current fiscal. Net direct tax collections stood at Rs.2,18,538 crore, up from Rs.1,55,576 crore during the same period last fiscal, registering a growth of 40.47% and achieving over 81% of budgeted direct tax target of Rs.2,67,490 crore. Corporate Tax registered a growth of 37.54% at Rs.1,33,851 crore, up from Rs.97,315 crore during the previous fiscal, while Personal Income Tax (including FBT, STT and BCTT) grew by 45.45% at Rs.84,349 crore, up from Rs.57,990 crore. Growth in Securities Transaction Tax (STT) was 85.71% (Rs.6,793 crore against Rs.3,658 crore) and Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) was 30.74% (Rs.5,161 crore against Rs.3,948 crore). Banking Cash Transaction Tax (BCTT) grew by 14.51% (Rs.460 crore against Rs.401 crore).

Overall direct tax growth was highest in the Mumbai region at 64.26% ; followed by North Western region (Chandigarh) at 48.19% , Pune region at 44.37% , Karnataka & Goa regions (Bangalore) at 43.76% and Andhra Pradesh region (Hyderabad) at 39.53% . Corporate tax growth was highest in the North-Eastern region (Guwahati) at 254.30%; followed by Bihar & Jharkhand regions (Patna) at 75.45% , Kerala region (Kochi) at 71.61% , eastern Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow) at 71.46% and Mumbai at 69.90%.

Personal income tax growth was highest in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh regions (Bhopal) at 393.07%; followed by Mumbai at 54.48%, part of western Uttar Pradesh region (Meerut) at 52.91%, Andhra Pradesh region (Hyderabad) at 49.97%, eastern Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow) at 48.84% and Tamil Nadu region (Chennai) at 48.41%.

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9. TRADE BOOST WITH U.S. SOUGHT, WITH FOCUS ON SMEs

05 February 2008 — Mr. Marshall M. Bouton, President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, during his meeting with Mr Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, discussed ways to increase the bilateral trade and economic cooperation between India and USA. Both sides agreed that there is lot of potential in both the countries and there are so many untapped areas to be concentrated, particularly in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

USA ranks second and cumulative FDI inflows from USA is US$6.35 billion (9.79%) till October, 2007. Top sectors attracting FDI inflows (from January 2000 to October 2007) from USA are Computer software & Hardware (20.45%), Services Sector (financial & non-financial) (19.92%), Automobile Industry (7.50%), Consultancy Services (6.36%), and Construction Activities (4.82%). USA has been granted 1,754 technical collaborations (22.21% of the total) since 1991.

USA is India’s largest trading partner. The total trade in merchandise and commodities during 2005-06 was US$24.9 billion achieving a growth of 20.2% over that of previous year. During 2006-07, India’s total trade with USA was US$30.59 billion. Exports and imports were US$18.86 billion and US$11.73 billion respectively. Indian exports were US $18.86 billion while Indian imports were US $11.73 billion, giving a trade surplus of US$7.13 billion for India in 2006-07. Exports to USA from India constitute about 16.83% of India’s total exports.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922, has been a pre-eminent forum in Chicago and the Midwest for the discussion of world affairs and U.S. foreign policy since its inception. It is a leading independent, nonpartisan organization committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public learning.

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10. WATER LEVELS AT IMPORTANT RESERVOIRS LOWER THAN LAST YEAR

05 February 2008 — Central Water Commission (CWC) under Ministry of Water Resources is monitoring storage position of 81 important reservoirs spread all over the country, of which as many as 36 reservoirs have significant hydro-power benefits with installed capacity of more than 60 MW each. The combined live storage in these 81 reservoirs at the beginning of monsoon i.e. 1 June 2007 was 25% of their designed capacity and stood at 50% of the designed capacity as on 31 January 2008.

The present storage is 93% of the last year’s storage and 117% of last 10 years average storage during the same period. Out of these 81 reservoirs there are presently 8 reservoirs where this year’s storage is 80% or less than the average of previous 10 years and in the remaining 73 reservoirs the storage is more than 80% of the average of previous 10 years.

In order to derive the best possible benefits from the available water, Central Water Commission is keeping in touch with the Department of Agriculture and Co-operation and providing information of the weekly storage position to the Crop Weather Watch Group for evolving suitable crop strategies and also apprising the situation to various Departments and Ministries involved in Water Resources Planning.

The storage position in ten basins namely Ganga, Narmada, Mahi, Sabarmati, Krishna, Godavari, Tapi, Kutch, Cauvery and Neighbouring East Flowing Rivers and West Flowing rivers of South is better than average of previous 10 years. Mahanadi and Neighbouring East flowing Rivers is flowing close to normal and Indus is flowing deficient. Out of 36 reservoirs with significant hydro potential, 11 reservoirs have storage build up less than the average of last 10 years capacity.

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11. NO LIFE WITHOUT WATER – NEW BOOK

06 February 2008 — As part of its activities in the 18th New Delhi World Book Fair, Publications Division brought out its book “Lok Mein Jal” in a function today. Released by renowned author and scholar Prof. Pushpesh Pant, the book is written by celebrated author Dr. Shyamsundar Dubey. Exploring the sources, usage and availability of water, the book also points out the scarcity and need for its conservation and protection in today’s world. In a flowing style, the book takes one along on a tour to folklore, history, culture, literature, language, mythology, traditions and all spheres of life related to water. The book revolves around the fact that there could be no life without water. This well researched book written in a simple language is expected to interest the common man and scholar alike.