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The State of India's Livelihoods Report (SOIL Report) is an annual publication that aims to document recent trends and issues in the sphere of livelihoods promotion of the poor. A one-of-its-kind report, it is the only document that aggregates the experiences and challenges of the livelihoods sector, analyses case studies and reports the progress of both government and privately run programmes. This volume of the SOIL Report provides an annual policy update in the context of livelihoods promotion of poor. It reviews the existing primary research on the agricultural sector to highlight key trends, identify the main livelihood gaps, and give an overview of key livelihood interventions that seek to address these gaps. It covers the current state of skills policy in India and the evidence that we have so far, of its impact and effectiveness, the current economic scene and employment prospects and industry demand in 2013. It also explores the links to livelihood outcomes and behaviour from a social protection perspective, especially for the poor and the workers within the informal sector. As a new feature, the SOIL Report 2013 also carries a Statistical Atlas of Livelihoods, which illustrates some of the major indictors of the status of livelihood using disaggregated data at the state level. ACCESS Development Services is a national support organisation with focus on incubating innovations for sustainable livelihoods of the poor. Set up in March 2006, ACCESS is structured uniquely, to work at all levels of the value chain—implementing programmes on the ground, working with Civil Society Organizations, Government Departments, Corporate Sector and Multilateral/ Bilateral agencies to improve and enhance their programme as also undertaking national initiatives to influence and support policy initiatives and strengthen the enabling environment.

This book seeks to answer the essential question of the investment-worthiness of green instruments. It is evident that investing in green and energy-efficient firms will be the most profitable choice for wise investors in the years to come. The reconciliation of the social choice for green technology and investors'choice for gray technology will be automatically achieved once green firms become more profitable than gray ones, in the Indian context. As there has been very little research done in this area, especially in the Indian context, this book addresses that gap. In order to do so, it follows the development of five different portfolios consisting of 100% green, 75% green-25% gray, 50% green-50% gray, 25% green-75% gray and 100% gray stocks, and attempts to answer questions such as: Do green portfolios entail less relative own-risk as compared to their gray counterparts? How effectively do green portfolios avoid market risk? Are green portfolios inherently more stable? Do green portfolios have a higher probability of surviving a financial crisis? Is the performance of green portfolios backed by their fundamentals? Is there any particular technical trading strategy that can ensure a consistently above-average return from these portfolios?

India's sustained and rapid economic growth offers an opportunity to lift millions out of poverty. But this may come at a steep cost to its environment and natural resources. This insightful book analyses India's growth from an economic perspective and assesses whether India can grow in a'green'and sustainable manner. Three key issues are addressed. The first is the physical and monetary costs and losses of environmental health and natural resources driven by economic growth. The authors undertake a monetary valuation and quantification of environmental damage, using techniques that have been developed to better understand and quantify preferences and values of individuals and communities in the context of environmental quality, conservation of natural resources, and environmental health risks. The second part estimates the value of ecosystem services from the major biomes in India using state-of-the art methods with a view to preserving them for the future. The third section provides a menu of policy instruments to explore trade-offs between economic growth and environmental sustainability using a Computable General Equilibrium approach with particular attention to air pollution. The conclusions focus on the way forward in terms of policies, measures and instruments as India has to balance the twin challenges of maintaining economic prosperity while managing its environmental resources.

Today's concern and awareness about environment management is increasing majorly focuses on environmental pollution and degradation leading to various health hazards. Besides we are witnessing a surge of interest in and receptivity to books on sustainable approaches while focusing on environmental conservation. In this context this thought-provoking and highly readable book becomes so significant. The text is compact yet it covers the multidimensional aspects of environmental science such as sustainable development, climate change etc. The diversity of presented aspects within the book approaching the subject from the perspective of various concerns in environmental issues.

Based on the work of the WASHCost project run by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC), this book provides an evaluation of the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sectors in the context of developing countries and is the first systematic study of applying the life-cycle cost approach to assessing allocations. It presents unit cost estimates of the WASH sector across geographic locations and technologies, including rural and peri-urban areas, and these are compared with service levels. It analyses detailed data from more than 5000 households across nine agro-climatic zones in Andhra Pradesh State in India. Key issues assessed include poverty analysis of service levels, cost drivers and factors at the village and household level, and governance aspects such as transparency, accountability and value for money in relation to unit costs and service levels. This is the most comprehensive study of the WASH sector in India and elsewhere that utilises the life-cycle cost approach, along with GIS, econometric modelling and qualitative research methods. Not only does it contribute to research and methodology in this area, but the analysis also provides valuable insights for planners, policy makers and bi-lateral donors. The authors show how the methodology can also be applied in other developing country contexts.

