Focusing on capacity development, complex as it may be, is really the only way to help countries end aid dependency, writes Jonathan Glennie in The Guardian

A mantra in development, and a constant demand in every policy paper, is that there is a need for “capacity development”. The fact that this is still such a prevalent prescription gives an idea of how hard it has been to make progress.

Capacity development is the process by which individuals and organisations develop the ability to set and achieve their own objectives. But beyond that general statement, there is little agreement on what it means. I was hauled over the coals recently for suggesting that capacity was weak in many African countries. It depends what you mean by capacity and which countries you are talking about.

And on top of that no one really knows how it is done. While capacity building used to focus on individuals, now there is more focus on institutions and societies.

But all this fairly well-known analysis is turned on its head by the slogan of a network called the Learning Network for Capacity Development (LenCD), which states simply that “capacity is development”.

I read this to mean that you don’t build capacity as a means to achieving the end of development. Increased capacity is what development is. It is the end itself.

Read the full story.

The government has promised to take steps to ensure effective implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, across the state.

The state women and child development department said it would immediately issue a government resolution (GR) telling officials in hospitals, police stations and state offices to understand the urgency of domestic violence cases and interpret the Act in its right essence. “We want to ensure the aggrieved women gets immediate relief,” said minister for women and child development, Varsha Gaikwad.

A delegation of women’s rights activists and NGOs met the minister on Thursday to express their concern over the increasing number of cases of domestic violence, especially in urban areas such as Mumbai. The delegation presented a charter of demands to the government, mainly to provide interim and immediate relief to victims of domestic violence. The state, it said, must take urgent steps to create awareness about the Act., which was unveiled in 2005.

Source: Times of India

A recent survey by an NGO shows that though the government’s eligibility criteria for free housing remains the same, the slumdwellers, an overwhelming majority of whom are tenants, don’t have documents to prove they have been living there before 1995.

The state government had selected Sector 5, which was covered by the Committee for Right to Housing survey, as the pilot for its ambitious remaking of Dharavi through the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority. “What the finding means is that a vast majority will be dishoused if the redevelopment is carried out under the existing slum rehabilitation law,”’ said Shweta Damle, member, CRH.

The CRH survey drew its 1,094 respondents across four bastis from Learn, an organization for women in Dharavi run by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Source: Times of India

Every 20 seconds, India records a child death due to diarrhoea and pneumonia. Every year, 1.73 million children die before the age of five. And nearly one million die within the first month of their life. Save the Children-an NGO working for the cause of children – has written to Montek Singh Ahluwalia, chairman of the Planning Commission to increase the annual budgetary allocation towards healthcare from the current 1.1% to 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“India ranks the lowest in public healthcare spending. India spends a little over 1% of its GDP on health with out of pocket being as high as 73%, affecting the lower income groups,” wrote Shabana Azmi to Ahluwalia. Azmi, the Save the Children campaign ambassador was in Delhi to launch the campaign ‘No Child Born to Die’ in Delhi a few days ago.

“The government must invest more in health and that must reflect in the country’s planning process and greater budget allocation,” she said at the launch.

The WHO recommends that all developing countries must allocate 5% of GDP on health.

Source: Hindustan Times

An NGO has threatened to file a public interest litigation (PIL) against the state government, which is yet to issue circulars about the implementation of 25 per cent reservation in schools for the economically weaker sections of society under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The NGO, Forum for Fairness in Education (FFE), alleges that the state has failed to notify the rules of RTE and further implement it.

The state had decided to notify the rules under RTE after it was passed in the state Cabinet in September this year. However, no circular or notification has been issued since then.

Many private and unaided schools have already started issuing kindergarten admission forms or will do so before the end of this year. FFE says the government is deliberately delaying the implementation of the Act and they fear that rules of RTE will not be implemented even this year.

Jayant Jain, president of FFE, said, “It seems the state is not willing to implement the 25 per cent reservation clause under the RTE Act. We feel they are being forced by fellow politicians, who own schools and also the managements. There is already a case going on in the Supreme Court, filed by private and unaided schools. We fear that due to all this, there will be a delay in notifying the rules in the state and further delay in implementation. As of now, there is no stay on the implementation of RTE and so the state government can go ahead with it.”

Source: Indian Express

Makeshift houses made out of tin and tarpaulin sheds on the footpaths of Mumbai, which thousands of homeless call their homes in this land parched city, will soon make space for street libraries. An NGO Alternative Realities has launched a Homeless Library called HoL! for homeless cutting across ages.

“It’s a mistaken conception that the homeless beg for their living. Most homeless work as daily wagers but find it difficult to rent a space and are forced to stay on the streets. Many of them have basic education. Their children, too, go to the nearby civic schools,” said Abhishek Bharadwaj from Alternative Realities.

