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Monday, November 5, 2007

[vinnomot] GMOs : ISAAA Board Meet in India + Climate Change + BIO-FUEL + Local Self-Government

In This NEWS Bulletin
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ISAAA Board Meeting In India----
1. ISAAA to facilitate European tour of Indian Bt growers
2. Pawar seeks ISAAA's help to replicate Brazil's success in sugar sector
 
Climate Change + BIO-FUEL -----
3. Onus of climate change risk on rich, says Watkins
4. 'Bio-fuel does not reduce carbon dioxide'
 
LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT-----
5. Aiyer favours Norwegian experience to make panchayati raj vibrant
6. District planning centres set up only in 17 states
 
7. Manmohan to head land reforms council
8. Stat panel seeks detailed analysis of poverty data
9. Cover for rural landless by next Oct
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ISAAA to facilitate European tour of Indian Bt growers
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Sunday , November 04, 2007 at 2326 hrs IST
 
The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), with a view to promote transgenic technology in agriculture, has decided to facilitate visits of Indian farmers to Europe to narrate the success stories of Bt cotton cultivation in the country.
 
The ISAAA held its board meeting for the first time in India, last week (October 23) and deliberated on various issues for promotion and propagation of transgenic technology in agriculture worldwide. The co-chairman of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), CD Mayee is the sole representative from India on the ISAAA Board.
 
Speaking to FE, the ISAAA chair, Clive James said, "Last year we facilitated visits of some African nationals to Europe to discuss about the issue of African countries to grow more food to meet their needs. They met European Parliamentarians and pleaded that transgenic technology can be an option to increase production and countries may import genetically modified (GM) food if needed. This year we are planning visits of Indian farmers to narrate their success stories of Bt cotton cultivation."
 
According to James Indian farmers have been benefited by the cultivation of Bt cotton and they need to convince their counterparts in other countries where there is a stiff resistance by NGOs to the GM crops. He said though GM crops were cultivated in 22 countries, 51 countries have allowed imports of GM crops for use as food or feed.
 
During his stay in India James visited some Bt cotton growers in Haryana, regional center of Central Institute for Cotton Research in Sirsa in Haryana and met scientists and government officials. However on October 31, there was massive demonstration of farmers in Delhi led by Krishan Bir Chaudhary and Atul Anjan demanding hike in minimum support prices for various crops and a moratorium on GM crops.
 
James said that ISAAA was taking up many such promotional activities. At the instance of the Union agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar, ISAAA will facilitate the visits of experts from India to Brazil to study sugar-ethanol sector in that country. ISAAA has already facilitated the royalty-free transfer of transgenic papaya technology by Monsanto to the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University.
 
"There is a need for farmers in Brazil, Argentina, India, China, South Africa and the Philippines to visit other countries of the globe and narrate their success stories of sowing GM crops," said James.
 
He said that the Indian agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar has shown great interest for boosting soybean production. "In this context GM soybeans can be a better option," said James and added that it was the Brazilian farmers who prevailed upon the Lula government to legalise cultivation of GM soybeans and today Brazil was a leader in soybean production.
 
He said that India, being one of the 14 mega biotech countries, would be the hub for spread of transgenic technology in South Asia.
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Pawar seeks ISAAA's help to replicate Brazil's success in sugar sector
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , October 29, 2007 at 0236 hrs IST
 
New Delhi, Oct 28 The US based global body for the promotion of transgenic crops,  the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) will facilitate visits of Indian experts to Brazil to study methods of production of cane, sugar and ethanol in that country.
 
"The Indian agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar has asked us to facilitate the visits of Indian experts to Brazil to study the sugar-ethanol sector in that country. We will depute our Brazilian member of the board, Anderson Galvao Gomes to take up this responsibility," said the ISAAA chair, Clive James.
 
James who was in New Delhi for the ISAAA board meeting held in India for the first time, said that his organisation recently facilitated the royalty-free transfer of transgenic papaya technology developed by Monsanto to the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University. "Our India coordinator Bhagirath Chaudhary facilitated the transfer of transgenic papaya technology. We take up such philanthropic work. ISAAA has plans to make India the regional hub for the spread of transgenic technology in South Asia. We have already made Philippines the regional hub for the spread of transgenic papaya technology in the ASEAN region", James said.
 
