The need for value education amid rising societal issues

1
NETWORK July-September 2013 Vol. 17 • No. 3
Editorial
Network is a quarterly publication
of IRMA aiming to generate
communication among alumni, well-
wishers and present participants
of IRMA. Send the materials for
consideration of publicaion
in Network to : network@irma.ac.in
Editorial Committee
Editor: Anand Venkatesh
Editorial Associate: Indrani Talukdar
Design & Layout: Susamma T
Disclamer:
The views and opinions expressed
in articles are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect those of
NETWORK, IRMA.
We are delighted to come out with yet another
issue of Network. As editor, it never ceases to
amaze me as to how ubiquitous this periodical has
become over the years with IRMA’s stakeholders. It
is even pleasing to note that young researchers are
using this to gain a better understanding of the rural
paradigm and shifts. Articles in the present issue range
from serious, thought-provoking to downright satirical
and humorous. Prose and poetry complement each
other in almost every issue. It is the endeavour of
the new Network team to take this lovely periodical to
higher levels without at the same time compromising
on its spontaneity and intuitive flavour.
The current issue of Network has some delightfully
written articles. Pramod Singh and Abhishek Nair
share yet another snippet of his insightful research
on climate change when he critiques mitigation
measures undertaken by Gujarat. This is followed
by an article written jointly by Vikrant Halkandar and
Meher Gadekar commenting on the need for value
education in school curricula and appreciating the
intervention of the Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana in
this context. This is followed by a heart to heart talk
between Bhavi Patel and the gender activist in Kutch,
Meghiben Ahir. Several articles have been written in
Network on IRMA’s fieldwork experiences by PRM
participants but each one has a ring of novelty
around it. Parnika Tripathi of PRM 33 shares her
fieldwork experiences with all of us in the next article.
To remind ourselves that one can have a hearty
laugh in the midst of relatively serious stuff, Indrani
Talukdar recounts her travails with mosquitoes and
how someone eventually got the better of them in
“the last word”.
I would take this opportunity to exhort all of you
to use this forum to share your thoughts, views
and experiences. Indeed it is due to your support,
cooperation and constructive feedback that Network
has not only sustained but continues to thrive.
Anand Venkatesh, Editor
anand@irma.ac.in
Contents
The State of climate change
- Pramod K. Singh & Abhishek Nair .............2
The proceeds of value education
-Vikrant Halkandar, Meher Gadekar
& Lipsa Das ..................................................... 4
Meghiben: A portrait of courage
-Bhavi Patel.
...................................................... 9
Teaching mosquitoes a lesson
-Indrani Talukdar........................................... 12
A slice of the pastoral
-Parnika Tripathi............................................ 14
IRMA NEWS................................................19

2
“You must take personal responsibility.
You cannot change the circumstances,
the seasons, or the wind, but you can
change yourself. That is something you
have charge of...”
(Jim Rohn).
The inevitability of change cannot be
disputed. But change does not have to
come at a huge cost (read environmental
cost) as we are learning here in
Gujarat. The summers, for instance,
are warmer than ever before increasing,
thereby, the probability of extreme heat
events. While rainfall patterns are not
significantly heavier they still point to,
what environmentalists call, “heavy
rainfall events” being on the upswing.
Rather eerily, the Regional Climate
Models (RCMs) predict an augmentation
in the intensity of cyclonic activity in
Gujarat. Other factual data too, are
pretty grim.
Sample this: instances of floods have
increased; the sea-level too has being
rising at the rate of 0.33 mm/year,
which is considered to be rapid sea-
level rise.
The state of Gujarat, subject to the
vagaries of climate change, also
happens to be a culprit backed by
rapid industrialization and push
for economic growth. All this has,
understandably, taken an unmitigated
toll on humankind. Especially the
vulnerable communities which are,
ironically, the ones responsible for the
least contribution to global warming.
There is no gainsaying that climate
change impacts human life and the
ecosystem and, thereby, the economy.
Take, for instance, temperature changes
that continue to affect both agriculture
and livestock. A mere increase by a
The state of climate change1
While Gujarat has done commendable work to reverse the effects of climate change,
it is clearly not enough.
1 (i) Pramod K. Singh, Associate Professor, Institute of Rural Management, Anand; E-mail: pramod@irma.ac.in;
(ii) Abhishek Nair, Research Associate, Institute of Rural Management, Anand; E-mail: abhishek@irma.ac.in
The state of Gujarat,
subject to the vagaries of
climate change, is culpable
backed, as it is, by rapid
industrialization and push
for economic growth. All this
has taken an unmitigated toll
on humankind. Especially
the vulnerable communities
which are, ironically, the
ones responsible for the
least contribution to global
warming

3
degree is known to reduce wheat yields
by 4–5 million tons even after carbon
fertilization. Rising temperatures
causing thermal heat stress is known
to reduce milk yields.
Equally alarming are some of the
other effects of climate change. Coral
bleaching, occurring over the last two
decades along the sea surface thanks to
temperatures having increased decade-
wise by 0.116o
C is doomed for worse
fate. Soaring temperatures have stunted
the heights of mangroves in the regions
of Kutch and Jamnagar.
Human life too stands threatened
thanks to increased salinity along the
coastal ribbon as the fallout of rising
sea-levels courtesy of global warming.
In the villages of Dabdi of Valsa and
Kaladra located along the Narmada
estuary the sea has been observed to
move inland up to an alarming 80
metres.
Burgeoning temperatures – having
expanded the transmission window
of mosquitoes by up to 9-12 months
every year – continue to goad malaria
incidence rates every year, not to
mention heat-related deaths.
This is not to say that the state
hasn’t done its bit to counter the ill
effects of climate change. Its work on
minimizing carbon emissions by taking
the lead in CDM (Clean Development
Mechanisms) projects is commendable
despite being a gargantuan emitter of
greenhouse gases. The state has taken
visible strides in promoting wind and
biomass based green energy generation
while encouraging vehicle owners to
switch to cleaner fuel options like CNG,
LPG, and bio-fuels. The Gujarat Cleaner
Production Centre has been pushing
technology towards a more efficient
use of raw material, energy and water
resources.
Yet more needs to be done, especially
for the poor and vulnerable
populations that are most susceptible
to climate change. Initiatives need
to be undertaken on priority basis to
build the resilience and adaptability (to
global warming and climate change) of
such communities through scientific,
indigenous knowledge and through
evidence-based decisions. A start could
be made by conducting scoping studies
for first hand insight into communities
and ecosystems that are vulnerable to
climate change. This could be followed
up by research and pilot studies that
scalable.
More needs to be done,
especially for the poor and
vulnerable populations
that are most susceptible to
climate change. Initiatives
need to be undertaken on
priority basis to build the
resilience and adaptability of
such communities through
scientific, indigenous
knowledge and through
evidence-based decisions

