EPW Article "STI Policy 2013: High on Goals, Low on Commitment" by V V Krishna

Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013: High on Goals, Low on Commitment
by V V Krishna
Economic & Political Weekly, 48(16), pp. 15-19, April 20, 2013

Abstract: The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013 sets a target to increase R&D expenditure to 2% of gross domestic product, this through public-private partnerships. But, compared to China, where is the commitment to R&D? India's innovation potential is grossly underutilised. The small and medium enterprises in the industrial clusters are yet to be effectively served by the formal R&D institutes. The universities as centres of advanced learning and research suffer from official neglect. There has been little effort to set up technology parks linked to them in their vicinity. Civilian R&D has, at most, tenuous links with strategic R&D (defence, atomic energy and space). With all these handicaps, will STIP 2013 help create a robust national innovation system?

The much awaited science, technology and innovation policy (STIP) 2013 was announced by the government at the centenary sessions of the Indian Science Congress held at Kolkata during 3-9 January 2013. Though the realisation had come a decade and a half late, we have now entered the "club" of advanced and a select group of emerging economies that have national innovation policies. The discourse on innovation after the declaration of 2010-20 as the "Decade of Innovation", deliberations at the National Innovation Council (NIC) constituted in 2010, and public consultations called by the Ministry of Science and Technology, all seem to have had some bearing on the new STIP. Compared to the Science and Technology Policy of 2003, STIP 2013 is a step forward in attempting to forge the links between science, technology and innovation policy. In doing so, the policy has put forward some ideas and proposals.
The policy aims to enhance the private sector's role in the national science, technology and innovation system through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode and thereby attain the target as regards total expenditure on research and development (R&D) of 2% of gross domestic product. Henceforth, the private sector will be treated at par with public institutions in accessing public funds for R&D via all research and innovation policy measures and instruments. The new policy will promote mechanisms such as a "Risky Idea Fund" and a "Small Idea, Small Money" scheme to capitalise on the existing proposals such as the "Inclusive Innovation Fund" of the NIC and the experiences of the National Innovation Foundation and Honey Bee Network in grass-roots innovations. Non-governmental organisations will be given a major task to deliver and diffuse rural technologies. The government intends to establish a new National Science, Technology and Innovation Foundation in the PPP mode to fund some ambitious projects.
There appears to be some focus on the demand side of innovation as well as in the linking up of agricultural R&D policy with national R&D policy. The policy seeks to increase the number of full-time research and development personnel by two-thirds within five years. It also seeks to increase publications from the current 3.5% of the global share to around 7% by 2020. Not only this, but the policy aims at increasing the publication record in the world's top 1% of journals fourfolds. Having laid some focus on innovation, and this being an innovation policy, it is rather strange that the document has nothing to say about improving our dismal record of patents. Implicit in the document is the underlying idea of a "linear model of innovation". Whilst the new policy seeks to lay its fingers on a range of issues and sectors, there are some glaring missing links towards the making of a dynamic science, technology and innovation system.

Where Is Commitment to R&D?
From the time the United Progressive Alliance-I regime came to power, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has publicly announced the intention to increase the gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) to 2% of GDP. He reiterated this commitment every year since 2004 at the annual ceremonial Indian Science Congress plenary sessions just as he did this year in 2013. In the last eight years, Indian GERD to GDP either stagnated at a little less than 1% of GDP or even declined when adjusted for inflation. During the same period the Chinese figure witnessed a jump from 1% to 1.5% of GDP. The fact is that China is investing at least five times more money in R&D compared to India. A closer examination of the STIP 2013 statement clearly states that achieving the target of 2% of GDP for R&D "in the next five years is realisable if the private sector raises its R&D investment to at least match the public sector R&D investment from the current ratio of around 1:3". One struggles over the policy statement to find the government's actual commitment to increase GERD. In fact there is no such public commitment outside the PPP mode to reach the "magic figure" of 2% of GDP. The optimistic view in the policy that the ratio will improve and reach the target in the coming decade or so is just wishful thinking. If we go by the track record of the last 15 years, the private R&D component of GERD has increased quite robustly but the question is why the ratio did not improve at all. Actually problems underlying private investment in R&D lie elsewhere in the governance of S&T policy measures, instruments and factors closely related to the research and innovation eco-system.
Enhancing private R&D investment is seen as a very important S&T policy goal the world over, but more important is the government support for an emerging economy. Without a clear-cut commitment and a road map from the government to increase the public share of GERD to 2% of GDP in the next five years and proportionally advance thereafter, the laudable goals of "positioning India among the top five global scientific powers by 2020" and attaining a global share of 7% of total research publications seem just a distant dream. If we were to reach anywhere near these goalposts in the coming decade, irrespective of the private contribution, the government must commit to at least 2% of GERD to GDP and sustain it up to 2020 and beyond. At the same time the government should formulate and introduce a series of S&T laws to govern and regulate incentive and research innovation schemes involving the private sector and the mechanisms underlying PPP. This assumes significance as the new policy intends to open up all research and innovation schemes to the private sector in the future. Without such a legal backup and governance mechanisms in place, proposals to promote diffusion and spur the demand side of innovation are unlikely to yield any worthwhile results. The issue of higher government commitment to GERD also assumes significance as more than 55% of GERD in the last few decades is consumed by the strategic sectors of defence, atomic energy and space. Hence what is left under civilian R&D is allocated less than 45% of GERD. With a series of Mars and Moon missions planned, along with "big science" international projects and in the emerging geopolitical scenario, the dominance of the strategic sectors in GERD is likely to continue in the coming decade.

Innovation Potential Underutilised
Over 150% of the expenditure on R&D can be written off for tax purposes in India. But unlike in the case of South Korea, this instrument has no legal underpinning as regards monitoring and evaluating whether the firms are showing expenditure on quality control or other technical operations as having been incurred on R&D. There are over 1,200 firms registered with the concerned department of science and technology. Can we multiply them with a series of incentives and monitor them to enhance R&D intensity? We have not come across any study or report on this important policy measure. Whereas the government allocated huge sums of money in the form of various subsidies, the amount of money for research and innovation schemes, involving private firms, is too small and its use is riddled with unnecessary bureaucratic rules and red tape. Only a fraction of the sum collected as cess on import of technology is passed on to the Technology Development Board. With the exception of software technology parks, we have failed to create an appropriate innovation eco-system for the industrial clusters at the district level and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) spread across the country. Given the lack of appropriate intermediary support or technical capacity building mechanisms, potential firms are reluctant to invest in R&D and technological upgradation of skills. Public support for venture capital is underdeveloped and operates at a sub-optimal level for a growing economy such as India's. We have really failed to learn from the South Korean science and technology policy experience, which has the reputation of reversing government R&D burden from 75% to 25% in just over a decade in the 1990s.
There are other related issues concerning the research and innovation ecosystem with regard to universities and knowledge-generating and disseminating institutions. With the possible exception of IIT Madras, none of our leading universities have science and technology or innovation parks comparable to the ones that have come up at Oxford or Cambridge. Even our Asian neighbours have created huge science and technology parks as part of their leading universities. For example, the park at the Tsinghua University, Beijing, houses nearly 5,000 firms; Hsinchu Science Park at Taiwan's National TsingHua University and National Chiao Tung University has 450 firms; and Biopolis and Fusionopolis has 200 firms at the National University of Singapore. These have come up in the last 15 years and have become major destinations for private R&D investment in these countries. The NIC-initiated university innovation clusters recently but there is no reference or policy support to this move in the STIP 2013. There are more than 250 transnational corporations that have set up R&D centres and labs in our major cities such as Bangalore, Gurgaon and Hyderabad. We have failed to further capitalise on this inflow of corporate R&D in our major cities. Day-to-day civic amenities and the system of governance are breaking down in most of these cities. From a garden city, Bangalore is now called a "garbage city". As Florida (2005:7) in an interesting study cautions, "technology and talent are highly mobile factors, flowing into and out of places". All of this must be factored in when one is trying to improve the efficacy of the research and innovation eco-system. Unfortunately there is very little serious thinking on these lines.

