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Agitation to Legislation: Negotiating Equity and Justice in India

The Social Development Forum of CSD, New Delhi invites you to a talk on ‘Agitation to Legislation: Negotiating Equity and Justice in India’

 Schedule of the Programme

Agitation to Legislation: Negotiating Equity and Justice in India

Speaker: Prof Zoya Hasan, Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development, New Delhi and Professor Emerita, Centre for Political Studies, JNU New Delhi

Chair: Professor K B Saxena, Distinguished Professor, CSD New Delhi

Date: April 26, 2018 (Thursday)
Time: 3.00-4.30 PM
Venue: Durgabai Deshmukh Memorial Lecture Hall, CSD, Sangha Rachna, 53 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003


A Brief Introduction of the Talk
The past few years have seen the street emerge as one of the most volatile and engaging sites of a politics in flux. Mass protests, widespread networks, and quick mobilization in the age of social media have instilled a new life in protests and agitations, engendering an entirely new brand of rights agenda in India today. Grassroots activism along with organized, collective action has influenced several landmark legislations, often resulting in progressive outcomes and policies.

Agitation to Legislation finds that such a progression is not so sudden. It examines ways in which social mobilizations influence legislative trajectory, opening up modes of direct engagement between the state and its citizens, between the government and the governed. It simultaneously focuses on political actors and processes that help expand rights and accountability and at the same time resist any attempt to increase representation of under-represented groups. Positive outcomes have depended on political responses and party strategies, either appropriating or reinforcing or disregarding the scale and intensity of public protests and collective action.

About the Speaker

Zoya Hasan, is Professor Emerita, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and former Dean of the School of Social Sciences, JNU and currently Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development, New Delhi. She is a member of the Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, and a member of the Editorial Board of the International Political Science Review, Secular Studies (Brille) and the Journal of Human Development in India. Her recent books include Congress After Indira: Policy, Power, Political Change (1984-2009) and Politics of Inclusion: Caste, Minority. A collection of her essays titled Democracy and the Crisis of Inequality was published in 2014. Apart from her book Agitation to Legislation: Negotiating Equity and Justice, a co-edited book titled Empire of Disgust: Prejudice, Discrimination and Policy in the United States and India will also be published in 2018.

Constitutional and Social Democracy: An Ambedkar Perspective

The Social Development Forum of CSD, New Delhi invites you to a talk on

‘Constitutional and Social Democracy: An Ambedkar Perspective’

Schedule of the Programme

Constitutional and Social Democracy: An Ambedkar Perspective

Speaker: Prof. Valerian Rodrigues

Chair: Professor Ashok Pankaj

Director, CSD New Delhi

Date: January 18, 2018 (Thursday)

Time: 3.00-4.30 PM

Venue: Durgabai Deshmukh Memorial Lecture Hall, CSD,

Sangha Rachna, 53 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003

Abstract of the Presentation

Ambedkar argued for rule of law rather than rule of virtue. Much of his work devolves around critique of the prevailing system of rule of law and proposals to rectify it either by speaking law to social practices or through reform of the prevalent system of rule of law. This belief in constitutionalism antedates his interventions in the Constituent Assembly and is reflected in his writings and practices right from his deputation before the Southborough Committee in 1919. Ambedkar also develops a set of distinct arguments why the future of post-colonial dispensation in India squarely lies in constitutionalism. Constitutionalism prioritizes rule of law and celebrates a public culture informed by rule of law rather than ‘will of the people’. At the same time Ambedkar avows democracy as a way of life. For him democracy was a system of conducting public affairs, wherein a people equal and free regulate their lives in the indefinite future. He argues that self-realization is possible only by access to expanding spheres of social networks. Obviously, there is much tension between the rule of law he avows and the idea of democracy he celebrates. The lecture focuses on this tension, dwelling on the way, Ambedkar set about responding to it.

A Brief Introduction of the Speaker

Valerian Rodrigues currently holds Ambedkar Chair at Ambedkar University, Delhi. His areas of specialization are Political Philosophy; Political Ideas and Institutions in India; Disadvantage; Marginality; and Preferential Public Policies. Prof Rodrigues has taught at Mangalore University, Karnataka before joining Centre for Political Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University , New Delhi.

Prof Rodrigues was Agatha Harrison Fellow at St. Anthony’s College, Oxford from 1989-1991, visiting Professor at the University of Wurzburg (2011), ICCR visiting Professor at the University of Erfurt (2012), and ICSSR National Fellow (2015-17) at Mangalore university. He has authored or edited three books and has over 80 research publications to his credit.

