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This issue of the "Courier" examines the quality of life as it can be improved by adult education, especially in the countries of Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific. It also looks at the need for women's education. The following six articles are included: (1) "The Future of the Family" (Federico Mayor); (2) "Her Words on His Lips: Gender Popular Education in South Africa" (Shirley Walters); (3) "Literacy among Women in India" (Nishat Farooq); (4) "Second Cycle Development Problems and the Role of Adult Education: A Case Study of Sri Lanka" (Mohottige U Sedere); (5) "Rural Nonformal Education in China" (Dong Mingchuan); and (6) "The Adult Basic Education Society of Pakistan" (Vincent A. David). (KC)

This journal contains a series of articles dealing with the theme of development in Asia and rural Indonesia. Included in the journal are the following articles: "Nonformal Education in Rural Areas of Developing Countries," by members of the Rural Project Team from the Centre for Continuing Education at Australian National University; "Application of Community Development Principles in Rural Thai Communities," by Oonta Nopakun; and "Development: A Design for the 80s," by Peter Adamson. Next, the training experiences of 12 men and women engaged in rural develoment work in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are described. Following a fable by Olavi Junus that suggests that change does not always mean progress, an article by Joao Frank da Costa lists 12 essential elements for development. Also included are an article by John L. Woods entitled "Organizational Constraints to Implementing Development Projects;" a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) entitled "Women's Groups Spearhead Rural Development;" two group reports by members of the Asian-South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) reviewing its two-country development project in Thailand and Indonesia; and an excerpt from an article dealing with the emerging partnership between villagers and professionals in Tilonia, Rajasthan India. (MN)

This issue of the Courier contains articles loosely connected to each other by the underlying theme of developing people's capacity to improve the quality of their lives. The following articles are included: "Development of Human Resources--A Basic Needs Approach," by Mohiuddin Ahmad; "Rural Poverty," by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; "Overseas Students--Educating for Development or Privilege?" by Chris Duke; "Kemas: Kemajuan Masyarakat--Development of Society," by the Community Development Division, Ministry of National and Rural Development, Malaysia; "Two Worlds within Each Society: Lokayan's Efforts to Overcome the New Rift," by Rajni Kothari; "The Nepal Literacy Program," by World Education; and "Scheme of Developing the Peasants' Education Undertakings 1983-85, Jilin Province, China," by the Jilin Department of Education. (KC)

This issue of the "Courier" contains several articles on the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working for social justice and development for people in Third World countries. The following articles appear: "Sharing One Earth" (Nighat Said Khan, Kamla Bhasin); "Beware of the Gongo--Regulating NGOs in India: New Moves" (Rajesh Tandon); "Widening the NGO Perspective" (Tony Quizon); "Non-Governmental Adult Education Associations--An Overview" (Chris Duke); "A View: The Cooperation between the Government and NGOs in Development" (Jon Ungphakorn--interview); "Third World NGDOs Task Force: Origin, Aims, Evolution, and Present Situation" (Mario Padron); and "German Adult Education Association and German Foundation for International Development." (KC)

The article discusses India's 12th Five-Year Plan on education. According to the author, the 12th Plan aims to create a robust higher education system that will sustain rapid economic growth and promote international competitiveness under the tutelage of India's Planning Commission. The author adds that the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) programme established by the government has been successful in bringing elementary education to millions of children.