Nuclear power is often characterized as a'green technology.'Technologies are rarely, if ever, socially isolated artefacts. Instead, they materially represent an embodiment of values and priorities. Nuclear power is no different. It is a product of a particular political economy and the question is whether that political economy can helpfully engage with the challenge of addressing the environmental crisis on a finite, inequitable and shared planet. For developing countries like India, who are presently making infrastructure investments which will have long legacies, it is imperative that these investments wrestle with such questions and prove themselves capable of sufficiency, greater equality and inclusiveness.This book offers a critique of civilian nuclear power as a green energy strategy for India and develops and proposes an alternative'synergy for sustainability.'It situates nuclear power as a socio-technical infrastructure embodying a particular development discourse and practice of energy and economic development. The book reveals the political economy of this arrangement and examines the latter's ability to respond to the environmental crisis.Manu V. Mathai argues that the existing overwhelmingly growth-focused, highly technology-centric approach for organizing economic activity is unsustainable and needs to be reformed. Within this imperative for change, nuclear power in India is found to be and is characterized as an'authoritarian technology.'Based on this political economy critique the book proposes an alternative, a synergy of ideas from the fields of development economics, energy planning and science, technology and society studies.

This book inclusive of 25 diferent chapters of education,rural development and many more

This short guide offers practical insights for companies or foundations who want to run their business in India in a sustainable way.In this concise, expert guide, Caroline Twigg draws on her experience of setting up the India office for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. She starts with a brief overview of India's history, culture and relationship with the environment, presents an overview of doing business in India in general, and then covers: policy and regulations that influence sustainability actions in India; how sustainability is interpreted in India and how that may impact a company's engagement; how companies already work on sustainability and what might come in the future; a valuable list of the organizations and resources that will help you deliver on your business and sustainability goals.If you work for an international company based outside of India, if you run a foundation with projects in India, if you have products or services with a sustainability focus and are hoping to expand your business in India, or if you are tasked with communicating your company's sustainability work in India, this book will help you engage with your partners respectfully, effectively and easily.

Following the reforms undertaken in the last two decades, India's economic landscape has been radically transformed. This book examines the new economic map, which is shown to be shaped by two intertwined currents: globalization and sustainability. Weaving extensively through these currents and the canvas of development in the Indian economy they open up, this work seeks to introduce new methodologies, a corpus of concepts and modes of analysis to make sense of the emerging order of things. What transpires in the course of the investigation is a critical reflection of the present in which not only the new institutions, policies and practices are analyzed, but their limitations, fragility and at times myopic approaches are brought to light. By highlighting the rough edges created by the new conditions, this book is firmly engaged with the frontier of the Indian economy and ends up challenging many well-known conjectures and assumptions. In doing so, it strives to shift the Indian economy to a new terrain, thereby fundamentally re-locating and re-orienting the discourse of that economy as a unique object of analysis.

Although people are aware of importance of sustainable environment, they behave like ecologically illiterate citizen; so, mass awareness about the status of the eco-health right from the grass root level to the top ecoplanners is the crying need of the hour. A healthy environment forms the basis for the societies and their people if prospering and enjoying a descent level of development. Growing public awareness brought a halt to some of the destructive spiral environmental problems. It is a moral and ethical issue to try to avoid costly environmental mistakes in future. Only then our long cherished dream of establishing eco-socialism on this watery planet could come true. The health of environment is very important for our sustainable development. So, its management strategies are imperative, therefore, considering these two aspects, this book has been edited to decipher certain deep facts which are undeciphered hitherto. This book is a unique compilation of different recent research articles of eminent environmental biologists and ecoplanners from different parts of our country and the book will be a milestone in the field of environmental sciences because it will be helpful in opening a new vista in the field of environmental management strategy.

Modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) have many things to offer for the socio-economic development of nation. ICTs have the potential to increase agriculture production, provide better health services in remote locations and ensure people's access to information and education. Certain traditional barriers in development can be reduced by improving access to information, expanding the market base, enhancing employment opportunities and making government services work better. This book has made an attempt to understand the importance of new ICTs in achieving the desired developmental goals. The topics have been dealt within a logical sequence and the concepts explains in lucid manner.