4
The proceeds of value education1
A practical inculcation of moral values in the educational system is the need of the
hour. The intervention of the Bharatiya Jain Sangathana, thus, can only be
viewed as timely.
“(The) crime branch took a juvenile
delinquent and his accomplice,
identified as Kamaluddin Hussainsha,
into custody and detected a robbery
which the duo had committed at
Sadar this month...” (Times of India,
23.10.13)
“Juvenile gets 3-year jail term for
sodomy...” (Indian Express, 22.10.13)
Headlines and news items like the
ones cited above seem to have become
staple fare of our day-to-day lives with
children as young as 12 years’ old
committing heinous crimes. Even as
India marches on making remarkable
strides in economic, scientific, and
technological areas its social fabric seems
to be breaking. A sharp spike in the
crime rate, addiction, and inter-group
violence calls for deep introspection
and self-searching. A popular view is
that Indian society, having adopted
“Western” values of materialism and
consumerism is fast disintegrating
thanks to a sharp shift in values at
the individual, family, and community
levels. This shift is a serious concern for
educators, parents, policy-makers, civil
society organizations, and concerned
citizens. There is no doubt that violence
is on the rise owing to this shift in
values. Violence is emulated, even
admired, by the young who have little
time for values associated with love,
peace, cooperation, and compassion. The
impact of mass media, changing societal
norms and values, and a philosophy of
life that prioritises material prosperity
are collectively attributable to this
disconcerting current social reality. It is
in this light that the timely intervention
of the Bharatiya Jain Sanghtana (BJS), a
secular, civil society organization needs
to be viewed. AN NGO, the Bharatiya
Jain Sanghtana or BJS has been working
1 Vikrant Halkandar, Research Associate; Meher Gadekar (PRM5), Deputy Director (Research), and Lipsa Das, Research
Manage - BJS; Email: mgadekar@bjsindia.org
Value education is not a
new concept in India. Since
the early days of Indian
civilization inculcation of
values among the young
has been part of many
educational systems

5
at the grassroots’ level with the social and
educational sectors for over 27 years. It
began working on various educational
and social issues like dowry, declining
sex ratio, disaster relief work, and
educational rehabilitation of children of
natural calamities. Later, realizing the
importance of addressing the problem
of shifting values and its adverse impact
on society – especially school-going
children – and recognizing education’s
crucial role in promoting values BJS
took a conscious decision to introduce
in the governmental education system
a value education initiative known as
Mulyavardhan (meaning enhancement
of values) for students ranging from
grade I to X. Mulyavardhan’s aim is “to
promote desirable values among school
students, so that they bring about
harmony with themselves, others, and
the world at large, including the world
of nature.” By doing so, Mulyavardhan
attempts to contribute to “the holistic
development of students so as to prepare
them to become caring and responsible
citizens who contribute to the peace
and well-being of humanity”.
Value education is not a new concept
in India. Ever since the dawn of
Indian civilization inculcation of
values among the youth has been
part of many educational systems.
After Independence many committees
formed by the Government dealing
with education also emphasized the
necessity of value education. However,
these academic deliberations and
discussions were never translated
into implementation. Value education
initiatives have remained limited to
some private schools and school bodies.
Given this context, the initiative on the
part of BJS to place value education
firmly within government schools
assumes special importance, primarily
because 83 percent elementary schools
in the country are government run.
Mulyavardhan or MV acts as a
medium for instilling universal and
constitutional values in children. A
curriculum was developed around
these values after much deliberation by
a specially constituted expert Content
Development team. The teaching and
learning methodology adopted by BJS is
non-didactic and based on cooperative
learning so that children can explore,
analyze, and appreciate the worth of
values. It is expected that MV will
motivate children to make personal
and social choices with deepened
understanding and responsibility. By
imbibing values promoted through
MV it is hoped that children will
become peaceful, respectful, caring,
empathetic, diligent, committed,
tolerant, cooperative, critical thinkers
and good citizens.
MV was piloted by specially trained
MV teachers as a separate period in
government schools. Supplementing
this “direct” or targeted approach was
BJS’ efforts to involve all stakeholders
including parents, schools and education
officials. The pilot project was initiated
as an opportunity to understand the
BJS has been moving towards
adopting a whole school
approach to value education

6
practical problems in administering
value education in government run
schools. It helped the BJS team, among
other things, to gain insights into the
expectations of government officials,
school principals, teachers and parents
about value education. All this was
crucial to developing a practical
model which could be adopted by the
governmental education system across
the country.
For its pilot project BJS selected Beed,
one of the most backward districts of
Maharashtra, located in the Marathwada
region. BJS formally sought permission
from the Beed Zilha Parishad (ZP) to
implement MV in all ZP-run primary
schools located in Asthi and Patoda
tehsils and some selected schools in
Kaij tehsil sans cost implications to the
ZP. In other words, BJS volunteered
to shoulder all responsibilities along
with the risks involved in the pilot
programme. Once permission was
granted by the Beed ZP the pilot was
launched (in 2009) and expanded over
the following years. Today, the project
is operational in 454 ZP-run primary
schools in Beed as well as in schools
of the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation,
which has around 35,000 enrolled
students. BJS has employed 270 MV
teachers in these schools. The teachers
are required to undergo a rigorous,
sixty-day induction training programme
covering the aim and approach of MV,
its curriculum and pedagogy before
going on to teach. Refresher teacher-
training programmes are conducted
during vacations while a personality
development module has been
designed for capacity enhancement. All
the teachers, most of whom happen to
be fresh D.Eds with no previous work
experience, belong to the project area.
Around 40% of the teachers are female.
In order to assess the impact of the
MV programme BJS invited external
experts to conduct independent
assessments. The assessments included
a report of the Cambridge University
Technical Services (CUTS) by Dr. David
Whitebread and Dr. Sanjana Mehta,
followed by a visit report based on a
field visit in February 2013; a quasi-
experimental study by Dr. Brian Flay
of the Oregon State University (USA)
who was assisted by Dr. Sushma
Jaswal; and a report on the evaluation
of Mulyavardhan by NCERT. All three
reports appreciated the positive impact
of the MV programme. The research
department BJS also conducted a study
titled “Integration of MV in Government
Schools.”
These studies inspected various aspects
like the level of acceptance of MV by
all stakeholders, their expectations
and observations regarding the
same, a comparison between schools
implementing MV and those not
implementing it, and the post-
implementation positive impact on
children’s behaviour. The feedback is
included in the Box (see below):
Teachers are required to
undergo a rigorous, 60-day
induction training programme

