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[email protected] Today's topics: * Uniting and Rejunvenating BM - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/82c5b0087e6ac46d?hl=en * BM Centre Establishment Trust - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/2da5c7735ff0cb03?hl=en * Fwd: [Aid-awareness] After dams and privatization of water, World Bank now selling knowledge? - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/d680f612d540ab3f?hl=en ============================================================================== TOPIC: Uniting and Rejunvenating BM http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/82c5b0087e6ac46d?hl=en ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Oct 16 2007 8:44 pm From: "Ravi Kant Pathak" Dear Brothers and Sisters, vandemaatram! Once upon a time I was member of BM_USA chapter. then I moved to India in January 2007. However, I am in Hong Kong right now and I will back in India next year. I will be serving IIT Delhi as Asst. Professor. In last nine months, I was touring India (for first five months) and trying to initiate the first BM centre in my own village. This centre (ashram) will ceaselessly work for the rise of that village. I strongly believe that without reviving our village economy, India can not become a great nation again. recently there were many articles about it posted by our members on the group. Is that enough? we talk about freedom fighters, farmers coming suicide etc. what we do?? Nothing!! In our daily routine life inertia pulls us back from actions. at the end of the day, if we find time to read an article about our country , we feel charged up and we feel we have contributed to the country by loving it. we all love our country. we feel so much emotional, then what we do?? please go through a self-analysis. what stops us?? Let us rejuvenate ourselves and contribute everyday. I urge all BM members to do something everyday for our motherland India. Please do something to spread the nationalism around you. we need people to save this great nation. how many of us are saving atleast Rs.5/day for India? how many of us search like minded people every day around us? we an army of patriots under the umbrella of bharat Uday Mission, do we do anything worth to this great nation. when I say so I am not talking in air. I possess passion for my country, and eventually i am ready to give my entire life for my motherland, but I need people to support my path; morally/spiritually, physically and economically. If we want to achieve goals we set before us, we need to go every village and study their problems and find solutions for them. for that we shall need initially huge infrastruture to create self-sustianing centres in the village. to do so, we shall need financial contributions from each one of us. Here I am talking about at least a million dollar budget. how should we go ahead. who will donate? what righteous means means we shall have to earn that amount of money? and how long it will take? This is time to make commitment and strive to fulfill them; this time to be generous and courageous to take decisions to contribute to the nation. I pledge for the followings: 1) I commit to donate one million Rs. for the cause ( I will donate equivant worth land to establish these centre). Infact I have already initiated the work). My parents are working day and night to establish the centre (karmayogi ashram). I have already invested quater million Rs. in the ashram. 2) I commit to strive day and night to approach people who can donate for establishing these centres in different village. I will approach local industialists, Govt. organization, non-govt. organizations in this nation building projects. everyone should be involved; thus only we cna create an environment/atmosphere of national service. if you want more information about these projects please write me. 3) I will physically work in the construction of these centre. I will lead the ideological team of this project and I pledge to work as a manual laborer in this nation building mission. 4) I take responsibility of every penny donated for the mission and all finacial integrety will be maintianed. 5) I will start a BM hong kong chapter soon and unite Indians here. 6) I will also pray GOD to help us our BM endeavors!! what is expected from BM India: 1) at least 50 members who can donate Rs. 25000for the cause 2) atleast 100 member who can donate Rs.$11000 for the cause 3) atleast 1000 members who can donate atleast Rs.$ 1000 for the cause 4) atleast 5 members who can give their time and idea in the development of these centres. 5) Few members to find time to come India and take up some responsibility of development Please search your heart and if you find purity and appeal in the above mail please act! let get rechagre for the work and let us do something worht in our lives. jai hind! satyamev jayate!! Ravi kant HONG KONG 852-27199005 (home) 852-95712014. (cell - borrowed from gayathri for while:)) ============================================================================== TOPIC: BM Centre Establishment Trust http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/2da5c7735ff0cb03?hl=en ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Oct 16 2007 8:45 pm From: "Ravi Kant Pathak" Dear Brothers and sisters, vandemaatram! Few days ago I wrote you an email regarding uniting and rejuvenating BM. I am sending you a detailed proposal for the establishment of BM centres on the ground. To do so we need to create a BM Centre Establishment fund. I request people to come forward to activiely participate in the planning and execution of real national building work on the