Call for Applications | S.T.E.A.M. School: an Indo-French Partnership Program driven at Shaping Tomorrow's India | Nov 25 - Dec 4 | Mumbai

S.T.E.A.M. School
November 25 - December 4, 2016 | Mumbai
Deadline for Applications: November 8
9 Intensive Days, 36 Participants, 12 Rapid Prototyping Experts, 10 Mentors from India and France.

About S.T.E.A.M. School
S.T.E.A.M. School is an Indo-French partnership programme driven at shaping tomorrow's India. This programme offers 100% scholarships for the ideal candidates along with a certificate of completion. It is an initiative to encourage hands on education for social change.
S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics. These areas of education are the primary focus of this programme. We will use them to look at global challenges with local perspective. There will be project based learning in designing, prototyping and testing techniques. Participants will choose from existing Urban Challenges driven by UN's Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. This programme gives you a unique opportunity to indulge in creative learning through Design thinking, Rapid Prototyping, 3D Printing, Electronics / IoT and AR/VR.
We have designed the programme in such a way that if you wish to develop a product in the area of the given challenges, we will train you in the skills you need to build your prototype. This will enable you to solve real world problems through prototyping and learning. We will also provide you with support after the program if you wish to take your product development to the next level.

Project Themes
Health Care and Wellness: Prosthetics, Assistive Devices, Remote Healthcare and Diagnostics
Future of Media: Drones, AR/VR, Greening of Production & Filming Processes
Quality Education: Experiential Technologies, Gamification
Water Quality/Environment: Water Resources, Water Treatment
Smart City and Communities: Urban Mobility, Preventing Food Wastage, Air Pollution

Who Should Apply
Are you someone with the bent of mind for problem solving? Do you have the commitment to struggle with your problem till your Eureka moment? Do you have demonstrable work done in the development space to share with us? Are you able to learn and adapt to challenges? If the answer to these questions is 'yes' then this programme is for you. An ideal participant in this program would be either experienced or passionate about working in sectors related to the given challenges. It could also be someone who wants to work towards product development for social change. This programme will bring together people from various aspects of civil society. It will be an opportunity for you to collaborate with design and architecture graduates, social scientists and engineers among others.

STEAM School Application Form

Further Information

New Report | Dairy Sector in India: Opportunities in Key States and Products | by Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi and YES Bank

Dairy Sector in India: Opportunities in Key States and Products
by Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi and YES Bank, October 2016.

Message
Over the past 50 years, the diary sector in the Netherlands has seen incredible transformation. In the 1960s, the average dairy-producing farm had approximately 9 cows, which is quite similar to the current situation in many parts of India. The two decades thereafter saw a shift from mixed farming to specialized farming; which continues to this day. As a result of this farm intensification, the average Dutch dairy farm has approximately 70 animals today; a staggering increase of more than 630%!Factors such as mechanization and the high use of inputs such as fertilizers and feed have all played their role in this astounding transformation.
The dairy sector in the Netherlands is the story of self-organization, accepting challenges, adapting to the need of the market and a dramatic transformation in a single generation. The so-called 'Approach of the Netherlands' where the private sector, Government, and research institutes work together on innovative solutions.
Whilst the increase in productivity has been an important factor in the Dutch dairy industry, sustainably increasing production is of even greater importance. The mantra of the Sustainable Dairy Chain goes "If you can't measure it you can't manage it." The different stakeholders of the Sustainable Dairy Chain emphasize the following goals: the Dutch dairy chain targets a 20% reduction in greenhouses gases by 2020, the improvement in livestock health and welfare, preservation of grazing, and the protecting biodiversity and the environment. All are goals that the stakeholders strive to attain to ensure the Dairy Chain becomes more sustainable.
The Indian dairy sector is very diverse and at the same time, is at different stages of development in different parts of the country. India has some very well organized co-operatives, foreign and domestic companies. How they develop their supply chains and product lines varies from player to player. Then there are also the government organizations which have their own programs for small scale farmers. All have their different challenges.
This study is a joint effort of the Agriculture Department of the Embassy of Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Delhi and Yes Bank reflecting on the recent developments that have undergone in the sector of dairy focusing on states like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana and Maharashtra.
I congratulate YES BANK for their dedicated efforts in bringing out this volume whose work shaped this piece. We have no doubt it will be useful to policy analysts, policymakers, the research & development community at large. This study will also help to achieve commercial success by collaborating on mutually identified development projects & will contribute to respective bilateral goals for both India and Netherlands.