He said that Brazil was number one in sugarcane and citrus production and a leader in the use of ethanol. It ranks third in corn output, seventh in cotton output, and is the largest rice producer outside Asia. "Brazil is the only country to add land to cultivation - some 100 million hectare Cerrado land to be brought under cultivation."
 
Ethanol production from cane in Brazil was cheaper than that from corn in the US he said, and added that Brazil was developing transgenic sugarcane for herbicide resistance and increased sucrose content and was able to pay off IMF loans due to exports of GM soyabeans and soy products
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Onus of climate change risk on rich, says Watkins
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 0111 hrs IST
 
New Delhi, Oct 30 The onus of making the first move to avert the risk posed by climate change rests with rich countries, especially the US, which is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, said Kevin Watkins, chief author of this year's Human Development Report (HDR) 2007-08, to be released next month. The HDR, which will focus on climate change, will call for mandatory cuts in carbon dioxide emission from all major emitters.
 
At an Idea Exchange with the Indian Express Group staffers, Watkins said the world has less than a decade to change course, and the failure to do so could lead to "unprecedented reversals in human development", the brunt of which would be borne by the world's poorest countries and vulnerable people.
 
India, which has a vast majority living below $2 a day, may be among the worst hit. A single monsoon failure, floods or drought could thrust people into greater misery, more so as the poor in India do not even have an insurance cover, he said. Commenting on India's zooming economic growth rate and the Sensex, Watkins said Bangladesh, which doesn't have a growth rate as high as India, has done better when it comes to indicators like child malnourishment.
 
Stressing on the need for aligning energy policies with climate change targets, Watkins told the media yesterday that "though, the developed countries will need to put deeper cuts, the other countries will also have to work under a certain carbon budget". The HDR will call upon all countries to start living within a global carbon budget.
 
Developing countries like China and India have been resisting to take on commitments to slash their carbon emissions
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'Bio-fuel does not reduce carbon dioxide'
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , November 05, 2007 at 0106 hrs IST
 
New Delhi, Nov 4 The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggestion for promotion and use of bio-fuel as an alternative has come under severe criticism by some leading scientists of the world. The IPCC synthesis report is expected to be approved by national governments next month.
 
In a joint letter to the IPCC chairman, Rajendra K Pachauri, David Pimentel of Cornell University, Tad Patzek of University of California, Florian Siegert, managing director, Remote Sensing Solutions GmbH , Munich, Mario Giampietro of Institute of Environmental Sciences, Barcelona and Helmut Haberl of Klagenfurt University, Austria have questioned the very basis of the contention of the report that bio-fuel programme causes a reduction in carbon dioxide emission.
 
Citing a recent study, the five scientists said that one tonne palm oil production emits 10 to 30 tonne carbon dioxide in the entire process including drainage, decomposition, excluding fires associated with land clearance. Southeast Asia's peatlands emits more than twice as much carbon dioxide as that from drainage decomposition.
 
They also criticized IPCC praise for the Brazilian sugar-ethanol industry in glowing terms. "Such descriptions are ill-fitting in view of the widely reported areas of poor practice associated with the Brazilian sugar industry, including employees health and safety, smoke ethanol industry and controversial expansion of sugarcane area into the Cerrado and the Pantanal wetland (although a recent declaration of restriction on this is welcomed.)," they said.
 
The scientists criticism of the Brazilian sugar-ethanol industry is significant, in the context, that India has recently decided to follow the Brazilian model. India has also planned to set up a National Bio-fuel Mission and a National Bio-fuel Board for promotion of bio-fuels.
 
The five scientists also cautioned that massive plantation of bio-fuel crops would likely to displace food crops from cultivation, usurp pasture lands and degrade natural forests.  Carbon emission from such land-use change can negate any benefits for decades or centuries. They have also questioned IPCC for saying bio-fuel blending as eco-friendly.
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Aiyer favours Norwegian experience to make panchayati raj vibrant
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Sunday , November 04, 2007 at 2322 hrs IST
 
Empowerment of the rural people and allowing them to decide their own destiny is the way to achieve inclusive growth in a growing Economy, says Union minister for panchayati raj institutions Mani Shankar Aiyer.
 