ground. Please see the detailed proposal below: *Bharat Uday Karmayogi Ashram (BM centre) Project * *Introduction* Bharat Uday Mission is a unique organization which pledges for the rise of India as great nation in all respect; economically, socially, politically and spiritually developed country. The core ideology of the mission is based on truth and non-violence and the mission is guided by the spirit of service and renunciation. The mission will use all means, social, economic, political and spiritual, to revamp the whole nation (restore the dharma of the land). The mission is an experiment with truth to test the power of spirit (truth triumphs: Satyamev Jayate). This is a movement initiated by the spirited youth of India. This is a political movement: to achieve the political power only through social service and only for the social service. This is a social movement to awaken the citizens of the nation to realize that 'society come first'. This is a spiritual movement: to establish the righteous path (dharma of the land) in the society. This is a movement of the people, for the people and by the people, who love India. This movement is a huge political experiment, where the meaning of politics will be redefined and only those would be called politician, who would be courageous, wise educated, compassionate and spiritually vibrant citizens of the country, e.g. Mahatma Gandhi. At this point of time, this movement is being taken ahead by youth patriots. However, these patriots hardly know how to serve effectively. So they are learning how to serve and emerge as purified leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, this movement would be led by its spiritually awakened fulltime servants in near future. This mission always looks forward such people joining the movement and become life long compatriots. This mission is a second freedom struggle of India and it is expected that in this struggle to make India corruption free, caste-free, poverty-free and ignorance-free, many people will give their all for the nation. This mission is a nation building project. Therefore, Bharat Uday Mission must have infrastructure that can sustain its growth and deliver its service to the nation effectively. The mission would need self-sustaining infrastructure to sustain the passion of the movement, support the its social and political endeavors, its fulltimers and their spiritual growth. To make this organization saattvic and pure, the mission must have a strict discipline and code of conduct; e.g. its social and political projects should be principle oriented, but not goal oriented; they should be environmental friendly and must promote the rise of life supporting forces, in general. Bharat Uday Mission is still limited to groups of informal patriots, though we have a constitution and organizational structure. However, this is just necessary but not sufficient. The mission needs its self-sustaining centers on the ground and its members must begin to live a public life. In one hand, to live a public life for its members is very essential for the success of such socio-political movement. On the other hand, it is not easy to do so, because public does not accept everyone without a social identity. So it is imperative to build a social character of the mission. To do so we need concrete things on the ground: 1) Economically self-sustaining system; 2) People with high characters; 3) Clear vision and road map of social service. Therefore, I am proposing a saattvic strategy to establish BM centers that will effectively support all its endeavors. Since I am going to take responsible role in the establishment of BM centers in the villages of India, it is essential for everyone to know about me. * * * * *About me:* *My spiri-:* My name is Ravi Kant. I joined the mission in May 2005, at its inception. I felt so much motivated by the mission's ideology and vision that I committed to give my whole life to the mission. I plan to become a fulltimer in 2011-12. Meanwhile I am consciously trying to stand up to the mission's ideals and learn how to serve effectively. I am striving day and night for self-purification and imbibe the spirit of service and renunciation completely. I wish to become a rock-solid and faithful soldier of the mission. Therefore, I am struggling to walk on the path of truth and non-violence. I am trying to adopt Gandhian living and I struggling every moment to adhere to his principles: 1) truth, 2) non-violence, 3) celibacy 4) non-possession, 5) non-stealing, 6) bread labor, 7) love for all religions, 8) Swadeshi 9) fearlessness, 10) palate control 11) un-touchability/caste-free society. That is the way of my spiritual sadhana. I strongly believe that without a high spiritual energy no one can sustain effective social service vocation in long run. Failures of many NGOs and individuals are due to lack of spiritual energy. *My background-* I was born on 3rd October 1973 in a poor family. The native place of my father is a village (Jaunra) in the Jhansi district of U.P . (India). My mother comes from a village (Chheri Basayak) in Hamirpur district U.P. (India). At both the villages, I have parental property. My mother comes from a relatively well off family. Since, my mother was the only child of her parents; she got 25 acres of land in legacy in her village. So now my parents live there. I am a married and we (me and my wife) have a three years old daughter. *My education and profession-* I received my formal primary education in my villages. Later, I was sponsored by Govt. India to study in the league of Indian Public Schools. Later I was fortunate enough to study in IIT Bombay. I received my