The role of foreign capital in economic growth is much discussed nowadays but remarkably little analysed. The basic objective of this paper is to investigate the causal long run relationship between FCIs (Foreign Capital Inflows) and the economic growth of India. The FCIs-growth linkage assumes that the foreign capital inflows provide a significant amount of contribution to the economic growth. We examine the linkage using a model on the basis of the source of financing available to an economy i.e. domestic capital and foreign capital. The model is then analysed using co-integration test and Error Correction Model (ECM) technique. The paper concludes that there is a bidirectional causality between FCI and GDP; GDCF (Gross Domestic Capital Formation) and FCI but there is a unidirectional causality between the GDCF and GDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is a serious concern in emerging economies, as it impacts human development, livelihoods, environment and economic growth. Policies should be formulated in a way that reflects the problem of water scarcity and is oriented towards providing solutions. The science-policy interface can play a key role in translating scientific knowledge into policy action and in mitigating water scarcity of emerging economies like that of India. Hence, the paper aims to review scientific knowledge on water scarcity in India, and analyze the extent to which this knowledge is reflected in the water policies - to understand the science-policy interface. This has been done by extensive review of various scientific approaches used to assess water scarcity at the national and state level. The analysis indicates that Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat in the north-west, and Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the south experience high water scarcity. To analyze whether this scientific knowledge has been translated into policy, existing water policies were critically reviewed. The paper, by identifying key policy areas, discusses challenges and opportunities for strengthening the science-policy interface, in the context of water scarcity mitigation. The paper argues that translating scientific knowledge into policy action continues to be a major challenge in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is one of the biggest and fastest growing economies of the world, but the growth is more clustered towards specific segments or areas. After 60 years of Independence, there still exists big segment of nation that ties out of formal banking services and a major chunk of this population resides in rural or semi urban areas. As a result there has been amplification of financial instability and impecuniousness. The RBI had reported the impact of financial exclusion leads to the loss of GDP amounting up to one percent in economy. Hence it becomes imperative to explore the means to make the financial access possible to all segments of the society. Therefore the objective of this paper is to ascertain the antecedents that influence the adoption and use of mobile phones for banking services by customers. As mobile banking is a cost effective channel and has widespread proliferation, it creates a profitable and promising avenue for the economic development of the country andfinancial institution's success. It is of paramount importance for marketers to understand how and why the customers develop adoption intention for this innovative, cost-effective and efficient form of banking services. So the present paper proposes a conceptual framework for mobile banking adoption intention in India. The knowledge of this process and its factors may be pertinent for academicians and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small scale industries have played a leading role in the direction of shaping the economy of the country but most of SSIs have not performed as desired for the rapid economic development. Though, various factors affected the performance of SSIs like inadequate cash, Government's negligence, improper implementation of policies, financial assistance and inventory management etc. Inventory management is one of the biggest factor which directly affects the performance of SSIs in India. The aim of the research paper is to analyze the inventory management of selected small scale industries in Haryana. This article concludes the performance of SSIs in Haryana state by optimum inventory management. In our study, we selected 100 units in various districts of Haryana. Inventory management plays a decisive role in the enhancement of efficiency and competitiveness of small scale industries. Therefore, major manufacturing enterprises are following inventory management practices as a strategy to improve efficiency and achieve competitiveness. However, the spread of inventory management culture in upcoming SSIs is limited due to lack of initiation, expertise and financial limitation in developing countries. This article concludes that, with the development of market economy and launching of reforms, this effect will be even more significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the development of road Infrastructure in Meghalaya based on secondary data and the importance of developing efficient road connectivity for improving the socio-economic growth and development in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FDI is a tool for economic development through its strengthening of domestic capital, productivity and employment. FDI also plays a vital role in the upgradation of technology, skills and managerial capabilities in various sectors of the economy. The present paper attempts to analyze significance of the FDI inflows on macro economic parameters i.e. GDP, BOP, Exports, Forex Reserves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that officials from the Reserve Bank of India has released the working paper entitled "Rules of the Monetary Game" which called for the creation of guidelines to curb central banks globally adopting nontraditional monetary policies and seeking exchange rate or financial market interventions to stimulate economic growth. Topics discussed include the call for responsible behavior for enhancing collective outcomes and the international spillover of domestic fiscal policies.

The dream of 'Gram Swaraj' of our beloved father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi and motto of 'Power to People' are essence of true democracy. The task of capacity building of these large numbers of Panchayats is quite gigantic exercise. As per the assessment of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj even after 22 years of enactment of 73rd Constitutional (Amendment) Act and also after having three rounds of Panchayat elections in many States in India the empowerment of Panchayats has not taken place as envisioned in the 73rd Constitution (Amendment) Act in 1992. The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution in 1992 gave Constitutional status to the Panchayats as institutions of local self government and also for planning and implementing programmes for economic development and social justice. The concept of Panchayati raj seemed for a while in the years after Indian independence to have disappeared permanently into the mists of India's romantic past. In the late twentieth century however the notion has returned once more to the political agenda, for a variety of reasons: strategic, practical, economic, and ideology. This paper sets out to trace in brief the origins of the concept of Panchayati, offers some historical examples of the Panchayat in use, and attempts an explanation as to why it should once again have assumed importance in the minds of politicians, NGOs and administrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Indian economic scenario, there were satisfactory levels of growth in employment opportunities in the economy, leading many people to enjoy improved standard of living. Disbursable income of households was more and this provided them leverage to think about financial planning. Financial planning includes not only distribution of savings amongst different avenues of investment, but also includes the methods of facing contingencies e.g. opting for Life Insurance cover. The dominance of the state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India in insurance sector was put into test when its gates were thrown open for the entry of private players. Due to competition, different Private players offered policies at competitive prices. This forces the Life Insurance Corporation of India to draw new strategies to deliver goods. In human life, wherever there is uncertainty there is an involvement of risk. Uncertainty is the truth of life. The instinct and need for security against such a risk is a motivating force for human behavior and action. Insurance is universally acknowledged as it eliminates risk and provides timely aid to the family after the unfortunate occasion. The need for life insurance differs, according to age, family size, etc. Each plan of life insurance provides a kind of need. Thus, the success of a life insurance company depends on the efficiency of the company fulfilling the expectations of the policyholders. The paper focuses on the awareness and level of satisfaction of the policyholder in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the drivers of change in the Ganges River Basin, together with population growth, economic development and water management practices. These changing circumstances have a significant impact on key social and economic sectors of the basin, largely through changes in water quantity, quality and timing of availability. This paper evaluates the impact of water on changing circumstances in three sectors of the Ganges Basin - agriculture, ecosystems and energy. Given the inherent interconnectedness of these core sectors and the cross-cutting impact of changing circumstances on water resources, we argue that adaptation should not be viewed as a separate initiative, but rather as a goal and perspective incorporated into every level of planning and decision making. Adaptation to changing circumstances will need to be closely linked to water resource management and will require significant collaboration across the sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the value of an improved domestic water supply was investigated for economic development and gender relations in rural households in a drought-prone area. A comparative study executed with participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods with groups of women from 11 micro-enterprises in ten villages and five control villages showed that,when an improved domestic water supply does not function, the entrepreneurs groups have a statistically higher loss of the economic use of water and time than the control groups. The extra income that women gain when the supply works and is used economically helps poor families to bridge the dry season. It could further be quantitatively proven that male female gender relations were significantly better in the entrepreneurs group. This was not so for mother-daughter relationships, which gave new insights into the need to address gender equality issues with the women themselves and with SEWA, the supporting agency. These findings support the view that rural poverty and the status of women would receive a significant boost if policy makers focused on providing employment opportunities for women along with improved water supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the statement of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 102nd Indian Science Congress at the University of Mumbai on January 03, 2015. He identifies science and technology as the key ingredients for much-needed economic development in India. He states that science, innovation and technology should be placed at the top of national priorities for a sustainable future for India.

