Institute for Social and Economic Change

Established in 1972 by Professor V K R V Rao, ISEC is an All-India Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and Training in the Social Sciences

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Recent Seminars and Workshops – isec

Recent Seminars and Workshops

Seminar And Training

Recent Seminars And Workshop

Sustainiti – “National Seminar on Sustainable Development in an Unequal World : Public Policy Paths 2024”
 
Panel Discussion on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s Vision on Constitution and Democracy

Workshop on “Water Security in Bengaluru” Seminar on “Advancing Frontiers of Knowledge on Climate Action Cross-sectional Approaches for Mitigation and Resilience” A 2 day seminar on “Advancing Frontiers of Knowledge on Climate Action Cross-sectional Approaches for Mitigation and Resilience” was organised by Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change, In Collaboration with, IIM-A, IIT-B, Supported by GIZ (New Delhi). About the Seminar: To assist in network building and knowledge exchange and thus strengthen capacities for enhanced science-policy-practice interface, three research studies were conducted jointly between Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and institutions namely Institute for Social and Economic Change, Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay worked on three priority areas which are key in realizing India’s NDCs and improving climate resilience. The studies were initiated and designed in collaboration with Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The purpose of the seminar is to disseminate and discuss the findings of the studies with the scientific audience and practitioners to understand the learnings better. It will also provide an opportunity to develop a consolidated document of suggestions and ideas in the form of seminar proceedings to be presented at the forthcoming COP-26 i.e., the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Key Objectives: To disseminate the outcomes of the three research studies, To exchange knowledge and strategies among national and international institutions, To consolidate insights and recommendations from stakeholders and experts, To identify research and action gap for formulating further research, To strengthen the institutional network of institutes and scientists working in the sector Dr Sunil Nautiyal was the Convenor of the Seminar
Dilemmas of Belonging and the Violence of Identity: Diasporic Hinduism and Tamils in Exile
A Public Lecture on “Dilemmas of Belonging and the Violence of Identity: Diasporic Hinduism and Tamils in Exile” by Prof. Kamala Ganesh M N Srinivas Chair Professor, ISEC was organised on 8th October, 2021 at ISEC through online. The lecture was Moderated by Prof. R. Indira Former Professor of Sociology, Mysore University & Member, Board of Governors, ISEC. The lecture was coordinated by Dr. Sobin George.

National Seminar on "Public Policy in India"
A one day national seminar on Public Policy in India cum book release of the edited book "Public Policy in India" Essays in honour of Prof B S Sreekantaradhya was organized on 8th October 2021 at ISEC. The seminar was coordinated by Prof. Krishna Raj.

Green Growth Strategies for Climate Resilience and DRR: Policies, Pathways and Tools

A three-day international workshop and training programme on ‘Green Growth Strategies for Climate Resilience and DRR: Policies, Pathways and Tools’ was jointly organised during November 26-28, 2020 by the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru and National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. Professor Sunil Nautiyal, Head, CEENR, ISEC and Prof Anil K Gupta, Head, PSDRRS, NIDM convened this important international workshop which had high relevance for contemporary world. The event was conducted via the Zoom platform and live streamed on YouTube.

The inaugural session was held in the seminar hall with a limited gathering while following COVID guidelines as issued by GoI. Professor S Madheswaran, Director, ISEC, Professor M V Nadkarni, Former Vice Chancellor of Gulbarga University and Honorary Visiting Professor, ISEC, Professor R S Deshpande, Former Director, ISEC and Honorary Visiting Professor ISEC, were present. Professor Sukhadeo Thorat, Former Chairman UGC and ICSSR and present Chairman of BoG, ISEC, Prof Anil K Gupta, NIDM, MHA, GoI;

Professor V K Malhotra, Member Secretary, ICSSR, joined online along with attendees from across the world. Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, Nishank, Honourable Union Education Minister, Government of India was unable to be present online due to official commitments, but sent his regards and best wishes. During the inaugural programme, Prof S Madheswaran and Prof Sunil Nautiyal addressed the gathering and Professor Nadkarni was felicitated.

A total of six panel discussions, three special lecture sessions and six general technical sessions were held in course of the scheduled three days which were attended by more than 500 participants from 15 countries of five continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America). There were 27 invited lectures and 42 general presentations on varied topics during the three days. The panels included eminent and well known experts who discussed and provided valuable perspectives on issues such as resilient cities and agriculture, disaster risk reduction, sustainability, circular and green economy, traditional knowledge, forests and biodiversity..

International Training Programme onPanchayats, Cooperatives and Rural Development

A three-day training programme was organised by the Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC, in collaboration with National Cooperative Council of Sri Lanka, for participants representing various cooperatives in Sri Lanka, during March 4-6, 2020 at ISEC. The training programme saw in-depth discussion on the role of decentralisation in rural development taking Karnataka as an example. The meet identified best practices that could be adopted for cooperatives and rural development..

Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions

The 20th Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) was conducted during February 27-29, 2020 at the Institute. Three themes were covered (i) Social and Economic Inequalities: Emerging Perspectives; (ii) Child Development: A Fair Chance to Every Child and (iii) Challenges of Urban Transformation. The conference was inaugurated by Hon’ble Vice-Chairman State Planning Board Shri B J Puttaswamy. Professor S Madheswaran, Acting Director of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) welcomed the Chief Guest and other dignitaries and participants of the conference. Professor Alakh N Sharma, Director Institute for Human Development and Member Secretary Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) apprised about the activities of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions.

Professor R Radhakrishna, Chairman, Indian Association of Social Science Institutions and former Chairman, National Statistical Commission welcomed the dignitaries and presented his remarks about the conference. The Inaugural Address was delivered by the Chief Guest Hon’ble Vice-Chairman State Planning Board, Shri B J Puttaswamy. Hon’ble Vice-Chairman presented the achievements made by the state government under different programmes and schemes for the well-being of people in the state. The inaugural session was presided by Professor P G Chengappa,

Former Vice-Chancellor of University of Agriculture Sciences Bengaluru and Member Board of Governors, ISEC. The session was concluded by a vote of thanks by Professor Parmod Kumar, faulty, ISEC and Local Organising Secretary, IASSI.

The Conference had in total seven plenary sessions and 3-4 parallel technical sessions. The key note addresses were delivered by eminent scholars on the three themes by Professor S Madheswran, Acting Director, ISEC on Social and Economic Inequalities: Emerging Perspectives; Professor A K Shiv Kumar, Visiting Faculty, Ashoka University on Child Development: A Fair Chance to Every Child; and Professor S R Hashim, Chairman, Institute for Human Development (IHD), Delhi; Former Member-Secretary, Planning Commission and Former Chairman, Union Public Service Commission on Challenges of Urban Transformation. In the post lunch session, a panel on India and Sustainable Development Goals was organised. The session was chaired by Shri Sanjiv Kumar, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Election Officer, Government of Karnataka. The speakers were: Mrs Chaya K Degaonkar, Additional Chief Evaluation, Government of Karnataka; Mrs Shipra Maitra, Professor, Institute for Human Development, Delhi and Professor Meenakshi Rajeev, RBI Chair Professor, ISEC.

The Atal Bihari Bajpai memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Sachin Chaturvedi, the Director General Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). Two special lectures were organised sharing the experiences of the government programmes in the state of Karnataka and the speakers were: Shri Sanjiv Kumar, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Election Officer, Government of Karnataka and Shri G Kumar Naik, Principal Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Government of Karnataka. Tarlok Singh Memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Sudipto Mundle on the topic ‘Development, Institutions and the State: Reflections on the Interaction between Theory, Policy and Ground Reality’.

Presidential address was delivered by Professor V K Malhotra, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (ICSSR). The topic of his presidential address was ‘Social Science Research in India: Issues and Perspectives’. A special lecture was delivered by Mr Anjum Parwez, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, Government of Karnataka on the topic, ‘Challenges of Urban Transformation in Karnataka’. A panel on New Education Policy was organised with the leading educationists. The panelist included Professor N V Varghese, Vice Chancellor, NIEPA, New Delhi; Ramesh Sharan, Vice Chancellor, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand; M V Nadkarni, Former Vice Chancellor, Gulbarga University; R K Mishra, Director, Institute of Public Enterprises, Hyderabad and K R Venugopal, Vice chancellor, Bangalore University.

Two-day Regional Conference on Towards Peace, Harmony and Happiness: Transition to Transformation

Population Research Centre (PRC) conducted a ‘Two-day Regional Conference on Towards Peace, Harmony and Happiness: Transition to Transformation’ jointly with Pranab Mukherjee Foundation, New Delhi, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, on January 23-24, 2020. Professor M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting a lamp. Professor R S Ghuman, Programme Co-ordinator, CRRID, Chandigarh; Professor Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor, Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag; Professor V R Venugopal, Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University, and Dr Gurinder Kaur, CRRID, Chandigarh, graced the occasion.

Professor Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor, Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayath Raj University, Gadag, Karnataka, and (Retd. Professor, Department of Political Science, Bangalore University, Bengaluru) delivered the keynote address and Professor K R Venugopal, Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Chief Guest of the programme addressed the audience. The conference was covered four sessions: (a) Education Transition and Transformation, (b) Socio-cultural Transition and Transformation, (c) Economic Transition and Transformation, (d)

