Mera India, Bridge the Gap

2011-03-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

An event to attend. Bring your i-card along!
Is Climate Change an Exaggerated Concern?
Location: Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi
March 24, 2011 From 11.30 am to 1 pm
Prakriti- The Environment Society, is pleased to invite you to join us for a panel discussion on ‘Climate Change is an Exaggerated Concern’ organised by Green Karbon, a Deutsche Bank- Sanctuary Asia Climate Change- Biodiversity initiative.

The Speakers
· Muhammad A. Khan, Advisor of Law and Policy to Ministry of Environment and Forests
· Professor Vinod Chandra Menon, Former Member National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India
· Samir Menon, Head of Eco-Sustainable Services, Tata Consultancy Services.
Speakers from LSR
· Dr. Kalyani, Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Lady Shri Ram College
· Preeti Venkatram, President, Prakriti- The Environment Society of Lady Shri Ram College
Please register at the link given below:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHRXcXRraVNDMWtrWGsxS0tJMWwyLXc6MQ

An environment week at Lady Shri Ram College - Participate!

2011-03-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

Go green! It is the colour of our times. If you are a college student in Delhi, there are a number of events you can participate in at Lady Shri Ram College's Environment Week, popularly called the Prakriti Week. There is an Environment Quiz, an Ad-Mad competition, a Folder-making competition, an exciting panel discussion, an LSR Model Conference of the Parties (LSR MCOP), and a photo story competition.
It is your chance to display your talents and knowledge and win certificates and exciting cash prizes! So go ahead and enrol. Details of how to participate are given below -

The Environment Society of Lady Shri Ram College
Presents
‘Prakriti Week’
21st-26th March 2011
Rules and Registration Details (Also viewable on http://prakriti-lsr.blogspot.com/)

21st March: Tree Plantation (intra-college)

22nd March:

Environmental Quiz- 12:30 pm (inter-college)

1. Each participating team must consist of 2 members.

2. Cross college teams are allowed.

3. The first round will be a written round with Multiple Choice Questions. The top eight teams will qualify to the next round and will be contesting in the quiz.

4. The quiz essentially will be questioning you on environmental issues, environmentalists, global networks supporting the cause of the environment, etc.

5. Prizes worth Rs.3,000 to be won.
Each team is required to register on or before 15th March 2011 by sending a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with the Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number of both participants.

22nd March:

Eco Friendly Folder Making Competition- 12:30 pm (inter-college)
1. Participation maybe either in the form of a team of 2 or an individual.
2. A set of two folders has to be made on any one of the themes given below. Each folder should have a different design or pattern.
Cartoon
Traditional
Natural
3. Each folder should be of A4 size.

4. Only handmade paper can be used.

5. Drawing/ painting/ decoration has to be done on the spot.

6. You will be required to bring any material you require- handmade paper folders, scissors, paints, etc.
7. The decision of the judges will be final and binding.
8. Prizes worth Rs. 1,800 to be won.
Each team is required to register on or before 15th March 2011 by sending a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with the Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number of the participant(s).

23rd March:
Green Ad Mad Competition- 3 pm (inter-college)
1. A team of 2 or maximum 3 members can participate.

2. The competition will consist of 2 rounds.
3. Preparation time before each round will be given.

4. Different forms of expression can be used- skit, jingles, slogans, or any other innovative form. 5. Time duration to present each act is 3 minutes.

6. The decision of the judges will be final and binding.
7. Prizes worth Rs. 3,000 to be won.
Each team is required to register on or before 15thMarch 2011 by sending a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with the Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number of the participant(s).

24th March:
Panel Discussion- 11:30 am (inter-college)
‘Climate Change is an Exaggerated Concern’
Please confirm your presence by sending an e-mail on or before 15th March 2011 to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with your Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number.

25th March: Film Screening (intra-college)

26th March:
The First Lady Shri Ram Model Conference of the Parties (LSR MCOP)- 9 am (inter-college)
• Applications are open for the following positions:

1. Government Delegates for the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) Agenda: ‘Sustainable Development through Adaptation to and Mitigation of Climate Change’

2. Media Delegates (choose one of the three positions): a) Chief Editor (1) b) Reporter (3)

c) Photographer (1)

3. NGO Delegates (4)

For whichever delegate position you are applying, please write 250 words on why you want to be a part of LSR MCOP, and what makes you a suitable candidate for the position you are applying for (if you are applying to be a Media Delegate please include relevant samples of your work). Additionally, please mention previous debating and/or MUN experience.

Please note we will welcome those with no prior experience as well.

Send in the above (on or before 10th March 2011) to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com along with the following details: Name, College, Course, Year, Email Address, Phone Number, and Top Three Country Preferences* (in case you are applying to be a Government Delegate)

*Countries: China, Maldives, Australia, Russia, United Kingdom, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, United States of America, Brazil, South Africa, Haiti, India, Afghanistan, Japan, Chile, United Arab Emirates, Congo, France, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia, Iran, and Norway.

• Applications are also open for the Executive Board of the (AWG-LCA). It is mandatory for applicants to have had prior Executive Board experience. Knowledge about UNFCCC and Conference of the Parties is also a must.

Positions are: a) Chair b) Vice- Chair.

For whichever Executive Board position you are applying, please write 250 words on why you want to be a part of LSR MCOP, and what makes you a suitable candidate for the position you are applying for. Please also mention previous debating and/or MUN experience.

Send in the above (on or before 10th March 2011) to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com along with the following details: Name, College, Course, Year, Email Address, Phone Number
Please note that there is no registration fee for LSR MCOP.

Photo Story Competition: Theme- Environment and Growth: Contradictory or Complementary? (inter-college) 1. Only one photo story submission per participant is allowed.

2. Each photo story must have 3 photos in it.

3. Photographs must not be digitally altered in any way (only cropping is allowed).

4. Size of each photograph should be 6" x 8".

5. Each photograph in the story should have a caption and the name, college, course, and contact details of the participant clearly mentioned behind each.