undergraduate degree in Chem Engg. from IIT Bombay . Got PhD from Hong Kong and did postdoctoral research from Carnegie Mellon University, PGH, USA. Recently, I am offered an appointment as an asst. Professor in the department of Chemical and centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi. At present, I am in Hong Kong for an academic assignment. *My social service experience and contributions to the Mission-* I initiated BM USA and Pittsburgh chapter in 2005. I Worked with Association for India's Development, Pittsburgh chapter. Organized BM USA meet in 2006. Constantly worked to sustain the work of the mission in USA and try to spread the spirit of nationalism and find more like minded Indians in USA. I returned to India in January 2007. For nine months, I was either touring India or working for the establishment of the first BM centre. My family has provided me 20 acres of land for a BM centre (Bharat Uday Karmayogi Ashram) in my village. I have completed the first phase of the BM centre (karmayogi ashram) in Sept 2007. In total, I donated around Rs. 300, 000 (three lakh Rs.) for this work and single handedly managed to initiate the first centre of the mission. The following infrastructure in the 6 acres of land was created: 1) Fencing of the land 2) Water supply facility- machinery, tubewell, water tank of 15000 lt capacity. 3) Construction of work place and ashram housing 4) 1300 fruit/wood trees were planted 5) Employment to local people was provided and we used local resources to benefit the local vendors/farmers etc. *WHY WE NEED BM CENTRES:* 1. To generate funds for all BM endeavors in that area and create a self-sustaining mission. 2. To provide home/base to the BM social-cum-political activists/servants/saints/workers or any activist who contributes to the nation building. 3. To support the livelihood of BM full-timers 4. To provide/create employment to local villages/people around the centre 5. To adopt one or more villages and make it self-sufficient /developed in all respect 6. To bring thought revolution by creating knowledge units at the BM centres *THE ROAD MAP* The road map for establishment of a BM centre - following step will be followed: 1. Procuring abandoned/infertile/waste/used land near the mountain, river, desert, and forest sites (though such location priority is not rigid). *Status:-* *I have already seen a piece of land of around 100 acres near a forest and river site near my village (Chheri Basayak; district Hamirpur, UP India) where I initiated the first BM centre. This land is owned by local farmers, who do not use it effectively. I came to know that farmers are willing to sell this land, as they get no returns from it. There is predominance of wild cows and they usually destroy the crops. I went up to see the site and examined it in many aspects. I feel it would an opportunity for us to start our constructive program from there. When I say so, I am fully conscious about a ditch ahead (human greed) - ' a problem of one community should not become a business opportunity for the other' (a corporation funda). If we buy their land, we must assure that we provide employment to these farmers in the centre. But If we do not buy this land from farmers... we shall be giving this opportunity to huge corporation like Reliance to procure that land... and thus. Country will be betrayed (please read a book by Osha GrayDavidson - Broken Heartland). Also I am thinking of another proposal for the farmers - forming co-operative society so they give their land for BM centre and we shall return half of the produce and after the centre is running fullfledge we will return their half of the land with sustainable facilties. But we shall have full authority to shape the land and take full fledge decisions in order to establish a self-sustianing centre. But this may have lingering issue - landlord and tent conflict. The BM centre establishment committee will decide upon this and primarily this committee will comprise of whole hearted donors, people who take responsibility of the ground work and they possess full vision of the centre. * * * 2. Creating a water resource: 1. building check dams or water harvesting unit, dig ponds/lake, short canals from Local River, pipeline and pumping station from the river OR constructing a tube well, 2. Water tank, 3. water supply tubing and sprinkler system / drip irrigation etc. 3. Creating a forest in that land: Planting fruits plants - 10,000; Growing vegetables; herbal gardens 4. Constructing a cow service unit (Gaushala) 5. Constructing cottage in industries unit for specialized/customized/local products - idea is to convert the raw material coming from the forest into a valuable product. And fulfilling the need of all local areas. 6. Establishing a spiritual Sadhana unit /satsang bhavan/library etc. 7. Establishing a naturopathy unit/herbal and traditional biotechnology lab/ Environmental regeneration research lab. 8. Establishing a residential school (Gurukul) for all the students of near by villages - providing Sanskars: for educational reform 9. Constructing a home for abandoned/old/sick people of that area 10. Creating a training base for BM social/political activists * * *ECONOMICS* * * *The first phase of the BM centre * Estimated rate of the land = Rs. 30,000 /acre Therefore total cost of the land = 30000 x 100 = Rs. *30,00,000* The perimeter of the land must be fenced. The total perimeter = 3000 m The cost of fencing = Rs. 200/meter Therfore total fencing cost = 3000x200 = Rs. *6,00,000* Initial cost the BM buildings (five small houses, dining hall, satsang bhavan etc.) = Rs. *7,50,000* Establishment of Water facility - 1. a tubewell - Rs. *1,50,000* 2. a water storage tank of capacity 100,000 lt. - Rs. *3,00, 000* 3. irrigation system (pieline and sprinkler) - Rs. *3,00,00* 4. machinery (electricity generator, submercible pump, etc.) - Rs. * 2,00,00* 5. Electricity connection - Rs. *2,00,000 * Planting 10,000 fruit trees - 1. Cost of plants - 10,000 x 15 = Rs. *1,50,000 * 2. Plantation and ditch digging cost - Rs. *1,50,000* 3. compost manure - 100 trolleys @500/trolley = Rs. *50,000* 4. Cost of irrigation /year (fuel, electricity etc.) = Rs. *1,20,000* Payments for five laborers/year = 5x2500x12 = Rs. *1,50,000* Payment for one manager/year = 12x6000 = Rs. *72,000* Security, food and Miscellaneous expenses = Rs. *5,00,000* Cost of agriculture machinery (tracker, trolley, plough and other small tools etc.) = Rs. *7,50,000 * Cost of transportation vehicle (mini truck) = Rs. *3,50,000* Cost of hundred cows = 2000/cow x 100 = Rs. *200, 000* Cost of shed and housing for 100 cows = 5000 x100 = Rs. *5,00,000* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Expenses and income details of first year agricultrue* Total cost of seeds, manure, transportation and labor = Rs. *5,00,000* Net produce = 25 quintal/acre x 100 acres = 2500 quintals Income from produce = Rs. 1000/quintal x 2500 quintals = Rs. *25,00,000* Fodder for the cows = Rs. 10x365x100 = Rs. *365, 000* Income from cow dung, manure, biogas, urine etc. = Rs. 25x365x100 = Rs. * 9,12,500* Income from cows milk and products = 40x365x100 = Rs. *14,60,000* Income from fodder from 100 acres = 365x1000 = Rs. *365,000* *Net profit = Rs. 43,72,000 * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Rough estimates of expenses and income details of second year* Payments for five laborers/year = 5x2500x12 = Rs. *1,50,000* Payment for one manager/year = 12x6000 = Rs. *72,000* Security, food and Miscellaneous expenses = Rs. *5,00,000* Total cost of seeds, manure, transportation and labor = Rs. *5,00,000* Fodder for the cows = Rs. 10x365x100 = Rs. *365, 000* Income from cow dung, manure, biogas, urine etc. = Rs. 25x365x100 = Rs. * 9,12,500* Income from cows milk and products = 40x365x100 = Rs. *14,60,000* Income from fodder from 100 acres = 365x1000 = Rs. *365,000* Net produce = 25 quintal/acre x 100 acres = 2500 quintals Income from produce = Rs. 1000/quintal x 2500 quintals = Rs. *25,00,000* *Net profit = Rs. 36,50,000 * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Rough estimates of expenses and income details of third year* Payments for five laborers/year = 5x2500x12 = Rs. *1,50,000* Payment for one manager/year = 12x6000 = Rs. *72,000* Security, food and Miscellaneous expenses = Rs. *5,00,000* Total cost of seeds, manure, transportation and labor = Rs. *5,00,000* Fodder for the cows = Rs. 10x365x100 = Rs. *365, 000* Income from cow dung, manure, biogas, urine etc. = Rs. 25x365x100 = Rs. * 9,12,500* Income from cows milk and products = 40x365x100 = Rs. *14,60,000* Income from fodder from 100 acres = 365x1000 = Rs. *365,000* Net produce = 25 quintal/acre x 100 acres = 2500 quintals Income from produce = Rs. 1000/quintal x 2500 quintals = Rs. *25,00,000* *Net profit = Rs. 36,50,000 * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Rough estimates of expenses and income details of Fouth year* Payments for five laborers/year = 5x2500x12 = Rs. *1,50,000* Payment for one manager/year = 12x6000 = Rs. *72,000* Security, food and Miscellaneous expenses = Rs. *5,00,000* Total cost of seeds, manure, transportation and labor white musale = Rs. * 2,50,00,000* Fodder for the cows = Rs. 10x365x100 = Rs. *365, 000* Income from cow dung, manure, biogas, urine etc. = Rs. 25x365x100 = Rs. * 9,12,500* Income from cows milk and products = 40x365x100 = Rs. *14,60,000* Income from fodder from 100 acres = 365x1000 = Rs. *365,000* Net produce of white musale = 5 quintal/acre x 100 acres = 500 quintals Income from white musale produce = Rs. 100000/quintal x 500 quintals = Rs. * 5,00,00,000 * Income from fruit production = 1500x0.3x2500 = Rs. *12,50,000* Income from nursery production = 10x100,000 = 10,00,000 *Net profit = Rs. 2,93,00,000 * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Rough estimates of expenses and income details of Fifth year* Payments for five laborers/year = 5x2500x12 = Rs. *1,50,000* Payment for one manager/year = 12x6000 = Rs. *72,000* Security, food and Miscellaneous expenses = Rs. *5,00,000* Total cost of seeds, manure, transportation and labor white musale = Rs. * 2,50,00,000* Fodder for the cows = Rs. 10x365x100 = Rs. *365, 000* Income from cow dung, manure, biogas, urine etc. = Rs. 25x365x100 = Rs. * 9,12,500* Income from cows milk and products = 40x365x100 = Rs. *14,60,000* Income from fodder from 100 acres = 365x1000 = Rs. *365,000* Net produce of white musale = 5 quintal/acre x 100 acres = 500 quintals Income from white musale produce = Rs. 100000/quintal x 500 quintals = Rs. * 5,00,00,000 * Income from fruit production = 1500x0.5x2500 = Rs. *18,75,000* Income from nursery production = 10x100,000 = 10,00,000 *Net profit = Rs. 3,00,00,000 * *----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * *Summary of finances * * * *Total initial investments = Rs. 84,92,000 * *Net returns at the end of first = Rs. 43 ** * *72** ** 000* *Net returns after end of second year = Rs. 80,22,000 * *Net returns at the end of third year = Rs. 1,26,72,000 * *Net returns at the end of fourth year = Rs. 4,09,72,000 * *Net Returns at the end of fifth year = Rs. 7, 09,72,000 * * * This is a rough estimate of finances, which does not include many liabilities like natural calamities and adversities, since will be totally an agriculture based project. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *How the funds will be managed?? * 1. Forming BM Centre Establishment Trust - Trust will be take care of all transactions and funds. 2. Donations from the BM members will be appealed: 3. By floating the shares available to only BM core/worthy members: as a share unit of Rs. 1000 will be floated to members of BM, who wants to contribute effectively in the nation building. This project is a nation building project, which is aimed to create sustainable infrastructure in the Indian village, for the development of BM's strong base on the ground. 4. Donations from other like minded organizations, e.g. AID (Association for India's Development) and so on... 5. Contributions from individual philanthropist, in BM and all across the world. 6. Contributions from local village people and of course shares would be available for the local people who wish to become board members of that particular BM centre. 7. Fund raising through arts, science, technological and business, e.g. hosting events that promote peace and spirituality in the society, etc. 8. Loans from BM individuals on BM's or personal credit without any interest; *Caution: No money will be accepted form people who are directly or indirectly involved in current political parties, in corruption, in illegal business, in the professions which are not life supporting, e.g. intoxicant manufacturers etc. We shall clearly inform all donors and share holders that they will have NO SAY in BM's socio-political decision making. No favors of any kind should be expected from BM's personals and units. * * * *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * * * * * *After four years of the first phase completion and development, when the ashram will have enough funds, the second phase would be initiated: * * * *BM centre second phase:* Establishing a GURUKUL: 1. Building a separate campus in the north east region of the centre (Ashram); 2. construction of huts for pupil and teacher: one teacher live with 11 pupil in a unit of four huts: these huts will be made up of the local material from produce, grass, bamboo, calcium carbonate (Chuna) and bricks etc. facilitated with solar bulbs and bio-gas energy systems. 3. Strict discipline of pupil-mentor relationship would be the basis of providing sanaskaras to the pupril. They will learn basics of modern education, high moral basis, various languages, jeevan vidya (education for life and livelihood) will be provided with high spiritually/character development. These budding pupils will take positions in various sectors of the national streams, e.g. Bureaucracy, politics, Science and Technology, service, business, agriculture, education, with core of spirituality etc. 4. It will be open for the children greater than 5 years of age and we shall admit pupil from all the ages. It will be a school of 10+2 system with all streams of occupational. There will special wing for the competitive exams, from where they will enter into the main national streams, e.g. Engg, medical, commerce entrance pre-tests, etc. 5. There will be a unit where old pupil can return back to the Gurukul and they will be given opportunities to do social service, join BM, or prepare for competitive exams e.g. IAS, cicvil service and various public or private sector service competitions. 6. Manual labor or bread labor would be the essential part of the person living in gurukul. They each person of the gurukul will contribute to agriculture, dairy and horticulture and cottage industries works. In return the profit from these units would take care of Gururkul finances. 7. Initially we look forward to accommodate 100 pupil and 11 mentors. Later the capacity would go on increasing as the requirement of village or nearby villages. 8. There would separate units for male and female and maintaining strict celibacy would be part of the gurukul curriculum. This would be achieved by yoga, diet control and maintaining family and spiritual atmosphere. Or there can be another design of family Gurukul where the teachers will maintain a family of 10 pupils. This will totally depend on how gurukul system will evolve without diluting the core ideology. ECONOMICS OF THE GURUKUL 1. Construction of 10 cottages = *Rs. 5,00,000* 2. Construction of 12 shades (classrooms) for gathering of students in the different parts of the ashram, the design would be totally from the view point to make pupil a responsible human beings = *Rs. 12,00,000* 3. Construction of a library (with books) = *Rs.10,00,000* 4. Construction of daily routine utilities = *Rs. 200,000* 5. Miscellaneous Expenses = *Rs. 5,00,000 * ** *jai hind!* *With Truth* *Ravi * -- Join the second Indian freedom struggle: http://bharatudaymission.org/ Ravi Kant Pathak Department of Chemical Engineering Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA-15213, USA phone: 1-412-268 6023 (office); 1-412-683 1315 (Residence) ============================================================================== TOPIC: Fwd: [Aid-awareness] After dams and privatization of water, World Bank now selling knowledge? http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/d680f612d540ab3f?hl=en ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Oct 16 2007 11:21 pm From: "Abhijit K" ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Priya Ranjan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Oct 17, 2007 2:11 AM Subject: [Aid-awareness] After dams and privatization of water, World Bank now selling