B. Chagun Basha

Environmental Crime data in India has faced several limitations. Until 2013, no public data was available. In 2014, a chapter on environment-related offences was added to the National Crime Records Bureau's ‘Crime in India’ stats. However, issues persist in the reporting and interpretation of this data. Here is a thread on the limitations of #EnvironmentalCrime data: https://lnkd.in/g-V2_tNh #endENVcrime #CrimeData

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The Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi (CSE) Policy and Practice Forum recently convened a significant discussion on manual scavenging in India, with Avinash Krishnamurthy, Co-Founder and Director of Biome Environmental Trust participating alongside other sector experts, practitioners and academicians. The forum explored the complexities of defining manual scavenging, addressing its broader implications beyond just dry toilets, and highlighted the need for both technological and socio-economic solutions.    The discussion emphasized the importance of a clear definition and broader understanding of manual scavenging, underlining the need to tackle both technological and deep-rooted caste and socio-economic issues. Despite the 2013 Prohibition Act, manual scavenging persists, pointing to the need for better enforcement and support systems for transitioning workers. The forum also called for enhanced collaboration between technocratic and social justice perspectives to develop effective solutions. For a deeper dive, read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gE2EZz6i   Following the CSE forum's discussion on manual scavenging, Biome Environmental Trust's ongoing initiatives exemplify a practical response to the challenges highlighted. Biome has integrated into its work a program of rehabilitation of Manual scavengers. This program is based on a collaboration with Thamate (a community based NGO focusing on the needs of manual scavengers) and the Safaikarmachari Kavulu Samithi (SKKS). By working closely with sanitation workers, particularly those from marginalized communities, Biome emphasizes the critical role these workers play in climate resilience and resource management. The initiatives include facilitating access to entitlements such as financing through the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) under the PEMSR 2013 Act, providing financial literacy training and deploying innovative technology. Biome's comprehensive rehabilitation program has already covered Bengaluru Rural. Biome is working to expand statewide, advocating for state budget allocation and effective implementation to ensure broader impact and systemic change. We need all the support and collaboration we can get for this work. Central Public Health & Environmental Engineering Organisation Dhawal Patil|Ecosan Services Foundation, India Arkaja Singh Manas Rath Yusuf Kabir|UNICEF Dr. Bhakti Devi Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, GOI #ManualScavenging #Sanitation #SocialJustice #PolicyReform #ClimateResilience #HumanRights #CommunityEmpowerment

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While at NITI Aayog our office very closely with World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO which recently released the list of leading Science and Technology clusters which help drive country's hashtag #Innovation ecosystem. WIPO’s Global Innovation Index (GII) tracks and ranks the Top 100 clusters worldwide. Some key findings: ✅ Top 10 Ranking remains same with Tokyo-Yokohama at top followed by Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou & Beijing at No 3 ... ✅ Cambridge ranked No. 1 when ranked by S&T intensity followed by San Jose-San Francisco at No. 2 and Eindhoven at No. 3 ahead of Oxford ... ✅ As with the global economy, growth is driven by middle income economies. beyond the Top 10 , fastest growing clusters are China’s Hefei and Zhengzhou followed by Cairo, Chennai and Istanbul ... The Top clusters are home to many of the Top Tech Universities, R&D culture driven by scientists working across many Public & Private Institutions & labs. But what differentiates the Top ones from others are that these S&T hubs are able to commercialise the Innovative ideas into viable business outcomes Waiting for the release of the full report later in Sep: Sacha Dr. Wunsch-Vincent | Daren Tang Dr. NAMAN AGRAWAL - This is fascinating https://lnkd.in/gNGCYMTq

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https://lnkd.in/ghNGgxMS Government Extends Review Period for Broadcasting Services Bill; Fresh Draft Expected Soon In a significant development, the Indian government has decided to extend the discussion period for the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill and will issue a revised draft following a series of consultations. This decision comes in response to substantial criticism from digital content creators and media organizations, who have expressed concerns about the Bill’s implications for online content regulation.

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Recent trends signal a shift towards protectionism, prompt India to fortify its #TechnologicalEcosystem and #InnovationLandscape across five key pillars: Universities, Think Tanks, Government Schools, Publishing, and Translation. Read more https://lnkd.in/dd_4-ERg

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The article titled "India’s digital economy and the draft Digital Competition bill: Some global questions loom large" by Dhanendra Kumar Sir is short and excellent analysis (especially the business impacts) of important dimensions in the said bill. Apart from educating us on various possibilities, it also introduces us to mixed experiences (if any, reported so far) of peer economies when they had introduced similar legislative actions in their countries. It is in line with the famous proverb which goes like this "Make Original Mistakes" which when extrapolated to this situation would mean that we shouldn't make the same mistakes which have been already committed by other economies. Instead we should lean from other mistakes and accordingly formulate our legislative actions. Going through it, I also realized "Public Policy" function is in a way the most critical business function these days as whenever there is a legislative action, like the one under consideration, it is bound to generate some impact and how the business respond to the associated risks, alone can be an indicator of effectiveness of the concerned function in the corresponding corporations and MSME's (which may not have a structured function called Public Policy yet it factors it in essence in its running). I am reminded of a more than a decade old (but still very very relevant & perhaps its relevance is growing with time) article titled "Organizing the government-affairs function for impact" by Reinier Musters Ellora-Julie P. Surya Ramkumar of McKinsey & Company in the year 2013 which communicates to us about the significance of "Public Policy / Government Affairs" function in an organization. The ideal scenario is where Governments and related entities work together to arrive at a perfect legislative action. May see - https://lnkd.in/dRijsBvF Good articles are supposed to trigger and intrigue us and this article precisely did that !

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