Universities as Academic 'Outhouses'
Our academic sector continues to suffer due to low policy priorities when it comes to R&D. STIP 2013 has given no space to various policy interventions to improve upon research intensity in the higher education sector, which currently spans over 500 universities and some 19,000 affiliated colleges. Barring a reference to promoting inter-university centres, the new policy has nothing to say about research intensity in the academic sector. The new policy is biased in favour of public and private research segments at the cost of the higher education sector. Even though universities accounted for over 52% of total cumulative national research publications for the decade 1997-2007 (Gupta and Dhawan 2008), they were allocated just 5% of GERD. In fact, this has been the case in the post-independence period. Universities in the OECD countries accounted for 20% and Japanese universities accounted for around 15% of GERD in the last decade. Even Chinese universities increased their share of GERD from around 5% in the 1990s to over 12% currently. Policy measures to increase the research intensity in universities and nurture them to attain world-class standards in China were part of their national innovation strategy. Project 211 in the mid-1990s allocated $7.98 billion for 100 universities. Project 985 further shortlisted 39 universities to develop them into a "Chinese Ivy League", starting from the late 1990s with a budget of $4.87 billion. We have not only fallen behind our global competitors, but have failed to adequately address the question of research intensity and gross enrolment ratios in the higher education sector.
Hardly 15% of our universities come under the label of teaching and research universities. Around 85% of our universities are just teaching institutions at different tiers of teaching standards and levels. The bulk of our higher education sector is yet to attain what is known as the Humboldtian goal of teaching and research excellence. STIP 2013 has not given the space and focus that the attainment of this goal deserves. On the other hand, it has proposed a number of goals such as increasing human resources in R&D, research publications, international collaboration in big science, attaining global benchmarks in basic research and fostering science excellence and relevance towards attaining a position among top-five global scientific powers in a decade. How can we attain these goals without looking into the research intensity of the higher educational sector (leave alone primary and school education) of the national innovation system, of which, it is one of the main pillars? A couple of schemes such as INSPIRE are important but unlikely to make any headway in attaining the larger goals. Much of the new and high technology innovation is happening at the intersection of disciplines and interdisciplinary faculties in the universities. In Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China, leading universities are not only moving towards infusing entrepreneurial culture but are embedded in national innovation strategies as frontiers of innovation. Hence any view to keep R&D in higher education outside the purview of STIP is erroneous, for we will then not be able to build new innovation and human resource capacities.

Revamp SMEs and Cluster Policies
STIP 2013 seeks to move towards a new paradigm of STI policy with a view to focus on inclusive growth and innovation. It goes on to identify a number of sectors such as energy and environment, food, water, habitat, unemployment, and healthcare, among others. But where is the focus and strategy to address the real challenges? The Twelfth Plan and the NInC report have already indicated the move towards inclusive growth and innovation. One witnesses this in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Aadhar Smart Card and the recent cash transfers scheme. So what is so "new" about inclusive innovation? Is it that the science agencies such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the Indian Council of Medical Research among others will be mandated to devote a proportion of their R&D effort to inclusive innovation? What is intended from the new policy is not clear. On the other hand, the STIP 2013 has not given the required policy attention to SMEs and the manufacturing sectors that they deserve. There is no clue as to how these are going to sustain themselves in this globalised era in the coming decades. There are more than 600 SME industrial clusters and 3,500 artisan clusters, from metal, wood, leather, pottery, cane and bamboo to textiles and wool, spanning the country's industrial districts and cottage enterprises. For sure, the small industry policies that we have followed so far have run out of steam. For instance, the brassware market including exports has, so far, survived with four-decades old, metal melting, casting, moulding and die technologies in industrial clusters like Moradabad. This cluster is unlikely to grow with these age-old techniques and obsolete technology for a long time (Gulrajani 2007). Similar is the case with the Aligarh lock industry cluster, which has failed to capitalise on modern information-based locks. Firms and enterprises in these hundreds of clusters are on the brink of closure. These village and district industrial enterprises lack institutional support in upgrading skills among artisans and are unable to access modern tools to compete in the globalising markets.
Liberalisation and globalisation have not only enforced greater competition but are demanding a new paradigm of regional and rural innovation systems. Such a perspective has the promise to bring various actors (policymakers, knowledge institutions, small and medium enterprises, district authorities and other stake holders) at the district level to interact with each other towards building technological capabilities. The role of knowledge institutions (particularly universities and colleges) can come to play a major role in designing courses, developing skills and imparting training in the regional and rural innovation systems. The time has come to put into practice existing proven concepts such as sectoral systems of innovation and cluster innovation systems. We need to evolve institutional and organisational mechanisms to link knowledge institutions with capacity building institutions at the district level. Such intermediary institutions will fulfil an important task of forging links between formal R&D institutions and the needs and demands of firms in SMEs and clusters (Siddharthan and Rajan 2002). There are about 6,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) that urgently need modernisation and a total revamp of teaching methods. As nearly 93% of our labour force is in the informal sector, how many ITIs does the country India require in the coming decade to professionalise this work force?. By all means regional and rural innovation systems need to become an integral part of STI policies.

Need to Forge New Links
STIP 2013 underlines the importance of bringing agricultural R&D policy together with the national R&D system as a part of overall STI policy. This is a good move but why are we not strengthening the existing links or initiating cross collaborations between strategic R&D institutions (involving defence, atomic energy and space) and civilian R&D institutions? India acquired considerable scientific and technological capabilities in the strategic R&D sectors over the last several decades. But we are yet to see their impact felt in the civilian R&D sector. Space may be a possible exception. The time has come to convert our strategic R&D capability to boost civilian R&D and innovation via certain policy measures. We must also think of ways and means by which we could optimise our scarce S&T and R&D resources through cross-institutional collaboration. Acquiring sophisticated equipment and instrumentation is a capital-intensive affair. Such inter-science agency collaborations not only stand to enhance the mobility of research personnel but they will also enable them to share scarce S&T resources. We must learn from the experiences of other countries. In the last two decades, 80% of all CNRS (French National Research Council) laboratories were reorganised to establish joint R&D units and laboratories with universities in their close proximity. They follow a system of joint appointments to enhance mobility between different institutions and establish joint incubation and innovation centres to commercialise technologies (Mustar and Laredo 2002). Similar changes are needed to bring our CSIR labs, universities and other institutions together via certain policy mechanisms.

Time Will Tell
"Creating a robust national innovation system" is one of the key elements listed in the STIP 2013. It is strange that such an important perspective as National Innovation System (NIS) finds just one line in the document. There are now over 500 PhD dissertations in the world on this theme. The basic feature of the NIS concept is that various actors and agencies in the system must be organised in such a way so as to enable them to interact with each other to infuse dynamism into the system as a whole (Lundval 1992; and Nelson 1993). Some institutional mechanisms of coordination and consultation will have to be put in place, which mandates various actors (for instance, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) or relevant department, human resource development, finance, industry, Planning Commission, universities and business enterprises, etc) to collectively deliberate on the formulation and implementation of national innovation policies.
To benchmark with best cases we need a series of comparative studies from various countries with qualitative, quantitative and impact indicators in STI. We need a set of new S&T laws to govern various research and innovation schemes, tax incentives and risk capital investments. Above all we need a new breed of S&T policy professionals, economists, MBAs, social scientists and other policy analysts to be placed in the Ministry of Science and Technology, DST, department of biotechnology and other science departments. So far, these agencies have no provision for recruitment of such professionals and to institutionalise interdisciplinary teams. The move indeed reflects a new mindset insofar as the intent is to bring about organisational changes towards building a robust NIS. As we progress into the third year of the "Innovation Decade", it is time to move forward. However, it is only time that will tell whether we really embarked on this radical move to create a dynamic NIS or left it as another good idea in our policy discourses.

