Pukar event- Seeking Social Justice

Seeking Social Justice A Brandeis University / PUKAR Conversation Arjun Appadurai, President, Board of Trustees of PUKAR speakers Arjun Appadurai is the Goddard Professor in Media, Culture and Communication at New York University, where he is also Senior Fellow at the Institute for Public Knowledge. He also serves as Tata Chair Professor at The Tata Institute for Social Sciences in Mumbai and as a Senior Research Partner at the Max-Planck Institute for Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Gottingen. His long and distinguished career includes positions at the New School, Yale and the University of Chicago, as well as training at Brandeis University, where he was a Wien International Scholar (class of 1970). Appadurai is the founder and the President of Board of Trustees of PUKAR. Frederick Lawrence, President of Brandeis University speaker2 Frederick M. Lawrence took ofce as the eighth president of Brandeis University on January 1, 2011. An accomplished scholar, teacher and attorney, Lawrence is one of the nation's leading experts on civil rights, free expression and bias crimes. He is the author of Punishing Hate: Bias Crimes Under American Law. Prior to Brandeis, he was dean and Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School from 2005 to 2010. Moderated by Harleen Singh (Brandeis University) Respondents: Preeta Banerjee (Brandeis International Business School) Anita Patil-Deshmukh (PUKAR) and Devika Mahadevan (Mumbai Mobile Creches & Brandeis class of 2000). Venue: Marine Plaza Hotel, 29 Marine Drive, Mumbai - 400020 Date: Thursday, February 9, 2012 Time: 7:00 to 7:30 Tea/Coffee 7:30 to 8:30 Panel Discussion 8:30-9:15/9:30 Cocktail Reception Limited seating on first-come-first-served basis. RSVP to pukar@pukar.org.in to confirm attendance. logos

New urban developmental models must focus on eco-sustainability

New urban development models must focus on eco sustainability Posted by: "Sheetal - Karmayog" info@karmayog.org Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:22 am (PST) New urban development models must focus on eco sustainability, inclusive growth The UN Habitat is pushing for a new urban development agenda focussed on economic and environmental sustainability and inclusive growth, according to Mr Andre Dzikus, Chief, Water and Sanitation Section, UN Habitat. The new principles of urban development should be through a coordinated and long-term approach with national level policies that prevent investor-driven, irrational urban land prices. Such a national urban policy should coordinate different areas of government, take into account public transportation development, connectivity, economic development and energy strategy. Such a vision for national urban development should lay emphasis on small and intermediate size urbanisation which should be encouraged through incentives, he said. Addressing the Municipalika 2012, the 10th international seminar on city infrastructure and sustainable urban development, he said the systems in vogue in urban development have resulted in unsustainable urban sprawls where cities are losing their cultural identity and distinctiveness, socially segregated - gated communities are a 'symptom of social failure' - with unequal growth of sections of society and are energy intensive. Loss of open spaces has made shopping malls the primary locations for social gathering, he said at the event organised by the Good Governance India Foundation and supported by the Union Ministries of Urban Development, Housing and Renewable Energy. Mr Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner in Southern India, said the conference on sustainable urban development with UK as the country partner addresses a crucial issue in the context of rapid urbanisation in developing economies. The UK companies with their technical expertise can contribute to cost-effective and low-carbon solutions. The London 2012 Olympics is set to be the greenest Olympics that will showcase the UK's low carbon credentials, he said. rbalaji@thehindu.co.in URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article2826050.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home

The more creative and flexible you are, the better your chances for getting a job- Wall street journal