6. Please send all your entries together, enclosed in an envelope to Faculty Apartments # 21, Lady Shri Ram College, Lajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi- 110024, India

7. Entries must reach LSR by 18th March, 12 pm.
8. The decision of the judges will be final and binding.

9. Prizes worth Rs.3,000 to be won.
All entries will be on display through the week.

For any queries please send a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com or contact the numbers below.
Preeti Venkatram (President): 9818086231
Simren Singh (Secretary): 9717802408

An initiative for rural development - Check it out

2010-11-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

Been away for some months. Now am back. And propose to post actively. Please re-connect, write in, comment or send us links. Yes, all of you who are interested in seeing India a better place.

SBI Youth for India, an initiative to promote rural-development in India by encouraging educated youth to volunteer on development projects in rural India, has requested us to spread the word about the initiative it has launched. We quote --

" The Programme is in the nature of a one-year Fellowship which has been initiated, managed and funded by the State Bank of India, in partnership with reputed NGOs. You could visit http://www.youthforindia.org/ for more on the Fellowship. Our immediate objective is to solicit applications from highly motivated educated youth. We've just started our social media campaign to spread the word as far as possible. We would like to seek help from a group/page like yours which has achieved an excellent number of supporters. A mention on your group/page will help us immensely."
So guys, check it out. You might just find it to be what you are looking out for.

Join the discussion on how India can reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and empower women

2010-02-01T02:30:00.000-08:00

Mera India Bridge the Gap is proud to have two of the literary finalists, Pani and Nupur, lead a discussion within the UN Millennium Campaigns iMDG online community of youth activists at www.asiapacific.endpoverty2015.org/imdg.
Currently the discussion is just beginning but already ideas on the target problem areas as they relate to Gender Empowerment, Reducing Child Mortality, and Improving Maternal Health are being shared in addition to possible practical projects to address those areas.
Please join the community and the discussion, and share your thoughts on how India can strengthen the effort in reaching the MDG targets by 2015. Look under 'India' to find the discussion but also check out what else is happening and start your own discussions on MDG topics that interest you.

The youth of Lajpat Nagar show the way

2010-01-31T02:45:00.000-08:00

The Youth Welfare Association of Lajpat Nagar has sent us the following message -

"Life is not only about

Wearing latest fashionable clothes,

Listening to hip hop music,

Flaunting costly Ipod's,

Checking orkut scraps,

Fooling around in multiplexes

or bunking classes.....

A true life is lead when you revolt and resolve to change things you don't like.......... It can be anything bad roads, maintenance of parks, cleanliness, corruption, terrorism.........
Lets come together and join the biggest youth movement to build our area of our DREAMS.........
We request people of all age groups who can endorse our cause to join our association the
YOUTH WELFARE ASSOCIATION, which is a student based non political organisation. Its aim is to serve mankind and bring the youth together. "

YWA over the past two years has taken the lead in organising many initiatives in Lajpat Nagar -a tree plantation drive, a cleanliness drive, free health check up camps, a cultural event on Independence day, the Diwali festival, a house tax collection camp, a cloth donation camp and a Woollen cap distribution among the needy during winter.

Over the next two weeks, YWA is seeking to expand its membership to South Delhi by enrolling those who can give one hour per week for social causes. It has a powerful slogan - THIS YEAR MY COUNTRY IS MY VALENTINE.

The YWA started with four friends deciding to form a non political group and now YWA has over 150 members. Those interested in joining YWA can contact the organisers at 9810377022, 9310064446...

RAGHAV PAL- President
ABHISHEK BHATIA- Treasurer
VARUN KAPOOR- Chief Coordinator
ROHAN PAHWA- Coordinator
and ALL YWA MEMBERS

Mera India, Bridge the Gap wishes the initiative all success. But has one question for them- Why are there no girls in the association?

Glimpses from our Workshop --Transforming Ideas into Action

2009-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

The workshhop - Transforming Ideas into Action: The Building of a Healthy and a Prosperous India - was held at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi on December 12, 2009, as the second phase of the nation-wide campaign Mera India, Bridge the Gap.

The first part of the campaign had focussed on getting young Indians to come up with ideas on how to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to get them to rate which constituents could play more of a role making the goals possible in the Indian context. ‘The Youth’ by far was voted as the most important constituent in achieving the MDGs. Consequently the youth-centric workshop sought to involve the youth in the nation-building process through demonstration of practical solutions.
Students active in National Social Service NSS, Social Service Leagues and socially active youth from St. Stephen’s College, Kamla Nehru College, Jesus and Mary College, Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, Kirori Mal College, Dayal Singh College, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Jamia Millia Islamia attended the workshop. Journalism students from the Times Centre for Media Studies and the Indian Institute of Mass Communications also participated.

In the opening address, Pamela Philipose, Director, Women's Feature Service, gave an overview of India’s performance on MDGs and emphasized the existing gaps. This was followed by an introduction on the campaign and workshop by Shree Venkatram, Director, Unnati Features. The contest and the campaign was hosted by the two media organisations.

In the first session, Engaging with your local elected representative, Dr M R Madhavan and Tonusree Basu from PRS Legislative Research, discussed how citizens can engage in the formulation of laws and the specific stages when they can play a role. The duties of a Councillor, an MLA and an MP were also discussed.

Following this, two young men, Raghav Pal and Varun Kapoor shared how they had formed a Youth Welfare Association in Lajpat Nagar and their experience of engaging local youth and elected representatives in improving the living conditions in the area.

In the second session, Manish Sisodia from KABIR presented some encouraging case studies citing the Right to Information Act as a powerful tool in the hands of citizens for keeping the government machinery in check. He gave instances of how common people had used the tool to get ration cards, have an areas cleaned up of garbage, and for disbursing school uniforms in a rural area. Participants were keen to know how and where RTI applications can be filed and there was discussion on how the system could be further improved.
Pooja Parvathi from the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability gave a presentation on how citizens can track public expenditure with examples from the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the Mid-day Meal Scheme.

In the concluding session, giving their feedback, the participants said the workshop would propel them into action.