References
Florida, Richard (2005): Cities and the Creative Class (New York and London: Routledge).
Gupta, B M and S M Dhawan (2008): "A Scientometric Analysis of S&T Publications Output by India during 1985-2002", DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology, 28(2), pp 73-85.
Gulrajani, Mohini (2007): "Technological Change, Innovation and Development: Case Study of Two Indian Industrial Clusters", PhD thesis, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Lundval, B A (1992): National Innovation Systems: Towards a Theory of Innovation and Interactive Learning (London: Pinter).
Mustar P and P Laredo (2002): "Innovation and Research Policy in France (1980-2000) or the Disappearance of the Colbertist State", Research Policy, 31: 55-72.
Nelson, R (1993): National Innovation Systems: A Comparative Analysis (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Siddharthan, N S and Y S Rajan (2002): Global Business, Technology and Knowledge Sharing, Lessons for Developing Country Enterprises (New Delhi: Macmillan).

V V Krishna (vkrishna16@hotmail.com) is with the Centre for Studies in Science Policy, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science, Technology and Society.

Source: http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2013_48/16/Science_Technology_and_Innovation_Policy_2013.pdf

Summer Scholarships for Indian Students to Study in Israel

Summer Scholarships for Indian Students to Study in Israel

 

The Government of Israel has approved 250 scholarships for this summer (June to August 2103) in 8 different summer courses for Indian and Chinese students. These courses are open to students who have finished their 2nd year for bachelors' degree and post graduate students.  Hebrew Language courses are open to all students pursuing bachelors and masters degree. The scholarship will cover tuition fee, hostel, social and educational trips in Israel and a monthly stipend.  Please follow the web links for complete information.

http://www.indembassy.co.il/Scholarship%20to%20Indian%20students%202013-14.htm

Article "Pollution and purity" by Sarandha, CSSP

Pollution and purity   
By Sarandha
Himal Southasian, 15 March 2013
Source: http://www.himalmag.com/component/content/article/5155-pollution-and-purity.html

The year 2013 began in India with the culmination of a 144 year wait at the confluence of Hinduism's holiest rivers, the Ganga and Yamuna, at the city of Allahabad, also known as Prayag. The Maha Kumbh Mela had millions of devotees, tourists and academics flocking to the holy confluence over a span of two months. By the end of this massive fair, Prayag had borne the footprints of about a hundred million people – a number five times the population of Mumbai, itself one of the world's most populous cities.
The Kumbh Mela, occurring every three years, has long been considered the largest congregation of humans on the planet. The Ardh Kumbh happens every six years, the Purna Kumbh every twelve, and the Maha Kumbh – the 'Great Kumbh' – occurs only once every 144 years, or every twelfth Purna Kumbh. There are references to this festival in the Vedas and Puranas, in epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and in various Tantric texts. Although not known as the Kumbh back then, under various other names the festival also finds its way into the historical accounts of Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to the Mauryan court in the 4th century BCE, and into the Chinese traveller Xuanzang's narratives on India in the 7th century CE.
Mythology and science may appear diametrically opposed to many, but at the Kumbh these two systems of knowledge intermesh seamlessly in the popular imagination. As Prayag becomes the most crowded place on earth, astrophysics and legend overlap to inspire this epic act of faith. The Mela's mythological genesis lies in the story of the Samudra Manthan – the churning of the ocean of milk – which was a battle between the gods and demons over a pot of divine nectar; the word 'kumbh' is Sanskrit for 'pot'. To cut a long story short, after a protracted battle, the gods took possession of the nectar and handed it over to Jayant, son of Lord Indra, who escaped with it by transforming himself into a sparrow and flying away, chased by the demons. This chase lasted twelve years, during which Jupiter guided Jayant and protected him from the demons, the moon – helped prevent the nectar from spilling, the sun prevented the kumbh from breaking, and Saturn prevented Jayant from drinking all the nectar himself. Only four drops fell on earth, wherever Jayant rested –at Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. Every twelve years, with Jupiter completing of a full orbit around the sun, this nectar is believed to re-appear in one of these four places at a time, corresponding to the astrological positions that Jupiter, the sun and the moon occupied when each drop was spilt.
The Vedic sciences are central to this story. The science of astrophysics is vital to the timing of the festival, which requires a precise understanding of the positions of the sun, the moon, and Jupiter. When these three bodies are placed in a particular manner vis-à-vis the Earth, its electromagnetic field is said to be enhanced. Devotees believe that the effect is especially pronounced at the four places where the nectar fell. This enhanced electromagnetic field is supposed to be favourable for the entire bio-system, and specifically for the air and water of the places where the field is most pronounced. The impact of this on humans is said to be on physical, intellectual and spiritual levels – on the nervous, respiratory, endocrine and circulatory systems. Various scientific institutions are currently investigating the healing benefits of electromagnetic fields, and several say their findings confirm some postulates of Vedic science which, as in the case of Vastushastra, the Vedic study of architecture, places much emphasis on the Earth's magnetic and other energy fields. In the Vedic world, and so at the Kumbh, science and religion were under the same umbrella and so religious vocabulary – often metaphorical, spiritual, hyperbolic, and mythological – was employed to articulate scientific concepts as well. So the nectar, and the idea that it reappeared during the festival, could be an emblem of the Vedic knowledge of electromagnetic fields.
To reap the benefits of the planetary positioning, kalpvasis arrive at the Mela in throngs. 'Kalp' in Sanskrit means self-transformation through inner resolve, and 'vas' means living out this resolve through various means, such as yoga and meditation. In the past, Hindu sages and intellectuals would gather at the Mela to ideate on matters of the world, and used this as a space to communicate with each other as well as with the masses, for whom the Mela was a special opportunity to be a part of intellectual and spiritual discussions. Even today, the Mela is a conclave for Hindu philosophers. For those without a philosophical temperament, the Mela is primarily a pilgrimage to wash away their sins, to appease the gods and, as is popularly believed, to thus escape the cycle of birth and death.
Besides this spiritual dimension, for many the Kumbh Mela is also a holiday and a means of entertainment. The Mela is a grand spectacle. The Shahi Snan, or Royal Bath, of the sages and priests, when the Naga Babas display all their martial antics and acrobatics, draws quite a crowd. The Mela draws people from all walks of life, and babas from many orders and sects, all of whom have something unusual to say or display. It's an anthropological and ethnographic treat for those disposed to human observation.

Hinduism and ecology
As the Maha Kumbh Mela proceeds, Allahabad accommodates more and more visitors, far beyond its infrastructural capacities. This time around, many in India have asked – is this grandiose act of faith detrimental to the environment?
This large a gathering of people obviously puts much pressure on the city's meagre resources. For example, there are no proper provisions for all the extra sewage, which finds its way into the same rivers in which those who created the sewage then take a holy dip. The same stands for the litter that is strewn about – plastics, paper, food, offerings made to the rivers – placing tremendous strain on already ailing rivers. The impact on villages and agriculture downstream is also never properly addressed. Questions of caste also come up, as it is inevitably the Dalits who clean up the visitors' mess. All these problems can be mitigated through proper planning and management, but unfortunately they have not been. For most of the Mela's visitors and pilgrims these issues do not seem to be of any concern at all.
Why is Hinduism today so nonchalant about much of the mess its practice ensues? Major Hindu festivals have significant ecological footprints. Diwali brings poisonous gasses and noise from firecrackers; Holi adds noxious chemicals to our waters; immersing idols in rivers and making offerings to them pollutes the very holy waters that the faithful worship. Are Hindu practices then predisposed to being insensitive to the environment?
In Hindu theology all existence is seen as divine, and all of nature is worthy of veneration. The universe is a medium through which the divine presents itself. In the wide spectrum on Hindu beliefs, many Hindus see god in plants, animals and rocks. Hindu texts, including the Vedas and Upanishads, stress the interconnectedness between all elements of the cosmos, connected by a divine thread. The philosophy of Advaita, or non-dualism, encapsulates this understanding, elaborating on the oneness of all forms of existence. This notion bears striking parallels to the tenets of quantum physics. That everything is linked in a continuum, and that different units of existence aren't really separate, are facts no longer restricted to the realms of theology. In Hinduism this is seen as a connecting consciousness, which manifests itself in the form of different qualities present in different elements of nature. For this reason, there is no clear separation between diverse natural phenomena, objects and people. Consequently, everything is divine. Some Hindus see the word 'Bhagavan', which means 'God' in Hindi, as an acronym: 'Bh' stands for bhoomi (earth), 'ga' for gagan (sky/ether), 'v' for vayu (air), 'a' for agni (fire), and 'n' for neer (water).
 