n 2012, creativity and adaptability will be key to landing and keeping a job for many workers, as staff levels remain lean and employees are expected to respond to a wide variety of demands, experts say. Economists don't expect loads of job growth, but there could be opportunities in areas such as health care, professional services, retail and some manufacturing, says Harry Holzer, a public-policy professor at Georgetown University. Also, continuing churn in the labor market means that even in areas with few new jobs, there will still be openings when workers move around. Enlarge Image mw mw Thomas Kuhlenbeck Technical knowledge and experience will be required for certain spots. "For professional services you usually need a professional degree. In health you usually need some training," Mr. Holzer says. "Manufacturing needs some occupational training. Retail is different. It doesn't require specific occupational training, but it does often require some interpersonal skills." In addition to the standard prerequisites, employers will be looking for workers who are able to quickly adapt to new responsibilities as companies respond to changing economic and industry trends. So workers should highlight their creative skills to differentiate themselves, says Lawrence Katz, an economist at Harvard University. "Firms have so many job seekers per opening. They are going to want candidates with clear credentials, but also a little extra shine in interactive skills and creativity," Mr. Katz says. "They are less willing in a weak labor market to take chances." Here are other skills experts recommend workers should pick up and enhance. Technical literacy. It's important for workers at a variety of levels to be familiar with some of the technical, if mundane, processes that keep organizations running smoothly. Take the health-care industry. Providers are bringing on more technology when it comes to record keeping and billing. "A knowledge of electronic data handling is just a really big plus. That goes for receptionists to the doctors who are becoming employees of larger hospital systems," says Warren Bobrow, president of All About Performance, a Los Angeles-based skills-assessment consultancy. Workers also need to be good users of social media. There's a fine line between letting interested parties know about the latest news and bombarding them with too much information. Still, individuals shouldn't be afraid to use networking sites such as LinkedIn to make employment connections. Business acumen. As companies remain concerned about demand for their products and services, a wide variety of employees need to think about sales, experts say. Even those outside of marketing should care about revenue, and making sure customers are happy. Mr. Bobrow has clients in Colorado, an orthopedic practice with more than a dozen doctors, and those doctors don't become partners until client-satisfaction surveys are reviewed and good results are found. "They are in a competitive marketplace because so much of their work is based on referrals," Mr. Bobrow says. "The doctors realize that their revenue depends on all of them bringing in more patients and having patients come back." Being savvy about pleasing customers isn't about spin, says Ben Dattner, a New York-based organizational psychologist and author. Rather, workers need to illustrate the advantages of their products and services to please employers dealing with an ultra-competitive environment. "Try to get to know your customer, the market and figure out how you can put things together in a package that adds value," Mr. Dattner says. "Law firms are increasingly recruiting professionals who [bring clients with them]. The actual practice of law is becoming commoditized to some extent, but the ability to bring in customer relationships and be flexible is what companies are increasingly looking for." General proficiency. Companies are looking for workers who are flexible and can take on functions in various jobs as market demands change, says Greg Barnett, director of product development at Hogan Assessment Systems, a Tulsa, Okla.-based personality-assessment and consulting firm. That is, companies want workers who are "solid organizational citizens"—quick learners who are compliant, Mr. Barnett says. "People are being asked to do more," he says. "There are concerns when applicants are good workers, but not people who are able to learn and change direction and change their performance." Dan Ryan, principal at a Nashville, Tenn.-based executive search firm, stresses the importance of project management and communication skills, which also happen to be transferrable. "The ability of people at all levels to clearly communicate is not what it used to be," he says. People "who can do that very well can differentiate themselves." Write to Ruth Mantell at ruth.mantell@dowjones.com —Ruth Mantell is a reporter for MarketWatch. Read more at marketwatch.com.

An Appeal from Goonj NGO

Dear Friends, On February 18th GOONJ completes 13 years. The trust and continuous efforts of thousands of friends made a small idea started with 67 clothes grow into a mass movement. Clothing is becoming a subject. In urban India as we developed a sustained culture and systems for giving material, in rural India under ‘Cloth For Work’ this material is nudging communities to take up hundreds of development activities. People are calling it ‘the largest non monetary resource organisation’ (a new term in the development sector) and one of the largest and ‘ongoing civic participation movement’. Many of you have visited our processing units and know first hand that even as one part of our work is passion the other is rigorous logistics. An exorbitant increase in transportation costs & rentals means reaching deeper into the remotest parts is becoming more challenging every day. Our annual budget is touching around 4.00 crore, despite the fact that we don’t expend on infrastructure and believe in re-using everything. That’s why we thought of bringing together TEAM 2000. By March 2012, we want to bring together 2000 people to contribute Rs. 10,000/- or more to GOONJ. This is not an EMI, to be given every year and it can certainly be given on a monthly/quarterly basis as per convenience. It is certainly a new ground for an organization which is not into active fund raising for its activities and is growing on the faith of people and it wants to be like this!! Like any other activity of GOONJ, in this also we want to grow with the people instead of depending only on institutions. Over to you to take the ownership and to widen the reach!! A simple form is here. Write back to mail@goonj.org with your queries/suggestions.. (All financial contributions to GOONJ are tax exempted u/s 80G). More about GOONJ on www.goonj.org. For regular updates, please refer- www.goonj.org/facebook.com Do join us on February 18th in Delhi to review, plan and learn from each other. More details will follow on facebook. With best anshu ----- Anshu Gupta ( Ashoka Fellow) Founder Director GOONJ.. www.goonj.org

Feedback to govt from non-profits, Educational institutions to publish balance sheets