Join us at a very special workshop

2009-11-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

Mera India, Bridge the Gap
invites you to a workshop in Delhi
Transforming ideas into action

The building of a prosperous and a healthy India

On December 12, 2009 (Saturday) 9.30 am onwards to conclude with lunch.

The workshop will inform how youth can work towards an India that is free of poverty and hunger, is healthy and informed and where women and men enjoy an equal status.

There is no entry or participation fee and certificates will be awarded to the participants.

However, to participate you have to be between 18 to 35 years.

The workshop follows the Mera India Bridge the Gap contest where participants had advocated that the youth should play a more active role in nation building and in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

If you are interested, contact us at indiabridgethegap@gmail.com asap telling us about yourself -what you do, how old you are and how the workshop would benefit to you (all this in less than 300 words). As there are a limited number of seats, reservation for the workshop will be on a first come basis.

We look forward to working together.

Bridge the Gap Team

A Small Tribute to the Innocent Victims of 26/11

2009-11-26T01:34:00.000-08:00

On the Day of National Grief
we put our hands on our hearts to make a pledge
that nothing will ever break our spirit
and that India will always rise as One Nation against all evils!

ADD TO THIS OATH........

Extracts from the award winning entries

2009-11-23T04:13:00.001-08:00

First Prize

Katuri Kodanda Pani

Poverty and hunger go hand in hand. Poverty is a consequence of landless labour and dry land agriculture in most states. By improving the income of poor people through livelihood means, improving their skills to become self reliant and employable, increasing productivity and crop yields, we can eliminate poverty, hunger and improve food security.

If we have universal PDS with wide basket (including micronutrients) to provide nutritional food access to all; decentralise procurement so that state governments buy directly from local farmers what is available and suitable in local conditions, this would help farmers improve their income levels. A widened PDS basket with coarser cereals and pulses would help dry land agricultural farmers…

Have a national council for skill development integrating all institutional training centres; merge the training centres at district level into one training institute; form training groups for agricultural methods, bio-agri inputs, value added products, food packaging, food processing, allied activities (like fishery, poultry, dairy); entrepreneurship in small scale industries, and services (like health, BPO, Grama Seva centres) and get NGOs with expertise, public and private institutions as members of the district training institute. Organise periodic training at the district training institute and regular visits by the training groups to rural and urban areas for getting people to improve their skills.

Establish planning councils at village level with panchyats and NGOs as members, and put the Block Development Office in command to prepare plans for NREGA programme (in creating of assets). This would help people participate in developmental projects. Allocate 5% of the funds for social audit, peoples grievance mechanism and awareness programme about people’s rights under NREGA with NGO partnership; get NREGA workers to provide labour in agriculture and small scale industries; develop the skills of NREGA workers during non-working days by connecting them to the training programmes -- this would not only eradicate poverty, but also develop human resource.

Establish an MDG-Council at the national level with branches at the state level with retired civil servants and judges, NGOs (involved in health, education, child care and women development) and persons from the media as members. Also create MDG-Youth at the national level with branches at the district level with students, rural and urban youth as members. MDG-Youth would reach people, particularly rural poor and in urban slum dwellers, and share with them information and knowledge and assist them in utilising the government and NGO programmes and services. Also, MDG-Youth would do social audit for all the government programmes and schemes related to MDGs. The MDG-Council will train the MDG-Youth in taking information and knowledge to people and for social auditing. MDG-Councils would promote people’s participation, publish discussions, social audit reports and public interest litigations...

Expand school infrastructure by adding more schools along with existing schools under Government-public partnership (design and development by government and management by the village community) to provide quality and accountable education. Expand the number of bridge schools and rehabilitation centres for child labourers and street children through Government-NGO participation. MOU between NGOs and Government with time bound targets to bring girls, street children and child labourers into schools. Educational mobile vans with NGOs and contract teachers provide education during weekends in rural areas where there is no access to education till full infrastructure is developed.

The curriculum should focus on issues of humanity and gender equality. Vocational training in summer holidays to provide the employable education.

Set up mobile women and children courts (with staff from the family courts ) to reach justice to women and children at the door step. Social audit of all the women and children related schemes should be done by MDG-Youth and it should report directly to the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights respectively to make the executive accountable and strengthen the justice delivery mechanism for women and children. Have public discussions on gender equality and women’s empowerment through regular columns on women’s issues by national and regional papers which give probable solutions, status about steps taken by the bureaucrats, the Parliament and judiciary. Also regular coverage of government schemes, how to access them and grievances related to that scheme by newspapers would help.

...Expand the number of primary health care centres and extend their services and facilities to all type of common diseases (including HIV/AIDS and malaria) in rural areas and urban slums along with family planning centric facilities. House surgeons should be effectively utilised by mandatory duties in primary health centres for a minimum of six months. As an immediate step, provide the mobile health vans with ASHA workers, a doctor, general medicines and equipment to reach each village and slum area for a health check up and medication for pregnant women, children and disease affected people. These vans can bring the pregnant women to hospital for institutional delivery. Such vans are urgently needed particularly in Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Running of mobile health vans by Government and NGOs with corporate partnership as is being done by the Andhra Pradesh Government and Satyam.

...Provide sanitation facilities to all by building low-cost toilets and community toilets through MOU between NGOs like Sulabh and the government with time-bound targets to achieve total sanitation and include sanitation projects in NREGA works. Provide safe drinking water to all villages through rain water harvesting along with watershed development and underground flood water storage under NREGA works and maintain these under public-private partnership like the one that currently exists in Tamil Nadu. Mobile safe drinking water tanks to be provided by the government and NGOs in states like Rajasthan where people walk 5 Kms to access the drinking water. Provide bottled water in areas affected by fluoride-contaminated water.

