BRICS Agriculture minister’s meeting on 11-13 March 2015

Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture shall participate in the IVth Meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, S. Africa) Ministers of Agriculture and Agrarian Development, to be held in Brasilia, on 11- 13 March 2015. Additional Secretary for Agriculture, Government of India Shri Avinash Srivastava and delegation of other officials will also present there. On 11th March seminar on Public Policy for Food and Nutrition Security and Strengthening Family Farming will be organized and also meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Agricultural Cooperation (discussion of priority areas and writing of Ministerial Declaration) will he held. On 12th March meeting of the BRICS Working Group will be continued and after the meeting Shri Radha Mohan Singh will visit to Brazil’s supreme institution of agricultural research "Embrapa Cerrados". Ministerial meeting and bilateral meetings will be held on 13th March 2015. Agricultural cooperation, one of the most traditional and promising areas of the BRICS, is guided by the 2012-2016 Action Plan, adopted in 2011, In Chengdu(China), which chose priority sectors such as exchange of information, food security, climate change, innovation and agricultural technology, and trade and investments. The scope of this cooperation highlights the opportunities and challenges faced by the five countries. The BRICS are countries engaged with the guarantee of food security in their own countries and the world; are key actors m the production and trade of food in the world, and are holders of cutting-edge technology in varied agricultural sectors.

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

cordially invites you to a Seminar

at 3.00 pm on Monday, 9^th March, 2015

in the Seminar Room, First Floor, Library Building

on

‘Tigers, Tribes, and Bureaucrats:

Relocations from Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra’

by

Dr. Nitin Sekar,

Princeton University,

New Jersey, USA.

Abstract:

Relocations of forest-reliant peoples from protected areas to promote wildlife conservation has typically resulted in negative socioeconomic results for those displaced. India’s 2006 Forest Rights Act endeavors to improve outcomes of relocations for conservation by mandating that relocations only occur if villages provide their free informed consent; in theory, the socioeconomic results of such voluntary relocations should be generally positive. The speaker conducted a field study in Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra—site of India’s most extensive programme for voluntary relocations of Adivasi communities—to examine a) the extent to which such relocations are truly voluntary, and b) how such relocations affect socioeconomic metrics and overall quality of life for those relocated. Using qualitative and quantitative surveys of villagers from nine villages (two yet-to-be-relocated), State officials, and non-governmental organization leaders, the speaker found that while consent to relocate was arguably free, it was not fully informed across the villages examined. Thus, while relocations may have been voluntary based on the prevailing legal interpretation of Gram Sabha resolutions, the relocations did not fully meet the standard of consent described in the Forest Rights Act. Furthermore, the process of attaining Gram Sabha consent was found to be un-inclusive, under-representing the views of women and other marginalized individuals; this institutional problem is not specific to the relocations. The socioeconomic results indicate that relocated villagers make a trade-off, leaving a familiar, healthier environment and partially-monetized economic system for higher incomes and better access to modern services and employment. The median respondent in each village believed their overall quality of life was about the same or better post-relocation, suggesting the Melghat relocations were more successful than prior relocations of Adivasis for conservation. However, many households still faced preventable and unacceptable losses over the course of the relocation. The talk will conclude with recommendations as to how better communication by State officials, involvement by non-governmental organizations, and inclusiveness in Gram Sabha decision-making could improve voluntary relocations. The scalability of such a program, however, is uncertain.

Speaker:

Dr. Nitin Sekar is a conservation scientist with a focus on South Asia. He is broadly interested in conservation oriented towards social justice, ecological function, and culturally significant species. He recently received his PhD in ecology from Princeton University, USA, for his work on the role of Asian elephants in dispersing seeds of large-fruited species. While at Princeton, Nitin also earned a certificate in environmental policy from the Woodrow Wilson School, where he researched village relocations for conservation and the international ivory trade. 

All are welcome.

Those wishing to have their names added to the email list may please email us atnmmldirector@gmail.com/eventsatnmml@gmail.com

Web links to programmes for 2015:http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/events/month.calendar/2015/03/07/-.html

Audio links of Public Lectures:

http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/55-lectures-audios.html

Mukesh Kumar’s team wins Pro-Am event of PGTI Cochin Masters presented by CIAL Golf & Country Club

Kochi, March 8, 2015: The Pro-Am event of the PGTI Cochin Masters presented by CIAL Golf & Country Club 2015 was won by professional Mukesh Kumar’s team.

The Pro-Am was played in the Team Scramble format where the team’s best ball was chosen on every shot including the putting green. After the best ball was chosen all other players were to place their ball within one score card length before continuing play.

PGTI member Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, who won the main event on Saturday, led his team to victory in the Pro-Am event as well with a score of 53.5 points. Mukesh’s team comprised of amateurs Mr. Sabu Thomas, Mr. Lijo Jose and Mr. T M Shaji.

PGTI member N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka helped his team finish second with a score of 55.2 points. Thangaraja’s team comprised of amateurs Mr. Symon, Mr. Joe Kallivelil and Mr. Alexander K J.

The prize for the longest drive on hole no. 9 was won by Mr. Vivek George whose drive landed at a distance of 280 yards.

The prize for the closest to the pin on hole no. 5 was won by Mrs. Shergil whose shot landed six metres and 20 centimetres from the hole.

The prize for the straightest drive on hole no. 18 was won by Mr. Alexander K J who landed it at a distance of 20 cms from the centre of the fairway.