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Recent Seminars and Workshops

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V.K.R.V. Rao Memorial Lecture

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Recent Seminars and Workshops

Seminar on Institutional Aspects of Pro-Poor Policy: Revising the Indian Poverty Line

A seminar on Institutional Aspects of Pro-Poor Policy: Revising the Indian Poverty Line was organised on December 15, 2009, by Centre for Decentralisation and Development of ISEC in collaboration with London School of Economics, University of Oxford and iiG – Improving Institutions for Pro-Poor Growth – Research Programme Consortium.

The aim of the seminar is to enable a dialogue between different actors on the question of how to revise the Indian poverty line. Although poverty line has proved useful in analysing spatial and temporal trends in poverty and initiating policies aimed at poverty alleviation and resource allocation in India, this has been criticised for no longer being appropriate for a rapidly growing Indian economy. Papers in the seminar discussed weaknesses in the current definition, examined expenditure on health by the poor and provided suggestions for how the poverty line can be revised to take account of health expenditure, housing costs as well as other considerations. The seminar was coordinated by Prof D Rajasekhar together with Dr Erlend Berg and Ms R Manjula.

Mid-Term Review (MTR) of Agriculture & Allied Sectors for the Eleventh Plan

A meeting for Mid-Term Review (MTR) of Agriculture and Allied Sectors for the Eleventh Plan was held at ISEC on October 5, 2009. The Secretaries / directors and other officials from the department of agriculture and allied sectors from four southern states (Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh) participated in the consultation. The welcome address was given by Prof R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC, and the meeting was chaired by Shri L Rynjah, Principal Adviser (Planning Commission). Shri Daljeet Singh, Director (Agriculture), Planning Commission, along with other members of Review Committee participated in the consultation meeting. The meeting was coordinated by Dr M J Bhende of ADRTC, ISEC.

National Seminar on Ecological Economics: An Approach towards Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability and Prof R Misra Birth Centenary Lecture – 2009

Realising the need for an interaction of scientists from various disciplines working on environmental issues, CEENR of ISEC in association with the National Institute of Ecology (NIE) organised a two-day National Seminar on ‘Ecological Economics: An Approach towards Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability’ and ‘Prof R Misra Birth Centenary Lecture – 2009’ during September 30-October 1, 2009, at ISEC.

Prof P S Ramakrishnan delivered the Second Prof R Misra Birth Centenary Lecture and Prof M V Nadkarni delivered the keynote lecture during the seminar. Prof Ramakrishnan’s lecture focused on several pertinent issues that were critical to achieving sustainable development.

The seminar was sponsored by Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) of Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India; Central Statistical Organisation (Social Statistics Division), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India; and Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), Department of Forests, Ecology and Environment, Govt. of Karnataka.

Workshop on Sub-National Estimation of MDG Indicators: An Analysis of Two States with Differential Quality of Data

A half-day workshop on ‘Sub-National Estimation of MDG Indicators: An Analysis of Two States with Differential Quality of Data’ was held on September 12, 2009 between 9.30 am and 1.00 pm. This was a project-initiation workshop to develop methods of arriving at reliable data sources at district or sub-district level based on a case study of four districts, two each in Karnataka and Rajasthan. There were eight participants including experts on demography and statistics from different parts of India. The outcome of the workshop included developing possible indicators at the district and sub-district level. It also suggested that these indicators should be developed at lower levels and later explore the possibility of any adjustment to ensure these indicators have the desirable level of quality.

The Budget, 2009-10

Open Discussion Forum (ODF), was organised by The Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development (CPIGD), ISEC, on The Budget 2009-10 on July 13, 2009 at the Institute.

Farm Sector in Karnataka: Farmers' Indebtedness and Risk Management

Half A Day Workshop was held  on The Project Titled  "Farm Sector In Karnataka: Farmers' Indebtedness And Risk Management". Presentation Of The Project Proposal was done by Dr.(Ms) Meenakshi Rajeev and  Results from The Preliminary Analysis of The Secondary Data was presented by Ms. B P Vani.

National Seminar on “Climate Change: Data Availability and Requirement”

Global Climate Change has emerged as an important issue, and governments and societies are deliberating on the challenges and ways to tackle climate change. So there is a wide consensus of the fact that the problem of climate change need to be dealt with on a priority basis before it gets worse. The main challenge is to integrate climate change and development activities into a common framework, and to develop and implement effectively an integrated social, economic and environmental policy on mitigation and adaptation to climate change. There is an urgent need to understand the linkages between climate change and the spatio-temporal change in social, economic and environmental well being. But the challenge in understanding the complex interrelationships between these factors is due to lack of adequate high quality and timely statistics and the appropriate tools for statistical analysis. In this context, realizing the need for the proper data and its availability, the Center for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR) of the Institute for Social and Economic Change is association with Central Statistical Organization (Social Statistics Division), of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India has organized this two day National Seminar on ‘Climate Change: Data Requirement and Availability’ 16-17 April 2009. This national seminar on data requirement and availability relate to climate change is the first of its own kind in the country. This national seminar was organized in association with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Central Statistical Organization (Social Statistics Division), Government of India. Shri. Pronob Sen, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, has inaugurated the seminar and delivered Inaugural Address. Prof. R.S. Deshpande, Director, ISEC welcomed the participants and in his welcome address he mentioned that this seminar has its own importance as so far we have not done much of significant work on the data generation that would help us to predict the consequences of the climate change.  Dr. Sunil Nautiyal, Associate Professor, CEENR, has highlighted Centre’s activities and research work on various issues, including climate change. Prof. K.N. Ninan, Head-CEENR, has mentioned that though the issue of climate change has become the focus of global attention recently. However, our Centre has visualized these problems and challenges far back in 1970s 80s not with the same terminology the very word ‘climate change’ but in a different term that has same connotation. Concurrently Prof. Ninan has delivered formal vote of thanks to the distinguished participants of the seminar.

In these two days we have had very interesting paper presentations by eminent researchers from various disciplines but working on different aspects of climate change in different parts of the country over five technical sessions and also two enlightening keynote lectures by Prof. U. Sankar, Eminent Economist and Prof. K.G. Saxena, Eminent Ecologist. Apart from presentations we are fortunate to have many participants who are experts in this area too and are from different professional and occupational backgrounds. We had our resource persons and participants from research institutions, universities, advocacy organizations, administration and government. Our idea behind inviting resources persons from diverse background like ecology, economics, statistics, forestry, engineering, public administration and public policy is to have a effective dialogue on the complex issues of climate change and even more complex phenomenon of data issues involved in climate change research. There was Valedictory Session at the end, which was chaired by Shri S.K. Das, Director General, Central Statistical Organization (Social Statistics Division), of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India. In valedictory session, The overview of the seminar was given by Dr. Sunil Nautiyal, Seminar Coordinator and Prof. R.S. Deshpande, Director - ISEC, made over all remarks on the broad perspective of the seminar.  Prof. S.L. Rao, Prof. S.L. Rao, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC delivered valedictory address. Concurrently Prof. K.N. Ninan, Head-CEENR, has delivered formal vote of thanks to the distinguished participants of the seminar. In these two days we couldn’t focus on many relevant issues like data modeling, remote sensing application and institutional issues involved in compilation and publication of such data these requires for complacent of the outcome of such seminar. In future activities these areas will be taken as a priority basis. Overall efforts made by CEENR-ISEC in conducting the seminar were highly appreciated and everybody opined that such seminars should be conducted on regular basis to sensitize the methodology for integrated interdisciplinary research to predict consequences of climate change for better adaptation and mitigating the threats related to climate change.

