Processed food won't feed the poor

By Devinder Sharma
22 Mar 2010

Government is extending all possible support to the food processing industry on the pretext of food security and reducing wastage. However, the facts say the processing industry prefers imported ingredients over local food leading to increased wastage and rise in food prices.

Food processing will only make food dearer for poor
We repeatedly hear that India ranks 66th among the 88 countries categorised in the IFPRI Global Hunger Index. This is happening at a time when 40 per cent of fruits and vegetables go waste due to improper storage and in transportation, and that too in a country which is the second biggest producer of vegetables, experts tell us.

However, this flawed argument is very cleverly used to push food processing as a solution. Whether this will help in ensuring food security for the poor and have-nots is something that is very clearly ducked by the industry. No wonder, the Planning Commission is making available roughly Rs 1.50 lakh crores in the 10th and 11th Plan period for the food processing industry. It isn't therefore surprising when you hear radio advertisements telling you about Rs 50 lakh subsidy available if you set up a food processing plant.

First of all, this statistical figure of 40 per cent existed even when I was a student some 30 years back. I am sure ten years from now, we would still be hearing this data of 40 per cent wastage, while no body is making an effort to find out whether the wastage has been reduced or increased. The figure of food loss is used by the industry to seek more subsidy, more funds. And the academicians, and the policy makers, ostensibly appalled by the extent of food wastage, and in their ignorance support the massive subsidies demanded by the processing industry.


However, Yoga guru Swami Ramdev recently made it abundantly clear that the processed foods do not feed the poor and hungry. His organisation Patanjali Vidyapeeth in Haridwar had recently set up a food processing unit, probably one of the biggest in the country. As someone who is actually engaged in food processing, it was revealing to learn from him that the processed foods are expensive and therefore not an answer to the bigger question of feeding the country.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has also made budget allocations for the food processing industry. He has been more than kind to the food processing industry. He has allotted five food parks and given concessions on machinery for food processing equipments, which of course would be welcomed by the industry. Considering the impact of the policies, I wonder how it will help in addressing the food challenge for the country. Now, we know that food waste has to be minimised, but why do it in the name of feeding the poor?

Often the industry quotes another statistics - only 2 per cent of the food in India is processed, which is a pittance considering what the US and Europe does. This is something that I cannot digest. In fact, this is a misinformation campaign simply to hoodwink the gullible consumer to believe how urgent is the need to set up food processing plants.

Let us look at it dispassionately. In the Indian households most of the food is cooked and is processed at the home level. In other words, 100 per cent food is processed, the only difference being that it is done at the household level. The statistics that we quote are therefore misleading. If this food is not being processed by the industry, is there a problem? Does it mean that the processed food in the market would be more healthy and nutritious? If not, than why are we promoting a shift in our food consumption habits and patterns just to expand the reach of the market?

In the US and Europe people increasingly rely on processed foods from the shops because they do not know how to cook. In the OECD countries, the agri-business industry has over the years succeeded in building up the dependency for food supplied through shops. People are forgetting how to cook at home and eat healthy.

Not surprising to know that in the US alone, more than 4 lakh people die every year from obesity, and its related suffering. In other words, from eating the wrong food.

Considering that there is no need for us to follow the US and European models and increase the sale of processed foods in the shops. There is no need for us to spread the faulty information and 'educate' the people that they don't have to waste time in cooking, and that it is demeaning for the women to be in the kitchen. But yes, increasing number of members from the nouveau riche class feels ashamed in spending enough time at home to cook, and it is this class or generation that suffers more from diabetes and heart-strokes.

With growing awareness over health issues, consumers in India (and elsewhere) should be directed to reduce their growing preference for processed foods. Now from ready-to-serve paranthas to canned dal makhani are available on the supermarket shelves. Forget about the taste, they carry several harmful ingredients. Some people may find these products very useful, but I strongly feel that we need to educate the young on the advantages of cooking at home. It is not only economical, but also healthy and nutritious.

All industries thrive on subsidies and bailout packages. This is how the GDP goes up, and the manipulative Industrialists loot the State exchequer. More than any one, our industry is capable of taking care of itself and does not need support or handholding from the government. The subsidy allotted for the food processing industry should have been given to the farmers who are in dire need of support. If the farmer welfare is given adequate consideration, the entire food chain would be safe. And we can shun the processed foods, we will help the present generation, and also save the future generations from the unhealthy and hazardous foods that are being marketed.

Swami Ramdev has already inspired the nation to take control of their health in their own hands. We now have to extend this to the food that we consume. We have to take control of the food we eat. There is a need to build up a nationwide campaign on healthy cooking and healthy eating. As to the role the agri-business industry can play, I suggest it pays attention on rampant food adulteration that prevails.

If the industry can somehow ensure that the raw material and the ingredients that we need for our daily consumption are safe and pure, it would be no less than a revolution. At the same time, processing industry need not be always high tech and sophisticated in the manner that it bypasses some of the normal requirements that people have, like milk-based products (especially sweets) that are at present highly adulterated.

Equally worrying is the increasing dependence of the food processing industry on imported fruit concentrates. If you import orange concentrate from Brazil/Chile and then provide juice in tetra packs, this will not help reduce the 40 per cent fruits that go waste. In fact, the fruit wastage will increase. How can one justify that our own harvest of oranges/kinnows goes waste while the industry finds it convenient to import concentrates from abroad? Simply put, the arguments in favour of food processing that it would help in food security and reduce wastage are not based on sound logic and ground realities. But our policy makers are more concerned about the demands of the industry than the ground reality.

GM forests or fuel mines?

By Pandurang Hegde
20 Mar 2010

Enough harm has already been done to the environment under the garb of development. Now, novel ideas like GM forests are being proposed as a new alternative fuel for the automobile industry. It's time for the world to learn from its cyclical mistakes, and fast!

Man's attempts to play with nature have now gone too far
(pic courtesy: The Ecologist)
As if the nationwide debate on Genetically Modified brinjal was not enough, we now have international agencies like the FAO rooting for GM trees. Surprisingly, while they suggest this, they presume that a forest full of GM trees will not lead to any more angst among the people.

According to the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) State of the World's Forests report (2009), a global pattern is emerging that reflects a correlation between economic development and the state of the forests. Forests around the world are under severe stress due to numerous demands caused by rapid economic development.

Those countries that have achieved high growth of economic development are able to stabilize or increase their forest area, while countries like India, that are undergoing rapid economic development, tend to struggle with immense pressure on their forests.

It would be too naïve to conclude that rich countries have stabilized the forest cover on their own. With their economic and financial muscle power, they have conserved their forests to provide ecosystem services while meeting their timber demand from the forest-rich regions of Asia or Latin America. Thus they have successfully and conveniently transferred the pressure to poorer countries, causing more harm to the indigenous population.

The demand for tropical hardwood from Europe and USA is the main cause of destruction of natural forests in tropical countries. It is this voracious appetite for tropical hardwood that is playing havoc in the agrarian economies of countries like Burma and Cambodia.