7
Speaking of the positive effects on
children 22 percent principals noticed
‘improved interpersonal relations’’
while 29 percent government teachers
observed ‘increased cooperation
amongst children”. Eighteen percent
principals mentioned that ‘disciplinary
related changes among children
had been reduced’ and 17 percent
government teachers mentioned
that the “children had become more
confident”.
According to a study conducted by
Dr. Brian Flay and Sushma Jaswal in
April 2013, MV teaching has “changed
the behaviours and attitudes of the
parents of the students since the
students talk to their parents about the
values they learn at school”. This is
among MV’s most striking successes.
Besides showcasing overwhelming
positive behavioural changes amongst
children MV has also brought about
other “desirable changes like increase
in school attendance, reduction in
dropout rates and children’s overall
motivation to learn” (observation
from Dr. David Whitebread and Dr.
Sanjana Mehta’s study). The quasi-
experimental study conducted by Dr.
Brain Flay measured MV’s effect by
‘percent relative improvement’ or RI to
aid in interpretation and comparison.
The study found that MV produced 28
percent relative improvements, which is
very good when compared to average
effect sizes for school-based socio-
emotional learning (SEL) programmes
(10 percent positive effect for social
positive behaviour and academic
performance, and about 20 percent for
specific SEL skills).
A well-known programme implemented
in the USA, Positive Action, has an
average RI of about 15, which is
considered moderate to large. Dr. Flay
remarked that MV shows high levels
of achievement, both in amount and
quality and compared to 15 percent RI
of Positive Action shows a significant
impact.
“Hundred percent government officials reported no resistance from any
•
stakeholder about MV and recommended that it should be adopted and run
by government.
Ninety three percent of principals noticed positive changes in students
•
since implementation of MV and felt that it had been effective in reducing
disciplinary problems and enhance attendance.
Both principals and government teachers (92%) recommended that MV
•
should be adopted and run by government.
Eighty two percent government teachers felt that attendance has been
•
improved since its implementation and 94% opined that MV is adding a new
dimension to education with high value.
Parents (99%) are in favor of MV and assert that it should be compulsory in
•
schools.”
(These findings are mentioned in Report on “Integration of Mulyavardhan in Government
Schools”, October, 2012)

8
Both CUTS and NCERT appreciated
MV for its sincere and honest efforts
towards nurturing values among
schools children, particularly in rural
areas. “Since positive changes observed
in children’s behaviour by various
stakeholders overlap considerably and
these changes occurred in the targeted
population in short span of time of
implementation, it tends to confirm
MV’s credibility for its training,
approach, implementation and thus
continuity and expansion of it for social
transformation”(concluding remark by Dr.
David Whitebread and Dr. Sanjana Mehta in
their “Impact Assessment Phase I” study.)
Based on assessment studies, its
experience, and feedback received
through MV implementation, BJS has
been moving towards adopting a whole
school approach to value education, as
recommended by NCERT (mentioned
in Education for Values in Schools-
A Framework (2012). Through this
effort BJS seeks to develop a model
of school-based value education that
will address a host of attitudinal and
behavioural problems exhibited by the
current generation of young learners
while preparing them for the role of
caring and responsible citizenship. The
BJS model can be adopted and adapted
by the government at national level
and by the various state governments
to deal with problems related to
children’s values and their adverse
effects on society. BJS hopes that its
pilot project will provide the much-
needed experience and expertise for
integrating value education in the
Indian school system.
IRMA Team wins the second prize in best summer project
competition organized by Rural Marketing Association of India
It was a proud moment for IRMA when six of our
participants - Prateek Bhatia, Sumedha Hiraji, Swati
Renduchintala, Tanuj Sharma, Tarana Agrawal,
Vinay Kumar Srivastava - won the RMAI Silver
Award for their project entitled “Rural Marketing
Plan on Female Condom”.
The Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI),
engaged in the cause of promoting rural marketing,
organized its seventh edition of “Ayurvet RMAI
Awards for the Best Summer Project in Rural Marketing” on September 21, 2013
at the India International Centre, New Delhi. Students, faculty, and corporate
executives participated in the well-attended event.
Top 10 entries were invited to RMAI”s Award Event for which students
showcased their presentations.
For more details, visit: https://www.irma.ac.in/istudent/achievements.
php?id=4

9
The first thing that strikes you about
Meghiben Ahir is her simplicity and
her frank, open smile. Looking at her it
is difficult to believe that she has been
joint nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize
won by the likes of Ellen Sirleaf, Barack
Obama, and Nelson Mandela. It was in
2005 that she was nominated along with
four other women from Kutch for this
prestigious award. Not being pipped
to the winning post, however, has not
dampened the spirit of this dauntless
woman who continues to work tirelessly
in the villages of Kutch and fight for the
betterment of the fairer sex.
What are your current areas of work?
Currently, I work with the fishermen of
the Mundra taluka, who reside along
the harbour areas. I am fighting for
their right to food security along with
the welfare and education of their
children. I had long realised that since
these fishermen lived along the coast
itself, they were separated from the
village and did not have access to the
facilities of the village like ration shops,
anganwadis, and so on. Besides, I am
also working to help more and more
women contest the Sarpanch elections
in their respective villages. I am helping
with their canvassing and hope to help
them win the post of the Sarpanch or at
least gain a Panchayat membership.
What inspired you to give up living for
yourself and work for social welfare?
I was married off at the tender age
of sixteen. I developed skin de-
Meghiben: A portrait of courage1
1 Bhavi Patel (PRM32). Currently associated with Pegasus Digital, Tiger Advertising, Vadodara; Email: brazenberry@
gmail.com
pigmentation soon afterwards and was
boycotted by society. Eventually, this
caused differences between my husband
and me and finally, a year after my
marriage, he gave me a divorce. I was
only seventeen years’ old and a divorcée
when I returned to my parents’ place.
I started doing clay-work as I didn’t
want to be a burden on my parents.
One day a literacy campaign was
launched in the village that was duly
attended by all my family members. I
couldn’t go as I had household chores
to attend to at the time. There was a
get together that night which I did
“I was married off at the
tender age of sixteen.
I developed skin de-
pigmentation soon
afterwards and was boycotted
by society. Eventually,
this caused differences
between my husband and
me and finally, a year after
my marriage, he gave me a
divorce.”
Meghiben at work

