Conference, Seminars and Workshops organised in recent past

ROUND TABLE ON
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME IN INDIA: Emerging Perspectives
10 July 2017, New Delhi

The Institute for Human Development (IHD) with support by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) organised a Round Table on Universal Basic Income: Emerging Perspectives was held at the India International Center on July 10, 2017. . Over 80 delegates participated in the discussions comprising senior academics, bureaucrats, and researchers from India and abroad. Professor Bibek Debroy, Member, NITI Aayog delivered the inaugural speech and the keynote address was delivered on behalf of Dr Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India. The leading proponents of the Universal Basic Income (UBI) Prof. Pranab Bardhan and Prof. Vijay Joshi also participated in the Round Table and presented their versions of UBI.

The deliberations during the day-long event largely focused on conceptual issues and on aspects of design and implementation of Universal Basic Income (UBI). Professor Mundle while summarsing the proceedings and deliberations of the Round Table, concluded that that the success of the Round Table was that while the proponents of UBI recognize potential problems with the idea and practice of UBI, the opponents also recognized the positive elements and the potential of the proposed programme.
Programme
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Symposium on “Making Cities Safe and Inclusive: Perspectives from South Asia”, India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi.
Organiser/s: IHD, New Delhi
Date: 21 November 2015

The Symposium on “Making Cities Safe and Inclusive: Perspectives from South Asia,” was hosted by the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi.
Jointly funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, Safe and Inclusive Cities is a global research program that documented the links between urban violence, poverty, and inequalities. It supported 15 teams of experts in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia to find out what worked — and what didn’t — to reduce violence in urban centres. This one-day Symposium brought together perspectives from major South Asian cities on the contemporary nature of cities and urbanisation and their dynamic relationships with inequalities, exclusion, and conflict.
The symposium proceedings began with a panel discussion on “Challenges of Contemporary Urbanism in South Asia” which was chaired by Professor S. R. Hashim, Chairman, IHD; Former Member-Secretary Planning Commission; and Chairman Government of India Steering Group on Identification of the Urban Poor. The panelists in the session included Professor Amitabh Kundu, Visiting Professor, Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, Dr. O. P Mathur, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, Mr. S.K. Das, Managing Director, S K Das Associated Architects, Ms. Jennifer Salahub, Senior Programme Officer, IDRC, Canada and Professor Sanjay Srivastava, Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. The deliberations on the panel discussion highlighted some of the main challenges faced in case of South Asia Urbanism and these included dealing with various (and complex) types of violence prevalent in urban areas like physical, psychological, structural in public and private spaces related to caste, gender, race, etc.; intervening in private spaces and protecting the vulnerable, especially in the case of strong cultural background of the masses; the political challenges that included thinking of ways to engage civil society as a whole, create and maintain regional relationships, etc.
During this symposium, six research teams from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India, pursuing research under the Safe and Inclusive Cities program, presented their research findings in two sessions that broadly focused on urban issues including gender inequality, social exclusion, displacement, planning and governance as well as their links to urban violence. The sessions were chaired by Ashwani Saith, Emeritus Professor, Institute for Social Studies, The Hague, H. Ramachandran, National Fellow, Indian Council for Social Science Research, New Delhi, and the discussants were: Professor S.K. Acharya of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mr. D. N. Gautam, Former Director General of Police, Bihar, Mr. Arbind Singh, National Coordinator, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), New Delhi, Professor Sujata Patel, Department of Sociology, University of Hyderabad, Ms. Kalpana Viswanath, AGORI, New Delhi and Ms. Rashmi Singh, UT Civil Services and National Convenor, National Forum for Action on Convergence provided useful insights to the studies.
The presentations were followed by a screening of a short documentary film (15 mins.) based on IHDs research findings related to urban violence in Delhi and Patna. The concluding panel discussion deliberated on Emerging Perspectives on Making Cities Safe and Inclusive. The symposium ended with closing remarks and the Vote of Thanks by Navsharan Singh, Senior Program Specialist, Governance, Security and Justice – IDRC, Asia and Professor Preet Rustagi, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi.

IHD’s 2nd Decennial Lecture on “Future of Work” by Ms. Sandra Polaski, Deputy Director-General (Policy), New Delhi
Organiser/s:IHD, New Delhi, International Labour Organisation, DWT, New Delhi and Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India
Date: 7 October 2015

This lecture by Ms. Sandra Polaski, Deputy Director-General (Policy), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva, on ‘The Future of Work’ marked the beginning of IHD’s 2nd Decennial Lecture Series, organised by IHD in collaboration with Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India and ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and Country Office for India.
Stressing upon a ‘job centric development agenda’, Ms. Polaski, in her speech, provided a global perspective on the challenges faced by the ‘future of work’ in general, and India, in particular. She highlighted the current scenario on employment trends and challenges faced in meeting the standards of work in the context of increasingly globalised production and trade networks. In her lecture, she urged the policy makers to adapt to the changing reality in the wake of rapidly changing work conditions and shift towards formality in employment in the context of technological innovations and global restructuring of production and trade strategies.
The Lecture was followed by Special Comments by Professor T. C. A. Anant, Secretary and Chief Statistician of India, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India and Professor Gita Sen, Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore and Adjunct Professor of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health. Later, Mr. Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, also addressed the function. The function was chaired by IHD Chairman, Professor S.R. Hashim.
IHD is celebrating a year-long programme of the 20th year of its establishment from October 2015 onwards. Apart from several other activities, the Decennial Lecture Series is an important component of this plan under which, some well-known academicians and professionals from all over the world will be delivering public lectures. The lecture by Ms Sandra Polaski was the first in this series.

International Conference on “Planning for Sustainable and inclusive Urban Development in India: Learning from International Experiences and Devising Future Strategies”, New Delhi
Organiser/s: IHD, New Delhi, Niti Ayog and Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
Date: 1-3 August 2015
Website link: www.ihdindia.org/urbandevconference

The NITI Aayog (Government of India), the Institute for Human Development (IHD) and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the University of Florida jointly organised the international conference titled “Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Development in India: Learning from International Experiences and Devising Future Strategies” during 1-3 August 2015 at New Delhi. Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Urban Development, Government of India inaugurated the conference and the keynote address in the inaugural session was delivered by the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Shri Arvind Panagariya. The valedictory address of the conference was delivered by Member, NITI Aayog, Dr. Bibek Debroy. On this occasion, Shri Naidu also launched the Swachh Bharat e-Learning Portal and the First Training Modules on Sanitation. The platform, hosted at https://swachhbharat.cloudapp.net/ihd-erc.html , is aimed towards facilitating the capacity building of municipal employees and those linked to the field of sanitation and solid waste management.
The conference aimed to discuss and debate ways of ensuring the inclusiveness and sustainability of the process of urbanisation in India, which is likely to accelerate considerably in future. Such an urbanisation process would help provide basic amenities to the citizens, create jobs and alleviate poverty, while also facilitating the creation of healthy and inclusive cities and contributing to rural prosperity.
Against the backdrop of attaining sustainable growth and providing inclusive development, the Conference dwelt on a variety of key themes, including international experiences of urbanisation and lessons for India; Historical and emerging patterns of urbanisation in India; Challenge of employment and skills; Ensuring Public safety and security; Mobility and migration; Planning for transport and energy needs; Creating sustainable cities: Greenfield urbanisation, private and industrial townships; Rural–urban linkages and growth of small and medium towns; Land use, slum upgradation and affordable housing; and the Challenge of governance and restructuring institutions. Apart from the thematic sessions, two high level panel discussions on ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Swachh Bharat’ (Clean India) were also organised during the conference.
The conference was attended by over 350 renowned scholars, policy makers, planners, politicians, students, social workers and activists from India and across the world. The resource persons and experts included people from several countries, such as Canada, USA, China, Singapore, South Africa, Brazil and other participants from Belgium and nearly all Indian states. These experts and several other participants presented research papers, experiences and opinions on making urban development in India more sustainable and inclusive.
The Conference emphasized the necessity of linking growth with human development, as mere economic growth was insufficient to achieve sustained social development. The growth also had to address the larger question of establishing socio-economic equality in order to realise a meaningful political democracy, and had to be prioritised in terms of policies and strategies. Throughout the various sessions, recommendations were provided on a variety of topics that were overtly emphasised by the presenters. Some of the major points emerging from the conference were related to the international urbanisation experiences through which, India could assemble a blue print for more sustainable and successful urbanisation; the acceptance of Smart Cities and other related concepts, such as Greenfield projects in the context of providing comfortable livelihoods in an inclusive manner in India; the need for participatory approach in Public transportation services; and Women’s safety in the wake of rapid urbanisation etc.
The deliberations during the three-day long conference threw up policy options for inclusive and sustainable urban development and provided action points for academic discourses on urban development in the country. The conclusions and recommendations of the conference are expected to strengthen and give direction to various new government initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Smart cities and recent push for safer roads.