In Hindu mythology, characters often oscillate between natural and human embodiments. Many of the Hindu gods and goddesses have several avatars – manifestations – in animal and plant forms. There is an abundance of nature-based deities, both in the 'great' and 'little' traditions. These deities stand as metaphors, celebrating the divinity of nature and the reciprocity that human societies share with it. Therefore, we see three different phenomena – nature, humans and divinity – converging in what can be understood as a complicated, four-fold process of myth-making:
- Nature is first made intelligible in its natural form, as in the form of rivers, trees, mountains, etc.
- But it is considered dangerous to see nature in simply a scientific manner, as just water or plants or land, stripping it of all its deeper sacral meanings. Thus, divine qualities are identified in each object so that humans understand the deeper value of nature. According to Hindu belief, these divine qualities are not superimposed on different objects at random, only to make humans think that a particular object represents a particular divine attribute. On the contrary, divine consciousness is intrinsic to the object, and the myth's purpose is merely to recognise it.
- To make this abstract idea popularly intelligible, the oneness between nature and divinity, gods of nature are given human forms (rain god, sun god, river goddess). The human form allows for easy comprehension of nature as divine.
- This human form is authenticated by attaching ordinary human emotions and depictions to it, allowing humans to relate to these mystic natural phenomena and something immediate approachable, not pure and distant. Hence we hear stories of gods and goddesses partaking in human activities.
This process is not contrived, engineered by just a few individuals. Rather, it is the way Hindu society has, over generations, come to understand the environment and build a culture around it. The Hindu belief that god is all life and existence, in and around us, comes alive through such mythology. Eulogising nature in this way is also a tool for ensuring deference towards it.
However, not all people of a community perceive nature as divine; for many, deference towards nature comes not just from its perceived spiritual importance, but also from an understanding that it sustains life and livelihoods. From that perspective, nature takes the form of gods and goddesses in mythology not because of its inherent divinity, but because myth sanctions and legitimises the relationship people already have with the object. Here nature is worshipped simply for what it is and the uses it brings. Here, myth serves more of a moral and cultural purpose than a spiritual one. For instance, considering people's utilitarian need for rivers, they are eulogised as river goddesses to prevent their abuse or over-exploitation. This is how the valued relationship a community collectively experiences with that object is crystallised and sealed in religion. For the person who does not hold a metaphysical outlook, this form of mythology is most comprehensible. This is why the cultural significance of myth assumes much wider understanding and acceptance than the spiritual one.
So, mythology has two distinguishable forms:  the spiritual, where myth is symbolic of the inherent divinity of nature; and cultural, where myth sacralises the relationship of use that human society has with nature. And there is a third form, the ritualistic one, where nature is worshipped not for spiritual or cultural purposes, but simply because inherited tradition and myth says that nature is god. Why this is so does not matter. The relationship is restricted to blind worship alone, and no connection is made between this worship and nature's spiritual or utilitarian aspects.

God is not the answer
It appears that this ritualistic understanding of mythology and religion has come to dominate today, replacing the basic tenets of respect for nature. So now Hindus bathe in rivers because they fear breaking tradition and possibly inviting god's wrath, but without recognising the river as a spiritual symbol or respecting the river environment, if not for ecology's sake then at least for their own. Most Hindus are no longer aware of the rules set in their scriptures about ritual bathing and rivers: that one is supposed to bathe at home first, and only enter the river in an already clean state; that sewage and dirty water, let alone human excreta, should never reach rivers.
As direct contact with natural resources has declined, as piped water has replaced the need for individuals to interact with rivers, concern for the environment has diminished proportionately. This suggests that religion was never the prime factor behind environmentally friendly practices in India in the past. It was livelihoods, lifestyles and culture – all of them born of a necessary intimacy with nature – that ensured respect for the environment. This is not to say that Hinduism does not make a case for environmentalism, but it was never the prime motive of environmental concern for most people. Now that practical links with the environment have been severed, so have popular concerns.
Only ritual remains intact. The Ganga is no longer pure, but a ritual bath in it is still considered vital. People taking holy dips understand that the holy rivers are now dirty, but disparage those who think they have also become impure. In their minds, dirtiness or cleanliness is a quality of the outward form, whereas impurity and purity are a state of the soul. As they differentiate between 'impure' and 'dirty', the rivers' inherent divinity and purity will remain intact no matter how much they are defiled. This is why many river worshippers do not take the problem of pollution seriously. Their connection is not with the rivers' natural form, but with the rivers' divinity. As a result, perversely, the actual condition of rivers is irrelevant to those who hold them sacred.  This is also true of other aspects of nature. On Diwali, Holi and the Kumbh Mela, the levels of water, soil, air and noise pollution keep rising, and yet the devotees revel in it, disregarding the trail of filth they leave behind. Hindu rituals themselves reflect a contradiction, as they give concrete form to abstract ideas of nature worship, but in doing so mock that very idea by despoiling nature through the ritual.
This problem perhaps has its roots in Hindu theology itself, according to which the physical is maya – not real, an illusion. It is disputed whether Hindu theology unanimously states this, or whether it is a misinterpretation of the idea that one needs to rise above worldly desires and attachments. Nevertheless, what we have today is most Hindus believing that the material world is 'maya', and so defilement of the physical form means very little. Defilement too is an illusion; the essence is the soul, and is above materiality. But this maya is what we live in everyday, and it is quite an assault on all our senses.
The reason for this isn't just the lack of connection with nature, but also that our current economy and society encourages ecologically harmful choices. It is inconvenient to buy and use organic colours made with flower dyes, for Holi and for rituals of immersing idols in rivers. It is inconvenient to clean oneself before taking a dip in a river that is far from home; to not make offerings wrapped in plastic. It is almost a universal expectation during Diwali that we will burst firecrackers. It would be too romantic to assume that all people of the past connected intimately with nature or agreed with Hindu theology, but they did lead more eco-friendly lives as noxious chemicals simply weren't available to them. Modernity comes at a price, and doesn't just affect industry, but religion too. Hindu rituals now incur a heavy environmental cost. Besides, our water and sewage infrastructure is such that we pollute rivers with our waste even if we care enough not to directly throw things into them ourselves. Today, even if we only made organic offerings like flowers or unpainted clay idols, we still indirectly continue to burden our already ailing rivers.
In this daunting scenario, initiatives like the 'Green Kumbh' by the Ganga Action Parivar, a network of individuals and organisations concerned for the river's wellbeing, are welcome beginnings. The 'Green Kumbh' was started by a religious leader in partnership with NGOs, schools and government officials. It focuses on planting trees, building toilets and managing solid waste during the Mela. However, it fails to address core ecological issues with river bathing, offerings thrown into the rivers, and other Kumbh rituals, as well as the major problem of sewage being dumped into the rivers. The program aims to beautify the area for a 'clean and green' Kumbh, but sadly, like many environmental initiatives, falls prey to simplistic rhetoric instead of actually tackling problematic practices. The other problem with such initiatives is that of saffron-ising the green. Environmental movements, if driven by religious sentiments, can turn fundamentalist, exclusive and communal. This danger looms large, even though religion can be an easy way to draw people towards environmentalism. Nonetheless, religious leaders have an important role to play in endorsing eco-friendly rituals and modifying practices to suit current needs instead of looking to the 'pristine past' for answers. Still, whatever the answer is for India's rivers, religion is only a small part of it.

~ Sarandha is the author of In Search of Yamuna: Reflections on a River Lost (Vitasta, 2011). After working with the Centre for Science and Environment, she is currently a research scholar at the Centre for Studies in Science Policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

JNU Lecture "Indian Science at the Crossroads: A Scientist's Perspective" by Prof S. Umapathy, IISc, on 11th April, at SPS

JNU Seminar Series

 (promoting Interdisciplinary perspectives)

 

Indian Science at the Crossroads: A Scientist's Perspective of an Emerging India

by

 Professor S. Umapathy

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

 Venue: SPS Seminar Room, 1^st Floor, School of Physical Sciences, JNU

 Date: Thursday, 11^th April 2013

 Time: 3.00–500 p.m.