Health Transition and Transformation. The outcome of the conference brought the relevant discussion on the above themes, which have a positive bearing on policy implications. Professor Giridhar R Babu, Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru, delivered the valedictory speech. Dr Vikash Kumar, Assistant Professor, CRRID, Chandigarh, proposed a vote of thanks. Professor C M Lakshmana coordinated the programme. .
Two day workshop on Socio-Economics Development through Value Addition
MM Hills Reserve Forest in Southern Karnataka, India, has a greater biological diversity. Communities such as Soligas and many other have been residing for a long time in these forests. The forest dwelling communities depend on wild edibles plants (WEPs) for various purposes. These WEPs resources also provide essential nutrients vitamins and impart cultural identity to these communities keeping the importance of WEPs a training on value addition of wild edibles for the tribal people of MM Hills organised by CEENR of ISEC in collaboration with CSIR – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) at CFTRI, Mysore from March 14-15, 2019. The main objective of this farmer-centric workshop was to upgrade the skills of tribal farmers about the processing of wild edibles and they will in turn train and encourage the other people of their respective villages, thereby assisting themselves to become selfdependent and to enhance the economy of the tribal communities using wild edibles that are endemic to the region. Twenty (20) Soliga tribal farmers have attended two day training progammre and resource persons from CFTRI Mysore have given training to the farmers on value addition of various plant products. This workshop was convened by Prof Sunil Nautiyal, CEENR, ISEC. The SEED Division of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India has given financial support for organization of training progarmme to the tribal farmers.
One-Day Dissemination Seminar on ‘Population and Health Studies’
Population Research Centre (PRC), ISEC, organised the First Dissemination Seminar on ‘Population and Health Studies’ conducted by the staff of PRC on June 27, 2019 with the financial support provided by the Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka. The inaugural function commenced at 10 am with the playing of the State anthem. Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting a lamp. Shri D S Ramesh, IAS Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Services, GoK, and Dr K Ravi Kumar, Senior Regional Director (Health & Family Welfare), Regional Office for Health & Family Welfare, GoI, graced the occasion. The other dignitaries presented at the seminar were Dr B G Prakash Kumar, Deputy Director (MVBDCP) and I/c State Programme Manager, NHM, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Services, Smt S Prameela, Joint Director (State Demographer), Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services, GoK, Prof P M Kulkarni, Retired Professor, JNU and a well-known Demographer and Former Faculty of PRC, and Prof K N M Raju, retired Professor and head, Population Research Centre, ISEC. There were about 45 participants, including the faculty and staff of PRC. It is one of the memorable occasion in the history of ISEC, with several State Health Officials attending this seminar at ISEC. Prof M G Chandrakanth, welcomed the dignitaries and participants. In his welcome address, Prof Chandrakanth mentioned that Population and Health are the two sides of the coin of Welfare. The optimum size of population influences our investment (both individually at family level and collectively at national level) on human health. Professor C M Lakshmana, the seminar coordinator, has delivered his introductory remarks and also welcomed all the dignitaries and participants to the seminar. At the same time, Dr C M Lakshmana explained the objective of the seminar. He thanked all the colleagues of PRC, saying that without their help this seminar was not possible to organise. As many as 11 research papers and studies, completed by PRC staff, were presented in four sessions. Session 1 discussed the Maternal and Child Health Services: Status and issues in India and Karnataka; Session-2 discussed the Older Persons and Care Needs: A study among Urban Middle-Class Senior Citizens in Bangalore; Session 3 highlighted the functioning of AYUSH Health Centres in Karnataka: An overview and Session 4 discussed the Population and Health Studies conducted by Population Research Centre.
One-Day Workshop on Functioning of DBT at Retail Points
A One-Day Workshop was organised for the project titled, ‘Functioning of DBT at Retail Outlets’ on June 7, 2019. The workshop was attended by the faculty/staff of all the 12 AERCs across India. In addition, the Department of Fertilizer, Government of India participated in the workshop through Skype. The officials of the Karnataka Government also participated in the Workshop which was inaugurated by Institute Director, Prof M G Chandrakanth, who in his welcome address pointed out the DBT policy issues, fertilizer funds and the distribution of fertilizer through POS machine at the retail level. Prof Parmod Kumar introduced the delegates about the DBT and explained the importance of fertilizer for the farmers. The team discussed about the methodology of the study, selection of retailers and farmer, about the questionnaire and conduct of survey. The Workshop concluded with Vote of Thanks by ADRT Centre head Dr K B Ramappa.A One-Day Workshop was organised for the project titled, ‘Functioning of DBT at Retail Outlets’ on June 7, 2019. The workshop was attended by the faculty/staff of all the 12 AERCs across India. In addition, the Department of Fertilizer, Government of India participated in the workshop through Skype. The officials of the Karnataka Government also participated in the Workshop which was inaugurated by Institute Director, Prof M G Chandrakanth, who in his welcome address pointed out the DBT policy issues, fertilizer funds and the distribution of fertilizer through POS machine at the retail level. Prof Parmod Kumar introduced the delegates about the DBT and explained the importance of fertilizer for the farmers. The team discussed about the methodology of the study, selection of retailers and farmer, about the questionnaire and conduct of survey. The Workshop concluded with Vote of Thanks by ADRT Centre head Dr K B Ramappa.
Accessing Citizen Participation and Voice in the Era of Democratic Decentralisation in Indian States: Interdisciplinary approaches
The central and state governments in India have initiated reforms towards democratic decentralization in the country. These reforms include devolution of political powers from centre to states and from states to sub-state level governments for the planning and implementation of various aspects of development, mandatory elections once in five years, reservations to disadvantaged groups of women and lower castes for their inclusion in the democratic decision making, creation of institutions such as village assembly for enabling the people to participate in the democratic governance and so on. In order to discuss the issues relating to public policies on poverty alleviation, service delivery and citizens’ participation in development process and so on from the interdisciplinary perspective, a seminar was jointly organised by the Japanese Research Group on comparative study of Indian State Politics and Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC during March 15-16, 2019. Scholars from Japan and India from different academic disciplines presented papers on Citizen Participation and Voices. The seminar brought out the uniqueness and common features of decentralised democratic politics in India. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof D Narasimha Reddy, Member, ISEC Board of Governors, while Prof N Jayaram, former Director, ISEC, delivered the keynote address. Prof D Rajasekhar and Dr R Manjula were the coordinators.
International Conference on ‘Ageing in Asia’
An International Conference on ‘Ageing in Asia’ was conducted at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore in collaboration with the Programme on the Global Demography of Ageing at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA and the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai during March 14-15, 2019. Ageing is taking place at an unprecedented rate across the globe. By 2050, it is expected that nearly 8 in 10 persons aged 60 years and over will be living in developing regions. Ageing populations and the increasing longevity of individuals present many opportunities as well as challenges for policy makers in developing countries. The main focus of the conference was the exchange of ideas on critical and emergent topics related to ageing in Asian countries and the discussion of responsive programmatic, research, policy and advocacy efforts. The central and state governments in India have initiated reforms towards democratic decentralization in the country. These reforms include devolution of political powers from centre to states and from states to sub-state level governments for the planning and implementation of various aspects of development, mandatory elections once in five years, reservations to disadvantaged groups of women and lower castes for their inclusion in the democratic decision making, creation of institutions such as village assembly for enabling the people to participate in the democratic governance and so on. In order to discuss the issues relating to public policies on poverty alleviation, service delivery and citizens’ participation in development process and so on from the interdisciplinary perspective, a seminar was jointly organised by the Japanese Research Group on comparative study of Indian State Politics and Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC during March 15-16, 2019. The Chief Guest for the programme was Mr Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare with the Government of Karnataka. Several papers were presented covering sub-themes such as Health Status, the Health Care System, Work and Economic Security and the Legal Framework for the Protection of Older Persons. Social science researchers, medical academicians and practitioners, social entrepreneurs and industry experts belonging to various institutions including All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, Elder Aid, International Institute for Population Sciences, St Johns Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, National University of Singapore, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, Sankara Eye Foundation, United Nations Population Fund, New Delhi presented their work on ageing. In addition, young researchers and doctoral students working on these issues participated in the conference and interacted with experts in the field. Dr T S Syamala, Associate Professor, PRC, Ms B P Vani, Associate Professor, CESP and Dr Lekha Subaiya, Assistant Professor, PRC were the coordinators.
Recent Seminars and Workshops
Seminar on “Advancing Frontiers of Knowledge on Climate Action Cross-sectional Approaches for Mitigation and Resilience” A 2 day seminar on “Advancing Frontiers of Knowledge on Climate Action Cross-sectional Approaches for Mitigation and Resilience” was organised by Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change, In Collaboration with, IIM-A, IIT-B, Supported by GIZ (New Delhi). About the Seminar: To assist in network building and knowledge exchange and thus strengthen capacities for enhanced science-policy-practice interface, three research studies were conducted jointly between Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and institutions namely Institute for Social and Economic Change, Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay worked on three priority areas which are key in realizing India’s NDCs and improving climate resilience. The studies were initiated and designed in collaboration with Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The purpose of the seminar is to disseminate and discuss the findings of the studies with the scientific audience and practitioners to understand the learnings better. It will also provide an opportunity to develop a consolidated document of suggestions and ideas in the form of seminar proceedings to be presented at the forthcoming COP-26 i.e., the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Key Objectives: To disseminate the outcomes of the three research studies, To exchange knowledge and strategies among national and international institutions, To consolidate insights and recommendations from stakeholders and experts, To identify research and action gap for formulating further research, To strengthen the institutional network of institutes and scientists working in the sector Dr Sunil Nautiyal was the Convenor of the Seminar Dilemmas of Belonging and the Violence of Identity: Diasporic Hinduism and Tamils in Exile A Public Lecture on “Dilemmas of Belonging and the Violence of Identity: Diasporic Hinduism and Tamils in Exile” by Prof. Kamala Ganesh M N Srinivas Chair Professor, ISEC was organised on 8th October, 2021 at ISEC through online. The lecture was Moderated by Prof. R. Indira Former Professor of Sociology, Mysore University & Member, Board of Governors, ISEC. The lecture was coordinated by Dr. Sobin George. National Seminar on “Public Policy in India” A one day national seminar on Public Policy in India cum book release of the edited book “Public Policy in India” Essays in honour of Prof B S Sreekantaradhya was organized on 8th October 2021 at ISEC. The seminar was coordinated by Prof. Krishna Raj. Green Growth Strategies for Climate Resilience and DRR: Policies, Pathways and Tools A three-day international workshop and training programme on ‘Green Growth Strategies for Climate Resilience and DRR: Policies, Pathways and Tools’ was jointly organised during November 26-28, 2020 by the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru and National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. Professor Sunil Nautiyal, Head, CEENR, ISEC and Prof Anil K Gupta, Head, PSDRRS, NIDM convened this important international workshop which had high relevance for contemporary world. The event was conducted via the Zoom platform and live streamed on YouTube. The inaugural session was held in the seminar hall with a limited gathering while following COVID guidelines as issued by GoI. Professor S Madheswaran, Director, ISEC, Professor M V Nadkarni, Former Vice Chancellor of Gulbarga University and Honorary Visiting Professor, ISEC, Professor R S Deshpande, Former Director, ISEC and Honorary Visiting Professor ISEC, were present. Professor Sukhadeo Thorat, Former Chairman UGC and ICSSR and present Chairman of BoG, ISEC, Prof Anil K Gupta, NIDM, MHA, GoI; Professor V K Malhotra, Member Secretary, ICSSR, joined online along with attendees from across the world. Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, Nishank, Honourable Union Education Minister, Government of India was unable to be present online due to official commitments, but sent his regards and best wishes. During the inaugural programme, Prof S Madheswaran and Prof Sunil Nautiyal addressed the gathering and Professor Nadkarni was felicitated. A total of six panel discussions, three special lecture sessions and six general technical sessions were held in course of the scheduled three days which were attended by more than 500 participants from 15 countries of five continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America). There were 27 invited lectures and 42 general presentations on varied topics during the three days. The panels included eminent and well known experts who discussed and provided valuable perspectives on issues such as resilient cities and agriculture, disaster risk reduction, sustainability, circular and green economy, traditional knowledge, forests and biodiversity. International Training Programme onPanchayats, Cooperatives and Rural Development A three-day training programme was organised by the Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC, in collaboration with National Cooperative Council of Sri Lanka, for participants representing various cooperatives in Sri Lanka, during March 4-6, 2020 at ISEC. The training programme saw in-depth discussion on the role of decentralisation in rural development taking Karnataka as an example. The meet identified best practices that could be adopted for cooperatives and rural development. Professor D Rajasekhar and Dr R Manjula were the coordinators of the international training programme. Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions The 20th Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) was conducted during February 27-29, 2020 at the Institute. Three themes were covered (i) Social and Economic Inequalities: Emerging Perspectives; (ii) Child Development: A Fair Chance to Every Child and (iii) Challenges of Urban Transformation. The conference was inaugurated by Hon’ble Vice-Chairman State Planning Board Shri B J Puttaswamy. Professor S Madheswaran, Acting Director of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) welcomed the Chief Guest and other dignitaries and participants of the conference. Professor Alakh N Sharma, Director Institute for Human Development and Member Secretary Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) apprised about the activities of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions. Professor R Radhakrishna, Chairman, Indian Association of Social Science Institutions and former Chairman, National Statistical Commission welcomed the dignitaries and presented his remarks about the conference. The Inaugural Address was delivered by the Chief Guest Hon’ble Vice-Chairman State Planning Board, Shri B J Puttaswamy. Hon’ble Vice-Chairman presented the achievements made by the state government under different programmes and schemes for the well-being of people in the state. The inaugural session was presided by Professor P G Chengappa, Former Vice-Chancellor of University of Agriculture Sciences Bengaluru and Member Board of Governors, ISEC. The session was concluded by a vote of thanks by Professor Parmod Kumar, faulty, ISEC and Local Organising Secretary, IASSI. The Conference had in total seven plenary sessions and 3-4 parallel technical sessions. The key note addresses were delivered by eminent scholars on the three themes by Professor S Madheswran, Acting Director, ISEC on Social and Economic Inequalities: Emerging Perspectives; Professor A K Shiv Kumar, Visiting Faculty, Ashoka University on Child Development: A Fair Chance to Every Child; and Professor S R Hashim, Chairman, Institute for Human Development (IHD), Delhi; Former Member-Secretary, Planning Commission and Former Chairman, Union Public Service Commission on Challenges of Urban Transformation. In the post lunch session, a panel on India and Sustainable Development Goals was organised. The session was chaired by Shri Sanjiv Kumar, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Election Officer, Government of Karnataka. The speakers were: Mrs Chaya K Degaonkar, Additional Chief Evaluation, Government of Karnataka; Mrs Shipra Maitra, Professor, Institute for Human Development, Delhi and Professor Meenakshi Rajeev, RBI Chair Professor, ISEC. The Atal Bihari Bajpai memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Sachin Chaturvedi, the Director General Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). Two special lectures were organised sharing the experiences of the government programmes in the state of Karnataka and the speakers were: Shri Sanjiv Kumar, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Election Officer, Government of Karnataka and Shri G Kumar Naik, Principal Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Government of Karnataka. Tarlok Singh Memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Sudipto Mundle on the topic ‘Development, Institutions and the State: Reflections on the Interaction between Theory, Policy and Ground Reality’. Presidential address was delivered by Professor V K Malhotra, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (ICSSR). The topic of his presidential address was ‘Social Science Research in India: Issues and Perspectives’. A special lecture was delivered by Mr Anjum Parwez, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, Government of Karnataka on the topic, ‘Challenges of Urban Transformation in Karnataka’. A panel on New Education Policy was organised with the leading educationists. The panelist included Professor N V Varghese, Vice Chancellor, NIEPA, New Delhi; Ramesh Sharan, Vice Chancellor, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand; M V Nadkarni, Former Vice Chancellor, Gulbarga University; R K Mishra, Director, Institute of Public Enterprises, Hyderabad and K R Venugopal, Vice chancellor, Bangalore University. Two-day Regional Conference on Towards Peace, Harmony and Happiness: Transition to Transformation Population Research Centre (PRC) conducted a ‘Two-day Regional Conference on Towards Peace, Harmony and Happiness: Transition to Transformation’ jointly with Pranab Mukherjee Foundation, New Delhi, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, on January 23-24, 2020. Professor M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting a lamp. Professor R S Ghuman, Programme Co-ordinator, CRRID, Chandigarh; Professor Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor, Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag; Professor V R Venugopal, Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University, and Dr Gurinder Kaur, CRRID, Chandigarh, graced the occasion. Professor Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor, Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayath Raj University, Gadag, Karnataka, and (Retd. Professor, Department of Political Science, Bangalore University, Bengaluru) delivered the keynote address and Professor K R Venugopal, Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Chief Guest of the programme addressed the audience. The conference was covered four sessions: (a) Education Transition and Transformation, (b) Socio-cultural Transition and Transformation, (c) Economic Transition and Transformation, (d) Health Transition and Transformation. The outcome of the conference brought the relevant discussion on the above themes, which have a positive bearing on policy implications. Professor Giridhar R Babu, Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru, delivered the valedictory speech. Dr Vikash Kumar, Assistant Professor, CRRID, Chandigarh, proposed a vote of thanks. Professor C M Lakshmana coordinated the programme. Two day workshop on Socio-Economics Development through Value Addition MM Hills Reserve Forest in Southern Karnataka, India, has a greater biological diversity. Communities such as Soligas and many other have been residing for a long time in these forests. The forest dwelling communities depend on wild edibles plants (WEPs) for various purposes. These WEPs resources also provide essential nutrients vitamins and impart cultural identity to these communities keeping the importance of WEPs a training on value addition of wild edibles for the tribal people of MM Hills organised by CEENR of ISEC in collaboration with CSIR – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) at CFTRI, Mysore from March 14-15, 2019. The main objective of this farmer-centric workshop was to upgrade the skills of tribal farmers about the processing of wild edibles and they will in turn train and encourage the other people of their respective villages, thereby assisting themselves to become selfdependent and to enhance the economy of the tribal communities using wild edibles that are endemic to the region. Twenty (20) Soliga tribal farmers have attended two day training progammre and resource persons from CFTRI Mysore have given training to the farmers on value addition of various plant products. This workshop was convened by Prof Sunil Nautiyal, CEENR, ISEC. The SEED Division of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India has given financial support for organization of training progarmme to the tribal farmers. One-Day Dissemination Seminar on ‘Population and Health Studies’ Population Research Centre (PRC), ISEC, organised the First Dissemination Seminar on ‘Population and Health Studies’ conducted by the staff of PRC on June 27, 2019 with the financial support provided by the Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka. The inaugural function commenced at 10 am with the playing of the State anthem. Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting a lamp. Shri D S Ramesh, IAS Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Services, GoK, and Dr K Ravi Kumar, Senior Regional Director (Health & Family Welfare), Regional Office for Health & Family Welfare, GoI, graced the occasion. The other dignitaries presented at the seminar were Dr B G Prakash Kumar, Deputy Director (MVBDCP) and I/c State Programme Manager, NHM, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Services, Smt S Prameela, Joint Director (State Demographer), Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services, GoK, Prof P M Kulkarni, Retired Professor, JNU and a well-known Demographer and Former Faculty of PRC, and Prof K N M Raju, retired Professor and head, Population Research Centre, ISEC. There were about 45 participants, including the faculty and staff of PRC. It is one of the memorable occasion in the history of ISEC, with several State Health Officials attending this seminar at ISEC. Prof M G Chandrakanth, welcomed the dignitaries and participants. In his welcome address, Prof Chandrakanth mentioned that Population and Health are the two sides of the coin of Welfare. The optimum size of population influences our investment (both individually at family level and collectively at national level) on human health. Professor C M Lakshmana, the seminar coordinator, has delivered his introductory remarks and also welcomed all the dignitaries and participants to the seminar. At the same time, Dr C M Lakshmana explained the objective of the seminar. He thanked all the colleagues of PRC, saying that without their help this seminar was not possible to organise. As many as 11 research papers and studies, completed by PRC staff, were presented in four sessions. Session 1 discussed the Maternal and Child Health Services: Status and issues in India and Karnataka; Session-2 discussed the Older Persons and Care Needs: A study among Urban Middle-Class Senior Citizens in Bangalore; Session 3 highlighted the functioning of AYUSH Health Centres in Karnataka: An overview and Session 4 discussed the Population and Health Studies conducted by Population Research Centre. One-Day Workshop on Functioning of DBT at Retail Points A One-Day Workshop was organised for the project titled, ‘Functioning of DBT at Retail Outlets’ on June 7, 2019. The workshop was attended by the faculty/staff of all the 12 AERCs across India. In addition, the Department of Fertilizer, Government of India participated in the workshop through Skype. The officials of the Karnataka Government also participated in the Workshop which was inaugurated by Institute Director, Prof M G Chandrakanth, who in his welcome address pointed out the DBT policy issues, fertilizer funds and the distribution of fertilizer through POS machine at the retail level. Prof Parmod Kumar introduced the delegates about the DBT and explained the importance of fertilizer for the farmers. The team discussed about the methodology of the study, selection of retailers and farmer, about the questionnaire and conduct of survey. The Workshop concluded with Vote of Thanks by ADRT Centre head Dr K B Ramappa. Accessing Citizen Participation and Voice in the Era of Democratic Decentralisation in Indian States: Interdisciplinary approaches The central and state governments in India have initiated reforms towards democratic decentralization in the country. These reforms include devolution of political powers from centre to states and from states to sub-state level governments for the planning and implementation of various aspects of development, mandatory elections once in five years, reservations to disadvantaged groups of women and lower castes for their inclusion in the democratic decision making, creation of institutions such as village assembly for enabling the people to participate in the democratic governance and so on. In order to discuss the issues relating to public policies on poverty alleviation, service delivery and citizens’ participation in development process and so on from the interdisciplinary perspective, a seminar was jointly organised by the Japanese Research Group on comparative study of Indian State Politics and Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC during March 15-16, 2019. Scholars from Japan and India from different academic disciplines presented papers on Citizen Participation and Voices. The seminar brought out the uniqueness and common features of decentralised democratic politics in India. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof D Narasimha Reddy, Member, ISEC Board of Governors, while Prof N Jayaram, former Director, ISEC, delivered the keynote address. Prof D Rajasekhar and Dr R Manjula were the coordinators. International Conference on ‘Ageing in Asia’ An International Conference on ‘Ageing in Asia’ was conducted at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore in collaboration with the Programme on the Global Demography of Ageing at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA and the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai during March 14-15, 2019. Ageing is taking place at an unprecedented rate across the globe. By 2050, it is expected that nearly 8 in 10 persons aged 60 years and over will be living in developing regions. Ageing populations and the increasing longevity of individuals present many opportunities as well as challenges for policy makers in developing countries. The main focus of the conference was the exchange of ideas on critical and emergent topics related to ageing in Asian countries and the discussion of responsive programmatic, research, policy and advocacy efforts. The central and state governments in India have initiated reforms towards democratic decentralization in the country. These reforms include devolution of political powers from centre to states and from states to sub-state level governments for the planning and implementation of various aspects of development, mandatory elections once in five years, reservations to disadvantaged groups of women and lower castes for their inclusion in the democratic decision making, creation of institutions such as village assembly for enabling the people to participate in the democratic governance and so on. In order to discuss the issues relating to public policies on poverty alleviation, service delivery and citizens’ participation in development process and so on from the interdisciplinary perspective, a seminar was jointly organised by the Japanese Research Group on comparative study of Indian State Politics and Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC during March 15-16, 2019. The Chief Guest for the programme was Mr Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare with the Government of Karnataka. Several papers were presented covering sub-themes such as Health Status, the Health Care System, Work and Economic Security and the Legal Framework for the Protection of Older Persons. Social science researchers, medical academicians and practitioners, social entrepreneurs and industry experts belonging to various institutions including All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, Elder Aid, International Institute for Population Sciences, St Johns Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, National University of Singapore, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, Sankara Eye Foundation, United Nations Population Fund, New Delhi presented their work on ageing. In addition, young researchers and doctoral students working on these issues participated in the conference and interacted with experts in the field. Dr T S Syamala, Associate Professor, PRC, Ms B P Vani, Associate Professor, CESP and Dr Lekha Subaiya, Assistant Professor, PRC were the coordinators. Academic Discourse on Building a Gender Friendly Karnataka An Academic Discourse on “Building a Gender Friendly Karnataka” was organised by Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development, ISEC, Bengaluru in collaboration with Karnataka Panchayati Raj Parishad & CIVIC Bengaluru on March 8, 2019. The programme was presided by Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, Bengaluru and the inaugural address was provided by Prof Siddalingaiah, Poet & Dalit Writer, Former Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority, Govt. of Karnataka. Introduction about the programme was given by Prof Jos Chathukulam, Professor, Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development. Vote of thanks was provided by Dr Indrajit Bairagya, Assistant Professor, CHRD.
National Workshop on Agro-biodiversity Conservation for Sustainable Socio-Ecological Development
Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources at Institute for Social and Economic Change Bengaluru with Financial support from TIFAC DST, Govt. of India organised a national workshop on Agro-biodiversity Conservation for Sustainable Socioecological Development on September 24, 2018 to understand the status of natural resource, biodiversity in particular, in various agro-ecological regions while simultaneously understanding the loss of agrobiodiversity due to multitude of factors. During the workshop scholars have presented research outcomes on importance of agro-biodiversity and role of its conservation in ensuring sustainability to the socioecological systems. Detailed discussions were held on impact of developmental activities, agro-biodiversity, loss of varieties, and the reasons behind the change in cropping patterns by farmers in various agroecological regions of India. The discussion enabled to understand how these changes have their implications on the local resources of the region with subsequent effect on livelihoods. As a further step this national workshop designed a platform to share the learnings as well as exchange of findings of research which would contribute to resource use and conservation for sustainable socio-ecological development. The national workshop included participation by the various stakeholders like personnel from the research institutions and universities namely Jawaharlal Nehru University; The University of Delhi; Mangalore University; ISEC, Bangalore; Kuvempu University; University of Mysore; G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Almora, Uttarakhand; University of Agricultural Science Dharwad; VIT University Vellore; Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu; TIFAC, Govt. of India, New Delhi; Forest Department of Karnataka; community organisations. A total of 120 participants – Resource persons, scholars, students, innovative farmers and forest official attended the national workshop. The national workshop was convened by Prof Sunil Nautiyal of CEENR, ISEC.
Workshop on CCMASSR
In the capacity of coordinator of CCMASSR workshop for the year 2018, ISEC organised a workshop from November 26 to December 7, 2018. A total 21 participants from all over India and across various disciplines (social science and science) attended the workshop. It was conducted with a view to support capacity building among young aspiring researchers. Resource persons were drawn from within the institute and experts from outside ISEC. The workshop was coordinated by Dr Malini L Tantri, Assistant Professor, CESP, ISEC.
32nd National Conference on Agricultural Marketing
32ndNational Conference on Agricultural Marketing was organised jointly by the Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing, Hyderabad and Agriculture Development and Rural Transformation Centre, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore at Mahatama Gandhi Auditorium during November 22-24, 2018. The Conference was inaugurated by Smt Sudha P Rao, Principal Adviser Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India on November 22, 2018 at 10.00 AM followed by welcome address by the Director ISEC, Professor M G Chandrakanth. Key Note Address was delivered by Professor C G Ranade, Faculty Stratford University & Adjunct Faculty University of Bridgeport, USA on Vertical Integration for Inclusive Growth on Indian Economy. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, Board of Governors (ISEC) and Former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka graced the Inaugural Session. Prof R Radhakrishna, President Indian Society of Agriculture Marketing and former Chairman Indian Statistical Commission presided over the Inaugural function. Dr T Satyanaryana the Secretary of ISAM introduced the society to the delegates while vote of thanks was presented by Professor Parmod Kumar. Professor Sukhpal Singh, Centre for Management, IIM Ahmedabad delivered the 14thParthasarthy Memorial Lecture on ‘Land and Livelihoods in Rural India’. The Plenary Session of the Conference was addressed by Professor S Bislaiah, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore. Around 150 eminent scientists, scholars, academia, administrators, practitioners and progressive farmers from across the country participated in the Conference and shared their experiences and presented papers. Around 60 research papers pertaining to the following three themes were presented in the Conference: 1. Risk Management in Agricultural Marketing; 2. Marketing Issues Related to Agricultural Produce of Tribal; and 3. Role of Marketing Institutions in Karnataka in Augmenting Farm Income.
International Conference on Challenges of Governance in Mega Cities
In the international conference on the ‘Challenges of Governance in Mega Cities’, held during October 25-26, 2018 funded by the ICSSR, papers were invited on several themes – including urban public services, given the dearth of data on the same, metropolitan governance, regional planning, ecological dilemmas, urban poverty, urban societal transformation, and mega city finances. The conference was presided over by Dr A Ravindra, then Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors, Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, with inaugural keynote address by Dr George Mavrotas, Head, International Food Policy Research Institute, Nigeria. Internationally, there were presentations by faculty members from the City University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, and JICA, Japan. Nationally, paper presenters at the conference were from Ashoka Trust for Ecology and Environment, Mangalore University, national institutes of importance such as Manipal Academy of Higher Education, IIT-Roorkee, IIT-Tirupathi, TERI School of Advanced Studies, University of Hyderabad, Indian School of Business, Jindal Global Law School, and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development among others. The valedictory address to the conference was given by Prof V K Natraj, former member, Board of Governors, ISEC, and former Director, MIDS, Chennai. Prof Kala S Sridhar was the conference coordinator
International Conference on Economic Growth in India and China: Social and Economic Impacts
An International Conference on the Social and Economic Impacts of the Economic Growth in India and China, the result of a collaborative effort between ISEC and Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), funded by the ICSSR, was held at ISEC during September 27-28, 2018. Professor Kala S Sridhar was the conference coordinator and Dr K C Channamma was the co-coordinator. Taking into account the rapid growth of the two large countries, papers that addressed the above mentioned issues were invited for this conference. The conference was presided over by Dr A Ravindra, then Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors, Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, with inaugural addresses by Prof S Bisaliah, former Vice Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and Prof Hu Xueju, Vice President of SASS. Eight scholars from SASS and several Indian scholars from ISEC and outside presented their papers in various technical sessions covering economic growth, trade and technology, social sector, urbanisation, agriculture, Climate Change, governance, fiscal decentralisation, poverty, and cultural harmony across the two Countries. There was a talk by an IAS Officer Dr. R Vishal, Commissioner, Rural Drinking Water & Sanitation Department, Government of Karnataka, about municipal finances and accounting practices across the two countries.
Workshop on Intra State Conglomeration of District Level Bio-diversity Management Committees
The Center for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru and Karnataka Biodiversity Board, Bengaluru jointly organised a one day conglomeration workshop on September 10, 2018 for the newly constituted Biodiversity Management committees (BMCs)of five districts Viz., Ramnagara, Mandya, Dakshina Kannada, Ududpi and Belagavi. More than 70 people participated in the workshop. Prof Sunil Nautiyal gave a presentation on the progress of PBR documentation-process and highlighted the challenges the team came across during district level People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) documentation. Prof Sunil Nautiyal and Dr M Balasubramanian, CEENR, ISEC coordinated this important workshop. Coordinators explained the strategies that are required for documentation of PBRs in five districts of Karnataka.
International Seminar on 25 Years of Decentralised Governance in India: Progress, Issues and Ways ForwardInternational Seminar on 25 Years of Decentralised Governance in India: Progress, Issues and Ways Forward
It is 25 years since historic legislations on decentralisation were passed in India. In the last 25 years, the service delivery at the local level is sought to be done through decentralised governance, and this may have resulted in good development outcomes in both rural and urban areas. In order to examine the progress that decentralised governance has made in India and the impact of democratic decentralisation on development outcomes, the Centre for Decentralisation and Development organised an international seminar on ‘Twenty Five Years of Decentralised Governance in India: Status, Issues and the Way Forward’with funding support from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, during August 28- 30, 2018 at ISEC, Bangalore. The keynote address on ‘Devolution in India: An Evolutionary Perspective’ was delivered by Prof V K Natraj, former director, MIDS, Chennai, while Dr A Ravindra provided presidential remarks. Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, welcomed the participants. The seminar had 11 technical sessions spread across three days where 27 papers were presented. In addition, a special session on Decentralisation in Karnataka was organised wherein the practitioners and policy makers such as Dr A Ravindra, Dr S S Meenakshi Sundaram, Mr Venkata Rao Ghorpade and Mr C Narayanswamy critically reflected on the experience of decentralisation in Karnataka since the mid-1980s to shed light on the current situation, strengths and weaknesses of Karnataka model, and what needs to be done to improve the decentralised system. The valedictory address was delivered by Prof Abdul Aziz. About 70 participants participated in the seminar representing academic institutions from different parts of India and other countries, government organisations, civil society organisations, PhD students, etc. The programme was coordinated by Prof D Rajasekhar together with Dr R Manjula and Prof M Devendra Babu (former professor at the centre).
National Seminar on Transgender People: Citizenship, State and Society (Integration of Transgender Community into Local Governance in Karnataka)
Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development, ISEC, Bengaluru organised a national Seminar on “Transgender People: Citizenship, State and Society (Integration of Transgender Community into Local Governance in Karnataka)” on August 2, 2018. Keynote address was done by Justice (Retd.) K S Radhakrishnan, Former Judge of Supreme Court and Chairperson, Committee for Road Safety. Inaugural address was done by Mr P Ravikumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka. It was presided by Dr A Ravindra, IAS (Retd.) Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC and welcome note by Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC. Introduction about the seminar was given by Prof Jos Chathukulam, RK Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development, ISEC and Dr M Lingaraju, Assistant Professor, CHRD. Vote of thanks was given by Dr P S Srinath, Registrar, ISEC.
Policy Analysis and Programme Evaluation Workshop (PA & PE) – 2018 A Cornell – GRAAM Initiative in India in association with ISEC
The ILR School of Cornell University, a leading school for applied social sciences in USA & Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), a public policy research and advocacy think tank in India, in association with the Centre for Economic Studies and Policy Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, jointly presented a workshop intended to build capacity in understanding the process and methods of programme evaluation and evidence-based policy making. The workshop was conducted at the ISEC campus during July 3-18, 2018. The thirteenday workshop drew the academic expertise of Cornell University, GRAAM and ISEC, to provide participants with practical guidance for understanding public policy analysis and programme evaluation. The event was inaugurated by Prof V K Malhotra, Member Secretary of Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. Faculties from Cornell, Prof Sarosh Kuruvilla, Prof Arun Karpur, Prof Andrew Wilford and the Chairman of GRAAM Dr R Balasubramaniam and the Executive Director, Mr Basavaraju were present during the workshop. Also, the director of ISEC, Prof Chandrakanth, Registrar Mr Srinath and Prof Vani from ISEC were present during the inaugural and valedictory sessions.
Seminar on ‘Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and their Socio-economic Status in India’
Population Research Centre (PRC) of ISEC organised a two-day national seminar on ‘Persons with Disabilities and their Socio-economic Status support from ICSSR, New Delhi. The objectives of the seminar were: to examine the status of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in India in terms of growth, trends and the composition by gender both for rural and urban India, to analyse their socio-economic status such as education, health and employment, by gender as well as residence, to document the issues pertaining to the challenged population as well as how to relieve these issues, provide a plethora of opportunities, to address policy implications to improve the status of PWDs within the existing policies and programmes towards their improvement. Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting the lamp. Mr V Somanna, MLC and former minister, attended the occasion. The other dignitaries present were Prof M K Sridhar, Member, National Education Policy, and former Member, Knowledge Commission, Government of Karnataka; Mr V S Basavaraj, State Commissioner, Persons with Disabilities, GoK; Prof N Jayaram, former Director of ISEC; Dr Siddalingaiah, former MLC and Member, BoG of ISEC; Mr Mohan Kumar, BBMP; and Prof N Dasharath, Bangalore University. There were about 40 participants including paper presenters and speakers. Mr V Somanna presented the inaugural address. In the keynote address, Prof M K Sridhar congratulated Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, and Prof C M Lakshmana on conducting the seminar. He also mentioned that PWD are not always at the receiving end, but they are also at the giving end. They too contribute, give. Therefore, the seminar and the papers discussed focused on the theme “Educate and Empower” the PWDs. Research on PWDs must include qualitative data and not quantitative. Mr V Basavaraj, State Commissioner, Persons with Disabilities, GoK, the chief guest of the inaugural programme, said there must be a phenomenal shift in the way we look at PWDs. The programme concluded with the vote of thanks by Dr Lekha Subaiya.
Workshop on Making Indian Agriculture Climate-Friendly
A workshop on ‘Making Indian Agriculture Climate – Friendly’ was conducted at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore during June 7-8,2018 to explore the options available to ensure that farming remains sustainable and workshop focused on two themes: Integrated Farming Systems, Organic Farming and Protected Cultivation for Eco – Friendly Agriculture and Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies such as short duration varieties, climate resilient crops and technologies, water conservation measures. The programme was coordinated by Prof I Maruthi of ADRTC.
Development Convention 2018
The Development Convention 2018 was organised at ISEC on April 24-25, 2018. Prof Abhijit Sen and Prof T C Ananth began the two-day Development Convention at ISEC on April 24, 2018 by planting an almond sapling. In the inaugural, Prof Ananth recollected his participation in the ISEC Development Convention as member-secretary of ICSSR. Prof Abhijit Sen emphasised that India’s institutions, judiciary and stronger than those in China, and this strength is now questioned. Still we are weak in panel data and continuity of data is crucial as development is not just about people, but it is about people over time. Prof Surinder Jhodka indicated that exclusion is a recent word. In the Planning Commission, caste, gender and minority were not discussed. Today, access to education is predetermined by class. Prof Ravi Srivastava highlighted that inequality is a complex question, inequality of opportunities, outcomes — social, economic, political inequality — are crucial. India has no comprehensive framework to deal with exclusion. Prof Asseem Prakash introduced the idea of aspirational class in a market society. Aspirations are shaped at the intersection of state, markets and civil society. Prof Abhijit Sen in conclusion indicated that poverty is the bottom of the inequality ladder. Poverty literature did not talk about aspirations. Inequality started going up from the 1990s in India, while it was from the 1980s in rest of the world. Our statistical system has no panel data. Many delegates, faculty and students attended the inaugural and plenary sessions. The valedictory session was chaired by Prof KL Krishna. During the session, Dr Pronab Sen gave an extempore lecture highlighting that India’s investments are increasing, and are at present around 30 per cent of GDP, which is still impressive, leading to increase in productivity. The corporate sector accounts for 50 per cent of GDP and production growth and is driven by the corporate sector. Agricultural production technology can at the most shorten the duration of crops by a month. Plants do have their biological cycle and take time to grow. The Development Convention 2018 was coordinated by Prof Meenakshi Rajeev, CESP and Dr Indrajit Bairagya, CHRD of ISEC.
Seminar on ‘Political Economy of Local Governance in Contemporary India’
Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation & Development, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) Bangalore organised a unique programme on April 14, 2018 to honour Dr B S Bhargava whose contributions are exemplary in the domain of Panchayati Raj, especially in the context of Karnataka. The title of the seminar was ‘Political Economy of Local Governance in Contemporary India’. As many as 23 presentations were made by the experts and research scholars on the various topics pertaining to the seminar theme. Vibrant discussions were held on the academic contributions ‘Journey of Prof BS Bhargava’ was screened as part of the programme. Prof Bhargava shared his feelings and conveyed thanks to all the participants and especially to Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation& Development which made the event possible. The programme ended with Prof N Sivanna’s (Visiting Professor, Abdul Nazir Sab Chair, CMDR, Dharwad) vote of thanks.
National Policy Workshop on “Mainstreaming Differential Ability in Local Governance and Development”
ISEC celebrated 101st Sasygraha tree planting of Adamya Chetana on 3rd Dec 2017
Enhancing Farmers’ Income and Welfare