India, while following the same model of development, also has a large middle-class population that has put tremendous pressure on the existing forests. The expansion of mining in forest areas has threatened the existence of forest-dwelling tribal populations. Conflict over natural resources in forest-rich belts of states like Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh has resulted in a long-drawn battle between locals and industries, creating fertile hotbed for Naxalite insurgency. Ironically, the very forests that served as their lifeline have become a curse for these locals.

At this juncture, international forestry experts at FAO are looking at forests as an alternative source of fuel for the automobile sector after having burnt fingers with the agro and bio-fuels as a panacea to replace fossil fuels.

Jan Heino of FAO Forestry Department predicts, "Developments in science and technology will have an enormous impact on the future of forests and forestry. Trees may become the major source of fuel for cars, replacing oil." In many developed countries the research is geared towards developing genetically modified super trees that can overcome the slow gestation period with high capacity to produce cellulose fuels. This strategy has the added benefit of producing wood fuel on forest land without any negative impact on agricultural crops as with agro fuel, and unlike GM food crops, GM trees will face little opposition.

Nevertheless, there are apprehensions about these giant GM trees. The monoculture plantations might have a negative impact on forest biodiversity and on those indigenous communities that have forever lived in the forests. Sunderlal Bahuguna, pioneer of the Chipko Movement, says: "Commercialization of forests led to the destruction of biodiversity and introduction of exotic monoculture plantations. These are not forests but timber mines, as they cannot perform the multiple functions of a natural forest. Similarly, GM trees would accelerate the process of conversion of existing diverse forests into fuel-generating plantations. These should be called 'fuel mines'."

Clearly, the FAO approach is based on the narrow, parochial understanding with commercial benefits as the main objective. In contrast, the Chipko approach is based on the holistic understanding of forests as a source of soil, water and air.

It would be appropriate to look at the future of forests in terms of safe deposits for humanity that provide ecosystem services. The crisis of global warming has heightened the need to conserve and raise bio-diverse natural forests.

The ecosystem services of forests are no more evident than in case of the national capital Delhi, which depends on the Yamuna to meet its water requirement. The water flow in Yamuna is dependent on the forest catchments in Himalayas. Similarly, in the south the Cauvery meets the water requirement of cities like Bangalore, pumping it from a distance of 250 kilometres. The forest catchments for Cauvery lie in the Western Ghats. But in both cases neither Delhi nor Bangalore is interested in paying for the ecosystem services provided by the forests.

It is unfortunate that both the state governments and the people have ignored this basic principle of payment. Ignoring this factor may have long-term consequences for water security in the coming decade.

Empowering India with imported wisdom?

By Devinder Sharma
17 Mar 2010

A section of influential Indian middle class remains obsessed with anything foreign, more so American. No wonder, instead of making efforts to improve the education system of the country, the government is keen to invite the foreign universities to help educate India.

The Union Cabinet has cleared the Foreign Educational Institutional (regulation of entry and operation) Bill, which aims to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India. This Bill follows the two controversial Bills pending for Parliamentary approval - the Nuclear Liability Bill and the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill.

Kapil Sibal, the Minister for Human Resource Development, is visibly excited. He is quoted in the media, saying: "A larger revolution than even in the telecom sector awaits us." Well, we all know that the path to hell is paved with good intentions.

Nothing can be more dangerous than programming the mindset of the young generation of India through an education system that has nothing to do with the great culture, tradition and wisdom that our ancient civilisation endowed us with. The present crop of politicians, more worrying are the younger lot that the Indian media talks about every day, are so myopic that they can't see anything beyond Europe and America.

If this is all that these politicians are capable of thinking and doing, I sometimes wonder why shouldn't we have political representatives from Europe and America sitting in Indian Parliament? After all, they will do the job of re-colonising the country much more efficiently than their sub-standard Indian clones.

There are a large number of people in this country who are sold out to everything American. They live in India, but have an American dream. They will find fault with the higher education system in the country, and wouldn't mind even if the country's education system is eventually taken over by substandard colleges and universities from North America, Europe and Australia. It is in this context that I find the editorial in the Economic Times (Mar 17, 2009) under the title 'University of California, Ghazipur' interesting. This is what it says:

"But such a law is unlikely to open the floodgates for foreign providers of quality education. The reality is that 'for-profit' describes hardly any of the world's best institutions of higher learning. In any case, the Bill stipulates that all profits would have to be ploughed back into the Indian venture and not repatriated. Only second rate outfits not allergic to some accounting innovation that allows them to circumvent this ban are likely to invest in Indian campuses."

Isn't it a shame that the country that gave the world its first universities, is now feeling thrilled that some of the B-grade foreign universities are likely to open campuses in India, if the government has its ways.

I have been lecturing at various universities abroad, and have always come back disappointed at the level of competence.

Read the complete article @http://www.d-sector.org/article-det.asp?id=1105

Bailing out the richest

By Devinder Sharma
12 Mar 2010

Forbes magazine says India has almost twice the number of billionaires than last year. Strangely these richest of the rich gained when the world economy was badly hit by the meltdown. Was it despite or due to the economic recession?

Economic stimulus package helped billionaires
to increase wealth (courtesy: ndtv)
In 2009 when the world was bogged down by economic recession, and some ripples were also felt in India, an estimated $20 trillion was pumped in to boost the global economy. India too provided a bailout package, in three instalments, totalling to approximately Rs 3.5 lakh crore.

In February 2010, when Finance Minister was to present the annual Budget, the media had launched an orchestrated campaign saying that the economic bailout package should not be withdrawn. You could see almost every TV channel (and the pink newspapers) bombarding day and night how damaging it would be for the national economy if the bailout package was withdrawn.

Participating in the discussions on Budget, I did make it loud and clear (to the discomfort of the economists on the TV panels) that the bailout package was not required in the first instance, and should be withdrawn immediately.

Subsequently, I heard the Prime Minister say that only 1.5 lakh jobs were created in 2009 (against the projected 12 million). I guess this statement was used by the industry and business to defend the need for the continuation of the bailout package.

In my understanding, the bailout package was actually a dole to the industry and business to strengthen its bottom line. If you think that the layoffs in the industry were because of the economic recession, you are highly mistaken. Recession was very conveniently used by the industry to go in for labour-shedding, nothing more than that. Ask those journalists who have lost their job recently, and they will tell you they were laid-off not for reasons of economic meltdown.

Nevertheless, the economic meltdown provided an excellent opportunity for the rich to amass more wealth. Otherwise there is no way that the world's wealthiest club can grow wealthier at times of an economic meltdown. The bailout packages came out handy for the rich to accumulate more wealth, and that too in the name of rebuilding the global economy.

View the complete article@ http://www.d-sector.org/article-det.asp?id=1087

Inclusive Value Chains in India

08 Mar 2010

A review by Sudhirendar Sharma

Mainstreaming small producers
Market influence notwithstanding, current development processes attach great importance to market-led economic growth for poverty alleviation. With 'pro-poor growth' being the leitmotif running through much of the recent development debate, poverty alleviation is increasingly associated with small scale commercial farm and non-farm activities. A key concept is the development of value chains integrating farmers into local as well as high value markets.