Summary of the Talk

India's rapid growth in the post-liberalisation era of the economy has led to a considerable increase in funding for research and education, as well as, to the creation of a number of new educational institutions. But it remains a huge challenge to provide these institutions with the kind of modern high-tech world class infrastructure that would serve the educational and research needs of our population (45% of whom are under the age of 25 years and 70% of whom live in rural areas with limited access to technology) and sustain a vibrant research effort that is of international standards. 

This talk will touch upon scientific and sociological practices in Indian research in the context of a world that is highly competitive and rapidly changing. Issues proposed to cover include the training ofstudents with differing socio-economic backgrounds, diversity in the quality and quantity of manpower and faculty, nationalism and self-reliance in relation to international competitiveness, leadership and management, innovation, and science policy. Some "out-of-the box" solutions to meet the aspirations of a nation attempting to shedits colonial mindset will be addressed.

 

About Speaker

S Umapathy is a J C BOSE fellow professor at the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science and also holds an Honorary Professor position at the Department of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. He is well known for his research work in the inter-disciplinary area of applications of Laser Spectroscopy to physics to medicine. He has received number of awards from Govt. of India, including the Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, the Swarna Jayanthi Fellowship and Sir C V Raman young Scientist award. He had been a member of the science and technology panel of the National Knowledge Commission, of Government of India. He has varied interests including, sociology of science and science management. Further details are available on http://ipc.iisc.ernet.in/~umalab/

 

For further details contact: Professor V V Krishna 26704461 or Professor Susan Visvanathan 26704428/4408

Article "Situating the Humans Relationship with Nature in the Tangkhul Naga’s Lifeworld" by Franky Varah, CSSP

Situating the Humans Relationship with Nature in the Tangkhul Naga's Lifeworld
by Franky Varah, CSSP
J Hum Ecol, 41(3): 247-254 (2013).

Abstract: The Tangkhul Nagas are intricately bound to nature in their social, cultural, economic, ethical and religious values. The dynamics of Tangkhul's livelihood activities in many ways reflect the complexities of the human and nature relationship. Interactions between human and nature have undergone significant changes during the last century which leaves unwarranted impact on its natural environment. Today increasing scarcity of natural resources is serious in Tangkhul Naga society. Besides other than population pressures, technological intrusion and developmental activities, the arrival of Christianity in the late 19th century proved ominous to the human and nature relations in the lifeworld of the Tangkhuls. The Colonial British introduced Christianity to the Tangkhul Nagas and used as a preliminary strategy to contain the hostile Tangkhuls from fierce rebellion against British dominions in the region. This paper attempts to present the symbiotic relationship of humans with nature in the antecedent lifeworld of the Tangkhuls while arguing for preserving its traditional knowledge system of nature conservation.

Download Full-text PDF

CSDS invites applications for two-month Course on ‘Researching the Contemporary’

Two-month Course on 'Researching the Contemporary'
1 July - 31 August 2013

Venue: Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi

The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) invites applications for its two-month Course on 'Researching the Contemporary'. This cross-disciplinary Course will critically examine the formation of the contemporary and its multiple histories, ideologies, forms and affects. The three courses offered will enable participants to familiarize themselves with concepts, theories and methods that help analyse the contemporary. These include:

• Media and Historical Method
• Religion and State in Modern Indian Thought
• Reading, Writing and the Work of Theory - in lieu of 'Method'

This is an intensive Course with compulsory readings and class discussions. Course materials will be made available. Participants are expected to write research papers which they will share during the Course. A participation certificate will be awarded upon successful completion.
The Course will be conducted over 8 weeks between 1 July - 31 August 2013. Classes will be held at CSDS on week-day afternoons, Tuesday to Thursday, from 3-6 pm.

Applications are invited from M.Phil/Ph.D students as well as independent researchers. As part of your application please submit your C.V. and a 1000-word description of your research question/topic.

Selected out of station participants shall be provided with roundtrip travel expenses (3-tier AC) and a stipend of Rs. 20,000/-

Deadline: 30 April 2013.

Applications may be sent to: teaching@csds.in

For further details check: www.csds.in

Source: http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2013_48/12/Appointments_Programmes_and_Announcements.pdf

Call for Papers for VIII Annual Conference of Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing

Call for Papers for VIII Annual Conference of Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing

Conference Theme: Emerging Technologies and Development

Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing http://FGKS.in

Hosted by: IIT Bombay, and supported by: KU Leuven, Antwerp, Belgium

Conference Dates: October 25–27, 2013

Last date for submission of title of papers and abstracts: May 30, 2013

Last date for full paper submission: July 30, 2013

Send the abstracts and paper to: fgksindia@gmail.com

The conference will mainly deal with Emerging Technologies, International Business and Development. The conference will provide a platform to share conceptual and empirical evidence that addresses ways to better understand and increase the sustainability impacts of economically viable enterprise-based approaches to poverty alleviation and economic development in terms of changes in economic climate, capacity building, environmental and social well-being. The conference will create a bridge between the private and public sector, NGOs and knowledge institutes. The conference welcomes academic research papers, practical workshop papers and public policy papers. Topics include but are not limited to the following issues:

• Emerging Technologies from developing countries like India, China and Brazil
• The role and impact of foreign direct investments in flows and out flows to and from developing countries, in particular India and China.
• Technology spillovers
• Role of in-house R&D units.
• R&D collaborations
• University and industry linkages
• The role of and impact on labour
• Changing profile of management of companies in India
• Social entrepreneurship
• Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
• Base of the Pyramid Poverty Alleviation
• Competitiveness of Indian firms

For details refer to http://fgks.in/event/index.htm

Call for Research Concept Notes: Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change

Call for Research Concept Notes: Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change

Deadline: May 31st, 2013

The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) is a regional network that provides research support to South Asian researchers and institutions interested in the inter-connection among development, natural resource use and the environment.

SANDEE is currently inviting research concept notes on the Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change in South Asia.

Concept notes, if accepted, will lead to an invitation to submit a full research proposal.

SANDEE requests research concept notes in three prioritized areas:

Ecosystems Management: Ecosystems provide a variety of provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services that are being lost at an accelerating rate. Research on ecosystems management will focus on: a) understanding the implications of ecosystem changes for economic and social systems; b) identifying trade-offs, i.e. the costs and benefits to different stakeholders (particularly the poor), from conserving ecosystems services; and c) examining different institutional arrangements to manage ecosystem services.

Economics of Climate Change: With climate change, South Asia is expected to get warmer and witness more extreme events. SANDEE's climate portfolio will support research on: a) valuation of the impacts of climate change; b) evaluation of adaptation and mitigation strategies, particularly those that offer local co-benefits and c) examination of institutions and policies that need to be in place for low carbon growth and long-term adjustment to climate change.

Policies and Instruments for Greener Growth: Governments in South Asia put forward a variety of policies and regulations to manage local to global environmental problems. In order to ensure that these strategies are effective, this thematic area will emphasize: a) programme evaluation of the impacts of environmental policies, regulations and programmes; and, b) assessment of the economic incentives associated with different regulatory and market mechanisms and their contribution to policy compliance.

While SANDEE's focus is on environmental management, proposals have to include a strong economics component. Multidisciplinary projects with a robust economic focus are encouraged. Cross-border collaborations and trans-boundary projects will be prioritized. Institutional affiliation is required for receiving support. Concept notes will be evaluated on their academic merit and policy significance.

SANDEE will collect proposals throughout the year. However, to be considered for our next research competition, please send concept notes by May 31st, 2013. The average grant size in recent years has been 20,000 USD for one to two year projects. Larger grants will be considered if a multidisciplinary team of natural and social scientists are involved and there is a clear identification of roles and tasks. Please upload concept notes on SANDEE's website at www.sandeeonline.org. For any additional queries, please contact at research@sandeeonline.org

Source: http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2013_48/13/Appointments_Programmes_and_Announcements.pdf

Rajya Sabha Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies

Scheme for Instituting Chair in the Name of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Rajya Sabha Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies

 

Preamble

1. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has decided to institute a Chair named after Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the first Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, with the objective of promoting an indepth inquiry and research on different aspects of parliamentary democracy, in general, and Indian Parliament and Rajya Sabha, in particular. Two Fellowships to be named 'Rajya Sabha Fellowships for Parliamentary Studies' will also be instituted. This, it is felt, would promote better understanding of the functioning of our Parliament; help document the changing nature and role of our parliamentary institutions and enable appreciation of the challenges faced by these institutions in the era of globalisation. This initiative on the part of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat is, thus, intended to create a critical mass of academic research with a body of knowledge on the functioning of our parliamentary democracy.