Annual Conference of Indian Association for Research on National Income and Wealth (IARNIW)
 

The Conference was jointly organized by the IARNIW and ISEC from 27-29 November 2008.  It was inaugurated with the presidential address by Professor B.B. Bhattacharya, President,  IARNIW & Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and keynote address by Professor S.D. Tendulkar,  Chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, Government of India.  The inaugural function was chaired by Shri S.L. Rao, Chairman, Board of Governors, and ISEC with a welcome address by Professor R.S. Deshpande, Director, and ISEC.  Dr S.L. Shetty, Director of EPW Research Foundation, delivered the Lecture on "Growing Inequality: A Serious Challenge to the Indian Society and Polity" in the Memory of Professor VKRV Rao.

Technical sessions began with a presentation on "National Transfer Accounts: Introducing age into National Accounts" by Professor M.R. Narayana. Other sessions focused savings and capital formation, new series of National Accounts Statistics with base year 2004-05, employment, prices and poverty measurements. Eminent economists, policy makers, and data researchers participated in the discussions including Professor V.R. Panchamukhi, Professor G. Thimmaiah, Dr Anup Poojari, Sri KGK Subba Rao, Sri Ramesh Kolli, Sri P.C. Mohanan, Sri R.P. Katyal  and   Dr R.B. Burman.

The Conference suggested for the creation of a centre for research on national income and transfer accounts at ISEC.  The suggestion was mooted by Prof. B.B. Bhattacharya and endorsed by the Conference, as ISEC has been engaged in national income based research on transfer accounts. Proposed research centre was considered a tribute for Professor VKRV Rao in his birth centenary year and for his seminal contributions to India's national income. This centre's expected contributions include research support for estimation of national and state income for policy makers, carry out advanced conceptual and theoretical research, and  data research including  measurement issues on national income accounting in India.

 The Conference was co-ordinated by Professor M.R. Narayana in cooperation with Sri Ramesh Kolli (Additional Director-General, CSO) and Sri P.C. Mohanan (Deputy-Director General, National Statistical Commission) and with the support of staff and students in the ISEC

Workshop on Formative Evaluation of the Management Development Programme (MDP) for the field level functionaries in the education department of the state government

The CHRD has initiated a research study on Formative Evaluation of the Management Development Programme (MDP) for the field level functionaries in the education department of the state government. This study is being sponsored by the Ajzeem Premji Foundation (APF) and Policy Planning Unit (PPU) of the Commissioner for Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka. In this connection,  a two-day workshop was held on Nov. 13 & 14, 2008 in ISEC. The purpose of the workshop was to provide background information about the MDP, the objectives, nature of the study and its proposed methodology. The participants to the workshop included Principal/Director and senior faculty in Education from the degree and post-graduate colleges of Education and Education Consortium, who would be coordinating the data collection for the study from four districts in the state. Prof. C.S. Nagaraju was the lead resource person for the workshop. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. M.D.Usha Devi, Professor & Head, CHRD

Poverty in Karnataka – Status, Programmes and Issues - 20-9-2008

The incidence of poverty in Karnataka has declined; but, this was uneven across the regions and social groups.  In this context, the following questions arise.  What factors contributed to somewhat high incidence of poverty in urban areas and among the depressed castes and groups? How did the policies and programmes influence the poverty incidence in the state and across the different regions and groups? What lessons can be learnt for policy and programme formulation? In order to discuss these questions and arrive at appropriate policy decisions, ISEC has organised one-day seminar on September 20, 2008, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Bangalore.

The inaugural session was chaired by Shri S L Rao, Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors.  Prof. R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC, welcomed the participants.  The inaugural address was given by Mr. D H Shankar Murthy, Deputy Chairman, State Planning Board, GoK, while Prof. V M Rao delivered the keynote address.  Well-known experts in the subject have presented seven technical papers in the seminar.  The Valedictory address was delivered by Dr. S S Meenaskhisundaram in the final session, chaired by Mr. S Ramanathan, Chairman, IIPA-KRB.  About 46 persons participated in the seminar.

Seminar on Draft Karnataka Groundwater (Regulation and Control of    Development and Management) Bill, 2006

Groundwater management is one of the most important tasks in order to preserve the natural resources and ensure sustainable water supply. As the legal aspect of groundwater is concerned, it is important to work towards a groundwater policy, as there is no single law that runs across the country dealing with groundwater ownership and management. All groundwater acts are established in the form of state acts as they are assigned to the state list. In Karnataka, though the problem of groundwater over-exploitation is acute and its consequences are alarming, the state is yet to come up with a legislation. Though the bill has been drafted and discussed several times, no final shape is given as yet. Keeping in view the importance of such a legislation, a Brainstorming session on Draft Karnataka Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill, 2006, was held on September 17, 2008 at the Institute with the focus on identifying important issues and missing links in the proposed bill and to suggest possible options for improving the bill keeping in view the propositions as well as the mandates. This was a joint effort of Institute for Social and Economic Change and the Economic Advisor’s Office of the Government of Karnataka. There were three technical sessions besides the inaugural and concluding sessions, covering various themes.  Senior officials of various Government bodies of Government of Karnataka as well as Central government, and activists from NGOs made presentations and participated in the deliberations. ADRTC and CEENR of ISEC coordinated the Seminar. Key points and gaps discussed across sessions were summarized and accordingly required changes were incorporated in the draft bill and submitted to the Government of Karnataka for its consideration.

Seminar on Poverty in Karnataka – Status, Programmes and Issues – 20.9.2008

The incidence of poverty in Karnataka has declined; but, this was uneven across the regions and social groups.  In this context, the following questions arise.  What factors contributed to somewhat high incidence of poverty in urban areas and among the depressed castes and groups? How did the policies and programmes influence the poverty incidence in the state and across the different regions and groups? What lessons can be learnt for policy and programme formulation? In order to discuss these questions and arrive at appropriate policy decisions, ISEC has organised one-day seminar on September 20, 2008, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Bangalore.

The inaugural session was chaired by Shri S L Rao, Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors.  Prof R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC, welcomed the participants.  The inaugural address was given by Mr D H Shankar Murthy, Deputy Chairman, State Planning Board, GoK, while Prof V M Rao delivered the keynote address.  Well-known experts in the subject have presented seven technical papers in the seminar.  The Valedictory address was delivered by Dr S S Meenakshisundaram in the final session, chaired by Mr S Ramanathan, Chairman, IIPA-KRB.  About 46 persons participated in the seminar.