Promote an institute at the global level like the Global Economic and Development Council(GEDC) as suggested by Joseph Stiglitz for studying and assisting policy formulation in developing and poor countries. Call for financial assistance with subsidised interest rates for developing and poor countries for developmental projects through a separate window in World Bank with annual targets for each developmental sector…

-----------------------------

Second Prize

Nupur Tiwari

Sixty four million hectares of fertile land, 41% population below the 34 years, 6.75-7.25 projected GDP growth rate but are we heading towards sustainable development? Picture this while our corporate czars are making to Forbes list of the richest: Nand Lal, a daily wager has mere Rs 25 in his pocket and a family of five to support; the nation is looking towards Maha Lakshmi puja of Diwali and another Sarita is forced to commit suicide after being raped by the guardians of society, and while I am penning down my essay hoping to abridge India, 40% of my counterparts in Bharat would fail to even read it...

Achieving the eight Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 was a herculean task in itself and add to it recession woes. India has shown progress in income goals only, that too with huge disparity between its urban and rural areas. 42% population lying below the international poverty line (1.25$ per day) bear a testimony to failure of more than 200 welfare schemes launched in last four decades.

We have no reliable source of data on actual number of poor in our country. According to a CSO survey on the number of BPL families, developed states like Andhra Pradesh were found to have nearly 90% families below poverty line!

Policies evolved on basis of such unrealistic data produce absurd results. The Rs 100 crore loan package of Kerala government for rehabilitation of expatriates rendered jobless due to recession had just fiur beneficiaries! The reason- The anticipated 5 lakh people were mostly construction labourers with no inclination and education to start a business.

In NREGA, UPA’s flagship programme 40% fund was found to have been siphoned off by corrupt officials in Tikamgarh(MP) & Lalitpur(UP).

So the main causes of failure of government policies are:
· Lack of adequate research
· Inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy

Taking care of these causes would require the following steps:

Towards Zero Poverty(Goal-1)
1) 60% population is engaged in agriculture which contributes only 17% to GDP. Raising 1% of agricultural productivity can reduce 0.37% poverty.
2) Reliance of a huge proportion of population on a sector with zero employment elasticity is an unsound economic practice. Diversify the skills of people in rural areas so that they can take up non-farming professions.
3) Welfare schemes should focus on building infrastructure like roads and rural electrification rather than providing subsidies and compensations.
4) Cut down excess workforce in government ventures like Air India and compensate jobs lost by exploring virgin areas like green technology. This may appear to some as loss of loyal vote bank but in the long run will improve quality of life for all.

Enlightening India(Goal-2)
1) India may have succeeded in taking its primary school attendance to 87% but fails to provide quality education. Check high student to teacher ratio and high dropout rate as enrolment in higher education is a meagre 12%.
2) There should be a uniform medium of instruction. Those educated in regional languages fail to pursue medicine and engineering as these are taught in English.
3) Education is meaningful only with socio-economic progress so NCC and NSS should be given more weightage.
4) Set up schools in remote areas. In states like Uttarakhand children have to walk upto 3 Kms for primary schooling and upto 10 Kms for secondary education.

With a Healing Touch (Goal-4 & 6)
1) India has little more than 0.7 hospitals per 1000 people. Set up more hospitals, dispensaries and medical colleges by allocating more funds to healthcare sector.
2) Provide clean drinking water to all. Ban tobacco & cigarettes.
3) Fight AIDS by providing sex education in schools. Mobilize NGOs and celebrities to promote the use of contraceptives.
4) Mobilize student groups under NSS to clean social places with co-operation from the community. This will serve the dual purpose of keeping diseases like malaria and typhoid under check and instilling virtues of cleanliness in youth.

For Consent of Mother Nature (Goal-7 & 8)
1) Give tax concessions to builders and industries using green technology.
2) Classify cars as “small” on the basis of engine size rather than “length” to give tax incentives to fuel efficient models.
3) Arrest falling groundwater levels and soil erosion by rain water harvesting, watershed management, building check dams and ponds. Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) has increased its ground water level by nearly a metre by building 500 check dams with community involvement.
Ensuring Better lives for our “Better Halves” (Goal-3 & 5)
1) Women empowerment is the most effective way to “combat poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulate development which is truly sustainable. Doctors should take a firm stand against pre-natal sex determination which has resulted in 80 million “missing girls” till date. NGOs, civil societies, schools and doctors can help in fostering respect for women.
2) Every 93 minutes a woman is burnt for dowry, every hour a woman is raped yet atrocities against them go unreported due to social pressure. Education can empower her to stand up for her rights.
3) To ensure their better representation 33% seats in legislative assemblies should be reserved for women.
4) According to a survey only 39% deliveries take place in institutions and 47% under supervision of skilled attendants which calls for expansion of healthcare services.
5) To provide emergency obstetric care and referral facility better roads and interdisciplinary collaboration between doctors, nurses and midwives is needed.
6) Reduce adolescent pregnancies by organizing counselling sessions by doctors.
The above mentioned measures will produce desired results only when common man, local governing bodies, civil societies, NGOs, bureaucracy and the government act in unison. Focus should shift from fund allocation to producing desired results by improving accountability. So let us unite and pledge to make India a “Gandhi’s India” by 2015.
------------------------

Third Prize
Bharat Bhatti

In India the main gaps and challenges in achieving MDGs lie in:
- Low level of youth participation in the nation building process
The youth population of a country is economically most productive and spatially most mobile. But unfortunately, the youth in India are disillusioned in the mad race of survival. There is widespread illiteracy and high rate of unemployment among the youth. Surveys show that only 8% of the total youth population is able to get into higher education. In such a situation we cannot expect the youth force to take the plunge and work for alleviating national problems.

- Low level of commitment of the elected members
The politicians in India have always been more interested in their own vested interests rather than the nation’s interests. A large number of them have criminal records. Anything substantial cannot be expected from them sans adequate pressure.

- Corruption and inefficiency in the bureaucracy
The bureaucracy in India has not yet shed its colonial framework of functioning. The Mai-Baap culture of working has bred apathy and corruption. There is a strong nexus between the politicians and the civil servants which has led to inefficiency making true what Rajiv Gandhi once said that only about 15% of the money spent by the government reaches the actual beneficiary.

-Infant Civil Society
The Civil Society in India is yet to realise its full potential. The latent calibre of this sector can be efficiently utilised for the attainment of MDGs. Apart from some dozen perseverant NGOs in different sectors a lot of advancement is pertinent in the country.