10
join, though, after which there was no
looking back. Soon afterwards training
sessions commenced at my maternal
uncle’s home as a part of that campaign;
I would attend these sessions regularly
and began enjoying them.
Then came a turning point in my life:
this was when I joined the newsletter
printing team of Kutch Mahila Vikas
Sangathan, which had just about been
launched. The newsletter team inspired
me a lot. It was at this point that my
conscience told me to take the plunge
into social work and that’s what I
did. I began formulating strategies to
extend the outreach of the newsletter
to include more women. I was also
doing embroidery work for Gurjari.
But each time I, along with other
women, would go to submit our work
and collect money, the person at the
counter would randomly cancel any
piece of our work and refuse to pay
us for our efforts. Believe it or not we
had to beg for what was rightfully ours.
This is what made me decide to stand
up for my rights and help other women
fight for theirs. I then began working
on printing cards and calendars, which
we would export to different countries.
Women involved in printing jobs was
something of a rarity those days. Then
came the massive earthquake of Gujarat
for which I did a lot of relief work and
went from house-to-house ensuring
that relief goods reached the people.
I have stopped my printing work
since that time. Since then I have been
working in the field, training myself in
legal aspects concerning women and
police stations and have been working
without stopping for the betterment of
women. I believe in being frank to the
point of bluntness and staying on top
of current affairs.
What are your views on the current
status of women in Kutch?
Women and children continue to be
exploited today. A lot of unfairness
is taking place in the name of society
and religion forcing people to kowtow
to unfair and exploitative diktats. It
is these unspoken rules that keep the
women downtrodden and suppressed.
I strongly believe that education is
the key that will help women rise
above their current status. Today, my
work area stretches way beyond the
boundaries of the state of Gujarat. I do
realise that societal norms, if broken all
at once, will create a huge disturbance
in society, thus ending up doing more
damage than good to the women.
Initially Mahila Mandal was not seen
in positive or respectable light. The
character of the women involved in it
was often silently questioned. However,
now our work is being admired by
everyone and we have gained respect
in the eyes of society. The idea is to
“Each time I, along with
other women, would go to
submit our work and collect
money, the person at the
counter would randomly
cancel any piece of our work
and refuse to pay us for our
efforts. Believe it or not we
had to beg for what was
rightfully ours. This is what
made me decide to stand up
for my rights and help other
women fight for theirs. I then
began working on printing
cards and calendars, which
we would export to different
countries. Women involved in
printing jobs was something
of a rarity those days.”

11
change societal norms one by one,
slowly; then perhaps change will be
possible to bring about.
What are your views on the extremely
low levels of education existing among
the people of Kutch?
The social structure and culture of
Kutch didn’t give enough importance to
education in the past. But I can proudly
say that whatever I have achieved in
my life today is partly owed to the little
education I’ve had. I believe that women
should start studying at least from the
time they turn five till they reach 20
years of age. Marriages shouldn’t take
place at a young age as this could lead
to lack of compatibility at a later age.
Also, the partners are not quite ready
for marriage at a young age. Education
is a must if Kutch wishes to rise.
Industrialization is rampant here yet
its benefits have not seeped down to
the people. In order for that to happen,
people will have to get educated.
What do you have to say about the
widespread malnourishment here?
This is also a by-product of the culture
prevailing at Kutch. Not having
grasped the importance of a balanced
diet most people eat only in order to
survive. It is not that they cannot afford
the nutrients, neither is it the case of
gender inequality leaving the women
malnourished, while men get all the
nourishment. It is just that the people
are not aware. For instance, most
households don’t make dal in their
homes, because it is not in their culture.
They will use pulses to make curries,
but they won’t eat dal every day.
Kutch has undergone rapid
industrialization post-earthquake.
How do you deem it to be in the
interest of Kutch?
Economic development is essential for
every nation, every state. But it should
never be at the cost of the people or
human development. Industries should
not harm traditional livelihoods of the
people involved, their lifestyles, their
livestock, their agriculture, and their
lands. Preference should be given to the
local people in the job market. Giving
jobs to outsiders takes away means of
earning from the local people and does
a lot of damage to society.
How do you feel about being a Nobel
Peace Prize nominee?
When the nomination came around I
didn’t even know about it. I was sick
and at home. There I was totally cut
off from all kind of news. It was later
when I saw my name and photo in the
newspaper that I realised the enormity
of the nomination. I am happy that my
work got recognised by an international
body at the international level. However,
not winning it has not dampened my
spirits. It has only inspired me to work
with even more zest, zeal, and energy.
“Women and children
continue to be exploited
today. A lot of unfairness
is taking place in the name
of society and religion
forcing people to kowtow
to unfair and exploitative
diktats. It is these unspoken
rules that keep the
women downtrodden and
suppressed. I strongly believe
that education is the key that
will help women rise above
their current status.”

12
Swatting a swarm of mosquitoes I made
my way into the kitchen, cursing under
my breath. Irrespective of climatic
conditions, mosquitoes have a way of
getting to me- literally. A memory
kicked in just as soon I began applying
turmeric paste and lime to the reddening
welts on my arms and legs which had
fallen victim to the dipterous attack.
A cousin studying medicine at a college
in Kolkata – known as Calcutta back
in those hoary times – shared a room
in the hostel with one Debuda, his
senior. Debuda was known for his
idiosyncrasies including drying his
clothes over a skipping rope, drinking
water out of a desiccated coconut skull
and roller-blading through Kolkata’s
sludgy traffic. But few instances to
beat the one in which Debuda returned
from a holiday with a mosquito net one
summer. And I am going to tell it like
my cousin did.
“But Debuda!” squeaked one of his
juniors, an earnest first-year medico,
“how on earth are going to sleep in
that?” Everybody looked to where he
was pointing. A hole, about the size of
a contact lens, was gawping from the
carefully ironed mosquito net. Another
aspiring doc, a well-meaning roomy
known for his meticulousness, handed
over a threaded needle sans delay.
The invitation to seam the vacuity was
turned down just as promptly. “Too
tired,” said Debuda, tucking in the net
with hole intact.
A late riser Debuda was the first to
spring from his bed. The rest, long
accustomed to his snoring, woke up to
his swearing.
“Those bloody blood-suckers!” the
swearing too was a matter of habit,
“didn’t let me sleep all night. Well,
I’ll get even.” So saying Debuda rolled
over in a bid to catch up with much-
needed sleep, missing his classes in the
bargain.
Teaching mosquitoes a lesson1
1 Indrani Talukdar, Editor, Institute of Rural Management, Anand; Email: indrani@irma.ac.in
“But Debuda!” squeaked one
of his juniors, an earnest first-
year medico, “how on earth
are going to sleep in that?”
Everybody looked to where he
was pointing. A hole, about
the size of a contact lens, was
gawping from the carefully
ironed mosquito net
Come evening and the
mosquitoes began humming
their irritating ditty, forming
pyramadic clouds on human
heads. Debuda was fingering
the mosquito net so lovingly
packed by his mother, perfect
in its creases and folds and
practically seamless save for
that innocuous-looking gap
near the summit