Wouter Verhey | Agricultural Counsellor | Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi

Foreword
India is the world's largest dairy producer, with 156 Mn MT of annual milk production, contributing over 18 % of global production. Dairy is Indian agriculture's single largest sub sector in value terms, generating annual revenue of over USD 70 Bn. Demographic dividend, changing lifestyle patterns, rise in disposable incomes, structural food habit changes and improved health consciousness are key growth drivers fuelling development of the dairy industry in India.
Multiple opportunities exist in India, across the post-production dairy value chain, in areas of storage, procurement, processing and packaging technologies. These opportunities offer tremendous scope for technology suppliers, processors and service providers to tap into one of the world's largest dairy markets. While, at the backend, private and cooperative dairy processors are actively investing in procurement infrastructure for consistent availability of good quality milk, at the front, the industry is rapidly diversifying into high-margin, value-added dairy products such as cheese, Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk, ice cream and flavoured milk.
This YES BANK - Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands study 'Dairy Sector in India: Opportunities in Key States and Products' provides an in-depth overview of the Indian dairy market and captures key potential opportunities across the post-harvest dairy value chain, both in terms of geographical as well as product-based opportunities. Additionally, the study profiles the milk production scenario, value chain structure, processing infrastructure scenario as well as recent developments and opportunities in key States of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. On the product front, cheese and UHT milk have been profiled in detail across market opportunity, competitive landscaping, products variants, key trends & key product technology suppliers fronts.
I am confident that the study will be of immense value to the Dutch dairy industry in recognizing the vast potential of India's dairy market, thereby enabling strong partnership opportunities between India and the Netherlands in the sector.
Sincerely,

Rana Kapoor | Managing Director & CEO YES Bank | Chairman, YES Institute

Table of Contents

Executive Summary
Overview of Dairy Industry in India
Dairy Industry Scenario in Selected States
Assessment of Selected Products
Cheese & Ultra High Temperature (UHT) Milk

Download Full-text PDF (Open Access)

IIAS Shimla invites applications for the Award of Fellowships

IIAS Shimla | Award of Fellowships

The Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) invites applications for the Award of Fellowships for advanced research in the following areas (ref. advertisement no. 05/2016):

(a) Social, Political and Economic Philosophy;
(b) Comparative Indian Literature (Including Ancient, Medieval, Modem Folk and Tribal);
(c) Comparative Studies In Philosophy and Religion;
(d) Comparative Studies in History (Including Historiography and Philosophy of History);
(e) Education, Culture, Arts including performing Arts and Crafts;
(f) Fundamental Concepts and Problems of Logic and Mathematics;
(g) Fundamental Concepts and Problems of Natural and Life Sciences;
(h) Studies In Environment;
(I) Indian Civilization in the context of Asian Neighbours; and
(j) Problems of Contemporary India in the context of National Integration and Nation-building.

For details please visit IIAS website: http://www.iias.org. The prescribed application form can be downloaded from this website of the Institute. Applications on the prescribed form may be sent to the Secretary, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla-171005. Applications can also be made online. Only applications in the prescribed application form would be considered by the Institute. Applications must reach the institute by 30th November 2016.