The seminar was coordinated by Prof D Rajasekhar, Head, Centre for Decentralisation and Development.

Thirtieth Annual Conference of the Indian Association for the Study of Population (IASP)(October 17-19, 2008)

The annual conference of the Indian Association for the Study of Population (IASP) was organized by Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore during October 17-19, 2008.  This conference brought together about 250 experts from both from India and abroad. The theme of the conference was Population Gender and Health.  The first Mari Bhat Memorial Oration was organized as part of the conference. Professor Tim Dyson, London School of Economics delivered the Oration. The George Simmons Memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Ami Tusi, John Hopkins University, USA. The conference programme included four Plenary sessions, 10 technical session and 4 poster sessions. Altogether around 200 papers were presented in the conference. 

International Validation Workshop on Gender Friendly School Indicators  (November 3-4, 2008)

In continuation of the International Roundtable on “Indicators of School Quality: Towards Gender-friendly Schooling Environment” held in March 2008 at the ISEC, jointly organised by Commonwealth of Learning [COL], Commonwealth Foundation[CF], and Commonwealth Secretariat and the ISEC, the indicators developed therein were tested in three schools/communities in different parts of India. Advocate S.Suhruth Kumar, Grameena Padana Kendram [GPK], Trivandrum, Sri Bharat of Vishakha, Jaipur and Dr.Niranjanaradhya of the Centre for Child and Law [CCL], Bangalore kindly undertook to do the testing. The work done at the school/community level was reviewed and validated at a two day Validation Workshop [VW] conducted in the ISEC on 3^rd and 4^th of November. The Validation Workshop was attended by delegates from Bangladesh who are also interested in testing the same indicators, besides the participants from the three organizations testing in India. Dr.Tanyss Munro from the COL besides Professor P.K.Michael Tharakan the Project Director and Professor M.D.Usha Devi Head CHRD and also other experts from the ISEC faculty attended the VW. The indicators were streamlined and made more people friendly. It was decided that testing would be extended upto January 2009 and the final report will be presented in February 2009. The indicators and the changes made in them will be presented in the Wiki Educator and eventually is expected to be brought out as a Toolkit which can be used by any one not only in the Commonwealth countries but elsewhere in the world.

SEMINARS UNDER THE OPEN DISCUSSION FORUM

 The Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development (CPIGD) initiated a series of informal discussions on topical subjects, under the title of “Open Discussion Forum (ODF), on Contemporary Political and Developmental Issues”. 

The following discussion meets on contemporary political and developmental issues organised by the centre:

1.      On the topic Confidence Vote in the Indian Parliament and its Political Ramifications on September 24, 2008.

2.      On the topic Global Financial Crisis on November 12, 2008. The discussion initiated by Prof Meenakshi Rajeev, Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Policy and presentations followed by Mr Kaushik Basu and Mr Manojit Bhattacharya,  PhD Scholars, ISEC, Bangalore. 

International Seminar on “Diversities in the Indian Diaspora:  Nature, Implications and Responses”

In partnership with the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, the Institute organized an International Seminar on ‘Diversities in the Indian Diaspora: Nature, Implications and Responses’ on 7-9 May 2008. This Seminar was co-ordinated by Professor N. Jayaram. About 30 national and international delegates participated in the Seminar.

The Seminar was inaugurated by historian and biographer Dr Ramachandra Guha. Professor Peter Ronald DeSouza, Director, IIAS explained the objectives and orientation of the larger ‘Diversities’ Project under which the instant Seminar was conceived. Professor Jayaram, Director, ISEC welcomed the delegates and presented a thematic introduction to the Seminar. Dr K. Puttaswamaiah, Chief Secretary (Government of Karnataka) and a Founder Member of the ISEC Society presided over the Inaugural function.

In all, 18 full-length papers were presented in six thematic sessions. Among the paper presenters were scholars specializing in the study of Indian Diaspora – Vijay Agnew, Chandrashekhar Bhat, Kamala Ganesh, Vinesh Hookoomsingh, Prakash C. Jain, Ravindra K. Jain, Parmjit S. Judge, M.A. Kalam, T. Marimuthu, Aparna Rayaprol, and Constantino Xavier – and Ambassadors who have shown keen interest in the Indian Diaspora – I.S. Chauhan, Paramjit S. Sahai, J.C. Sharma. As part of the Seminar, a film– ‘Jahaji Music: India in the Caribbean – produced and directed by Tejaswini Niranjana was screened and discussed.

Professor Yogesh Atal delivered the valedictory address.  He not only summarised the entire proceedings of the Seminar, but also delineated the lines on which future research could proceed. Professor DeSouza presided over the valedictory function and Professor Jayaram proposed the vote of thanks.

The Seminar discussed the various aspects of ‘the Indian Diaspora’ by focusing on the diversity of the phenomenon covered under the rubric. To start with, the period of the initial immigration of the Indians abroad (that is, colonial or post-independence) and the nature of their immigration (that is, under the indentured labour system or voluntary) makes for diversity in the courses and consequences of the Indian Diaspora. The magnitude of the populations involved and the nature of their economic status and political predicament in different diasporic situations are diverse. The economic, political, social and cultural experiences of the immigrant Indians in the country of their settlement have been varied. Furthermore, the fact that the socio-cultural diversity in India has been carried abroad by the diasporic Indians further complicates the situation. Not surprisingly, therefore, the orientation of the Indians in the Diaspora towards India and Indian nationals, and that of India and the Indian nationals towards the Indian diaspora is also varied.

The themes covered included the manifestation of institutional and socio-cultural diversities in the Indian Diaspora; management/levelling of diversities and the assertion of Indian-ness (other than in citizenship terms) in the Diaspora; host country’s response to the diversity of the Indian Diaspora: multiculturalism and assimilation models or what citizenship implies; civilizational moorings of the Diaspora and the host country’s socio-cultural and political reality; the religious, caste, regional, and linguistic associations of the Diaspora; the role of the electronic media in reinforcing diversities; and problematising ‘India’, ‘Indians’ and ‘the Indian Diaspora’ as analytical constructs.

The seminar highlighted that ‘the Indian Diaspora’ is not a homogenous phenomenon. This has an important policy implication in that a realistic policy must take into account the differential interests and expectations of the heterogeneous Diaspora and differentially address the issues of the different diasporic Indian communities, instead of mistaking the PIO (people of Indian origin) for the Indian Diaspora. The uncritical use of the phrase ‘the Indian Diaspora’ has, it was observed, unwittingly hindered both our understanding of the phenomenon and the possibility of a realistic policy towards Indian communities abroad.

