GoodNewsIndia :: The Sieve
Good news filtered from media streams
Page 13 of 38 pages « FirstP < 11 12 13 14 15 > Last » [Full listing]
Oct 21, 2006 : Tata - Corus raises India’s profile
While the Mittal-Arcelor deal just 4 months ago created the world’s largest steel company, it aroused a lot of investor hostility and left most Indians cold with indifference. In contrast, the announcement today of Tata’s taking over the Anglo-Dutch Corus has triggered countrywide celebrations. That speaks highly for Tata’s reputation, built over a century of commitment to India. Tata Steel, in the last decade has reinvented itself to become the world’s lowest cost producer of steel.The $8 billion deal was the largest overseas investment by an Indian company and has been welcomed by the management and workers of Corus. There is another little noticed feature about India’s economy, which is growing at close to 9% despite little foreign direct investment [FDI]. The mammoth FDI China receives is often held out to contrast with India’s lowly number. Has anyone observed this: in the last nine months India received $8.3 billion as FDI but Indian companies have pumped out $7.5 billion to acquire 115 companies around the world.
Oct 18, 2006 : 10 ponds revived by civil society in Meerut
Here is the exciting story of a collaboration between Rain Centre and Janhit Foundation in Meerut, UP that has led to thousands across civil society participating in revival of neglected water bodies. They first surveyed over 600 villages, discovered most of them to be in disuse and roused people’s interest in water security. In several places, ancient folk histories were recalled to emphasise spiritual origins of some tanks. For instance the Gandhari pond, in Parikshit Garh, was named for a Mahabharata heroine. The movement also broke caste barriers: Asha Rani, a Dalit woman of Alamgirpur emerged as a great leader mobilising people. Many -including government officials- contributed physically to de-silt ponds. Several homes, factories and offices have opted to rig their houses for harvesting rain water. The Women’s Police Station in Meerut now sports an elaborate RWH system.Impressed, the Planning Commission ordered a countrywide census of water bodies. That could be the base document on which to mount a wider campaign. Full story
Oct 13, 2006 : Children reporters of Koraput, Orissa
An year old experiment to increase the awareness of children about social issues is now slowly spreading in Orissa. The idea was to turn them loose outside classrooms to observe and report on events and issues. For children of Ankur, a village in Koraput district of Orissa, the school used to be a pigeon-hole but now their village is their school. No longer do they walk past an accident, a broken pipe or accumulating dirt. They whip out their diaries and make an entry. Best reports are printed in the monthly newsletter ‘Ankurodgam’ and circulated among NGOs and decision makers.The project was conceived under the Advocacy and Partnership programme of UNICEF in 2005. Begun with 100 reporters from 10 schools, there are today 1,500 child reporters in 286 schools. And they have their own blog now. Here’s a news report on the programme. You can mail and cheer them at childreporter@gmail.com
Page 13 of 38 pages « FirstP < 11 12 13 14 15 > Last » [Full listing]