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New Book | Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All | Comparing Business Regulation for Domestic Firms in 190 Economies

Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All.
A World Bank Group Flagship Report, Comparing Business Regulation for Domestic Firms in 190 Economies.
by World Bank Group, New York, 2016. ISBN: 9781464809484.

Summary
Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All, a World Bank Group flagship publication, is the 14th in a series of annual reports measuring the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 190 economies—from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe—and over time.
Doing Business measures regulations affecting 11 areas of the life of a business. Ten of these areas are included in this year's ranking on the ease of doing business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. Doing Business also measures labor market regulation, which is not included in this year's ranking.
Data in Doing Business 2017 are current as of June 1, 2016. The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and identify what reforms of business regulation have worked, where and why.

Main Findings

• Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All finds that entrepreneurs in 137 economies saw improvements in their local regulatory framework last year. Between June 2015 and June 2016, the report, which measures 190 economies worldwide, documented 283 business reforms. Reforms reducing the complexity and cost of regulatory processes in the area of starting a business were the most common in 2015/16, as in the previous year. The next most common reforms were in the areas of paying taxes, getting credit and trading across borders.Read about business reforms.
• Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Belarus, Indonesia, Serbia, Georgia, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain were the most improved economies in 2015/16 in areas tracked by Doing Business. Together, these 10 top improvers implemented 48 regulatory reforms making it easier to do business.
• Economies in all regions are implementing reforms easing the process of doing business, but Europe and Central Asia continues to be the region with the highest share of economies implementing at least one reform—96% of economies in the region have implemented at least one business regulatory reform.
• Doing Business includes a gender dimension in four of the 11 topics sets. Starting a business, registering property and enforcing contracts present a gender dimension for the first time this year. Labor market regulation already captured gender disaggregated data in last year's report.
• This year's report expands the paying taxes topic set to cover postfiling processes—what happens after a firm pays taxes—such as tax refunds, tax audits and administrative tax appeals.
• This year's report also includes an annex with analysis on a pilot indicator on public procurement regulations.
• The report features six case studies in the areas of getting electricity, getting credit: legal rights, getting credit: credit information, protecting minority investors, paying taxes and trading across borders as well as two annexes in the areas of labor market regulation and selling to the government. The case studies and annexes either present new indicators or provide further insights from the data collected through methodology changes implemented in the past two years. See all case studies.

Table of Contents

Overview
About Doing Business
Reforming the Business Environment in 2015/16
Case studies

Getting Electricity: Factors affecting the reliability of electricity supply
Getting Credit: Legal Rights - Two approaches to developing an integrated secured transactions regime
Getting Credit: Credit Information - Casting a wide net to expand financial inclusion
Protecting Minority Investors: Achieving sound corporate governance
Paying Taxes: Assessing postfiling processes
Trading Across Borders: Technology gains in trade facilitation

Annex: Labor Market Regulation - What can we learn from Doing Business data?
Annex: Selling to the Government - Why public procurement matters

Top 10 Countries

1 New Zealand
2 Singapore
3 Denmark
4 Hong Kong SAR, China
5 Korea, Republic of
6 Norway
7 United Kingdom
8 United States
9 Sweden
10 Macedonia, FYR

BRICS Ranking

40 Russian Federation
74 South Africa
78 China
123 Brazil
130 India

Download Full-text PDF (Open Access)

CfP: Workshop on Media and Climate Change: Cool Reporting on Hot Issues | 21 Nov| New Delhi

Workshop on Media and Climate Change: Cool Reporting on Hot Issues
Monday, November 21, 2016
New Delhi, India
Organized by: HCC, New Delhi


​Online Registration

Call for Papers | 2nd India International Science Festival 2016 | 7-11 December at CSIR-NPL, New Delhi, India

2nd India International Science Festival

CSIR-NPL, New Delhi, India

7-11 December 2016

Call for Papers: Submission of Abstract till October 31, 2016

Science for the Masses: Today in India as many as 833 million Indians, or 69% of the population, live in rural areas, with persisting structural problems such as, agriculture, health, water, sanitation, housing etc. A large part of rural India is looking forward to better times along with the rest of India. On the other hand, having a significant percentage of population in the youth category India's demographic dividend is also a global talking point as well. All these necessitate that, the country continuously strives for growth and development through investment in science and research. In this background, the Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Govt. of India and Vijnana Bharati, have planned to organise the 2nd IISF-2016 jointly at CSIR-NPL & IARI campus from December 7-11, 2016.