Workshop on “Making Patna a Better city: Issues of Urban Planning, Livelihoods, Inclusiveness and Public Safety”, Patna
Organiser/s:IHD, New Delhi , Asian Development Research Institute, Patna and Department of Sociology and Social Work, Patna University & Nalanda Open University
Date: 9 August 2015
The Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi in collaboration with Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), Department of Sociology and Social Work of Patna University and Nalanda Open University organised a one day workshop '' Making Patna a Better City: Improving Urban Planning, Livelihoods, Inclusiveness and Public Safety” on 9 August 2015 in Patna. The workshop discussed issues, such as urban planning, access to basic amenities, livelihoods, inclusiveness and public safety. Altogether six presentations around four themes; viz. Urban Planning and Access to Basic Services (Dr Bhim Reddy & Anjor Bhaskar, IHD), Ward Level Inequality in Social Development in Patna (Jesse Anderson, University of Florida, US-IHD), Poverty and Livelihoods (Dr Abhinav Alakshendra, University of Florida, US-IHD) and Public Safety and Security (Dr Indu B Sinha, Senior Fellow, ICSSR-IHD & Manoj B Balsamanta, IHD) generated engaging discussions. The presentations by the IHD researchers in the workshop were based on some interim findings from a large study being carried out by the Institute with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada as part of a major global research programme of Safe and Inclusive Cities.
Some important findings of the study about poverty and livelihood presented in the workshop were: There exists a close association in habitation pattern b/w caste and localities. According to the Hashim Committee recommendations, about 28 percent Patna residents are poor; 38 percent of the SC/ST population is poor as compared to the general category; and 43 percent of the population in poor localities is extremely poor; Unemployment among graduates is extremely high, female participation in the labour force, extremely low and rate of migration from the city, high. Patna is characterised by substantial unemployment, high rate of migration and high incidence of poverty. The study about Crime Situation in Patna based on exhaustive data compiled on the basis of the print media reporting for ten year period (between 2005-2014) highlights that body crime constitutes the highest percentage while crime against women (gendered and gender-neutral both) constitutes the second highest crime in Patna and economic crimes constitute the third highest. The politician-criminal nexus, laxity in law and order situation and social-cultural milieu are seen as the main catalysts of crime, while changing value system has also contributed to a phenomenal increase in certain types of crime the perpetrators of which are affluent and educated youth from the neo-rich class of the society.
A gathering of around 75 persons from various strata—academicians, policy makers, development practitioners, members of the civil society etc.,—participated in the Workshop and enriched the deliberations.

Policy Conference on 'Promoting Inclusion and Reducing Disparities in the Labour Market in Brazil and India' 14 March 2015, New Delhi
The Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, organised the Policy Conference in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), New Delhi. The Conference was organised as a part of the project on “Labour market Inequality in Brazil and India” carried out by the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi and the Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP), São Paulo, with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. The main objective of this Conference was to make a valuable contribution to the prevalent policy debates on inclusive development by considering labour market policy measures that can widen access and reduce disparities. This policy dialogue aimed to generate a debate around these issues, drawing on the research undertaken in the project. Panellists in this Conference consisted of representatives from government, business, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, ILO and academia. Members of both the Indian and Brazilian research teams were the key presenters in this Conference. For more details visit: http://www.ihdindia.org/lmi/ActivitiesDetail.html

Workshop on “Understanding Inequality in Brazil and India” 17 February 2015, New Delhi
The workshop was hosted by the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and organized jointly with the Labour Market Inequality project at the Institute for Human Development. There were four participants from Brazil, one from South Africa and two from Indian institutions outside Delhi. It was opened by Professor Praveen Jha, Director of the CESP, and by Professor Alakh Sharma, Director of IHD. There were six thematic sessions followed by a concluding panel discussion. Sessions were held on the themes: Overall growth regime and inequality in India and Brazil; Labour market structures and institutions; Regional inequality; Gender differentials; Caste and race; the impact of the state. The discussions highlighted the need to bring out the growth regime story more clearly and in a more comprehensive way, so as to strengthen the comparison and recommended more concrete analysis of outcomes. About 60 participants, mainly from university and research institutions in Delhi, were present for some or all of the proceedings. For more details visit: http://www.ihdindia.org/lmi/ActivitiesDetail.html

Training Programme on Project Proposal Writing, Drafting of Research Reports/Papers and Presentation Skills, 21-23 December 2014, Ranchi
The Institute for Human Development Eastern Regional Centre organised a Training Course for Young Scholars on Project Proposal Writing, Drafting of Research Reports/Papers and Presentation Skills held at Ranchi during 21-23 December 2014. The Course was directed by Prof. J. Krishnamurty, Visiting Professor at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi with the assistance of IHD staff from New Delhi and Ranchi. The programme was coordinated by Mr. Ashwani Kumar, Programme Coordinator, IHD-ERC, Ranchi; Ms. Swati Dutta, Faculty and Mr. Shravan Kumar, Programme & Communication Associate from New Delhi. The Training programme focused on improving capabilities in three important areas: improving drafting; improving the preparation of research proposals, and improving presentation. 15 young researchers/scholars and students from universities and research institutes from the Eastern India (States of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal & Odisha) participated in this three-day workshop.

Each day was divided into lectures, assignments, group-discussions, presentations and intensive interaction between the attendees and the resource persons. For more details visit: http://www.ihdindia.org/ihd-erc.html

SARNET International Symposium on ‘Women, Work and Structural Transformation in South Asia’, 17 December 2014, Ranchi
The Symposium was organized as Pre Conference Event during the 56th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics held at Ranchi during 18-20December 2014 by Institute for Human Development, New Delhi; International Labour Organization (ILO), New Delhi; UN-ESCAP SSWA Office, and International Development Research Centre (IDRC),Canada in collaboration with Ranchi University under the auspices of South Asia Research Network on Employment and Social Protection on Inclusive Growth (SARNET). This symposium highlighted that women did not gain from the neo-liberal growth and structural transformation that is witnessed in South Aisan countries and explored the importance and implications of structural transformation for women and work in South Asia in general and with a focus on Indian situation based on evidence in the last decade. For more details visit: http://www.ihdindia.org/sarnet/news.html

SARNET International Conference on ‘Meeting the Challenges of Employment and Social Protection in South Asia’; 14-16 December 2014, New Delhi
This international conference was organized by IHD as a part of the ongoing SARNET Activities. The main objective of the Conference was to discuss the employment and social protection issues in South Asian Countries. There were four sessions. The inaugural session broadly discussed the relationship between job creation and inclusive growth in the country and the importance of the social security policy of the country. Theme of Session I was on Panel Discussion On Growth And Employment In South Asia. The theme of the Session II was “Challenges of Employment in South Asia”. The theme of Session III was “Challenges of Universalizing Social Protection in South Asia”. The theme of Session IV was “Making Growth Inclusive in South Asia: Creating Jobs and Ensuring Social Protection”. Further One exclusive session of the conference was devoted to discussing the “Issues and Perspectives for South Asia Labour and Employment Report”. The sessions talked about various issues faced by the South Asian countries in labour market participation. Presenters identified various factors faced by the South Asian countries which hindered the growth process such as lack of access to reliable supply of electricity, lack of access to finance, inadequate supplied of skilled workforce and poor labour regulation. The presenters focused on their respective countries but they proposed wider policy implications for South Asia. The presenters unanimously emphasized that decent and productive employment is the key to poverty reduction and enhancing opportunities for wider aspects of human development such as self-respect, peaceful existence and dignity. For more details visit: http://www.ihdindia.org/sarnet/news.html

2nd SARNET Training Programme for Young South Asian Scholars on 'Labour Economics: Theories, Methodologies and Research Issues’, 2-13 December 2014, New Delhi
The 2nd SARNET Labour Economics Training was organized by the Institute for Human Development and the International Labour Organization (ILO) as part of the South Asia Research Network on Employment and Social Protection (SARNET) initiative, which is a collaboration of IHD, ILO with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP) with support from International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

The 11-day course was based on lectures by leading Indian and international experts. The lectures were supplemented by group and practical activities. In addition, guest lectures and a policy panel session provided an opportunity for participants to interact with other experts, including those responsible for policy formulation and implementation. The course was coordinated by Dr. Sher Verick of ILO. The facilitation and the logistical support were provided by team from IHD. For more details visit: http://www.ihdindia.org/sarnet/news.html

Symposium on Make in India: Towards a Strategy for Manufacturing-led Growth and Job Creation in India, 29 November 2014, New Delhi.
The Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), organised a Symposium on “Make in India: Towards a Strategy for Manufacturing-led Growth and Job Creation in India” in New Delhi on the 29th of November, 2014. In the wake of a shift in state policy towards meeting the challenges of industrialisation in contemporary India, the Symposium sought to engage with a set of timely questions: Is it feasible to adopt such a strategy under the present conditions? What are some of the policies that need to be adopted in order to achieve this? How can a structured and coordinated approach to industrialisation be put in place? How to design effective institutions and implement public–private collaboration to advance towards the stated objectives? Through detailed deliberations, the Symposium aimed to provide possible strategies through its various sessions. As a whole, the conference concluded that there is a need to promote the manufacturing sector in India such that this sector can give rise to greater productivity levels and, in turn, provide greater employment opportunities for the fast expanding workforce. The business environment in India, which is often criticised for its rigidity, needs to be reformed through improvements in the business environment. The existing business rules and regulations, procedures and logistical delays should be simplified. All participants accepted the need for simplification and codification of labour laws, but added that all such changes should not compromise the needs and interests of the workers.
Report on Proceedings