Round-Table on ‘Indicators of School Quality: Towards Gender-Friendly Schooling Environment

An International Round-Table on ‘Indicators of School Quality: Towards Gender-Friendly Schooling Environment’ was organised during March 26-29, 2008, jointly by the ISEC, the Commonwealth Secretariat, London, the C o m m o n w e a l t h Foundation, London, and the Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver. The objective of the Round-Table was to develop indicators of school quality which could be used by school m a n a g e m e n t committees/boards and communities. Shri P Prabhu, Advisor to the Governor of Karnataka, inaugurated the Round-Table on March 26. On March 28, Professor U R Ananthamurthy released the Commonwealth Foundation Report on ‘Girls’ Education: A Foundation for Development,’ at a special session chaired by Shri S L Rao, Chairman, Board of Governors of ISEC. Mr Vijaya Krishnarayan, Deputy Director, Commonwealth Foundation, participated in the session. More than 30 delegates, many of whom were from South Asian countries, participated in the Round-Table. Delegates from other than the South Asian countries and from Bangalore and nearby places also participated in it. The organising bodies were represented by Dr Tanyss Munro, Dr Mohan Menon, Ms Jyostna Jha, Ms Anisha Rajapakshe. Professor P K M Tharakan, R K Hegde Chair Professor, ISEC, coordinated the local organisational matters while Dr Munro was the coordinator for the external organisational matters. Professor M D Usha Devi and Professor S N Sangita were the joint convenors.

Micro Finance Needs Of Vulnerable Groups

The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) has undertaken a study on ‘Assessing the Micro-Finance Needs of Vulnerable Groups’ in collaboration with New Entity for Social Action (NESA). The study was carried out by the Centre for Decentralisation and Development in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu covering a large sample from the five vulnerable groups (dalit, adivasis, transgendered (aravanis), Muslim women and sex workers) in the project areas of NGOs supported by NESA.  The draft report of study has been completed.  It is in this context that a two-day national seminar on Micro Finance Needs of Vulnerable Groups was organised at ISEC during March 11-12, 2008.  The purpose of the seminar was to disseminate the study findings, discuss the micro-finance needs of vulnerable groups emerging from the study, and to identify the strategies, approach and activities to meet these needs.  In all, 47 persons representing the government, academic institutions, banks, NGOs and donors attended the two-day national seminar.  The seminar was coordinated by Dr. D Rajasekhar with the assistance of Ms. R Manjula and Ms. Suchitra J Y.

National Seminar on Globalisation and the Management of Vulnerabilities

The Institute organized a two-day National Seminar on Globalisation and the Management of Vulnerabilities on March 26-27, 2008. The seminar was expected to contribute to the ongoing debate on globalization. While there is some minimum consensus that globalization has exacerbated inequalities within and among nations, the exact nature of this relationship and its wider implications remain little explored, inadequately systematized and theorized. The seminar sought to address some of these gaps.

The seminar themes were introduced by Prof. N Jayaram, Director, ISEC and valedictory address was delivered by Prof. Michael Walton, VKRV Rao chair Professor, ISEC.  In all, eight papers were presented in the seminar. Professors M V Nadkarni, V M Rao and Abdul Aziz participated in the panel discussion chaired by Shri S L Rao, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC.  The seminar was coordinated by Professors N Jayaram and D Rajasekhar.

Water Resources in Karnataka: Emerging Challenges and Options (25th of March, 2008 at Vikasa Soudha, Bangalore)

The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources of the Institute in cooperation with the State Planning Board of Government of Karnataka  organized a one-day Seminar on “Water Resources in Karnataka: Emerging Challenges and Options” as part of the World Water Resources Day. The objective of the Seminar was to discuss key issues and challenges facing the water sector and to evolve policy alternatives for adoption by the stakeholders.

Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka Shri Rameshwar Thakur inaugurated this Seminar and Shri Sudhakar Rao, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka  delivered keynote address.  The participants of the Seminar were Principal Secretaries / Secretaries / Heads of concerned departments, academicians, NGOs, user groups and other stakeholders in the water sector. This seminar was supported by Argyam Foundation and Honeywell Instruments. Prof. K.V. Raju, Head, CEENR, ISEC and Bidisha Chaudhury, Research Consultant & Joint Secretary, State Planning Board coordinated the seminar.

Developing Handbook on Research & Evaluation Within SSA Framework

The CHRD in collaboration with State Project Office, SSA Mission/ GoK organized  a two-day’s  State level Workshop for Developing Handbook on Research & Evaluation Within SSA Framework on March 6-7, 2008 in ISEC. The aim of the workshop was to familiarize the officials at the state, district and sub-district levels to identify key research issues, research design and techniques to undertake suitable studies relating to access, quality, monitoring & supervision and community involvement under SSA framework.  Dr. M.D. Usha Devi, Professor & Head, CHRD provided academic and logistic support apart from being a resource person herself in the workshop. The inaugural address for the workshop was delivered by Smt. Vandita Sharma, IAS, State Project Director, SSA Mission, GoK and the valedictory address was delivered by Sri.T.M. Vijayabhaskar, Secretary, Primary and Secondary Education, GoK. There were altogether 32 participants in the workshop which included key resource persons in the field of Education, the State Project Officers, SSA Mission, Deputy Directors of Public Instruction, DIET Principals & faculty, officers from the DSERT, Block Resource and Cluster Resource Persons.

Budget 2008-09: An Analysis

 ISEC, in association with the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) and Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies (RIMS) organized a seminar on "Budget 2008-09 - An analysis" on Saturday, 1st March, 2008 at the Vijayanagar Hall, Hotel Taj Residency, M.G. Road, Bangalore. From ISEC side Meenakshi Rajeev was involved in the organisation of the seminar. Shri S L Rao Chaired the seminar, Prof. R S Deshpande, Dr K. Gayithri, and Meenakshi Rajeev made presentations.

NFHS-3 Data User’s Workshop, January 3-4, 2008

Two day NFHS-3 data user’s workshop was jointly organised by PRC, ISEC and IIPS Mumbai on January 3-4, 2008.  The major objective of the workshop was to acquaint the researchers with NFHS-3 data and to facilitate further analysis of the data.  Through this workshop, participants were introduced to the NFHS-3 data files, their management and generation of selected indicators on population, health and nutrition.  A total of 31 members representing various academic, governmental and non-governmental organisations of the four southern states participated in this two-day workshop.

Regional Consultation on "Conditions of Work and Promotion of Livelihoods in the Unorganised Sector

Recently, the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) completed a report on the Bill on Conditions of Work and Promotion of Livelihoods in the Unorganised Sector. Discussions are being held in different parts of the country on the Bill. On its part the ADRT Centre organised the Southern Regional Consultation at ISEC on May 22, 2007. Trade Union leaders and activists, academicians and administrators participated in the Consultation. Professor R S Deshpande coordinated the organisaion of  Regional Consultation.

National Seminar on the 11th Five-Year Plan of Karnataka: Perspectives

The Institute and the Karnataka State Planning Board jointly organised a two-day National Seminar on the "11th Five-Year Plan of Karnataka: Perspectives" on May 4-5, 2007. The seminar focused on achieving "Inclusive Growth in Karnataka State" through earmarking adequate financial resources for the thrust areas in the 11th Five-Year Plan Document to be prepared by the Central Planning Commission. The major focus of the seminar was on the following thrust areas: Agriculture and Water Management, Industry and Infrastructure, Balanced Regional Development, Social and Human Development, Financing the Plan, and Implementation Strategies. The seminar was coordinated by Professor S Madheswaran and Dr. C Nanjundaiah from the Centre for Economic Studies and Policy, ISEC.