About IISF 2016
The series of India International Science Festival (IISF) is an integral part of India's long term vision in developing and widening the spectrum of scientific temper in India and abroad. To display India's contribution in the field of S&T and to motivate the young scientists to find solutions to the burning issues of our society; the 1st IISF was held at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi in December, 2015.The festival primarily aimed to involve and include commoners with a view to improve their scientific understanding, temperament and appreciation for various feats in science & technology by showcasing Indian achievements. Indeed, the event was a great success with the participation of more than 3000 young scientists across the country. The mega S&T expo attracted more than 3 Lakh people. VIBHA has become the Guinness Book World Record Holder for the successful conduct of the 'Largest Practical Science Lesson' by 2000 students from prestigious schools of Delhi.

IISF 2016 Activities

• DST-INSPIRE National level camp
• Science Village/ Mega Student Camp
• Involving Students in Guinness Book of World Records
• Young Scientists Meet
• Scientific Workshops
• National Level Competition (Ideas for Bharat Nirman)
• Industry Academia Interaction
• Showcasing Outstanding Achievements
• Mega Science, Technology & Industry Expo
• International Science Film Festival
• Outreach and Pre-event activities
• Cultural Programs

IISF 2016 Brochure

Delegate Registration/ Abstract Submission

[UNESCO CI News] CI highlights

UNESCO Communication and Information Weekly Newsletter

• 20.10.16 UNESCO to train French-speaking African broadcasters on gender equality in the media Broadcasters from 25 French-speaking African countries will meet from 21 to 24 October 2016 for training on the application of UNESCO's Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media.

• 20.10.16 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is renewed for a period of six years The renown UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize has been renewed for a six-year term, which was decided by the Executive Board at its 200th session this week. The UNESCO Member States also agreed to include digital media in the candidatures.

• 19.10.16 UNESCO-supported MIL Training in India: Three days of learning about Media and Information Literacy Punjabi University in Patiala is hosting a three-day interactive training workshop on media and information literacy (MIL) for 25 youth-led organizations and youth leaders in India. This UNESCO-supported capacity building training workshop will empower youth to build and enhance their MIL skills. It is being held from 17 to 19 October 2016.

• 18.10.16 27 new proposals for the Regional Register of the UNESCO Memory of the World Program for Latin America and the Caribbean The Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean UNESCO Memory of the World (MOWLAC) Program will hold its annual meeting from the 24th - 26th October 2016. The meeting will take place in Mar de Plata, Argentina and will be co-hosted by the National University of Mar del Plata (UNMP). The principal objective of this meeting is to evaluate and determine the 27 proposals sent to the committee this years. The proposals were sent in from 12 different countries from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. During the meeting regional experts will decide on which of the proposals should be included in Regional Register of Documentary Heritage for Latin America and the Caribbean. Since 2002, the regional committee included 125 regional documentary artefacts including documents related to politics, philosophy, literature, music and writings, in a number of formats such as graphics and audio-visual pieces, both regional and national. The Latin American and Caribbean register also includes pieces tha...

• 18.10.16 Director-General condemns murder of reporter Yaqoub Sharafat in Afghanistan The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for an investigation into the killing of local broadcaster Yaqoub Sharafat in the city of Qalat in the south of Afghanistan.

• 18.10.16 Press councils from South East European & Turkey join AIPCE meeting in Sweden Representatives of the press and media councils of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244) participated in the annual meeting of the Alliance of Independent Press Councils in Europe (AIPCE) in Stockholm, 6-7 October 2016. AIPCE is a European network of media self-regulatory bodies.