Workshop on Development, Labour and Inequality: The Brazilian and Indian Experiences 21st August 2014, at CEBRAP in São Paulo
The workshop was organised as a part of the project on “Labour market Inequality in Brazil and India” carried out by the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi and the Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP), São Paulo, with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. The workshop consisted of four panels, namely; Accumulation regimes, macroeconomic outcomes and inequality; Labour institutions, employment and social policies (with particular attention to the period 1980-2010); Recent trends in inequality (Overall patterns including household, wage and functional distributions); Specific dimensions of inequality in more depth: issues/findings in comparative framework. The presentations included interim findings of the project by both India and Brazil research teams. Apart from the research team, the commentators of the four sessions were Anne Posthuma, currently Specialist on Employment Issues at the ILO Office in Brazil, Kjeld Jakobsen ,formerly the International Secretary both of the CUT, the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (1994 - 2003) and of the Municipality of São Paulo (2003 - 2004), Marcos Costa Lima , Professor of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) at Recife and organizer of the Institute of Asian Studies in the same university and Edgard Rodriguez Senior Program Specialist for “Supporting Inclusive Growth” at IDRC. The commentators evaluated the interim findings as very strong and well established in terms of data, showing very clearly the overall trends in Brazil and India. They also suggested more analysis on the dynamics of productivity. They appreciated the work done by the research team and provided valuable feedback for further work on the project. It was stressed in the workshop that the main objective of the research study should be to develop policy reviews and recommendations for addressing inequality in both countries.

Workshop on Millennium Development Goals: Delhi State Report 2014 13 August 2014, New Delhi
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) has instituted a Chair on Human Development issues at the Institute for Human Development (IHD), as part of which the Institute prepared the “Second Delhi Human Development Report” in 2013. Subsequently, following a request of the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD), we have prepared the first state “Millennium Development Goals: Delhi State Report 2014”.

In order to discuss the Report, IHD in collaboration with Government of GONCTD organised a workshop on August 13, 2014 at New Delhi. At the Workshop, findings of the draft State MDG Report for Delhi were presented. In the presentation Dr. Abhay Kumar of IHD and the main author of the Report, stated that the Report presents the status, progress and gaps for all the indicators, namely; Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger; Achieve Universal Primary Education; Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women; Reduce Child Mortality; Improve Maternal Health; Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & TB; Ensure Environmental Sustainability; Develop Global Partnerships for Development. A better growth trajectory and high per capita income have made the economy of Delhi a strong and vibrant one. It is largely led by the tertiary sector. The annual compound growth rate at the constant price of Delhi during the period 2004-05 to 2013-14 has been 9.98 per cent, which has led to an expansion of the per capita income. Delhi’s per capita income was twice the national average at both current and constant prices during the year 2013-14. Its impact on the social sector is also conspicuous. This is indicated by the fact that while at the national level, India is still struggling to meet the MDG targets, Delhi has already attained a few of these targets and is well on path of achieving many others by the target year of 2015. Dr. Kumar informed that the report is based on the latest data and information available. It assesses the performance vis-à-vis goals and targets. It also tries to correlate some of the programmes and policies of the state government which ensure the achievement of the goals and targets. The NCT of Delhi, as the report discusses, has already attained some targets of the MDG while it is well on track to attain many others by 2015.

A group of eminent experts on this issue involving scholars, civil-society representatives, policy-makers, representatives of the international organizations and development practitioners participated and shared their views. The panelists included Ms. S. Jeyalakshm, Former Director General, Central Statistical Organisation, New Delhi; Ms. Ratna M. Sudarshan, National Fellow, National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi; Mr. N. T. Krishna, Joint Director, Directorate of Education , Government of NCT of Delhi; Professor Neelima Risbud, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi; Dr. D. K. Dewan, Director, Directorate of Family Welfare, Government. of NCT of Delhi. The workshop was chaired by Professor S R hashim, Chairmen, IHD and Former Member Planning Commission. The deliberations of the workshop have been included in the final Report.

Release of Mizoram Human Development Report 3 July 2014, Aizawl, Mizoram
“Mizoram Human Development report 2013”, prepared and published by the Institute for Human Development(IHD), New Delhi, for the Government of Mizoram under the leadership of Professor Atul Sarma , Visiting Professor at IHD was launched by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Mizoram, Pu Lal Thanhawla on 3 July 2014 at Aizawl, Mizoram.

In her opening remarks Pi L. Tochhong, the Chief Secretary, Mizoram said that the main goal of the first ever Human Development report of Mizoram is to place people at the center of the development process in terms of economic debate, policy and advocacy. A documentation of the State’s ‘achievements’ as well as ‘gaps’ in the form of ‘Mizoram Human Development Report 2013’ is a milestone and will be an useful guide for domain experts, planners, and policy makers towards our strive for the ultimate human development goal. Introducing the Report Professor Alakh N. Sharma, Director, IHD said the Report, prepared by the Institute for Human Development (IHD), is a comprehensive document detailing the status of various discussions pertaining to human development such as healthcare, education, income, women’s issues and other aspects of socio-economic development in the state. In addition, the Report also highlights the history, topography, socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the state, and how these factors have influenced the economic and human development of the state. The Report, in addition to the various available secondary data, is largely based on primary data collected from a large sample of 3670 households, drawn from both the rural and urban areas in all the districts of the state. Professor Atul Sarma, Visiting Professor, Institute of Human Development, New Delhi & Team Leader, Mizoram HDR – 2013 made a presentation on the report. He informed that the Report has calculated the Human Development Index (HDI) for various districts of the state, as also several other indices such as the Gender Development Index (GDI) and the Gender Parity Index (GPI). The report, which is based on survey data, offers several insights at the district level and inter-district variations in terms of health and education outcomes. The report also analyses the issues of governance and other challenges facing Mizoram for enhancing and sustaining higher levels of human development in the state. Last but not the least, the Report delineates the way forward for achieving this important goal while keeping in mind the weaknesses and strengths of the state.

The chief guest for the function the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Pu Lal Thanhawla in his address congratulated IHD for bringing out a commendable report, a milestone against which Mizoram’s achievements, as well as its future development goals and aspirations will be measured. He further said that for sustaining economic growth, the Report has given a roadmap and chalked out a strategy for a broad-based growth, based on its past achievements of high level human development. The Report has emphasized that Mizoram needs to follow the ‘high road’ to development, which calls for a long time-horizon in investment, involves high levels of skills and knowledge, high technological base, modern forms of organization ,professional management and governance. The vote of thanks was given by Special Secretary, Planning, Pi Nandini Paliwal.

International Symposium on "Human Development in Global South- Emerging Perspectives in the Era of Post-Millennium Development Goals", 28-29 April 2014, New Delhi
The new development framework that would replace the existing set of eight Millennium Development Goals in 2015 is presently a major international development discourse. In order to strengthen the recommendations for a Southern-led, Southern-focused post-2015 development agenda globally, momentum needs to be built around shaping the agenda by engaging a diverse set of stakeholders, and in this regard, the academic community and civil society play a critical role as a key voice. The Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, and Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA), a coalition of over 4000 civil society organizations in India, have jointly initiated a dialogue on the post-MDG 2015 development perspective involving the leading academic scholars and experts from the global South. As a key activity under this partnership, it was envisaged to bring together perspectives from leading development researchers, through a set of papers and commentaries, at a High-level international symposium. As such, The International Symposium on Human Development in Global South: Emerging Perspectives in the Era of Post-Millennium Development Goals was held in New Delhi during April 28-29, 2014. The UN-ESCAP also collaborated in organising this Symposium. The Keynote address was delivered by Professor Thomas Pogge, Director, Global Justice Programme and the Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs, Yale University. A book titled “What After MDGs? Shaping the Development Agenda in the Post 2015 Scenario” – a collection of think pieces by leading academic scholars and experts from the global South was released by Ms. Lise Grande, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the inaugural session.d experts from across South Asia in the plenary and thematic sessions during the Symposium. Spread over two days the themes discussed in the plenary sessions included – Eradicating Poverty, Ensuring Social Protection; Providing Food Security, Tackling Undernutrition; Expanding Employment Opportunities; Promoting Educational Opportunities and Universalising Health Coverage. The plenary sessions were chaired by Professor Deepak Nayyar, Professor Emeiritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Former Vice Chancellor, Delhi University; Professor K P Kannan, Chairman, Laurie Baker Centre for Habitat Studies and Former Director, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram; Professor Prem Vashishtha, Galgotia University; Professor D N Reddy, National Fellow, ICSSR and Former Professor and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad; Professor R. Govinda, Vice Chancellor, NUEPA and Dr. A K Shiva Kumar, Adviser, UNICEF. The Thematic Sessions were moderated by well known academicians like- Dr. P K Joshi, Director, IFPRI; Dr. Achin Chakraborty, Professor and Director, IDSK; Dr. Sudhanshu Bhushan, NUEPA and Professor Surinder Jodhka, JNU, New Delhi. The concluding and valedictory session was chaired by Professor Muchkund Dubey, President, CSD and Former Foreign Secretary of India.