CEENR-ISEC-CAPRi Training Course

A training course for South Asian researchers and practitioners on "Property Rights, Collective Action and Environmental Governance: The Links between State, Community and Resources" was co-organised by the CEENR-ISEC and CGIAR systemwide program on Collective Action and Property Tights (CAPRi), from April 16 to 20, 2007. Dr. Madhushree Sekher and Professor K V Raju coordinated the programme. The objective of the programme was to highlight collective action and property rights issues in environmental governance, in order to better understand the considerations for improved natural resource management (NRM) that sustain rural livelihoods. In all 21 participants from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and India attended the course.

International Conference on 21st Century Challenges to Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: Biotechnology, Environment, Nutrition, Trade and Policy

The Institute organised in association with the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, USAID, Higher Education for Development (HED), and Lowa State University, USA, an International Conference from March 15 to 17, 2007. Professor R S Deshpande, who is the co-chairperson, co-ordinated the conference on behalf of ISEC. The conference was attended by 350 national and international delegates. Out of these, 45 delegates came from foreign universities.

Workshop on Implications of NFHS-3 Preliminary Findings for Karnataka

A one-day workshop was organised on February 24, 2007, by the population Research Centre of ISEC to discuss the implications of the NFHS-3 findings for Karnataka.The major objectives of the workshop were to discuss the preliminary findings with other surveys like RCH, Census etc. More importantly, it aimed at disseminating the findings of NFHS-3 and RCH survey results to the policy makers. The participants were mainly drawn from state and district officials of the department of health, Government of Karnataka.

Workshop on the Role of District Administration

A one-day workshop on the Role of District Administration was organised by the Centre for Decentralisation and Development in collaboration with the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad on December 1, 2006. The main objective of the workshop was to analyse and assess the role of District Administration in the context of attempts to introduce decentralised planning and governance through the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. Mr. M R Srinivas Murthy, the Principal Secreatry RDPR of GOK, delivered the Keynote address. The workshop was coordinated by Prof D Rajasekhar.

Seminar by Japanese Scholars

A group of six Japanese scholars associated with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation India, Tokyo visited the Institute on August 22, 2006. The team was led by Dr. Hideki Esho Professor of Economics of Hosei University. A half day workshop was organised by Center for Economic Studies and Policy where in each of the scholars made a presentation. Dr. K Gayithri coordinated the workshop.

Rejuvenating Tanks for Sustainable Livelihoods - Emerging Trends

The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources of the ISEC organised a two-day National workshop on "Rejuvenating Tanks for Sustainable Livelihoods - Emerging Trends" on August 3-4, 2006 at ICRISAT Campus, Hyderabad. The National workshop was conducted as a component of the study on tanks in Mid-Godavari Basin: Building Techno-Ecological Status, funded by the World Wide Fund - International. The objective of the workshop was to share the findings of the study, experiences and insights on various approaches/efforts undertaken by different agencies, discuss critical issues, policy implications and learn lessons to initiate action in a larger context. Dr. S Manasi coordinated the workshop.

Proposal Writing Workshop on Environmental Economics

A workshop on "Proposal Writing Workshop in Environmental Economics" was organised by South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) at the Institute in August 2006. The workshop was designed to bring together South Asian researchers and to let them develop skill in economic tools and techniques as well as research methods, with peer level feedback at each stage. Dr. S Madheswaran was the local coordinator of the programme.

Workshop on Rural-Urban Disparity in Karnataka

A Two day workshop on Rural-Urban Disparity in Karnataka was organised at the Institute on July 5 and 6, 2006. The main objective of the workshop was to disseminate the findings of the study. Prof. V M Rao delivered the inaugural address. About 40 delegates representing the various universities and NGOs attended the seminar. Prof D Rajasekhar coordinated the workshop.

National Workshop on Open Archives Initiative (OAI) and Institutional Repositories with DSPACE

A National Workshop on Open Archives Initiative (OAI) and Institutional Repositories with DSPACE was jointly organised by the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, and the National Social Science Documentation Centre (NASSDOC), ICSSR, New Delhi at ISEC campus during June 26-27, 2006. Twenty-four participants attended the workshop from all over India. Mr T R B Sarma, was the Workshop Coordinator

Asia Regional Workshop on Compensation for Ecosystems Services

Conference on Macro Economic Policy, Agricultural Development and Rural Institutions

This Conference was organised jointly by the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai, Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad, and Centre for Inter-Disciplinary Studies in Environment and Development (CISED), Bangalore. Organised in honour of Professor A Vaidyanathan on his distinguished academic and policy related services, the conference focused on the themes on which he had excelled in his contributions to academic thinking in India and abroad. Distinguished scholars from different parts of the country assembled on this two-day conference and paid high tributes to his services. The Conference was inaugurated by Dr C Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.

National Workshop on Rural Infrastructure

A National Workshop on Rural Infrastructure was organised by the Institute, jointly with the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi, on 10 th January 2006. This Joint workshop was organised bringing all the relevant studies carried out by the NCAER and ISEC for wider dissemination. The participants of the workshop included Shri S L Rao, members of the Board of Governors, life members, faculty of the Institute, invitees, academicians from the University and other sister institutions and the administrators. Prof D Rajasekhar, was the Coordinator of the workshop.

Dissemination Seminar on Karnataka Development Report

After the completion of the Karnataka Development Report, the Institute organised a one-day seminar on the Report on January 5, 2006. The seminar was inaugurated by Shri P G R Sindhya, Honourable Minister for Finance, Industry and Infrastructure, Government of Karnataka.The Seminar was attended by delegates from IIMB, NIAS, CMDR and IAT and line departments of the Government of Karnataka.

Post International Symposium and 37th Annual Conference of the Indian Regional Science Association Training Workshop for Young Regional Scientists

The International Symposium and 37th Annual Conference of the Indian Regional Science Association was held at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore during 6 - 8 January, 2006. As a post conference event, the One-day Post International Symposium and 37th Annual Conference of the Indian Regional Science Association Training Workshop for Young Regional Scientists was organised at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore on 9^th January 2006 between 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. with the main objective to introduce the young regional scientists to the theme `Regional Development Trends and Emerging Issues and associated Taxonomical Issues of Regionalisation'. The training workshop was inaugurated by Professor Gopal K Kadekodi, the Director of ISEC with a brief introduction to the ISEC and current issues of Regional development. Professor K R G Nayar, a well-known regional economist from Policy Research Institute, New Delhi had presented a session on the main theme followed by Dr G S Sastry on some issues of taxonomies applied in regionalisation. In the afternoon, Dr Sharachchandra Lele, Coordinator, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment and Development(CISED) presented a session on the GIS based Natural Resources Data Analysis with special reference to the Western Ghats Region of Karnataka. Later, the participants were introduced to the ISEC Library for reference work. About 20 participants including some faculty and students of the Institute had attended the training workshop. Dr G S Sastry, Assistant Professor, Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources had coordinated the training workshop.