-Paucity of Funds
There is relatively low level of capital formation in India and the government in constraint of increasing defence spending has never been able to spend adequate amounts of fund for the social sector.

The most important thing that needs to be done, if Millennium Development Goals have to be attained in due time, is:

Galvanise the youth and provide them opportunities so that they can have a say in the nation building process. More than 60 years of democratic rule has made it clear that the government alone is incompetent of delivering to the social sector development targets. Now there is a tilt towards the private sector in the name of Corporate Social Responsibility. But the retrospection of the private sector seriously doubts their capability as well as willingness to be a medium to serve these goals. In such conditions, the youth should be entrusted this noble task of nation building.
Before delving into the heart of the topic, I must cite an example where the participation of the youth has been able to bring a difference in the life of the poor rural folk. The famous development economist- Jean Drèze, who is a member of the Central Employment Guarantee Council, calls upon university students to come and work with him for the better implementation of NREGA. These students in teams of four carry out sample surveys, social audits, awareness generation and even mass Jan Sunvais in the backward districts of the country. In one such programme in June 2009, the teams stationed at Sarguja (Chhattisgarh) and Khunti and Palamu (Jharkhand) opened up Sahayta Kendras in their respective Janpad Panchayats (Block Offices) to provide a grievance redressal mechanism to the poor illiterate NREGA workers. This innovative scheme was quite a success as the students were able to clear delayed payments worth thousands of rupees by mounting pressure on the block administration. Also, in Khunti, as a result of the persistent efforts of the
students, 5.3 lakh rupees worth compensation for delayed payments was paid to
265 NREGA workers. The teams unearthed a number of corruption cases like the one in Kharsura village (Sarguja) where 3.5 lakh rupees were siphoned off in the
name of a ‘Naveen Talaab’ which in fact, was never dug. The teams submitted
their reports to the District Collectors as well as the Secretary, Rural
Development for further action.

Apart from such action-oriented works, there are many other instances which illustrate how the potential of the youth could be effectively harnessed to reap desired benefits. The voluntary works and shram-daan at Mazdoor Kisaan Shakti Sangathan [MKSS], Rajasthan is also a good example.

The responsibility that the youth of this country can take on their shoulders can be summarised subject wise as:

1. Poverty and Hunger
To eradicate poverty and hunger, we need to first eradicate unemployment. We have to strengthen the Rural Employment Act by infusing youth participation through methods cited above. Simultaneously we have to press for an Urban Employment Act as well. NGOs can play a considerable role by giving the youth opportunities to labour in the backward rural areas, affecting these schemes to work properly. They can create a platform for the youth to arrange social audits; unannounced visits to PDS shops and anganwadis (under ICDS) and then file complaints against the culprits after taking stock of the situation.

To eradicate extreme hunger there is an urgent need for a Right to Food Bill. The present government is trying to propose one such bill under the name ‘National Food Security Mission’ (NFSM), but in reality this is going to make people more vulnerable to hunger as it reduces the amount of food (from 35 Kg rice to 25 Kg) and increases the price (from Rs 2 to Rs 3) for BPL card holders. The civil society with the assistance of the youth must resist any such move and force the government to enact an appropriate bill as was done by the Peoples Action for Employment Guarantee in the case of NREGA.

2. Education and Gender Equality.
Throughout the planned development, creation of physical infrastructure has always been a thrust area in all the literacy programmes. But side by side schemes which do not need much infrastructure like - mobile schools, home schools and panchayat schools should be launched with the active participation of the local educated youth. This would specifically be beneficial for the goal of women empowerment. Innovative schemes should be chalked out to increase the reach of our education programmes to the hitherto untouched folk - like, a girl student should be given additional weightage in exams or a scholarship if she teaches her mother.

When a local educated youth is appointed teacher in his/her own village, he/ she becomes more accountable which increases the quality of education imparted. Also, it checks migration. Apart from this, moral education and basic law should form a part of the school curricula. It will turn children into law abiding citizens.

3. Health and Environment.
It should be compulsory for all the medical undergraduates studying in the state-funded institutions to practice at least one year in vulnerable rural areas as part of their degree programmes. This should be increased to two years if the student wants to work abroad after getting his degree. There are two reasons for such strictness in this case:
Firstly, in a country like India which is so rearward in the health sector, the prospective doctors studying in state-funded institutions cannot enjoy the luxury of working abroad without giving anything in return to this poor country.
Secondly, doctors and engineers in India remain so engrossed in their professional studies that most of them are totally detached of the social and economic conditions prevalent in this country.
In this scheme of attainment of Millennium Development Goals, the youth are the principal agents of change. The youth today, need a platform to deliver.

Apart from this, it should be obligatory for every public institution in the country to suffuse the youth in their working ethos. This could be done by giving internships to college students as being introduced by the Reserve Bank of India in the name of ‘RBI Young Scholars’ which is a part of its financial literacy drive.

Click here to see an exhibition of prize-winning ideas

At the Awards Evening of the Mera India Bridge the Gap Contest

2009-11-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

The Awards Presentation ceremony of the Mera India Bridge the Gap Contest was held on November 10,2009 at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. For us at Mera India it was wonderful to meet the award winners in person. Our jury members also got an opportunity to see the faces behind the entries they had selected. We present some photos from a truly memorable event.

Guests of Honour, Parliamentarian Sandeep Dikshit and noted journalist and documentary film maker Nupur Basu, being felicitated.

The First Prize Winner, Katuri Kodanda Pani, receives the award from Guest of Honour Nupur Basu. Kodanda Pani had submitted an essay for the Mera India, Bridge the Gap contest which called upon young Indians to give ideas on how India could meet its commitment on the Millennium Development Goals.

Katuri comes from the village of Ipurupalem in Andhra Pradesh. He is currently preparing for the civil services exam and hopes to become an administrator. He says he participated in the Mera India Bridge the Gap contest to share his thoughts with others. He wants the focus to be on rural India and is presently involved in making the poor in his village more aware of government schemes.