Programme - PDF
Concept Note - PDF

International symposium on ?Towards a Desirable Future for India in an Increasingly Globalised Society? in honour of Yoginder K. Alagh, 9-11 March 2014,New Delhi

The Institute for Human Development (IHD) promotes informed policy debates on issues like employment security, migration, gender and employment, health security, social security, food security, etc. by organizing seminars, workshops, conferences and consultations in collaboration with national and international agencies. The seminars are often organised around research-based presentations and discussions. Workshops help in formulating strategies related to governance and public policy by combining research, policy analysis and advocacy.

The Institute for Human Development organised and hosted an international symposium entitled,  Towards a Desirable Future for India in an Increasingly Globalised Society, in honour of Yoginder K. Alagh, on the occasion of completion of his long association with the Institute as Chairman of its Board of Governors. The symposium was held during 9-11 March 2014 at New Delhi. Around 100 delegates comprising experts from various fields participated in the Symposium and enriched its deliberations. Prof. Y K Alagh was felicitated for his immense contribution to academic thinking and policy making during the Symposium. Professor Yoginder K Alagh is one of India's most distinguished economists whose contribution to several areas of economics such as agriculture, industrialisation, poverty and employment, has been enormous. He has also made an immense contribution to economic policy-making in the country in various capacities. His support to institution- building is also well-recognised. In the wake of the rapid socio-economic political changes taking place in the world, every country needs to devise well thought out strategies for itself in the complex globalised society. The symposium contributed to some of the most critical areas in the country wherein such strategies need to be devised.

Themes of the symposium - PDF
Programme of the symposium - PDF
Professor Y. K. Alagh: A Profile - PDF

Panel Discussion on Social and Economic Development in Bihar: Opportunities and Challenges, 21 January 2014, Patna

To focus on Bihar's development challenges, the Institute organized a panel Discussion on  Social and Economic Development in Bihar: Opportunities and Challenges, on 21 January 2014 at Patna. The Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Dr. Raghuram Rajan guest of honour.

The Discussion focussed on the areas of Human Development, Agriculture, Rural roads, Environment and forest, Energy supply, Urban Development, Social Welfare etc. Various stakeholders to Bihar's development, comprising representatives from the funding agencies, policy makers and development experts discussed strategies and opportunities for partnerships in the discussion. Senior officials from the World Bank participated in the deliberations. The facilitator for the Discussion was Mr. Deepak Bhattasali, Lead economist of the World Bank. Mr. Rameshwar Singh, Principal Secretary, Department of Finance, Government of Bihar;Dr. Shaibal Gupta,Member- Fellow and Director ,India Development Foundation (IDF), Gurgaon; Mr. Amarjeet Sinha, Principal Secretary, Department of Education, Government of Bihar presented their perspectives in the discussion. Mr. Onno Ruhl, Country Director of the World Bank in his concluding remarks spoke about the possibility of partnership between the State and the World Bank to take forward development initiatives in the State. The closing remarks were given by the Development Commissioner of the State, Mr. Alok Kr. Sinha.

Competitive Call for Papers by Young South Asian Scholars: Symposium on Labour Markets, Employment and Inclusive Growth in South Asia;14 Dec, 2013

SARNET issued the first competitive call for papers on  'Labour Markets, Employment and Inclusive Growth in South Asia' for Young South Asian scholars (below the age of 35 years) of nationality (working either in the region or outside).

The topics and issues included, Pace and pattern of employment creation in South Asia during the last few decades and the kind of linkages that can be seen with growth performance; Reasons for a high level of informalization of jobs in South Asia; Policies and institutions needed to promote formalization; Constraints to manufacturing growth in South Asia; The dynamics of the emerging patterns of labour market inequality and social exclusion in South Asia and Changes required in labour market institutions to generate high quality jobs that lead to growth for the promotion of inclusive development.

Young South Asian scholars were invited to submit proposals for empirical papers, covering any or all of the major South Asian economies, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A total number of 134 proposals were received. The proposals and submitted papers were reviewed by a committee of international experts and 10 top quality papers were selected. The selected candidates presented the papers in the symposium on 'Labour Markets, Employment and Inclusive Growth in South Asia' on 14 Dec, 2013 and labour economics awards were announced for the best papers. The papers are now being revised by respective authors for final publication. SARNET reserves the right to publish accepted papers in some reputed journals and/or in a book.

Training programme for Young South Asian Scholars on 'Contemporary Issues in Labour Economics', 2-13 Dec 2013, New Delhi

A two-week long training programme for Young South Asian Scholars on 'Contemporary Issues in Labour Economics' was organized from 2-13 Dec 2013, New Delhi by IHD in association with ILO with support from IDRC, Canada. The programme organized under SARNET had participants from the South Asian countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka and India.

It covered a wide range of labour market issues including macro-economics of employment; population and labour force; markets and wage determination; labour market institutions; inequality and labour market discrimination and labour market policies. The programme was inaugurated by Prof S R Hashim, Chairman/President, IASSI, and Prof Alakh N Sharma, Director, IHD delivered the welcome address. A set of internationally-renowned experts in labour economics like Prof. Ajit Ghosh, Dr. Iyanatul Islam, Dr. Gerry Rodgers, Dr. Kamala Sankaran, Dr. Sher Verick , Prof. T.S Papola and others conducted the training. Prof. J Krishnamurty, Visiting Professor, IHD was the lead resource person for the training.

Consultation on ?Urban Planning, Poverty and Violence in India? 2 October 2013, Patna

A consultation with concerned stakeholders ranging from government, planning, research and policy was held in Patna on 2 October 2013 in order to discuss the beginning stages of research including methodology and secondary data sources not easily available such as local police station level crime data, GIS maps of resources, slums as well as the city plan documents of the past as well as the latest Patna Master Plan which is to be released soon.Some of the panelists included Prof. Shaibal Gupta, Member Secretary and Director, ADRI;Mr. Rakesh Tiwari, Support Programme for Urban Reforms, DFID;Mr. Rajvardhan Sharma (IPS);Dr. P. P. Ghosh, Director, Asian Development Research Institute(ADRI) and Dr. K.R.P. Singh, Bihar Remote Sensing Application Centre, Geographer and Cartographer.

Release of Delhi Human Development Report 2013 on 31 August 2013, New Delhi
Release of Delhi Human Development Report 2013 on 31 August 2013, New Delhi The Delhi Human Development Report 2013 prepared by Institute for Human Development for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi was released by the Hon?ble Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari today in the presence of the Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit and a distinguished gathering of eminent experts scholars, civil-society representatives, policy-makers, representatives of the international organizations and development practitioners, apart from senior officials of Government of NCT of Delhi . The Vice President while addressing the audience after releasing the DHDR 2013 congratulated the government of NCT of Delhi and Institute for Human Development for successfully documenting the progress in Delhi on the scale of Human Development. He said, ?the Delhi Human Development Report for 2013 will provide an extremely useful tool for policy-planning. Above all, it will provide an overall direction for the progress of Delhi in the human development arena so that all its citizens can benefit fully from the development process?. In her speech, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit said,? Delhi has changed significantly during the last seven years, since the first Report was published in 2006. We felt that it was time for a review?. She further said ?Needless to say, while Delhi has made commendable strides on various human development fronts, we do acknowledge that progress on many other fronts needs to be enhanced and made more inclusive we will continue to focus on improving the lives of our people, especially the poor, children, women and other vulnerable groups.?

Debate and Book Launch ?Aligning Economic and Social Goals in Emerging Economies Employment and social protection in Brazil, China, India and South Africa? on 2 April 2013, New Delhi
?Aligning Economic and Social Goals in Emerging Economies: Employment and social protection in Brazil, China, India and South Africa?, published by the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, and Academic Foundation and edited by Gerry Rodgers was released by Mr. Nitin Desai, Chairman, Governing Council, Institute of Economic Growth and Former Under Secretary General, United Nations on 2 April, 2013 at New Delhi. The book release was followed by a debate on ?the connections between economic and social policy in emerging economies?. Eminent economists like Prof. Deepak Nayyar, Former Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, Dr. Maria Cristina Cacciamali, Professor, University of Sao Paulo, Prof. Alexandre Barbosa, University of Sao Paulo will participate in the debate and enrich the deliberations. While welcoming the guests, Professor Alakh N Sharma, the Director of Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, said that Brazil, China, India and South Africa are not only major force in global economy they are important centers of research and policy innovations as well. In spite of several dissimilarities, these countries while pursuing their economic growth path are facing similar challenges like slow growth of decent employment and inequality.