 

Part A: Search and Advisory Committee

(i) Composition of Search and Advisory Committee

2. A Search and Advisory Committee shall assist the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, in the selection of the Chair and the Fellows as well as their management.

3. The Search and Advisory Committee shall consist of five members, namely two members of Rajya Sabha – one each nominated by the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha; two prominent academics to be nominated by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha; and Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha.

4. Secretary-General will function as the Convener of the Search Committee.

(ii) Functions of Search and Advisory Committee

5. The Search and Advisory Committee shall assist the Chairman in the selection of the Chair and the Fellows. As per the directions of the Chairman, it may be required to draw up a panel of names for the purpose.

6. In addition, the Search and Advisory Committee may be required to perform the following functions:

· Identification of areas of research and study;

· Monitoring and appraisal of the performance of the Chair and the Fellows; and

· Any other matter that may be referred to the Committee by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha from time to time.

(iii) Tenure of Search and Advisory Committee and its Members

7. The tenure of the Search and Advisory Committee shall be two years. Chairman, Rajya Sabha may extend its tenure at his discretion.

8. An existing member of the Search and Advisory Committee, upon its reconstitution, may be re-nominated on the Search and Advisory Committee.

(iv) Admissibility of TA/DA to the Members of the Committee

9. Members of the Committee shall be paid TA/ DA for national and local travel, as per the rules applicable to Members of Parliament or the Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha, as the case may be, as and when they may be required to travel in connection with the work of the Committee. Members, except Members of Parliament during Session days and the Secretary-General, shall also be paid Rs. 1000/- as a token honorarium for each meeting of the Committee.

 

Part B: Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair on Parliamentary Studies

(i) Eligibility

10. The Chair is open to eminent scholars, who have a proven record of scholarship and publications in the study of the Indian political system and parliamentary institutions/systems and their functioning.

(ii) Duration

11. The tenure of the Chair will be for two years.

(iii) Responsibilities

12. The Chair shall be required to provide research output in the form of a book/report in the course of its tenure, in terms of the directions of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. The Chair shall be required to submit progress report of the research project regularly for the consideration of the Search and Advisory Committee.

13. The Chair would give three/four lectures on the subjects related to the research project during its tenure, which would be organised under the auspices of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

(iv) Location of Chair

14. The Chair will be located at the institution of choice of the individual holding the Chair.

(v) Mode of Selection

15. The advertisement inviting applications for the Chair shall be published in reputed academic journals and national newspapers. The advertisement will also be placed on the website of Rajya Sabha.

16. The applicant will be required to send in his/her particulars in the prescribed format (Annexure-I) duly filled in, along with the synopsis of his/her proposal.

17. All major Universities and reputed educational research institutions, such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), Indian Council of Historical Research, Indian Institute of Public Administration, as well as reputed think tanks from the relevant areas, are requested to forward names of suitable candidates to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for consideration by the Search and Advisory Committee.

18. The proposals received shall be placed before the Search and Advisory Committee. The Committee shall consider and recommend a panel of the names to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, for grant of Chair.

19. The applicant shall be required to produce a 'No Objection Certificate' from his/her institution for taking up the assignment. After selection of the Chair, a letter of acceptance/MOU from the institution, where the scholar wants to be located, would also be required to be produced.

(vi) Research Grant

20. The research grant for the Chair shall be Rs. 7 lakhs for the entire period. The schedule of release of the grant will be as follows:-

(a) 20% of the amount payable at the time of the initial appointment;

(b) 30% of the amount after the submission of the first draft of the book/project report;

(c) 30% of the amount after the submission of the final draft of the book/project report. The final draft shall be submitted not later than three months before the end of the tenure of the Chair; and

(d) the remaining amount shall be paid after approval of book/project report by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.

21. The entire cost of the research project shall have to be met by the Chair out of Research Grant mentioned above.

 

Part C: Rajya Sabha Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies

22. There would be two Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies. The Fellows selected would work out their research project in consultation with the Search and Advisory Committee, and subject to the approval of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.

(i) Eligibility

23. The Fellowship is open to academics/experts, who have relevant experience in and aptitude for undertaking research in Indian democratic system and parliamentary institutions and their functioning, particularly of the Rajya Sabha. Due consideration would be given to individual's qualifications, his/her past experience, standard research publications to his/her credit, in making the selection.

(ii) Duration

24. Fellowship shall be for a duration of one year.

(iii) Responsibilities

25. The Fellow will be required to provide research output in the form of a publishable article/project report in the course of his/her tenure, in terms of the direction of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. He/She shall also submit a progress report on the work done, after six months, for consideration of the Search and Advisory Committee.

(iv) Location of Fellowship

26. The Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies will be located at the institutions of choice of the individuals selected for the fellowships.

(v) Mode of Selection

27. The Fellows would be selected by the Search and Advisory Committee in consultation with the Chair. The process of selection will be the same as mentioned in the case of the Chair in Part B (v).

(vi) Fellowship Grant

28. The total amount of each Fellowship Grant will be Rs. 3 lakhs for a period of one year. The schedule of the release of the funds will be as follows:-

(a) 20% of the amount payable at the time of the selection;

(b) 30% of the amount after the submission of the first draft of the article/project report;

(c) 30% of the amount after the submission of the final draft of the article/project report. The final draft shall be submitted not later than two months before the end of the tenure; and

(d) the remaining amount shall be paid after approval of article/project report by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.

29. The entire cost of the research project shall have to be met by the Fellows out of the Fellowship Grant mentioned above.

 

Part D: General Conditions for Chair/Fellowships

(1) Guidelines for submission of proposals of research from Chair/Fellow

30. While submitting the proposal, the format may broadly conform to the following order of points and guidelines:

(i) Title of the Project

(ii) Statement of the Problem: In the opening paragraphs of the research proposal, the problem to be investigated should be stated clearly and briefly. The significance of the problem in the theoretical context of the concerned discipline should be specified.

(iii) Overview of Literature: Summarizing the current status of research in the area including major findings, the project proposal should clearly demonstrate the relevance or otherwise of the findings or approaches for the investigation of the problem at hand.

(iv) Conceptual Framework: Given the problem and the theoretical perspective for investigation of the problem, the proposal should clearly indicate the concepts to be used and demonstrate their relevance for the study. It should further specify the empirical dimension, if any, that needs to be explored for investigating the problem.

(v) Research Questions or Hypotheses: Given the conceptual framework and dimensions of the problem, specific questions to be answered and hypotheses to be tested through the proposed study should be explicitly formulated, compatible with the research design.

(vi) Coverage : In the light of the questions raised or the hypotheses proposed to be tested, if the sampling becomes necessary, full information on the following points should be given:

(a) Universe of the Study,

(b) Sampling Frame, and

(c) Units of Observation and Sampling size.

If the Study requires any control groups, they should be specifically mentioned. An explanation of the determination of size and type of the sample shall also be necessary. Proposals not requiring a sample selection should specify their strategy appropriately and describe the rationale.

(vii) Methodology: A suitable description of the methods of research for the study may be given.

(viii) Data Collection : The different types of data that are proposed to be gathered should be specifically mentioned. The sources for each type and the tools and techniques that will be used for collecting different types of data should be specified.

(ix) Time Budgeting : The project should be broken up in suitable stages and the time required for the completion of each stage of work should be specified.

(x) Bibliography

(2) Undertaking for Chair/Fellowships

31. An applicant selected for the Chair/Fellowship will have to sign an Undertaking and Conditions attached thereto separately (Annexure-IIA / Annexure-IIB). He/she will also have to handover all the data/material collected On the topic of the Chair/Fellowship to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat upon completion of the project/report.