The idea of 'value chain' assumes that market-led development generates the income sustaining itself. It is, however, different matter that more efficient markets drive out less competitive producers. So it is by no means clear to which proportion the rural poor will eventually benefit from value chain interventions. Value chain development is a necessary condition, but by itself not sufficient to respond to the problem of economic exclusion.

Amul is one the earliest example of effective value chain, much before 'value chain' as a concept came into vogue. Though it reaches out to over two million people and is profitable, it has not made its producers rich although it provides them with a reliable supplementary source of income. Using 14 different case studies, the author concludes that the value chains which are promoted by private for-profit businesses grew much faster than those which were promoted by nonprofit organizations.

Without doubt, value chain perspective helps to explore the growth potential of specific rural products and allows targeted interventions activating them. But the question is to what extent 'value chain development' can in fact serve as a core concept of rural development. Since some of value chain interventions are specific to particular products, markets provide the basis of a value chain strategy as it impacts short-term employment through raise in wages.

In reality, value chains may have manifold and highly differentiated effects on wages, job quality, competitiveness, distributional, and social & environmental issues. What's more, these effects are closely interlinked; improvements in one field may alter complex power relations at the local level, often deleterious in the long run. Given the long-term impacts of value chain interventions, immediate economic gains may remain ephemeral!

The book provides pragmatic insights on what works and what doesn't on a subject that is becoming increasingly important in fighting poverty in rural areas.

Inclusive Value Chains in India by Malcolm Harper, World Scientific, Exclusive Distribution in India by Books for Development, Bangalore, 289 pages, Rs 695

When the Rivers Run Dry: By Sudhirendar Sharma

A world tour of hydrological madness
If ever I were to write a book on water, this could be the one. When the Rivers Run Dry seems an unfinished title for an unflinching look at the current water crises across the world. Fred Pearce, an accomplished science writer, elucidates the remaining half of the title in ten riveting sections to the book. Based on author's travels across thirty countries, the book provides most complete portrait of growing hydrological crises and its widespread ramifications for us all.

Pearce contends that the West is committing hydrological suicide with its water 'footprint'. One ton of water for drinking, about 50 to 100 tons around the home and as much as 2,000 tons to grow the crops that feed and clothe a person during a year cannot sustain humanity for long. And if you buy a t-shirt made of Pakistani cotton, eat Thai rice or drink coffee from Costa Rica, you may be helping reduce flow in the Indus, the Mekong and in the Amazon. Called 'virtual water trade', it uses about 1,000 cubic kilometers of water annually or the equivalent of 20 River Niles.

It really is as stark as that. Pearce has gone to great lengths to show the reader what has gone wrong with our civic and personal attitude to water use the world over, and by highlighting some of these diminishing or dried up water sources, we must rethink our actions. The immensely readable prose is no simple manual for the consumer to be less wasteful in the home; it is about such compelling facts that make the case for a new water ethos. Pearce takes the reader to often unheard of places to pepper his text with reflection, often presenting both the micro and the macro picture at the same time.

The facts and narrative create powerful imagery that is backed by penetrating analyses and passionate advocacy. It is investigative journalism at its best, advising the world's governments to stop focusing on the money and instead look at the best interests of the world's rivers, wetlands and aquifers. Pearce' dogged research and writing teaches the reader something 'new' on a subject that may be grossly known. And he is not a doomsayer because he highlights the efforts being made the world over to reclaim fresh water too. Just read it!

http://www.d-sector.org/readGraf-next.asp?catid=8&id=157

Art, science and commerce of Brinjal

By Sudhirendar Sharma
08 Mar 2010

If a large section of mainstream media is to be believed India may soon witness mass hunger, demoralised scientists and economic recession if Bt brinjal is not allowed to be commercially cultivated.

Childhood memories of brinjal, popularly called baingun, are curiously uniform across the country. As kids, no one seemingly had any fascination for the violet vegetable. From elongated to round and from small to big, brinjal diversity has always been on offer without many takers to savour its predictable recipes. At school, brinjal helped children remember 'violet' being a conspicuous colour of the rainbow. Rarely would the relationship with brinjal extend any further.

That the lowly vegetable would gain national significance and the hyperactive environment minister adding a 'brinjal' on his cap could be the gravest surprise ever. That some of the 2,400 varieties of brinjal that middle class mothers selected from the vegetable vendors would be under pest threat unless impregnated with an alien gene could be no less amusing.

This would have made my grandmother happy who, as a staunch vegetarian, had an eerie feeling about some legless worm roaming freely within the encased flesh of brinjal. Pest control in brinjal had meant liberal sprinkling of woodstove ash to ward off the devouring pest from its broad leaves. Since no one ever heard of a pest epidemic on brinjal, the indigenous method had seemingly worked to keep the market price of brinjal under check.

But this has seemingly not gone well with those who consider that Olericulture, the science of growing vegetables, be given a lesson. After all, science has to progress even if the poor brinjal has to be its unsuspecting guinea pig. And, why should it matter that an annual 8 million tonnes of brinjal production in the country is not under any crisis? The bedtime story of a tiger devouring a lamb for the crime that it never committed seems real for once!

Could the lowly brinjal cloud the scientific vision of the country? It seems it already has if the thwarted exasperation of the science & technology minister is anything to go by. The minister argued that the scientists would be demoralised should the progress on Bt brinjal is put on hold for long. One would expect the scientific community to contest such irresponsible utterance because brinjal isn't the only topic of research they have been engaged in!

The minister, Prithvi Raj Chavan, reminds me of my history lessons. While his namesake stood for bravery, courage, principles and patriotism, the modern-day Prithvi Raj is behaving more like Jaichand. History has been known to repeat itself and it seems to be doing so again after 820 years. But that it will repeat with characters switching sides has been beyond imagination. Brinjal is sure to rewrite history!

A bit of history has already been written. Unassuming brinjal has triggered a new wave of nationalism, with people rallying around the most unlikely of symbol to assert patriotism. For once, brinjal is at the centre stage of discourse to challenge colonialism of the kind that takes genetic route to control peoples' lives. If nothing else, it has helped identify the enemy within.

Brinjal has clearly become a big hurdle on way to a $1 billion a year seed industry, with any number of paid employees of the biotech industry and those willing to accept any kind of 'sponsorship' vouching for its safety. The same biotech industry that had thumped safety related aspects of Bt cotton now secretly accepts that not only have cattle died after consuming Bt cotton residues but skin allergies to farmers have been on the rise too. By its own admission, the pest resistant vigour of Bt cotton has been on the decline.

Without doubt, the claims on Bt brinjal are not above suspicion. Science ought to be held accountable, as no one can afford slow genetic transformation on account of consuming genetically modified vegetables. A recent report indicating conversion of male rats into females through exposure to widely used weed killer atrazine has sent alarm bells ringing. A genetically modified food product could indeed be doubly potent. One would only argue that the proponents of Bt brinjal are well within their means to push science and to make profit but not at the cost of making bhartha of our lives.