Release of ?The Long Road to Social security?, edited by Professor K.P. Kannan and Professor Jan Breman
The book ?The Long Road to Social security?, edited by Professor K.P. Kannan and Professor Jan Breman released by the Chief Guest on this occasion was Union Minister for Rural Development Mr. Jairam Ramesh and handed over a copy to Ms. Jayshree Sengupta, Chairperson, Centre for Development and Human Rights, New Delhi on 11 January 2013 at India International Centre (IIC), Annexe. Mr. Jai Prasad, Commissioning Editor, Sociology & Anthropology, Oxford University Press, Ms. Leena Chakrabarti, Director of HIVOS Regional Office, Bangalore, Professor T.S. Papola, ICSSR National Fellow and Honorary Professor, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, New Delhi, Professor D.N. Reddy, Visiting Professor, IHD and Professor of S.R. Sankaran Chair, National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad and the vote of thanks was given by Professor Preet Rustagi, Joint Director,IHD.

Book launch of ?The Challenge of Inclusive Development In Rural Bihar? on 23 December 2012, Patna
?The Challenge Of Inclusive Development In Rural Bihar?, published by the Institute for Human Development(IHD), New Delhi, authored by Gerry Rodgers, Amrita Datta, Janine Rodgers, Sunil Kumar Mishra and Alakh N. Sharma was launched by Shri Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar and Professor Abhijit Sen Member, Planning Commission on 23 December, 2012 at Patliputra Hotel, Patna. The book launch was followed by a panel discussion on ?Inclusive Development in Bihar: Reality and Challenges? in which some well known academicians and policymakers like Professor Anjan Mukherjee, Jawaharlal Nehru National Fellow and Former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mr. Vijoy Prakash, Principal Secretary, Planning and Development, Govt. of Bihar participated and enriched its deliberations.

IHD organized the following symposiums and discussions during the 54th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), 20-22, December 2012, at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi
Pre-Conference Symposium: ?Rural Labour in India: Emerging Issues and Perspectives?(Organized by S.R. Sankaran Chair and Institute for Human Development) on 19 December 2012
The main objective of the symposium was to revive interest in research on the much-neglected issues relating to rural labour. The themes on which well-known scholars presented papers included: Structural Transformation in Rural Labour Markets; Migration and Rural Labour; Rural Female Labour; Rural Non-farm Labour; Changes in Wages and Earnings of Rural Labour; Social Protection, Regulation and Rural Labour; Public Intervention, Employment and Anti-poverty Programmes; and Rural Labour. The presentations were followed by comments from eminent panellists. The session was chaired by the noted scholar and former Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, Professor S.R. Hashim. The symposium took place under the aegis of the S.R. Sankaran chair, NIRD, Hyderabad, and IHD, New Delhi, wherein renowned scholars and economists such as Professor D.N. Reddy, Professor Alakh N. Sharma, Professor Ravi Srivastava, Professor Padmini Swaminathan, Professor K.P. Kannan, Professor T.S. Papola, Professor S.S. Gill, Professor Amita Shah, Dr. J. Heyer, and Dr. Brijesh Jha presented their views on the theme under discussion. The panellists for the symposium were Professor S.S. Gill, Dr. Ajit Ghose, Professor Amita Shah, Dr. Judith Heyer and Dr. J. Jeyaranjan. The revised papers presented at the symposium, the comments of the panellists and the discussions are slated to be published in a book form, and would also be carried in a special issue of the Indian Journal of Labour Economics (IJLE), to be brought out before the publication of the book.

Special Session on the theme,?Work, Employment and Inclusive Development in Bihar? on 21 Dec. 2012
This session was presided over by Professor S.R. Hashim, Chairman, IASSI, and Ex-Member, Planning Commission, Government of India. The theme of the workshop was expounded by Professor A.N. Sharma. A number of noted scholars from IHD including professor Dev Nathan, Dr. Gerry Rodgers, Ms. Amrita Datta and Ms. Janine Rodgers presented papers on various focal themes of the Conference such as the pattern of growth and employment creation in Bihar, rural labour and changing production relations in rural Bihar, and the dynamics of wages and migration as a livelihood strategy. The commentators for this session were Professor D.N. Reddy, Professor K.P. Kannan, Professor Amita Shah and Dr. Himanshu.

Symposium on ?Economic Growth and Employment Creation in South Asia: Perspectives for an Inclusive Growth Agenda?, (Organized by IHD, ICSSR, ILO and UN-ESCAP) on 21 Dec. 2012
A symposium on ?Economic Growth and Employment Creation in South Asia: Perspectives for an Inclusive Growth Agenda? was organized under the chairmanship of Professor G.K. Chadha on 21 January. At the symposium, Dr. Salim Raihan, Dhaka; Dr. D.R. Khanal, Kathmandu, Professor A.N. Sharma, IHD, New Delhi, Dr. Asad Sayeed, Karachi, Dr. G. Tilakaratna, Colombo, and Dr. Sher Verick, ILO, Geneva, among others,presented their views on inter-linkages between economic growth and employment creation in South Asian nations from the viewpoint of inclusive growth. In her presentation, Dr. (Mrs.) Tilakaratna, for instance, discussed the issues of sectoral output and unemployment, poverty trends, and labour market trends in Sri Lanka. Another scholar, Dr. Verick, presented an analytical evaluation of women?s participation in the labour force in South Asia and presented a comparison of the prevalent trends in this sphere in the Asian countries of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India. The panellists at this symposium were Dr. Rashid Amjad, Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Professor T.S. Papola, Dr. Gerry Rodgers, and Dr. Edgard Rodigues. (During the symposium, Professor Thorat made the notable observation that employment opportunities for the downtrodden sections of society have fallen in South Asian nations during the past 15 years.

Workshop on ?Globalization and Labour Markets in India? organized by IHD During the workshop, which was held on 22 December 2012, papers on various dimensions of linkages between globalization and the labour market in India were presented by IHD faculty members and eminent economists including Professor Dipak Majumdar, Professor B.N. Goldar, Professor Arup Mitra, Professor Alakh N. Sharma, and Professor Dev Nathan, among others. The commentators for the workshop included Professor T.S. Papola, Professor Padmini Swaminathan, Professor D.N. Reddy, Dr. Sher Verick, Dr. Himanshu and Dr. Thomas Barnes.

Pre- Release on 21 Dec 2012 of the Book, ?Aligning Economic and Social Goals in Emerging Economies: Employment and Social Protection in India and South Africa?, edited by Gerry Rodgers and published by Academic Foundation for IHD, ICSSR and IDRC. Professor T.S. Papola and Edgard Rodrigue of IDRC were the panellists at the event.

IHD Foundation Lecture by Prof. Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist, World Bank
Prof. Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist, World Bank delivered the IHD Foundation Lecture on the topic ?The Social and Political Foundations of Economic Development: The Indian Context? on December 15, 2012 in Teen Murti Auditorium, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Mr. Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission presided and Dr. Jean Dreze and Dr. Gerry Rodgers were discussants.

Policy Dialogue on Value Chains for Inclusive Development: Lessons and Policies for South Asia Institute for Human Development, New Delhi in association with Capturing the Gains Research Network of the University of Manchester; UN-ESCAP (South and South-west Asia Office); Duke University, and supported by Department for International Development (DFID), UK. The Centre for Policy Dialogue and CARE-International are the Bangladesh partners, organized a Policy Dialogue on Value Chains for Inclusive Development: Lessons and Policies for South Asia during 24-25 December,2012 at Dhaka, Bangladesh. There were about 100 participants from a mixture of academic institutes, government bodies, UN organisations, corporate bodies and civil society organisations.

Workshop on Impact of Minimum Wage Legislation and Enforcement
Workshop on the Impact of Minimum Wage Legislation and Enforcement which was jointly organized by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Institute for Human Development (IHD). The workshop have showcased research results from various countries, namely South Africa, Costa Rica, Argentina, India, and China addressing the distributional and labour market impacts of minimum wage policies and their enforcement, and the policy implications therein. The workshop will be held on November 7, 2012 at the Seminar Hall II, New Conference Block, Main Building, India International Centre (IIC), in New Delhi, India.

Lecture and Panel Discussion on ?Planning for the Future: Implications for the Way We Live? by Professor Jorg Imberger
Institute for Human Development (IHD) in association with Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and India Water Partnership (IWP) organised a Lecture and Panel Discussion on ?Planning for the Future: Implications for the Way We Live? by Professor Jorg Imberger, Professor of Environmental Engineering, Centre for Water Research University of Western Australia on 26 July, 2012 at New Delhi. Ms. Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE and Mr. RR Rashmi , Joint Secretary ( Climate Change), Ministery of Enviornment and Forests , Government of India participated and enriched the discussions.

IHD Distinguished Series- Lecture on ?Severe Poverty, Human Rights and Institutional Design? by Prof. Thomas Pogge of Yale University-
Institute for Human Development (IHD) in association with Centre for Development and Human Rights (CDHR) organised a Lecture on ?Severe Poverty, Human Rights and Institutional Design? by Professor Thomas Pogge, Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs, Yale University on 24 July, 2012 at New Delhi. The lecture was followed by a panel discussion which was chaired Prof. Deepak Nayyar, Distinguished University Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research, New York & Former Vice-Chancellor, Delhi University. Professor Manoranjan Mohanty, Honorary Professor, Council for Social Development, New Delhi, Dr. Rajeev Malhotra, Economic Advisor to the Office of Finance Minister, Ministry of Finance, Government of India participated in the discussion.