13
Come evening and the mosquitoes
began humming their irritating ditty,
forming pyramadic clouds on human
heads. Debuda was fingering the
mosquito net so lovingly packed by
Debuda was known for his
idiosyncrasies including
drying his clothes over a
skipping rope, drinking water
out of a desiccated coconut
skull and roller-blading
through Kolkata’s sludgy
traffic. But few instances to
beat the one in which Debuda
returned from a holiday with
a mosquito net one summer
his mother, perfect in its creases and
folds and practically seamless save for
that innocuous-looking gap near the
summit.
Instead of stitching the hole, however,
Debuda was punching another one
alongside. All heads in the room turned
to the sound of rustling paper.
“And what exactly are you doing?”
Rolling up a newspaper like a tunnel
Debuda concentratedly joined the two
holes on the net.
Then he looked up and grinned:
“What am I doing? Teaching the
mosquitoes a lesson, of course!”
Remembering Dr. Kurien on his first Death Anniversary
IRMA fondly remembered Dr V. Kurien on his first death anniversary
on Sep 9,2013. A get-together of faculty members and students was
organized on Monday evening with lighting of candles near the Amul
Carillon Chimes followed by speeches from Professor Debiprasad Mishra
and Professor K V Raju.

14
As the bus trundled into a
corner before sputtering to
a stop our apprehensions
grew. Our second village
stay, an unavoidable and
inexorable destiny. As I
looked out towards the
dust-laden landscape I
couldn’t help thinking
back to my first stay in
a village. Visions kept
rising and falling of
sleeping inside a barn and
being knocked about by
domestic animals; of having
to use open fields as toilets never mind
the incessant downpour; of mosquito-
bitten sleepless nights sans electricity...
Try as I might, I could not rid the brain
of these gory images. Not that it would
have done me much good- blocking the
images, I mean.
So here we were, two IRMA participants,
in another tribal village of Gujarat
bordering Madhya Pradesh. And, may I
add, fearing the worst. Never mind that
the executives of the host organization,
NM Sadguru Water and Development
Foundation, which had sent us on this
assignment, had done their best to try
and quell our combined dread, without
much success, I am afraid.
But soon all that was about to change.
Being led to my host’s house – a
kindly tribal couple – I was pleasantly
surprised with the lovely mango
groves surrounding the house which, I
discovered to my delight, had a toilet. I
regret to add, though, that this was the
only house in the village with sanitation
facilities.
Our hosts, Mr. And Mrs. Nalvaya,
were extremely kind and hospitable
who made us feel at home right away.
A slice of the pastoral1
A PRM participant’s first person account of her fieldwork experience
1 Parnika Tripathi (PRM 33); E-mail: p33034@irma.ac.in
Our hosts, Mr. And Mrs.
Nalvaya, were extremely kind
and hospitable who made
us feel at home right away.
The warmth exuded by Mrs.
Nalvaya through her “hello”
was enough to set us at ease
Fieldwork proved an experience of a lifetime

15
We exhaled with relief for the first
time that day. The warmth exuded by
Mrs. Nalvaya through her “hello” was
enough to set us at ease. We learnt
later what a chatterbox she was, who
loved to fill us in with gossip about her
neighbours. Not that we minded for it
(or at least some of it) provided useful
fodder for our research.
Interacting around the village
annihilated some deeply ingrained
stereotypes. We had expected the
villagers to be dirty and unkempt,
which was far from the truth. We were
pleasantly surprised with the sights and
sounds greeting our senses.
But not everything was picture
perfect.
We came across grinding poverty and
rampant alcoholism prevalent amongst
men and children, especially during
festivals like Diwali. The women of
the village seemed acutely aware of
the problem and were bothered by
it. We also realized that we were in a
notorious dacoity belt with men robbing
commuters and passersby. Most people
lived in tiny mud houses crammed into
a small space.
To an extent, we were gratified to
learn about the proactive role being
played by self help groups (SHGs) in
the region. The SHGs seemed to have
transformed the lives of the village
women in a major way. Women who
were covering their heads in deference
to their elders, for instance, were no
longer doing so. Some of them were
holding important positions in the
SHGs and were aware of the influence
they wielded in society.
What I took away from the village was
a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for all
that I have and all that the experience
inspired me to achieve. Today, I am
thankful to my field experience for
having taught me the importance of
rising above petty needs and wishes
and being thankful for the abundance
that is mine. I couldn’t have asked for
more.
The SHGs have transformed
the lives of the village women
in a major way. Women who
were covering their heads
in deference to their elders,
for instance, were no longer
doing so. Some of them were
holding important positions
in the SHGs and were aware
of the influence they wielded
in society
Interacting around the village
annihilated some deeply
ingrained stereotypes. We
had expected the villagers to
be dirty and unkempt, which
was far from the truth. We
were pleasantly surprised
with the sights and sounds
greeting our senses

16
Dear Alumni,
Greetings from IRMA!
We bring to you the most awaited and
the most talked about networking portal
for IRMA alumni:- ALMACONNECT
(www.irma.almaconnect.com). A feature
rich and contemporary portal that will
surely help improve institute-alumni
relationship.
We’ll be using the portal to keep all of
you updated on the direction the institute
is going in (academically and culturally),
inviting our alumni for events, guest
lectures and meetups (of course) and
a lot more to boost alumni-institute
interactions.
PLEASE NOTE:
A. Current location & organization of
each and every alumni is available.
B. You can easily search people using
powerful filters and send a message
to any selected set of people.
C. You can select what ‘Discussion
Groups’ you want to be a part of and
receive only relevant information
based on them.
A few quick pointers on some ways you
can use this platform:
Looking for information on some
-
company? Ask the people in that
company who are part of the
network.
Have a job opening for freshers/2-
-
year experienced person in your
company? Get applications for
referrals and quality ones too.
Were you the Mr Fresher of your
-
batch? Relive those memories of
Sangam, Sangharsh, Abhivyakti
........ with pictures (crowd sourced)
uploaded in Memories.
Planning for a meet up? Invite all
-
alums through creation of an event.
The list is endless!
Mr. Gambhirbhai Vasava , TAU
department passed away on 26th
August, 2013 due to a massive
heart attack.
Gambhirbhai had been working
in the Teaching Aid Unit (TAU)
since IRMA’s inception and
was to retire from IRMA within
a year. He was a very hard
working and sincere employee.
He was always polite in his
dealings and maintained his
composure even in the wake of
adverse circumstances. He had
a silent demeanour, and allowed
his work to speak for him. He
is survived by his wife and four
children. He will forever be
remembered fondly by one and
all. IRMA community offers
heartfelt tribute to the departed
soul.
Obituary