Sharavathy: A river damned

By Shankar Sharma
05 Mar 2010

In the mad rush to imitate western model of development, we have killed many mighty rivers of India, badly affecting the people and environment. River Sharavathy of Western Ghats is now being squeezed to death.

Will other rivers too meet the fate of River Sharavathy?
This story is about the journey of River Sharavathy in Karnataka, a river that once was the lifeline to many but has now just turned largely into a mass of stagnant water.

The Sharavathy, which flows through the dense forests of Sahyadri range, was once the lifeline of thousands of families, forests and farms. All this changed with rapid development in the area. Three dams were constructed on the river, taking a huge toll on the flora and fauna besides displacing the numerous families. In fact, this led to the extinction of several unique species found in the region.

Rainfall, which was more than 300 inches per year in some spots of this region before the first dam in 1947, is now less than 200 inches. The rainy season that stretched to more than five months annually too has reduced to less than 3 months now. The small rivulets and streams, which once brimmed with water throughout the year, now come to life only during the monsoon. The major dam at 'Linganamakki' is understood to have been filled up less than 5 times in the last 40 years. People fear that silt is piling up in the dam.

The activities linked to the construction of a major hydel power station in this once thick forest has made it vulnerable to all kinds of exploitations. The trees of the pre-dam era are being replaced by mono-culture species like Acacia Auriculiforms, Acasia Melanoxylon, Casuarina Indica, Tectona Grandis etc. The common complaints from the locals about these species (which were originally alien to India) are: they are not of much use to birds, insects, monkeys or squirrels, since they bear no useful flowers, seeds and fruits. Instead, they grow rapidly and suck a large quantity of water from the soil. The leaves of these tall trees are like plastic sheets which envelope the ground, preventing rain water to percolate. Because of shallow roots these plants cannot stop soil erosion either, unlike the native species with deep roots. They also do not allow other vegetation to come up in their shadow. There is also clear evidence of local lakes going dry because of Acacia trees.

Understandably, the locals are furious. They are now taking on the government agencies that propagate these alien plants in the area with the sole purpose of providing raw pulp to a few factories. People have courted arrest, and some of them have been fighting cases for decades. Many incidents of locals destroying nurseries of these species planted by forest department have been reported.

Because of the dams and power projects, a large number of outsiders, who have no understanding of the local environment have settled in these areas and are reportedly linked to illegal deforestation, cultivation of exotic species, elimination of wild animals and grass lands and even starting forest fires etc.

The natives used to live in perfect harmony with the nature, protecting, preserving and worshipping the forests and animals. There were many forts, temples, Jain bastis and educational institutions, which have since been either completely submerged in dam waters or are in a state of neglect due to the slow death of remote villages. The dam waters have resulted in small islands isolating the communities, making it difficult to continue the education for the children. Medical facilities too have become inaccessible to many villages. In fact, due to reduced water pressure at the river delta, the salt water of the Arabian Sea is penetrating inland.

It's ironic that the region which plays such a key role in providing electricity to the entire state of Karnataka, has many villages that are still to get electricity even 60 years after the first power generating unit was commissioned.

Having submerged huge tracts of forests, the state government is now contemplating reserving forest land in the region, threatening the very lives of the locals, who now face evacuation yet again. The locals also face the threat of mining in these rich forests.

As if these atrocities on the nature are not enough, more projects in the name of development have reportedly started. These include pumping water from the down stream of the famous Jog falls to make it attractive again, permitting another hydro electric project between two existing projects, diverting more streams into the dam; building concrete structures in place of lush green vegetation to encourage tourism and building walking tracks to promote ecotourism.

Sir M Vishweshwaraya is credited with the idea of harnessing the waters of this river for the state's industrial development. Also known as a great humanist, Sir MV was known to have consulted the local leaders of the river valley on how to go about the project with minimum impact on the local environment and people. It was this concern for nature and the locals which made the initial project report to stipulate that only a portion of the annual discharge of the river be used for the electricity generation, and the rest to be allowed in the natural course of the river. Decision makers at the state and central level have exhibited no hesitation in quoting the example of Sir MV in conceptualizing high-impact projects, but have not demonstrated the same level of concern for nature and fellow living beings.

Before contemplating any new projects of such large scale impacts, the society should deliberate on finding the alternatives; make objective assessment of the earlier projects, and take all sections of the society into confidence. The only way to out of the mess we are in now is to make the effective public consultation mandatory on every major project. There is an urgent need for the paradigm shift as far as developmental priorities are concerned, keeping in view the interests of the environment. We can not afford to have similar fate for the rivers Bedthi, Aghanashini, Gundiya, Barpole and many others, which run through Karnataka.

The Geo-politics of GM Crops

By Ashok B Sharma
04 Mar 2010

For any new technology to be accepted by the public at large, it is important that it generates consumer confidence. Like in the case of information technology which was spectacular and led to what we call IT revolution. However, the transgenic technology in agriculture has not made much headway. There are reasons to believe why it is so.

The acceptance of information technology has been swift and its benefits were perceptible at the grassroots level. The IT Revolution was not motivated by politics, unlike that of food and agriculture where politics has always played a key role.

Food security is critical for nation's sovereignty. A food insecure nation cannot maintain its sovereignty. It has to crawl before the providers of food.

In today's globalised world there is a geo-politics for food. The MNCs are making attempts to control the food chain. Incidentally these corporations are based in industrialized countries where corporate farming and industrialized agriculture are largely prevalent, backed by heavy subsidies.

Agriculture in the industrialized countries cannot exist without subsidies. The subsidy regime and protectionist tariffs in the industrialized countries have rendered farmers in the Third World uncompetitive in the global trade. The negotiations for the Doha Development Round at the WTO could not be concluded due to the rigid attitude of the industrialized countries in refusing to ensure a free and fair trade regime by eliminating their subsidies and protectionist measures.

Similar is the geo-politics for the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops. However, industrialized countries remain divided on the issue of GM crops. Europe is against the forceful introduction of GM crops while the US is aggressively promoting it. Leading developers of GM crops like Monsanto are based in the US. Some European multinationals too are developing GM crops, but their businesses of GM crops are largely outside the continent. Some European countries like Spain, Czech Republic, Portugal, Romania, Poland and Slovakia have introduced GM corn only for feed, but the area under cultivation have decreased since 2009.

One of the reasons behind the European countries' stand on the issue is the strong consumer resistance due to their awareness about the health and environmental hazards of the crop, as shown in various studies. In US, however, the consumer resistance is not strong enough to deal with the politics of GM crops, practiced by the multinational corporations in league with the administration.

GM crops have become a tool for the MNCs in controlling the politics of food and agriculture. GM crops through cross pollination can genetically contaminate non-GM crops. There had been instances in Canada where the non-GM corn fields were genetically contaminated by nearby GM corn fields and Monsanto sued these growers of non-GM corn to pay royalty.