The vast natural resource is the basic need for human survival and conducive to making life comfortable for living being on this watery planet. But ruthless exploitation of this natural resource which cause severe imbalance in the ecosystem has become the great critical environmental issue. A society which eats up all its resources for its development has no future. The critical issue of crisis of normal survival of biota has arisen with man's unscientific exploitation of nature. Now-a-days, nature is not only destroyed but also steadily transformed into degenerated planet. Since the vast environmental resource is depleting fast, there is an urgent need to maintain healthy environment for healthier life. In the wake of environmental imbalances, short as well long term environmental management strategy should be formulated towards maintenance of ecology of planet This book entitled “Environmental Resource Management: Critical Issues” is the unique compilation of certain burning environmental issues with their management policy so that Environment and Development can not be in conflict. The present book will be useful to the students, research scholars, scientists in the field of Environmental management and ecoplanners, politicians. In short, this book is helpful for every one who is dreaming for cheerful environment as well as sustainable development.

In Indic religious traditions, a number of rituals and myths exist in which the environment is revered. Despite this nature worship in India, its natural resources are under heavy pressure with its growing economy and exploding population. This has led several scholars to raise questions about the role religious communities can play in environmentalism. Does nature worship inspire Hindus to act in an environmentally conscious way? This book explores the above questions with three communities, the Swadhyaya movement, the Bishnoi, and the Bhil communities. Presenting the texts of Bishnois, their environmental history, and their contemporary activism; investigating the Swadhyaya movement from an ecological perspective; and exploring the Bhil communities and their Sacred Groves, this book applies a non-Western hermeneutical model to interpret the religious traditions of Indic communities. With a foreword by Roger S Gottlieb.

This unique collection of stories from across India, South Asia, and the world brings to you personal accounts of struggle, survival, trust, and hope for a better tomorrow. From the pollution-choked rivers in our cities, contamination in our food, to the carbon footprint of the US elections; from the promise of smokeless chulhas to the scenario in which we run out of oil; from the slow death of our historical heritage to the plight of the magnificent big cats, this thorough, complete, and meaningful anthology takes a broad sweep over the past few years to highlight and present the best and the biggest stories.

The global demand for energy is met mainly by fossil fuels. Their excessive and indiscriminate use, coupled with increasing demand for energy, will soon deplete their existing reserves. Therefore, it is extremely important to find alternative, environment-friendly, and ecologically sound sources of energy for meeting the present and future energy requirements. Biogas Technology: Towards Sustainable Development makes an attempt to explore the potential of utilizing biodegradable biomass as fuel and manure.

'The State of India';s Livelihoods (SOIL) Report is an annual publication that aims to document recent trends and issues in the sphere of livelihoods promotion of the poor. A one-of-its-kind report, it is the only document that aggregates the experiences and challenges of the livelihoods sector, analyzes case studies and reports the progress of both government and privately run programmes with respect to the 4Ps - People, Policy, Promoters and Potential. This volume of the SOIL report focuses on livelihoods in agriculture. In particular, some of the themes covered in this report include effects of government policies on livelihoods in agriculture, government schemes for agri-based livelihoods (with a focus on MGNREGA), new-generation initiatives in agri-based livelihoods by NGOs and the private sector, the current scenario with respect to agri-finance and agri-marketing and the impact of climate change on agriculture.'

What do people make of their own development? In Educating Activists, Rebecca M. Klenk illuminates a reality that is far more complex than either development planners or critics commonly assume. This gracefully written, accessible ethnography shows how rural women accept, refuse, reinterpret, and negotiate development's terms in a quest to improve their own communities. Klenk offers an account of Lakshmi Ashram, a remarkable Gandhian educational initiative for women and girls in Himalayan India. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, Educating Activists blends memories and stories with historical research and richly detailed ethnographic analysis to craft a compelling portrait of how women across two generations have engaged with issues of sustainability, poverty, gender equity, autonomy, and progress.

This book highlights methodological approaches for the economics of sustainable development and brings together recent empirical work done in India, especially by Dr. Surender Kumar and Dr. Shunsuke Managi. Various chapters in this book use Indian data to show the very wide applicability of methodologies in the theory of production for dealing with many empirical issues of environmentally sustainable development in a developing country. I congratulate the authors for the time and effort devoted to compiling this very useful reference on the subject and the publishers for publishing this volume. The methodologies of cost functions, distance functions, and production fu- tions have been used in many recent studies and in the studies reported in this book for environmental valuation. Environmental valuation is required for designing policy instruments like pollution taxes for sustainable development and for meas- ing green GDP. The UN methodology of integrated environmental and economic accounting provides ways of measuring the cost of maintaining environmental resources at sustainable levels or the maintenance cost for estimating green GDP. Some of the chapters in this book show that the methodology of distance functions could be used for estimating the cost of environmentally sustainable development.