(3) Library Facility

32. The Chair/Fellow may be provided the facility to have access to Parliament Library for consultation.

(4) Publication Assistance

33. If the final output of the Chair/Fellowship is recommended by the Search and Advisory Committee for publication and subsequently approved by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, the applicant shall be required to enter into an agreement with a reputed publisher for the publication of the book and a copy of the agreement may be provided to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

34. In case publication assistance is granted by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the Chair/Fellow shall supply twenty-five copies of the publication on complimentary basis to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. In case publication assistance is not granted by Rajya Sabha Secretariat or the Chair/Fellow does not seek any assistance and intends to publish it on his own, the Secretariat may invoke the 'Disclaimer Clause' and grant permission for the same. In that case he will supply five copies of the publication to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on complimentary basis. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat will retain the copyright on the publications.

35. The following text shall be prominently printed on the back of the inner title page of the book for which publication grant has been provided by the Secretariat:

"The publication of the book has been financially supported by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The responsibility for the facts stated or opinions expressed is entirely of the author and not of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat".

 (5) Decision of the Chairman

36. The decision of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha will be final in all matters concerning the Chair/Fellowships.

Further Details: http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/fellowship/fellowship_scheme.htm

Download Application Form: http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/fellowship/application.pdf

Lok Sabha Research Fellowship Scheme 2013

Lok Sabha Research Fellowship Scheme

 

Hon'ble Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Meira Kumar has constituted the Fellowship Committee of the Lok Sabha to consider proposals for grant of Research Fellowships to interested scholars with a view to better understanding the functioning of the Parliament, to identify the changing nature of roie of Parliamentary institutions and to suggest alternatives in the light of the experience of the other democratic countries,

Download: Rules Relating to Award of Lok Sabha Fellowship

 

List of themes/topics of research

Role of Parliament

(i) In facilitating economic stability, especially in the context of economic liberalization and globalization.

(ii) In mitigating conflict-situations and facilitating national integration.

(iii) In ensuring environmental protection.

(iv) As agents of social change, equity and inclusive growth.

(v) In taking initiatives to address the scourge of terrorism.

(vi) In the protection and rehabilitation of vulnerable groups.

(vii) Contemporary challenges to parliament and its functioning, including frequent disruptions and adjournments.

(viii) Relationship between parliament and other organs of the state, including judiciary.

Parliament and People

(i) Parliament and the people: reinforcing democracy through accountability.

(ii) Parliament and women's empowerment.

(iii) Parliament and human rights.

(iv) Parliament and sustainable development.

(v) Parliament and the media: facilitating greater partnership towards strengthening democracy.

(vi) Parliament and millennium development goals.

Parliamentary Committees

Role of parliamentary committees in strengthening accountability mechanisms.

Parliamentary Forum  

Functioning of parliamentary forums in policy making and knowledge sharing.

Parliamentary and International Affairs

Parliamentary diplomacy and global peace including comparative studies of parliament of india with other foreign parliaments.

Parliament and its Heritage

(i) History of parliament of India.

(ii) Different aspects of heritage nature of parliament.

(iii) Comparative studies of parliament of India with other foreign parliaments with regard to its heritage nature.

 

More about LS Research Fellowship

Since 1996, two annual Research Fellowships, one each in Hindi and English and Fellowships for writing Monographs are being awarded by the Lok Sabha Secretariat with a view to promoting original studies on matters of parliamentary interest in one of the following fields, viz. (i) Parliamentary Institutions/ Systems (including State Legislatures) - Evolution and Development; (ii) Parliamentary Rules, Practices and Procedures; (iii) Committee System; (iv) Communication between Parliament and People; and (v) Modern Techniques of Service and Support Systems of Parliament.

A Fellowship Committee appointed by the Speaker invites applications, scrutinizes them and makes recommendations for the award of Fellowship. The Committee is assisted in all its work by the Press and Public Relations Wing. Since 1996, Seven Fellowships for writing books have been awarded in English and Hindi, to the scholars/media persons as detailed under : (i) Communication between Parliament and the People (in Hindi); (ii) Coalition Politics and its Impact on Parliamentary Institutions (in English); (iii) Role of Committee System of Indian Parliament in Development (in English); (iv) Impact of Live Telecast of Parliamentary Proceedings (in Hindi); (v) Intra - Governmental Relations in India (in English); (vi) Dynamics of Federalism in India (in English); (vii) Consensus or Confrontation - The Role of Parliament's Departmentally-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) (in English).

Since 2001 three Fellowships for writing Monographs, in English and Hindi, on the following subjects, viz. (i) Lessons from the Stormy Debates in Indian Parliament (in English); (ii) The Role and Responsibility of Parliament in Nation Building (in English); and (iii) A Study of the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in Himachal Pradesh (in English).

Download: Rules Relating to Award of Lok Sabha Fellowship

A web-based course “Science, Technology & Society” developed by IIT Guwahati/ NPTEL is now freely available

A web-based course "Science, Technology & Society" (http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/109103024/), developed by IIT Guwahati under the Indian National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), is now freely available to lifelong learners.

This course contains eight modules, namely:  

• Science as Culture Social Context of the Production of Scientific Knowledge
• Organisation of Production of Scientific Knowledge and Professionalisation of Science
• Society and Culture: Resources and Legitimation of Knowledge
• Perspectives on Science-Technology Relationship
• Science in Colonial and Post-colonial India
• Emerging Technologies
• New Ethical Codes for New Technologies: Responses of the Civil Society Discussion and Forum
• Science: From Public Resource to Intellectual Property

Further Details: "Science, Technology & Society" (http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/109103024/)

CfAs: Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for 2013

The Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for 2013

Theme for this year: POVERTY

Last date for receiving applications is 31st March 2013

 

 SAGE India (www.sagepub.in) invites applications for the award of The Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for 2013 in the following categories:

• Social Sciences
• Business & Management
• Media & Communication Studies

 

Starting this year the fellowships will have a central theme.

This year's theme is POVERTY.

SAGE instituted The Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships in 2009 to honour Tejeshwar Singh, Managing Director of SAGE India for 25 years and doyen of the publishing industry in South Asia.

Fellowships for 2010 in the respective categories have been awarded to the following:

• Social Sciences: Ms Mehreen Zahra-Malik, Assistant Editor, The News International, Pakistan
• Media & Communication: Dr Santanu Chakrabarti, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA
• Business & Management: Dr Ajai S Gaur, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, USA

PRESIDING PANEL: T N Madan, Surendra Munshi, and Romila Thapar

DURATION: One year

A stipend of Rs. 50,000 a month (50,000 X 12) with an additional amount of Rs. 50,000 can be claimed for travel during the tenure of the fellowship. Total value of the Fellowship is Rs. 6,50,000.

 

ELIGIBILITY: Open to nationals of South Asian (SAARC) countries, including those currently resident overseas. Candidates must be below 40 years of age as on 1 April 2013.

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Applicants are invited to submit their curriculum vitae, a research proposal and a 5000 word sample of their writing. The last date for receipt of applications is 31st March 2013.

AWARD OF FELLOWSHIP: The applications for each fellowship will be vetted by a jury of four experts including one representative of SAGE.  The award of the fellowships will be announced on or before 30th June 2013.

 

SCOPE OF THE FELLOWSHIPS

Proposal Presentation:

The proposal must be understandable with clear aims and scope.The proposed methodology must be sound.

Substantive Merit:

There must be conceptual and theoretical clarity. Relevance to South Asia. It must make a potential contribution to the concerned subject area.

Publication Potential:

The proposal must be such that the required research can be completed in a year. It should have the potential to be published as a book. The final book manuscript can be completed in 12 months subsequent to the end of the Fellowship. The book may be published by the scholar's choice of publisher with due acknowledgement to the Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for supporting the research.The fellowships for 2011 and 2012 were not announced due to unavoidable reasons.