Genetic contamination of crops would ultimately lead to monoculture and a serious loss of natural biodiversity. The danger of genetic contamination is more so if a particular crop which is the centre of origin in a particular place is genetically modified and cultivated there. GM corn cultivation in Mexico has genetically contaminated different indigenous corn varieties of Mexico. India is the centre of origin for brinjal and there is a possibility for such consequences once the Bt brinjal is allowed for cultivation in the country.

A false bogey of food and nutritional security is being raised by the protagonists of GM crops. In fact whatever GM crops are commercialized so far are mostly herbicide resistant and insect resistant. None of these commercialized GM crops are for increasing nutritional security.

Largely the commercialized GM crops like corn and soybean are used for feed and not for food and canola for oil.

Similarly false promises are being made that transgenic technology increases yield. The fact is that so far the transgenic technology has not been effective in increasing the potential yield of crops. The insect-resistant Bt gene are resistant to only one or two insects. In the case of Bt cotton in India, bollworms became resistant to Bt gene and the seed company had to introduce Bt cotton with stacked genes to solve the problem. There were new incidences of yet unknown pests like mealy bug on Bt cotton, which never occurred earlier on cotton crops.

In the US the area under herbicide-tolerant GM crops is increasing as compared to insect-tolerant GM crops. The reason is that herbicide tolerant crops are more suited for industrialized agriculture.

Despite 14 years of commercialization of GM crops, the area under transgenic crops is only 2.7% of the world's cropped area. GM crops are cultivated in only 25 countries Commercialised GM crops are soybean, corn, cotton, squash, papaya, alfalfa, sugar beet, tomato, poplar, sweet pepper, canola.

According to the ISAAA data, area under GM crops increased largely in Brazil and the US in 2009. There has been some increase in area under Bt cotton in India and in areas under GM crops in Canada, Argentina and South Africa. There has been a decrease in area under GM crops in China, Paraguay and in Europe. Germany discontinued GM maize cultivation. Earlier Indonesia had pulled out of the global GM crop map. The area under GM crop in Australia remained static at 0.2 million hectare. Thus the latest figures of area under GM crops have suffered a setback in many countries.

Clearly, public opinion across the world is not in favour of GM crops. As the consumer resistance against GM crops is high in developed countries in Europe and other parts of the world, the GM crop industry is aggressively pushing for market in the developing countries. In other words the developing countries are becoming dustbins for hazardous GM crops.

The ISAAA, which is sponsored by the seed multinationals, in its latest report has documented 17 developing countries growing GM crops. "Growth of biotech (GM) crops has been substantially higher in developing nations - 13% or 7 million hectare in 2009 compared to just 3% or 2 million hectare in industrialized countries. As a result, almost half (46%) of the global hectarage of biotech (GM) crops were planted in developing countries….," the ISAAA report said.

The ISAAA report has taken satisfaction over China issuing biosafety certificates for GM rice and GM phytase corn. But the commercial cultivation of these two GM crops is still a long way off as these crops are yet to undergo some years of mandatory field trials. The area under other approved GM crops in China have already declined.

Earlier it was planned that the ISAAA chairman, Clive James would release its 2009 report in India after India allows commercial cultivation of its first GM food crop Bt brinjal. But the dreams of ISAAA did not work. The release of the report was delayed by over a month, eagerly waiting for the green signal for Bt brinjal. The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) had approved Bt brinjal, but the environment and forests minister, Jairam Ramesh withheld its release and preferred to go for public consultations. After a series of public consultations, the minister said NO to Bt Brinjal. The ISAAA's hopes were dashed and it preferred to release its report in Beijing in China, only to take the credit for the issuance of biosafety certificates for GM rice and GM phytase corn in that country.

The politics behind the issuance of biosafety certificates for GM rice and GM phytase corn in China can be easily guessed. It followed after the US President Barack Obama's visit to China.

Another aspect which the ISAAA report takes pride in focusing is Burkina Fasco's GM cotton area soaring from 8,500 hectare to "a substantial" 115,000 hectare or from 2% to 29% of the country's total cotton area - the largest percentage growth on record at 1,350%. It may be recalled that Burkina Faso is one of the four major African countries which is distressed by the US subsidy on cotton. The US by heavily subsidizing cotton has rendered African cotton uncompetitive in the global market. Burkina Faso has been politically pressurised to adopt Bt cotton against which some unilateral concessions has been assured by US.

There is a growing pressure on India to speedily adopt GM crops and a mounting pressure for the release of Bt brinjal. The US seed multinational, Monsanto is lobbying hard for its release. And with the US law stating that the multinational can have funds for educating public and lobbying, developing countries are at the receiving end. Now it is for these nations to either make a healthier, informed decision or bow once again be exploited and used, only with much graver consequences.

The Geo-politics of GM Crops

By Ashok B Sharma
04 Mar 2010
For any new technology to be accepted by the public at large, it is important that it generates consumer confidence. Like in the case of information technology which was spectacular and led to what we call IT revolution. However, the transgenic technology in agriculture has not made much headway. There are reasons to believe why it is so.

The acceptance of information technology has been swift and its benefits were perceptible at the grassroots level. The IT Revolution was not motivated by politics, unlike that of food and agriculture where politics has always played a key role.

Food security is critical for nation's sovereignty. A food insecure nation cannot maintain its sovereignty. It has to crawl before the providers of food.

In today's globalised world there is a geo-politics for food. The MNCs are making attempts to control the food chain. Incidentally these corporations are based in industrialized countries where corporate farming and industrialized agriculture are largely prevalent, backed by heavy subsidies.

Agriculture in the industrialized countries cannot exist without subsidies. The subsidy regime and protectionist tariffs in the industrialized countries have rendered farmers in the Third World uncompetitive in the global trade. The negotiations for the Doha Development Round at the WTO could not be concluded due to the rigid attitude of the industrialized countries in refusing to ensure a free and fair trade regime by eliminating their subsidies and protectionist measures.

Similar is the geo-politics for the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops. However, industrialized countries remain divided on the issue of GM crops. Europe is against the forceful introduction of GM crops while the US is aggressively promoting it. Leading developers of GM crops like Monsanto are based in the US. Some European multinationals too are developing GM crops, but their businesses of GM crops are largely outside the continent. Some European countries like Spain, Czech Republic, Portugal, Romania, Poland and Slovakia have introduced GM corn only for feed, but the area under cultivation have decreased since 2009.

One of the reasons behind the European countries' stand on the issue is the strong consumer resistance due to their awareness about the health and environmental hazards of the crop, as shown in various studies. In US, however, the consumer resistance is not strong enough to deal with the politics of GM crops, practiced by the multinational corporations in league with the administration.

GM crops have become a tool for the MNCs in controlling the politics of food and agriculture. GM crops through cross pollination can genetically contaminate non-GM crops. There had been instances in Canada where the non-GM corn fields were genetically contaminated by nearby GM corn fields and Monsanto sued these growers of non-GM corn to pay royalty.