Workshop on New Spatialities of Production: Impact on Work Organisation, Labour Processes and Upward Mobility, 6-8 July, 2012, Mumbai
The Institute for Human Development, IGIDR and CtG (Capturing the Gains Initiative, Manchester University) organised a workshop on ?New Spatialities of Production: Impact on Work Organization, Labour Processes and Upward Mobility? during July 6-8, 2012 at IGIDR, Mumbai, India. The aims of the workshop were to: Identify the various spatialities in the organisation of production in India; Analyse the connections of the various types of spatialities with work organisation, labour processes and labour force structures, and/or economic outcomes; Reflect on the implications this has for policy, especially as it relates to economic upgrading (or downgrading) on the one hand and social upgrading (or downgrading) on the other.
Workshop Programme
Papers & Presentation

National Seminar on Globalisation, Labour Market & Employment Relations in India: In Honour of Professor L K Deshpande, 9-10 July, 2012, Mumbai
The Institute for Human Development and Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) organised a national seminar during 9-10 July, 2012 at J.P. Nayak Hall, ICSSR, Western Regional Centre, Mumbai. The main objective of the Seminar was to discuss in depth the changing context and dynamics of labour markets and employment relations in the wake of globalisation in India and provide a broad framework of emerging policy agenda. The theme covered in the two day seminar were : Dynamics of changes in employment relations in India in the wake of globalization; Employment relations in the organized sector (both macro and sectoral); Employment relations in the informal economy (macro as well as micro level experiences); Labour regulation in India. The seminar was organised in honour of Professor L.K. Deshpande, who retired as a Director of the Department of Economics and a Professor of Development and Labour Economics in the University of Mumbai more than a decade ago. He has made remarkable contributions in the field of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations during his illustrious teaching career. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi. Prof. Deshpande has been one of the pillars of the Indian Society of Labour Economics and his contribution to the intellectual face of the Society is profound. He completed 80 years of age and it was befitting that the Indian Society of Labour Economics and IHD felicitated him and paid their tribute to him by organizing the Seminar on some of the themes that have been of interest to him.
Seminar Programme
Seminar Papers/PPTs

Training Programme on Project Proposal Writing, Drafting of Research Reports/Papers and Presentation Skills, 9-11 April 2012, New Delhi
The Institute for Human Development (IHD) and the Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI) jointly organised a three-day Training Course on Project Proposal Writing, Drafting of Research Reports/Papers and Presentation Skills on 9-11 April 2012 in New Delhi, for young researchers under the age of 40 to enable them to write and present their work more effectively. The course was directed by Professor J Krishnamurty, formerly of ILO and Visiting Professor at IHD, and coordinated by Dr. Sumit Mazumdar and Mr. Shravan Kumar. The chairperson of IASSI, Professor S R Hashim inaugurated the training course. More than 32 young researchers, scholars and academicians from across the country benefitted from the training course. 12 sessions covering various aspects of Project Proposal Writing, Drafting of Research Reports/Papers and Presentation were held in the course of three days. Workshops and practical exercises were a major part of the course curriculum. Valedictory session was chaired by Professor Ramesh Dhadhich , Member-secretary, Indian Council for Social Science Research. Professor S R Hashim, Chairperson, IASSI, Member-Secretary, IASSI, Professor Surendra K Gupta, Professor Alakh Narayan Sharma, Director IHD, Professor J Krishnamurthy, Visiting Professor, IHD and Dr. Sumit Mazumdar, Senior Fellow, IHD participated in the session and enriched its deliberations.
Training Brief

Release of Development Research on Bihar 2000-2010: A Compendium, 17 March, 2012, Patna
A collection of 268 summaries of research documents related to a decade of overall economic and social development of Bihar titled ?Development Research on Bihar 2000-2010: A Compendium? was launched jointly by Institute for Human Development (IHD) and ADRI on 17 March, 2012, Patna. The compendium was released by the Education Minister of Bihar, Shri P K Shahi and Professor S K Thorat, Chairman, ICSSR. The Book release was followed by a panel discussion on ?Strengthening Development Research in Bihar? in which some well known academicians including Professor J Krishnamurthy, formerly of the ILO, Professor Ravi Srivastava of JNU and Professor Alakh N Sharma of IHD will express their views. The compendium prepared at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi with support from Department of Planning and Development, Government of Bihar has been edited by Alakh N Sharma, Amrita Datta and Joyita Ghose.
Compendium

Workshop on Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: Violence, Cities and Poverty Reduction in the Developing World, 24 February, 2012, Patna
The Institute for Human Development in collaboration with the University of Manchester organised a workshop on ?Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: Violence, Cities, and Poverty Reduction in the Developing World? on 24 February, 2012 to discuss the main findings of the Patna Study. There was a select group of about 50 experts drawn from various fields ranging from government, civil society, policy think tanks, media and academia to participate in this workshop. The study was on urban conflict and the factors that cause it to ?tip? into violence. This study was focused on four cities in Asia (Patna, India and Dilli, Timor Leste), Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) and Latin America (Santiago, Chile) which has been associated with one or two factors conventionally linked with urban violence. The aim of the study was to understand various factors that may cause conflict to tip over to generalized violence. The project was sponsored by the Department for International Development and the Economic and Social Research Council.
Workshop Programme & Papers

Global Summit on Changing Bihar: Forging Partnership for Development, 2012, 17-19 February, 2012, Patna
The Institute for Human Development, The Bihar Foundation and Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) organized the ?Global Summit on Changing Bihar: Forging Partnerships for Development, 2012? during 17-19 February, 2012 at Patna. The Summit brought together leading development practitioners, policy makers, scholars, industrialist, investors and a representatives from the world of art and culture, donors and members of civil society for forging partnerships to pursue and reinforce social and economic progress in Bihar. The Summit was successful in generating innovative ideas for fostering progress in the state and to create strong networks among all the concerned stakeholders in order to facilitate their effective participation in the development of the state. About 1000 people from around the world participated in the mega event. The event was inaugurated by The Hon?ble Prime Minister of Nepal, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar were its Chief Patron and Patron respectively.
Summit Programme & Papers

International Conference on ?Employment, Informality and Poverty in China and India, 4-15 November, 2011, New Delhi
The Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) and Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi organised an international conference ?Employment, Informality and Poverty in China and India? during 14-15 November, 2011 at IIC, New Delhi. The conference was an end-event of a major research project ?Informal Employment, Poverty and Growth in India and China? conducted by IRMA in collaboration with IHD and CASS which was funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. Based on analysis of available secondary data as well as primary surveys from the six cities in China and two cities in India (Delhi and Ranchi), the project aimed to contribute to the better understanding of the conceptual issues and dynamics of the functioning of the informal economy as well as its contribution to policy debates on improving the employment opportunities and conditions of work of the workers engaged in it. Given the importance of China and India in the global growth scenario, this was a very important study, particularly since it focused on issues in the labour markets of these countries.
Conference Programme

International Workshop on Policy Options and Investment Priorities for Accelerating Agricultural Productivity and Development in India, 10-11 November, 2011, New Delhi
The Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai and the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi organised an International Workshop on ?Policy Options and Investment Priorities for Accelerating Agricultural Productivity and Development in India? during 10-11 November, 2011 at IIC, New Delhi. The workshop was supported by the Planning Commission of India, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), The World Bank and some other agencies. About 20 papers, on several of agricultural development and experiences of policy interventions from well known experts presented their paper. In addition, some well known experts and senior policy makers (both at central and state levels) discussed the emerging policy directions and paradigms in some panel sessions. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together senior scholars, policy-makers and development practitioners to discuss new frameworks, approaches and strategies for dealing with the major challenges faced by the Indian agriculture. Over 75 experts, including about 15 international ones from outside India participated in this event.
Workshop Programme

National Workshop on NREGA and Rural Women, 8 August, 2011, New Delhi
IHD in collaboration with the UN Women organized a national workshop on NREGA and Rural Women. Around 75 well known experts drawn from academics, civil society, policy making, etc. participated in the workshop. Secretary, Rural Development, Government of India presided over the workshop which discussed in-depth the findings of the three studies on NREGA and Women conducted by Dr. Ashok Pankaj, Prof. J Jeyaranjan and Prof. Indira Hirway supported by the UN Women.

Technical Workshop on Informal Employment, Poverty and Growth in China and India, 22 -23 April 2011, New Delhi
IHD is collaborating in an IDRC funded research study which will provide an in-depth field based analysis of labour markets and informal work in India and China with the world?s largest workforces. The study aims to fill a number of conceptual and empirical gaps in the analysis of labour markets and will make analysis of employment and labour market structure under conditions of rapid growth as well as financial slowdown. In this context, it organised this two day Technical Workshop in association with IRMA, Anand and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing to deliberate upon different aspects of the issue in New Delhi. Experts from India and China working on these issues, participated in this workshop.

