DA News Update

Development Services Branch (DSB)

l A field office for Development Alternatives has been set up in Shimla and a special team has been recruited for efficient management of CLAP (Community Led Action Programme) for the Environment

l A workshop on ‘Visioning and Capacity Building’, the first in a series of exercises, has been conducted for the Bundelkhand team

l United Nations Development Programme has approved the Innovative NREGS Plus project, which is to be implemented in Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh

TARA Livelihood Academy (TLA)
l Meeting of Academic Council of TARA Community College was held on September 30, 2009 at TARA Community College Centre, Jhansi for standardisation of courses

l A six-day training for masons on ‘Wall and Roof Techniques’ under the SDC project was conducted between September 24-30, 2009 at Mador village in Bundelkhand for the houses under the Indira Awas Yojana

l Under the ILO Green Jobs, the baseline report was presented on methane generation, power generation potential, carbon revenue potential, consolidated analysis of assessment findings on decent work issues, and a feasibility study for investment in green technology and viability of new micro-enterprises
 

Innovation Services Branch (ISB)

l A two-day brainstorming workshop was conducted by Development Alternatives (DA) and the Arghyam Trust on ensuring water services to the rural poor of Bundelkhand region on September 15 – 16, 2009 at TARAgram, Orchha. The objective was to share the lessons of the ‘Water for All and Always’ project in Bundelkhand and also conduct a session on the Integrated Domestic Water Management (IDWM) framework with other IDWM partner organisations like WOTR, MYRADA, Arghyam and DA. The partners shared their lessons and views on their projects. Other organisations like AFPRO, HUL, Meghpyne, local NGOs, and villagers were among the participants

l Development Alternatives has been involved in UNEP’s NSDS process since 2005 and has prepared the Sub-regional Sustainable Development Strategy for South Asia (SSDS-SA). In the concluding workshop, the SSDS-SA was presented and its way forward and implementation mechanism was discussed

l In the Network for Integrated Planning and Sustainable Development Strategies in Asia Pacific (SDplanNet-AP) Annual Conference conducted on September 16-18, 2009, in Bangkok, Thailand, Development Alternatives presented a paper on the ‘Strategic Policy Assessment Tools in National Planning and Policy Making’
 

TARAhaat
l TARAhaat is rolling out IGNOU certified courses through its network of TARAkendras

l A numerical literacy module titled ‘TARA Ganit’ is going to be tested in the coming months
 

l The first Lok Awaas Yatra was launched on September 8-12, 2009 in the Central Zone for the sharing and learning of good practices in eco-habitat. About 140 yatris participated in the yatra from the three trails, Bundelkhand, Marathwada and Vidharbha. On September 12, the participants including artisans, Panchayati Raj Institutions representatives, students and civil societies met in Bhopal for the final workshop
 

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