In a survey conducted by the NGO, it was found as many as 38 per cent of the total 1.5 lakh homeless population has the basic reading skills. Further the survey suggested that 83 per cent know Hindi, 48 per cent know Marathi and 4 per cent know basic English.

The library aims at focusing on homeless who are so engrossed in the fight of their daily survival that education becomes a secondary issue.

“While parents are busy fending for the family, education takes a back seat. Our idea is to help them build their self-esteem, generate their interests in reading and create a community space to stimulate social interactions,” Bharadwaj added.

Source: Indian Express

The police have started sending bulk messages to Mumbaiites, informing them of the new helpline launched on Tuesday for women to complain against incidents of sexual harassment and molestation. The police have asked citizens to use the helplines or then log on their website and file the complaint.

Nandita Shah, co-director of NGO Akshara, which is involved in issues related to women, said: “Women should save the numbers on their mobile phones and call the helplines if they need held about an eve teasing or molestations.” Shah suggests also using the helplines to report an incident you are witnessing. “The identity of the women will be kept under wrap,” she said.

The police have sent bulk messages asking citizens to call 103 or send SMS on 7738133133 or 7738144144 to report incidents of eve-teasing or molestation. Complainants can also log on to the police website, www.mumbaipolice.org, to report incidents.

Source: Hindustan Times

To improve the level of sanitation in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to set up free-for-use washrooms for women in every two kilometre radius. And if a group of 35 NGOs has its way, they may also be equipped with sanitary napkins, vending machines and have female cleaners instead of male staff.

“After their construction, the maintenance and management of these will be handed over to NGOs,” a BMC official said.

Usha Kale of NGO Apnalaya, said, “I am sure women would not mind paying a little more if they have the facility to buy napkins and use the washrooms. We have demanded that the BMC build such a toilet as a pilot project at any of the busy stations like Dadar, Churchgate or Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.”

BMC will launch a joint survey in association with the NGO representatives to identify the problems of the plan. “To start with, we will survey 10 BMC wards in 10 days. Once the survey is over, we will decide on a pilot project,” the official said.

BMC officials said there are around 1,800 public toilets in the city. The ratio of toilet blocks for men to women is 80 to 20.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

Christmas has come early for the one-lakh-odd homeless people of the city. And playing Santa will be the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which has received directives from the state government and the Supreme Court to provide them with night shelters.
According to the civic body, there are about 1.5 lakh people who live on the streets of Mumbai. Besides having no security or facilities, they are an easy prey to diseases during the monsoon. Worse, more than 10% of them are either injured or killed in road accidents every year.

The central government had directed corporations to build night shelters for the homeless in the past. Following this, the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) and the Gurgaon Municipal Corporation pulled up its socks. The DMC now boasts of 30 night shelters.

The BMC claims that Mumbai needs at least 50 night shelters. The Bhivandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation has also started a similar work. One such shelter will come up at Pathan Chawl, Byculla (West), and another at New Mandala High School premises in Trombay.

The civic body will bear the cost of constructing the night shelters and the homeless can sleep there by paying a minimal charge. These shelters will have a kitchen, where the homeless can prepare their food. The BMC will provide drinking water. Medical care will also be given.

The BMC has invited bids from NGOs for setting up the night shelters. The selected NGO will first have to carry out a survey of the homeless. Based on that, the BMC will zero in on the number of night shelters. The NGO will be entrusted with the maintenance of the shelter and the provision of medical and kitchen facilities there.

Source: DNA

An animal welfare NGO has launched a campaign called ‘Save Jumbo’ to leverage public participation to save the pachyderms.

The move by Mumbai’s Plant and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) comes after a newspaper report that despite having banned elephants from city roads in 2007 and promising to confiscate them from their owners while ordering them to leave the city, the forest department went back on its order. It washed its hands of the responsibility of the jumbos in the city saying they were comfortable with their handlers and could not be confiscated with the Chief Conservator of Forests (Thane) RK Pole saying, “Let nature and age take their course.”

“The response of the authorities was shocking and pained animal lovers in the city. So we decided to launch a campaign to wake up the authorities,” said Sunish Subramanian, Founder and Secretary, PAWS. There are seven privately owned elephants in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane. Most of them are used for begging or for religious purposes by their owners and made to walk a lot without enough food and water, said Subramanian. Cases of them being injured have also been reported to the police.

However, the campaign is not restricted only to elephants on the road. It also aims to stop the cruelty meted out to injured or sick elephants working in circuses and zoo elephants who are in captivity with not enough place to roam. The NGO aims to create awareness about the issue and collect evidence of cruelty to elephants in the form of photographs through the Facebook page ‘Save Jumbo’. After the documentation is complete, they will approach the authorities with the evidence and ask them to take action. “We want these elephants to be shifted to elephant camps, national parks, sanctuaries and such natural surroundings,” said Subramanian.

Source: Indian Express