The workshop on enhancing farmers’ income and welfare was conducted at ISEC on June 24-25, 2017. The workshop was inaugurated with the keynote address by Dr Ashok Dalwai, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, New Delhi, who is also the chairman of the project on enhancing farmers’ income and welfare. Dr Ashok Dalwai provided highlights of the project and emphasized the role of farm diversification, value addition, farmer producer

organization along with supporting institutional mechanism in enhancing farmers’ income. Dr Vijay Paul Sharma, Chairman, CACP, New Delhi, discussed at length on the role of Minimum Support Prices and procurement operations of the Government of India in providing the basic income on which enhancement and welfare needs to be built upon with value addition at various le

The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, is being assigned with the responsibility of conducting a baseline survey in all the selected villages to develop a blue print of enhancing farmers’ income and welfare in all the districts of the state. This national workshop was a step towards this objective. The highlight of the workshop was the participation by 300 farmers of the State who benefitted from presentations regarding enhancement of farm income and welfare as also contributed from their experience from different parts of the State. Farmer leaders, former Director-General of ICAR Dr Aiyappan, former Deputy Director- General of ICAR Dr Mruthyunjaya, former Secretary of Agriculture and Horticulture Dr Vasanthakumar and former Director of Research, Dr Prabhakara Setty participated in the discussions.

National Workshop on Agrobiodiveristy Conservation for Socio-Economic and Ecological Development

The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, ISEC, in association with Assam University, Silchar, organised National Workshop on ‘Agrobiodiversity conservation for socio-economic and ecological development’ at Assam University, Silchar, on April 5, 2017 with financial support from Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. The international conference was inaugurated by Prof Dilip Chandra Nath, the Vice- Chancellor, Assam University, Silchar, Assam. Prof Niranjan Roy, Professor of Economics, AUS Silchar, welcomed the conference participants. A presentation on the aim and objectives of the workshop was given by Prof. Sunil Nautiyal during the inaugural session. In the workshop, lecturers were delivered by scholars from various institutions/universities namely, North- Eastern Hill University, Shillong; Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam; Tripura University Agartala, Tripura; Assam Agricultural University Jorhat, Assam; ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region Umiam, Meghalaya; Mizoram University, Aizawl; Assam University Silchar; Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. This workshop was coordinated by Prof Sunil Nautiyal, Head, CEENR, ISEC, Prof Niranjan Roy and Dr Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, AUS, Silchar.

Inception Workshop on Improving Farmers’ Income and Welfare

An inception workshop on improving famers’ income and welfare was held at ISEC on February 20, 2017. In the workshop, the scope for the study, methodology and activities to be performed in the timeframe were discussed. The inception also included suggestions from stakeholders such as farmers, farmer leaders, banking institutions, farmers’ organizations, universities, crop insurance organizations, marketing department, farmer producer organizations, independent farmer entrepreneurs, women farmer representatives and others.

The workshop, sponsored by the Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission (KAPC), focused largely on the role of stakeholders in enhancing or improving farmers’ income and the suggestions of the stakeholders are being included in developing the questionnaire to be used for baseline survey information to be collected from each of the eight villages already selected by the KAPC, Government of Karnataka. The workshop was coordinated by Prof M G Chandrakanth, the Director of ISEC.

International Seminar on ‘State Politics, Governance and Development in India’

A two-day International Seminar on ‘State Politics, Governance and Development in India’, sponsored by the University of Horoshima, Japan, was organised on December 27-28, 2016 at ISEC, Bengaluru. The seminar was inaugurated by Dr A Ravindra, Chairperson, Board of Governors, of ISEC and Professor V K Nataraj delivered the keynote address. The valedictory address was given by Professor R S Deshpande. The seminar was coordinated by Dr M Devendra Babu, Centre for Decentralisation and Development, and Dr N Sivanna, Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development, ISEC.

International Conference on The Middle Class in World Society

Recently, development agencies and international organizations have been showing keen interest in the middle class. For example, both the World Bank and the OECD published studies claiming that there is an emerging middle class in countries of the global South. The Economist even averred that more than half of the world’s population belongs to the middle class. These and similar findings are based on different and controversial definitions of the notion of a middle class. Furthermore, these income-based definitions represent a fractionated group. From a sociological perspective, however, middle class is more than just a part of the population that lives above the poverty line and having a certain consumption potential. Sociological definitions of middle class do not focus on how much its members own, but rather on what they own (means of production, high human capital) and what their beliefs and interests are.

To further explore the above debate, a joint international conference on ‘The Middle Class in World Society’ was conducted at ISEC during December 16-17, 2016. The conference was funded by the World Society Foundation (Zurich, Switzerland). The conference was coordinated by Professor S Madheswaran and Smt. B P Vani of the Centre for Economic Studies and Policy, ISEC.

International Seminar on ‘Poverty, Environment and Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific

The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR) organised a two-day international seminar at ISEC on ‘Poverty, Environment and Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific’ on December 8 and 9, 2016. Representatives from various universities, research institutes, the national and the state governments, NGOs and others participated in the seminar and presented papers. The seminar, funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, aimed to share knowledge on poverty, environment and sustainable development goals in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr M Balasubramanian, CEENR, organised the seminar.

International Conference on ‘India, China and the New World Order: Economic, Social, Political and Cultural Dimensions’

A conference on ‘India, China and New World Order: Economic, Social, Political and Cultural Dimensions’ was organised by Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) during November 21-22, 2016. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, BoG, ISEC, inaugurated the conference and chaired the inaugural session. The programme was coordinated by Professor Meenakshi Rajeev and Dr Indrajit Bairagya, ISEC.

Workshop on Karnataka State Water Policy with regard to Climate Change

ISEC in collaboration with Dr Kamta Prasad of the India Water Partnership, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, and Water Resources Department, Government of Karnataka, organized a one-day workshop on Review of State Water Policy of Karnataka on November 16, 2016. The National Water Policy 2012 and the Karnataka state water policy were discussed in the workshop along with contemporary issues pertaining to river water sharing in the context of climate change. Shri B G Gurupadaswamy, Secretary, Water Resources Department, Govt. of Karnataka, was the Chief Guest.

National Seminar on Rediscovering Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar

Of late, Indians at large have started realizing the significance of Dr B R Ambedkar. Now, he is no longer confined only to the Dalit world, which, of course, reveres him as their sole liberator, as he is creating the space he deserves even in the hearts of all the other caste and religious communities of India.

On occasions his struggle was solitary, complicated and daring. It appeared as if he took against the tides of time, much against the will of the wheel, which whimsically marched towards the sole goal of the self-rule. But his cause was even greater, enduring and was aimed at re-writing the history of India. That way, his battle was against history itself, the history that made innate the structures of injustice, exploitation, exclusivities and deprivations, and therefore, it is still refusing to settle down with him. Naturally, Ambedkar continues to be relevant, thoughtful and a perennial source of knowledge and inspiration to address the persisting historical and systemic wrongs of India. There is a passionate need to compare, scrutinize, analyse and find out the real strengths and viabilities of Ambedkar ideology and Ambedkar’s contribution to nation building. A two-day national seminar on ‘Rediscovering Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’ organised at ISEC on October 24-25, 2016, deliberated these questions further. There were 12 paper presentations in six sessions. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Satish Deshpande. Professor Gopal Guru delivered the special lecture and Professor Ravi Varma Kumar, former Advocate-General of Karnataka, delivered the valedictory speech. Noted academics including Professor Hargopal, Professor Valerian Rodrigues, Professor V K Natraj, Professor Siddalingaiah, Professor R S Deshpande, Professor D Jeevan Kumar, Professor P G Jogdand, Dr Ramesh Kamble, Dr Abhinaya Kamble and Dr Sivasundar also participated in the seminar.

