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The drainage systems of India's cities
01.04.2005
As India's cities have expanded, their drainage systems have not kept pace with building growth nor with the provision of water supply. Encroachment on floodplains as well as inadequate sewerage systems flowing into storm drains mean that these drains cannot cope with monsoon runoff. This article looks at attempts to tackle these problems. -
Private sector participation in urban services in India
01.04.2007
In two urban areas in India - Navi Mumbai near Mumbai and Vishakhapattanam in Andhra Pradesh - contrasting approaches have been used to engage the private sector in SWM. In one case, a waste collection contractor employs nearly 400 staff, whereas in the other 78 small enterprises sweep the streets. These experiences clearly show the huge potential for job creation and improving service quality when all stakeholders play their part. -
Entrepreneurship development training programmes in India
01.12.1990
It has been argued by David McClelland that the levels of growth which a country attains are explained by the presence or absence of a 'need for achievement' ('n Ach') in the population. Since this need for achievement can be developed and reinforced, growth can be accelerated by influencing the behaviour and supply of a country's entrepreneurs. One can debate the issue raised by van Arkady that 'theories that emphasize deep-seated psychological or cultural characteristics do not seem particularly relevant for policy, as these variables are unlikely to be subject to policy influence over any useful time horizon.' Indian entrepreneurship development training programmes (EDTPs), being the first and most widely replicated, have the potential to exemplify McClelland's theory and to demonstrate effective ways of enhancing entrepreneurship through policy intervention.The objective of this paper is to present a synoptic view of EDTPs in India. It focuses on training processes and procedures as they currently exist and offers some suggestions for their improvement. The first section discusses the evolution and scope of the Indian EDTPs, and the specialized agencies which conduct them. The second section describes the Indian EDTP package, followed by an evaluation. A limitation of this paper is that it does not address the debate on the comparative efficiency of the 'training-alone approach' vis-à-vis the 'training-plus approach'. Another limitation is that it is based on the author's observations rather than rigorous scientific evaluation. Unfortunately, the vast literature on Indian EDTPs does not include any scientific evaluation. -
Policy implications for environmental improvements in India's SSIs
01.06.2000
This paper demonstrates that to achieve technological change to reduce pollution in small industrial units one needs to create the conditions for such change by first addressing the organizational, attitudinal and knowledge constraints, at cluster or firm level. A top-down approach, based on sanctions alone is inappropriate; instead compliance-based strategies are also needed to address the constraints of the firms in the particular sector. This article first describes India's environmental policy, which has resulted in many small industries being relocated or put out of business, as well as a general negative perception of environmental improvements on the part of small industries. Three case studies of polluting small firms are described: acid-processing; lead-smelting and glass manufacturing, and in each case the constraints to change are identified. In many cases improvements can be introduced at low cost, and may result in efficiency gains, but until the business owners appreciate that they may benefit from the technological changes they are unlikely to participate. This article suggests the type of participatory activities that would go towards addressing these firms' constraints; and recommends a shift in government policy so as to address the problem of environmental improvement in a more effective manner. -
Transgender-inclusive sanitation: insights from South Asia
01.04.2018
This paper provides insights from initiatives to include transgender people in sanitation programming in South Asia. Three case studies of recent actions to make sanitation inclusive for transgender people (in India and Nepal) are presented, accompanied by reflections and recommendations to guide future practice. Practitioners are recommended to: engage with transgender people as partners at all stages of an initiative; recognize that the language of gender identity is not fixed, varying across cultures and between generations; and acknowledge that transgender people are not a single homogeneous group but rather have diverse identities, histories, and priorities. The case studies aim to raise awareness of the diversity of transgender identities, exploring the needs and aspirations of transgender women, transgender men, and third gender people in South Asia.