The article focuses on the growth of foreign trade in India and the trade imbalance with some of the main trading partners. Topics include the important role of foreign trade in the economic growth and development of the country, the changes in the country's imports, exports, and balance of trade from 1990 to 2012, and the pattern of imports and exports in India.

The article offers information regarding the economic condition in India for 2008. According to the Economic Panel in the Prime Minister's Office, the economy is expected to decrease it growth rate to 7.7% following the clocking growth rates of 9% and more. It cites the sectors that are directly connected to the slowdown such as infrastructure, capital goods, construction, and cement could experience a slow down in terms of revenue growth.

Discusses family planning in the Third World. Comparison of monies spent of military upkeep and health; Indian and Chinese birth control efforts; 'Worldwatch Paper 80.'

Conventional thinking about Third-World development rejects the idea of state-of-the-art technology for villages that lack adequate water, power, food, and literacy. But Sam Pitroda argues that modern telecommunications and electronic information systems are completely appropriate technologies even for the poorest regions of the world. Why? First, telecom is indispensable in mobilising the resources necessary to meet basic human needs. Second, information technology is the greatest democratizer the world has ever seen. The author was born to a lower caste Indian family in a village without electricity or telephones. At 22, he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. At 38, he was a U.S. citizen, a self-made millionaire in the field of digital switching, and a man with a mission. In 1980, Indian telecom was in a sorry state, with 2.5 million telephones and 12,000 public phones for a population of 700 million people. Only 3% of India's 600,000 villages had telephone service of any kind. Worse yet, switching and transmission technologies were antiquated. Convinced that India needed digital technology, universal telephone accessibility, and native Indian engineering, the author became an unpaid adviser to the prime minister and launched a program to modernize Indian telecom. By 1987, India had developed its own digital electronics industry and was manufacturing the world's first small rural digital exchange for village use. Today rural exchanges are being installed at the rate of 25 each day. By 1995, more than 100,000 villages will have telephone service. By the turn of the century, virtually every Indian will have access to telecommunications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents information on political and economic events of several countries. Information about the political situation of Europe; Description of the Dawes plan for economic development in Europe; Information on payments made by Germany for the loss of all her colonies and the abolition of her armies; Comment on the policy of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge about the Ku Klux Klan issue; Information on the arrival of the Prince of Wales in the U.S.; Information about the Cabot Fund report regarding working hours of industrial workers in the U.S.; Reasons which has prevented the League of Nations from adopting the American plan for suppressing the opium traffic through India; Description of the trial and sentence of Bolshevists leader Boris Savinkov by the Soviet Union's Supreme Military Tribunal; Views of U.S. Senator Simeon Fess on forthcoming elections in the U.S.

The author discusses protests against cases of rape in India as of 2013, and argues against the idea of two Indias, one progressive and one conservative. A gang rape on a bus in New Delhi is discussed, as well as media coverage of the rape and of India's economic growth. Sex crimes in India since 1991, class conflict, and social change are also discussed.