The seminar, sponsored by the ICSSR, was coordinated by Professor Manohar Yadav and Dr Sobin George of ISEC.
Workshop on Impact of Neem-Coated Urea (NCU) on Production, Productivity and Soil Health in India
A workshop on the study, ‘Impact of Neem-Coated Urea on Production, Productivity and Soil Health in India’ was organised by the Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC) of ISEC, Bangalore, on October 21, 2016. Mr P C Bodh, Advisor of the Department of Economics and Statistics (DES), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA & FW), reviewed the progress of the project. The project was coordinated by Dr K B Ramappa and Dr A V Manjunath of ADRTC along with the other five AERCs established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
Workshop on Farmer Suicides in India: Causes and Suggestions
A workshop on ‘Farmer Suicides in India: Causes and Suggestions’ was organised on October 20, 2016 by the Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC) of ISEC. The main goals of the workshop included (i) presenting the findings of the study on farmer suicides in India; (ii) appraising the status of the study, and (iii) formulating steps to be taken to complete the state report by the respective AERCs for timely submission to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. The progress of the work and main findings of the study were reported for 12 of the 15 states for which the study is being carried out. The workshop was organised by Dr A V Manjunatha and Dr K B Ramappa.
Workshop on Sustainable Utilisation of Water in Cauvery River Basin: Issues and Solutions</h6 >
In order to discuss the issues over sharing of the Cauvery water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, ISEC and Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission (KAPC) organized a one-day workshop on Sustainable Use of Cauvery River Water at Bangalore on October 3, 2016. Prominent farmers’ representatives from both the states participated. The workshop was inaugurated by Sri Rajendra Singh, winner of the Stockholm Water Prize and Magsaysay Award. Dr Nataraj, former Director of MIDS, Dr Janakarajan, formerly Professor at MIDS, legal experts, scientists as well as ISEC faculty members participated in the workshop, presided over by the Chairman of ISEC Board of Governors, Dr A Ravindra.
Workshop on Mapping Farm–Non-Farm Sector Linkages in Rural India
A workshop on ‘Mapping of Farm-Non-farm Sector Linkages in Rural India’ was organised jointly by ISEC and St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore, on August 22, 2016 at St Joseph’s College. The aim of the workshop was to deliberate on the final findings of the project of the same title funded by ICSSR in the presence of the advisors to the project. The welcome address was delivered by the Principal of St Joseph’s College. Later, Professor Meenakshi Rajeev talked about the workshop. The coordinators of the project, Professor Meenakshi Rajeev and Dr Manojit Bhattacharjee, made presentations. The two advisors of the project – Professor Saumya Chakrabarti of Visva-Bharati University and Professor Anirban Dasgupta of South Asian University, Delhi – also made presentations on theoretical aspects of the topic.
Panel Discussion on Union and Karnataka State Budgets 2016-17
Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) organised a Panel Discussion on Union and Karnataka State Budgets 2016-17 on Thursday 28th April 2016 at 11: 00 a.m. in the Seminar Hall of the Institute. The Panel Discyssion was presided over by Sri. S. Ramanathan, IAS (Retd.), Chairperson IIPA, Karnataka Branch and moderated by Dr. A . Ravindra IAS, (Retd.), Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC. The Panelists were 1.) Dr. R S Deshpande Former Director, ISEC 2.) Dr Narendar Pani Professor, NIAS 3.) Dr. Charan Singh Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor, IIMB 4.) Dr. Vinod Vyasulu Former Director, CBPS, 5.) Sri Arvind Shrivastava, IAS Secretary to Government (Budget & Resources) Finance Department, Government of Karnataka. Dr. K Gayithri, CESP, ISEC, coordinated the Panel Discussion.
International Seminar on ‘Ageing and Well-being: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Health and Social Care’
An international seminar on ‘Ageing and Well-being: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Health and Social Care’ was held at Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, during December 17-18, 2015. The seminar was organised as part of a joint research study with Indo-European Networking Research Project in collaboration with the University of Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Southampton, UK; Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum; and Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. This seminar brought together scholars from India and Europe to discuss issues relating to ageing and wellbeing in a cross-cultural perspective. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, presided over the inaugural function and Jane Falkingham, Dean of the Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Demography and International Social Policy, the University of Southampton, UK, delivered the keynote address. The four themes covered in the seminar were Demographic Change, Living Arrangement and Care Giving Needs, Health Status of the Older Persons, Ageing: New Methodologies and Data and Ageing, Gender and Social Security. A photo exhibition was also arranged on the topic Ageing in Institutional Contexts: India and the Netherlands. The valedictory address was given by Dr Leo van Wissen, Director, National Institute of Demographic Research, The Hague.
Workshop on Micro Irrigation Policy Implementation Roadmap for Karnataka
The Global Green Growth Institute (South Korea) has entrusted a project on ‘Development of Subsidy Calculator Framework’ and ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators’ to the ADRT Centre of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC). In this connection, a workshop on ‘Micro Irrigation Policy Implementation Roadmap for Karnataka State’ was organised by the ADRTC in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on November 5, 2015. The purpose of the workshop was to present the final reports by the partner institutions and to get feedback. Dr A V Manjunatha of ISEC and Prof R S Deshpande made a presentation on micro irrigation potential, investment requirement and subsidy support calculator framework. Prof M G Chandrakanth from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, presented a report on the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Mr Shilp Verma from International Water Management Institute, Anand, presented a report on ‘Promoting micro irrigation in Karnataka: Roadmap to success’. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, Government of Karnataka, and the ADRTC project team attended the workshop. Dr P Thippaiah from ISEC, Dr Siddarthan Balasubramania and Dr Ajith Radhakrishnan from GGGI, New Delhi, attended the workshop. The workshop was organised by Dr A V Manjunatha of ADRTC.
National Seminar on ‘Women in Informal Sector – Issues and Challenges’
A national seminar on ‘Women in Informal Sector – Issues and Challenges’ was held at ISEC during October 5-6, 2015. The seminar focused on identifying and overcoming the problems of women as well as improving their working conditions. The objectives of the seminar were: To understand Social Security and informal work To understand factors responsible for women to work in informal sector To examine factors affecting life of women in informal sector To understand women’s education and participation in informal sector In total 24 papers were presented covering several areas of women in informal sector. The programme was coordinated by Dr K C Channamma, Assistant Professor, of CWGS, ISEC.
Dissemination Workshop on ‘Pathways to Sanitation: Growing Challenges and Access to Urban Poor – A Study of Bangalore City’
A dissemination workshop on the study findings of the project, ‘Pathways to Sanitation: Growing Challenges and Access to Urban Poor’ was held on September 30, 2015 at ISEC. The inaugural session began with welcome address by Prof K S James, Acting Director, ISEC. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, chaired the session. There were 24 participants in the workshop including the Principal Secretary, Housing, Mr Shambu Dayal Meena, Government of Karnataka; other senior officials from various State Government departments, Karnataka Slum Development Board and Bangalore Municipal Corporation; academicians, practitioners, representatives from the private sector, NGOs and HSMI. Findings of the study were presented by Dr Manasi. The workshop aimed to get inputs and suggestions for policy and future research focus and aid the government agencies in understanding the ground truths and provide insights to improve sanitation access to the poor. The study aimed to address the concerns like toilet access of the urban poor in Bengaluru city. One of the outcomes of increased urbanization has been the growing number of slums and squatter settlements. The pressure to address urban sanitation is enormous to ensure dignity of the poor besides preventing environmental contamination resulting in disease outbreaks. The findings were based on a survey of 20 slums across 8 zones. Highlights on interventions, toilet access, usage, non-usage, and challenges for women were covered. Besides, documentation of case studies across India and other countries to seek solutions for Bengaluru was done. Various socioeconomic, cultural and technical reasons and possible interventions in respect of open defecation in slums were deliberated at the workshop. The study was funded by HUDCO’s Human Settlements Research Institute, New Delhi. The workshop was coordinated by Dr S Manasi of CRUA
International Conference on ‘Climate Change and Social Ecological Economical Interface-Building: Modelling Approach to Exploring Potential Adaptation Strategies for Bio-resource Conservation and Livelihood Development’
The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR) in association with Centre for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, Germany organised a two day international conference on ‘Climate Change and Social Ecological Economical Interface-Building: Modelling Approach to Exploring Potential Adaptation Strategies for Bio-resource Conservation and Livelihood Development’ from May 20-21, 2015 at ISEC. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. M R Narayana, Director I/c, ISEC. the Keynote Address was delivered by Prof. Ruediger Schaldach University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany and Prof. K V Raju Assistant Director and Principal Scientist, Development Centre ICRISAT, Hyderabad. Professor G Thimmaiah, Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC delivered presidential remarks. Prof. Sunil Nautiyal CEENR, ISEC, coordinated the conference.
Symposium on the ‘Recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission’
A Symposium on the ‘Recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission’ was held on 28th April, 2015 at the Institute. The Key Note Address was delivered by Professor M Govinda Rao, Former Member, 14th Finance Commission & Emeritus Professor, NIPFP, New Delhi. Shri Arvind Shrivastava, IAS, Secretary to Government, Budget & Resources, Finance Department, Govt of Karnataka was Invited Speaker. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. M R Narayana, Director I/c, ISEC. and Professor G Thimmaiah, Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC delivered presidential remarks. Professor K Gayitri, CESP, ISEC, coordinated the Symposium.
Panel discussion on ‘Understanding the Indian Political System: A Tribute to Rajni Kothari (1928 -2015)’
Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development (CPIGD) of ISEC organised A Panel Discussion on Understanding the Indian Political System: A Tribute to Rajni Kothari (1928 -2015) on 19th February 2015. The Panelists were Prof. Sandeep Shastri, National Convenor, Lokniti Network and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Jain University, on “Understanding the Political Experiment in New Democracies: Rajni Kothari’s Contribution to the Narrative”; Prof. Aparna Sundar, Faculty, Azim Premji University, on “The Non-Party Political Process and Emancipatory Democracy in India Today: Some reflections”; and Prof. Supriya RoyChowdhury, Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change, on “When Does a Text Become a Classic?”. Professor R.S.Deshpande, Former Director, ISEC chaired the session.
Recent Seminars and Workshops
Seminar on “Advancing Frontiers of Knowledge on Climate Action Cross-sectional Approaches for Mitigation and Resilience” A 2 day seminar on “Advancing Frontiers of Knowledge on Climate Action Cross-sectional Approaches for Mitigation and Resilience” was organised by Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change, In Collaboration with, IIM-A, IIT-B, Supported by GIZ (New Delhi). About the Seminar: To assist in network building and knowledge exchange and thus strengthen capacities for enhanced science-policy-practice interface, three research studies were conducted jointly between Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and institutions namely Institute for Social and Economic Change, Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay worked on three priority areas which are key in realizing India’s NDCs and improving climate resilience. The studies were initiated and designed in collaboration with Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The purpose of the seminar is to disseminate and discuss the findings of the studies with the scientific audience and practitioners to understand the learnings better. It will also provide an opportunity to develop a consolidated document of suggestions and ideas in the form of seminar proceedings to be presented at the forthcoming COP-26 i.e., the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Key Objectives: To disseminate the outcomes of the three research studies, To exchange knowledge and strategies among national and international institutions, To consolidate insights and recommendations from stakeholders and experts, To identify research and action gap for formulating further research, To strengthen the institutional network of institutes and scientists working in the sector Dr Sunil Nautiyal was the Convenor of the Seminar Dilemmas of Belonging and the Violence of Identity: Diasporic Hinduism and Tamils in Exile A Public Lecture on “Dilemmas of Belonging and the Violence of Identity: Diasporic Hinduism and Tamils in Exile” by Prof. Kamala Ganesh M N Srinivas Chair Professor, ISEC was organised on 8th October, 2021 at ISEC through online. The lecture was Moderated by Prof. R. Indira Former Professor of Sociology, Mysore University & Member, Board of Governors, ISEC. The lecture was coordinated by Dr. Sobin George. National Seminar on “Public Policy in India” A one day national seminar on Public Policy in India cum book release of the edited book “Public Policy in India” Essays in honour of Prof B S Sreekantaradhya was organized on 8th October 2021 at ISEC. The seminar was coordinated by Prof. Krishna Raj. Green Growth Strategies for Climate Resilience and DRR: Policies, Pathways and Tools A three-day international workshop and training programme on ‘Green Growth Strategies for Climate Resilience and DRR: Policies, Pathways and Tools’ was jointly organised during November 26-28, 2020 by the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru and National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. Professor Sunil Nautiyal, Head, CEENR, ISEC and Prof Anil K Gupta, Head, PSDRRS, NIDM convened this important international workshop which had high relevance for contemporary world. The event was conducted via the Zoom platform and live streamed on YouTube. The inaugural session was held in the seminar hall with a limited gathering while following COVID guidelines as issued by GoI. Professor S Madheswaran, Director, ISEC, Professor M V Nadkarni, Former Vice Chancellor of Gulbarga University and Honorary Visiting Professor, ISEC, Professor R S Deshpande, Former Director, ISEC and Honorary Visiting Professor ISEC, were present. Professor Sukhadeo Thorat, Former Chairman UGC and ICSSR and present Chairman of BoG, ISEC, Prof Anil K Gupta, NIDM, MHA, GoI; Professor V K Malhotra, Member Secretary, ICSSR, joined online along with attendees from across the world. Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, Nishank, Honourable Union Education Minister, Government of India was unable to be present online due to official commitments, but sent his regards and best wishes. During the inaugural programme, Prof S Madheswaran and Prof Sunil Nautiyal addressed the gathering and Professor Nadkarni was felicitated. A total of six panel discussions, three special lecture sessions and six general technical sessions were held in course of the scheduled three days which were attended by more than 500 participants from 15 countries of five continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America). There were 27 invited lectures and 42 general presentations on varied topics during the three days. The panels included eminent and well known experts who discussed and provided valuable perspectives on issues such as resilient cities and agriculture, disaster risk reduction, sustainability, circular and green economy, traditional knowledge, forests and biodiversity. International Training Programme onPanchayats, Cooperatives and Rural Development A three-day training programme was organised by the Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC, in collaboration with National Cooperative Council of Sri Lanka, for participants representing various cooperatives in Sri Lanka, during March 4-6, 2020 at ISEC. The training programme saw in-depth discussion on the role of decentralisation in rural development taking Karnataka as an example. The meet identified best practices that could be adopted for cooperatives and rural development. Professor D Rajasekhar and Dr R Manjula were the coordinators of the international training programme. Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions The 20th Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) was conducted during February 27-29, 2020 at the Institute. Three themes were covered (i) Social and Economic Inequalities: Emerging Perspectives; (ii) Child Development: A Fair Chance to Every Child and (iii) Challenges of Urban Transformation. The conference was inaugurated by Hon’ble Vice-Chairman State Planning Board Shri B J Puttaswamy. Professor S Madheswaran, Acting Director of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) welcomed the Chief Guest and other dignitaries and participants of the conference. Professor Alakh N Sharma, Director Institute for Human Development and Member Secretary Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) apprised about the activities of the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions. Professor R Radhakrishna, Chairman, Indian Association of Social Science Institutions and former Chairman, National Statistical Commission welcomed the dignitaries and presented his remarks about the conference. The Inaugural Address was delivered by the Chief Guest Hon’ble Vice-Chairman State Planning Board, Shri B J Puttaswamy. Hon’ble Vice-Chairman presented the achievements made by the state government under different programmes and schemes for the well-being of people in the state. The inaugural session was presided by Professor P G Chengappa, Former Vice-Chancellor of University of Agriculture Sciences Bengaluru and Member Board of Governors, ISEC. The session was concluded by a vote of thanks by Professor Parmod Kumar, faulty, ISEC and Local Organising Secretary, IASSI. The Conference had in total seven plenary sessions and 3-4 parallel technical sessions. The key note addresses were delivered by eminent scholars on the three themes by Professor S Madheswran, Acting Director, ISEC on Social and Economic Inequalities: Emerging Perspectives; Professor A K Shiv Kumar, Visiting Faculty, Ashoka University on Child Development: A Fair Chance to Every Child; and Professor S R Hashim, Chairman, Institute for Human Development (IHD), Delhi; Former Member-Secretary, Planning Commission and Former Chairman, Union Public Service Commission on Challenges of Urban Transformation. In the post lunch session, a panel on India and Sustainable Development Goals was organised. The session was chaired by Shri Sanjiv Kumar, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Election Officer, Government of Karnataka. The speakers were: Mrs Chaya K Degaonkar, Additional Chief Evaluation, Government of Karnataka; Mrs Shipra Maitra, Professor, Institute for Human Development, Delhi and Professor Meenakshi Rajeev, RBI Chair Professor, ISEC. The Atal Bihari Bajpai memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Sachin Chaturvedi, the Director General Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). Two special lectures were organised sharing the experiences of the government programmes in the state of Karnataka and the speakers were: Shri Sanjiv Kumar, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Election Officer, Government of Karnataka and Shri G Kumar Naik, Principal Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Government of Karnataka. Tarlok Singh Memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Sudipto Mundle on the topic ‘Development, Institutions and the State: Reflections on the Interaction between Theory, Policy and Ground Reality’. Presidential address was delivered by Professor V K Malhotra, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (ICSSR). The topic of his presidential address was ‘Social Science Research in India: Issues and Perspectives’. A special lecture was delivered by Mr Anjum Parwez, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, Government of Karnataka on the topic, ‘Challenges of Urban Transformation in Karnataka’. A panel on New Education Policy was organised with the leading educationists. The panelist included Professor N V Varghese, Vice Chancellor, NIEPA, New Delhi; Ramesh Sharan, Vice Chancellor, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand; M V Nadkarni, Former Vice Chancellor, Gulbarga University; R K Mishra, Director, Institute of Public Enterprises, Hyderabad and K R Venugopal, Vice chancellor, Bangalore University. Two-day Regional Conference on Towards Peace, Harmony and Happiness: Transition to Transformation Population Research Centre (PRC) conducted a ‘Two-day Regional Conference on Towards Peace, Harmony and Happiness: Transition to Transformation’ jointly with Pranab Mukherjee Foundation, New Delhi, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, on January 23-24, 2020. Professor M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting a lamp. Professor R S Ghuman, Programme Co-ordinator, CRRID, Chandigarh; Professor Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor, Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag; Professor V R Venugopal, Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University, and Dr Gurinder Kaur, CRRID, Chandigarh, graced the occasion. Professor Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor, Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayath Raj University, Gadag, Karnataka, and (Retd. Professor, Department of Political Science, Bangalore University, Bengaluru) delivered the keynote address and Professor K R Venugopal, Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Chief Guest of the programme addressed the audience. The conference was covered four sessions: (a) Education Transition and Transformation, (b) Socio-cultural Transition and Transformation, (c) Economic Transition and Transformation, (d) Health Transition and Transformation. The outcome of the conference brought the relevant discussion on the above themes, which have a positive bearing on policy implications. Professor Giridhar R Babu, Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru, delivered the valedictory speech. Dr Vikash Kumar, Assistant Professor, CRRID, Chandigarh, proposed a vote of thanks. Professor C M Lakshmana coordinated the programme. Two day workshop on Socio-Economics Development through Value Addition MM Hills Reserve Forest in Southern Karnataka, India, has a greater biological diversity. Communities such as Soligas and many other have been residing for a long time in these forests. The forest dwelling communities depend on wild edibles plants (WEPs) for various purposes. These WEPs resources also provide essential nutrients vitamins and impart cultural identity to these communities keeping the importance of WEPs a training on value addition of wild edibles for the tribal people of MM Hills organised by CEENR of ISEC in collaboration with CSIR – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) at CFTRI, Mysore from March 14-15, 2019. The main objective of this farmer-centric workshop was to upgrade the skills of tribal farmers about the processing of wild edibles and they will in turn train and encourage the other people of their respective villages, thereby assisting themselves to become selfdependent and to enhance the economy of the tribal communities using wild edibles that are endemic to the region. Twenty (20) Soliga tribal farmers have attended two day training progammre and resource persons from CFTRI Mysore have given training to the farmers on value addition of various plant products. This workshop was convened by Prof Sunil Nautiyal, CEENR, ISEC. The SEED Division of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India has given financial support for organization of training progarmme to the tribal farmers. One-Day Dissemination Seminar on ‘Population and Health Studies’ Population Research Centre (PRC), ISEC, organised the First Dissemination Seminar on ‘Population and Health Studies’ conducted by the staff of PRC on June 27, 2019 with the financial support provided by the Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka. The inaugural function commenced at 10 am with the playing of the State anthem. Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting a lamp. Shri D S Ramesh, IAS Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Services, GoK, and Dr K Ravi Kumar, Senior Regional Director (Health & Family Welfare), Regional Office for Health & Family Welfare, GoI, graced the occasion. The other dignitaries presented at the seminar were Dr B G Prakash Kumar, Deputy Director (MVBDCP) and I/c State Programme Manager, NHM, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Services, Smt S Prameela, Joint Director (State Demographer), Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services, GoK, Prof P M Kulkarni, Retired Professor, JNU and a well-known Demographer and Former Faculty of PRC, and Prof K N M Raju, retired Professor and head, Population Research Centre, ISEC. There were about 45 participants, including the faculty and staff of PRC. It is one of the memorable occasion in the history of ISEC, with several State Health Officials attending this seminar at ISEC. Prof M G Chandrakanth, welcomed the dignitaries and participants. In his welcome address, Prof Chandrakanth mentioned that Population and Health are the two sides of the coin of Welfare. The optimum size of population influences our investment (both individually at family level and collectively at national level) on human health. Professor C M Lakshmana, the seminar coordinator, has delivered his introductory remarks and also welcomed all the dignitaries and participants to the seminar. At the same time, Dr C M Lakshmana explained the objective of the seminar. He thanked all the colleagues of PRC, saying that without their help this seminar was not possible to organise. As many as 11 research papers and studies, completed by PRC staff, were presented in four sessions. Session 1 discussed the Maternal and Child Health Services: Status and issues in India and Karnataka; Session-2 discussed the Older Persons and Care Needs: A study among Urban Middle-Class Senior Citizens in Bangalore; Session 3 highlighted the functioning of AYUSH Health Centres in Karnataka: An overview and Session 4 discussed the Population and Health Studies conducted by Population Research Centre. One-Day Workshop on Functioning of DBT at Retail Points A One-Day Workshop was organised for the project titled, ‘Functioning of DBT at Retail Outlets’ on June 7, 2019. The workshop was attended by the faculty/staff of all the 12 AERCs across India. In addition, the Department of Fertilizer, Government of India participated in the workshop through Skype. The officials of the Karnataka Government also participated in the Workshop which was inaugurated by Institute Director, Prof M G Chandrakanth, who in his welcome address pointed out the DBT policy issues, fertilizer funds and the distribution of fertilizer through POS machine at the retail level. Prof Parmod Kumar introduced the delegates about the DBT and explained the importance of fertilizer for the farmers. The team discussed about the methodology of the study, selection of retailers and farmer, about the questionnaire and conduct of survey. The Workshop concluded with Vote of Thanks by ADRT Centre head Dr K B Ramappa. Accessing Citizen Participation and Voice in the Era of Democratic Decentralisation in Indian States: Interdisciplinary approaches The central and state governments in India have initiated reforms towards democratic decentralization in the country. These reforms include devolution of political powers from centre to states and from states to sub-state level governments for the planning and implementation of various aspects of development, mandatory elections once in five years, reservations to disadvantaged groups of women and lower castes for their inclusion in the democratic decision making, creation of institutions such as village assembly for enabling the people to participate in the democratic governance and so on. In order to discuss the issues relating to public policies on poverty alleviation, service delivery and citizens’ participation in development process and so on from the interdisciplinary perspective, a seminar was jointly organised by the Japanese Research Group on comparative study of Indian State Politics and Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC during March 15-16, 2019. Scholars from Japan and India from different academic disciplines presented papers on Citizen Participation and Voices. The seminar brought out the uniqueness and common features of decentralised democratic politics in India. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof D Narasimha Reddy, Member, ISEC Board of Governors, while Prof N Jayaram, former Director, ISEC, delivered the keynote address. Prof D Rajasekhar and Dr R Manjula were the coordinators. International Conference on ‘Ageing in Asia’ An International Conference on ‘Ageing in Asia’ was conducted at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore in collaboration with the Programme on the Global Demography of Ageing at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA and the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai during March 14-15, 2019. Ageing is taking place at an unprecedented rate across the globe. By 2050, it is expected that nearly 8 in 10 persons aged 60 years and over will be living in developing regions. Ageing populations and the increasing longevity of individuals present many opportunities as well as challenges for policy makers in developing countries. The main focus of the conference was the exchange of ideas on critical and emergent topics related to ageing in Asian countries and the discussion of responsive programmatic, research, policy and advocacy efforts. The central and state governments in India have initiated reforms towards democratic decentralization in the country. These reforms include devolution of political powers from centre to states and from states to sub-state level governments for the planning and implementation of various aspects of development, mandatory elections once in five years, reservations to disadvantaged groups of women and lower castes for their inclusion in the democratic decision making, creation of institutions such as village assembly for enabling the people to participate in the democratic governance and so on. In order to discuss the issues relating to public policies on poverty alleviation, service delivery and citizens’ participation in development process and so on from the interdisciplinary perspective, a seminar was jointly organised by the Japanese Research Group on comparative study of Indian State Politics and Centre for Decentralisation and Development, ISEC during March 15-16, 2019. The Chief Guest for the programme was Mr Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare with the Government of Karnataka. Several papers were presented covering sub-themes such as Health Status, the Health Care System, Work and Economic Security and the Legal Framework for the Protection of Older Persons. Social science researchers, medical academicians and practitioners, social entrepreneurs and industry experts belonging to various institutions including All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, Elder Aid, International Institute for Population Sciences, St Johns Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, National University of Singapore, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, Sankara Eye Foundation, United Nations Population Fund, New Delhi presented their work on ageing. In addition, young researchers and doctoral students working on these issues participated in the conference and interacted with experts in the field. Dr T S Syamala, Associate Professor, PRC, Ms B P Vani, Associate Professor, CESP and Dr Lekha Subaiya, Assistant Professor, PRC were the coordinators. Academic Discourse on Building a Gender Friendly Karnataka An Academic Discourse on “Building a Gender Friendly Karnataka” was organised by Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development, ISEC, Bengaluru in collaboration with Karnataka Panchayati Raj Parishad & CIVIC Bengaluru on March 8, 2019. The programme was presided by Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, Bengaluru and the inaugural address was provided by Prof Siddalingaiah, Poet & Dalit Writer, Former Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority, Govt. of Karnataka. Introduction about the programme was given by Prof Jos Chathukulam, Professor, Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development. Vote of thanks was provided by Dr Indrajit Bairagya, Assistant Professor, CHRD. National Workshop on Agro-biodiversity Conservation for Sustainable Socio-Ecological Development Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources at Institute for Social and Economic Change Bengaluru with Financial support from TIFAC DST, Govt. of India organised a national workshop on Agro-biodiversity Conservation for Sustainable Socioecological Development on September 24, 2018 to understand the status of natural resource, biodiversity in particular, in various agro-ecological regions while simultaneously understanding the loss of agrobiodiversity due to multitude of factors. During the workshop scholars have presented research outcomes on importance of agro-biodiversity and role of its conservation in ensuring sustainability to the socioecological systems. Detailed discussions were held on impact of developmental activities, agro-biodiversity, loss of varieties, and the reasons behind the change in cropping patterns by farmers in various agroecological regions of India. The discussion enabled to understand how these changes have their implications on the local resources of the region with subsequent effect on livelihoods. As a further step this national workshop designed a platform to share the learnings as well as exchange of findings of research which would contribute to resource use and conservation for sustainable socio-ecological development. The national workshop included participation by the various stakeholders like personnel from the research institutions and universities namely Jawaharlal Nehru University; The University of Delhi; Mangalore University; ISEC, Bangalore; Kuvempu University; University of Mysore; G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Almora, Uttarakhand; University of Agricultural Science Dharwad; VIT University Vellore; Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu; TIFAC, Govt. of India, New Delhi; Forest Department of Karnataka; community organisations. A total of 120 participants – Resource persons, scholars, students, innovative farmers and forest official attended the national workshop. The national workshop was convened by Prof Sunil Nautiyal of CEENR, ISEC. Workshop on CCMASSR In the capacity of coordinator of CCMASSR workshop for the year 2018, ISEC organised a workshop from November 26 to December 7, 2018. A total 21 participants from all over India and across various disciplines (social science and science) attended the workshop. It was conducted with a view to support capacity building among young aspiring researchers. Resource persons were drawn from within the institute and experts from outside ISEC. The workshop was coordinated by Dr Malini L Tantri, Assistant Professor, CESP, ISEC. 32nd National Conference on Agricultural Marketing 32ndNational Conference on Agricultural Marketing was organised jointly by the Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing, Hyderabad and Agriculture Development and Rural Transformation Centre, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore at Mahatama Gandhi Auditorium during November 22-24, 2018. The Conference was inaugurated by Smt Sudha P Rao, Principal Adviser Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India on November 22, 2018 at 10.00 AM followed by welcome address by the Director ISEC, Professor M G Chandrakanth. Key Note Address was delivered by Professor C G Ranade, Faculty Stratford University & Adjunct Faculty University of Bridgeport, USA on Vertical Integration for Inclusive Growth on Indian Economy. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, Board of Governors (ISEC) and Former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka graced the Inaugural Session. Prof R Radhakrishna, President Indian Society of Agriculture Marketing and former Chairman Indian Statistical Commission presided over the Inaugural function. Dr T Satyanaryana the Secretary of ISAM introduced the society to the delegates while vote of thanks was presented by Professor Parmod Kumar. Professor Sukhpal Singh, Centre for Management, IIM Ahmedabad delivered the 14thParthasarthy Memorial Lecture on ‘Land and Livelihoods in Rural India’. The Plenary Session of the Conference was addressed by Professor S Bislaiah, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore. Around 150 eminent scientists, scholars, academia, administrators, practitioners and progressive farmers from across the country participated in the Conference and shared their experiences and presented papers. Around 60 research papers pertaining to the following three themes were presented in the Conference: 1. Risk Management in Agricultural Marketing; 2. Marketing Issues Related to Agricultural Produce of Tribal; and 3. Role of Marketing Institutions in Karnataka in Augmenting Farm Income. International Conference on Challenges of Governance in Mega Cities In the international conference on the ‘Challenges of Governance in Mega Cities’, held during October 25-26, 2018 funded by the ICSSR, papers were invited on several themes – including urban public services, given the dearth of data on the same, metropolitan governance, regional planning, ecological dilemmas, urban poverty, urban societal transformation, and mega city finances. The conference was presided over by Dr A Ravindra, then Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors, Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, with inaugural keynote address by Dr George Mavrotas, Head, International Food Policy Research Institute, Nigeria. Internationally, there were presentations by faculty members from the City University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, and JICA, Japan. Nationally, paper presenters at the conference were from Ashoka Trust for Ecology and Environment, Mangalore University, national institutes of importance such as Manipal Academy of Higher Education, IIT-Roorkee, IIT-Tirupathi, TERI School of Advanced Studies, University of Hyderabad, Indian School of Business, Jindal Global Law School, and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development among others. The valedictory address to the conference was given by Prof V K Natraj, former member, Board of Governors, ISEC, and former Director, MIDS, Chennai. Prof Kala S Sridhar was the conference coordinator. International Conference on Economic Growth in India and China: Social and Economic Impacts An International Conference on the Social and Economic Impacts of the Economic Growth in India and China, the result of a collaborative effort between ISEC and Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), funded by the ICSSR, was held at ISEC during September 27-28, 2018. Professor Kala S Sridhar was the conference coordinator and Dr K C Channamma was the co-coordinator. Taking into account the rapid growth of the two large countries, papers that addressed the above mentioned issues were invited for this conference. The conference was presided over by Dr A Ravindra, then Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors, Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, with inaugural addresses by Prof S Bisaliah, former Vice Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and Prof Hu Xueju, Vice President of SASS. Eight scholars from SASS and several Indian scholars from ISEC and outside presented their papers in various technical sessions covering economic growth, trade and technology, social sector, urbanisation, agriculture, Climate Change, governance, fiscal decentralisation, poverty, and cultural harmony across the two Countries. There was a talk by an IAS Officer Dr. R Vishal, Commissioner, Rural Drinking Water & Sanitation Department, Government of Karnataka, about municipal finances and accounting practices across the two countries. Workshop on Intra State Conglomeration of District Level Bio-diversity Management Committees The Center for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru and Karnataka Biodiversity Board, Bengaluru jointly organised a one day conglomeration workshop on September 10, 2018 for the newly constituted Biodiversity Management committees (BMCs)of five districts Viz., Ramnagara, Mandya, Dakshina Kannada, Ududpi and Belagavi. More than 70 people participated in the workshop. Prof Sunil Nautiyal gave a presentation on the progress of PBR documentation-process and highlighted the challenges the team came across during district level People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) documentation. Prof Sunil Nautiyal and Dr M Balasubramanian, CEENR, ISEC coordinated this important workshop. Coordinators explained the strategies that are required for documentation of PBRs in five districts of Karnataka. International Seminar on 25 Years of Decentralised Governance in India: Progress, Issues and Ways Forward It is 25 years since historic legislations on decentralisation were passed in India. In the last 25 years, the service delivery at the local level is sought to be done through decentralised governance, and this may have resulted in good development outcomes in both rural and urban areas. In order to examine the progress that decentralised governance has made in India and the impact of democratic decentralisation on development outcomes, the Centre for Decentralisation and Development organised an international seminar on ‘Twenty Five Years of Decentralised Governance in India: Status, Issues and the Way Forward’with funding support from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, during August 28- 30, 2018 at ISEC, Bangalore. The keynote address on ‘Devolution in India: An Evolutionary Perspective’ was delivered by Prof V K Natraj, former director, MIDS, Chennai, while Dr A Ravindra provided presidential remarks. Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, welcomed the participants. The seminar had 11 technical sessions spread across three days where 27 papers were presented. In addition, a special session on Decentralisation in Karnataka was organised wherein the practitioners and policy makers such as Dr A Ravindra, Dr S S Meenakshi Sundaram, Mr Venkata Rao Ghorpade and Mr C Narayanswamy critically reflected on the experience of decentralisation in Karnataka since the mid-1980s to shed light on the current situation, strengths and weaknesses of Karnataka model, and what needs to be done to improve the decentralised system. The valedictory address was delivered by Prof Abdul Aziz. About 70 participants participated in the seminar representing academic institutions from different parts of India and other countries, government organisations, civil society organisations, PhD students, etc. The programme was coordinated by Prof D Rajasekhar together with Dr R Manjula and Prof M Devendra Babu (former professor at the centre). National Seminar on Transgender People: Citizenship, State and Society (Integration of Transgender Community into Local Governance in Karnataka) Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development, ISEC, Bengaluru organised a national Seminar on “Transgender People: Citizenship, State and Society (Integration of Transgender Community into Local Governance in Karnataka)” on August 2, 2018. Keynote address was done by Justice (Retd.) K S Radhakrishnan, Former Judge of Supreme Court and Chairperson, Committee for Road Safety. Inaugural address was done by Mr P Ravikumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka. It was presided by Dr A Ravindra, IAS (Retd.) Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC and welcome note by Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC. Introduction about the seminar was given by Prof Jos Chathukulam, RK Hegde Chair on Decentralisation and Development, ISEC and Dr M Lingaraju, Assistant Professor, CHRD. Vote of thanks was given by Dr P S Srinath, Registrar, ISEC. Policy Analysis and Programme Evaluation Workshop (PA & PE) – 2018 A Cornell – GRAAM Initiative in India in association with ISEC The ILR School of Cornell University, a leading school for applied social sciences in USA & Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), a public policy research and advocacy think tank in India, in association with the Centre for Economic Studies and Policy Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, jointly presented a workshop intended to build capacity in understanding the process and methods of programme evaluation and evidence-based policy making. The workshop was conducted at the ISEC campus during July 3-18, 2018. The thirteenday workshop drew the academic expertise of Cornell University, GRAAM and ISEC, to provide participants with practical guidance for understanding public policy analysis and programme evaluation. The event was inaugurated by Prof V K Malhotra, Member Secretary of Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. Faculties from Cornell, Prof Sarosh Kuruvilla, Prof Arun Karpur, Prof Andrew Wilford and the Chairman of GRAAM Dr R Balasubramaniam and the Executive Director, Mr Basavaraju were present during the workshop. Also, the director of ISEC, Prof Chandrakanth, Registrar Mr Srinath and Prof Vani from ISEC were present during the inaugural and valedictory sessions. Seminar on ‘Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and their Socio-economic Status in India’ Population Research Centre (PRC) of ISEC organised a two-day national seminar on ‘Persons with Disabilities and their Socio-economic Status support from ICSSR, New Delhi. The objectives of the seminar were: to examine the status of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in India in terms of growth, trends and the composition by gender both for rural and urban India, to analyse their socio-economic status such as education, health and employment, by gender as well as residence, to document the issues pertaining to the challenged population as well as how to relieve these issues, provide a plethora of opportunities, to address policy implications to improve the status of PWDs within the existing policies and programmes towards their improvement. Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, ISEC, and other dignitaries inaugurated the seminar by lighting the lamp. Mr V Somanna, MLC and former minister, attended the occasion. The other dignitaries present were Prof M K Sridhar, Member, National Education Policy, and former Member, Knowledge Commission, Government of Karnataka; Mr V S Basavaraj, State Commissioner, Persons with Disabilities, GoK; Prof N Jayaram, former Director of ISEC; Dr Siddalingaiah, former MLC and Member, BoG of ISEC; Mr Mohan Kumar, BBMP; and Prof N Dasharath, Bangalore University. There were about 40 participants including paper presenters and speakers. Mr V Somanna presented the inaugural address. In the keynote address, Prof M K Sridhar congratulated Prof M G Chandrakanth, Director, and Prof C M Lakshmana on conducting the seminar. He also mentioned that PWD are not always at the receiving end, but they are also at the giving end. They too contribute, give. Therefore, the seminar and the papers discussed focused on the theme “Educate and Empower” the PWDs. Research on PWDs must include qualitative data and not quantitative. Mr V Basavaraj, State Commissioner, Persons with Disabilities, GoK, the chief guest of the inaugural programme, said there must be a phenomenal shift in the way we look at PWDs. The programme concluded with the vote of thanks by Dr Lekha Subaiya. Workshop on Making Indian Agriculture Climate-Friendly A workshop on ‘Making Indian Agriculture Climate – Friendly’ was conducted at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore during June 7-8,2018 to explore the options available to ensure that farming remains sustainable and workshop focused on two themes: Integrated Farming Systems, Organic Farming and Protected Cultivation for Eco – Friendly Agriculture and Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies such as short duration varieties, climate resilient crops and technologies, water conservation measures. The programme was coordinated by Prof I Maruthi of ADRTC. Development Convention 2018 The Development Convention 2018 was organised at ISEC on April 24-25, 2018. Prof Abhijit Sen and Prof T C Ananth began the two-day Development Convention at ISEC on April 24, 2018 by planting an almond sapling. In the inaugural, Prof Ananth recollected his participation in the ISEC Development Convention as member-secretary of ICSSR. Prof Abhijit Sen emphasised that India’s institutions, judiciary and stronger than those in China, and this strength is now questioned. Still we are weak in panel data and continuity of data is crucial as development is not just about people, but it is about people over time. Prof Surinder Jhodka indicated that exclusion is a recent word. In the Planning Commission, caste, gender and minority were not discussed. Today, access to education is predetermined by class. Prof Ravi Srivastava highlighted that inequality is a complex question, inequality of opportunities, outcomes — social, economic, political inequality — are crucial. India has no comprehensive framework to deal with exclusion. Prof Asseem Prakash introduced the idea of aspirational class in a market society. Aspirations are shaped at the intersection of state, markets and civil society. Prof Abhijit Sen in conclusion indicated that poverty is the bottom of the inequality ladder. Poverty literature did not talk about aspirations. Inequality started going up from the 1990s in India, while it was from the 1980s in rest of the world. Our statistical system has no panel data. Many delegates, faculty and students attended the inaugural and plenary sessions. The valedictory session was chaired by Prof KL Krishna. During the session, Dr Pronab Sen gave an extempore lecture highlighting that India’s investments are increasing, and are at present around 30 per cent of GDP, which is still impressive, leading to increase in productivity. The corporate sector accounts for 50 per cent of GDP and production growth and is driven by the corporate sector. Agricultural production technology can at the most shorten the duration of crops by a month. Plants do have their biological cycle and take time to grow. The Development Convention 2018 was coordinated by Prof Meenakshi Rajeev, CESP and Dr Indrajit Bairagya, CHRD of ISEC. Seminar on ‘Political Economy of Local Governance in Contemporary India’ Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation & Development, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) Bangalore organised a unique programme on April 14, 2018 to honour Dr B S Bhargava whose contributions are exemplary in the domain of Panchayati Raj, especially in the context of Karnataka. The title of the seminar was ‘Political Economy of Local Governance in Contemporary India’. As many as 23 presentations were made by the experts and research scholars on the various topics pertaining to the seminar theme. Vibrant discussions were held on the academic contributions ‘Journey of Prof BS Bhargava’ was screened as part of the programme. Prof Bhargava shared his feelings and conveyed thanks to all the participants and especially to Sri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair on Decentralisation& Development which made the event possible. The programme ended with Prof N Sivanna’s (Visiting Professor, Abdul Nazir Sab Chair, CMDR, Dharwad) vote of thanks. National Policy Workshop on “Mainstreaming Differential Ability in Local Governance and Development” ISEC celebrated 101st Sasygraha tree planting of Adamya Chetana on 3rd Dec 2017 Enhancing Farmers’ Income and Welfare The workshop on enhancing farmers’ income and welfare was conducted at ISEC on June 24-25, 2017. The workshop was inaugurated with the keynote address by Dr Ashok Dalwai, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, New Delhi, who is also the chairman of the project on enhancing farmers’ income and welfare. Dr Ashok Dalwai provided highlights of the project and emphasized the role of farm diversification, value addition, farmer producer organization along with supporting institutional mechanism in enhancing farmers’ income. Dr Vijay Paul Sharma, Chairman, CACP, New Delhi, discussed at length on the role of Minimum Support Prices and procurement operations of the Government of India in providing the basic income on which enhancement and welfare needs to be built upon with value addition at various levels. The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, is being assigned with the responsibility of conducting a baseline survey in all the selected villages to develop a blue print of enhancing farmers’ income and welfare in all the districts of the state. This national workshop was a step towards this objective. The highlight of the workshop was the participation by 300 farmers of the State who benefitted from presentations regarding enhancement of farm income and welfare as also contributed from their experience from different parts of the State. Farmer leaders, former Director-General of ICAR Dr Aiyappan, former Deputy Director- General of ICAR Dr Mruthyunjaya, former Secretary of Agriculture and Horticulture Dr Vasanthakumar and former Director of Research, Dr Prabhakara Setty participated in the discussions. National Workshop on Agrobiodiveristy Conservation for Socio-Economic and Ecological Development The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, ISEC, in association with Assam University, Silchar, organised National Workshop on ‘Agrobiodiversity conservation for socio-economic and ecological development’ at Assam University, Silchar, on April 5, 2017 with financial support from Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. The international conference was inaugurated by Prof Dilip Chandra Nath, the Vice- Chancellor, Assam University, Silchar, Assam. Prof Niranjan Roy, Professor of Economics, AUS Silchar, welcomed the conference participants. A presentation on the aim and objectives of the workshop was given by Prof. Sunil Nautiyal during the inaugural session. In the workshop, lecturers were delivered by scholars from various institutions/universities namely, North- Eastern Hill University, Shillong; Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam; Tripura University Agartala, Tripura; Assam Agricultural University Jorhat, Assam; ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region Umiam, Meghalaya; Mizoram University, Aizawl; Assam University Silchar; Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. This workshop was coordinated by Prof Sunil Nautiyal, Head, CEENR, ISEC, Prof Niranjan Roy and Dr Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, AUS, Silchar. Inception Workshop on Improving Farmers’ Income and Welfare An inception workshop on improving famers’ income and welfare was held at ISEC on February 20, 2017. In the workshop, the scope for the study, methodology and activities to be performed in the timeframe were discussed. The inception also included suggestions from stakeholders such as farmers, farmer leaders, banking institutions, farmers’ organizations, universities, crop insurance organizations, marketing department, farmer producer organizations, independent farmer entrepreneurs, women farmer representatives and others. The workshop, sponsored by the Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission (KAPC), focused largely on the role of stakeholders in enhancing or improving farmers’ income and the suggestions of the stakeholders are being included in developing the questionnaire to be used for baseline survey information to be collected from each of the eight villages already selected by the KAPC, Government of Karnataka. The workshop was coordinated by Prof M G Chandrakanth, the Director of ISEC. International Seminar on ‘State Politics, Governance and Development in India’ A two-day International Seminar on ‘State Politics, Governance and Development in India’, sponsored by the University of Horoshima, Japan, was organised on December 27-28, 2016 at ISEC, Bengaluru. The seminar was inaugurated by Dr A Ravindra, Chairperson, Board of Governors, of ISEC and Professor V K Nataraj delivered the keynote address. The valedictory address was given by Professor R S Deshpande. The seminar was coordinated by Dr M Devendra Babu, Centre for Decentralisation and Development, and Dr N Sivanna, Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development, ISEC. International Conference on The Middle Class in World Society Recently, development agencies and international organizations have been showing keen interest in the middle class. For example, both the World Bank and the OECD published studies claiming that there is an emerging middle class in countries of the global South. The Economist even averred that more than half of the world’s population belongs to the middle class. These and similar findings are based on different and controversial definitions of the notion of a middle class. Furthermore, these income-based definitions represent a fractionated group. From a sociological perspective, however, middle class is more than just a part of the population that lives above the poverty line and having a certain consumption potential. Sociological definitions of middle class do not focus on how much its members own, but rather on what they own (means of production, high human capital) and what their beliefs and interests are. To further explore the above debate, a joint international conference on ‘The Middle Class in World Society’ was conducted at ISEC during December 16-17, 2016. The conference was funded by the World Society Foundation (Zurich, Switzerland). The conference was coordinated by Professor S Madheswaran and Smt. B P Vani of the Centre for Economic Studies and Policy, ISEC. International Seminar on ‘Poverty, Environment and Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific’ The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR) organised a two-day international seminar at ISEC on ‘Poverty, Environment and Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific’ on December 8 and 9, 2016. Representatives from various universities, research institutes, the national and the state governments, NGOs and others participated in the seminar and presented papers. The seminar, funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, aimed to share knowledge on poverty, environment and sustainable development goals in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr M Balasubramanian, CEENR, organised the seminar. International Conference on ‘India, China and the New World Order: Economic, Social, Political and Cultural Dimensions’ A conference on ‘India, China and New World Order: Economic, Social, Political and Cultural Dimensions’ was organised by Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) during November 21-22, 2016. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, BoG, ISEC, inaugurated the conference and chaired the inaugural session. The programme was coordinated by Professor Meenakshi Rajeev and Dr Indrajit Bairagya, ISEC. Workshop on Karnataka State Water Policy with regard to Climate Change ISEC in collaboration with Dr Kamta Prasad of the India Water Partnership, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, and Water Resources Department, Government of Karnataka, organized a one-day workshop on Review of State Water Policy of Karnataka on November 16, 2016. The National Water Policy 2012 and the Karnataka state water policy were discussed in the workshop along with contemporary issues pertaining to river water sharing in the context of climate change. Shri B G Gurupadaswamy, Secretary, Water Resources Department, Govt. of Karnataka, was the Chief Guest. National Seminar on Rediscovering Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Of late, Indians at large have started realizing the significance of Dr B R Ambedkar. Now, he is no longer confined only to the Dalit world, which, of course, reveres him as their sole liberator, as he is creating the space he deserves even in the hearts of all the other caste and religious communities of India. On occasions his struggle was solitary, complicated and daring. It appeared as if he took against the tides of time, much against the will of the wheel, which whimsically marched towards the sole goal of the self-rule. But his cause was even greater, enduring and was aimed at re-writing the history of India. That way, his battle was against history itself, the history that made innate the structures of injustice, exploitation, exclusivities and deprivations, and therefore, it is still refusing to settle down with him. Naturally, Ambedkar continues to be relevant, thoughtful and a perennial source of knowledge and inspiration to address the persisting historical and systemic wrongs of India. There is a passionate need to compare, scrutinize, analyse and find out the real strengths and viabilities of Ambedkar ideology and Ambedkar’s contribution to nation building. A two-day national seminar on ‘Rediscovering Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’ organised at ISEC on October 24-25, 2016, deliberated these questions further. There were 12 paper presentations in six sessions. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Satish Deshpande. Professor Gopal Guru delivered the special lecture and Professor Ravi Varma Kumar, former Advocate-General of Karnataka, delivered the valedictory speech. Noted academics including Professor Hargopal, Professor Valerian Rodrigues, Professor V K Natraj, Professor Siddalingaiah, Professor R S Deshpande, Professor D Jeevan Kumar, Professor P G Jogdand, Dr Ramesh Kamble, Dr Abhinaya Kamble and Dr Sivasundar also participated in the seminar. The seminar, sponsored by the ICSSR, was coordinated by Professor Manohar Yadav and Dr Sobin George of ISEC. Workshop on Impact of Neem-Coated Urea (NCU) on Production, Productivity and Soil Health in India A workshop on the study, ‘Impact of Neem-Coated Urea on Production, Productivity and Soil Health in India’ was organised by the Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC) of ISEC, Bangalore, on October 21, 2016. Mr P C Bodh, Advisor of the Department of Economics and Statistics (DES), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA & FW), reviewed the progress of the project. The project was coordinated by Dr K B Ramappa and Dr A V Manjunath of ADRTC along with the other five AERCs established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. Workshop on Farmer Suicides in India: Causes and Suggestions A workshop on ‘Farmer Suicides in India: Causes and Suggestions’ was organised on October 20, 2016 by the Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC) of ISEC. The main goals of the workshop included (i) presenting the findings of the study on farmer suicides in India; (ii) appraising the status of the study, and (iii) formulating steps to be taken to complete the state report by the respective AERCs for timely submission to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. The progress of the work and main findings of the study were reported for 12 of the 15 states for which the study is being carried out. The workshop was organised by Dr A V Manjunatha and Dr K B Ramappa. Workshop on Sustainable Utilisation of Water in Cauvery River Basin: Issues and Solutions In order to discuss the issues over sharing of the Cauvery water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, ISEC and Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission (KAPC) organized a one-day workshop on Sustainable Use of Cauvery River Water at Bangalore on October 3, 2016. Prominent farmers’ representatives from both the states participated. The workshop was inaugurated by Sri Rajendra Singh, winner of the Stockholm Water Prize and Magsaysay Award. Dr Nataraj, former Director of MIDS, Dr Janakarajan, formerly Professor at MIDS, legal experts, scientists as well as ISEC faculty members participated in the workshop, presided over by the Chairman of ISEC Board of Governors, Dr A Ravindra. Workshop on Mapping Farm–Non-Farm Sector Linkages in Rural India A workshop on ‘Mapping of Farm-Non-farm Sector Linkages in Rural India’ was organised jointly by ISEC and St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore, on August 22, 2016 at St Joseph’s College. The aim of the workshop was to deliberate on the final findings of the project of the same title funded by ICSSR in the presence of the advisors to the project. The welcome address was delivered by the Principal of St Joseph’s College. Later, Professor Meenakshi Rajeev talked about the workshop. The coordinators of the project, Professor Meenakshi Rajeev and Dr Manojit Bhattacharjee, made presentations. The two advisors of the project – Professor Saumya Chakrabarti of Visva-Bharati University and Professor Anirban Dasgupta of South Asian University, Delhi – also made presentations on theoretical aspects of the topic. Panel Discussion on Union and Karnataka State Budgets 2016-17 Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) organised a Panel Discussion on Union and Karnataka State Budgets 2016-17 on Thursday 28th April 2016 at 11: 00 a.m. in the Seminar Hall of the Institute. The Panel Discyssion was presided over by Sri. S. Ramanathan, IAS (Retd.), Chairperson IIPA, Karnataka Branch and moderated by Dr. A . Ravindra IAS, (Retd.), Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC. The Panelists were 1.) Dr. R S Deshpande Former Director, ISEC 2.) Dr Narendar Pani Professor, NIAS 3.) Dr. Charan Singh Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor, IIMB 4.) Dr. Vinod Vyasulu Former Director, CBPS, 5.) Sri Arvind Shrivastava, IAS Secretary to Government (Budget & Resources) Finance Department, Government of Karnataka. Dr. K Gayithri, CESP, ISEC, coordinated the Panel Discussion. International Seminar on ‘Ageing and Well-being: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Health and Social Care’ An international seminar on ‘Ageing and Well-being: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Health and Social Care’ was held at Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, during December 17-18, 2015. The seminar was organised as part of a joint research study with Indo-European Networking Research Project in collaboration with the University of Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Southampton, UK; Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum; and Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. This seminar brought together scholars from India and Europe to discuss issues relating to ageing and wellbeing in a cross-cultural perspective. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, presided over the inaugural function and Jane Falkingham, Dean of the Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Demography and International Social Policy, the University of Southampton, UK, delivered the keynote address. The four themes covered in the seminar were Demographic Change, Living Arrangement and Care Giving Needs, Health Status of the Older Persons, Ageing: New Methodologies and Data and Ageing, Gender and Social Security. A photo exhibition was also arranged on the topic Ageing in Institutional Contexts: India and the Netherlands. The valedictory address was given by Dr Leo van Wissen, Director, National Institute of Demographic Research, The Hague. Workshop on Micro Irrigation Policy Implementation Roadmap for Karnataka The Global Green Growth Institute (South Korea) has entrusted a project on ‘Development of Subsidy Calculator Framework’ and ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators’ to the ADRT Centre of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC). In this connection, a workshop on ‘Micro Irrigation Policy Implementation Roadmap for Karnataka State’ was organised by the ADRTC in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on November 5, 2015. The purpose of the workshop was to present the final reports by the partner institutions and to get feedback. Dr A V Manjunatha of ISEC and Prof R S Deshpande made a presentation on micro irrigation potential, investment requirement and subsidy support calculator framework. Prof M G Chandrakanth from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, presented a report on the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Mr Shilp Verma from International Water Management Institute, Anand, presented a report on ‘Promoting micro irrigation in Karnataka: Roadmap to success’. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, Government of Karnataka, and the ADRTC project team attended the workshop. Dr P Thippaiah from ISEC, Dr Siddarthan Balasubramania and Dr Ajith Radhakrishnan from GGGI, New Delhi, attended the workshop. The workshop was organised by Dr A V Manjunatha of ADRTC. National Seminar on ‘Women in Informal Sector – Issues and Challenges’ A national seminar on ‘Women in Informal Sector – Issues and Challenges’ was held at ISEC during October 5-6, 2015. The seminar focused on identifying and overcoming the problems of women as well as improving their working conditions. The objectives of the seminar were: To understand Social Security and informal work To understand factors responsible for women to work in informal sector To examine factors affecting life of women in informal sector To understand women’s education and participation in informal sector In total 24 papers were presented covering several areas of women in informal sector. The programme was coordinated by Dr K C Channamma, Assistant Professor, of CWGS, ISEC. Dissemination Workshop on ‘Pathways to Sanitation: Growing Challenges and Access to Urban Poor – A Study of Bangalore City’ A dissemination workshop on the study findings of the project, ‘Pathways to Sanitation: Growing Challenges and Access to Urban Poor’ was held on September 30, 2015 at ISEC. The inaugural session began with welcome address by Prof K S James, Acting Director, ISEC. Dr A Ravindra, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, chaired the session. There were 24 participants in the workshop including the Principal Secretary, Housing, Mr Shambu Dayal Meena, Government of Karnataka; other senior officials from various State Government departments, Karnataka Slum Development Board and Bangalore Municipal Corporation; academicians, practitioners, representatives from the private sector, NGOs and HSMI. Findings of the study were presented by Dr Manasi. The workshop aimed to get inputs and suggestions for policy and future research focus and aid the government agencies in understanding the ground truths and provide insights to improve sanitation access to the poor. The study aimed to address the concerns like toilet access of the urban poor in Bengaluru city. One of the outcomes of increased urbanization has been the growing number of slums and squatter settlements. The pressure to address urban sanitation is enormous to ensure dignity of the poor besides preventing environmental contamination resulting in disease outbreaks. The findings were based on a survey of 20 slums across 8 zones. Highlights on interventions, toilet access, usage, non-usage, and challenges for women were covered. Besides, documentation of case studies across India and other countries to seek solutions for Bengaluru was done. Various socioeconomic, cultural and technical reasons and possible interventions in respect of open defecation in slums were deliberated at the workshop. The study was funded by HUDCO’s Human Settlements Research Institute, New Delhi. The workshop was coordinated by Dr S Manasi of CRUA. International Conference on ‘Climate Change and Social Ecological Economical Interface-Building: Modelling Approach to Exploring Potential Adaptation Strategies for Bio-resource Conservation and Livelihood Development’ The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR) in association with Centre for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, Germany organised a two day international conference on ‘Climate Change and Social Ecological Economical Interface-Building: Modelling Approach to Exploring Potential Adaptation Strategies for Bio-resource Conservation and Livelihood Development’ from May 20-21, 2015 at ISEC. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. M R Narayana, Director I/c, ISEC. the Keynote Address was delivered by Prof. Ruediger Schaldach University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany and Prof. K V Raju Assistant Director and Principal Scientist, Development Centre ICRISAT, Hyderabad. Professor G Thimmaiah, Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC delivered presidential remarks. Prof. Sunil Nautiyal CEENR, ISEC, coordinated the conference. Symposium on the ‘Recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission’ A Symposium on the ‘Recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission’ was held on 28th April, 2015 at the Institute. The Key Note Address was delivered by Professor M Govinda Rao, Former Member, 14th Finance Commission & Emeritus Professor, NIPFP, New Delhi. Shri Arvind Shrivastava, IAS, Secretary to Government, Budget & Resources, Finance Department, Govt of Karnataka was Invited Speaker. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. M R Narayana, Director I/c, ISEC. and Professor G Thimmaiah, Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC delivered presidential remarks. Professor K Gayitri, CESP, ISEC, coordinated the Symposium. Panel discussion on ‘Understanding the Indian Political System: A Tribute to Rajni Kothari (1928 -2015)’ Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development (CPIGD) of ISEC organised A Panel Discussion on Understanding the Indian Political System: A Tribute to Rajni Kothari (1928 -2015) on 19th February 2015. The Panelists were Prof. Sandeep Shastri, National Convenor, Lokniti Network and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Jain University, on “Understanding the Political Experiment in New Democracies: Rajni Kothari’s Contribution to the Narrative”; Prof. Aparna Sundar, Faculty, Azim Premji University, on “The Non-Party Political Process and Emancipatory Democracy in India Today: Some reflections”; and Prof. Supriya RoyChowdhury, Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change, on “When Does a Text Become a Classic?”. Professor R.S.Deshpande, Former Director, ISEC chaired the session.
Founder’s Day Lecture / Prof. V.K.R.V Rao Memorial Lecture-11