knowledge? To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** <https://secure.aidindia.org/aidadmin/donate/current/Donate.jsp> * * <https://secure.aidindia.org/aidadmin/donate/current/Donate.jsp> * <https://secure.aidindia.org/aidadmin/donate/current/Donate.jsp>* <http://www.cathnews.com/news/708/87.php>* * <http://www.ashaparivar.org/petition/sharmila> <http://www.ashaparivar.org/petition/sharmila> * <http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/oct/opi-wbank.htm> Manufacturing consent through selective knowledge <http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/oct/opi-wbank.htm> * The World Bank's much touted 'knowledge' products are coming out of a flawed process. The bank hires highly paid consultants who are mostly directed through a system of incentives towards arriving at a pre-determined policy consensus. Information and experiences that run counter to the consensus are ignored. Shripad Dharmadhikary on the implications for India. ** <http://agri.aidindia.org/october2/> *10 October 2007* - In 1996, James Wolfensohn, then President of the World Bank, called for the World Bank to become a Knowledge Bank. Production and provision of knowledge - used to design, justify, plan and support policies, programs and projects all over the world - was not new for the Bank. Wolfensohn formally recognised this 'other' side of the Bank to be as important as its financial side. In India, the latest country assistance strategy (CAS) that defines the Bank's approach to lending for the three years 2005-08, says: "Three Strategic Principles will underpin the Bank Group's work: (i) focusing on outcomes (ii) applying selectivity and (iii) expanding the Bank Group role as a politically realistic knowledge provider and generator." *Creation of Intellectual Support for Privatisation and Globalisation* Why is the Bank giving so much importance to the creation and provision of knowledge? Ostensibly, it is to better tackle the challenges of global poverty eradication and improving people's lives. However, there appear to be other reasons. *Criticism * "Enormous problems can occur when not-very-robust research results are sold as irrefutable truths to the countries in the form of policy advice, technical assistance or as part of the conditionality of the lending programs " *Independent Evaluation of World Bank's Research by a distinguished panel from academics at Princeton, Harvard and MIT*. It is an open secret that the World Bank directly intervenes in the policy making processes of the countries to which it lends money. In the last 15 years or so, the Bank has been pressurising governments along the path of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation (LPG), forcing open more and more sectors of the economy to global private capital. Simultaneously, it has been pushing for the 'commercialisation' of these sectors, that is, the operation of these sectors as a market, so as to create an enabling environment for privatisation. There is tremendous accumulating evidence that the policies are harming the poor and destroying the environment, and they are facing wide-spread resistance. The Bank is therefore under increasing pressure to present justification for these policies. The Bank is doing this through the use of knowledge - in effect, the creation of 'intellectual' support to build up the rationale and justification of privatisation and globalisation. *Where is the knowledge produced* The Bank is recognised as the biggest research institution working on developmental issues. It generates two kinds of knowledge: one, what it calls research. This is work that is more academic in nature and has broad applicability over countries and sectors. The other is the economic and sectoral work that is more of applied knowledge. The Bank budget for research is about US$ 25 million, and an additional US$ 20 million spent on statistical capacity building. Bank researchers and their consultants produced nearly 4,000 papers, books, and reports between 1998 and 2005 including more than 2,000 articles in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, the World Bank publishes two peer-reviewed research journals, the World Bank Research Observer, and the World Bank Economic Review. In addition to research, the Bank produces enormous amounts of knowledge in its economic and sectoral work, technical assistance, country level assessments, project preparation studies, project evaluations, capacity building work and so on. Considering that in 2004, the Bank was involved in about 1500 active projects we can see the extent of the project related knowledge generated by the Bank. As important as the Bank's in-house system are the many and extensive linkages and networks that the Bank has created with external researchers, research institutes, professionals and others. Some - like the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) with its 15 research stations - predate the Knowledge Bank. Others, like the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), a partnership of over 120 learning centres in nearly 80 countries around the world, are more recent. The World Bank Institute (WBI), founded by the Bank in 1955, is one of the Bank's capacity development instruments. WBI delivered more than 700 learning activities to some 75,000 clients, and awarded 211 scholarships in fiscal year 2007. WBI has representation in the field in Burkina Faso (a landlocked nation in West Africa), China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France (Marseilles, Paris), Ghana, India, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Turkey. *The knowledge producer in India* In India, the Bank produces knowledge in the form of short pieces of sector work to formal pieces of analytical and advisory work, technical assistance, conferences and workshops. Apart from these, knowledge is also being