Training Programme on New Approaches to Resettlement: Building Capacity for Project Management

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Training Programme on New Approaches to Resettlement: Building Capacity for Project Management

27th – 29th November, 2017

CSD has been conducting resettlement management training every year for over a decade with the aim of strengthening planning and management capacity of resettlement practitioners. Much has however happened in recent years in this field of training. Primarily, increased emphasis on infrastructure development has triggered change in this situation. Hence the focus of this workshop is on new approaches to resettlement. The Objective of this Resettlement Training Workshop is to familiarize participants with newer, more effective ways of managing emerging resettlement challenges.

The workshop is held in the month of November every year.

Jagged Edges

The Social Development Forum of CSD, New Delhi invites you to a talk on

‘Jagged Edges: Technology, Yields, Cropping Choices and Farmer Adaption to Climate Change in Three Semi-Arid Districts in Peninsular India, Maharashtra, 1966-2011‘ by Dr Deepak Dasgupta at 3 pm on October 30 (Monday), 2017 at Durgabai Deshmukh Hall, CSD, 53, Sangha Rachna, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi-110003.

The event will be chaired by Professor Ashok Pankaj, Director, CSD, New Delhi.

About the Talk: The central thesis of the paper is that patterns and impact of effects of climate change ─ more erratic rainfall and rising temperatures ─ provide a better way of assessing how farmers adapt to climate shocks in reality on the ground rather than the standard method of forecasting the future from climate models and using crop and farm behavior models.

Both technology and climate change effects can be distinguished as farmer adaptation strategies. These adaptation strategies, however, are not necessarily the same everywhere: they differ by institutional, social and historical settings particular to that district and its farmers. Three different typologies: (a) “gamblers” in highly commercial agricultural settings, where risk-reward strategies may actually involve taking even more risk for higher average returns with greater volatility of returns; (b) “risk-averse diversifiers”, in more public research institutional settings, where farmers may diversify to multiple crops and cropping systems to lower their overall risk and perhaps settle for slightly lower average pay-off strategies; and (c) “technology-adopters”, where the driving way that farmers seem to ultimately adapt is to rely even more on new technology and information (new varieties, new cropping systems, water management, etc.) to deal with climate shocks.

Markets, institutions and innovation are shaped by public policy—in sometimes intended or stated, and sometimes unintended or unstated ways, beneficially, and sometimes not. For example, coarse grains lost out to other food crops; commercial crops such as cotton saw much greater support; oilseeds and pulses have been only lately the focus of public attention; public research has everywhere played a crucial role in ushering new varieties and spreading information, and spurring private markets in commercial crops (Bt cotton). The policy challenges for the future rests ─ conjecturally ─ on some areas of focus: more attention to technology in scarce water management (sprinklers and drip-irrigation and not flood irrigation) rather than crop varieties and farm practices alone; weather forecasting reliability at more granular local levels; weather-based crop insurance, especially to guard against catastrophic events; and innovative market stabilization (rather than exhausted public procurement) instruments.

Dr Deepak Dasgupta’s areas of research are Climate change, Agriculture and Macroeconomics. A recipient of Adam Smith Prize and medallion at Cambridge University and the Amex Bank Review Award for essays in International finance, Dr Dasgupta is presently ICSSR Senior Fellow at the CSD. He has earlier worked with the World Bank for over twenty-five years in various capacities. He is a former founding Board Member of the UNFCCC Green Climate Fund (GCF), representing India and Asia Pacific; and former Principal Economic Adviser, Government of India, Ministry of Finance.
Dr Dasgupta has taught and lectured at universities and think-tanks in India as well as in other countries. He is the principal author, co-author or editor of 10 books and 100 articles.

Durgabai Deshmukh Memorial Lecture, 2017

Durgabai Deshmukh Memorial Lecture, 2017  by Shri. P.Sainath on 15 July 2017

Title: THE MORAL ECONOMY OF THE ELITE And why they can’t confront the Inequality that is our greatest crisis

Venue: C.D.Deshmukh Auditorium, IIC Main building on 15 July 2017 (at 6.30 pm).
This lecture was  organised jointly with IIC.<>

 

Event Highlights

 

National Seminar on Challenges of Growing Inequalities in India

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Date: 14-15 July, 2017
Venue: India International Centre Main, New Delhi