"On Inclusive Growth: Theory and Indian Experience since Early 1990s", the Founder’s Day Lecture / Prof. V.K.R.V Rao Memorial Lecture-11 of the Institute was delivered by  Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat Chairman, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi on 9th February, 2015. Prof. G Thimmaiah, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC presided over the function. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. M R Narayana, Director I/c, ISEC.

Workshop on Socio-economic Assessment of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs)

As a part of the project on ‘Socio Economic Assessment of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) in India’ undertaken by the ADRT Centre, ISEC, a two-day workshop was organized in collaboration with the Research and Information System (RIS) who are executing the project on behalf of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, during December 11-12, 2014. The main objective of the workshop was to develop a framework for socio-economic assessment of LMOs in the country. As such, the socio-economic issues and methodologies for assessment of LMOs were deliberated at the workshop. Representatives from RIS, five partner institutions, including the ISEC project team (Dr A V Manjunatha and Dr Elumalai Kannan) and other experts participated in the workshop. Prof P G Chengappa from ISEC, Dr Ranjini Warrier from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and Mr Ravi Srinivas from RIS attended the workshop.

Census Data Dissemination Workshop

A workshop to disseminate the data released from the Census of India from time to time was held at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, on December 1, 2014. This was a collaborative workshop between Directorate of Census Operations, Karnataka, and ISEC on the advice of the Office of the Registrar-General of India and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, with funding from UNDP, Delhi. The workshop aimed at encouraging use of census data among young scholars and researchers. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof. G Thimmaiah, Chairperson, Board of Governors, ISEC, and Prof. G Giridhar, formerly with UNFPA, delivered the keynote address. Mr A K Samal from the Office of the Registrar-General of India and Census Commissioner, explained the purpose of the seminar and shared the information on the census data released so far. Prof. Binay Kumar Pattnaik, the then Director of ISEC, welcomed the delegates. Sri N Manjini, Joint Director, Directorate of Census Operations, Karnataka, delivered the vote of thanks. Altogether, there were 200 participants from various walks of life, including researchers, senior bureaucrats, government officials and young scholars and students. The papers presented by young scholars and researchers were evaluated by a team consisting of Prof. G Giridhar, Prof. Padma Sarangapani and Prof. K N M Raju. Three best papers were selected for awards of ` 50,000, ` 40,000 and ` 30,000 each. The valedictory session was chaired by Dr H Sashidhar. Prof. K S James of ISEC proposed the vote of thanks.

International Seminar on Green Economy and Sustainable Development

An International Seminar on ‘Green Economy and Sustainable Development’ was held at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, during November 6-7, 2014 in collaboration with the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), Chengdu, China, and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi. The two-day seminar broadly focused on issues related to inclusive green growth, institutional innovations, environmental policy and implications for employment generation and poverty reduction in India and China. Many academicians, government officials, international policy advisors, strategic analysts and research scholars attended the seminar. The discussion in the seminar was organised under six technical sessions: institutional aspects of sustainable development; trade, environment and sustainable development; employment, poverty and sustainable development; political economy and environmental governance; eco-system services; and environmental degradation. A noted political scientist and China specialist Professor Manoranjan Mohanty delivered the inaugural address, while a well-known energy specialist Dr. Sudha Mahalingam presented the keynote address. Former Ambassador Saurabh Kumar delivered the valedictory address. Nineteen papers were presented in the technical sessions, which were chaired by eminent researchers and policy advisors.

Workshop on National Innovation Survey Report 2014

A brain-storming workshop on National Innovation Survey Report, 2014 was organized by the Centre for Economic Studies and Policy on November 5, 2014. The workshop was sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. The objective of the workshop was to disseminate the methodology and findings of the National Innovation Survey Report and obtain feedback of key stakeholders. Industry representatives, academicians from reputed institutions like Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institute of Management and Central Food Technological Research Institute, representatives from industry/ trade associations, research scholars and government representatives were invited to participate. The report presentation by Dr Praveen Arora, Head, NSTMIS, Department of Science and Technology, was followed by informed discussion. The workshop was inaugurated by Prof Binay Kumar Pattnaik, the then Director of ISEC, and coordinated by Prof K Gayithri of CESP.

International Seminar on ‘Global Issues of Population, Development and Environment’

A Two-Day International Seminar on ‘Global Issues of Population, Development and Environment’ was organised by Population Research Centre, ISEC on October 27-28, 2014. The seminar focused on themes related to Population growth, economic and infrastructure development and consequences thereof on Environment, as felt across the world in the 21st century. Aims and Objectives of the Seminar were: a) to examine the dynamics of population growth and its impact on environment across the continents of the world; b) to look at the nexus between population, poverty, development and environment with a view to assessing various environmental and other impacts of industrialization, urbanization and infrastructure development; c) to examine demographic change and its adverse impact on environment; d) to trace the level of environmental degradation as seen through the physical characteristics of a region; e) and to formulate policy prescriptions and recommendations to take appropriate measures to mitigate environmental decay for sustainable development and to conserve environment for the generations to come. Dr. C.M. Lakshmana, Associate Professor, PRC, ISEC, & Prof. K.S. James Head, Population Research Centre, ISEC were the coordinators of the seminar

National Seminar On Women Empowerment – A Strategy for Development

A National Seminar On Women Empowerment – A Strategy for Development was organized by Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies (CWGS), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) In collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi on 13-14th October, 2014. The main focus of the seminar were: a) to examine the women’s participation in household decision-making and freedom of movement; b) to address the issue of women’s education and work; c) to highlight the inter linkages between women’s control over spousal earnings and violence against women; d) to suggest remedial measures to improve women’s status. Dr. R Mutharayappa Professor, Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies (CWGS) Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) coordinated the seminar.

Workshop on District Human Development Report of Chikkballapura Zilla Panchayat

The Workshop on District Human Development Report – Chikkaballapur was organised on September 20, 2014 at Zilla Panchayat, Chikkaballapur. The main objective of the workshop was to disseminate the information on the importance of measuring human development. Deliberations in the workshop centred around various parameters, indicators adopted for measuring human development, the regional variations/problems in the human development issues, the selection of four small area studies etc. The participants included the President and members of Zilla Panchayat, district level officials, the citizens, media persons, members of non-governmental organisations and the students of Degree Colleges. Dr. M Devendra Babu, ISEC coordinated the workshop.

Workshop on Impact Evaluation of Bhoochetana Programme in Karnataka

The project inception workshop on ‘Impact Evaluation of Bhoochetana Program in Karnataka’ was organised at ISEC on September 17, 2014. The inception workshop was organised with the purpose of seeking suggestions from various stakeholders, subject experts and funding agency on the proposed project activities. More specifically, it was expected to get useful feedback on conceptualisation of Bhoochetana technology components, sampling method, study area, reference crops and impact indicators. The workshop was attended by 52 participants comprising eminent scientists from the University of Agricultural Sciences (Bangalore, Dharwad, Raichur), University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga, College of Horticulture, Kolar, senior officers from the Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka, ICRISAT scientists and socio-economists from ISEC. This project is funded by the ICRISAT, Hyderabad and is carried out by Dr. Elumalai Kannan and Dr. Ramappa K B, Associate Professors at the Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC) of the Institute.

Dissemination Seminar of the Report on ‘The Status of Elderly in Odisha’

A one-day Dissemination Seminar of the Report on ‘The Status of Elderly in Odisha’ was held in collaboration with UNFPA state office, Bhubaneswar, on September 2, 2014. The seminar was inaugurated by Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of Odisha. There were three technical sessions in the final dissemination on the various aspects of the report. Around 150 representatives of the government, NGOs, civil society organizations and academic staff participated in the seminar. The seminar was coordinated by Dr T N Bhat, Assistant Professor, PRC, ISEC.

Panel Discussion on ‘Inflation, Monetary Policy and Financial Sector: The Challenges Ahead’

Centre for Economic Studies and Policy (CESP) of ISEC organised a A Panel Discussion on Inflation, Monetary Policy and Financial Sector: The Challenges Ahead’ on 25th August, 2014 at 3.30 PM in the ISEC Seminar Hall. The panelist were Prof. Meenakshi Rajeev, Professor, CESP, ISEC, on ‘Banking Sector and Financial Exclusion: The Challenges Ahead’; Prof. T N Prakash Kammaradi, Chairman, Karnataka Agriculture Price Commission, on ‘Food Price Inflation and State Interventions’; and Prof. Charan Singh, RBI Chair Professor, IIM, Bangalore on ‘Monetary policy in India – some contemporary issues and challenges’.

Panel Discussion on Economic Challenges before the New NDA Government

A Panel Discussion on Economic Challenges before the New NDA Government was organised on 25th July 2015. The panelists were Dr Barun Deb Pal, Assistant Professor, CESP; Dr Malini L Tantri, Assistant Professor, CESP; Dr Indrajit Bairagya, Assistant Professor, CHRD; and Dr Balasubramanian, Assistant Professor, CEENR, ISEC, Bangalore.

Fifth Raj Bhavan Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao Memorial Lecture

"Two Ides of India", Fifth Raj Bhavan Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao Memorial Lecture was delivered by Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi s on Thursday, 29th May 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at Raj Bhavan Banquet Hall. His Excellency, or, ISEC.

Dr. Hans Raj Bhardwaj, Governor of Karnataka and President of ISEC Society presided over the function. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. G Thimmaiah, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC and Vote of Thanks was delivered by Prof. Binay Kumar Pattnaik, Direct

Founder’s Day Lecture / Prof. V.K.R.V Rao Memorial Lecture-10

"The Importance of being Rurban: Tracking Modernity in a Traditional Society", the Founder’s Day Lecture / Prof. V.K.R.V Rao Memorial Lecture-10 of the Institute was delivered by Professor Dipankar Gupta, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Shiv Nadar University (Formerly at JNU), on 22nd May 2014 in the Auditorium of the Institute. His Excellency the Governor of Karnataka Shri Hans Raj Bharadwaj was the Chief Guest and Prof. G Thimmaiah, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC presided over the function. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. Binay Kumar Pattnaik, Director, ISEC..

Panel Discussion on India’s Democracy: Old Challenges, New Actors

Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development (CPIGD) of ISEC organised A Panel Discussion on India’s Democracy: Old Challenges, New Actors on Monday March 10, 2014 at 2.00 PM in the ISEC Seminar Hall. The Panelists were; 1. Prof. B K Chandrashekhar, Senior Congress member, former MLA and Minister of Education, Karnataka; 2. Prof. Sandeep Shastri, Pro Vice Chancellor, Jain University, Bangalore; 3. Prof. Supriya RoyChowdhury, CPIGD. ISEC and Moderator was Prof. G.K. Karanth, Former Professor, CSSCD. ISEC.

Four-day Workshop on Impact Evaluation of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): An Interactive Session with the State Government Representatives

As a part of ‘Impact Evaluation Study of RKVY’ undertaken by Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre of Institute for Social and Economic Change, a workshop was organized during February10-13, 2014, at its seminar hall. All the 28 States and 7 Union Territories were invited well in advance to participate in the workshop. The workshop had representation from 16 states and two Union territories. The broad agenda of the workshop was to provide a platform to RKVY nodal agencies to express their views and opinions about RKVY implementation, problems faced while implementing and suggestions to improve the programme. This would enable the study team to offer comprehensive policy changes to be incorporated for effective implementation of RKVY during 12th Five-Year Plan. Dr Parmod Kumar and Dr A V Manjunatha are leader and co-leader of the project, respectively, and the remaining ADRTC faculty are the project tea

Group Monitoring Workshop

Monitoring Workshop (GMW). The ISEC has hosted GMW for 2014 during January 29-31, 2014, which was convened by Dr Sunil Nautiyal, Professor at Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources. inaugurated by Prof G Thimmaiah, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, and the ISEC Director, Prof Binay Kumar Pattnaik, welcomed the participants to the workshop. Dr Sunil K Agarwal, Principal Scientific Officer, and Dr Sobhana Bhaskaran, Scientist E at SEED Division of DST, described the aims and objectives of the division during the inaugural session. The response of researchers from many Institutions in India to GMW 2014 was very encouraging. Sixty participants from various states of the country attended the GMW and 32 presentations were made on January 29 and 30 on various themes under TSP and SCSP schemes. The valedictory session was held at ISEC on January 31 with closing remarks of expert committee members of GMW, officials of SEED Division, DST and the convener of the workshop.

Workshop on ‘What Teachers Do’ with Eleanor Duckworth and Panel Discussion

The Centre for Human Resource Development of ISEC along with the RV Education Consortium, Bangalore, organised a workshop on ‘What Teachers Do’ with Prof Eleanor Duckworth, Retired Professor of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Massachusetts, USA, on December 30, 2013. During the workshop Dr Duckworth conducted a demonstration of teaching with a group of ve children (9-10 years old) from a Bangalore school. Dr Duckworth introduced her approach to teaching which was inuenced by her work with Jean Piaget. The method was constructivist inquiry and involved placing children in a problem-solving situation, with the teacher being in the role of a facilitator to support their epistemic inquiry and construction of knowledge.

The workshop was followed by a panel discussion involving Gopal Krishnamurthy on the theme, ‘Why teachers do what they do’. Nearly 100 participants focused on the issue of the overwhelming inuence of the examination system and the impulse to evaluate.

Seminar on ‘Migration and Development’

As part of the research project, ‘Building Knowledge Base on Ageing in India: Increased Awareness, Access and Quality of Elderly Services’, undertaken by ISEC’s PRC and Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, a discussion on the research study ‘Migration and Development’ was held at ISEC on December 2, 2013. Sessions covered various issues including Governance, Legislation, Diaspora networks, Female mobility in the context of emigration from various Indian states to other countries. Experts on ageing issues from all over India participated in the seminar in which papers were presented by Dr S Krishna Kumar of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA); Dr S Irudaya Rajan of CDS, Trivandrum; Dr R B Bhagat, IIPS, Mumbai; Dr Rupa Chanda, IIM, Bangalore; Dr TLS Bhaskar, India Centre for Migration, New Delhi; and Mr Zakir Hussain, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi. The seminar was organised with the support of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) through Research Unit on International Migration.

Seminar on ‘Financing Development: State and the Market’

The Centre for Economic Studies and Policy (CESP) of ISEC organised a seminar on ‘Economy of Tomorrow – Financing Development: State and the Market’ on November 27-28, 2013. The seminar was organized in collaboration with Fridrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) of New Delhi. Altogether 10 papers were presented on varied themes focusing on the role of state and the market in the development process in the Indian context. Dr Felix Schmidt, Resident Representative of FES, New Delhi, gave an overview of the seminar. The inaugural address was given by Sri B K Bhattacharya, former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka. Prof G Thimmaiah, Chairman of the Board of Governors, ISEC, gave the presidential address. The seminar made an attempt to bring together the academic inputs and eld insights by getting senior government ofcers to participate in the discussion as discussants. The program was coordinated by Dr K Gayithri and Dr K V Raju

International Seminar on ‘Opening-up, Cooperation and Economic Growth’

As per the Memorandum of Understanding between the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), Chengdu, China, and the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, SASS hosted the second joint seminar at Chengdu, China, during October 25-26, 2013. The seminar, on the broader theme 'Opening-up, Cooperation and Economic Growth', was held along with the 14th Western China International Fair-2013 sponsored by the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC) and the 21st Century China-India Centre for Culture and Communication (21st CICCC).

A team of ten faculty members from ISEC, including Prof B K Pattnaik, Director, Prof Manohar Yadav, Prof Parmod Kumar, Dr M J Bhende, Dr K Gayithri, Dr Elumalai Kannan, Dr Marchang Reimeingam, Dr Sobin George, Dr Malini and Dr Barun Deb Pal participated in the seminar. Dr Elumalai Kannan coordinated the seminar from the ISEC side. The seminar consisted of nine sessions including the inaugural session. In the opening remarks, various experts emphasised the increasing role of China and India in the growth of the world economy and called for strengthening the economic and cultural cooperation between these two countries. Seven theme presentations were made in the inaugural session on various aspects of India- China cooperation. These presentations broadly covered economic and trade relations, Bangladesh- China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor, Karnataka and its investment policies , communication and trust, competition and development, and ‘southern silk road’ for culture corridor.

In the technical sessions, 23 papers were presented on different issues related to India and China relations. Besides paper presentations, ISEC faculty members participated as session Chairmen/Hosts and discussants/commentators in the seminar

Workshop on ‘Food and Nutrition Security: Accomplishments and Challenges

A workshop on 'Food and Nutrition Security: Accomplishments and Challenges' was organised at ISEC in association with the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics (ISAE), Mumbai, during September 19-20, 2013. The workshop aimed to upgrade the analytical skills of young researchers working in the eld of agricultural economics

and to improve the summary papers presented in the 2012 Annual Conference of the ISAE held at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. Many eminent agricultural economists, including Professors V M Rao, R S Deshpande, C Ramasamy, P G Chengappa and M G Chandrakanth, had participated in the seminar and delivered lectures on the methodological issues related to analysis of food and nutrition security. ISEC Director Professor Binay Kumar Pattnaik addressed the participants on the first day. Recent developments in research methodology and analytical tools were covered on the rst day. On the second day, a critical review of the summary papers provided by the subject experts were shared with the invited participants for revision and subsequent submission for possible publication in the Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. The interactive session provided opportunity for the paper writers to discuss their papers with subject experts directly and clarify the conceptual and methodological issues. The seminar was organised by Dr Elumalai Kannan, ISEC.