The Second Prize winner, Nupur Tiwari is pursuing B Tech from the College of Technology, G B Pant University. She wishes to pursue post graduation in Rural Management. She believes the time has come to stop blaming the government for failures and involve civil society to transform the country. She too had submitted an essay.

The Third Prize winner, Bharat Bhatti from St Stephen's College, receives the award from Nupur Basu for his essay.

Nupur Basu and Sandeep Dikshit along with B Muralidharan United Nations Coordination Advisor.

The team from Sophia College, Ajmer bagged the Certificate of Appreciation for their film. The girls - Avni Manglik, Monica Dhariwal and Reenu Ranawat are presented the award by Guest of Honour and Member of Parliament Sandeep Diskhit.

Neeraj Kumar Singh from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai receives the Certificate of Appreciation for his essay.

Nooreen Fatima from Lucknow receives the Certificate of Recognition for her picture strip.

UN Coordination Advisor, B Muralidharan addresses the gathering.

All the award winners presented their ideas. Anjana Agarwal from the National Law School of India, Bangalore shares her ideas with the gathering.

The audience listens to jury member, noted journalist Paronjoy Guha Thakurta

Parmeet Singh Chipra and Bharat Panth of Kirori Mal College set the tempo for the evening, while Tarun Devrani (below) also from Kirori Mal had the audience spell bound with a truly energetic dance celebrating the spirit of youth.

Ideas from the award winning entries on how India could meet its MDG promises were displayed on November 9 and 10 at the India Habitat Centre. The exhibition attracted many visitors.

Please confirm your attendance at the Awards Function

2009-11-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!
Those of you who are attending the awards function and wish to collect your participation certificates may please send us a mail by 8 pm, November 9, 2009. This will ensure that we have the certificate ready for you. It will be difficult to entertain last minute requests for the participation certificate.
You will need to carry your proof of identity.
Bridge the Gap Team

Congratulations!

2009-10-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

The results of the Mera India, Bridge the Gap contest are finally out!

And the award winners are-

Aishwarya Menon and Aparna Menon, Delhi
Akrati Jindal, Aligarh
Anjana Agarwal and Shruti Viswanathan, Bangalore
Avni Manglik, Monica Dhariwal, Reenu Ranawat, Ajmer
Bharat Bhatti, Delhi
Gourav Kumar Agarwal, Delhi
Katuri Kodanda Pani, Delhi
Neeraj Kumar Singh, Chennai
Nooreen Fatima, Lucknow
Nupur Tiwari, Pantnagar
Parveen Kumar, Delhi
Prateek Rajvanshi, Hyderabad
Ramya Pottireddi and Midhun Kumar Allu, Boston
S.Arul Durai, Madurai
Sadananda Satapathy and Ambika Ghuge, Delhi
Samir Sharma, Delhi
Shashi Bhushan Singh, Ahmedabad
Shilpi Gulati and Sharanya Gautam, Mumbai
Shinjini Mondal and Hitesh Bhaskar, Mumbai
Siddharth Rajkonwar, Delhi

Now, who gets the first, second and third prize, and who will be awarded the special recognition prizes and the commendation certificates will be announced at 6.15 pm on November 10, 2009 at Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi -110003. So the suspense is on.

We invite all those who have participated in the contest to join us at the function. We have special certificates for all of you.

The ideas from the award-winning entries will be displayed at the venue. So even if you have not participated, but are interested in the issue of India's development, send us an email at indiabridgethegap@gmail.com and we will send you an invite. Come and join us. Give us your support. Together, we can make a difference!

Show your support - Stand Up Virtually

2009-10-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

It is that time of the year again! The Stand Up and Take Action Campaign that began on October 16 and will continue till October 18th.
We are sure most of you have ardently watched and participated in this Campaign over the years but for the uninitiated, in this global mobilization that happens simultaneously across the world, citizens take various actions to remind the world leaders about their commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals and End Poverty by 2015.
This year in India Stand Up has coincided with Diwali. Since this is one of the largest pan Indian festivals and many of you may not be able to attend Stand Up events, we request you to please add your might to the global mobilization by participating in an online Stand Up Action on October 16, 17 or 18th.
Please visit http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/ and click on STAND UP NOW in the sitting figure (bottom right of screen) to Stand Up virtually. Your action will get counted automatically.
You can also SMS STANDUP to 55454 on October 16, 17 or 18th and show your support for this campaign.
Warm regards,
Millennium Campaign India team

Light a candle against poverty

2009-10-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ashok Bharti, Chairman of the National Confederation of Dalit Organisations has sent out the following invite to Light a Candle Against Poverty at India Gate, New Delhi at 6:00 pm on October 16th, 2009 -

Dear Friends,

Greetings from NACDOR.

This is to invite you to light a candle to Stand Up Against Poverty on October 16th, 2009 at 6 p.m. at the India Gate. The Stand Up Against Poverty is a global mobilization calling for action against poverty and for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Last year, more than 116 million people around the world participated in the event by standing up and pledging their solidarity with the world’s poorest people. The campaign was widely covered globally by major media networks and is still the largest single, coordinated movement of people in the history of the Guinness World Records. National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) is the national platform of more than 1200 Dalit Organisations spread all over the country. It is strongly committed to the ideas, principles and values of Ambedkarism.

NACDOR and United Nation Millennium Campaign – India (UNMC) are joining hands on the eve of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty to light a candle against poverty at the India Gate on October 16th. The program will start at 6 pm and about 100-120 leaders of different political parties, civil society organizations, intellectuals, the media and members of the public will join hands to express their solidarity with the cause by lighting a candle and reading a pledge committing to eradicate poverty from India.

Mr. Salil Shetty, Global Director of the Millennium Campaign based in New York, will light the first candle. We hope that you will be able to spare some time from your most busy schedule to express solidarity by lighting a candle. For any detail please contact Mr. Mashkoor Alam at +91-11-9911639946 or standup@nacdor.org.in

Stand Up Take Action

2009-10-12T02:59:00.000-07:00

As we go through the entries we feel we have with us a wonderful group of young socially committed people from all over the country. You come from the country's best colleges and institutes. You are among the most committed of young professionals. Then there are those of you studying or working abroad, but concerned about the condition of millions of fellow Indians. Together we can be a force that can sweep changes across the country.

