Political

With tihs, they can improve water and sanitation service regulation and provision at international, national and local levels. Directed primarily at community groups, human rights NGOs, rights-based development practitioners and aid workers, this handbook aims to strengthen human rights-based advocacy by providing innovative and practical suggestions that activists and organisations can use in their work. It also acts as a resource guide for finding further information.

Water and sanitation are essential for living a healthy life with dignity. However, around a billion people across the world lack access to a safe and sufficient water supply to cover their basic needs. Over 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation and nearly 1.2 billion face the indignity of open defecation every day.

The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 is seriously off track, with sanitation severely lagging behind. For example, estimates suggest that at current rates of progress, sub-Saharan Africa will miss the MDG water target by about 25 years, while the sanitation target may not be reached until well into the 22nd century.

It underlines, in this regard, the importance of a responsible municipal fiscal and financial system, simplification of existing water pricing and tariff structures, and regulatory mechanisms which are able to balance the interests of the producers and consumers of urban services.

Organizer: Raviji ashram.

Venue: Raviji ashram, Penugonda, Anantapur district.

Topics: 

•  Utilizing agriculture waste for development of humus. 
•  Microbial culture.
•  Minimization of water usage, (Mulching).
•  Minimization of thermal power ( By avoiding water usage).

Organizer: Government Post-Graduate College

Venue: Chamba, Himachal Pradesh

Themes:

• State of Natural Water Resources
• Living with water Problems in changing world/ climate change
• Water related Disasters

Ministry of Earth Sciences, the nodal agency for promotion of Earth Sciences related studies in the country, plans to launch i) a major programme in Andaman & Nicobar Island to understand the geodynamics of the region and ii) to develop damage scenarios for various Urban centers that lie in the vicinity of Himalaya.

• Proposals are solicited from scientists/academicians working in relevant areas at different institutions in the country.  Proposals may be submitted to address any of the following issues:
  
  1. Crustal structure studies: delineation of deep structures by seismological (including ocean bottom seismometer), seismic, heat flow and gravity methods, and surface or shallow subsurface structures using GPR, shallow seismic, resistivity, geological methods, etc.

Organizer: Crop Improvement Society of India

Venue: Ludhiana

Topic:

• Agriculture: Abettor and sufferer
• Mitigation strategies – Policy and Management interventions

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is pleased to announce the 2011 Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program (Borlaug Fellowship Program) for India. The Borlaug Fellowship Program promotes food security and economic growth by increasing scientific knowledge and collaborative research to improve agricultural productivity. The Program offers training and collaborative opportunities in agricultural research, international agricultural economics, leadership and policy to Indian researchers. Competitively selected fellows will work one-on-one with a U.S. mentor who will coordinate the Fellow’s training. After completion of the 6-12 week fellowship, the mentor will visit the fellow’s home institution for up to 10 days to continue collaboration on the research topic. The USDA will select U.S. host institutions and mentors for each Fellow. The 2011 Borlaug Fellowship Program is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

Targeted Research Areas:

• Food Security and Nutrition
  
  1. Advancing agricultural production through biotechnology
  2. Technical and policy research and development

Organizer: Vanastree Collective

Venue: Golden Beads School, 157, Richmond Road, Bangalore

A copy of the revised composition order is enclosed.

Organizer:  National Institute of Hydrology

Venue: National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee

Topics:

• Basics of lake hydrology
• Evaporation and water balance of lakes
• Water quality and eutrophication