Genetic contamination of crops would ultimately lead to monoculture and a serious loss of natural biodiversity. India is the centre of origin for brinjal and there is a possibility for such consequences once the Bt brinjal is allowed for cultivation in the country.
Genetic contamination of crops would ultimately lead to monoculture and a serious loss of natural biodiversity. The danger of genetic contamination is more so if a particular crop which is the centre of origin in a particular place is genetically modified and cultivated there. GM corn cultivation in Mexico has genetically contaminated different indigenous corn varieties of Mexico. India is the centre of origin for brinjal and there is a possibility for such consequences once the Bt brinjal is allowed for cultivation in the country.

A false bogey of food and nutritional security is being raised by the protagonists of GM crops. In fact whatever GM crops are commercialized so far are mostly herbicide resistant and insect resistant. None of these commercialized GM crops are for increasing nutritional security.

Largely the commercialized GM crops like corn and soybean are used for feed and not for food and canola for oil.

Similarly false promises are being made that transgenic technology increases yield. The fact is that so far the transgenic technology has not been effective in increasing the potential yield of crops. The insect-resistant Bt gene are resistant to only one or two insects. In the case of Bt cotton in India, bollworms became resistant to Bt gene and the seed company had to introduce Bt cotton with stacked genes to solve the problem. There were new incidences of yet unknown pests like mealy bug on Bt cotton, which never occurred earlier on cotton crops.

In the US the area under herbicide-tolerant GM crops is increasing as compared to insect-tolerant GM crops. The reason is that herbicide tolerant crops are more suited for industrialized agriculture.

Despite 14 years of commercialization of GM crops, the area under transgenic crops is only 2.7% of the world's cropped area. GM crops are cultivated in only 25 countries Commercialised GM crops are soybean, corn, cotton, squash, papaya, alfalfa, sugar beet, tomato, poplar, sweet pepper, canola.

According to the ISAAA data, area under GM crops increased largely in Brazil and the US in 2009. There has been some increase in area under Bt cotton in India and in areas under GM crops in Canada, Argentina and South Africa. There has been a decrease in area under GM crops in China, Paraguay and in Europe. Germany discontinued GM maize cultivation. Earlier Indonesia had pulled out of the global GM crop map. The area under GM crop in Australia remained static at 0.2 million hectare. Thus the latest figures of area under GM crops have suffered a setback in many countries.

Public opinion across the world is not in favour of GM crops. As the consumer resistance against GM crops is high in developed countries in Europe and in other parts of the world, developing countries are becoming dustbins for hazardous GM crops
Clearly, public opinion across the world is not in favour of GM crops. As the consumer resistance against GM crops is high in developed countries in Europe and other parts of the world, the GM crop industry is aggressively pushing for market in the developing countries. In other words the developing countries are becoming dustbins for hazardous GM crops.

The ISAAA, which is sponsored by the seed multinationals, in its latest report has documented 17 developing countries growing GM crops. "Growth of biotech (GM) crops has been substantially higher in developing nations - 13% or 7 million hectare in 2009 compared to just 3% or 2 million hectare in industrialized countries. As a result, almost half (46%) of the global hectarage of biotech (GM) crops were planted in developing countries….," the ISAAA report said.

The ISAAA report has taken satisfaction over China issuing biosafety certificates for GM rice and GM phytase corn. But the commercial cultivation of these two GM crops is still a long way off as these crops are yet to undergo some years of mandatory field trials. The area under other approved GM crops in China have already declined.

Earlier it was planned that the ISAAA chairman, Clive James would release its 2009 report in India after India allows commercial cultivation of its first GM food crop Bt brinjal. But the dreams of ISAAA did not work. The release of the report was delayed by over a month, eagerly waiting for the green signal for Bt brinjal. The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) had approved Bt brinjal, but the environment and forests minister, Jairam Ramesh withheld its release and preferred to go for public consultations. After a series of public consultations, the minister said NO to Bt Brinjal. The ISAAA's hopes were dashed and it preferred to release its report in Beijing in China, only to take the credit for the issuance of biosafety certificates for GM rice and GM phytase corn in that country.

The politics behind the issuance of biosafety certificates for GM rice and GM phytase corn in China can be easily guessed. It followed after the US President Barack Obama's visit to China
The politics behind the issuance of biosafety certificates for GM rice and GM phytase corn in China can be easily guessed. It followed after the US President Barack Obama's visit to China.

Another aspect which the ISAAA report takes pride in focusing is Burkina Fasco's GM cotton area soaring from 8,500 hectare to "a substantial" 115,000 hectare or from 2% to 29% of the country's total cotton area - the largest percentage growth on record at 1,350%. It may be recalled that Burkina Faso is one of the four major African countries which is distressed by the US subsidy on cotton. The US by heavily subsidizing cotton has rendered African cotton uncompetitive in the global market. Burkina Faso has been politically pressurised to adopt Bt cotton against which some unilateral concessions has been assured by US.

There is a growing pressure on India to speedily adopt GM crops and a mounting pressure for the release of Bt brinjal. The US seed multinational, Monsanto is lobbying hard for its release. And with the US law stating that the multinational can have funds for educating public and lobbying, developing countries are at the receiving end. Now it is for these nations to either make a healthier, informed decision or bow once again be exploited and used, only with much graver consequences.

Thou shalt not question GM food!

By Devinder Sharma
03 Mar 2010

The proposed National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill threatens the very essence of democratic values and freedom.



If Indian govt has its way, such agitations against GM food will land people in jail
The ghost of Emergency is back. In fact, it is going to be much worse than the Emergency period. During the infamous Emergency era, anyone could be arrested for questioning the powers that be. If the Ministry for Science & Technology has its ways, you can be arrested for simply questioning the safety of your own food, if it is genetically modified.

As massive police action against Maoists, called Operation Green Hunt, is underway in the tribal regions of India, the government is now getting ready with yet another policing campaign to silence people's voices demanding safe food. Armed with the proposed NBRA, the government will now unleash a war against its own citizens. Their crime: they demand to know whether what they are being forced to eat is safe or not.

The unprecedented muzzle on the right to freedom of speech of every citizen forms part of the proposed Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) bill that is likely to be introduced in the Budget session in Parliament. Denials notwithstanding, Chapter 13 section 63 of the draft bill says, "Whoever, without any evidence or scientific record misleads the public about the safety of the organisms and products…shall be punished with imprisonment for a term that shall not be less than six months but which may extend to one year and with fine which may extend to two lakh rupees or with both."

During Emergency, you faced jail for your political differences. But if the proposed BRAI bill becomes legislation, you will have to in addition pay a fine.

Even critical journalist writings can land the writer in jail. And those who dare to protest or cause obstruction to experiments too can be hauled up with imprisonment and/or fine or both. People's right to know more about the experiments conducted to determine environment and health safety too have been taken away. Article 27 (1) of the bill seeks to keep the information related to research, approval and science of the GM products out of the purview of the Right to Information ( RTI) Act.

The National Campaign for People's Right to Information finds the definition of "confidential commercial information" under section 2(h) limiting and restricting in the sense that any and all documents submitted to the Authority for research, transport or import of organisms and products will not be available for public scrutiny. Further, Section 81 overrides the RTI Act 2005 when it says: "the provisions of this Act shall have effect, notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any other law for the time being in force or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any law other than this Act to have overriding effect."