Rural Infrastructure

A one day workshop in Rural Infrastructure was organised at Institute on January 10, 2005. The workshop was jointly organised by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi & Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. The workshop was coordinated by Prof. D Rajasekhar.

Dissemination Seminar on Karnataka Development Report

After the completion of the Karnataka Development Report, The Institute organised a one-day seminar on the Report on January 5, 2006. The seminar was inaugurated by Shri P.G.R Sindhya, Honourable Minister for Finance, Industry and Infrastructure, Government of Karnataka.

The seminar was organised into 5 sessions namely 1) Macro Perspectives and Drives 2) Sectoral perspectives for Development ) human and Social Concerns 4) Regional Development and Governance and wound up with the last session "Vision for the Future". The Seminar was attended by delegates from IIMB, NIAS, CMDR and IAT and Line departments of Government of Karnataka.

To get more information about KDR project, please visit www.isec.ac.in/kdr.htm

Effectiveness of Micro-Finance Programmes in Reducing Vulnerability to Debt Bondage in Andhra Pradesh

A one-day national level workshop on Effectiveness of Micro-Finance Programmes in Reducing Vulnerability to Debt Bondage in Andhra Pradesh was organised at the Institute on December 23, 2005. The participants included government officials, representatives from NGOs and Donor agencies, academicians from Karnataka and other states. Prof D Rajasekhar co-ordinated the workshop.

Block Level Educational Planning

The Education Unit of the Institute is organised a two-day workshop for Block Education Officers of the State on “Block Level Educational Planning”, on the 6^th & 7^th of October 2005, at the Institute.  Dr.Rajkumar Khatri, IAS, State Project Director, Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan Mission (SSA)  inaugurated the programme.  The programme was sponsored by the SSA Mission, GoK. Prof. A S Seetharamu,  co-ordinated the workshop.

Lives at Risk:  Vulnerable Daughters in a Modernizing Society

The Institute in Collaboration with Lund University, Sweeden, organised a two day workshop on "Lives at Risk: Vulnerable Daughters in a Modernizing Society", during 28-29 September, 2005. The participants   deliberated on reasons and implications of declining child sex ratios in India with paper presentations by demographers, sociologists, representatives of NGOs, based on the research and intervention programmes carried out in different states of India.   Sri. P. Padmanabha, former Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India gave the keynote address and Prof. P.N. Mari Bhat, Director, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, delivered the valedictory address. Dr T V Sekhar was the co-ordinator of the workshop

A Statistical Accounting of Water Resources

The Ecological Economics Unit of the Institute organised a two day seminar on "A Statistical Accounting of Water Resources", on June 24-25, 2005. The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, New Delhi, sponsored the seminar. The main focus of the seminar was on the problems in computing statistics related to water sector and to refine the methodologies relating to statistical accounting of water resources. In addition to the the senior officers of the CSO, the officials of the Directorates of Economics and Statistics of different states also participated in the seminar. Dr. G S Sastry and Prof. K V Raju co-ordinated the seminar.

National Workshop on Open Source Software for Libraries

A National Workshop on "Open Source Software for Libraries" was jointly organised by the Institute and the National Social Science Documentation Centre (NASSDOC), ICSSR, New Delhi at ISEC on April 4-5, 2005. The workshop was co-ordinated by Sri T R B Sarma, Deputy Librarian, ISEC.

Development in Karnataka: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective

The Institute in collaboration with Cornell University, Ithaca, USA organised a conference on "Development in Karnataka: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective" from June 10-12, 2005 with the idea of providing a forum where research on a wide range of issues related to Karnataka could be shared with policy makers, researchers and civil society. Participants representing a range of social science disciplines came from different parts of India and also from Norway, Germany, UK and USA

Indian Polity: Future of Society and Economics

A seminar on Indian Polity: Future of Society and Economics was held at the Institute on 29-30 April 2005, on the occasion of the Annual General Body Meeting of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutes.

The purpose of the seminar was both to delineate multiple aspects of a changing political scenario, and its immediate and possible effects upon different dimensions of our social and economic reality. The three sub themes of the seminar were i) State and Globalization, ii) Politics: Parties, Coalitions and Ideologies, iii) Civil Society and Social Movements.

Regional Dissemination Seminar on District Level Household Survey Results in Karnataka

The Institute, in collaboration with the International Institute of Population Studies, Mumbai, organised a Regional Dissemination seminar on District Level Household Survey Results in Karnataka under the RCH Programme on April 16, 2005. The Seminar was inaugurated by De. Gopal k Kadekodi, Director of the Institute. Participants included among others, representatives from the Government of India, academicians from Universities and Institutions and Founder/Life Members and faculty, staff and Students of the Institute. Prof. K N M Raju, Prof.  was the co-ordinator of the seminar.

Chinese Economic Development: Lessons for India

The Institute oganised a Seminar on Chinese Economic Development: Lessons for India on 15 April 2005. Professor J.F. Huchet (EHESS, Paris) spoke on Strength and weakness of the Chinese Economic Growth, and Dr. Kong Xinxin (National Centre for Science and Technology for Development, Beijing) spoke on Learning Process, Technology Capability Accumulation and Self-reliance Innovation of Chinese Firm. Shri  S.L. Rao, Chairman, Board of Governors of ISEC, priseded over the seminar.

The participants were academic researchers, teachers in higher educational institutions, leaders of trade, business and industry, representatives of trade, business and industry associations, and senior officials and policy makers of the State Government.

Budget Seminar

A Seminar was organised at ISEC on March 15, 2005 to discuss the major issues relating to both the Union and State Budgets. The speakers in the seminar were Sri S L Rao, Prof. G Thimmaiah, Sri Gurucharan, Dr. Narendra Pani, Prof. Hemlata Rao, Prof. R S Deshpande and Dr. Ramachandran. Prof. A S Seetharamu, Head Education Unit, welcomed the participants. The Seminar was co-ordinated by Drs. Meenakshi Rajeev and Devendra Babu, under the guidance of Prof. Hemlata Rao.

Globalisation - Why It has a Human Face [Late Krishna Raj(editor EPW) Memorial Lecture]

ISEC, Jointly with the Centre for Budget Policy Studies, and Hope Foundation, organised the Late Krishna Raj Memorial Lecture on "Globalisation - Why It has a Human Face" by Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati, a distinguished economist, Columbia University, USA on February 26, 2005 at the auditorium of NIAS, Bangalore.

Micro-Insurance in India: Can it be Sold Profitably

A One day workshop on Micro-Insurance in India: Can it be Sold Profitably?, Jointly organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva, German Development Co-operation (GTZ), Bangalore and Bearing Point, Hyderabad, was held at ISEC on January 28, 2005. The chief objective of the workshop was to discuss the impediments to profitability faced by the insurance companies and the solutions to improve profitability. 30 members, representing the insurance companies both from public and private sector participated in the meet. Prof. D Rajasekhar co-ordinated the the workshop.