Seminar on ‘Development Trends in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture’

A Seminar on ‘Development Trends in Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture’ was jointly organised by ISEC and P N Agricultural Science Foundation (PNASF) on August 8, 2013. The seminar attempted to explore the development trends in urban and peri-urban agriculture in the Indian context. Thirteen research papers were presented in the seminar focusing on different issues related to development of UPA. These papers dealt with issues related to availability of urban land for cultivation and security of land tenure for urban poor. Increasing urbanization, ow of private investment and the need for multi-stakeholder approach for development of UPA also formed crucial themes. The discussions also encompassed issues related to use of urban waste water for agricultural purpose and disappearance of small water bodies due to encroachment. Importance of roof-top gardening, i t s feasibility and growing horticultural crops for household consumption were adequately discussed. The seminar was organised by Dr Elumalai Kannan of ISEC, and Dr Prem Nath, former Additional Director-General of FAO and Chairman, PNASF.

German Development Cooperation (GIZ) promotional workshop

As part of promotional activities of German Development Cooperation (GIZ), a workshop was jointly organized by GIZ, India, and ISEC on July 26, 2013 at ISEC. The purpose was to meet the potential institutions/partners in Karnataka in order to get an understanding of their academic and research activities and give them insight into GIZ collaborative options and programmes. There were 20 participants representing various institutes: the University of Agricultural Sciences, Fairclimate Network, Digital Green, Initiatives for Development Foundation, Centre for Sustainable Development, International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture, etc. The participants spoke about their research activities and interests. GIZ representatives from India and Germany gave presentations. The workshop, chaired by Prof R S Deshpande, was organised by Dr A V Manjunatha, ADRTC.

Interactive Session on ‘Impact Evaluation Study of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)’

An interactive session on impact evaluation study of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) was organized on July 16, 2013 at ISEC, Bangalore. The Director of ISEC, Professor R S Deshpande, delivered the welcome address. Shri E K Majhi, Joint Secretary (RKVY), Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC), Government of India (GoI), spoke on RKVY. Prof Parmod Kumar, Head, ADRTC, gave an introduction to the RKVY impact evaluation study. On behalf of the RKVY team at ISEC, Dr A V Manjunatha presented the preliminary ndings about allocation and expenditure of RKVY projects/programmes by nature and status of the projects across regions in India in general, and in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in particular. Data and methodological issues, output and outcome of the projects were also discussed. This interactive session ended with feedback from the representatives from DAC (GOI), Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The RKVY interactive session was organised by Prof Parmod Kumar and Dr A V Manjunatha of ADRTC.

Seminar on Green Economy: Policy and Challenges

A Seminar on Green Economy was organised at ISEC on May 8, 2013. The themes for discussion were; a) Green Economy: Challenges of Policy Coherence; b). Green Economy and Poverty Alleviation; c). Green Inclusive Growth Model; d). Green accounting, valuation and governance; e). Further Research Direction of Green Economy; f). Ecological Sanitation and g). Green growth strategy. The welcome address was delivered by Prof. R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC, and the introductory session was chaired by Prof. G Thimmaiah, Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors. The keynote address was given by Shri V Parameswaran, Deputy Director-General, Central Statistical Organisation, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, New Delhi. The seminar was coordinated by Dr. M Balasubramanian.

National Seminar on Population, Development and Environment

A National Seminar on “Population, Development and Environment was organised at ISEC on April 23, 2013. The focus of the seminar is to examine the complex issues of Population, Development and Environment with a view to address policy issues and to increase awareness among decision makers, professionals, and academics to conserve natural resources for sustainable development and healthy growth of the society. The seminar would also try to sensitize researchers and policy makers about the priority areas from the perspective of people’s changing needs and aspirations. The inaugural address was delivered by Prof. R S Deshpande, Director ISEC. Prof. G Thimmaiah, Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors, presided. Prof. M V Nadkarni, former Vice-Chancellor of Gulbarga University, delivered the Keynote address. The seminar was coordinated by Dr. C M Lakshmana.

Workshop on Urbanisation and Migration in Transnational India: Work and Family Life from a Welfare Perspective

The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET), the Nordic Centre in India (NCI) and Lund University jointly organised an explorative workshop “Urbanisation and Migration in Transnational India: Work and Family Life from a Welfare Perspective” at ISEC during March 5-7, 2013. Prof. Surinder S Jodhka from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Visiting Professor at Lund University, Sweden, delivered the Keynote address. The objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for research cooperation between Nordic and Indian researchers, while providing young scholars in both the Countries an opportunity to establish contacts with prominent researchers in the field. The Workshop was coordinated by Prof. G K Karanth

Special Dissemination Exercise of the Reserve Bank of India

Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra, Adviser-in-Charge, Monetary Policy Department, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai visited ISEC with other officials from RBI, Mumbai, on March 25, 2013. A presentation was made on “Monetary Policy Formulation and its Implications for the Indian Economy”. This programme was coordinated by Prof. Meenakshi Rajee

Workshop on Input-Output Analysis

A Workshop on “Input-Output Analysis” was organised at ISEC during March 21-24, 2013. Sri Devendra Pratap from NCAER, New Delhi, gave a series of lectures on Input-Output theory and empirical methods concerning input output tables. Hands-on exercises were carried out thereafter using the past and most recent Input-Output tabkes, The workshop was organised by Prof. Meenakshi Rajeev.

Seminar on Status of Elderly in Select States of India

A Seminar on “Status of Elderly in India” was organised at ISEC on February 6, 2013. The main objective of the seminar was to disseminate survey findings from the study “Building Knowledge Base on Ageing in India”. The survey was conducted to gather information on the status of the elderly in seven states of India.

Panel Discussion on Gender, Law and Empowerment

A Panel discussion on “Gender, Law and Empowerment” was organised on January 10, 2013 at ISEC. Prof G S Elizabeth, faculty member, National Law School of India University, Bangalore, Shri Arvind Narain, Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore, Dr. Etienne Rassendren, faculty member, St Joseph’s College Bangalore and Ms Madhu, Vimochana, Bangalore were the panelists. Prof. Supriya RoyChowdhury organised and moderated the panel discussion.

2nd Conference of the Indian Health Economics and Policy Association (IHEPA) on ‘Better Health Access: The Rough Road Ahead’

 The Second Conference of the IHEPA on ‘Better Health Access: The Rough Road Ahead’ was held at ISEC on December 20-21, 2012. The conference was organised jointly by IHEPA, ISEC, and Azim Premji University, Bangalore. Prof R S Deshpande, Director of ISEC, welcomed and Mr Selvaraju provided an over view of the conference

The conference was inaugurated by Dr Prabhudev, Chairman of the Karnataka Health Systems Commission, and Prof K R S Murthy, Chairman of the BoG of ISEC, presided over the inaugural function. Dr H Sudarshan, Chairman of the Karuna Trust, Bangalore, delivered the keynote address, and Dr Anurag Behar, Vice-Chancellor of Azim Premji University, gave a special address. Prof Ravindra Dholakia, IIM, Ahmedabad, and President of IHEPA, delivered the presidential address. The conference discussed 52 research papers from across the country and abroad. Over 100 delegates attended the conference. Selected papers would be available in an edited volume. The conference concluded with valedictory function on December 21, 2012. The conference was coordinated by Dr T N Bhat, Assistant Professor, PRC, ISEC.

Karnataka Rajyotsava Extension Lecture

Dr K Ullas Karanth, Director for Science- Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society and Director, Centre for Wildlife Studies, delivered the Karnataka Rajyotsava Extension Lecture on the topic ‘Recovering Fragile Species in a Crowded Sub-continent’ on December 17, 2012

Professor K R S Murthy, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, presided over the function. Besides the Institute’s faculty, staff and students, the ISEC founder-members, Members of Board of Governors, faculty from sister institutions and other invitees participated in the function.

International Seminar on ‘Economic Growth, Trade and Poverty’

The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) organised a joint international seminar on ‘Economic Growth, Trade and Poverty’ with Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), Chengdu, China, at ISEC during December 6-7. The two-day seminar discussed the economic issues affecting growth in India and China

, and more specifically it deliberated how these two countries had experienced relatively high economic growth over time, issues related to trade reforms and their implications for poverty reduction. Besides 16 technical presentations,.

 

The CPIGD in collaboration with Indian Institute of Public Administration, Karnataka Regional Branch, organised a prelude conference on ‘Urban Gover nance (Administration), Development and Service Delivery’ on September 1, 2012. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof K R S Murthy, Chairman, ISEC, and welcomed by Prof R S Deshpande, Director.

Shri S Ramanathan, Chairman, IIPA (K), gave introductory remarks. The inaugural address was delivered by Dr A Ravindra, Former Chief Secretary, GOK and Adviser to Chief Minister. The valedictory address was delivered by Prof S L Rao, former Chairman, ISEC, and former Chairman, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, GoI. The technical sessions were chaired by Prof G Thimmaiah, former Director, ISEC, and former Member of Planning Commission, GoI; Prof Pranab Bardhan, Professor, Department of Economics, Graduate School, University of California, Berkeley, USA; Shri A N Yellappa Reddy, IFS (Retd), former Secretary, Forests, Environment and Ecology, GoK; and Dr P V Shenoi, IAS (Retd) former Director, ISEC, and former Secretar y, Government of India. The discussants for the technical sessions were Prof G K Karanth, Prof M R Narayana, Prof Meenakshi Rajeev, Dr Elumalai Kannan, Prof Supriya Roy Chowdhury, Prof Manohar Yadav, Prof K S James and Prof M D Usha Devi. The rapporteturs were Tulika Bhattachar ya, Amit Kumar Sahoo, Sumedha Bajar, Tarun Arora, Subhashree Banerjee, Anantha Ramu, Shiju Joseph and Mini Thomas. Prof N Sivanna proposed the vote of thanks.

Altogether 12 papers were presented: Politics, Citizen Participation and Service Delivery: Bangalore Case Study (Dr Mary Breeding and Prof Siddharth Swaminathan); Is Urban Growth Inclusive in India? (Shri Sabyasachi Tripathi); Urbanisation, Migration and Sustainable Development: Status and Concerns (Dr C M Lakshmana); Efficiency Issues in Urban Infrastructure: A Study of Unaccounted Water in Bangalore City (Dr Krishna Raj); Urban Governance and Planning for Inclusive Growth: Finances of Selected Urban Local Governments in Karnataka (Dr M Devendra Babu); Efficiency and Equity Issues in Public Distribution: A Study in Delhi Slums (Prof Parmod Kumar); Water Crisis in Mega City: Vanishing Lakes and Over-Exploited Ground Water in Bangalore (Dr P Thippaiah); Globalisation and Inclusive Growth: A Study of Electronic Waste in Bangalore City (Dr S Manasi); Globalisation, Urbanisation and Marginalisation of Disadvantaged: Health Care of Unorganised Workers in Bangalore (Dr K Asha); Urban Governance and Delivery of Pensions: A Study of Urban and Rural Households in Selected Districts of Karnataka (Prof D Rajasekhar, Dr G Sreedhar, Ms R Manjula, Dr R R Biradar and Dr N L Narasimha Reddy); Urban Governance and Service Delivery: The Role of Civil Society (Ms Kathyayini Chamaraj) and Urban Governance, Air Pollution and Health Implications (Shri Ravi D R).

Prof S N Sangita coordinated the conference and presented the background paper.

Seminar on Economic Growth, Trade and Poverty

Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) organised a joint Seminar on “Economic Growth, Trade and Poverty” with Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), Chengdu, Sichuan, China during 6-7 December 2012 at ISEC, Bangalore. The seminar was financially supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research ICSSR), New Delhi. The seminar discussed the economic issues affecting growth in India and China, and more specifically how these two countries have experienced relatively high economic growth over time, issues related to trade reforms and their implications for poverty reduction. The seminar was coordinated by Dr. Elumalai Kannan.

Seminar on Growth and Development of Agriculture in Karnataka: Prospects and Strategies

ADRTC organized one day seminar on ‘Growth and Development of Agriculture in Karnataka: Prospects and Strategies’ on June 7, 2012. On the following theme

  • Growth and development of agricultural sector in Karnataka.
  • Diversification of agriculture in Karnataka (within and agriculture to non-agricultural sectors), and
  • Institutional Change and Public Policy of Agriculture in Karnataka.

The seminar was a modest attempt to bring the scholars, academia and policy makers of the state together to discuss the issues of development of agriculture in Karnataka for the future strategies and policy formulation. The discourse of the seminar made an improved understanding of the potential and strategies in agriculture and probed the critical research gaps, which require to be plugged for sustainable development of the sector. A total of 10 papers were presented – 3 papers in the first subtheme, 3 in the second sub-theme and 4 in the third sub-theme. In addition, there was an introductory session chaired by the Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors, Prof KRS Murthy, and keynote address by Prof Ramesh Chand, Director NCAP, New Delhi. Among those who presented papers were Prof N Nagaraj from ICRISAT; Prof Vijaya Kumar, UAS Dharwad; Prof Chengappa, ICAR Chair Professor, ISEC; Dr L B Hugar, UAS, Raichur; Prof D S Devraj, IDS, Mysore; in addition to ADRTC faculty, Prof Parmod Kumar and Dr Elumalai Kannan. The collected papers shall soon be published in an edited volume

National Workshop on Inclusive Agricultural Growth and Input Subsidies

The workshop was organised as a part of the project ‘Policy and Institutional Options for Inclusive Agricultural Growth’ on March 16, 2012 sponsored by the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Government of India, New Delhi. The workshop intended to discuss the results of the study

And get feedback from various experts for further research in this area. About 50 participants attended the workshop and they had lively discussions on the conceptual issues related to inclusive agricultural growth, input subsidies, public investment and role of Grama Panchayats in effective reach of input subsidies to the farmers. Prof Ramesh Chand, Director, NCAP delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session, which was chaired by the Prof R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC. The research team comprising Prof R S Deshpande, Dr Elumalai Kannan, Ms Sujata Sundaram and Dr Sanjeev D Kenchaigol presented the study results. The experts participated in the workshop included Prof V M Rao, Prof M V Nadkarni, Prof S Bisaliah, Prof P G Chengappa and Prof Nagaraj.

Migration, Informal Work and Urban Poverty: Interdisciplinary Explorations

A Two-day International Conference ‘Migration, Informal Work and Urban Poverty: Inter-disciplinary Explorations’ was organised on March 22-23, 2012, at ISEC. The Conference was organised as a part of the project ‘Migration, Informal Work and Welfare: A Policy Perspective on Urban Deprivation in Karnataka’s Cities’ funded by the Government of Karnataka. Prof Supriya RoyChowdhury and Prof K S James coordinated the conference. Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Principal Secretary, Department.

of Planning, Government of Karnataka, inaugurated the conference. The keynote addresses were delivered by Prof Supriya RoyChowdhury of ISEC and Prof Amitabh Kundu, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, on Migration Discourse and Poverty Syndrome. The session was chaired by Prof K R S Murthy, Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors. Other key speakers included Prof Satish Deshpande, Delhi School of Economics; Prof Ravi Srivastava, CSRD, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Prof Nandini Gooptu, Oxford University; and Prof Anirudh Krishna, Duke University

Seminar on Citizenship, the State and Expanding the Boundaries of Democracy

The Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development of the Institute organised a one-day seminar on Citizenship, the State and Expanding the Boundaries of Democracy on December, 28, 2011. The main theme of the workshop was citizenship. The main ideas that informed the seminar are: Citizenship is often viewed as legal citizenship. While citizenship within a nation-state finds its basis in legality, the concept is also crucially linked to larger society. Social citizenship is far more complex and is related to the phenomenon of social hierarchies and social difference. The latter two have a crucial bearing on citizenship in any democracy. In this context, the major debates on citizenship have been around broadening the citizenship from formallegal one to a broader and more expansive social citizenship. Scholars such as Naila Kabeer call it inclusive citizenship, in the sense that the expansive concept specifically makes an attempt to theorize and describe the inclusion in the citizenship of those who are outside its substantive purview; this may often be owing to social, economic or political marginalisation. In this context, the question of juxtaposing the formal legal concept with the issues of class, gender, caste and ethnicity have been prominent. The role of civil society too has been both to expand the scope of citizenship and broaden the arena of democracy.

Keeping this context in background, this seminar dealt with the relationship between the state and citizenship, the ways of defining citizenship, class and citizenship, gender and citizenship, expanding rights as a means of expanding citizenship and the role of civil society in both expanding citizenship and broadening democracy. The seminar debated some of these issues in the backdrop of evolving standard formats and identities for citizenship and engaged in a broad ranging participation on how we elaborate and understand citizenship in today’s India. The main speakers in the seminar were Professor Rowena Robinson from IIT, Bombay, Mumbai, Professor Arun Kumar Patnaik, from University of Hyderabad, Dr R Ramakumar, from TISS, Mumbai, Dr Manohar S Yadav, ISEC, and Dr V Anil Kumar, ISEC. Professor Rowena Robinson spoke on minorities and citizenship, Professor Arun Kumar Patnaik spoke on citzenship, subject and development, Dr Ramakumar spoke on Adhar (UIDAI) and citizenship, Dr Manohar S Yadav spoke on Dalits and citizenship and Dr V Anil Kumar spoke on civil society and citizenship. The seminar involved intense debates on the multi-dimensional concept of citizenship and its significance in contemporary Indian democracy and society.

Annual Meeting of the Directors of the ICSSR Research Institutes

The Annual Meeting of Directors of ICSSR Research Institutes was successfully held in the Institute during December 22-23, 2011. Prof R S Deshpande, Director, welcomed the members. Prof KRS Murthy, Chairman, Board of Governors, was the Chief Guest. Prof S K Thorat, Chairperson, ICSSR, provided opening remarks. The Directors/representatives of ICSSR institutions made presentations regarding their academic achievements during the current year. The recommendations/observations of Government of India’s

Review Committee Report pertaining to ICSSR Research Institutions were discussed. A follow-up one-day colloquium discussed issues in Social Science Research as decided in the last meeting of the Directors held at Lucknow. The meeting discussed the 12th Five-Year Plan Proposal relating to Research Institutes which was presented by ICSSR to MHRD. The meet also discussed utilisation of funds by research institutes. As part of the meet, a cultural programme was organised in the Institute.

Mid-Term Appraisal of the 11th Five Year Plan of Karnataka

A workshop on ‘Mid-term Appraisal of the 11th Five-year Plan of Karnataka’ was organised on November 17, 2011 at ISEC. Findings of two studies that were undertaken, ‘Study of monitorable indicators in Karnataka’ and ‘Performance of flagship programmes in Karnataka’ at the instance of Planning Commission, Government of India, were discussed at the workshop. There were two sessions in the workshop: the first was chaired by Prof Deshpande, Director, ISEC. Mr Basith, Senior Director, Planning Department, Government of Karnataka spoke about the study. Prof Madheswaran, Project Coordinator, ISEC, spoke about the workshop. Prof Mihir Rakshit, eminent economist and Director, Monetary Research Project, ICRA Ltd., Kolkata, presented the inaugural address followed by a brief discussion. The session ended with a vote of thanks by Dr K Gayithri.

The second session was chaired by Mr Basith, Senior Director, Planning Department, Government of Karnataka. The session included presentations by Prof Parmod Kumar, Prof S Madheswaran, Prof M D Usha Devi, Ms B P Vani, Prof K S James and Dr K Gayithri on both the studies. This was followed by a fruitful discussion. Participants included officers from Planning and line departments, Government of Karnataka, and ISEC faculty and students. The studies were coordinated by Prof S Madheswaran and Dr K Gayithri.

Germany and India – Infinite Opportunities – International Humboldt Kolleg

The International Humboldt Kolleg (IHK) titled “Adaptive Management of Ecosystems: The Knowledge Systems of Societies for Adaptation and Mitigation of impacts of Climate Change” with support from the esteemed Alexander von Humboldt Foundation was organized at ISEC from 19th -21st October 2011. The IHK was convened by Dr Sunil Nautiyal (Humboldt Fellow) who is currently an Associate Professor at Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources at ISEC. This prestigious event was organized to commemorate the establishment of 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations and both the countries are celebrating with the theme “Germany and India – Infinite Opportunities”.

IHK 2011 at ISEC was inaugurated by His Excellency, Dr. Hans Raj Bhardwaj, Governor of Karnataka and Hon’ble Chief Minister of the state Shri D.V. Sadananda Gawda. His Excellency in his address to IHK mentioned that Germany and India have a historical relation that goes beyond 60 years. Bilateral relations between Germany and India remain characterised by mutual respect, understanding and support 

therefore, a year-long Germany-India celebration assumes a special significance in view of the long distance we have travelled together over the last several decades of diplomatic relations. His Excellency mentioned about great contribution of Alexander von Humboldt for nature and society. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has been promoting academic cooperation between scientists and scholars both in Germany and elsewhere. HE congratulated the foundation on its marvelous efforts towards the development of Science, Society and Ecology. Hon’ble Chief Minister of the state, Mr. D.V. Sadananda Gowda has very much appreciated the theme of the IHK supported by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in order to organize this very important IHK at ISEC and he has mentioned that today world is showing galloping signs of cancerous environment. Needlessly, it is the poor who are going to suffer the brunt of such changes. To leash this problem, there is a need to invest more and more on technology for a clean and green human world.

The IHK has covered keynote lecture on “The Climate Change Challenge: the common destiny for the North and the South” by eminent scholar (Prof. Juergen P. Kropp) Head: North-South Research Group Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany;  Panel Discussion by eminent scholars (Prof. S.L. Rao, Prof. B.K. Chandrashekar, Prof. M.V. Nadkarni, Prof. Ravindranath, Prof. K.G. Saxena)

On “Ethical Analysis of Climate Dilemma! How to solve”. Three special lectures were given during the conference. Prof. R.S. Deshpande has given special lecture on Social Dimensions of Climate Change Adaptation, Prof. Judith Schildt on Exzellenz weltweit: Be part of a worldwide network. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s pursuit to advance the dialogue between East and West and Prof. B.K. Chandrashekar on People with us on Climate Change. The IHK was spread over 18 technical sessions under 7 different themes where eminent scholars have presented their research findings.

The response of researchers from many countries to IHK 2011 was very encouraging. We have received more than 400 abstracts and after rigorous review process 120 abstracts were finally selected for the presentation in IHK, ISEC. In three day IHK a total of 104 papers were presented in 18 technical sessions (under 7 different themes). Under each the themes (1-6) there were 3 parallel.

The conference deliberated and discussed for three days on wide variety of issues ranging from sustainable development, climate change, bio diversity conservation, equity and governance to vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, human-environment interactions and political economy of climate change, nuclear science, Biochemical toxicology, Environmental toxicology, Environmental biology etc.