Educational institutions to publish balance sheets Posted by: "Sheetal - Karmayog" info@karmayog.org Thu Jan 19, 2012 12:25 am (PST) Educational institutions to publish balance sheets....Prashant K. Nanda The educational institutes will follow a uniform accounting norm and disclose income and expenditure in a standard format similar to that of companies New Delhi: All educational institutes under the central government and those that get grants or approvals from central education regulators will be directed by the government to publish a balance sheet every year, starting 2013, to bring in more transparency to the sector. The educational institutes will follow a uniform accounting norm and disclose income and expenditure in a standard format similar to that of companies, according to an initiative unveiled on Wednesday. "The aim is to bring transparency and openness in our educational institutes," said Kapil Sibal, minister for human resource development. All Union government institutes, including central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management and National Institutes of Technology will have to adhere to the accounting standards. Besides, all universities and colleges under the University Grant Commission, the All India Council for Technical Education and the National Council of Teachers Education will have to follow the norms. Even schools affiliated to the Union government-controlled Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will have to incorporate the accounting norms. The standards and guidelines have been prepared by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (Icai). "Donations coming from within or outside India, grants received and expenditures incurred will all be detailed in a uniform format," said G. Ramaswamy, Icai president. India has 572 universities and more than 31,000 colleges, where around 15 million students pursue higher education. In addition, there are at least 10,000 CBSE schools. Sibal said his ministry had accepted the report in principle and "it will come into force from the 2013 academic session". Sibal will discuss the report in the Central Advisory Board of Education, a panel comprising experts, academicians and state education ministers. "I would like to see this adopted by all educational institutes in the country but states need to come on board too," he said. Though central government institutes submit their accounts to the government and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India audits them, private institutes are not obliged to do so. At least 60% of colleges are under private control. The standards will provide clarity on the deployment of funds, Ramaswamy said. "It will lead to decommercialisation and orderly growth of education," he said. The Icai president said that some colleges might be talking about sustainable revenue model but that needs to be spelt out. "Once the accounting is done, you will put it online in a centralized server," he said. "If you are earning revenue then you have to deploy 85% in education every year. This accounting norm will help analyse and come to a conclusion on who is doing what." Jaydeep N. Shah, vice-president of Icai, said the step will take care of concerns that many private institutions engage in malpractices to fleece students. A private university administrator in the National Capital Region attacked the move and said it would discourage investment. "The education malpractice Bill, the education tribunal Bill and even this accounting standard are aimed at one direction-scuttle private investment. If somebody is investing a billion rupees, he would like to get some return," said the official, requesting anonymity. "When government can't provide access to all, why is it then discouraging private participation?" prashant.n@livemint.com URL: http://www.livemint.com/2012/01/18222543/Educational-institutions-to-pu.html?h=B 10. Feedback to govt. from non-profits in pre-budget exercise Posted by: "Sheetal - Karmayog" info@karmayog.org Thu Jan 19, 2012 12:26 am (PST) In the line of fire The overzealous in the government have, in their desire to clean out the non-profit sector of the undesirables-those who misuse the cover to run commercial enterprise-done more harm than good. The finance minister got an earful this week from a group of non-profits as part of the pre-budget exercise. In dispute is an amendment under section 2(15) of the Income-tax Act. While indeed it will discourage misuse, it is the case of the non-profits that even those engaged in genuine work have become collateral damage. It could impact their fund-raising capability and consequently their ability to serve causesin sectors where the government has been found wanting or missing. This would be disastrous, especiallyat a time when the government could well cut some of its "social sector" spending because it is as cash-strapped as it is. URL: http://www.livemint.com/2012/01/18222455/In-the-line-of-fire.html?atype=tpa

CSR- Not mandatory for public sector companies

CSR not mandatory for private sector companies: Moily Posted by: "Sheetal - Karmayog" info@karmayog.org Thu Jan 19, 2012 12:24 am (PST) CSR not mandatory for private sector companies: Moily The government on Wednesday clarified that the new Companies Bill is not going to make spending on CSR activities mandatory for companies. "There is some misconception among the public that CSR will be mandatory...I would like to make it clear that it is not at all correct," Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily told reporters at the National CSR Conclave here. According to Clause 135 of the Companies Bill, 2011, every company with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more, or turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or more, or a net profit of Rs 5 crore or more in a financial year, will have to form a CSR committee consisting of three or more directors, of which at least one director should be an independent director. Moily further said the government's initiatives on CSR are strong enough and this is the first time in the world that companies have been mandated to constitute a board for formulating CSR policies. "So this should show that we are serious enough. If for some reason the company fails to do so, the board will prepare a report explaining the reasons for doing so and give it to the shareholders," he said. In addition, he said the government is continuously updating the CSR guidelines for companies across all sectors. "We are trying to build up a CSR culture in the country like in the West and all companies are on board with us on this issue," Moily said. On being asked why there is no provision for penalising companies that do not comply with the CSR provisions, he said, "The CSR is a rule of law and not a rule by law. So we are confident that the companies will come up with new avenues to execute CSR... so there is no question of penalising them." Unlike the provisions stipulated for private companies in the new corporate law, spending on CSR activities is mandatory for PSUs and non-adherence to the guidelines attracts penal action. Under the CSR provisions for PSUs, a company with a net profit of less than 100 crore will have to spend 3-5 per cent of it on the CSR. Those PSUs with a net profit of Rs 100-500 crore a year will have to earmark 2-3 per cent of it for CSR. A company with a bottomline of Rs 500 crore and above will have to set aside 0.5-2 per cent for CSR activities, which should preferably be related to its business as a natural corollary. According to the norms, investment in CSR should be project-based and mere donations to philanthropic/charity bodies would not be treated as this activity. Furthermore, expenditure related to staff benefits will not be counted as CSR. URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/csr-not-mandatory-for-private-sector-companies-moily/articleshow/11541015.cms

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