Full Coverage: South Asia

30.04.2008 Telecentres can serve as an important source of information by connecting citizens with the government. A growing trend of commercialisation is however treating such entitlements as services and citizens as customers who pay service charges, writes research associate Vivek Vaidyanathan.

30.04.2008 The Department of Education in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, an Indian Union Territory, is introducing IT hobby centres in 24 schools during the summer vacation. The free of cost centres will encourage use of computers in the learning process.

30.04.2008 A discussion paper by WaterAid, Creating user-friendly water and sanitation services for the disabled, takes a look at the social, technical, financial and policy barriers faced by the disabled in meeting water and sanitation needs in Nepal. The document recommends designing proper technologies to facilitate their access to basic services.

30.04.2008 Millions of volunteers will visit every household in the country in the coming years to gather information on changing demographics, in a census that will reveal how economic growth has affected its people. India’s population is expected to climb to 1.19 billion in 2011 from 1.13 billion in 2008, say officials.

30.04.2008 Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment invites applications for a two-month summer certificate course on the policies, politics and practices of environmental management. Last date to apply is May 10, 2008.

30.04.2008 Villages in Orissa on the eastern coast of India are sinking into the sea. In last four months many families have been forced to flee as rising waters have submerged their homes and farmlands. Despite assurances from government, the displaced families are yet to be resettled.

30.04.2008 A first batch of Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal has landed in America. Described as one of the largest resettlement programmes in the world, the US has agreed to take in 60,000 refugees. Away from sub-human conditions in the camps, they are finding their new life both strange and full of prospects.

29.04.2008 A comprehensive database, designed to track school-going children in Orissa in eastern India, has received the prestigious Prime Minister Award for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2006-07. According to the state's Primary Education Project Authority, project ‘e-shishu’ will enable steps for universal education in the state.

29.04.2008 In a country where millions of girls are deprived of learning opportunities, UNICEF along with Afghanistan Girls’ Education Initiative (AGEI) has roped in young people to advocate the cause of female education. Called the ‘Young Champions’, these men and women interact with communities to promote gender equality in schooling.

29.04.2008 A new UN report released less than two weeks after the Maoists’ victory in the Nepal polls, says children are still being recruited by armed groups and used for political demonstrations. The report calls for enhanced legal protection of minors, in line with international standards.

29.04.2008 A new campaign has been launched targeting British company Vedanta over its plans to mine a sacred mountain in India.

29.04.2008 Eco Everest Expedition 2008, organised by Asian Trekking and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, is now featured on ‘Google Earth Outreach Showcase’. Key findings of ICIMOD’s scientific research expeditions on the impact of climate change in the Everest region can be downloaded from the website.

29.04.2008 Praxis India, a research and consultancy body is organising its annual workshop on participatory development from August 19, 2008 in Kerala, India. The ten-day programme will focus on training people to use varied approaches to address community-based issues.

28.04.2008

28.04.2008 Helena Norberg Hodge first visited Ladakh in northern India in 1973 to study its culture and language. Fascinated by its gentle people and their earth-based way of life, she kept returning every year since then. In a freewheeling interview, she discusses how annihilation of the local culture can be stopped.

28.04.2008 Centre for Science and Environment is organising a summer certificate course on the policies, politics and practices of environmental management starting from June 4, 2008 at New Delhi, India. The two-month course will help participants understand issues better that lie at the interface of environment and development policy.

28.04.2008 Despite being one of the most environmentally vigilant nations, Bhutan faces threat of disastrous floods owing to glacial melting. The Himalayan kingdom, where sustainable development forms the core of public policy goals, is at the receiving end due to the damage caused by countries like China and India.

28.04.2008 Continuing food crisis in Afghanistan is frustrating people as several cities witness protests, riots and looting. While people blame government for this crisis, experts attribute it to both local and global factors. The country would need over half-a-million tonnes of imported wheat to meet the current demand.

28.04.2008 Nepal Maoists owe their impressive performance in the recently held elections to the support of the marginalised communities. It is now up to the former rebels to prove themselves and come up to the expectations of these people whose interests have long been ignored in the past.

25.04.2008 The answer to growing traffic and pollution in the Indian capital lies in an effective and massive public transport system, says the Centre for Science and Environment. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, recently implemented in south Delhi, provides the option for an economically sound and better bus system.