Aiyer also regrets that devolution of powers, functions and functionaries to the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) by the state governments as mandated under the Constitution has been very slow, since the enactment of the provision in 1992. "About 29 items have been identified for transfer to the village local bodies (panchayats) by the state governments, but there is no such binding provisions in the Constitution. The state governments needs to be persuaded and given incentives to do so," he says.
 
Aiyer has now come out with a new approach for generating awareness by comparing the Norwegian example. Last week Aiyer and his counterpart Norwegian minister for local government and regional development, Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa agreed to a joint mechanism for exchange of ideas and experiences. The joint mechanism would facilitate inter-ministerial exchanges, exchanges of views between institutions, researchers and elected representatives of local governments of both the countries.
 
"We have lot to learn from the Indian experience too. It is the largest democracy in the world in terms of population," said Kleppa.
 
Norway has a vibrant local government system. It has two-tier system of local government –municipal and county levels integrated with the national government. The legislation for local self government dates back to 1837.
However, the recently Norway passed a legislation in 1992, the same year of Constitutional enactment in India, to strengthen the local government system.
 
The Local Government Act of September 25, 1992 determines the uniform ground rules for municipalities and county authorities' work and relationship with the supervisory bodies of the Union government. The Act gives municipalities and councils wide options for organizing their political and administrative functions.
 
In Norway there is a division of functions between the municipalities, counties and the national government. For example in some basic services, the municipalities have the responsibility of providing primary and secondary education, after-school programme, kindergartens, child welfare services, primary health care, school health services, preventive measures in health, short-term welfare benefits. Counties are responsible for high school education and public health activities. The local bodies are allowed to mobilize their resources. The national government is responsible for university and college education, child welfare institutions, foster homes, specialized health care, health insurance, disability and unemployment benefits.
 
Unlike in India the devolution of powers in Norway was bottom-up in some cases. In 2002 as part of the reform process, the responsibility for maintaining hospitals was transferred from the counties to the national government. The reform process is on in Norway further making the governance at all levels more effective and meaningful.
 
Norway has initiated pro-active measures for greater gender equity in governance. It has 36% women members in Parliament, 37% in local councils and 41% in county councils.. The legislation of 1992 provides for 40% minimum quota for each sex in municipal standing committees and executive boards.
 
Aiyer says "We have lot to learn from the Norway experience. We also need to provide greater employment opportunities at the village level."
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District planning centres set up only in 17 states
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , October 29, 2007 at 0033 hrs IST
 
New Delhi Only 17 states have so far set up district planning committees (DPCs), which is a mandatory constitutional requirement. These are Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In Tripura, the constitution of DPCs is in advanced stage.
 
Among states where DPCs are yet to be constituted are Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab.
 
It may be recalled that the Planning Commission had issued guidelines to states to prepare district plans. The DPCs are required to consolidate the plans prepared by panchayats for activities assigned to them, central and state government schemes implemented by them and schemes implemented with their own resources. Similar plans prepared by municipal corporations in urban areas are also to be incorporated in the district plans.
 
The 11th Schedule of the Constitution lists 29 items that the state governments should devolve to panchayats. It is also mandated that the devolution should be complete with powers, functions and functionaries. According to data available with the Union ministry for panchayati raj, the process of devolution of powers, functions and functionaries to the panchayats has been tardy till now.
 
Kerala and Karnataka are the only two states that have panchayat sector window in their budgets, largely matching functional devolution. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, too, have panchayat sector window in their budgets, but with degrees of mismatch between functional devolution and fiscal assignments. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Sikkim and Uttarakhand have, however, agreed to create separate budget windows for the panchayat sector.
 
As the preparation of district plans require plan proposals to come from the bottom level, activity mapping at grassroots becomes a necessary criteria. The panchayati raj ministry has noted that only Kerala, Karnataka, Orissa, West Bengal, Haryana, Assam and Sikkim have issued notification for activity mapping. In Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, the panchayati raj Acts incorporate detailed role for village panchayats and, therefore, include activity mapping.
 