What can you do? What can we all do together? Come on think...
Earlier for the Mera India, Bridge the Gap contest you looked at what needs to be done by various groups to meet the goals. But now look at what you can do in your own little way to address some MDG. It can be something as simple as sending a message regarding an MDG to five of your friends and help spread the information. It could be helping a poor student with her study material. Put aside some of the budget you may have for Diwali, to buy a book or a bag for someone who needs it. As simple as that. Read the very inspiring story of Babar Ali, born to poor illiterate parents, who is changing the face of India. India is proud of him. If Babar Ali can do that at his individual level, what about us, educated, enjoying all comforts and many privileges?

Diwali is a time for celebration and the giving of gifts; a very appropriate time for the Stand Up and Take Action event. Let us try and gift a better future to our fellow citizens in some way at our own individual level.

Do tell us what you propose to do. October 16, 17 and 18, the days when we stand up and take a vow to do our bit to improve the situation of our fellow humans.

Post to this blog. Connect with all others who have stood up and are standing up to make a difference. Let us also remind our leaders of the promises they have made to us of eradicating poverty, of ushering in sustainable development, of seeing that girls go to school and all children complete basic schooling.

It is time to act. It is time to stand up. Let us be the generation that ends poverty...

We will love to hear how you plan to go about it.

Thank you for the great response!

2009-10-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

We thank all of you who took time off your busy schedules to participate in the Mera India, Bridge the Gap contest.
We will be going through each of the entries with great care, for we value the thought and time you have devoted to them. Each of the suggestions given by you to meet the Millennium Development Goals will be considered closely.
Do keep visiting the blog not only for updates on the contest, but on the progress made towards achieving the MDGs as well.

How to send in your entries

2009-09-23T03:04:00.000-07:00

The last date for submission of entries is fast approaching. Those of you who are still contemplating joining the contest should register. And for those of you who are getting ready with your entries here are is an important announcement:
•The essay can be sent by ordinary post or email

•The pictorial strip should be sent along with a summary of 100 words on a CD, with your name and title of entry on the cover, or by post in an envelope not larger than A3 (11" x 16"). We have been asked about what should be the maximum number of photos or illustrations. We hesitate to put a number for we do not want to limit your style and have been saying do not to make the envelope bulky, keeping it to a few pages. If you want a cap on the number of images, it would be not more than 20. It can certainly be less. On the CD make sure the images are in 300 dpi (high resolution images in JPEG, TIFF or PSD format). If you send your entry on a CD and if it is selected, you would be required to hand over the original illustrations and photos to the organisers.

•The film along with a summary of 100 words is to be submitted on a CD in MPEG4 or .avi format with your name and title of entry on the cover. Please use a high end mobile camera for a reasonable technical quality.

The score sheet should accompany the entry and carry your name.

Also to be included is proof of age attested by a senior government official or the head of your institute if you are studying, and a signed statement by you stating that the entry is your own original work.

We eagerly await your entries!

2009-09-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Last date for entries - October 5, 2009 (Monday)

Award winners to be informed October 20, 2009 (Tuesday)

Awards function in Delhi - November 10, 2009 (Tuesday)

Invite for all those in Delhi to A Festival of Peace

2009-09-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Theatre Y to perform at Delhi University

2009-09-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

Theatre Y, a troupe from Chennai, is in Delhi to perform on the Millennium Development Goals.
The troupe will be performing on the lawns of the Arts Faculty, Delhi University North Campus at 11 am on September 24, 2009
All are invited.
No entry fees.
Come with friends and even family!

Calling for ideas that work

2009-09-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Download our poster!
Share it with friends!

2009-09-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Do you have a question?
Please go through the list of questions and answers. If you find your query is not answered, do contact us.

Q. We would like to present our thoughts in a pictorial format and would like to know if it is necessary to present original pictures only – or are we allowed to source pictures from outside as well?
A. It is best that you use original material only. If you use material from the net or other sources get permission from the photographer/artist to do so. The permission should be attached to the entry. Please allow for the possibility that the judges might rate more highly contributions that are original.

Q. What you mean by a 'pictorial strip'? What form and size it should be in and how many pictures it should consist of ?
A. The pictorial strip could be a set of drawings or still photographs that illustrate the point you want to make in a sequence. These could be accompanied by captions or some writing.
The rest we leave to your creativity and imagination...
We do not have any limit on the number of photos or drawings, but keep the entry easy to handle.

Q. I have lost my birth certificate? Will my matriculation certificate do? Can my boss attest it? A. We need proof of age. A matriculation certificate would have to be attested by a senior government officer, and bear his/her full contact details.

Q. I have misplaced my birth certificate. May I attach my college I-D card?
A. If you are in college, a copy of the college I-card may be enclosed, provided it is attested by the Principal and bears the college stamp and contact details.

Please Note: In case you are declared a prizewinner, we would need to see the original documents.

Q. Please explain what you mean by a 10 to 1 scale that we have to use to rank the constituents.
A. It is a simple procedure.
You should give '10' points to the constituent you feel is most important for the achievement of the MDGs. For example, you might consider that our politicians need to do much more than they are presently doing to achieve the goals, so place '10' points against 'Elected representatives'. You feel ' The Media' is next in importance; it needs to do a lot more to address all the issues under MDGs, so place '9' points against it and give it the next slot. And so on...You think Health Personnel, do not have much of a role in achieving the goals so place '1' the lowest number against them. You will not be able to give the same point to more than one constituent. The above ranking would look like this -

10. Elected representatives
9. The Media
8. Celebrities
7.The Youth
6. Government officers
5. Corporate leaders
4. Educationists
3. NGOs
2. The Judiciary
1. Health personnel

The ranking sheet should be attached to your entry and carry your name.

