This year, I’m helping to run the Harvard International Development Conference (IDC) at the Harvard Kennedy School.  It promises to be an exciting event, with panel topics ranging from the role of mobile technology as a means of alleviating poverty to…

Sulabh’s founder, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, was recently named the 2009 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.  Sulabh has been working for decades to address sanitation, health, and hygiene in India and other countries.  Through inventive toilet designs, new biogas technologies, and his…

Hot off the news that M-Cril will be launching their own social capital exchange, as reported by Santhosh, and also the plans by Xigi.net to create a social capital index that I spoke about some time back, Credit Suisse plans to launch…

A new documentary entitled “FLOW” (For Love of Water) has recently gained critical acclaim at the Vail International Film Festival and the Flagstaff International Film Festival, and is now gaining traction within the United States. The film has been called “infuriating…

• Agriculture: PM Singh to visit Bihar to begin implementation of statewide agricultural development plan.
• Hogenakkal and Water: The decision of Tamil Nadu’s CM to delay decision on project has been questioned for having political motivations. The Times of India takes a look back on four…

For women like Meena, overworked, abused, and poorly compensated for 11 grueling months of domestic work, avenues for legal recourse against her abusive “employer” are limited, and in some cases completely non-existent. Currently, there are no laws to protect domestic…

Some headlines before you head off to lunch:

• Technology/Connectivity:  
  • Mobile connectivity will be in the hands of millions of new subscribers thanks to BSNL’s $100 million contract to Nortel for supporting GSM network expansion in the southern part of India.  The…

PopTech! is a network of social entrepreneurs and mentors. It has recently unveiled a fellows program that culminates in an all expense paid trip to their annual conference in October for 20 lucky social entrepreneurs.

Fellows will be selected based on…

• There is currently an ideological debate brewing in Bombay regarding the preservation of ancient structures versus urban modernization.  The building in question is the 139-year Crawford Market in Bombay, which is facing the threat of demolition by RNA Corp., a…

The South Asian, a progressive grassroots newspaper, had the following stories today:

• Analyzing the effects of social welfare policies through the lens of the most marginalized — the Musahars
• The subaltern’s skeptical review of human rights and its role as the last…