That something as simple as food should invite such coercive measures to stifle critical voices is clearly a pointer at the desperation to push the seemingly unhealthy GM foods down our throat. Otherwise there seems to be no justification for even drafting such a law that gags public opinion. GM crops are known to be devastating to the environment and ecology, and the push for its acceptance undermines the task of biodiversity conservation. This goes against the recommendations of the Swaminathan Task Force Report, which said: "the bottom line for any biotechnology regulatory policy should be the safety of the environment and the economical and ecological sustainability of farming systems."

No wonder, the draft bill also says that the BRAI will set up its own appellate tribunal, which will have the jurisdiction to hear arguments on the issues concerning biotechnology. In case of any disputes, petitioners can only approach the Supreme Court of India.

Any regulatory mechanism should inspire public confidence, and not take away the right to question the science and the process. Already the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), which is the apex body for environmental clearance for the GM crops, has come under a lot of flak for being a rubber stamp for the biotechnology industry. The moratorium on Bt brinjal announced by the Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has clearly brought the need for a more open, transparent and accountable regulatory mechanism.

Still worse, I don't understand the urgent need that is being shown to set up a fast-track single window clearance for the controversial GM crops. Even in the USA, the Mecca for GM crops, the clearance system comprises three windows -- the US Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Even then, the US regulatory process has been questioned time and again, and has been found to be faulty.

In India, the decision to approve GM crops, would essentially wrest with three member expert committee of the Department of Biotechnology. This has been given a go-bye. Moreover, the fact that the bill has been listed for introduction in Parliament with no space for discussion of its contents shows what is in store ahead.

Thousands of farmers detained in Ahmedabad

By d-sector Team
27 Feb 2010

Farmers and social activists opposing the Nirma group's planned cement plant and limestone quarry in Mahuva in Gujarat detained in Ahmedabad before they could organise a rally from Sabarmati to Gandhinagar.

Over five thousand farmers from the Mahuva area in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat were detained and prohibited from taking out a peaceful rally protesting the Gujarat government’s approval for a cement plant and limestone quarry in their area.

The Mahuva farmers had managed to reach the Sabarmati Ashram despite Gujarat government’s measures to stop them from reaching Ahmedabad to organise a rally from Sabarmati Ashram to Gandhinagar to protest against the proposed plant by the influential Nirma group. Police had blocked all the entry points to the city but several hundred farmers managed to escape police checkpoints by walking long distances in the night.

However, the planned rally couldn't be organised due to preventive arrests and deployment of large number of police personnel to stop it at any cost. Most of the leaders and activists supporting the farmers protest were taken into police custody before they could start the rally.

Chunibhai Vaidya, 92 year old Gandhian who founded Gujarat Loksamiti, Kanubhai Kalsaria, MLA of Mahuva, Sanatbhai Mehta, ex Finance Minister of Gujarat, Ilaben Pathak of AWAG and a senior editor Prakash N Shah were the prominent persons among those detained by the police. Social and political leaders of Gujarat have criticised the high-handedness of the State government terming it ‘suppression of collective democratic rights’.

The farmers were enroute to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, from where they intended to start a peaceful march to Gandhinagar to submit their petition, signed in blood by 11,111 affected individuals, when the buses and other vehicles they were travelling in were stopped by the police. The farmers were taken into police custody and brought to police grounds in Shahibagh area of Ahmedabad and detained there.

Several hundred protestors who reached the Sabarmati Ashram directly were also whisked away in police vans and blocked from taking out the march.

These farmers from Mahuva area in Bhavnagar district are protesting the decision by the Government of Gujarat to sanction a cement plant by Nirma Ltd, which includes 288 hectare of land for the factory and another 3000 hectare for a limestone quarry.

The affected villagers say that Mahuva area has among the most fertile lands in Gujarat, where farmers grow three crops, and export dehydrated onions and numerous other fruits. Moreover, the numerous onion dehydrating plants (turnover Rs. 300 crore) & cotton gins (turnover Rs. 3,500 crore) provide employment to an additional 10,000 people in the factories. They allege that the proposed cement plant will employ only 418 people for an investment of 2500 crore (Rs. 2.5 billion), but will end up devastating around 50,000 land owners, farmers & farm labourers, besides polluting the air and destroying the pristine coastal & inland ecology. It was only in the last few years that the Government had invested tens of millions of public money to construct structures for water conservation & prevention of salinity ingress in this area.

The farmers of the area contend that they have been facing the combined wrath of the government and company goons for protesting the government action. The government appointed a committee under SK Shelat (ex-Chief Secretary) to look into people’s grievances last year, and the company was required to stop work pending the presentation of the report of the Shelat Committee. The affected farmers allege that this Committee, without either visiting the area or listening to the affected people, has given the 'go-ahead' to the company for this project, which is likely to destroy the lives of around 50 000 people.　

The agitating farmers and activists assert that the Sabarmati arrests was not the first incident to repress the non-violent and peaceful expression of dissent by the affected villagers. Couple of months back, on 13 December 2009, the local MLA Dr Kanubhai Kalsaria, veteran Gandhian Chunibhai Vaidya, and several other leaders were prevented from holding a public meeting in Vangar village. Farmers also allege that two local leaders Wamanbhai and Pravinbhai Kathiria were apparently beaten up by hired goons, and other villagers were manhandled by the police.

Recently on 20 February, the police lathi-charged a peaceful rally of villagers, and ten activists were imprisoned on false charges, charge activists. Dr. Kanubhai Kalsaria, the MLA from Mahuva area, his wife and companions were reportedly again attacked on the way to Doliya village on 21 February, and their motorcycles were badly damaged. However, undeterred people from the Mahuva area decided to organise a massive march from Sabarmati Ashram to Gandhinagar (State capital) to present their petition to the Chief Minister, which they were not allowed to do. Social activists have condemned the latest round of police suppression of the affected villagers’ movement and expressed concern over the declining space available for voicing dissent in Gujarat today.

Instead of discouraging the affected farmers, the government action has encouraged them to spread the movement all over the state. It has been decided that the coming March 6 will be observed as Mahuva Day across the state. To make it effective, several organisations and activists have decided to organise various programs to create public awareness about the state government's move to grab lands of poor farmers across the state.

The Mahuva MLA Kalsariya, who has been leading the movement said, "We were just trying to march to Gandhinagar peacefully without creating any nuisance but it seems that the state government doesn't want to have a dialog with us. As thousands of protesters have gathered here despite of state government's efforts, we will continue our agitations in peaceful and non-violent but aggressive manner."

The New Economics

Book review by Sudhirender Sharma

Economics as if people matter
New Economics makes fascinating reading. It is must read book for anyone dismayed by the way market economics has driven us to the wall. Authors David Boyle and Andrew Simms begin by arguing that the financial markets are the epicentre of a massive system, the main purpose of which is to make its key players unimaginably rich. Further, it forgives the powerful their mistakes, and cushions them against hard times, but exhausts the rest of us and punishes and corrodes the lives of the poorer two thirds of the world.