Q. Should the rating of constituents be related to the submission? Should I base my essay directly on the rating?
A. The ranking of the constituents is an important part of the entry process. However, it will not be 'judged'. That is purely for us to see how the youth view the role of various constituents in achieving the MDGs.
You may use the ranking to build up your submission if you choose. It is not a must.

Q. When should the ranking sheet be submitted?
A. You must send the ranking sheet along with your entry. Put your name on it.

An Exciting Competition

2009-08-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Calling Young Indians
Be the Agents of change

Join the contest –

MERA INDIA, BRIDGE THE GAP

Millennium Development Goals: How should we deliver on these promises?

By 2015 India has pledged to achieve the following eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)-

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equality and women’s empowerment by eliminating gender disparity in schools
Reduce the child mortality rate
Reduce the maternal mortality rate
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Ensure environment sustainability
Develop global partnership for development

As young Indians, assess where the gaps and challenges lie and then tell us how our country can achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

How to enter

You should be an Indian citizen between the ages of 18 to 35 years.
* The first step is to register with us at
indiabridgethegap@gmail.com with your name and email id. We will then be in touch with you.
* You must acquaint yourself with the Millennium Development Goals.
* Then rank the following 10 constituents on a scale of 10 to 1, in their order of importance for the achievement of the MDGs. The category you feel is more important figures higher on the scale.

1. Celebrities
2. Corporate leaders
3. Educationists
4. Elected representatives
5. Government officials
6. Health personnel
7. NGOs
8. The Judiciary
9. The Media
10. The Youth

Tell us what the most important things that need to be done are to achieve the MDGs. You may choose from the following formats to express yourself:
# A 1000-word essay #Or a pictorial strip # Or a film not longer than five minutes using a mobile phone or digital camera.

* Every contestant must enclose a birth certificate and a statement certifying that the work submitted is original.
* Each contestant can send in only one entry. Entries from teams comprising not more than three persons would also be considered, provided that the oldest member in the team is not more than 35 years.
* Entries should be sent in an envelope marked 'Mera India, Bridge the Gap' to Women’s Feature Service, G-69 Second Floor, Nizamuddin West, New Delhi –110013.

* Entries can also be emailed to: indiabridgethegap@gmail.com, along with a scanned birth certificate and statement certifying that the work is original.

The Prizes
1st prize – Rs 75,000
2nd prize – Rs 50,000
3rd prize – Rs 25,000
Many other prizes too!

Each entry would be judged on its content, its innovative nature and the practicability of the ideas suggested. The jury will be a panel of independent persons well known in their respective fields.
Prize winners will be invited to a special awards function in New Delhi and your ideas will be shared with policy makers, civil society leaders and people in various fields who can make a difference.

Last Date for receiving entries: October 5, 2009

The decision of our panel of judges will be final.

Organised by Unnati Features and Women’s Feature Service
Supported by the UN Millennium Campaign

DU, JNU, IP, Jamia, here we come!

2009-08-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Our team of facilitators is available to make presentations on the Millennium Development Goals and Mera India, Bridge the Gap Contest in colleges and departments of universities in the NCR region. If you would like our team to visit your college or institution, please send us an email with your mobile number so that we can get in touch with you.

The Mission Statement

2009-08-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

The campaign and the contest have been organised to -

- Call for action on the Millennium Development Goals
- Focus the attention of India's young adults on concerns that impact their future

The background to a unique initiative

Unnati Features and Women's Feature Service are together anchoring an innovatively designed public service initiative that links people, especially the youth, to policy makers and civil society leaders. It is being supported by the UN Millennium Campaign.

The initiative is entitled

MERA INDIA, BRIDGE THE GAP
Millennium Development Goals: How should we deliver on these promises?

According to its MDGs commitments, India must reduce by 2015 the proportion of people below the poverty line -- from nearly 37.5 per cent in 1990 to about 18.75 per cent in 2015. It must bring down its under-five mortality - which stood at 60 per 1000 live births in 2003 - to 42 per 1000 live births by 2015. Access to water is another major challenge. India needs to halve the proportion of population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015, even as independent estimations project that the per capita availability of water may actually decline in the country as the years go by. The problems of urban India are a huge area of concern as well. An estimated 40 per cent of India's population will be located in urban areas by the year 2020, with at least 15 per cent of them expected to be living in slums and shanties where the quality of life is abysmal.

With just six years to go, relevant and targeted action to achieve the MDGs is the need of the hour. It is in that context that the ‘Mera India: Bridge the Gap’ Contest asks young Indians how the country should deliver on its promises on MDGs.

How does it work?

The MERA INDIA, BRIDGE THE GAP initiative is to be conducted in two phases.

The first phase entails the holding of a nation-wide contest for participants in the 18 to 35 year age group.

Each entrant will rank the following constituents on a scale of 10 to 1, in order of importance for the achievement of MDGs. Higher points go to the constituent considered more important.

The constituents –

1. Celebrities
2. Corporate leaders
3. Educationists
4. Elected representatives
5. Government officials
6. Health personnel
7. NGOs
8. The Judiciary
9. The Media
10. The Youth

The entrant will then state what the most important things that need to be done are to achieve the MDGs, choosing from the following formats :

A 1000-word essay, or a pictorial strip, or a film made with the mobile phone or digital camera, not longer than five minutes.

The selection of award winners

Each entry would be judged on its content, its innovative nature and the practicability of the ideas suggested. An elimination round would be done in-house. A panel of independent persons well known in their respective fields will conduct the final selection.

There are the following prizes for the winners -

1st prize – Rs 75,000
2nd prize – Rs 50,000
3rd prize – Rs 25,000
And many other prizes too!

The awards will be handed over to the winners at a special function to be held in New Delhi, where the winning entries will be suitably showcased.

The second phase would focus on publicising the award-winning entries by reaching out to a broad swathe of society -- including the newly-elected representatives, NGOs working in the field of governance, women’s groups and groups working on caste and empowerment issues as well as the media. Special importance would be given to the constituents the youth have highlighted as most important in achieving the MDGs.

CALL FOR ACTION ON MDGs!
CALL FOR VISIBLE CHANGE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES !