:: Delhi Greens ::

The Asian Citizens Assembly (ACA) 2010 concluded recently in the South Indian city of Bengaluru and succeeded in bringing together citizens from across Asia to share and discuss the challenges, hopes and aspirations of the people inhabiting the largest landmass on the face of the Planet. The ACA was themed on the 5 Es of Ethics, Equity, Economy, Education and Ecology and included workshops on these to spell out the contemporary status of these indicators and the need for action for peace and sustainable development in the region.

Citizens’ Assemblies gather women and men, association and organizations that would want to participate in renewing democracy and act in significant changes in their society and at global level. The Assemblies are not a kind of new parliaments or new institutions. The citizens’ assemblies are a result of challenges and mutations of the 21st Century: globalization, intensity of inter-dependencies from domestic level to a global one, a multiform crisis of the democracy, development and production models which have become predators and non-sustainable.

The rise of Asia in the 21st century with the booming economic growth of the two giants, China and India in addition to the economic growth of Japan, and military modernization of South Korea among other developments is only one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is alarming and the challenges of a scale never experienced before. Today, lasting peace remains elusive as armed conflicts based on religion, nationalism, ethnicity, land and natural resources wage ceaselessly across the continent, killing thousands and capturing millions more in the tentacles of poverty and hunger in the process.

Illiteracy and lack of quality education throughout Asia is undermining the ability of people to avail gainful employment, and from achieving a satisfactorily good standard of living. Lack of access to basic services is causing immense suffering, especially amongst marginalized populations and poor people, while ineffective, disorganized  and non participatory governance and political institutions are further impeding development. Environmental degradation is reaching epic proportions, with pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases constantly on the rise, deforestation occurring faster than ever before, and natural resources being plundered relentlessly.

With participation from countries stretching the length and breadth of Asia including Iran, Jordan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka,  Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan to name a few and led by the Global Citizens for Sustainable Development, the ACA 2010 was more of an experiment set in space and time. Organized in collaboration with Delhi Greens, the assembly also marked the International Year of Youth by beginning the ACA with a two days Asian Youth Assembly. The Asian Youth Assembly encouraged young people to dedicate themselves to fostering progress, including the attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which seek to slash a host of social ills, ranging from extreme poverty and hunger to maternal and infant mortality to lack of access to education and health care, all by 2015.

Throughout the ACA, a parallel Silk Route Art and Culture Festival hosted a range of manifestations in culture and art related both to the quickly advancing modernity and the firmly rooted cultural traditions of Asia. The festival was an attempt to create a forum where cultures, religions and ideas meet with the overarching theme of Peace, and acted as a meeting place for interesting artists and arts management experts and also as a platform for participants to dialogue using the medium of art and culture during the Assembly. The participating delegates took back a better understanding of cultures and cultural affinities of Asia and a network of committed youth and adults all of whom having the will to act.

Previously on Delhi Greens:

• Essay Competition: Towards a United, Peaceful and Sustainable Asia

The University Community for Democracy (UCD), an independent forum setup to speak out against the shrinking democratic space has initiating a relay hunger strike from 9 am to 9 pm, starting 12th August, 2010. This is taking place at  Arts Faculty Main gate (Opp. Science Faculty), North Campus. Each day there will be five people (teachers, students and researchers) who will be on a hunger strike, as well as many others who will sit in solidarity with them.

The UCD has been challenging a number of decisions taken by both Delhi University and the Delhi Government with regard to the Commonwealth Games 2010 for over a month now. The Forum is deeply concerned by the gross violations of rights that the city has witnessed in the name of the Games and condemns the irresponsible manner in which Delhi is being prepared for this mega- event.

For the organization of the CWG 2010 in October, the University of Delhi authorities has had the university hostels vacated for using as guest rooms during the Games. The hostels are now being renovated for the Games and are out of bound for students. This has caused immense worry and discomfort for the students, especially the girl candidates for whom its not just about finding alternate suitable accommodation but also their safety and security.

The issue is even more intense for the fact that the Games have come with a lot of controversy, scams and irresponsibility. There is no other bright side that we are now looking forward to. There is no pride left in sacrificing for the country for the success of the Games, for there is nothing left to feel proud of. On the contrary, the Games have become the most embarrassing international incidence for the country, that came just a week before India’s Independence Day.

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra along with Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, Prannoy Roy and Dr. R.K. Pachauri

As the Independence Day comes closer, many Indians are joining the green pledge to make India’s future green. Joining in the green wagon is Bollywood sizzling actress Priyanka Chopra, who has agreed to become the national green ambassador for initiating eco-friendly campaigns across the country. The announcement came from our die-hard Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh during a recent conference in the capital.

A day after the announcement, Priyanka Chopra launched her official website with some green touch. “Finally launching iampriyankachopra.com! It’s my official website which is totally interactive and everything me”, said the actress with excitement and hopefully she will use this platform to interact and share green initiatives, tips and information with her fans and friends alike.

The Filmfare award winner actress has been actively involved in promoting green cause as the green ambassador for NDTV-Toyota’s environment campaign Greenathon. She informed that the film fraternity in Mumbai has also become environment-conscious. Earlier, film crew used to litter the sets with plastic mugs and napkins but now they dump it in bags that are then sent for recycling. Ms. Chopra urged people not to be complacent about the issue. “People might think that our country is dirty in any case, if they throw one waste paper out on the street how does it matter? But even the smallest act contributes.”

In addition to Priyanka Chopra, actor Aamir Khan has been roped in by the Union Tourism Ministry in order to reinforce the image of “Incredible India especially ahead of the Commonwealth Games. The actor can be seen on TV imparting lessons in hospitality and civic sense in line with the age old phrase ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. Since environment and social campaigns like these need people with credibility, someone who people look up to and listen to, hence our Bollywood actors and actresses make excellent candidates for the cause.

From the environmental fraternity, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) chief Dr. R.K. Pachauri tried his best to encourage Priyanka and told her,  ”You must be a part of the national movement for river cleaning, so that one day we can swim in the Ganga without any pollution.” Well, as a concerned citizen of this country I believe many will like to join and be a part of such a great initiative which could eventually revive a dying river like Ganga and other rivers in the country. Can you imagine swimming in the Yamuna that flows right across the capital city?

The recently concluded The Future of the Bengal Tiger, a conference hosted by the Sanctuary Asia, brought together over 150 delegates, speakers and other participants from all walks of life. Held on 6th August 2010 at the Teen Murti House auditorium, the participants were a blend of wildlife conservationist, researchers, media persons, bureaucrats, foresters and many school students and laypersons. Though students represented the majority, the blend of participants reflected the growing interest in tiger conservation among the general public.

The conferences entailed talks by the forest department officials, military personnel, politicians, wildlife biologists and journalists. The sessions also dealt with issues like corruption, conflicting mandates among the different bureaucracies, political will towards conservation and other biological, social and political imperatives and challenges of tiger conservation in India. The entire discussion was holistically facilitated by the enchanting and forever enthusiastic Mr. Bittu Sahgal of Sanctuary Asia.

The inaugural session saw introductory speeches by some key people influencing tiger conservation in India. The Hon’ble Minister for Environment & Forests Shri Jairam Ramesh, Dr. Karan Singh, former chairperson of Tiger Task Force 1972 and a staunch conservationist began the day with their thought provoking facts and key challenges. Valmik Thapar’s stimulating talk drew attention of the audience and speakers to the grave situation of tigers in India. He spoke at length about bringing reforms in the selection, recruitment, training of the Indian Forest Service officials. He expressed concern towards the precarious state of forest department, staff and stressed on the need of good cadre-building through proper training, remuneration and strengthening them with facilities and arms to improve protection of the reserves. Other speakers in this session included Meera Sanyal RBS, Hemedra Kothari and Dr. Vandana Shiva.