Since the dawn of civilization, man has started to understand the natural phenomena, the patterns of nature and its functioning and from an initial position of passive participant, man has emerged as an agent for controlling and changing the environment by his activities. With the growth of population and increased developmental activities, man himself began to influence the environment in a big way. Sine the beginning of agriculture based civilization; man has started influencing the environment and has brought many changes in the natural settings. But the assault on the environment has become very intense after the industrial revolution on Europe and spread of imperialism. Now after emergence of many nations from imperialism, they have stared utilizing natural resources very often in unplanned manner and in the process they have put lot of pressure and bought unprecedented changes in the environment. Man has affected the energy balance of the earth, depleted resources, and brought extinction of many organisms. Along with his activities of industrialization and modern way of living, he has directly or indirectly caused global warming, acid rain, eutrophication, depletion of ozone in the upper atmosphere etc. The abatement of pollution has become immediate requirement for his survival. This book is a unique compilation of most recent research articles of eminent environmental scientists which will be helpful for students, research scholars, professors as well as policy makers in achieving the long cherished dream of sustainable development.

Carbon Sequestration in nature is of critical value for resolving vital issues of our times, namely the state of ecological paucity natural resource management global warming, climate change and sustainable development. It is free carbon in nature, particularly in the from of CO2 that is responsible for most of the ills of our environment and that makes future of life on earth bleak and unsustainable. Earth's gradually but steadily becoming warmer is one of the grimmest and the gravest issues humanity on earth has ever faced in the recorded history. We have a variety of ecosystems to remove free carbon from the environment and fix it into plant biomass and soil. The earth's ecosystems, however, present a somber picture and sequestration of increasing carbon sequestration issues together as both are interrelated and are responsible for the rapidly going on processes leading to global warming and climate change. We can meet climate change challenges and usher in a sustainable future blossoming with humanity by enhancing carbon sequestration in nature, which eventually would be done by maintaining the health of our ecosystems in the first place, and by controlling carbon emissions through a number of technological, institutional, and political measures. Divided in to eight sections, the book comprises 39 chapters contributed by many eminent scientists concerned with the state of the earth. The First section attempts to present an agenda for the ecologically shattered and economically globalised world which might help us understand the gravity of the word's common future and guide us to take up effective measures to mitigate the problems and revive our tormented earth. The subsequent section present and discuss scenarios, anthropogenic dimensions and management of ecosystem diversity; climate change, critical environmental problems, alarming trends, species extinction and all that; a search for viable options; Himalayan mountains; carbon sequestration as a life-building, life-enhancing and life-conserving phenomenon; potential technological and institutional mechanisms, carbon trading, policies; eco-ethics, eco-philosophy and psychology as vital elements pivoting conservation-oriented transcendental development. The book would prove to be of extraordinary value towards resolving the most crucial issues of our times.

This collection addresses critical issues of development-induced displacement and resettlement by offering empirical evidence from various countries, mainly in Asia and Africa. By presenting a comparative approach, it helps the reader understand and theorise about the nature and characteristics of forced displacement in several countries across the globe. It also studies the interaction among an array of actors; in particular, policy-makers, development agencies, project-affected persons, researchers and NGOs in resistance movements. Most significantly, the study offers measures to reverse and reconstruct impoverishment caused by displacement in a holistic way through benefit-sharing mechanisms which can lead to sustainable resettlement and rehabilitation. Beyond Relocation: the Imperative of Sustainable Resettlement emphasizes the need for reforming laws and policies dealing with displacement and resettlement in the Indian as well as the global context. It analyses thee issues of risks, impoverishment, entitlements and survival strategies of those displaced. This volume will be of immense value to project planners, funders and implementing agencies in view of the fact that development planners are faced with a daunting task in the process of constructing/improving the existing network of roads, railways and airport facilities which run through existent human settlements and require the acquisition of large tracts of land, leading to involuntary displacement. The essays will also be helpful for researchers engaged in the field of development and displacement studies.

During last three decades Sh. M.S. Virdi author of the book conducted nearly 200 training and demo programmes in rural and tribal areas and has already introduced several technologies in Central India. It may be mentioned that R&D Institutions of the country have developed a large number of Rural Technologies. In this book effort has been made to select some sustainable technologies developed by various laboratories and Institutes of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, well known NGOs and others as its is difficult to incorporate all the technologies. It covers wide spectrum of technologies and processes for implementation in rural and tribal areas, such as: building materials and components for low cost durable housing, agricultural implements for higher productivity and efficiency; food and agro based industries for value addition of agri produce, medicinal and aromatic plants to fulfil needs of pharmaceutical industries, utilisation of Minor forest produce to offer 100-150 days employment in rural and tribal areas, rural energy for eradication of drudgery, purification of drinking water to save rural population from water borne diseases, Rain water harvesting to conserve water, Tissue culture, low cost nursery, employment generating technologies, etc. Apart from brief details, techno-economics and sources of technologies have also been given. The book will be of immense use to Panchayat and Rural Development Departments, District Industries Centres, NGOs, Management and Entrepreneurship development Institutes, CARAPT and others engaged in employment generation activities.