17
General management programme
(January 6-25, 2014)
This three-week long intensive
programme is designed to meet the
needs of managerial personnel working
in middle management positions in co-
operatives, public sector undertakings,
and government organizations.
Hundreds of middle and senior level
managers from co-operatives engaged
in rural development work have been
trained in many GMPs conducted
so far. Today’s global economy calls
for multifaceted leaders who have a
more holistic view of their operations,
who can spot emerging opportunities,
and who can navigate all economic
environments. In response, GMP helps
participants master new skills, explore
diverse perspectives, and develop new
leadership styles- transforming them
into outstanding business leaders who
can lead their organizations with new
skills, judgment, and confidence.
The GMP provides a set of
management and leadership skills
enabling managers to complete their
roles and responsibilities. This will be
appropriate for those with operational
or technical backgrounds who now find
they are managing others. It can also be
excellent training for newly promoted
staff, as well as a valuable resource
for the more experienced manager.
Experiences from India and abroad
suggest that short duration management
programmes, such as the GMP, make
such mid-career transitions smoother
and purposeful. Such programmes
also equip professionals with tools
for pursuing their professional and
personal growth in the context of
changing organization priorities, needs,
and objectives with renewed vigour.
What GMP Can Offer
The GMP focuses on developing
managerial capabilities, leadership
qualities, and the communication
skills of participants. The design,
approach, and learning material used
in the programme broadly reflects
IRMA’s belief that providing control
to the rural people over resources and
technologies for development through
member-governed organizations is
the most potent instrument of rural
development. The learning methods
include lectures, seminars, action
planning workshops, and interaction
with visiting scholars and managers.
Much emphasis is laid on exposure
to simple but effective concepts and
techniques constituting the core of
general management education. At the
same time, participants are provided
with managerial tools and methods to
further their competence in the area of
their specialization.
A professional considering
•
participation in the GMP may
expect following benefits:
A broadened perspective of the
•
formal organization as an integrated
social system and the role of a
manager in such a system

18
An increase in managerial
•
competence and skills in ones
functional area
An improvement in written and
•
oral communication skills
Strengthening of one’s operational
•
planning skills and competencies
An improvement in interpersonal
•
skills to work as an effective team
member
Appreciation of the inter-relation-
•
ships between organizational per-
formance and larger social goals
Participants are likely to return to their
organizations with analytical skills
needed to identify, frame, and solve
complex problems, the confidence
needed to make important decisions,
and the leadership skills needed to drive
fundamental change in an uncertain
world. In short, this programme is
designed to maximize the impact a
participant makes when he or she gets
back to work.
Contents
The programme is divided into three
phases, each focusing on a separate
theme. The phases are sequential and
each phase builds progressively on the
learning that takes place during the
earlier phase.
The first phase focuses on understanding
the social and political contexts, and
developing basic analytical techniques
for data analysis and problem solving,
providing competence to understand
self and others, strengthening the
communication skills, and exposure
to the use of personal computers. The
second phase focuses on exposing
participants to all functional areas
of rural management with a view to
acquainting them with the basics of these
areas and to enable them to appreciate
the role of each of these functions in the
overall management of co-operatives.
The third phase is essentially integrating
the two previous phases. It focuses on
enabling participants to use concepts,
techniques, and skills learned during
the first two phases to understand the
functioning of an organization as a
whole.
Participants
The GMP is designed for middle-
level executives from co-operatives,
public sector undertakings (PSUs), and
government organizations who are
likely to move into general management
positions in the near future. Sponsoring
organizations may keep this point in
view while nominating executives for
the programme. Since the language of
instruction is English, participants must
have a reasonable knowledge of English
to handle the reading assignments, case
analyses, and class discussions.
For more details, please contact:
Executive (Programmes)
Email: oliver@irma.ac.in
Mobile: +91-7567448244

19
FACULTY
Recent Faculty Additions to the IRMA Family:
Dr. Hari K. Nagarajan joined IRMA as Professor and RBI Chair in Rural Economics.
Prior to this, he was Senior Fellow at the National Council for Applied Economic
research (NCAER), New Delhi. He holds a PhD in economics from the University
of Oklahoma, Norman. He has also taught at the Indian Institute of Management
(IIM), Bangalore and, at The University of Oklahoma, Norman.
His research has primarily been in the area of rural development within which
he has published papers on land markets, land reforms, inheritance, and, price
formation in agricultural markets. Dr. Nagarajan’s publications have appeared
in journals including the European Economic Review, Journal Human resources,
Journal of Development Studies, World Development, Agricultural Economics,
and the Economic and Political Weekly among others. He is a regular referee
for Economic development and Cultural Change (EDCC) and the Journal of
Development Studies.
Dr. Nagarajan has also been a consultant to the IFAD, the World Bank, and SEBI.
He has raised grants of over $ 4.5 million from agencies such as the NIH, IDRC,
IFAD, and the DFID. Currently Dr. Nagarajan is in the process of initiating a multi-
year collaborative research program on measuring the outcomes of MGNREGS,
with grants from MORD, IDRC, and the DIE (Bonn). Researchers from DIE (Bonn),
IDS, World Bank, Gandhi Gram Rural Institute will also be involved. His teaching
interests are related to economic development, and applied microeconomic theory.
He has taught History of Economic Thought, Comparative Economic Systems,
Game Theory, Open Economy Macroeconomics, and Applied Econometrics.
Dr. Indranil De is working as Assistant Professor since July 2013 in the area of
Social Sciences with secondary membership in the area of Economics. His areas of
interest are delivery of basic services, local governance and rural development. Prior
to joining IRMA he worked as Assistant Professor of Economics in BITS Pilani - K.
K. Birla Goa Campus from January 2012. He taught courses like Microeconomics,
Econometrics and Project Appraisal. He also worked as Assistant Professor with
International Management Institute-Kolkata for a brief period. He has been
awarded Ph.D degree from the Centre for the Study of Regional Development,
School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in 2008. His
title of dissertation was “Fiscal Decentralisation and Access to Basic Services in
Rural India with Reference to Water Supply and Sanitation in West Bengal?”.
He was awarded an M.Phil degree from the same university in 2003. His title of
dissertation in M.Phil was “Water Resource Management in India with Special
Reference to Major and Medium Irrigation Systems”. Dr. De has also worked for
more than four years with renowned research institutions and important projects.
He has worked with National Council of Applied Economic Research and Indian
IRMA NEWS

