Full Coverage: Development

31.10.2007 The Asian Development Bank’s urban development programme in Indian state of Rajasthan will improve the living conditions of 1.6 million urbanites. Better quality of drinking water, public health, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management systems are expected from the project.

31.10.2007 A two-day workshop on “IT for All” is promoting the use of Information Technology for the betterment of all sections of society. The workshop, organised by FTK-Center for Information Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, opened at its campus in New Delhi.

30.10.2007 At last, the Government of India, under pressure from 25,000 people, agrees to set up a committee to look into the issues related to land reforms. The protestors hope that the minister’s announcement was more than mere playing to the gallery.

29.10.2007 Recognising the huge potential of agriculture sector in raising income levels for people living in absolute poverty, the World Bank calls for increased investment in agriculture. If that happens, it will benefit 75% of the world’s poor living in rural areas of developing countries.

29.10.2007 They walked from Gwalior to Delhi, covering more than 300 km in less than four weeks. They lost seven of their comrades in this long march to claim lost rights. But it has been sheer disappointment at the end of the road for these 25,000 people, when they were stopped from marching up to the Indian Parliament to make their voices heard in the corridors of power.

29.10.2007 Policy planners, academics and representatives of non-governmental organizations will deliberate whether pastoralism provides a strategic alternative in the quest for sustainable development in a two day national seminar at Jaipur, Rajasthan on November 21-22.

26.10.2007 Social exclusion results in lower development outcomes, deprivations, poverty and contributes to the non achievements of vital human and economic development goals. A two-day national conference being held in the Indian capital, New Delhi, organised by the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, is engaged in addressing these critical issues.

26.10.2007 Professor Bina Agarwal of the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at Hague (Netherlands), making her join the ranks of earlier recipients Edward Said and Nobel laureates Jan Tinbergen and Amartya Sen.

26.10.2007 Nearly 80 percent of Bangladesh's people live in rural areas, with more than half comprising its poor. The latest World Bank Development Report says the country needs to increase its productivity in staple foods while also improve its rural services through better physical and social infrastructure.

25.10.2007 A Food for Work initiative by the World Food Programme (WFP) has helped rebuild more than 1,300 kms of rural roads and almost 9,000 kms of bridle paths in quake-affected North Pakistan. Rural roads and pathways connecting the mountainous terrain were destroyed by the 2005 earthquake, cutting people off from relief supplies and medical aid.

24.10.2007 The World Sustainable Development Forum is organizing Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi on 7-9 February 2008 to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Noble laureate R.K. Pachauri says in his message that the summit assumes unusual importance because it will deal with the theme of sustainable development and climate change.

24.10.2007 Drains stretching over dozens of miles were built to solve the problems of flooding along the Indus in the Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan, but have brought their own social and ecological problems. The World Bank claims to have spent 18 million dollars in 2004-2006 on improving living conditions in areas harmed by the National Drainage Project (NDP). They proposed further measures through 2016 to combat flooding and improve irrigation and drainage

12.10.2007 The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in India is helping Afghan academics to upgrade their elementary education system. The ongoing training programme includes a multi-method approach through both classroom and field experiences.

12.10.2007 UNITED NATIONS, Oct 11 (OneWorld) - Despite its enormous wealth and phenomenal growth in technological inventions, the United States remains far behind other industrialized countries in trying to help poor nations embark on the path of development, a new study by an independent think tank concludes.

10.10.2007 A new manual encourages the hearing disabled communities in developing countries to take control of their health. Developed by the Kenyan Peer Education Network,The Deaf Peers’ Education Manual addresses three main issues: sexual education, relationships and hygiene for a basic understanding of sexual health, HIV/AIDS, and can be adapted to fit the cultural context and needs of the deaf communities.

09.10.2007 Reuters Market Light (RML), a mobile phone-based service launched by Reuters, will connect India's 250 million farmers with buyers and traders and offer updated pricing information, news and weather updates. So far, 7,500 farmers have signed up for the service.

05.10.2007 Ahmednagar based NGO, Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), in Maharashtra, India, is training young men and women to report on local news. 'Rural Chronicle' will publish their efforts with the aim to engage the youth in local development issues.

05.10.2007 UN HABITAT's 2007 report on global human settlements says the poor in developing countries not only bear the brunt of crime and violence, but also of natural and man-made disasters. Enhancing Urban Safety and Security is the first in-depth study on safety and security issues facing urban dwellers, especially the urban poor.

03.10.2007 ‘India aspires to be a knowledge society but wants to engage poorest 250 million in menial tasks,’ says Professor Anil Gupta of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and Vice Chairman of National Innovation Foundation. Here he speaks on the need to democratize the spirit of e-content and bring about a cultural revolution through digital technologies.

01.10.2007 Togo and Benin can now boast of a telecommunications link between following the launch of a fibre optic cable linking the two countries. The ceremony was attended by the two country's heads of states who later paid a short visit to the signal centres.