Description based on print version record.

In Indian context.

India's recent growth rate has been impressive, with real GDP rising by over 8 percent a year since 2004. The country is also becoming a top global innovator for high-tech products and services. Still, India is underperforming relative to its innovation potential. Even a dynamic young population--more than half of whom are under 25 years of age--is constrained when skillstraining and higher education are insufficient. To sustain competitiveness, economic growth, and rising living standards over the long term, India needs to aggressively harness its innovation potential.

Looking back to change track provides an answer to the questions that have marked the country?s efforts to manage air pollution, water stress, waste disposal, forest wealth, and it?s rich storehouses of biodiversity. In 1997, when India celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Independence, TERI?s assessment of trends in the state of the environment in these 50 years sounded an alarm over the rapid deterioration of the nation?s natural resources. 1997 was also a year when the fruits of economic liberalization were beginning to be realized, but what seemed to have slipped past policy-makers and the public alike was the pressure increased economic growth was exerting on India?s natural resources. TERI estimated that the economic costs of environmental degradation in India already exceeded 10% of the country?s gross domestic product. Released as GREEN India 2047, TERI?s findings made it amply clear that neglecting the state of India?s environment in the quest for development was an unsustainable proposition. The title explains that while in some cases, irreparable loss to the environment has occurred, in others, there still remains time to halt, reverse, and minimize the damage. As we step further into the 21st century, new approaches and strategies are required to tackle the onslaught faced by our vulnerable environment. This publication articulates some of these, which include progressive policy-making, sustained public?private partnerships, increased support for research and development of sustainable technologies, and last but definitely not the least, greater mobilization by civil society to protect India?s natural resources. The message inherent in this book is that the stakeholders of India?s natural resources include no one else but us Indians, and we need to partner each other to bring about a change in the way our environment is managed. For inspiration, we need to go no further than the Father of the Nation himself, whose advice?Be the change you want to see in the world? is as relevant to our relationship with our environment as in any other context.

`What a pleasure to find, at long last, a book on rural livelihoods which does not package sustainability through the straightjacket of assessment, numbers and capital′ - Development and Change Livelihood systems are much more than sets of material and economic conditions. They have to cater to a large number of human needs including food and shelter. The contributors to this important volume adopt a holistic approach to understanding rural livelihood systems. They maintain that a livelihood system embraces not just economic conditions for physical subsistence, but all the elements that provide material continuity and cultural meaning to the life of a family in a community. This book tries to understand `rural livelihood systems′ from different angles and throws light on the question of what people need in order to feel secure within their systems.

That the environment has been steadily deteriorating -- be it the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil that supports us in myriad ways, or the diversity of plant and animal life that surrounds us -- is common knowledge. Looking back to think ahead -- the first report of TERI?s ambitious?GREEN India 2047? project -- seeks to set forth the extent of degradation of India?s natural resources -- water, soils, forests, and biodiversity -- during the first 50 years of its independence and assesses the damage in economic terms. It also takes air pollution, water pollution, and solid wastes into the scheme of the study. A chapter on?development and lifestyles? shows how economic progress has led to lifestyles that are increasingly consumption-oriented, with its inevitable impacts on the environment. The report quantifies degradation by assigning monetary values to its impacts, which makes it possible to weigh the losses against the possible gains from avoiding or abating the losses. It concludes by pointing towards the path to sustainable development, namely DISHA (?direction?, in Sanskrit): Directions, Interventions, and Strategies for Harnessing Action. The 350-page report -- supported by charts, maps, and diagrams, with a complete overview -- is a must-read for policy-makers, corporate executives, politicians, planners, media persons, the scientific community, and the concerned citizenry. [Also available is a 52-page summary of this landmark report.]

The authors examine the numerous structural and policy changes Indian authorities have adopted since the 1991 balance of payments crisis; how these changes helped India weather the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98; the risks to fiscal sustainability and their implications for growth; the challenges facing monetary policy in the face of financial market liberalization; and the benefits of structural reform and fiscal policy for growth, poverty, and the reduction of regional disparities.