Consultative Workshop on Social Protection in South East Asia: Emerging Issues and Perspectives for Research and Policy, 30 March, 2011 Jakarta, Indonesia
IHD, in collaboration with SMERU Research Institute, Indonesia, organised the last of the SPA dissemination event on 30 March in Jakarta. Apart from presenting the research findings of the SPA Synthesis Report, the workshop also shared ideas, experiences and key country learning on various issues of social protection in the South East Asia region. It also provided an opportunity for policymakers, academics and civil society leaders to engage and establish linkages on the issue.

Consultative Workshop on Social Protection and Inclusive Development: Emerging Issues and Perspectives in South Asia, 23 February, 2011, Colombo, Sri Lanka
The Social Protection in Asia (SPA) Programme along with the Institute for Human Development organised a Consultative Workshop on ?Social Protection and Inclusive Development: Emerging Issues and Perspectives in South Asia? in Colombo on 23 February, 2011. The workshop was preceded by the Third Ministerial Meeting of the UNESCO Forum of Ministers in charge of Social Development from South Asia held there during 20-22 February. Apart from dissemination of the findings of the SPA Synthesis Report, the meeting also discussed the emerging perspectives on social protection and inclusive development in South Asia as well as future agenda for research and policy in this area.

Policy Dialogue On Sustainable Rural Development: Creating Agency In Rural Areas, 18-19 February 2011, Cape Town, South Africa
By bringing together some 80 senior level policymakers and public sector administrators, academia, business and civil society representatives in South Africa, this dialogue provided an opportunity for sharing some positive models, experiences and innovations drawn from emerging economies for the benefit of rural populations in particular those in South Africa. The dialogue was sponsored by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), the IFAD, the World Bank office in Pretoria and Rimisp ? Latin American Center for Rural Development Chile. It was held in Cape Town on February 18-19, 2011. This dialogue sought to unpack common problems (such as job creation) and solutions (such as community driven development) facing rural development policymakers and practitioners in relation to the creation of sustainable rural livelihoods and agency amongst the rural poor.

Human Development Reader Workshop, 21-22 December, 2010, Goa
A Human Development Reader is being developed with the perspective of preparing an essential text for students, teachers and development practitioners to understand the various dimensions of human development discourse. A senior faculty member is coordinating with eminent authors for including their writings in the Reader, besides contributing three chapters to it. A consultative workshop on the Reader was organised at Goa during December 21-22, 2010.

Proposal Development Workshop, 19th December 2010, Dharwad
Sponsored by IDRC, the workshop was organised to finalise a research programme proposal on Social Protection for IDRC. An international panel of experts constituting Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud from Dhaka University, Dr. G.M. Arif from Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and Dr. Saman Kalegama, Institute of Policy Study of Sri Lanka contributed to the development of the proposal under the Chair of Prof. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission. Ms. Sudha Pillai, Member-Secretary, Planning Commission, chaired the inaugural session of the workshop.

Panel on Labour market and social protection policies in emerging economies, 16th December, 2010, Dharwad
Also sponsored by IDRC, a panel discussion was held at Dharwad on the sidelines of the 52nd Annual Conference of ISLE in which specialists from China, Brazil, India and South Africa participated. The broad objective of this Panel was for researchers and policy analysts concerned with labour markets and social protection in India and other major emerging economies to benefit from each others? experience and research results, to compare approaches and priorities, and on that basis to facilitate a better understanding of the similarities and differences among labour market structures, institutions and policies.

Annual Conference of the Social Protection in Asia programme, 27-29 October, 2010, Bangkok
A conference on ?Social Protection as Development Policy in Asia: The Long-term Perspective? was organised during 27-29 October, 2010 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The meeting was jointly organised by Social Protection in Asia Programme (SPA) and UNESCAP in collaboration with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). The main objective of the conference was to provide a platform for policy-makers, researchers and international organisations to exchange views, experiences and knowledge on social protection and its role in the development of the countries in the region. SPA is a pioneering programme of research, advocacy and network building on social protection issues, managed by Institute for Development Studies, Sussex and Institute for Human Development, New Delhi. It presented its key findings and launched its synthesis report at this conference. UNRISD also presented its flagship report ?Combating Poverty and Inequality: Structural Change, Social Policy and Politics? at the event.
SEE THE DETAILS AT www.socialprotectionasia.org

Nutritional Status of Children in India: Trends and Strategies, 18-19 October, 2010, New Delhi
A two-day workshop on Nutritional Status of Children in India: Trends and Strategies was organized by IHD along with the University of Warwick and University of Allahabad. The seminar co-ordinators were Prof. Viji Arulampalam (University of Warwick), Prof. Nisha Srivastava (University of Allahabad) and Dr. Preet Rustagi (IHD). The themes identified for deliberations included Magnitude and Trends of the Problem; Status of Women and Child Health Outcomes; Socio-economic Factors and Child Nutrition; Social and Regional Disparities and Dimensions; Successful Experiences and Strategies.

Regional Consultation on Work and Livelihoods of the Poor in the National Capital Region on 28 July 2010, New Delhi
A regional consultation with potential partner organizations from across NCR was also organized on the 22nd July 2010. This was after an intense exercise in which over 100 organizations were identified and contacted. The day-long exercise was intended to take forward the mandate of forging partnerships to analyze, devise and implement livelihood strategies. The project is strongly rooted in strategizing policies/recommendations that arise from such consultations and are relevant to organizations working on livelihood issues of the poor. As such it was clear to us that these initiatives have little value unless they are grounded in the experience, expertise and interests of organizations working at the grass-roots level. The consultation was organized for an in-depth discussion to identify the sectoral and occupational issues that we need to focus on. The response from the participating organizations was overwhelming, clearly showing a strong need for such consultations for generating valuable inputs and suggestions.

IHD Symposium Series on ?Poverty in India: Measurement, Identification and Emerging Policy Perspectives ? Lecture by Prof. T.N. Srinivasan on ?Measurement of Poverty and Policy Issues: Reflections after Tendulkar and Saxena Committee Reports?, 17 July 2010, New Delhi
IHD is organized a Symposium on Measurement of Poverty and Identification of the Poor on 17 July 2010 at the India Habitat Centre (IHC). The Speakers were: Professor T.N. Srinivasan, Professor Yoginder K. Alagh, Professor Ashwani Saith, Dr. Pronab Sen, Mr. Harsh Mander, Dr. Rohini Nayyar, Professor Amitabh Kundu and Professor S.R. Hashim.

Release of ?Food Security Atlas of Rural Bihar? 20 May 2010, Patna
Bihar food security atlas was released by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Prof. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission on 20th May, 2010 at Patna. Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices chairman Prof S Mahendra Dev presided over the function. The report was jointly prepared by the Institute for Human Development and the UN World Food Programme under the guidance of a Technical Advisory Committee chaired by Prof. Abhijit Sen. It identifies the food insecure districts in the state which require priority attention of the government based on eleven indicators which are classified into three broad categories of food availability, food access and food absorption. The release of the report was followed by a panel discussion.

The Challenge of Employment in India: Lessons from the Work of the NCEUS on 7 ? 8 May 2010, New Delhi
The Institute for Human Development (IHD) and Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) in association with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) organized an International Consultation on the final report of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS), entitled, ?The Challenge of Employment in India?during May 7-8, 2010 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi to discuss in depth the various issues and aspects covered in the Report. About 100 well known academicians, policy-makers, trade unionists, employers and development practitioners, participated and discussed the issues in several panels.

International Seminar on Poverty in Bihar: Pattern, Dimensions and Eradication Strategies?, April 18-20, 2010, Patna
Organised by IHD, in association with the Asian Development Research Institute, and with support from UNDP, the seminar was inaugurated by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. An international round table was held on experiences and success stories in poverty reduction on the inaugural day. Other key topics of debates included dimensions of poverty in Bihar, gender disparities vis-à-vis poverty, development for poverty reduction, and framework for state intervention. The event was attended by policymakers, experts and specialists from the field.
SEMINAR REPORT

International Conference ?Dynamics of Rural Transformation in Emerging Economies?, 14-16 April 2010, New Delhi
More than 300 representatives from government agencies, academia, business and civil society from the four emerging economies of India, China, Brazil and South Africa, as well as other interested countries including Argentina, Chile, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and OECD nations including Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom gathered to discuss innovative approaches to address challenges and opportunities in the International Conference ?Dynamics of Rural Transformation in Emerging Economies?, which took place April 14-16, 2010 in New Delhi, India. The President of India inaugurated the Conference following observations by Ministers of Rural Development, Govt. of India and South Africa, Minister of Agrarian Development, Brazil, Dr. Han Jun, Director General, Development Research Centre of the State Council, China, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission, Mr. Mihir Shah, Member, Planning Commission and Mr. Julio A. Berdegue, Director, Rimisp, Chile and Chairman, of the International Steering Committee.
CONFERENCE REPORT

Symposium on ?MDGs and Human Development in India?, 9 March, 2010
IHD and UNDP organized a Symposium on ?MDGs and Human Development in India?. Ms. Helan Clark, UNDP Administrator (a former Prime Minister of New Zealand) delivered the Keynote Address. The Symposium was chaired by Professor M.S. Swaminathan and the other speakers were Professor Bina Agrawal, Professor Kaushik Basu among others.