• 17.10.16 UNESCO and IPYS launch a Guide to Investigative Journalism in Latin America This guide brings together the successful practices of investigative journalists in Latin America.

• 17.10.16 The UNESCO Courier – Like a phoenix reborn The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and Professor Hao Ping, Vice-Minister of Education of China and Chair of the country's National Commission for UNESCO, on Monday signed an agreement for the relaunch of The UNESCO Courier as a quarterly print and online publication in the six official languages of the United Nations.

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21 Day Training Programme on Geospatial Technologies | 1-21 December | TERI University, New Delhi, India

21 Day Training Programme on Geospatial Technologies

Organized by : TERI University in association with NRDMS, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India

1-21 December 2016

Venue: TERI University, New Delhi

Call for Participation
NRDMS, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, New Delhi, sponsored 21 Day Training Programme on Geospatial Technologies (Equivalent to Refresher Course) is being organized by Department of Natural Resources, TERI University, from 1 - 21 December 2016. the objective of the programme is a follows:
- Impart basic knowledge principles and applications of Geoinformatics
- Hands on training through open sources platform
- Expert lecture on environment, society, natural resources, climate change and sustainability - key competence of the TERI University
- Three to four days project work for participants to use Geospatial techniques in various domain fallow by the expert lecture.

Who can apply?: The NRDMS (DST) training programme is open for participants of colleges/universities faculty; scientists; state/central government officials; disaster management planners, research scholars/ fellows in the field of Geography, Geology, Geophysics, Oceanography, Water resources, Climatology, Atmospheric Science, Environmental Science, Ecology, Economics and secondary school teachers who wish to develop their skills in geospatial technologies. The candidate must be nominated by their respective organization.

How to apply: Interested candidates are required to send duly filled application form and forward the completed application by email to raj@teriuniversity.ac.in or send the application to Dr Vinay S P Sinha, Programme Coordinator, MSc. Geoinformatics, Department of Natural Resources, TERI University, 10 Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070, India latest by 1st November 2016. Selected candidates will be informed by 5th November, 2016 either by email or phone.

Course Coordinator : Dr Vinay S P Sinha, sinhav@teriuniversity.ac.in | Tel: +91-11-71800222

Brochure | Application Form

New Book | Guidelines on Urban and Peri-Urban Forestry

Guidelines on Urban and Peri-Urban Forestry
by F. Salbitano, S. Borelli, M. Conigliaro and Y. Chen. FAO Forestry Paper No. 178. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2016. ISBN 9789251094426.

Foreword
Although cities occupy only 2 percent of the planet's surface, their inhabitants use 75 percent of its natural resources. The world is urbanizing quickly, too: by 2050, 70 percent of the global population will live in cities and towns. Sustainable urban development is crucial, therefore, for ensuring the quality of life of the world's people.
Forests and trees in urban and peri-urban environments, if properly managed, can make important contributions to the planning, design and management of sustainable, resilient landscapes. They can help make cities:

• safer – by reducing stormwater runoff and the impacts of wind and sand storms, mitigating the "heat island" effect, and contributing to the adaptation and mitigation of climate change;
• more pleasant – by providing space for recreation and venues for social and religious events, and ameliorating weather extremes;
• healthier – by improving air quality, providing space for physical exercise, and fostering psychological well-being;
• wealthier – by providing opportunities for the production of food, medicines and wood and generating economically valuable ecosystem services; and
• more diverse and attractive – by providing natural experiences for urban and peri-urban dwellers, increasing biodiversity, creating diverse landscapes, and maintaining cultural traditions.