created in the form of project preparation studies, studies undertaken as part of project implementation and assessment on project completion. In terms of policy impact, by far the most important are the thematic and sectoral studies, called AAA - Analytical and Advisory Activities - in Bank parlance. For the years 2005-08, the Bank planned 22 major studies to be undertaken. These include studies like Land Issues for Growth, Strategic Issues in India's Water Sector, Agricultural Marketing and Value Chain Development, etc. Technical assistance (TA) is another important knowledge generation method, used mainly to promote LPG type reforms. Examples include analytical and lending support to Public Private Partnerships, TA projects in agribusiness, regulatory reforms for private sector development in Orissa, technical assistance on resettlement and land acquisition policies etc. A significant part of the knowledge generation work is carried out by the Bank in collaboration with other multi-lateral or bilateral aid agencies like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), UK Government's aid agency Department for International Development (DFID) etc. Significantly, at the central government level, the Bank's knowledge activities in India focus on creating an environment conducive to LPG reforms, while at the state level they take the form of dialogue on cross-cutting reforms which include analysis of the major reform areas. *Flawed knowledge* Unfortunately, the knowledge created by the Bank has several serious flaws. The process of generating this knowledge excludes common people and their traditional expertise and knowledge. The knowledge is created mostly by highly paid, often international consultants. Knowledge creation is mostly directed towards arriving at a pre-determined set of policies - the LPG package. Information, evidence or experiences that do not support these pre-determined outcomes are ignored. All this makes the policy influence of the Bank's knowledge activities a serious cause for concern. I have been involved in a study that is tracking how the Bank is producing and using knowledge in the water sector. The study reveals all the above flaws. One example is presented here. *Example: Using Knowledge to Push Privatisation in Water Sector* In 1998, the World Bank brought out a comprehensive and wide-ranging review of India's water sector - called the India Water Resources Management Sector Review (Water Sector Review 1998). This review is a remarkable demonstration of the use of knowledge to influence policy. The Water Sector Review 1998 makes a strong push for privatisation, or Private Sector Participation (PSP) in the water sector, especially urban water sector. Among the three key elements of the recommended strategy is "Commercialisation of urban water supply providers and private sector participation". It also stresses that "It is important to dispel the misconception that PSP will affect the poor adversely", and then brings in its 'knowledge' of international experience to support this - knowledge that turns out to be seriously unsound. The Review claims that "Efficiency gains from private participation reduce tariff" and says that water tariffs in Buenos Aires reduced by 17% on privatisation. However, it fails to mention that prices were hiked steeply before privatisation - but after the decision to privatise has been taken - allowing the private company to offer a 'manufactured reduction'. In real terms the prices went up by 20%. It also gives the example of Metro Manila where privatisation is stated to have led to "50% reduction for half the city and 75% for the other". However, this conclusion was highly premature and untested as the project had barely started operation when the Bank report was prepared. In fact, soon after the operations began tariffs started rising sharply. By 2003, tariffs had gone up about 500%. Interestingly, almost all the projects that the Bank presented as successes in the Water Sector Review 1998 and used to justify introduction of privatisation in India subsequently collapsed and the private players exited - Trinidad in 1999, Manila (West) in 2002, Puerto Rico in 2003, Buenos Aries in 2005. *An independent evaluation* These cases are not merely anecdotal. Rather, they are typical of the way knowledge is produced and used by the Bank. Recently, the Bank commissioned an independent evaluation of its research by a distinguished panel from academics at Princeton, Harvard, MIT etc. (The Bank has a policy of carrying out assessments and evaluations of different parts of its work at regular intervals. Often, these are carried out internally, but sometimes the bank also commissions external agencies and researchers.) The Evaluation, published in 2006, had substantial praise for the Bank's research, but it also has very serious criticism. Particularly: " in some cases strong policy positions have been supported by (non) evidence ..and the panel believes that, in some cases, the Bank proselytized selected new work in major policy speeches and publications, without appropriate caveats on its reliability. "One criticism that was made repeatedly is that research tended to jump to policy conclusions that were not well-supported by the evidence." Importantly, according to the Evaluation, "the area with the most widespread and troubling issues" was: "Enormous problems can occur when not-very-robust research results are sold as irrefutable truths to the countries in the form of policy advice, technical assistance or as part of the conditionality of the lending programs " *Challenges and concerns* Not only is the Bank's knowledge often flawed, it also fails - with widespread destructive and traumatic impacts. In September 2004, John Briscoe, Senior Water Adviser, World Bank made a presentation on behalf of the Bank to the International Water Association's World Congress at Marrakech. Among other things, lamenting the lack of adequate investment in water infrastructure in the previous decade, he said that "The last decade has been a lost decade [partly] due to the na ve view that the private sector will take care of the infrastructure." A decade lost, trauma for millions - yet, the policy advice of the World Bank, and the knowledge on which this policy advice is based, still holds sway. How? Apart from the Bank's huge financial muscle, one of the reasons for the domination and hegemony of the Bank's knowledge is the vast networks it has created for generating and disseminating knowledge - networks that draw in people from research institutions, academia, professionals, NGOs and bureaucracy in many countries, helping it penetrate national knowledge production systems. A related phenomenon here is the so-called 'revolving door' wherein middle or high ranking bureaucrats are offered deputation or short / medium term assignment with the World Bank. For those who are a part of the Bank's developmental networks, or of the revolving doors, generating knowledge that goes against the grain of the Bank's thinking is not likely to be very remunerative. A particularly interesting article on this issue is 'Research, knowledge and the art of "paradigm maintenance"' by Robin Broad, a professor of international development at the American University in Washington, D.C. In her article, Broad talks about the very high salaries and fees that staff and consultants get at the World Bank, and then says that deviating from World Bank-type research can be very costly for staff or consultants. Broad uses a very interesting term for this, "golden handcuffs". The detailed article was published in *Review of International Political Economy*<http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=0969-2290&subcategory=EB050000>, August 2006. A shorter version of it is available at the website of the Bretton Woods Project <http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/art.shtml?x=546206>. These networks are a means to building long lasting institutions that legitimise, replicate and perpetuate Bank style research, ultimately leading to internalisation of such methods and such knowledge. One of the key functions of the Bank's knowledge has been to create the TINA myth - There Is No Alternative. No alternative to these policies, no alternative to the knowledge created by the Bank. Therefore, it is a challenge for the citizens of India to break the hegemony of the Bank on knowledge production, to liberate the process from the control of the elite. Making this suggestion is not to romanticise 'local and traditional knowledge'. We need to understand its strengths as well as limitations. But we also need to apply skepticism to 'expert' knowledge. Equally important, the process of knowledge creation needs to be detached from the interests of excessive profits, and needs to be reformed to address issues of common good, equity, justice, environmental sustainability. Ultimately, it is about controlling our development process. Control is the key reason the World Bank is placing so much importance on being a Knowledge Bank. As the Independent Evaluation of the Bank's Research states: "As is well known, there is an on-going effort to reposition the World Bank as the 'Knowledge Bank,' with lending operations playing a reduced role, and the Bank playing a more important role as a source of policy knowledge. In many ways this is responding to the changing demand for the Bank's services. We already see that a number of middle income countries like Mexico, or even countries approaching middle income, like India, either do not really need the Bank as a lender or are moving in that direction." The Bank is preparing for the future. Are we? * * *Shripad Dharmadhikary* <[EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED]:%20Manufacturing%20consent%20through%20selective%20knowledge> 10 Oct 2007 * Shripad Dharmadhikary coordinates the Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, a centre set up to research, analyse and monitor water and energy issues. This article is based on detailed work analysing the World Bank as a Knowledge Creator, forthcoming from Manthan. * _______________________________________________ AID-awareness is grateful to Shreyas, Ved, Anish, Devi and whole whole Free/Open source coummunity (Yo GNU/LINUX!!) for their tremendous technical support. We are also grateful to numerous contributors who make us more and more aware about the Indian world around us. Aid-awareness mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe please login at http://lists.aidindia.org/mailman/listinfo/aid-awareness -- Abhijit Minakshi About my name: www.geocities.com/abhijit1303/aboutname.txt ============================================================================== You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BM_discussion" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] or visit http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion?hl=en To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change the way you get mail from this group, visit: http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/subscribe?hl=en To report abuse, send email explaining the problem to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ============================================================================== Google Groups: http://groups.google.com?hl=en