International Consultation on ?Human Development in India: Emerging Issues and Policy Paradigms? February 5-6, 2010
The Institute for Human Development (IHD) organised an International Consultation on ?Human Development in India: Emerging Issues and Policy Paradigms? during February 5-6, 2010 at New Delhi. The Consultation was supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and the World Bank. Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission, inaugurated the Consultation. About 100 well-known experts, comprising academicians, policy-makers, representatives of civil society organizations and donors, participated in the Consultation.
CONSULTATION REPORT

Workshop on ?NREGA and Women's Empowerment?, 31 August 2009
The workshop entitled NREGA and Women?s Empowerment was organized by the Institute for Human Development (IHD) in collaboration with United Nations Fund for Development of Women (UNIFEM) in culmination of a research project which explored the impact of NREGA on women?s empowerment in rural India. Dr. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission of India gave Inaugural Address and the Valedictory Address was given by Professor Abhijeet Sen, Member, Planning Commission.

International Conference on ?Adivasi/Scheduled Tribe Communities in India: Development and Change? during 27-29 August 2009
With support from Planning Commission, ICSSR, IFAD and UNICEF, IHD organised a three day International Conference on ?Adivasi/Scheduled Tribe Communities in India: Development and Change? during 27-29 August 2009. Shri M. Hamid Ansari, Hon?ble Vice-President of India, inaugurated the Conference. More than 30 papers were presented. The objective of the Conference was to assess the development and changes that have come about in Adivasi (tribal) society in the post independence period, and suggest suitable strategies and policies that are consonant with their rights and aspirations. This conference was timely, coming when the Eleventh Five Year Plan has emphasised inclusive growth policies for tribal and other deprived groups. More than 250 scholars, activists, development practitioners and policy makers participated in the deliberations. The valedictory address was delivered by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India.
CONFERENCE REPORT

Panel Discussion on ?The Challenge of Employment in India: An Informal Economy Perspective?, 8 May, 2009
The Institute organised a Panel Discussion on the important issues and recommendations highlighted by the Report of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector on 8th May 2009 in New Delhi. Professor C.H. Hanumantha Rao chaired the discussion and the panelists were: Professor Ajit Ghose, Mrs Renana Jhabvala, Professor Abhijit Sen and Professor V.S. Vyas. There was also a presentation by the erstwhile Commission highlighting its main findings and recommendations.

International conference on Development, Freedom and Welfare, 19-20 December, 2008
The Institute in collaboration with Cornell University, organised a major international conference ?Development, Freedom and Welfare?, in honour of Professor Amartya Sen on the occasion of his 75th birthday during December 19-20, 2008 in New Delhi. Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, inaugurated the conference. Some of the leading social scientists of the world, including Nobel Laurates Professor Stiglitz, Professor Phelps and Professor Amartya Sen participated in the conference. About three intellectual panels which included Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibbal, Minister for Science and Technology, Mr. Jaswant Singh, Leader of the Opposition Parties in Parliament, Ms. Aruna Roy, Social Activist, and other luminaries. 30 selected papers by young researchers from India and abroad, were presented.

• Conference programme
• Abstracts of papers by young researchers
• Press coverage

International Seminar on National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India Impacts and Implementation Experiences
In collaboration with Center de Sciences Humaines, (CSH), New Delhi, we organized a two-day International Seminar during September 16-17, 2008 in New Delhi. The seminar brought together field based experiences on issues and concerns related to the implementation of NREGS for policy and practice so as to strengthen the programme. It also deliberated on the wider impact of NREGS, such as asset creation, implications for labour markets, (migration, wages, etc.), income generation, poverty reduction, social mobilization and empowerment. About 100 participants ? academicians, social activists, policymakers, development practitioners, etc. participated in the seminar, including about 10 scholars and experts from outside India. Shri Raghuvansh Pd. Singh, Union Minister for Rural Development, gave the Valedictory Address.
SEMINAR REPORT

Round Table Discussion ?Development, Deprivations, Discontents and Violence: Challenges in the Extremist Affected Areas, 14-15 September, 2008
A two day Roundtable Discussion on the report of the Expert Group formed by the Planning Commission, Government of India on ?Development Challenges in Extremists Affected Areas? was organized during September 14-15, 2008 in New Delhi. The deliberations encompassed holistic view of emerging extremist issues and a multi- level development perspective to address the same rather view it as a law and order issue emerged.
DISCUSSION REPORT

Annual Conference of the Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA), 11 ? 13 September, 2008
We organized the prestigious Annual Conference of the Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA) during 11 ? 13 September, 2008 in New Delhi. It was for the first time that HDCA?s Annual Conference was held in a developing country. More than 300 participants, some of whom were leading academicians, from different parts of the world participated in this Conference. Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi inaugurated it. The general theme of the Conference was ?Inequality and Human Development? on which about 140 papers are being published. In addition, there were about 18 panels on various themes. The conference was preceded by a summer school of 35 selected scholars from different part of the world for 13 days duration. This school was organised by IHD.

• Programme

Growth and Human Development in Jharkhand from 4-5 July 2008
The Eastern Regional Centre of IHD organized a major national seminar on ?Growth and Human Development in Jharkhand? during 4-5 July 2008 at Ranchi. About 20 well-known experts presented their papers on various aspects of Jharkhand economy and society. About 15 experts from outside Jharkhand also participated which included Shri B.K.Chaturvedi, Shri B.N.Yugandhar, Professor Abhijit Sen and Professor Atul Sarma. A major highlight of the seminar was the concluding panel discussion on ?Vision for Jharkhand? in which representatives of major political parties - Shri Babulal Maradi, Shri Saryu Rai, Shri Bhubaneshwar Mehta, Shri B.L.Munda and Shri Subodh Kant Sahai - participated. Representatives of media and academics also participated in the panel. The media considered this seminar to be a major event of the state.

Workshop on ?Strengthening the Delivery of Social Services in Delhi: A Convergence Model for Empowering the Poor? from 19-20 May 2008
Samajik Suvidha Sangam is an initiative of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with a Mission for Convergence for enabling the marginalized, vulnerable and the needy to effectively access welfare entitlement schemes offered by various government departments. A two-day workshop on ?Strengthening the Delivery of Social Services in Delhi: A Convergence Model for Empowering the Poor? was organized in collaboration with the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi by the Institute for Human Development during 19-20th May 2008, to discuss the different aspects of operationalising the various dimensions and issues related to this mission. Mrs. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister, Delhi inaugurated the Workshop and Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission delivered the key note address. The workshop brought together a select group of specially invited experts consisting of policymakers, representatives of civil society organisations, NGOS and INGOs and academicians a common platform, with the objective of providing an opportunity to interact with practitioners of successful social assistance and convergence programmes with a similar vision from within and outside the country.

SPA Research Partners? Workshop, 21-22nd Feb 2008, New Delhi
SPA is a programme that addresses issues of social protection in the region, especially those that emanated as a response to the inequality and vulnerability of millions that emerged in the aftermath of globalization and the Asian financial crisis of the previous decade. Phase II of this programme envisages identifying barriers to the extension of social protection, practical solutions, and innovative and concrete experiences in the region for sharing and influencing governments and international financial institutions, so that social protection policies seamlessly integrate into the poverty reduction and development goals of respective countries.
Phase II of the programme initiated in Sept 2007, identified nine research projects in the region through a competitive call for proposals, for undertaking research in various identified sub-themes of social protection. Through research, networking and advocacy activities, SPA research partners work together and foster a network of stakeholders in social protection. A two-day meet of the partners was organized in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex by the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi - who hosted the workshop - on 21-22 Feb 2008, to discuss the research proposals and finalise the methodologies. in the region, in order to facilitate evidence-based advocacy.

International Conference on Universalizing Socio-Economic Security in South Asia
The Institute of Social Studies, The Hague and the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi jointly organizing an International Conference on ?Universalisation of Social Protection in Asia? during 17-20 February, 2008 at New Delhi. The Conference was the outcome of an ongoing collective initiative of several collaborating institutions and organisations, also including: the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Kerala; Self-Employed Women?s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad; Pakistan Institute for Labour Education and Research (PILER), Karachi; Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (RDI/CASS), Beijing; Centre for Policy Studies, Hyderabad (CESS); and the Institute for Policy Studies, Colombo (IPS/SL). This initiative is expected to be supported by grants and assistance from various organisations, including Ford Foundation, New Delhi; IDRC, New Delhi; and FNV, The Netherlands.
The Conference reflected on selected invited papers by academics and practitioners from Asia and other parts of the world. These papers focussed on the various aspects of an agenda of universalisation of socio-economic security, and were discussed by peers and other experts drawn from diverse backgrounds such as economists and other social scientists, policy makers and programme implementers, and representatives of national and international development agencies and civil society.