Concept Note

Indian economy is growing quite rapidly in recent years.  The average annual growth rate of GDP was 7.7 percent during 2004-05 to 2013-14.  However, high rate of economic growth has also been associated with growing inequalities, including economic, social, regional and rural-urban inequalities.  Besides, some regions and social groups, in the country continue to remain extremely poor and vulnerable, even after seven decades of independence. Still about 270 million people in the country is stated to be below the national poverty line. The average incidence of poverty is as high as 22 percent in the country and 26 percent in the rural areas. The incidence of absolute poverty in rural areas is as high as 44.6 percent in Chattisgarh, 40.8 percent in Jharkhand and 35.7 percent in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. The Gini concentration ratio of distribution of per-capita consumption expenditure in the country which is a measure of inequality increased from 0.29 in 1964-65 to 0.34 in 2013-14. The urban – rural income ratio increased from 4.2 in 1951-52 to 9.7 in 2014-15. The co-efficient of inter – regional variation in per – capita income increased from 29.8 percent in 2004-05 to 39.2 percent in 2014-15. The poverty and indebtedness among people belonging to SCs, STs women and other vulnerable groups are relatively higher than others. Access to property rights, quality education, employment, credit and in decision making role, is comparatively lower for these vulnerable groups. All these facts raise a doubt whether the present high level of inequalities and growing economic, social, regional and rural – urban disparities will pose a challenge to India’s high rate of economic growth and democratic system of governance in the long run.

There is enough research evidence from the globe that equity is complementary, in some fundamental respects to the pursuit of long term prosperity. Institutions and policies that promote a level playing field – where all members of society have similar chances to become economically productive, socially active and politically influential contribute to sustainable growth and development. Conversely, the adverse effects of unequal economic opportunities and political power on development can prove damaging because economic, social and political inequalities tend to reproduce themselves over time and across generations. Disadvantaged children from poor and socially excluded families at the bottom do not have the same opportunities as children from rich families to receive quality education and therefore, they can only expect to earn less as adults and fall prey to ‘inequality traps’ and stay perpetually poor and marginalized. With imperfect markets, inequalities in wealth and power translate into unequal opportunities, leading to underutilization of productive potentials and inefficient allocation of resources, while an equitable growth process results in more efficient economic functioning, reduced social conflicts, greater social cohesiveness and better institutions with dynamic benefits for investment and growth.

Also not many people would accept that high level of inequalities would be tolerable when based on gender, inherited wealth, ethnicity or place of birth, caste and religion over which individuals have no control. Besides, persistent inequalities produce strong backwash effects that may wash away the benefits of any short term gains of inequitous growth process. Many democratic countries therefore, to-day adopt complimentary policies for safety net and special programmes for development of the poor and the marginalized. In India too, a policy of positive discrimination for persons, belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and women have been accepted in principle, though less in practice and effect. During the last seven decades after independence, the condition of certain social groups and geographical regions in the country has not improved much. They are in poverty trap as well as inequality trap. Inequalities of all types are increasing. Therefore, we need to find out the pitfalls in our policy approaches and programmes and also alternative policy framework that would work better for the balanced economic growth of all sections of our population. We need to develop appropriate policies which create opportunities and incentives for all Indian citizens to invest, innovate and grow. Policies can contribute to the move from an ‘inequality trap’ to a virtuous circle of equality and sustainable growth, through greater investment in the human resources of the poorest, greater and more equal access to public services and information, guarantees on property rights and employment for all and greater fairness in the functioning of land, labour, capital and product markets. However, there are several challenges to such transformative reforms. In view of the above facts, the Council for Social Development proposes to organize a National Seminar on Challenges of Growing inequalities in India, at the India International Centre Annexe, New Delhi, on July 14-15, 2017. About 70 experts, including economists and other social scientists, concerned government officials, (comprising both present and retired) and social activists will participate.

The tentative topics for discussions would include the following:

  1. Challenges of growing economic inequality.
  2. Challenges of regional and rural-urban disparities.
  3. Ensuring social inclusion of Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalized groups.
  4. Dealing with gender inequality, especially in respect of access to property rights, education, employment, health care, credit, technology etc.
  5. Assessing the impact of various Govt. policies and programmes on inequality such as RTE, MGNREGA, ICDS, Mid-day Meal, FRA, NHM, PMAY, NLM, NSAP, and other SC,ST, women and minority related programmes.


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Farida Parveen sings Lalan Geeti

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Renowned Bangladeshi singer Ms Farida Parveen sings Lalan Geeti in Bangla and Hindi translation of Lalan Shah Fakir’s selected songs by Prof. Muchkund Dubey
Date: June 2, 2017
Time: 3 to 5 pm
Venue: India International Centre

Event Highlights