The second session was chaired by Ms. Belinda Wright of Wildlife Protection Society of India, Mr. P. K Sen, former director Project Tiger, Ms. Prerna Bindra, the renowned wildlife journalist, and Mr. Biswasjit Mohanty of Simlipal Tiger Reserve. The session included discussions on the protection status of Tiger Reserves, threats posed by poaching and left wing extremism to tiger habitats. Mr. Sen shed light on the inter-departmental conflicts between Indian Forest Service and Indian Administrative Service which is hampering tiger conservation presently. He recalled several instances when forested lands were mindlessly diverted to development projects and other activities by the revenue department that has led to the reduction of forest wealth in India.

Ms. Bindra spoke about the rising wildlife crime and vulnerability of the protected areas to different kinds of criminal activities such as Naxalism, underworld, drugs and wildlife trade. The interactive session following the discussions was dominated by the questions raised by the students of various schools in the NCR. The students echoed their sentiments by asking the experts about what they can do to save tigers in India.

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Studies over the last 60 years show an alarmingly high rate of coronary heart disease and premature heart disease among Indians. The trend was first observed in the late 1950s, but unfortunately little has been done since then to reverse it. We are now witnessing the spread of an epidemic across the South Asian region and India is right in the middle of it.

It is estimated that Indians are nearly four times more susceptible to heart attacks than Caucasians, with 25% of attacks happening to people under the age of 40, unheard of in other populations. Among urban Indians, incidence of heart problems is 12%, while it’s just 5% in the US, even though we know we’ve always known them to eat more “fast-food”!

So, what have we done to deserve this? Is it the lack of regular physical activity? Poor blood cholesterol levels? Stress? Poor eating habits? No body really knows. There are many possibilities. One of them could even be our genetic predisposition to heart diseases. Perhaps then, it is in our genes. However, one thing is for sure. Whatever it may be, the much more pronounced cases in urban India is surely a result of unhealthy living, exposure to pollution, stress at work in the paced up urban lifestyle and indulgence in bad habits like smoking, etc. All that is certainly aggravating the tendency of our body to fall ill and prey to this deadly disease. However still, we may be born with the problem, but we certainly do not have to live with it.

Apollo Hospitals and The Times of India have been running the Billion Hearts Beating campaign, in an attempt to raise awareness on the issue and motivate people to take the pledge for a healthy lifestyle. They’ve zeroed on seven risk factors which, if addressed, can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease – even reverse it! These are: Smoking, Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Sedentary Lifestyle, Unhealthy eating, Stress. A majority of these are urban lifestyle induced problems that can be tackled with conscious attempts.

Thousands have taken the pledge and have vowed to exercise more, quit smoking, check what they eat and so on. A more progressive and healthy India is only possible with healthy individuals, all “good at heart”! Take the pledge! Click here so you can contribute better for India’s development.

With an objective of mobilizing the Delhi youth and involving them under the existing Bhagidari scheme of the Govt. of NCT of Delhi, Chief Minister Shiela Dixit recently launched YouthPortal.in. With “connect for change” as its punchline, the portal is a socio-entrepreneurial venture aiming to connect young ideas for social change through the Internet.

The Bhagidari initiative, started by Hon’ble Chief Minister has constantly endeavored to promote citizen’s partnership in governance. It has over the years grown from 20 Citizen Groups to more than 2300 as of today. With the launch of the portal, in partnership with The Electronic Youth Media Group, the CM believes that, “the city’s youth can collaborate their ideas online for enabling change on ground and continuously work towards improving our surroundings. The power of digital media is immense and this time we will use it to mobilize youth to work on some key issues.”

The portal will host an E-NGO for Bhagidari on which there will be Action Groups on the CM’s 10 point agenda for the city and youth. These are:

1. Eradicating the use of Plastic Bags
2. Promote use of Solar Energy
3. Harvest water
4. Recycling water and paper
5. Segregate wet and dry waste
6. Create Car Pool Network
7. Stop sticking posters in public
8. Stop wastage of Energy and Water
9. Protect Greens and Trees
10. Ensure Road Safety

While elaborating on her key 10 points and motivating the youth already active on facebook and other online platforms to get involved, the Hon’ble CM also added an extra pointer as a token of shagun significance. Explaining the significance of the new 3 R’s, as against the ‘older’ 3 R’s, the CM explained how in her school days they were told to understand the significance of Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic. However, today’s generation also needs to remember Reduce, Recycle and Reuse and that is the 11th pointer the CM added in her agenda for the youth.

“Awareness and collaboration is fundamental to bringing about sustainable change. We have tied up with various campuses and youth organizations to ensure on-ground action,” Samyak S. Chakrabarty, M.D., Electronic Youth Media Group summer up the portal’s significance. The Portal enables users to float their own E-NGOs, Action Groups and Square Tables. A young citizens reporting network called YP-Pulse has also a part of the portal.

Shortly after the launch at the Delhi Secretariat, the media surrounded the CM not so much for queries on youth and action but more so for CM’s comments and feedback on the ongoing preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2010. Indeed the first few action projects on the portal may well be around the CWG and its relationship with Delhi city.

As part of the National Awareness Campaign on Energy Conservation 2010, the Ministry of Power has announced a painting competition for school students at the State as well as National level. Inviting school children studying in 4^th , 5^th & 6^th standard, the competition is a step towards generating awareness among the children on the need to conserve energy and will indirectly involve their parents.

The competition is being held at the School, State and National Level and has cash prizes worth Rs 33,000 per State/UT. The themes for the painting competition include the following – 1) More stars, more savings, 2) Today’s energy wastage is tomorrow’s energy shortage and 3) Energy saved is future saved. At the state level, the participating schools’ principals will select tw0 best paintings and send them along with information on number of students participated at the Nodal Official address of their respective State/UT by 12th October, 2010.

The first, second and third prize winners from each State/UT will be invited to Delhi to participate in the National Level Painting competition of two hours duration on 12th December 2010. Out of these, the best paintings will be selected for First Prize (1 no) of Rs. 1, 00,000/-, Second Prize (4 nos) of Rs.  50,000/-, Third Prize (8 nos) of Rs. 25,000/- and consolation Prize (10 nos) of Rs. 10,000/- each. National level winners will be given the cash prizes on National Energy Conservation day, 14^th December,2010 .

The Ministry has announced to include CBSE schools located outside India as well. The paintings received from these schools will be considered under a separate category and the Certificate of Appreciation will be sent under the signature of Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency. It is requested that they send two best paintings directly with all requisite details at the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) office address at Sewa Bhawan, R.K.Puram, Sector-1, New Delhi-110066 (INDIA).

Within the country, paintings are to be sent only at the address of respective Nodal Official of the State/UT and not on the addresses of Ministry of Power and Bureau of Energy Efficiency. For Delhi, contact details of the nodal official is given below:

Sh. Om Prakash, Sr. Manager (PR)
Power Finance Corporation Limited , URJANIDHI
1, Barakhamba Lane, Connaught Place
New Delhi-110 001
Tel: (O) 011 -23456726, (M) 09868549144
Fax: 011 -23456781, 23456726
Email: omprakash@pfcindia.com, omprakashpfc@gmail.com

Click here for more details of the competition

The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has, under its Medini Puraskar Yojana for promoting writing of books originally in Hindi on Environment and related subjects, e.g. Forests, Wildlife, Pollution and Water Resources, etc. invited entries from Indian authors for the year 2009. Books published between 1st January 2007 and 31st December 2009 and containing at least 100 printed pages would be accepted for consideration for awards.

The prizes for the first, second and third best books are Rs. 31,000/-, Rs. 25,000/- and Rs. 20,000/- respectively. A consolation prize of Rs. 15,000/- has also been allocated for the next best entry. Any book which has already received an award, subsidy or any financial assistance under any similar scheme operated by the Govt. or any other organization would is not eligible for consideration of the said award.

Any Indian author who is eligible can send her/his entries, duly filed in the prescribed proforma available at the MoEF website, along with seven copies of her/his book. The last date for receiving entries is 30th July, 2010. The entries can be mailed to the following address:

Director (OL)
M/O Environment & Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan, Room No. 625
CGO Complex, Lodhi Road
New Delhi – 110003

WWF India is looking for two talented, progressive-minded youths to represent India during its upcoming Youth Tiger Summit at Vladivostok (home to the Amur tiger) in Russia. Starting September 12, 2010, the summit will carry on till September 19, 2010. If you are young, a natural leader and people listen to you, keen on wildlife and nature conservation, dreaming of embarking on an unforgettable journey to tiger land, willing to tell others how important it is to save this magnificent species – the tigers, then this opportunity is for you!

To become a “WWF Tiger Ambassador” one must be:

• Aged between 18 to 22 years old
• Fluent in English, with excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Completed YTS Application form
• Keen on nature conservation, and aware of the problems and ways to save the tiger. Looking to increase their knowledge and change the world for the better.
• In addition to the Summit, the youth tiger ambassadors will participate in a series of events in India e.g. press conferences and those events dedicated to tiger conservation.

Youth Tiger Summit will be a parallel event to the high level tiger summit to be held in St. Petersburg in September 2010 involving the heads of Governments from all tiger range countries, as well as representatives NGOs, private institutions and international agencies.

The Summit delegates will visit the tiger habitat and tiger trails, get first-hand information on the state of the wild population and the necessary measures for its conservation. Delegates will have the opportunity to participate in online learning, meet WWF India staff, learn how to give interviews and engage in public speaking.

To participate download and send in the completed application form (Click to Download) to the address below. The short- listed candidates will be then invited for an interview at WWF-India, Secretariat, New Delhi for the final selection process.

Deadline for submission of application Form is 12 July 2010

For more information contact:

Aarti Khosla / Joseph Vattavaken
Youth Tiger Summit
WWF-India Secretariat
172-B, Lodi Estate
New Delhi-110003

Ph : +91-11-41504814/15
Email: saveourtigers@wwfindia.net

Delhi rendezvous with Monsoon 2010 finally took place in the week starting July 5th and the city has since then given a mixed response to the rains. The Monsoon itself is such that the city is experiencing only intermittent rains with the sun not refusing to give in. It came as a shock to us when the old chaiwallah at Roshanhara Bagh–a not so well kept historical green space in the city–looked up at the sun among the clouds to say, “aajkal ke baadal bhi aajke naujawano ki jawaani ki tarah hi hain. Chadne se pehle hi utar jaate hain.”  While we took that with a pinch of salt, for we wanted to disagree but didn’t know how, we just decided to put the salt in our tea in the best interest of our throats.

The first rain, as we remembered was told to us in our even younger days, settles the dust and impurities from the sky above and should be avoided. Unfortunately, the city’s infrastructure either did not know this, or could not avoid it and part of it crumbled under the Monsoon effect. The first rain may have settled the dust and the impurities, it definitely did “resettle” a lot of other ‘loosely packed’ materials! Other than that, we saw chidlren playing, roadside vendors running for cover, trees washing themselves, cars getting auto-cleaned and amidst all that, a concrete mixing truck which was in the middle of covering a drain, stop and stand aside.

In the coming few days, we would be following the monsoonal rains as they interact with the various facet of the city life as part of the Delhi Monsoon 2010 campaign. We also look forward to hearing your suggestions, comments, feedback and receiving your photographs, stories and bytes. Leave a comment or send it to monsoon2010@delhigreens.org  

Image courtesy Impuri Shimray