Voluntary Citizen or Civil Society Sector

In a recent function held in New Delhi, a NGO The Braj Foundation won the award for the Best NGO for the revival of rural water bodies.The foundation is run by a team of committed professionals from various walks of life.

Award ceremony video.

The Government has instituted Ground Water Augmentation Awards (Bhoomijal Samvardhan Puraskar) and National Water Award (Rashtriya Jal Puraskar).

Awards will be given for significant contribution for encouraging Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) / Gram Panchayats / Urban Local Bodies (for population upto 1 lakh) / Institutions / Corporate Sector and Individuals for adopting innovative practices of Ground Water Resources augmentation through rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge, promoting water use efficiency and re-use of water and awareness creation through people's participation in the targeted areas resulting in the sustainability of the resources and development of adequate capacity amongst the stakeholders.

Categories of Award: The awards have been categorised into four sections:

• For the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Gram Panchayata, Urban Local Bodies, Institution, Corporate Sectors and Individuals for adopting innovative practice of Ground Water Resources Augmentation through Rain water Harvesting and Artificial Recharge.

Organizers:

• SaciWATERs-CapNet Network (SCaN)
• OSGeo-India
• Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON)
• Cap-Net

Venue: Hyderabad

Description:

The SaciWATERs-CapNet Network (SCaN) invites applications for a three day training course(19th - 21st April, 2011) on the use of Open Source Geospatial Tools in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

From 25th to 27th of Feb.- 2011, the Arul Anandar College of Karumathur conducted National Science Mela 2011: Youth for Science and Science for prosperity on Eco - water, Sanitation and Hygiene with the support of National Council for  Science & Technology Communication, DST, Govt. of India, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology and Tamil Nadu Science City Chennai.

iGREEN was invited for this Science Mela and put a stall and explained about the carbon effect to the participants. Mr. Francis Xavier - Convener of iGREEN explained the Science of 350 campaign and How to reduce the carbon effect from the atmosphere with the support of our iGREEN Scientist Mr. Abdul Azis and Mr. John Bosco, Assistant  Prof. of Rural Development Science in Arul Anandar College to the participants.

The panel discussion was held to further the idea of commons by extending the idea of autonomy in some of the discussions on commons to the Indian idea of Swaraj or Self-Rule.

Discussions in the panel drew the existing ideas of resource sharing, establishing institutions for governance but extend this to a broader discussion on knowledge and democracy. The panel draws from a recent examination of Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj from a knowledge perspective, an attempt by a network of knowledge commons - the Knowledge In Civil Society or KICS – to posit an Indian science and technology manifesto for 21st-century India and the world. Knowledge Swaraj suggests a new social contract of science in India, based on the principles of plurality, sustainability and justice and a closer look at expertise and knowledge in India. The panel began with a view from civil society on knowledge by M V Sastri looking at Gandhi’s ideas of Hind Swaraj and oceanic circles and the need for the commons debates to relook at ideas from Hind Swaraj from the viewpoint of the present day discourses of human rights also. This was followed by  papers that suggest how these ideas can be explored in practice.