20
Council for Research in International Economic Relations. His research work has
mainly addressed the socio-economic developmental issues and related government
policies. He has also worked with the industry for three-and- a-half years. In his
capacity as Assistant Manager in HSBC Technology and Services he has contributed
to Propensity Modeling and Marketing Mix Modeling.
Dr. Monark Bag joined IRMA as Assistant Professor. He holds a Ph.D in Engineering,
an MBA in Information Technology Management, and a B.Tech in Computer Science
and Engineering. He was received “UGC Meritorious Fellowship” for his doctoral
research entitled “An Expert System for Control Chart Pattern Recognition.”He is
engaged in teaching and research. Prior to joining IRMA, he was a faculty member
at IMT Ghaziabad and Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad in
the Operations Management area. His research interest includes expert system,
control chart pattern recognition, quality control, optimization techniques and
intrusion detection systems. He has published many papers in reputed journals,
conferences and book chapters. He had been awarded the best research paper award
consecutively three years from Society of Operations Management during their
annual international conference at IIT Madras, NITIE Mumbai and IIM Calcutta.
He is a regular reviewer of various reputed international journals like Computers
and Industrial Engineering (Elsevier), European Journal of Operational Research
(Elsevier), Decision Science (Wiley), Journal of the Operational Research Society UK
(Palgrave Macmillan) etc. He has taught various operations management courses
like Operations and Supply chain Management, Total Quality Management and Six
Sigma, Service Operations Management, Procurement Management and e-logistics,
Quantitative Decision Models etc.
Dr. Shyam Singh joined IRMA as an Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences
area. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Institute for Social and
Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. His research interests include: governance
and development, social policy, social exclusion and caste and village politics. He
has published widely on issues like politics of public policy, governance (urban &
rural), social services and social exclusion. He has nearly four years of experience
in research and teaching.
PUBLICATIONS
Misra, Harekrishna and Raju, K V, (2013), “E-Governance Services For Sustaınable
Lıvelıhoods: MDGs Based Assessment”, International Journal of eBusiness
and eGovernment Studies, Vol 5 no 1, 2013, July, Izmir, Turkey.
Kumar Rajesh and Madhavi Harshadrai Mehta (2013), “Leadership: Concept
and Context; Chapter 9 in Culture and Gender in Leadership: Perspectives
from the Middle East and Asia”, Edited by James Rajasekar and Loo-See
Beh, Palgrave Macmillan.
Raju, K V and, Harekrishna Misra, (2013),”E-Business And Pro-Producer Rural
Enterprises: Value Chain Based Assessment”, International Journal of
eBusiness and eGovernment Studies, Vol 5 no 1 2013, July, Izmir, Turkey.

21
Shylendra, H.S. (2013 Forthcoming), “Microfinance and the Cooperatives in India:
Can the Poor Gain from their Coming Together?” International Journal of
Rural Management, October 9(2), 151–181.
Shylendra, H.S. (2013), “Dairying as an Instrument of Inclusive Rural Development”,
Indian DiaryMan, April 2013, 113-15.
Conference/Seminar/Workshops
Prof. Anand Venkatesh (Co-authored with Prof. Ila Patel and Prof. Preeti Priya)
presented a paper on ‘Impact of Industrialisation in Rural Areas: A Study of
Mundra Taluka in Kutch’ in the workshop “IDRC | TTI Workshop on Rural
Urban Transformation” organized by IRMA and PAC on August 29- 30.
Prof. H.S. Shylendra presented a paper on ‘Role of PACS as BCs and Implications
for Financial Inclusion’ in the Second International Workshop on Inclusive
Finance conducted at XLRI Jamshedpur during September 13-15.
_____participated in ‘Gramodaya - A Workshop on Integral and Inclusive Education’
at Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry held during July 29-30..
_____ delivered a Talk on ‘In Pursuit of Excellence in Research’ at Amrita School
of Business, Coimbatore on 5 July.
Prof. Ila Patel presented a paper titled: ‘Impact of Industrialisation in Rural Areas:
A Study of Zarpara Village in Mundra Taluka of Kutch’ in the workshop
“IDRC | TTI Workshop on Rural Urban Transformation” organized by
IRMA and PAC on August 29- 30.
Prof. Preeti Priya (co-authored with Prof. S N Biswas and Prof. Anand
Venkatesh) made a paper presentation on ‘Assessment of Subjective
Well- Being in Rural India | Implications for Development Practice’ in
the workshop “IDRC | TTI Workshop on Rural Urban Transformation”
organized by IRMA and PAC on August 29- 30..
Prof. Pramod K Singh conducted an International Conference on ‘Pathways to
Climate Resilient Livelihoods in Himalayan River Basins’, which was
organized by the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in association
with International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) – Austria,
Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) – Pakistan, and Young Power
in Social Action (YPSA) – Bangladesh, August 1–2 in New Delhi.
Prof. Pramod K Singh participated in a workshop on Land Governance Assessment
Framework (LGAF), which was organized jointly by the Institute of Rural
Management Anand (IRMA) and the World Bank, held at IRMA, August
20–22.

