Privatization of electricity distribution: the orissa experience

K Ramanathan

Shahid Hasan

The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI

'Making every drop count' narrates the story of India's most precious and overstressed resource: water! The book describes trends with regard to the resource, namely physical depletion, deterioration of water quality, and inadequate access to safe water and sanitation; the implications of these trends on the quality of human life; and policy and institutional failures that have contributed to these trends. The book also reviews some recent initiatives and identifies areas where further action will be necessary.      Groundwater depletion in India's agriculturally important states threatens the sustainability of the Green Revolution and also has important equity implications: it places the resource out of reach of small and marginal farmers. The resulting higher costs of extraction lower the profitability of agriculture. A number of management challenges confront the operation of surface irrigation schemes: the widening gap between irrigation potential created and used, inequity in water distribution across head and tail reaches, waterlogging, and salinity.      While many drinking-water schemes have been launched, they leave much to be desired, in terms of their effectiveness as solutions to problems of poor access. In the urban centres, the poor availability of water supplies means that the gap between demand and supply has to be met from groundwater aquifers, aggravating further the strain on this precious resource. Water contamination harms the human health and productivity.      This book will be useful to people from all walks of life -- students, staff of NGOs, academics, planners, and policy-makers -- who are concerned with the state of this precious resource.

Making Every Drop Count

Vishal Narain

'Governing power' is a pioneering attempt to examine the experience with independent regulation of electricity in India to assess its efficacy as an alternative form of governance. It compares the electricity experience with that of independent regulation in the other countries, independent regulatory bodies in India, and old-style regulation by government departments. It evaluates the Indian model in context of its replication over other sectors of the economy. S L Rao's experience of having operationalized the concept in India, as the first Chairman of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, provides valuable insights.   This book epitomizes the multidisciplinary expertise (linking economics, management, financial and cost accounting, and engineering) that electricity regulatory commissions must harness to effectively regulate the sector, despite high government ownership, strong utility'government linkages, inefficiencies, and weak commercial attitudes. The book tracks the emergence of regulatory law from the orders of regulatory bodies and courts; explores the concept of ?independence? and discusses the accountability of independent regulators (an issue not sufficiently explored till now); and suggests directions for future development of independent regulation.   Governing power is relevant to any environment where independent regulation is introduced, more so in developing economies or where government ownership is dominant. It is extremely relevant to utilities (private and public), regulators, courts, professional managers, accountants, and consultants. It will benefit anyone interested in enhancing the quality of governance.

Governing Power

S L Rao

Extensive research on industrialization in various parts of the world reveals the critical role of technology in economic development. But quite apart from being a driver of growth in income, the impact of technology on the wealth of natural resources, the state of the environment, and the widening of economic disparities has been profound. Technology accounts largely for what we observe today as a substantial difference between the use of natural resources per unit of economic output between different countries. The energy consumption per unit of GDP in Japan, for instance, is almost half of that of the US, despite similar levels of development. The difference lies in substantial dissimilarities in the deployment and use of technologies in these two societies. In all its activities dedicated to technology innovation, therefore, TERI consciously builds in comprehensive dimensions that are environment-friendly, natural resource conserving, and people-oriented. It is with such vision, perseverance, and ingenuity that TERI?s team has developed a range of technologies in different disciplines and areas of scientific endeavour. From sophisticated research in microbial biotechnology for remediation of oil spills, to the effective use of mechanical and chemical engineering techniques in developing biomass gasifiers for various applications, or customization of photovoltaic technology for applications that suit the needs of the poorest of the poor?TERI has, quite unobtrusively, developed a bank of technologies that carry immense potential to reduce the ecological footprint of development on the country?s natural wealth while also generate opportunities for the underprivileged. The talent of diverse groups in TERI was pooled to create workable and viable solutions that are, most importantly, sustainable. This volume, therefore, includes only those technologies, which are proven for their effectiveness and economic viability. Hence, these are not mere laboratory solutions, but practical innovations that underline the sustainable use of natural resources. They provide a gateway of opportunities for the economic welfare of human society, which must move towards a new paradigm of development.

TERI's Technologies for Sustainable Development: tomorrow's solutions served today

TERI

* First comprehensive look at commercial bank experience in microfinance* Shows commercial opportunities for banks in a new market* Worldwide case studies and applicabilityThis book shows commercial bankers that they can profitably provide microfinance services to the poor. It illustrates, through the experience of particular banks, why banks have become involved and how they have made a success of their involvement.The eighteen case studies all show that banks can earn good profits at the same time as serving the needs of people who previously lacked access to financial services.The authors also demonstrate to foreign aid donors, policy makers, NGO staff and microfinance practitioners that it is often quicker, less expensive and more effective for microfinance services to be provided by commercial banks than by specialist microfinance institutionsCountries covered -- Bangladesh, Benin, Ecuador, Egypt, George, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Zimbabwe.