To support the world's cities in reaping the benefits of urban and peri-urban forests, a few years ago FAO initiated a collaborative process to develop voluntary guidelines aimed at optimizing the contributions of forests and trees to sustainable urban development. Scientists, practitioners and public administrators from cities worldwide were brought together in a series of workshops to discuss the elements and key challenges of urban forestry, and a smaller team of experts was assembled to distil this vast knowledge.
This document is the ultimate result of that process. It is intended for a global audience, primarily comprising urban decision-makers, civil servants, policy advisors and other stakeholders to assist in developing urban and peri-urban forests as a way of meeting the present and future needs of cities for forest products and ecosystem services. The guidelines will also help increase community awareness of the contributions that trees and forests can make to improving quality of life, and of their essential role in global sustainability.
I thank all those involved in producing this document, which, I have no doubt, will help ensure that cities worldwide maintain and enhance the well-being of their citizens and the global environment.

René Castro-Salazar | Assistant Director-General, FAO Forestry Department

Download Full-text PDF (Open Access)

Participation of CSSP Scholars and Affiliates in Globelics2016

Participation of CSSP Scholars and Affiliates in Globelics2016

The Globelics  held every year is a premier conference in the innovation area.  This year's Globelics Conference held in Bandung Indonesia during 12-14^th October. Bundung conference had received 364 papers of which 147 have been selected for the presentation this year. Centre for Studies for Science Policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University performs quite well in this conference. There are altogether 9 papers from the current affiliates and 2 papers from CSSP alumni were selected (altogether 11) from the stringent double blind peer reviews. This number constitutes about 7 percent of total conference accepted and perhaps largest participation from a centre. The accepted papers presented at the conference are as follows:  

Current CSSP Current Affiliates

1.     Nimita Pandey, Pranav N Desai | Global Innovation Networks and Clusters in Indian Biopharmaceutical Sector: A Case Study of Bangalore Helix, Karnataka.

2.     Dinesh Abrol, Sivakami Dhulap, Nidhi Singh ^| Foreign Firms, Product Patent and Pharmaceuticals in India after TRIPS

3.     Abha Arya, Saradindu Bhaduri ^| Indian Ayurvedic Medicine Industry At A Crossroads: Exploring Technological Capabilities In The Post-WTO Policy Regime

4.     Rajesh Kalarivayil, Pranav N. Desai ^| The Tale of Three Technologies: Examining Inequality in Health Research in India

5.     Sohan Prasad Sha, Venni V Krishna | Is there a scientific community in Nepal? Challenges of Negotiating Science, Technology and Innovation Policy for building Innovation System

6.     Arpana Pandey | Emerging stem cell innovation system in India: A case study of cardiovascular repair

7.     Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh | Informal Sector Innovations in the Annals of the History: Exploring its Contributions and the Politics of Undervaluation

8.     Birendra Singh | Knowledge and Innovation in Informal Economy: A Case of Vinegar Making in Western Uttar Pradesh

9.     Deepa V K, Abha Arya | Role Of The State And The Institutionalisation Of Alternative Medicinal System

CSSP Alumni

Rajesh Kalarivayil, Pranav N. Desai The Tale of Three Technologies: Examining Inequality in Health Research in India

Swapan Kumar Patra, Mammo Muchie Research and Innovation in South African Universities

Abhinandan Saikia From Shifting To Terrace Cultivation: The Idea Of Sustainability In India's North-Eastern Region.

Deepa V K, Abha Arya Role of The State And The Institutionalisation Of Alternative Medicinal System

 

CSSP affiliates also Chaired a number of sessions

Deepa VK Chaired session PS-2.03: indigenous Knowledge, Informal Sector, Innovation and Development 2

Swapan Kumar Patra Chaired session PS -1.05: Science Technology innovation policy and Politics 1

Swapan Kumar Patra Chaired session PS-4.01: Trade, foreign direct investments, value chains and Innovation networks 5

 

This information will certainly encourage young researchers to participate in international conferences and make mark of CSSP research legacies.

Information Source and Write Up by: Dr. S.K. Patra