All applications should be addressed to:

Ms Smrithi Sudhakaran

SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd,

B1/I1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area

Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044. Tel: 4053 9222, Extn: 256; email: pr@sagepub.in

Source: http://www.sagepub.in/2K13/TSMF-PDF.pdf

Call for Applications: "Social Innovation in a Digital Context" a Swedish Academic Scholarship Program

Call for Applications: "Social Innovation in a Digital Context"

Academic Scholarship Program for Social and Digital Innovators from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia

(September 2013 – September 2014)

Social Innovation in a Digital Context (SIDC) is a one year academic scholarship program with practical and theoretical components focused on the relationship between digital technology and socio-political change, and how change makers can harness this relationship to build better societies.

The programme is carried out in cooperation with Lund University.

SIDC focuses on the relationship between digital technology and socio-political change, and how change makers can harness this relationship to build better societies. It contains both practical and theoretical components and is designed to support social and digital innovators to pursue work in the fields of digital technology, new media, and social and political change.
The aim of the programme is for participants to develop creative and viable individual projects that help strengthen human rights and democracy building in their home countries, as well as boosting understanding of the use of digital tools for sociopolitical change.

Who can apply?
Innovators from the Middle East, North Africa or South Asia that want to engage in innovative project work can apply to SIDC. You should have an existing outreach platform in your home country and want to bring a project proposal from idea to reality or want to further develop an existing project. The project should be directly connected to your home context and be based on the work and movements that you're engaged in, as well as your personal skills. It is important that the project is tied to digitalization/digital technology to some extent.
For this year's programme we are particularly looking for applicants with knowledge of and skills in computer technology and Internet security. You might for example have a background in law, IT, entrepreneurship, sociology or political science. The aim is to recruit individuals from a broad range of disciplines, professions, and backgrounds and it is important that you both have academic competence as well as practical skills.
SIDC suits innovators who intend to return home upon completion of the programme and launch the projects they have developed in Sweden in their home environments.

Deadline for applications: March 20th, 2013

Further Details: www.si.se/sidc

LSE India Observatory / Asia Research Centre invites applications for Fellowships

London School of Economics and Political Science

The LSE India Observatory was set up in partnership with the Reserve Bank of India and State Bank of India. The Centre is multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary. It works in partnership with Departments and Centres across the LSE, and the research reflects the School's social science orientation. Its role is to support, facilitate and promote vibrant intellectual engagement between the UK and India, and to participate in wider international inter-disciplinary research and programmes with partners in Asia and beyond.

The LSE India Observatory / Asia Research Centre invites applications for the following Fellowships:

Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship 2013-14

The Fellowship will be for a period of up to eight months in the academic year 2013-14.  Applicants should have experience of social science research on South Asia. The Fellow will be expected to engage in social science research on a topic under the following themes: Growth and Inclusion; Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability; Social and Human Security; Population and Development; Governance and Democracy. Preference will be given to topics that focus on contemporary social, political and economic concerns of South Asia. This Fellowship is open to candidates from South Asia, that is, the SAARC region which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Fellowship is supported by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

Subir Chowdhury Fellowship 2013-14

The Fellowship will be for a period of three months in the 2013-14 academic year. Applicants should have experience of social science research on Bangladesh and/or India. The Fellow will be expected to engage in research examining the impact of people quality and behaviour on the economies of Asian nations prioritising, but not restricted to, India and Bangladesh. This Fellowship allows for any scholar to participate in the programme regardless of ethnicity or national origin. The Fellowship is supported by the Subir and Malini Chowdhury Foundation.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS

All Fellowships are based at the Asia Research Centre, LSE. Fellows receive a monthly subsistence allowance, the exact amount depending on qualifications. Shared work space is provided together with access to research facilities at the School.  Applicants for the Fellowships should have completed a PhD - the Fellowships are not intended for students registered for a degree or diploma, nor are they intended for senior academics. All Fellows will be expected to finish a piece of research of publishable quality during their stay and make a presentation at a seminar or lecture arranged by the Asia Research Centre. Further information can be found at: www.lse.ac.uk/AsiaResearchCentre.

Applications should be addressed to The Fellowships Selection Committee, Asia Research Centre, London School of Economics & Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK, and may be submitted through the post or emailed to arc@lse.ac.uk. Applications will not be accepted via fax under any circumstances. Applications should include a covering letter of no more than one page, a curriculum vitae of no more than three pages and an outline of proposed research of no more than three pages. Please use A4-sized plain paper only. Applicants should also give the names and addresses of two referees, familiar with their work, to be contacted by the Committee.

The final date for receipt of applications is Monday, 13^th May 2013. Late applications will not be accepted. The successful candidate will be informed of the decision by the end of July 2013.

New India Foundation: Applications Invited for Fellowships

The New India Foundation: Applications Invited for Fellowships

In the six-and-a-half decades since In­de­pend­ence, there has been a large body of work produced by In­dian his­to­ri­ans and social sci­en­tists. Tak­en sin­gly, many of these studies are very im­pres­sive; viewed cu­mu­la­tive­ly, they add up to much less than what one might expect. The chief reason for this is the de­ter­mining influence on scholarly practice of that single date: 15th August, 1947. Historians rarely look beyond the attainment of Independence, where­as other so­cial scientists don't look back at all. We have solid stud­ies of the Con­gress under Brit­ish rule, with books writ­ten about its op­er­a­tions in different parts of In­dia, yet there are no sys­tem­atic stud­ies of this most in­fluen­tial of po­lit­i­cal par­ties in the post-independence pe­ri­od. Again, there are numerous eth­nographic ac­counts of the caste system.Yet, we have no analytical over­view of caste since Independence.

We have had po­lit­i­cal scientists con­duct­ing field studies of every sin­gle elec­tion since 1952. But we have no com­pre­hen­sive anal­yses of changes over time in voter behaviour, elec­tion prop­a­gan­da, or elec­tion finance.

These examples could be mul­ti­plied manifold. The Republic of India is a Union of twenty-eight states, some larger than France and Germany. Yet not even the biggest or most important of these states have had their histories written. Again, there are no serious bi­og­ra­phies of some of the key figures in our modern history: such as Sheikh Abdullah or Master Tara Singh or A. Z. Phizo or (to take figures from very different fields) Pandit Ravi Shankar or Dhirubhai Ambani.

It is this lack that the New India Foun­dation seeks to address, by spon­soring work of quality on mod­ern India.

The New India Foundation invites applications for the seventh round of the New India Fellowships. Open only to Indian nationals, these Fel­low­ships will be awarded for a pe­ri­od of one year, and will carry a stipend of Rs 90,000 a month. Fel­low­ship holders shall be expected to write original books. Proposals should be oriented to­wards final pub­lication, and out­line a road map towards that des­ti­na­tion. The Foun­dation is ec­u­menical as regards gen­re, theme, and ideology: the only requirement is that the pro­posed work contribute to the fuller un­der­standing of in­de­pend­ent In­dia. Thus Fellowship holders may choose to write a mem­oir, or a work of re­port­age, or a thickly foot­noted ac­a­demic study. Their books could be oriented to­wards eco­nom­ics, or pol­itics, or cul­ture. They could be high­ly specific–an ac­count of a sin­gle dec­ade or a sin­gle region–or wide-ranging, such as a coun­try­wide over­view.

Since 2004, a total of twenty-eight New India Foundation Fellowships have been awarded, for books to be writ­ten on such topics as the social history of Telugu films, the re­form of personal laws, refugee pol­i­tics in north-eastern India, the history of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, debates on the death pen­alty in India, and the science and politics of biodiversity conservation.

The books emanating from the New India Fellowships have been published by prestigious presses such as Penguin, Permanent Black, Palgrave Macmillan, Oxford University Press, Random House and Harper Collins. Nine books have appeared so far; these have been widely acclaimed and received several awards.

Applicants for the New India Fellowships for 2013-2014 are invited to sub­mit their c.v., book proposal, and a writing sample of at least 5000 words (published or unpublished) to the Managing Trustee, The New India Foundation, 22 A, Brunton Road, Bangalore 560025, before 30 June 2013. These may be sent by post or courier. Email applications will not be entertained. However, specific queries may be addressed to newindiafoundation@gmail.com

The fellowships will be decided by a jury whose members are André Béteille, Ramachandra Guha, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Nandan Nilekani, N. Ravi, and Srinath Raghavan.

Further details about the Foun­da­tion may be found at www.newindiafoundation.org