Civil Service Reforms and E-Governance

A one-day seminar in collaboration with IIPA-Karnataka Regional Branch, Bangalore, on " Civil Service Reforms and Initiatives in E-governance in the Southern States' was organised at the Institute on January 8, 2005. The Seminar was inaugurated by His Excellency, the Governor of Karnataka, Sri T N Chaturvedi, and it was presided over by Sri S L Rao, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Institute. The Key note address was delivered by Sri A N Tiwari, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India. Dr. Gopal K Kadekodi, Director ISEC, welcomed the delegates and Sri S Ramanathan, Chairman IIPA-KRB, Bangalore made the introductory remarks about the seminar. The concluding remarks were presented by Sri. S Ramanathan and Dr. Gopal K Kadekodi.

Stanford - India Development Conference - 2004

The Stanford-India Development Conference-2004 was held in Bangalore on December 21, 2004,   co-hosted by  Infosys Technologies Limited, The Stanford University’s Stanford Center for International Development (SCID) and with financial support from The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) at Infosys Campus.

The focus of the Conferences was on presenting an overview and assessment of India’s economic reforms, performance of power sector, changes in governance and institutions in reform era, and reforms in education and evaluation of education system.

The distinguished speakers of the Conference were Professor T.N. Srinivasan on assessment of India’s economic progress, Sri N.K. Singh on reforms in governance and institutions in the reform process, Professor Roger Noll on power sector reforms, and Professors Naushad Forbes, Anjini Kochar and A.S. Seetharamu on evaluation of education system.

The participants of the Conference were senior bureaucrats in the Government of Karnataka, distinguished academicians from reputed institutes and universities, and prominent members of civil society and business community.

Conference on Biotechnology and India's Development

ISEC in association with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi and supported by the Indo Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD), Netherlands, organised a Conference on Biotechnology and India's Development in Bangalore from November 22^nd to 24^th , 2004. The purpose of this conference was to understand and explore the full potential of the biotechnology sector in bringing about economic and social transformation and also accelerate economic growth in the coming decades. The participants of the conference were from all over India and a few from abroad and included policy makers, economists, scientists and industrialists.

Course on Survey Methods for Environmental Economists
and 9^th Biannual Research and Training Workshop

The Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC), The World Conservation Union (IUCN), Nepal’s regional program, and the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) jointly organised a Training course and the regular Bi-annual research workshops from October 30 to November 9, 2004 at Bangalore. The purpose of these annual activities from SANDEE is to seek the use of economic tools and analyses to address some of South Asia’s environmental challenges.

About 30 international participants attended these events. Prof. Madhav Gadgil  delivered a special lecture on this occasion. Among many others, Professors Partha Dasgupta, Karl Goran-Maler and Jeffrey Vincent participated as resource persons.

IT, E-governance and Rural Development

The Institute organised a half-day discussion on May 28, 2004, on the theme IT, E-governance and Rural Development.There was also a video-conference with Dr. Devi Shetty of the Narayana Hrudayalaya. BSNL Bangalore facilitated the video-conference between ISEC and Narayana Hrudayalaya. Prof. G K Kadekodi welcomed the guests and Shri S L Rao chaired and moderated the discussions. Prof. G.K. Karanth co-ordinated the event.

Feed and Fodder Development under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Karnataka

A workshop on Evaluation Study of Feed and Fodder Development under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Karnataka was arranged on March 19, 2004, to discuss the results of the project sponsored by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Government of Karnataka, with the satkeholders. Shri Raju Premkumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisherues was the Chief Guest.Director of AH&F, Assisstant Secretaries, Joint Directors as well as Deputy Directors from all the 11 State Livestock Breeding Centres and Officials from Planning Department, GOK attended the workshop.

40th Annual Conference of the Indian Econometric Society

The 40th Indian Econometrics Conference was held during February 13-15, 2004 at ISEC. The conference was presided over by Professor B.B. Bhattacharya, Director of Institute for Economic Growth, New Delhi. The Honorable Minister for Information and Technology, Government of Karnataka, Shri D.B.Inamdar, inaugurated the conference. Prof.S.R.Hashim, Member, UPSC, delivered the valedictory lecture on "Use of Quantitative Methods in Economic Policy in India".

There were special sessions featuring distinguished speakers on topics of current interest. Other sessions with contributed papers by the young and old members of the society dealing with applications of econometric methods to different sub-fields of economics

Prof. Gopal K Kadekodi was the chairman of the local organising committee; Dr. S Madheswaran was the local organising secretary.

Regional Workshop on Capacity Building for Budgetary Analysis at the State Level

In Collaboration with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, the Institute organised a Regional Workshop on Capacity Building for Budgetary Analysis at the State Level during November 25-28, 2003. Most of the participants were journalists from southern states of the country. Dr. Tapas Sen, Senior Fellow, NIPFP and Shri H N Ranganathan, Registrar, ISEC, were the coordinators of the workshop.

Workshop on Alternatives to Rural Water Supply in Karnataka

The Ecological Economics Unit, with the support of IWMI-Tata Program, organised a workshop on "Alternatives to Rural Water Supply in Karnataka" on July 22, 2003 at ISEC. Its main focus was to provide a platform for discussion among experts in rural water supply issues. Representatives of various organisations including, government, non-government and corporate sector participated in the workshop. The workshop provided valuable insights into different dimensions of the problem. The workshop, which was part of the Rural Drinking Water Project, was coordinated by Prof. K V Raju and Dr. S  Mansi.

Seminar on Lokayukta and Good Governance in Karnataka

A Seminar on "Lokayukta and Good Governance in Karnataka" was held at ISEC on June 28, 2003. The objective of the seminar, organised jointly by IIPA-Karnataka Regional Branch, Bangalore and ISEC, was to discuss the strengths and limitations of the Lokayukta institution for the promotion of good governance from the judicial, political, administrative, media, NGO's and citizens perspectives. The seminar had 3 technical sessions: 1) Good governance Initiatives and Pro-active Role of Lokayukta in Karnataka, 2) Lokayukta, Common Man and Service Delivery and 3) Corruption at Higher Levels and How to Make Lokayukta Institution Effective in Promoting Good Governance. The seminar was coordinated by Dr. S.N. Sangtia and Dr. N Sivanna.

Workshop on Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Environment

The workshop on Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Environment was organised by the Centre of Excellence in Environmental Economics, Madras School of Economics, in collaboration with ISEC at the Institute during June 2-4, 2003. The workshop was organised for the officers of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India. Its main objective was to provide a conceptual and methodological overview on cost benefit analysis. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. G S Sastry.

Second Development Convention of the Southern Region of ICSSR Institutions

The second Development Convention of the Southern Region ICSSR Institutions was held at ISEC during February 19-21, 2003. The theme of the convention was "Social Sector Development: Present Status and Future Challenges". Seventeen papers were presented in the four technical sessions focusing on State and Social Sector Development, Education, Health and Decentralised Governance. Prof. G K Karanth coordinated the convention. The convention was sponsored by Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai.