Small Customers Big Market: Commercial Banks in Microfinance

Harper, Malcolm

A reference book suitable for students, experts and policy makers. It intends to fulfill the need for a scientific and easy to understand comprehensive handbook for design professionals and students of renewable energy engineering courses.

Renewable Energy, Engineering and Technology: A Knowledge Compendium

Kishore, V. V. N.

While oil prices have reached record levels globally, considerable attention is being directed towards different sources of energy, both conventional as well as non-conventional, that would define our energy future. For a country like India reliance on the use of coal as a major source of energy is an imperative that is not likely to change in the foreseeable future. Yet, coal remains a source of energy about which the public and even policymakers do not know enough. This book attempts to demystify the issue of coal in India by providing a thought-provoking analysis of the current and future availability of this important source of energy, while looking at the range of issues that will be critical for us to move towards an efficient and cleaner coal-economy in the coming decades.

The Coal Dilemma

S K Chand

Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards presents a broad range of current approaches to measuring vulnerability. It provides a comprehensive overview of different concepts at the global, regional, national, and local levels, and explores various schools of thought. More than 40 distinguished academics and practitioners analyse quantitative and qualitative approaches, and examine their strengths and limitations. This book contains concrete experiences and examples from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe to illustrate the theoretical analyses.\nThe authors provide answers to some of the key questions on how to measure vulnerability and they draw attention to issues with insufficient coverage, such as the environmental and institutional dimensions of vulnerability and methods to combine different methodologies.\nThis book is a unique compilation of state-of-the-art vulnerability assessment and is essential reading for academics, students, policy makers, practitioners, and anybody else interested in understanding the fundamentals of measuring vulnerability. It is a critical review that provides important conclusions which can serve as an orientation for future research towards more disaster resilient communities.

Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: towards disaster resilient societies

Jorn Birkmann

Reducing rural poverty in Asia provides evidence-based guidelines for policymakers in developing countries, fore researchers focusing on development problems, and for the international development assistance community in the continuing search for ways to effectively reduce poverty in the developing world. Detailed examinations are clearly presented on the efforts for poverty alleviation through micro-enterprise development and rural public employment programmes that focus on public works and household/small-scale industries. Asia-based case studies of various micro-enterprises and rural public employment projects reveal important policy mechanisms and the effectiveness of each poverty reduction measure. Tables, figures, and relevant glossaries make unfamiliar terms and difficult information easy to understand. This comprehensive, thorough and insightful book is a must read for students and scholars of rural development.

Reducing Rural Poverty in Asia

Business & Money

Nurul Islam

Economics

The scientific controversies involving genetic science and ?biosafety? Have not been well understood by many. All claims about GMOs (genetically modified organisms) or LMOs (living modified organisms) are under controversy. The Cartagena Protocol is the first international agreement to regulate the transboundary movement of GMOs. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, 190 countries agreed on the importance and concern over the spread and cross-border transfer of GMOs and their risks to environment and human health. Consequently, in 2000, they adopted the Cartagena Protocol to address the possible risks of GMOs. The protocol is an important step in the protection of biodiversity and biosafety. The concern of developing countries are not shared by the developed countries like the US, Canada, and Mexico. These countries produce more than 90% of the LMO crops and they are not ratified by the protocol. The protocol explicitly stipulates that countries should take precautionary measures to prevent GMOs from causing harm to biodiversity and human health.      Members have to implement the protocol provisions at the domestic level. There are heated debates in India whether to allow the cultivation of GMOs? The civil society organizations are opposing the entry of multinational companies in the field trial of GMOs. In this scenario, a systematic review of the international legal regime to formulate a comprehensive policy on the subject in India is the need of the hour.      The current volume focuses on the international and national legal regimes and the Indian situation is analysed closely. The book sets out the scientific debate first, because it is the first cross-cutting point. Socio-economic analyses of some case studies from states are also taken up. Later part of the discussions is centred around the evolving international law on the subject. The Indian laws on this subject are found to be obsolete. This book seeks to provide an accessible discussion on the subject that includes social, economic, legal, and other issues related to GMOs, which are frequently raised in India. The discussions in the volume significantly contribute to the ongoing debate and serve as an important input for policy-making on this subject in India.

Genetically Modified Organisms: emerging law and policy in India

K. D., Raju

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Books by The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI