Think India Foundation

Inequality has grown in last 20 years, P Sainath

INEQUALITY has grown a lot more in last 20 years became of neoliberal economic policies than any other period in the history of independent India, said famous journalist and Magsaysay Award winner P Sainath. He was delivering the second C Sarath Chandran Memorial lecture on "Inequality, livelihood and agrarian crisis" organised as part of VIBGYOR International Film Festival-2012 at Sangeeta Nataka Akademi KT Muhammed Memorial Theatre yesterday. 

P Sainath, eminent journalist and Magsaysay award winner delivering Sarath Chandran memorial lecture on "Inequality, livelihood and agrarian crisis" as part of VIBGYOR-2012 at KT Muhammed Smaraka Theatre yesterday.

Kerala is the most globalised economy in India. So, the state is more vulnerable to the volatility of global market prices. The neoliberal policies followed by the central government will be implemented full-blooded after the coming elections to five states with various international treaties affecting the farm sector in the state, which is focused more on export-oriented cash crop cultivation, he warned. Read more

Source : cityjournal.in

Firozabad seeking better infrastructure, education to stem migration

Firozabad (ANI): With four of seven phases of polling over in Uttar Pradesh, residents of Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad city, the state's famed glassmaking hub, have to contend with a lack of water, power supply and education, which is fuelling the migration of its residents to other cities, as well as abroad. 

Speaking about the acute water problem, social activist Waqaruddin Ahmed said apart from the receding water table, the paucity of power often forced people to walk long distances to fetch water. Read more

Source : newstrackindia.com

Increasing number suffer from D-deficiency

KANPUR: Increasing number of people are suffering from osteoporosis and other diseases that occur due to Vitamin D deficiency. The reason, according to experts, is growing pollution and attempts to shield oneself from Sun.

Talking to TOI, Dr Sanjay Agarwala, orthopaedic surgeon from PD Hinduja National Hospital, Mumbai, who was in the city to deliver a special lecture, said increased urbanisation and migration have changed man's relationship with the Sun. This is one of the most hazardous factors and reasons of growing bone deficiencies in the Indian people. From busy Businessmen to fast pace students, from mall-soliciting housewives to lawyers and even in-clinic doctors, no one comes in contact of sunlight and Vitamin D deficiency is thus rampant in today's culture. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

City migration as a development problem? It's the ultimate urban myth

Rather than portraying rapid urbanisation in terms of overconsumption, we should be celebrating it

Rapid urbanisation in Beijing and elsewhere has taken the number of city dwellers in China over 51% for the first time. Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

In January, China marked a historic milestone in its development: for the first time ever, city dwellers outnumbered the rural population. According to the Chinese statistics bureau, 691 million people now live in cities, amounting to more than 51% of the population. Yet this fact merited just a single sentence in a Chinese government press release. Meanwhile, in the western media, to the extent that this genuinely historic event was covered, it sometimes seemed less a matter for celebration than trepidation. 

Such a reaction says a lot about the way rapid urbanisation in the developing world is viewed. Over the next 20 years or so, the global urban population is expected to rise to approximately 5 billion. This explosion of urban life could be greeted enthusiastically, as a sign of progress and development – moving people off the land and out of back-breaking labour. But far too often, urbanisation is instead seen through the contemporary prism of social, political and ecological concerns: overpopulation, fears about the breakdown of traditional communities, and the dangers cities create for the broader environment, to name but a few. Read more

Source : guardian.co.uk

MGNREGA Luring Away Labour From Farm Fields: Study

BANGALORE : Besides creating labour shortage in the agriculture sector, cost of farm production increased by upto 20 per cent in Karnataka after implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Centre’s flagship programme aimed at alleviating poverty, revealed a new research study.

The study by Institute for Social and Economic Change Bangalore, stated that after implementation of the job scheme, in majority of villages shortage of labour in agriculture was observed during kharif sowing season of July, August and September. The scheme came into operation in February 2006. Read more

Source : news.outlookindia.com

Govt to provide all facilities to Kashmiri migrants at Jagti

Jammu (Scoop News) – Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla has said that the Government would provided all facilities to Kashmiri migrants at Jagti like road connectivity, regular power supply, safe drinking water, healthcare, sanitation, education besides sports infrastructure.

This was stated by the Minister while interacting with Kashmiri migrants after assessing their development related problems during his tour to Jagti Migrant Township, here today. Read more

Source : groundreport.com

Rural development should be priority: Tarun Gogoi

GUWAHATI: Chief minister Tarun Gogoi is of the opinion that development of rural areas needs to be given more priority than urbanization, both at the state and national level.

Gogoi, who was attending the second meeting of the Sub-Committee of the National Development Council (NDC) on urbanization held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Monday said that development of small and medium areas needs to be prioritized to stop migration of people from such places to big towns and cities in search of jobs and green pastures. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Can’t wish away migration, better stitch up welfare net

New Delhi : The shocking story of the two-year-old baby, abandoned by her parents and successive custodians, struggling for life at AIIMS, and her alleged tormentor, a 14-year-old who herself is a victim of multiple rape and abuse, could be told many times over in this city. In Delhi, at least two children are found abandoned and 10 go missing every day. 

These children are either snatched away from or given up by their parents, most of them poor migrants. Some are trafficked into brothels. Some become fodder for adoption rackets. The rest lands up on roads. Those who get noticed by the state are sent to care homes where neglect, and often brutality, forces many to escape. Some die, most grow up delinquents, and many end up criminals. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Don't ask why the birds are angry in Bangalore

BANGALORE: The birds are flying away from our city. Soon -- very soon -- if you hear a tweet or a chirp at a city lake, you'll be lucky. Over the past few years, there's been a frightening drop in the number of migratory birds coming into Bangalore.

Some estimates are conservative. Says Gopi Sundar, regional director, International Crane Foundation: "In European countries, where these migratory birds breed, the percentage drop is anywhere between 60% and 90%. This directly affects the number of migratory birds coming to South India, in particular, Bangalore. This year, the migratory bird count has gone down substantially." Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

MNC's now prefer Noida over NCR; planned townships, access to Delhi cited as reasons

Noida has been seeing an increase in the number of multinationals setting up base here. This has resulted in a large-scale migration of skilled and unskilled workers to this place. Infrastructure has developed in tandem - wide roads, big commercial centres, and institutions - which have lifted the stock of this place among developers, end users and investors.

Noida has obviously benefited from the urban stress being faced by Delhi, which is under pressure from a lack of space, sky-high property prices, and a large population . The prominent developers who have helped in the growth story of Noida include Jaypee, Amrapali, Prateek Group, Gulshan Homz, JM Housing Ltd, Earth Infrastructures Ltd, Ajnara India Ltd, etc. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

How do you plan to accommodate migrants, Mr Chidambaram?

New Delhi: Cities test your resilience. Surrender is oblivion. Courage is life.

The Economic Survey of Delhi 2007-2008 put the annual migrant influx into Delhi at 2.5 lakh. Almost an equal number is added by birth per year, says the survey. Reuters

It is courage which makes Shabnam, 49, carry on with her life at Lal Bagh area in East Delhi. Bulldozers have razed her shanty, thrice, in the last eight years. On all three occasions, she claims, the occupants of 200 odd slums were given two hours to evict. The first demolition taught her a lesson. She never made a pukka structure again. Her shanty, around five feet in height, is made of straw, tin, raxene and asbestos. Read more

Source : firstpost.com

Republic of contradictions

"Over half of the world’s most polluted cities are in India. Because of the poor quality of air, 18,000 premature deaths occur each year in its metropolises."

Sixty three years ago, Dr B.R. Ambedkar spoke of the “life of contradictions” into which the Indian Republic would enter on January 26, 1950. He underlined the need for eliminating, at the earliest, the contradictions in the social and economic sphere lest they should imperil our political freedom and democracy. Were he to come alive today, he would be appalled to see the extent to which the contradictions have deepened and, that too during the period when the Republic saw one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

A report by the Naadi Foundation on Hunger and Malnutrition, which was released by the Prime Minister on January 11, 2012, has brought out that “59 per cent of the Indian children, between the age group of 0-5 years, have stunted growth, 42 per cent are underweight and 11 per cent suffer from wasting disease”. Every year, 13 lakh children die before reaching their first birthday, and about 55,000 women lose their life consequent upon birth-related complications. Read more

Source : asianage.com

How Megacities Are Changing The Way We Live

Amid a clutter of 24-hour arc lights, gigantic cranes and dumper trucks, a behemoth is rising out of a field of churned mud on the outskirts of Chengdu in south-west China. Commuters skirt its vast perimeter fence on their way to the new metro link that cuts under the city. They barely glance at what looks like just another huge construction project in a cityscape that changes every month.

This project, though, is different. When finished later this year, its developers proudly boast, it will be the world’s largest standalone building. The New Century Global Centre is a leisure complex that will house two 1,000-room five-star hotels, an ice rink, a luxury Imax cinema, vast shopping malls and a 20,000-capacity indoor swimming pool with 400 metres of “coastline” and a fake beach the size of 10 football pitches complete with its own seaside village. Alongside will be another massive and futuristic structure, a contemporary arts centre designed by the award-winning Iraqi-born architect, Zaha Hadid. Read more

Source : psfk.com

CNRI for informants’ cadre to tackle black money

Pune: A novel initiative to deal with the scourge of black money has been suggested by the Confederation of NGOs in Rural India (CNRI), urging the Government to create a cadre of social workers who would work as informants to intimate the authorities about those in possession of unaccounted or black money.

"Government should announce that a cadre of social workers (informants) will be created all over the country and they will intimate the Government after 31/03/2012, if anybody is in possession of unaccounted or black money. Such informants will be treated as social workers and will be paid 10 per cent of the amount disclosed by the defaulters", Mohan Dharia, former Commerce Minister and Chairman of CNRI , has petitioned to Union Finance Minister in a note submitted for pre-budget consideration for 2012-13. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Boomburbs: the next urban wave

The near double digit growth rate in India is bringing in its wake migration of people, both highly skilled and unskilled, from the hinterland to urban centres. India now has nearly 400 million people living in urban areas, having added 50 million of them in the last decade alone.

This wave of growth is impacting how existing cities are expanding and new cities are being built, by design and by accident. To address this growth, the government is planning to build new cities, both next to existing ones and at ‘greenfield’ locations, as growth in existing megacities is spilling over to their suburbs and the inherent deficiencies in planning, or the lack of it, are choking them. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

As China Urbanizes, India Remains Overwhelmingly Rural

China just reached a historic demographic milestone – the vast country now has more people living in cities than in the countryside. 

The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated that about 691-million people – or 51.3 percent of the nation’s total population -- are now city-dwellers, versus 657-million people living in the rural regions.

But what about India, China's principal rival in Asia and which is also acclaimed for its growing economic dominance? Read more

Source : ibtimes.com

In last decade, population of Pune urban agglomeration grew 34%

PUNE: From just over six lakh in 1951 to 50 lakh now, the population of Pune's urban agglomeration puts it alongside Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. The three metros of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata have a population of over one crore.

In the last decade, the population grew by 34.28 %, but the highest decadal growth (51.73%) was between 1971 and 1981, while the lowest (29.93 %) was between 1951 and 1961. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cops to verify 2 lakh migrants before UP polls

Noida : Ahead of Republic Day celebrations and the state assembly elections, the Gautam Buddha Nagar police have launched a drive to verify about 2 lakh illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshi nationals. 

The additional director general of police (intelligence) visited Noida on Saturday and held a meeting with special branch officials over the issue. Officials fear presence of some terror modules and bogus voters in Noida and Greater Nodia. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Is your city smart enough?

The 21st century has been referred to as “the urban century”. By 2050, over 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities. The rate of urbanisation is staggering: more than 400 million people in China and 215 million people in India will migrate to cities by 2015. Today’s cities can barely handle the burden of their current populations: core services like energy, water, communications, transportation and public safety are inefficient and increasingly decrepit. The burden on the environment is also profound: cities only occupy 2 per cent of the earth’s landmass, but account for over 75 per cent of our resource consumption. Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai will be stretched to breaking point.

Management professor C.K. Prahalad famously said in 2009, “India needs to build a minimum of 500 new cities urgently. However, it has to be done from scratch to accommodate people who are on the move and to provide them better quality life.” Whether India builds new cities, or extends and develops existing ones, it needs a new city governance model that is faster, better, cheaper. Read more

Source : ieet.org

Is Mumbai Building Enough?

According to the 2011 census, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region has over 23.5 million people. To house this population on the ground floor, assuming a household size of 4 and dwelling units of 900 sq ft per family which are laid wall to wall, we would need 121,384 acres of contiguous land. If all these houses are built facing the street (for access), providing a frontage of 20 ft to each unit, the total length of the street would be 35,606 kilometres.

Being the commercial capital, the city not only attracts migrants from all parts of India but also has a high floating population which commutes to the city for work everyday. This high density calls for developments to be vertically stacked by design, with multiple functions layered one over the other. Nevertheless, the proposal for increasing the Floor Space Index (FSI) in the city (which would enable more construction over the same land area) has always met with stiff resistance on practical, sustainable and ethical grounds. Read more

Source : constructionweekonline.in

Mumbai Real Estate Development Not Keeping Pace with Population Growth

According to the 2011 census, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region has over 23.5 million people. To house this population on the ground floor, assuming a household size of 4 and dwelling units of 900 sq ft per family which are laid wall to wall, we would need 121,384 acres of contiguous land. If all these houses are built facing the street (for access), providing a frontage of 20 ft to each unit, the total length of the street would be 35,606 kilometers.

Himadri Mayank, Manager of Research for Jones Lang LaSalle India tells World Property Channel that because Mumbai is the commercial capital, the city not only attracts migrants from all parts of India but also has a high floating population which commutes to the city for work everyday. This high density calls for developments to be vertically stacked by design, with multiple functions layered one over the other. Nevertheless, the proposal for increasing the Floor Space Index (FSI) in the city (which would enable more construction over the same land area) has always met with stiff resistance on practical, sustainable and ethical grounds. Read more

Source : worldpropertychannel.com

India Marks a Milestone for Child Health

Four years ago, I visited India and saw again what polio does to children. I was in a slum in East Delhi, when I met a 9-month-old girl named Hashmin -- paralyzed by polio -- cradled in her mother's arms. She will never be able to do many of the normal things kids do because she has polio. Watching her was the strongest of reminders of the imperative of ending this terrible scourge once and for all.

The following year, in 2009, India had more polio cases than any other country in the world. But much has changed since then, and this Friday will mark a full year since the last case of wild poliovirus was detected in India. This is a huge milestone in the history of global health. Read more

Source : huffingtonpost.com

'India to see BIGGEST urban migration in next 15-20 years'

India needs to create 220 million jobs in the next 15 years and this is only possible by implementing the National Manufacturing Policy, launched recently by the government, says Arindam Bhattacharya, managing director, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) India Pvt Ltd.

In a conversation with Business Standard, he explains why it is time for some bold policy decisions to sustain the current rate of growth, and that the country has limited choice in terms of creating growth and jobs. Read more

Source : rediff.com

Dharavi: Self-created special economic zone for the poor

It’s a symbol of raw inequality, epitomising the failure of policy makers towards millions of rural migrants 

At the edge of India’s greatest slum, Shaikh Mobin’s decrepit shanty is cleaved like a wedding cake, four layers high and sliced down the middle. The missing half has been demolished.

What remains appears ready for demolition, too, with temporary walls and a rickety corrugated roof. Yet inside, carpenters are assembling furniture on the ground floor. One floor up, men are busily cutting and stitching blue jeans. Upstairs from them, workers are crouched over sewing machines, making blouses. And at the top, still more workers are fashioning men’s suits and wedding apparel. One crumbling shanty. Four businesses. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Hopefuls dole out freebies as NMC polls near

NAGPUR: In India, political parties and their leaders have to keep the electorate in good humour. And it is no different in city as municipal corporation near. Freebies have already started rolling in from the hopefuls.

A local NCP leader with major presence in slums and dwellings of migrant population in west Nagpur is busy organizing free pilgrimages to Shegaon, Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur. Some 300 to 400 women, mostly working as domestic help in houses nearby, have so far undertaken the tour travelling in six buses arranged by the corporator. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

'Right to the City' is an unworkable idea

This is with reference to Mayuri Mukherjee’s article, “You can’t keep people out” (December 26). The article makes sense from the human rights perspective. But it is simply impossible for any Government to provide free or almost-free, quality housing facilities to every poor person who migrates from the countryside to urban areas, especially when the population of the country is 1.2 billion and one-third of the people live below the poverty level.

I am a civil engineer from Kolkata with an avid interest in urban planning, and I have been to a lot of other cities around the world. Allow me to compare two cities I love the most — Kolkata and New York City — to comment on the practical aspect of the Right to the City. Both cities are burdened with a huge migrant population. However, while slums have eaten into the road space in Kolkata, NYC still boasts of an efficient network of transportation. But Kolkata still provides free water, free garbage pick-up and relatively cheaper electricity while in NYC these come for a price. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

India needs to rethink notion of 'smart cities'

The 21st century has been referred to as "the urban century". By 2050, over 70 per cent of the world's population will live in cities.  

The rate of urbanization is staggering: more than 400 million people in China and 215 million people in India will migrate from villages to cities by 2015. Today's cities can barely handle the burden of their current populations: core services like energy, water, communications, transportation, and public safety are inefficient and increasingly decrepit. Read more

Source : rediff.com

You can’t keep people out

A rights-based approach to urbanisation is needed to protect the most vulnerable of city residents

The idea of urban space in India goes back to the times when the astonishingly well-planned dual townships of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa formed the anchor of the ancient Indus Valley civilisation. Since then, several new cities have appeared while many others have declined and withered away.

An important part of this evolution process has always been the people who moved to these cities in search of new opportunities, better prospects and, in general, a good life. In fact, the migrant population has contributed significantly to the growth of our cities, especially in post-independence India. As they move from areas where there is surplus of labour to areas of deficit, they raise the overall productivity of the labour force and balance out imperfections in the labour market. Moreover, migrants to the city also contribute to the growth of their villages back home through remittances. In other words, migrants are important drivers of our national growth. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

Affordable housing remains a distant dream for many in Pune

PUNE: In the last five years, elected representatives of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) discussed transfer and appointment of civic officers, shifting of statues and work tenders worth crores. Sadly, the topic of creating affordable housing for the lower middle class and the poor hardly ever came up.

One cannot deny the fact that Pune is among the fastest growing cities in the country, and among the best places to live in. Over the last few years, the educated class and businesspeople have made the city their home. This has been mainly due to the growth of education centres, manufacturing units, the Information Technology boom and the spurt in BPOs - which have vastly opened up career opportunities. The population escalation has led to a direct growth of the realty sector and property prices of the once pensioner's paradise have rocketed. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Strengthen agri-nutrition link

According to a study on Tackling the Agriculture-Nutrition Disconnect in India (Tandi) by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, the impact of accelerated per-capita income growth on improvement in nutrition in India in the recent period is much weaker than that suggested by global experience.

Deceleration in the growth of food grains output and in the productivity of inputs since the mid-1990s and the consequent reversal of the decline in the relative prices of food grains could be a significant factor accounting for this disconnect. This disconnect became pronounced because of greater slowdown in the income growth of small and marginal farmers and wage labour among whom malnutrition is pervasive. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Floods, heat, migration: How extreme weather will transform cities

(CNN) -- When Tropical Storm Washi ripped through the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro last weekend, it dumped in one day more than the city's entire average rainfall for the month of December.

Brooklyn Bridge stands shrouded in heavy rain and heavy clouds as Hurricane Irene reaches the New York City area on August 28,2011.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, a total of 181 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in the area last Friday, compared to the expected 99.9 millimeters for the whole month. Read more

Source : edition.cnn.com

Human Rights Forum tells govt to drop bauxite mining plan

HYDERABAD: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has urged the central and state governments to drop the proposals to mine bauxite in the Scheduled V area of Vishakhapatnam district. Calling upon the ministry of environment and forests constituted expert committee which is planning to visit the Visakha Agency to take note of this reality, the HRF pointed out that the project does not have the consent of the adivasi communities.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the forum pointed out how bauxite mining will lead to displacement of adivasi communities like the Khond, Nooka Dora, Bagata and Manne Dora. "Some of them would be suffering multiple displacements as they had moved into the hills of the Visakha Agency due to several destructive projects in the erstwhile Koraput district of Orissa. They would again be forced to abandon a habitat that gave them land for farming, adequate water and forest for sustenance," the forum stated in its press release. Apart from stating that the process violates the constitution and mocks the PESA Act and Forest Rights Act of 2006, the HRF also alleged that the AP Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) is working against the welfare of tribal groups while protecting the business interests of mining companies. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Educating children of migrant workers in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Census 2011 showed that there are about 3.3 million migrant workers in urban centres all over India. That number is only expected to go up in the coming years. The highest number of migrant workers in Tamil Nadu are from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odissa. The factor unaccounted for in these journeys for survival is the children’s education. When the parents pull up roots, the children have to follow. Most of them speak only their regional language and so are not able to continue their education.

Stepping in to help such people is Aide et Action International (AEAI), an organisation working for the cause of education in 31 developing countries. By partnering with local NGOs, AEAI has been intervening for the children of migrant workers in India since 2006. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Transparent, progressive subsidy mechanisms needed to build low-cost houses

The Indian housing market and the effort of affordable housing is at a relatively nascent stage. There are very few low-cost housing projects, mostly restricted to tier I and II cities.

Most developers continue to focus on projects that yield higher returns rather than on low-cost housing projects, which still require some form of government support to become financially viable. So, urban housing remains largely unaffordable to the average Indian. There are two strong underlying trends in India that must be discussed alongside the imperative of creating low-cost housing. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Strong pitch for full statehood at HT conclave on Capital

New Delhi : A demand for complete statehood for Delhi resonated at the Hindustan Times New Delhi 100 Conclave on Thursday.

The conclave was attended by Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, writer and diplomat Pavan K Verma, conservation expert AGK Menon, former convener of the Delhi chapter of INTACH OP Jain and writer Mark Tully. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com 

Red tape, cash crunch affect realty: Survey

CHENNAI: Delay in getting statutory approvals, high cost of borrowing, shortage of skilled labour and lengthy process of land acquisition are holding up completion of many real estate projects, according to a survey. The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India-Jones Lang LaSalle Real Estate Transparency Survey 2011 said a majority of developers felt that streamlining the approval procedures in urban local bodies would benefit the industry immensely by saving both time and costs.

The survey also found out that borrowing has become expensive with banking institutions attributing a higher risk to the real estate sector. This, coupled with a slump in sales, is hurting the cash flow of developers. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Quality of air horrible, traffic chaotic in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Congested roads, polluted air, drinking water shortage, litter, inefficient public transport system, health and education disparities, growing slums and urban migration -- Hyderabad is not alone in grappling with these issues. Many cities across Asia are confronted with the same problems. But what’s the solution? “There’s a need to make our villages more livable and economically self-sufficient so that migration of people to urban areas could be checked,” suggested Governor ESL Narasimhan.

Begging to differ, Prof Ashok K Dutt, founder of Asian Urban Research Association, believes development of rural areas is no solution since urban areas will continue to be hubs of economic activity. These and other ideas were exchanged at the 11th Asian Urbanization Conference organized by the department of Geography, Osmania University. The four-day program had over 12 sessions, with scholars from across the country and the US, Germany, France, South Africa, Pakistan, Iran and other countries presenting over 300 papers. Inevitably, in a conference of this nature, comparisons will be drawn between China and India. Prof Dutt said China had been tackling its urbanization problems by not stopping migration but by strengthening its infrastructure in cities. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Heart ailments bane of women migrants: Study

MUMBAI: Migration could leave wives heart-broken, literally. A new study supported by the department of science and technology shows that Indian women who relocated from rural areas to urban hubs had an increased risk of heart disease.

This, said doctor-researchers of the study that will appear in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, holds true across India. So, migrant women living in Mumbai slum sprawls or Delhi's jhuggi-zhopadis are equally unhealthy and at a greater risk of obesity, diabetes and coronary artery disease than their urban counter-parts. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Flow of migrants highest to Delhi, not Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: While many of Maharashtra's parochial politicians have made a living out of bashing north Indian immigrants, Mumbai is not the city with the highest influx of migrants. A recent report shows that Delhi receives the largest flow of migrants anywhere in urban India. Delhi as a city, excluding the rest of the NCR, had more migrants than any other state in the country.

A

recent report shows that Delhi receives the largest flow of migrants anywhere in urban India.

According to a recent report by the Indian Institute of Human Settlement (IIHS), the two largest streams of migration to urban India are from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and from Bihar to Delhi. Each of these streams consists of over 3 lakh people. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Migrants remain a vulnerable group in Kerala

KOCHI: Even as the state's construction and unorganized sectors are becoming increasing dependent on migrant labourers, they remain a vulnerable section. According to a study conducted by the Kochi-based Centre for Socio-Economic Studies on the vulnerability of migrants and responsiveness of the state, they are being deprived of the central and state entitlements they had enjoyed before migrating here.

The study, undertaken by N Ajith Kumar, calls for better coordination among Kerala and the states of their origin to ensure that migrant workers' rights are transferred here. Kerala needs to chalk out a strategy to reach out to migrant workers coming from diverse backgrounds and speaking different languages. The present strategy, whether it is that of the law enforcement agencies or public service providers, fails to reach a significant segment of the migrant population. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Stand up to challenges, Lall urges city architects

NAGPUR: The development of any city is reflected in its infrastructure and planning. The structures marking the skyline of the city are equally important. That is what prompted world renowned architect from Delhi Ashok Lall to relate development with architecture by making buildings that would be energy efficient and not economically pressing.

Lall was in the city to deliver the 10th Malvankar memorial oration organized by the city chapter of Indian Institute of Architects every year for professionals as well as students related to the discipline. The Delhi-based stalwart was pleased with the activities being undertaken by the Nagpur centre of IIA, calling the architects a resource base for a city developing at a pace as fast as Nagpur. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India in 2025: We desperately need a bridge to the future

What will India look like in 2025?

Formal-sector job growth has been strongest in regions and industries that have exhibited high rates of entrepreneurship and dynamic economies. Reuters

The optimistic outlook is that India, which accounts for 80% of the South Asian regional economic output, is headed towards double digit growth rates. South Asia too will grow rapidly, primarily due to India. Read more

Source : firstpost.com

Aids control agencies to share positive migrants’ data

Mumbai : The drop in the number of HIV cases is little to be happy about. For, the city has seen a steady increase in the number of migrants infected with the virus in the last few years.

The National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) has, therefore, decided to focus all its efforts on the migrant communities in the country. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Stop blaming rural migration for urban ills: Study

NEW DELHI: Rapid urbanisation of villages and expansion of urban areas pose a more pressing challenge to Indian policymakers and administrators than migration of people from rural areas to the cities, a new report has said.

"A commonly held perception is that explosive rural to urban migration is the primary cause for the state of India's cities. This is not borne out by evidence," says 'Urban India 2011- Evidence', released by the Delhi-based Indian Institute of Human Settlements. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

As India urbanises rapidly, we need planned cities where none exist

Between 2006 and 2020, Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of Delhi, will grow the second-fastest among the cities of the world, behind Belhai in China. Two others, Surat in Gujarat and another Delhi suburb, Faridabad, figure among the top 10. Twenty-two other Indian cities also find a place in the top 100 fastest-growing cities of the world. This is inevitable, as a country of 1.2 billion people begins to urbanise rapidly.

"The world isn't flat," wrote Harvard economist Edward Glaeser in his book on urbanisation recently, "it's paved." More than half of all the people on this planet now live in cities; India is bound to converge to that trend. Many more Indians are making the transition from village to city, chasing education, jobs and a different way of life. Cities, after all, are melting pots of people and ideas. Urbanisation is a trend based on hope, but it will need a lot of work if it is not to turn into despair for the multitudes that flock daily from hinterland to metropolis. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

New look for old Surat city

SURAT: Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) wants a detailed report of the needs and requirements of the old city and the standing committee will meet on Thursday to decide whom to give the job.

Once the SMC decided to halt migration from the walled city which is called Central zone area, an expression of interest was called from interested parties for making a report on Urban renewal and re-development of the old city. Of the 29 parties which applied, seven were shortlisted. Financial offers were called and six qualified. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

At home in Hyderabad

Hyderabad has been a cosmopolitan city attracting people from across the country through its 400-year-old history. But the new set of migrants ushered in by the IT boom find themselves drawn into the uncertainty despite having little emotional investment in the city and their 'outsider' tag.

Hyderabad's "outsider" population has soared in the last decade with the city's blue-eyed IT industry pulling in the largest numbers not only from India but foreign shores as well. With the IT revolution taking the city by storm in the late 1990's and Chandrababu Naidu becoming the most talked about chief minister in the country, Hyderabad soon leapfrogged from a sleepy Nawabi town to one buzzing with high-end offices of big global names. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Winged visitors give Assam wetland a miss

GUWAHATI: The winter has set in as the harbinger of bad news for bird lovers in the state. Compared to last year, the arrival of migratory birds at Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary, 15 km southwest of Guwahati, has been abysmally low this winter. According to experts, increasing pollution and disturbances caused by humans are affecting ecology of the wetland. Deepor Beel is the only wetland in the state on the list of Ramsar sites.

"Last year, by November there were over 5,000 migratory aquatic birds of different species at the beel. This year, November is almost at an end and the number seems to be hovering around a mere 2,000. Some of the species have arrived only recently. I spotted some gadwalls, common teals, a few pairs of ruddy shelducks, common pochards and coots only this month. Last year, these species started arriving much earlier, with the onset of winter," birdwatcher and local guide Lakhan Teron said. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘MMR population is set to stabilise’

Mumbai: Unreasonable growth, over-population and congestion in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) have always remained matters of serious concern for policymakers. However, an assessment by economist, Abhay Pethe, indicates that the population in the MMR will, in fact, stabilise.

 

“Mumbai is not growing at the same rate as expected and people are actually moving out of the city and its suburbs to live in the fringes, which implies places beyond Dahisar on one side and interiors of Thane on the other. This is creating an urban sprawl, which is not good for development. The MMR population will stabilise soon. Even the Census of 2011 shows that Mumbai city is actually not growing at all,” said Pethe, professor at the economics department, Mumbai University. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

12,415 houses constructed under IAY in Nagaland

Altogether, 12, 415 number of houses has been constructed for the BPL households /beneficiaries under Indira Awaaz Yojana (IAY) in the rural areas of the state and another 893 are under process for allocation to the beneficiaries.

An official source said for the year 2011-12, the rural development department proposed to continue the scheme by enhancing the activity for providing permanent rural housing with the objective of not only to improve the quality of life but also to check migration to urban areas. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com