It compares sheer diversity of the immediate crises - in credit, climate and energy - to ecological, human and spiritual crises. According to the authors, these are not usually understood as economic problems, but that is exactly what they are: a byproduct of faulty measurement and misleading values pedaled by ill-directed economic system. New economics is an approach that 'values real, rather than illusory wealth, and puts people and planet first.' It puts individuals, equality and opportunity ahead of economic activity and growth.

The book considers economics as a problem and begins each of the ten chapters with an intriguing question and dissects it to the last, which invariably boils down to the fact that economics is breaking society to maximise profit. It is evident all across - urbanization is growing, roads are choked, small shops are closing, people are stressed, marriages are failing and poverty is on the rise. The planet can't take it; the human psyche can't take it; but economics seems to insist that we do it anyway. We all know that life is about more than wealth, but our economy doesn't seem to recognize it.

David Boyle and Andrew Simms have based the chapters of book on most unassuming questions like 'Why did China pay for the Iraq war?' and 'Why do fewer people vote when there is a Wal-Mart nearby?' That new money is created through debt mechanisms and big business leads to erosion of community makes for compelling response to the leading questions. Interestingly, each chapter connects the reader to 'other books of the genre', not as reference but as additional reading material that makes New Economics an amazingly rich experience.

The book list 20 steps to build a better economy and showcases Great Barrington in western Massachusetts, a small American town, which has bucked the trend. It has a high street full of locally owned shops and a thriving network of local banks. It has access to a range of local food, which is fresh and healthy. Great Barrington has its own currency, Berkshares, nearly $2 million of which has been issued in and around the town to keep the wheels of the local economy turning, and to maximize the way that it engages local people, food and resources where possible.

David Boyle and Andrew Simms list plenty of tried and tested new economics solutions, each worthy of emulation. The financial crises may not have toppled the ivory tower of old economics, but it certainly has given a jolt to its foundation that only New Economics can strengthen. Without doubt, it is an immensely readable book that has a visionary appeal.

New Economics by David Boyle and Andrew Simms, Earthscan, UK, 192 pages, $16.99

Foreign Aid for Indian NGOs: problem or solution

Book review by d-sector
Feb 2010

Whose money is it, honey?
Despite foreign direct investment driving the stock market, the issue of foreign funding to the civil society organizations is seen at a tangent. Not long ago, foreign funding was used as the basis to question the credibility of Narmada Bacchao Andolan. In effect, the petitioner's hidden intention has been to tarnish the pro-public image of the two-decade old social movement, with an aim to establish that NBA's anti-dam agenda was driven by the donors. NBA had come out unscathed but popular perception about foreign funding was nevertheless reiterated.

With three decades of experience in the field of development, Pushpa Sundar traces the history of developmental assistance and the emergence of civil society as its formidable exponent. Interestingly, over the years the levels of overseas development assistance to the government has become insignificant while the amounts going to the civil society has increased significantly. The recipients of foreign funds may have come under the home ministry's scanner; the quantum of development assistance remains miniscule in comparison to government's development portfolio.

Why does the government feel threatened and why is popular perception on foreign funded organizations' tainted? The answers to such questions are hard to come by because there are shades of grey in the developmental picture. The lure for foreign funds is of government's own making; its support mechanism smells of nepotism and its monitoring mechanism is increasingly laced with corruption. If the government's development support mechanism to civil society could clear itself of such ambiguities and be more liberal in its outlook, there is little doubt that the dependence on foreign funds and the ideological baggage it brings along would decline.

However, this should in no way mean that all is well with the recipients and that the resource utilization is objectively focused. Conversely, the fundamental question is who will decide what is development? Far from tightening the noose around foreign funds, the state could do well by redefining roles through mutual trust on the capacity and capability of the voluntary sector in delivering change. There is a complementary task at hand for the civil society too; to become creative and acknowledged in setting locally appropriate development agenda.

In her in-depth analysis, Pushpa Sundar examines the multiple issues of foreign funds from a historical prism. Foreign Aid for Indian NGOs is well researched treatise that should act as substrate for future discussions on the political economy of development assistance.

Foreign Aid for India NGOs: Problem or Solution by Pushpa Sundar, Routledge, New Delhi, , 363 pages, Rs 796

What a stupid idea, sirji!!

By Kanchi Kohli
26 Feb 2010

As mobile service provider companies twist environment activism into commercial opportunity, earnestness is getting replaced by absurdity.

I am a click happy person these days and doing my bit for the environment too! You see mobile phone companies, their service providers and advertisers have helped me become a responsible citizen of this country. It's a great idea, Sirji! The more one uses one's mobile phone for talking to people, sending them short and long messages, the less we use paper, right? The source of paper is trees located in forests or maybe plantations, and it is my fetish now to contribute to saving trees on this planet.

What more! I am joined in this cause by several celebrities. Along with promoting their films and products, many of them are flying across the country to tell people in towns and cities on how the use of mobile phones can make the old fashioned letter writing redundant. All those papers used for pages and pages of expression, can be replaced through short, fast and quick messaging, they say. Send as many messages, it does not cost you the earth.

Don't tell me you haven't seen all those brilliant advertisements and propaganda for the last four months. Go quick and get a glimpse. And if you're one like me, convinced by eco friendly mobile stories around, welcome aboard the hogwash bandwagon!

Mobile phone technology works on batteries, charged by electricity, right? Secondary school text books tell us that electricity is generated through sources like coal, hydro or nuclear related technologies. Coal lying underneath India's richest forest tracts has to be extracted through mining if thermal power is to be produced. Each year several hectares of forests are wiped off officially to produce the power we need for our electronic gadgetry. Hydro power is no innocent ally, with river basins in the Himalayas and other ecologically fragile region under tremendous stress due to construction. So the more cell phone, the more electricity to charge, the more batteries to discard and the less forest for us to breath.

And what does mobile phone comprise of? Creating a cell phone requires a desired combination of plastic, chemicals and metal depending on the range and type of equipment our fingers may desire. It is not rocket science to know that most of these are non-biodegradable materials. So when I think I am being eco friendly purchasing my qwerty key pad phone, I am only succumbing to a gadget which is adding to the pollution load around me. No benevolent act this, sirji!

Now in this big bad world, what is better, you'd ask? Consumerism or reverse consumerism, where companies allow us to be less ecologically destructive through creating blogs, recycling, watching eco-friendly advertisements and so much more. The latter I guess, as it allows me to keep my heart and phone in the right place by believing that all the trees I save through my SMS clicks are standing intact. There are also options to feel less guilty and send one's old cell phone into a recycle bin provided by leading phone companies. They have to be reliable so I don't need to verify where they might dump my junk, as I continue to succumb to my techie desires. After all, it is all supposed to be...in the well.

So, as I drive to watch a film on global warming being screened in a shopping mall built on a wetland I tell myself that if the world's not getting green, the colour of money surely is!