Following the successful completion of the Second Development Convention, representatives and directors of the participating institutions, faculty of ISEC and also Prof. V R Panchamukhi, Chairman, ICSSR participated in a Round Table. The focal theme was "Doing Social Science Research".

Workshop on Empowering Grassroot Leaders on Health Issues using Electronic Media

A State Level Workshop on "Empowering Panchayat Members on Health Issues through Electronic Media" was organised on January 24, 2003, at ISEC to discuss the project outcome and lessons learnt from an innovative action project implemented by ISEC recently. Dr. T.V. Sekher coordinated the workshop.

Workshop on Environmental Economics for Ph.D Scholars

The Ecological Economics unit of ISEC organised a national-level Workshop on Environmental Economics for Ph.D Scholars during December 9-13, 2002. The Programme was supported by the World Bank-aided India: Environmental Management Capacity Building Technical Assistance Project of the Ministry of Environment  and Forests, Government of India. The objective of the workshop was to impart training in theoretical and applied issues in environmental and resource economics to Ph.D Scholars working in this field. The Programme was coordinated by Dr. G S Sastry.

Seminar on "The State of Karnataka's Public Services: Benchmark for the New Millennium"

The Institute in collaboration with the Public Affairs Centre (PAC), Bangalore, organised a seminar on October 19, 2002 on the report "The State of Karnataka's Public Services: Benchmark for the New Millennium". 

Workshop on "Common Pool Resources and Institutions"

The Institute organised a workshop on "Common Pool Resources and Institutions" in collaboration with Lund University, CARIKS, Mysore, during August 27-29, 2002. The participants included faculty of the Institute, academicians, and administrators. Dr. Neelambar Hatti, of Lund University and Prof. R S Deshpande, of the Institute were the co-ordinators.

Evaluating Poverty Reduction and Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals

ISEC and the Operations Evaluation Department (OED) of the World Bank co-hosted a workshop on "Evaluating Poverty Reduction and Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals" on June 26-27, 2002 at ISEC.

Orientation Workshop for NGOs

A two day Orientation Workshop was organised at ISEC on May 9 and 10, 2002, to familiarise the NGOs on various RCH components and also to discuss the implementation of the project. It was coordinated by Dr. T V Sekher.

Private-Public Mix in Health Development: Lessons from Canadian Experiences

The second Symposium on "Private-Public Mix in Health Development: Lessons from Canadian Experiences", sponsored by the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute in New Delhi was held at the Institute during March 27-29, 2002. It was coordinated by Dr. Maathai K. Mathiyazhagan.

Decentralisation and Development: Thrust Research Areas, Dissemination and Capacity Building

A Workshop on "Decentralisation and Development: Thrust Research Areas, Dissemination and Capacity Building" was held at the Institute on 26th March, 2002, to seek the guidance on thrust areas of research for the centre, capacity-building activities, and ways and means of disseminating the research findings. It was coordinated by Dr. D. Rajashekar and Dr. N Sivanna.

Electoral Reforms

A workshop on Electoral Reforms was held at the Institute in Collaboration with the "Lok Satta", Hyderabad on 14th March, 2002. The prime objective of the workshop was to generate public opinion for Electoral Reforms. It was coordinated by Dr. N. Sivanna and Dr. Madhushree Sekher.

Role of Women's Studies in Recasting Academic Disciplines

On the occasion of Women's Day (March 8), the CISED and ISEC organised a seminar on the "Role of Women's Studies in Recasting Academic Disciplines".

"State of the Indian Farmer: A millennium Study"

A Review Seminar on "State of the Indian Farmer: A millennium Study"  was organised by Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Unit, ISEC on January 30-31, 2002.

Seminar on Life and Works of Prof. V.K.R.V Rao

A Seminar on Life and Works of Prof. V.K.R.V Rao was held on December 27, 2001. Eminent social scientists, faculty and staff of ISEC, and members of Prof. Rao's family attended the programme. On the occasion, the book Partial Memories of Prof. V.K.R.V Rao (edited by Mr. S.L. Rao) was released by Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Finance Minister, Government of India.

43rd Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics

The 43rd Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics was held at the Institute during December 18–20, 2001. Mr. Veerappa Moily, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Chairman of the Tax Reforms Commission of Karnataka, inaugurated the conference and delivered the inaugural address.

Regional Round Table on Information and Communications Technology

A Regional Round Table on Information and Communications Technology, was held at Hotel Taj West End, Bangalore, on August 28, 2001. It was organized by the Institute in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, Manila, Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India, and the Department of Information Technology, Government of Karnataka.

Exposure of Foreign Trade and WTO to Tobacco Farmers

A Workshop was organised on "Exposure of Foreign Trade and WTO to Tobacco Farmers"  on August 24 and 25, 2001 at ISEC.

Environmental and Social Assessment of Community-based Rehabilitation of Minor Irrigation Tanks in Karnataka

A Seminar was organised on "Environmental and Social Assessment of Community-based Rehabilitation of Minor Irrigation Tanks in Karnataka,’  on July 17, 2001, at ISEC.

Public Finance in Indian States: The Emerging Scenario

At the request of the Karnataka Tax Reforms Commission, a seminar was organized on ‘Public Finance in Indian States: The Emerging Scenario’ on July 11–12, 2001 at Hotel Capitol. A number of public finance specialists from all over the country attended the seminar.

Rural Decentralisation in Karnataka: Status, Best Practices and Strategy

A workshop on "Rural Decentralisation in Karnataka: Status, Best Practices and Strategy" was organised at the Institute during May 31-June 1, 2001. The workshop was organised jointly by ISEC, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and the World Bank. Participants were political executives of Panchayats and officers from the State and Local Government, experts from the World Bank, Ford Foundation and other donors, and members of ISEC faculty. It was coordinated by Dr D Rajasekhar and Dr N Sivanna.

Union Budget and Karnataka State Budget

A half-day seminar on "Union Budget and Karnataka State Budget" was held at the Institute on March 28, 2001. Participants were Secretaries of various Government departments, representatives of FKCCI and other organisations and distinguished academicians. It was coordinated by Prof. Hemlata Rao.

Volume and Composition of Subsidies in Karnataka

A Seminar on "Volume and Composition of Subsidies in Karnataka" was held at the Institute on March 7, 2001. Participants were Secretaries of various Government departments and distinguished academicians. It was coordinated by Dr. K Gayithri.

Poverty and Human Development Monitoring System

A Workshop on "Poverty and Human Development Monitoring System" was held at the Institute on February 2 and 3, 2001, at the request of Planning Department, Government of Karnataka.

Power, Patronage and Accountability in the Panchayats of Karnataka; Democratic Decentralisation and Participation of Women : A Case study of Karnataka

A joint workshop on "Power, Patronage and Accountability in the Panchayats of Karnataka; Democratic Decentralisation and Participation of Women : A Case study of Karnataka" was held at the Institute on January 19, 2001.