Qualitative Data Analysis for Population Studies

The Population Research Centre of ISEC, Bangalore, and the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, jointly organised a Training Workshop on ‘Qualitative Data Analysis for Population Studies’ during August 16-20, 2011 at ISEC, Bangalore. Nineteen participants attended the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to introduce the qualitative research cycle framework for conducting qualitative research and to refresh the knowledge about qualitative methods and data management. The programme included demonstration of use of qualitative data analysis package. One whole session was devoted to writing of qualitative data. The workshop was inaugurated by Prof R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC. The resource persons for the workshop were Dr Ajay Bailey, Dr Shrinivas Darak from Groningen University and Prof K S James from ISEC, Bangalore.

Workshop on Vision of Karnataka for the Approach Paper to the XII Five-Year Plan

The 12th Five-Year Plan will begin from 2012. A workshop on Vision of Karnataka for the Approach Paper to the XII Five-Year Plan was organised at ISEC on May 30 and 31, 2011. With the theme ‘Balanced and Sustainable Development for Reaching New Heights’, the workshop aimed to formulate a vision document for the 12th Plan for Karnataka. The workshop consisted of six sessions which addressed sector-wise challenges the Karnataka economy and society are facing for the 12th Plan period. They included macroeconomic challenges of growth and development, sectoral issues on agriculture, industry, services and infrastructure and developmental issues on health, education, population growth, human development and regional disparity. Governance issues and environmental concerns and natural resource management and gender issues in development were also taken up. The Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, was the chief guest. The Additional Chief Sectary was also present chairing the session on natural resource management. Several senior administrators from the government and senior academicians presented their views. The workshop was organised by Prof. Meenakshi Rajeev, Head, CESP and Dr Suresh Babu, Associate Professor, CESP, ISEC.

Orientation to IAS & IPS Probationers

A five-day training programme was organised by the CEENR at ISEC from May 9-13, 2011, sponsored by the DP & AR, Government of Karnataka, for sixteen IAS & IPS probationers of 2009 Karnataka batch. Of them nine were from IPS cadre and the rest were IAS officers. The orientation was designed to further sensitise the officers about a range of issues: Karnataka’s economy, finances, Panchayat Raj Institutions, regional disparities, agrarian crisis, Social Sector (Health, Education & Social Security) and legal issues. Both class room instructions and panel discussions were held by eminent resource persons such as Prof V M Rao, Dr S S Meenakshisundaram, Prof Abdul Aziz, Prof Narendar Pani (NIAS), Sri B K Bhattacharya, IAS, (Rtd.), Justice Nagamohan Das, H’ble Judge, Karnataka High Court, Prof S Japhet (NLSIU), Dr S T Ramesh, IPS, DG & IG of Police & Dr A R Infant, DGP (Trg.), besides few ISEC faculty such as Prof K S James, Prof M D Ushadevi, Prof N Sivanna, Dr K Gayithri and Dr Manohar Yadav. The probationers also had fruitful interactive session with Dr H Shashidhar, IAS, Registrar, ISEC.

National Workshop on Rainfed Agriculture in India / Karnataka

A two-day workshop was organised by the ADRTC to highlight issues in rainfed farming in the country and in Karnataka on March 14-15, 2011.. The Workshop also focused on the following sub-themes: a). General problems of rainfed agriculture in India and Karnataka b). Regional variations in rainfed agriculture c). Policies, technologies and programmes adopted over the years and their impacts d). Future prospects of rainfed agriculture and technology options e). The role of MGNREGA in the development of rainfed agriculture f). Impacts of watershed programmes on rainfed agriculture development g). Factor market imperfections in the context of rainfed agriculture The workshop got overwhelming response from scholars all across the country. The workshop was inaugurated by Professor KRS Murthy, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC.. The inaugural session included keynote address by Prof V M Rao, speech by the Guest of Honour Dr Abusaleh Sharrif, and inaugural address by Prof C Ramaswamy. There were 6 Technical Sessions in the workshop, each session having one keynote address, three papers and two discussants. Totally 18 papers were presented in the workshop. Each session was chaired by a renowned expert related to the theme of the session. The list of dignitaries who attended the workshop and chaired different sessions included Professors M V Nadkarni, Dhinesh Marothia, G K Veeresh, P G Chengappa, Pratap S Birthal and V Ratna Reddy. The Valedictory was chaired by Prof R S Deshpande and speech delivered by Prof V M Rao. The papers are being revised to be published in a book form by some renowned publisher. Dr I Maruthi, Associate Professor, and Prof Parmod Kumar, Head, ADRTC, organised the Workshop.

Workshop on Decentralisation in Education: Enabling Structures to Plan-Implement-Review

A Workshop on ‘Decentralisation in Education: Enabling Structures to Plan-Implement-Review’, was organised by ISEC in collaboration with Prajayatna, Bangalore, on February 4, 2011. The prime objective of the workshop was to discuss in detail the structural and procedural aspects of enabling educational structures working especially at the grassroots level for ensuring quality education. The workshop was inaugurated by Prof R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC, and valedictory address was delivered by Sri Narayanaswamy, Secretary, RDPR, Government of Karnataka. The workshop benefited very much in the presence of Sri Kumar Naik, Secretary to Department of Education, Government of Karnataka, Prof C S Nagaraju, Visiting Professsor, ISEC, Prof M D Ushadevi, ISEC, Ms Sreeja, Project Director, Prajayatna, representatives from PRIs, SDMCs, Prajayatna, faculty from ISEC and other NGO partners. The workshop was coordinated by Dr N Sivanna from ISEC and Mr Girish from Prajayatna.

International Research Seminar on Understanding Health Inequalities in India & Brazil (Measurement, Evidence & Policy)

A two-day Seminar on ‘Understanding Health Inequalities in India and Brazil from Micro Data: Measurement, Evidence and Policy,’ was held during January 11-12, 2011 at ISEC. It was the result of a collaborative co-ordination by ISEC, Bangalore, the University of Southampton, UK and CEDEPLAR, Brazil, under the project’ Inequalities in Access to Healthcare in Brazil and India: Closing the Gap for the Poorest-poor’, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Altogether, 38 participants attended the seminar, including faculty from the PRC at ISEC. Dr Sabu Padmadas from the University of Southampton, UK and Dr K S James from ISEC jointly coordinated the seminar. Dr Gita Sen, Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore inaugurated it with an address on the topic ‘Health Inequalities in India before and after Economic Reforms: Evidence from the National Sample Survey’. The seminar had five technical sessions in all.

A Discussion Session on Trade Possibilities between Poland and India

A discussion session was organised on December 8, 2010, by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, in association with FKCCI and the Centre for Contemporary India Research and Studies (CCIRS), Institute of International Relations, the University of Warsaw, Poland, on the trade possibilities between India and Poland. The meeting, held at the FKCCI Cabinet Hall, was a part of the collaborative venture between ISEC and the University of Warsaw. A number of industrialists, people from workers’ unions and academicians participated in the meeting which was presided over by Mr J Crasta from FKCCI. The meeting with the Polish business and academic communities assumes particular importance in the context of enhancing trade relations between India and EU. It is noteworthy that when Poland will be holding presidency of EU, EU-India summit will be held in New Delhi next year. The discussion session threw up various fruitful collaborative possibilities between India and Poland. This discussion session was organised by Prof Meenakshi Rajeev from ISEC.

Workshop on Civil Society, Governance and Public Policy in Karnataka

As part of the Research Project ‘Civil Society and Governance in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh’ (CPIGD-41), a half-day workshop was held on 3rd November, 2010 at the Institute. The title of the workshop was ‘Civil Society, Governance and Public Policy in Karnataka’. The workshop was organized by ISEC in collaboration with the NGO, Myrada and Janaagraha. The Inaugural Session was chaired by the Director ISEC, Professor R.S.Deshpande made the theme presentation. The second session of the workshop was chaired by Mr.Arvind Risbud from Myrada. The workshop was attended by Professors Supriya Roy Chowdhuri, Siddarth Swaminathan, N.Sivanna Dr.Veerashekharappa, Dr.Anand Inbanathan, Dr.C.M Lakshmana and Shri Arvind Risbud from Myrada, Ms Unna V. Govindarajan from Janaagraha and representative from Azim Premji Foundation. The latter three made their presentations. The workshop was also attended by representatives from CSCS and Institute of Public Health, Bangalore besides doctoral scholars from ISEC. The workshop generated discussion on the concepts and processes of civil society, governance and public policy in Karnataka. It is planned to incorporate the main points of the discussion into the study report. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. V Anil Kumar.

Round-Table Discussion on ‘Indo-EU Trade’

The Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, in association with FKCCI and the Centre for Contemporary India Research and Studies (CCIRS), Institute of International Relations, University of Warsaw, Poland, organised a round-table discussion on ‘Indo-EU Trade’ on October 19, 2010 at the Cabinet Hall of FKCCI. This meeting is a part of the collaborative venture between Warsaw University and ISEC. Mr N S Srinivasa Murthy, President, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry, gave the welcome address while ISEC Director Prof R S Deshpande spoke on India–EU trade possibilities. Mr S Sampathraman, Chairman, EXIM Committee, FKCCI, spoke on the trade relations between EU and India. Prof Jakub Zaj¹czkowski, Chairperson, Centre for Contemporary India Research and Studies, Institute of International Relations, University of Warsaw, Poland, delivered a lecture on ‘Poland as a Bridge Between India and EU: Economic Perspective’. This was followed by interventions on the topic by Prof Siddharth Swaminathan and Dr Suresh Babu. Prof Meenakshi Rajeev, who organised the meeting, gave the vote of thanks.

State-Level Workshop on the Findings of the Study ‘Engendering Governance’ in Karnataka

As part of its project design for disseminating research findings among the different stakeholders, a state-level workshop was organised on September 20, 2010 at ISEC on the project ‘Engendering Governance’. The participants included the Project Director from TISS, Dr Manjula Bharathy, several experts and academicians, representatives of a few NGOs, Grama Panchayats and Government officials. The workshop was coordinated by Prof N Sivanna and Dr K G Gayatrhridevi.

Workshop on The Findings of a Study “Engendering Governance in Karnataka”

As part of its project design, for purposes of disseminating research findings among the different stakeholders, half-a-day state level workshop was organized on the 20th of September, 2010 at ISEC on the project “Engendering Governance” The participants included project director from TISS, Dr.Manjula Bharathy, several experts and academicians, representatives of few NGOs, Grama Panchayats and Government officials. The workshop was inaugurated by Prof.R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC. Prof.N Sivanna, Project Director for the state of Karnataka, gave the welcome address and introduced the project theme, methodology and design. Dr.Manjula Bharathy presented the details of the project as it was carried out in the three states of Bihar, Karnataka and Rajasthan. In the session that followed, the main findings of the study were presented by Dr.K G Gayathridevi, Project Co-coordinator and Mr.A Prakash, Research Officer. There were four panelists hailing from different academic background who reviewed the presentation paper and gave their comments and observations; Prof.Meenakshi Sundaram (visiting professor, NIAS); Prof.Siddarth Swaminathan (R K Hegde Chair Professor at ISEC), Prof.M D Ushadevi (Prof. and Head of Centre for Human Resource Development, ISEC) and Dr.Sudha (Prof of Political Science, Bangalore) were these panelists. There was a good discussion by participants and suggestions for improving the report were made. In the end, Prof.Abdul Aziz, as the chairperson, provided an overall critique of the report and suggestions for improvement. A significant part of the workshop was that a number of elected representatives, who were present in the workshop having come from different parts of the state, made valuable interventions into the presentation and clarified on many issues and points. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr.K G Gayathridevi. The workshop was coordinated by Prof. N Sivanna and Dr. K.G. Gayatrhridevi.

Workshop on Policies for Inclusion in India and Beyond

A workshop on Policies for Inclusion in India and Beyond has been organised by the institute in collaboration with the University of Oxford and London School of Economics, UK on September 2-3, 2010. This workshop was organised as a part of the long-term research study on Improving Institutions for Pro-Poor Growth undertaken at ISEC in collaboration with the above institutions. The workshop has been organised in two parts. The first part, on the afternoon of Thursday 2 September, was a public lecture in which Professor Maitreesh Ghatak, London School of Economics, UK, delivered a talk on “Delivery of Public Services: Models, Experiments and Policy”. While Prof. K R S Murthy, Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, has presided over the meeting, Prof. R S Deshpande welcomed the participants. Prof. N Prabhu Deva, Vice Chancellor, Bangalore University has also participated. The second part of the workshop, on Friday 3 September, was a full day of interaction between academics and policy-makers. Inaugural address was delivered by Mr. S V Ranganath, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka. There were three sessions: health insurance, empowerment, and Children and Schools. In each of three sessions, academics briefly summarised research findings. A practitioner or policymaker was invited to comment, followed by open discussion. In all, about 65 participants representing government, civil society organisations and academic institutions from India, and academic institutions from UK, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria attended the meeting. The workshop was coordinated by Prof. D Rajasekhar and Ms. R Manjula.

Building Knowledge Base on Ageing in India: A series of programmatic and research studies

A workshop was organised to discuss the first phase of the study on “Building Knowledge Base on Ageing in India: A Series of Programmatic and Research Studies”, funded by UNFPA during August 31 and September 1, 2010. There were seven studies initiated as part of the first phase of the study. Dr Marc Derveeuw, UNFPA representative in India presided over the inaugural session and delivered the inaugural address. Altogether, 9 papers were presented and discussed in the workshop. Prof K S James coordinated the workshop

Workshop on ‘Sub-National Estimation of XI FYP/MDG Indicators: A Case of Two Districts in Karnataka and Rajasthan’

With regard to the on-going research project, ‘Sub-National Estimation of MDG Indicators: An Analysis of Two States with Differential Quality of Data’, funded by UNFPA, a one-day workshop was held on August 30, 2010, to discuss the draft report of the study and preparation of a manual for the use of the district-level officials to estimate regularly the MDG Indicators. The workshop was co-ordinated by Prof K S James, Head, Population Research Centre, ISEC, Bangalore.

Training of Trainers and Workshop on ‘Financial Performance Indicators for Micro-insurance

The Training of Trainers and Workshop on ‘Financial Performance Indicators for Micro-insurance’ was organised at the Institute in collaboration with GTZ, Germany; ADA, Luxembourg; and BRS, Belgium, during July 19-23, 2010. The training course covered the following topics: 1) Micro-insurance Performance Analysis: General Overview; 2) Understanding Financial Statements for Micro-insurance; 3) Measuring Financial Performance in Microinsurance: The key principles; 4) Measuring Financial Performance in Micro-insurance: The Key Indicators; and 5) The Fact-sheet: A User-friendly Tool to Compute Ratios and Create Graphs. The training programme was meant to develop trainers from microinsurance providers in south Asia. The participants were from India, Bangladesh, Canada, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany. The training programme was coordinated by Prof D Rajasekhar, Head, and Ms R Manjula, Senior Research Assistant, Centre for Decentralisation and Development.

Round-Table Discussion on Local Governance

The Shri Ramakrishna Hegde Chair of ISEC organised a round-table discussion on local governance on July 12, 2010. The panel of participants included Prof Vijayendra Rao, of the World Bank; Prof B K Chandrashekhar, former minister, Government of Karnataka; Prof S S Meenakshisundaram, of NIAS; Prof Vinod Vyasuslu, of CBPS; and Professors R S Deshpande, Siddharth Swaminathan and N Sivanna of ISEC. Prof Rao presented the results from an extensive study of gram panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The talk, ‘the Grammar of Gram Sabha’, shed light on the deliberative decision-making processes at local level government institutions, particularly on issues such as “who participates,” “whose preferences are represented,” and “who benefits” at gram sabha meetings. Prof Rao’s talk was followed by a discussion on the structure and processes within local government institutions, views from the ground, as well as policy implications of greater administrative and political reform.

Round-Table on ‘Barriers to Participation and Inclusion in Panchayati Raj Institutions: The Case of Elite/ Programme Capture

The Institute organised a one-day round-table on Barriers to Participation and Inclusion in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs): The Case of Elite Programme Capture on June 28, 2010, in collaboration with NCAER and IDRC. The Round-Table discussed the research findings of NCAER and ISEC as well as those by other researchers from south India with representatives of PRIs, NGOs and academic institutions. Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, GoI, delivered the inaugural address, while the keynote address was delivered by Dr S S Meenakshi Sundaram, IAS (retd), formerly Secretary, GoI. Prof K R S Murthy, Chairman, ISEC Board of Governors, chaired the inaugural session. Dr D Rajasekhar, Dr Devendra Babu and Ms R Manjula from the Centre for Decentralisation and Development of ISEC coordinated the Round-Table.

Workshop on ‘Preparation of Policy Briefs and Action Plan for Implementation of Pro-Poor Policies’

A one-day workshop on Preparation of Policy Briefs and Action Plan for Implementation of Pro-Poor Policies was organised at ISEC on May 25, 2010. The workshop was a part of studies sponsored by FAO and Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, on ‘Managing Common Pool Resources for Poverty Reduction in Tribal Areas of Eastern India with Special Reference to Small-Scale Culture Fisheries and Non-Timber Forest Products’, completed by ISEC, and ‘Infrastructure Development for Agricultural Growth & Poverty Alleviation’ completed by NCAP, New Delhi. The main purpose of the workshop was to crystalise suggestions and recommendations based on the findings of these two reports and elicit comments and suggestions on drafts of policy briefs and action plan for implementing new pro-poor policies. In all, 25 participants from various academic institutions, NCAP, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, and ISEC attended the workshop. The workshop was coordinated by Prof R S Deshpande in his capacity as Project Director and was presided over by Prof Ramesh Chand, Director, NCAP, New Delhi, and Dr P C Bodh, Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.

Orientation Programme on ‘The World Bank and its Knowledge Resources’

Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, in collaboration with Public Information Center, The World Bank, India Office, New Delhi, organised an Orientation Programme on ‘The World Bank and its Knowledge Resources’ on April 30, 2010. ISEC Director Prof R S Deshpande presided over the programme and gave introductory remarks about the World Bank and its contribution to India. ISEC Deputy Librarian, welcomed the resource persons and the participants of the programme. Mrs Hema Balasubramanian and Mrs Sunita Malhotra of the World Bank presented an overview of the programme.

Workshop on ‘Evaluation and Monitoring C-DAPs by AERCs’

The ADRTC of ISEC hosted a workshop on ‘Evaluation and Monitoring C-DAPs by AERCs’ on April 29, 2010. Dr M J Bhende, Associate Professor, ADRTC, coordinated the workshop. The workshop was attended among others by Prof Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission; Dr Sadamate, Advisor (Agriculture), Planning Commission;.

Dr B S Bhandari, Adviser (AER), Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India; Dr H S Sur, Consultant, Planning Commission, Government of India; Shri N C Muniyappa, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka; Shri Baburao Mudbi, Commissioner of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka; Shri K V Sarvesh, Director, Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka; and Office in-charge/ directors of AERCs.

Prof R S Deshpande, Director of ISEC, welcomed the participants and requested Prof Abhijit Sen to preside over the day’s proceedings. Prof Sen emphasised the importance of evaluation and monitoring of C-DAPs.

Workshop on ‘Inclusive Agricultural Growth: Regional Perspective’

The Institute organised one-day workshop on ‘Inclusive Agricultural Growth: Regional Perspective’ on March 31, 2010, under National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) sponsored by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Government of India. The main aim of the workshop was to deliberate trends in agriculture growth across states, regions, and districts, and underlying reasons for differential growth pattern, stagnation in agricultural productivity and its impact on food security. Dr K V Sarvesh, Director, Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka, was the chief guest. Prof R S Deshpande, Director, ISEC, spoke on the theme. In the workshop, nine papers were presented and discussed. Dr G B Lokesh (Assistant Professor) and Dr Elumalai Kannan (Associate Professor) at ADRTC, ISEC, coordinated the workshop.

Development Convention 2009-10

Development Convention is an annual event organised by the social sciences research institutes situated in South India that are funded by ICSSR. ISEC organised the Ninth Development Convention during January 21-23, 2010. The theme of the convention was Institutional Processes in Development Paradigms.

There were 10 technical sessions with a large number of papers from scholars from India and abroad. In addition, there was a poster session for young scholars. Prof Prabhat Patnaik, Vice-Chairman, State Planning Board, Government of Kerala, was the Chief Guest for the inaugural session. It was chaired by Prof V S Ramamurthy, Director, NIAS, Bangalore. Prof B L Mungekar, Chairman, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, and former member of the Planning Commission, Government of India, delivered the keynote address

There were three panel sessions on the themes: (1) Contours of Institutions and Development, (2) Institutions and Development: State, Market and Communities, and (3) Facets of Institutions and Development: An Indian Perspective. There was also a convention lecture delivered by Prof K P Kannan on January 22, 2010, on ‘Challenges of Inclusive Growth: An Informal Economy Perspective’. In all, there were 10 theme-based technical sessions encompassing various dimensions of institutions and development with a large number of papers from scholars from India and abroad.

The valedictory address was given by Prof Mahendra Dev, Chairman, Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices, Government of India. Prof P G Chengappa, Vice-Chancellor, University of Agricultural Science, Bangalore, was the Chief Guest. Shri D H Shankaramurthy, Deputy Chairman, State Planning Board, Government of Karnataka, chaired the valedictory function. Prof Meenakshi Rajeev, Prof K S James and Dr Manohar Yadav coordinated the Convention.

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. The seminar was coordinated by Dr Sunil Nautiyal and Dr Bibhu Prasad Nayak.

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 3rd and 4th 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
The Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources of the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, organised a three-day Asia Regional Workshop on Compensation for Ecosystems Services during May 8-10, 2006. The Asia Regional Workshop was conducted as a component of the Global Scoping Study on Compensation for Ecosystem Services (CES), coordinated by the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), Nairobi, Kenya, and commissioned and funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. This workshop was organised in association with ICRAF. His Excellency Shri T N Chaturvedi, Governor of Kanataka and President of ISEC, inaugurated the workshop and delivered the keynote address. Thirty-seven participants from India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Kenya attended the workshop, representing international and national level organisations, academic bodies, government, NGOs, and donor agencies. Dr S Puttaswamaiah coordinated the workshop
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 9th 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 6th & 7th 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 22nd to 24th , 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 9th 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 Sekhe
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”
Seminar on “The State of Karnataka’s Public Services: Benchmark for the New Millennium”
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.

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