22
Prof. Rakesh Saxena presented a paper on ‘Need for Green Growth in Production
of Electricity in India’ at 15th
World Congress on Environment Management
(Theme: Driving Green Economy for Sustainable Development and Inclusive
Growth) organized by the Institute of Directors, New Delhi, July 19-20.
Other Engagements
Prof. H.S. Shylendra was nominated as member of committee of Babasaheb Bhimrao
Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow, to assess the APIs/specialization
for the selection of the posts for Associate Professors/Professors, 29th
September 2013.
Prof. H.S. Shylendra nominated as external examiner of a Ph.D thesis by Gujarat
Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad, July 2013.
Prof. Jeemol Unni attended a Conference on “Pathways for Climate Resilient
Livelihoods in Himalayan River Basins” under IDRC-CARIAA at Delhi,
August 1-2, 2013.
Prof. Jeemol Unni attended the Inception Meeting for the South Asia Policy
Engagement and Communication (PEC) programme as part of the Think
Tank Initiative, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) at
Bangkok, September 26-27, 2013.
Prof. Preeti Priya from Marketing Area was one of the sixteen Scholars in Marketing
selected this year for the 2nd Biennial Sheth Emerging Scholars Faculty
Consortium organised by the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS). It was
held on July 16, 2013 in the Monash University Law Offices, Melbourne,
Australia in conjunction with the AMS Annual World Marketing Congress
(WMC) during July 17-19, 2013.
Prof. Rakesh Saxena facilitated Naranpur Express simulation game at KIIT School
of Rural Management (KSRM), Bhubaneswar, as a part of the induction
programme for MBA (Rural Management) students on July 26.
Prof. Rakesh Saxena attended the release function of the India Rural Development
Report 2012/13 at New Delhi on 26th
September 2013. The report has been
prepared by the IDFC Rural Development Network of which IRMA is a
partner institution. The report was released by the chief guest- Shri Jairam
Ramesh, Minister of Rural Development.
Research Projects
Prof. Pramod K Singh commenced a sub-nation-wide study on ‘Sustaining and
Improving Rural Livelihoods through Adaptive Approaches’ in collaboration with
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria,
National School of Hydrology, IIT Roorkee, and Centre for Water Resources
Development and Management, Kozhikode, Kerala.

23
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES (MDPs)
Off-Campus MDPs
Title of the Programme Dates Coordinator(s) Host Place
Training for Board of Directors Sep 1, 2013 Prof. Hitesh Bhatt Trivandrum Milk
Union
Trivandrum
Finance for Senior Executives Sep 2-3, 2013 Prof. Paresh J. Bhatt
Prof. Asmita H. Vyas
IFFCO Kalol
Leadership and Team Building Sep 18-19, 2013 Prof. SN Biswas IFFCO Kalol
Training Programme Sep 18-19,, 2013 Prof. Hitesh Bhatt LNJB Group of
Companies
Bhilwara
Training Programme Sep 20-21, 2013 Prof. Hitesh Bhatt LNJB Group of
Companies
Bhilwara
Process Quality Management Sep 23-24, 2013 Prof. Hitesh Bhatt IFFCO Kalol
Leadership Sep 27, 2013 Prof. Madhavi Mehta Kaira District
Cooperative Milk
Producers’ Union Ltd.
Anand
On-Campus MDPs
Title of the Programme Dates Co-ordinator(s)
Developing Leadership Skills for REST, Ethiopia Jul 15-18, 2013 Madhavi Mehta
Project Management for REST, Ethiopia Jul 19-23, 2013 Hitesh Bhatt
PERT/CPM Techniques Jul 18-19, 2013 Girish K. Agrawal
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Jul 29 – Aug 1, 2013 Girish K. Agrawal
Project Management for REST, Ethiopia Jul 29 – Aug 1, 2013 Hitesh Bhatt
Developing Leadership Skills for REST, Ethiopia Aug 2-6, 2013 Madhavi Mehta
Integrated Watershed Management and Collective
Enterprises
Aug 19-23, 2013 KV Raju
Harekrishna Misra
Developing Training Modules for Employees and Training
of Trainers
Sep 3-6, 2013 Hitesh Bhatt
Social Mobilization and Sustainable Development Sep 9-14, 2013 KV Raju
Practical Answers to Poverty – Marketing of Rural Products Sep 10-12, 2013 Preeti Priya
Causing Incredible Performance Sep 11-13, 2013 C Balaji
Hitesh Bhatt
Value Chain Management in Rural Enterprises Sep 16-18, 2013 Harekrishna Misra
KV Raju
Performance Management System Sep 17-20, 2013 Madhavi Mehta
A Primer on Management of Cooperative based Organic Farming
Enterprises for Farmers
Sep 18-20, 2013 Preeti Priya
Logistics Approach to Supply Chain Management Sep 25-27, 2013 MV Durga Prasad

24
IRMA Seminars
Prof. Shashikant Kumar, School of Planning, Bhaikaka Centre for Human
Settlement, APIED, VV Nagar, “Nature of Urban Development in Anand UA
and Challenges for planners” on July 24.
Prof. Andrew Foster, Professor, Brown University, USA, “Democratization and
Economic Development in Indian Villages” on August 23.
Dr. Margaret Weidner, Fulbright Scholar, “Impact of Ecological Imbalances in High
Himalayas” on August 26.
Dr Sharit K Bhowmik, TISS, Mumbai, “Informal Labour in India: Dimensions and
Consequences” on August 28.
Prof. Ananta Kumar Giri, Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai,
“Practical Spirituality and Human Development” on September 02.
Prof. Damodar Suar, IIT, Kharagpur, “Application of Structural Equation Modeling
in Management and Social Science” on September 26.
Mr. N T Sudarshan Naidu, FPRM-5, “Managing Buyer-Seller Relationships in
Contract Farming” (Thesis Seminar) on October 10.
Visitors to IRMA
During the quarter of July-September 2013 IRMA received around 300 visitors. Most
of these visitors were from different higher education institutions of the country.
These institutions were: Dept. of Social Work, St. Joseph’s College, Pilathara,
Kannur, Kerala; Shri Venkateshwara Vet. University, AP; V G Vaze College of
Arts, Science and Commerce. Mulund (East); Gandhiji Study Centre, Kerala; Sri Sri
University, Cuttack; TN Agriculture University, Coimbatore; Poornima Group of
College, Dept. of Management Studies, Jaipur; and K J Somaya college, Mumbai.
Apart from students working professionals and managers from the following
organizations also visited IRMA: Dairy Development Authority, Ministry of
Agri. Govt. of Uganda; Employment Generation and Marketing Mission (EGCC),
Dept. of Rural Development, Govt. of AP; ATMA, Raipur, Madhya Pradesh; and
Ambassador of Colombia to India.
IDRC-TTI Working Paper
THE SERVICE SECTOR GROWTH AND URBAN CONSUMPTION
Atulan Guha
The GDP growth structure of India has been dominated by growth in the service
sector. Baumolian theories argue that higher productivity in services is the prime
mover behind this growth pattern. The Kaldorian theories, on the other hand,
argue that the service sector or IT sector with its strong linkages with the rest
of the economy, have been driving the growth. This paper argues that none of
these two theories explain the Indian growth structure. The demand pattern, which
is independent of the production structure, is the key factor responsible for this
growth pattern. This demand pattern has arisen primarily out of external demand
and increasing income inequality.
Key Words: Growth, Manufacturing and Service Industries, inequality

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