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are in the process of notifying and operationalising activity mapping, while Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Tripura are yet to consider the issue of activity mapping.
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Manmohan to head land reforms council
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , October 29, 2007 at 2305 hrs IST
 
New Delhi, Oct 29 The Centre has decided to constitute the National Land Reforms Council (NLRC) under the chairmanship of the prime minister.
 
The council would look into issues such as land reforms and will make specific recommendations on the policies related to land, speedier disposal of land related court cases and judicial forum relating to the latter. The council would be supplemented by a committee on state agrarian relations and the unfinished task in land reforms, headed by rural development minister Raghuwansh Prasad Singh. The committee would also include persons eminent in the field of land reforms.
 
The broad terms of reference of this committee would, among others, include detailed consideration of and making recommendations on the issues related to ceiling on land holdings, distribution of land to the eligible persons, including the landless and homestead landless and for ensuring their possession, speedier disposal of land-related court cases and necessary mechanisms for the same including setting up of fast track courts at various levels. Singh said the committee would carry out required field surveys and studies, collate the necessary data and make recommendations through the rural development ministry to the NLRC. The entire exercise is being carried out in the backdrop of agitations by landless villagers and tribals on the issue of land reforms.
 
The recommendations of the committee would be considered by the Centre while making appropriate decisions and for passing suitable recommendations and advice to state governments
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Stat panel seeks detailed analysis of poverty data
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Monday , October 29, 2007 at 2308 hrs IST
 
New Delhi, Oct 29 Joining the debate over the quality of data collected in various surveys conducted by government, the National Statistical Commission (NSC) on Monday sought a detailed review to adopt a reference period for collecting data.
 
NSC chairman Suresh Tendulkar has asked NSSO and the Indian Statistical Institute to undertake the analysis of the data collected to understand the impact of abridgment. This has been done to address the confusion over estimating poverty in the country.
 
The studies by the NSSO and the ISI would throw light on the methodology followed in the national surveys, Tendulkar said while inaugurating a seminar on the findings of NSS 61st Round.
 
As the poverty estimates released by the Planning Commission determines the eligibility for benefits such as BPL allocation of food grain to the states,
Tendulkar said, "a firm choice of reference period is necessary".
 
Different reference periods (30-day recall period and 365-day recall period) used in the earlier surveys had prompted the Planning Commission to come out with two sets of poverty figures resulting in a controversy over the real status of poverty in the country.
 
The government on a number of areas has started altering the method of calculating various key data, including that of inflation and the index of industrial production (IIP). While in the case of the IIP the government wants to keep pace with the rapidly changing income and consumption patterns, with inflation it wants to include other sectors to calculate the overall price increase.
 
The new IIP would include indices for measuring growth of the SSI sector and calculating consumer prices in urban areas
 
The use of different reference periods by the NSSO has also generated an intense debate in the academic circles and controversy about estimating poverty.
 
Tendulkar also underlined the need for improving survey methodology to make the NSS data more useful for users.
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Cover for rural landless by next Oct
 
 
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted online: Thursday , November 01, 2007 at 2337 hrs IST
 
New Delhi, Nov 1 One crore poor rural landless households will be insured by October next year under the Aam Adami Bima Yojana launched last month, according to finance minister P Chidambaram.
 
Chidambaram, who had already committed Rs 1,000 crore for this scheme in the Budget, told a meeting of the Consultative Committee attached to his ministry on Wednesday that the insurance is free to the beneficiaries and 13 states/UTs have already agreed to implement the scheme.
 
The affected family will get Rs 75,000 on death or permanent disability due to accident. The insurance cover will be Rs 37,500 in case of partial disability due to accident.
 
Under the scheme, the premium charged is Rs 200 per annum per member, of which 50% will be contributed by the Centre and rest by state governments.
Chidambaram said the government had announced a health insurance scheme on October 1, 2007 to cover unorganised sector workers in below poverty line categories and their family members over a period of 5 years, from April 1, 2008.
 
He said the insurance penetration, which is a reflection of the gross premium as a percentage of the GDP, has gone up from 2.3 in the year 2000 to 4.8 in 2006. Similarly, insurance density, which measures the gross premium per capita in dollars, has gone up from 9.90 in the year 2000 to 38.40 in the year 2006.
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