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Sunday, February 05, 2012

Agriculture - Duties and Rights - Education - Environment - Food - Global - Governance - Health - Indian Economy - Indian Society - Physical Development - Social Welfare - Water and Sanitation

Introduction

Few things can be more real than the Development sector, even in this age of Reality Shows and candid camera. For, Development involves Real People (marginalized sections, whole communities, ordinary citizens, special people …) facing Real Issues (poverty, health, education, rights …), with help from those who are really interested - the Development Practitioners.

These highly motivated individuals make constant efforts to 'remain in touch' with an exploding galaxy of information, but the absence of a reliable source takes a toll on their efficacy.

Though, there is a profusion of portals, blogs and service initiatives within the Development sector, but not many are focused on addressing the needs of the people who are in the thick of it all - the Development Practitioners.

The d-sector aims to provide clear space, authentic information and usable services for the domain experts, activists, policy makers, academics, researchers, interested students and institutions to help them cope with the rising demands of the sector.

Since these Development Practitioners play the most crucial role in the success of a Development initiative, The d-sector endeavours to help in their efforts by offering a facilitating forum for all of them.

To cater to current and future needs of the Development sector, The d-sector is designed to:

help in better dissemination of news and views
facilitate informed discussion and consultations
provide a clearing house of usable information
showcase learnings and best practices
cater to the needs of institutions and individuals in the sector

The content on d-sector will be authentic, credible and exciting. While enough of interesting and useful content will be made available for free viewing and use, exclusive content will be offered to the registered users. This is to ensure that the serious practitioner has his/her space. In this aspect, The d-sector would be unique amongst those dedicated to the cause of Development.

By offering online as well as offline services, The d-sector will ensure that these services remain a real help to all members of the Development community - not just to a privileged few !

Comments, suggestions, content contributions and questions may be addressed to: editor@d-sector.org
Queries and mails regarding subscription and special services may be addressed to: editor@d-sector.org

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Recession-free industry!

From halwai to broker and from politician to banker, everyone is investing in up-market schools, coaching institutions and hi-tech universities. Not for any innate desire to educate the masses but more because it offers a business opportunity in the only recession-free industry of its kind. From what was considered a pious philanthropic initiative, education has been reduced to an unethical profitable business. Watch out, foreign direct investment in education is round the corner!

Attractive infrastructure, overseas affiliations and assured placements are robbing the parents of their hard-earned money and the wards of their creative instincts. Lifelong savings are being invested on ‘degrees’ that can ensure quick-return-on-investment. Far from places for attaining knowledge and enlightenment, educational institutions have turned into assembly-lines for producing human clones. Can business of education really 'educate' society?

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Choice or 'sperm racism'?

By seeking sperm for artificial insemination 'preferably from an IIT student', a Chennai couple has not only put Darwin's 'evolutionary ideas' to test but has demonstrated the impact of free-market economy on 'procreation' as well. The couple has apparently weighed the inbuilt architecture of sperm over other aspects of human evolution. Culture as a form of evolution, for instance, has been compromised for 'the choice of sperm'.

Charles Darwin was against ranking any species or sub-species superior to others, opposing his fellow biologist Ernst Haeckel's flatly incorrect racist ideas of human development. To the father of evolution, any such ranking smelled of 'slavery'. Humans have triumphed over centuries for not being born to a specific sperm but for the rich interactions it has had with other species, Darwin had argued. Sperm racism is clearly uncalled for!

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Lead View
Leave the adivasi alone!
By Narendra Bastar
30 Jan 2012

The poor adivasi is suffering more in Independent India than ever. But the government, civil society, corporates or Maoists, every group has its own agenda and vested interests to fulfil at ..