Dear Sir
We need a clarification that may I pay advance to Staff, Vendors etc from
FCRA account, if yes than how to settle their accounts. Like I have paid Rs
25000 and he submitted bills of Rs. 20000 than can we receive Rs. 5000 from
his account?
Thanks
Yugal Kishore Pathak
Dear Friends,
We have opened a new project bank account in which all the funds for the project will be transferred from FCRA , as we to intimate foreign ministry regarding the account kindly help us if we have to follow a particular format.
Thanking You,
As most of us would know that Tamil Nadu was the first state to start Midday Meal Scheme in the 1960’s, which involves provision of lunch free of cost to school-children on all working days. In 1982, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. M. G. Ramachandran, decided to universalize the scheme for all children up to class 10. Tamil Nadu’s midday meal programme is among the best known in the country. It would be good to know that Madras started providing cooked meals to children in corporation schools in the Madras city way back in 1923.
In the year 1995, the central government under P V Narsimha Rao adopted the “National Programme for Nutrition Support to Primary Education”. Then, on November 28, 2001 the Supreme Court of India gave a famous direction that made it mandatory for the state governments to provide cooked meals instead of ‘dry rations’. After free mid-day meal, Tamil Nadu may soon get free breakfast too. According to sources, the breakfast menu in Tamil Nadu may comprise milk, bun, rava, with some variations. Infact some private and corporation schools in the state have already started providing free breakfast in a bid to boost attendance and learning levels. Interestingly, Puducherry, has the Shri Rajiv Gandhi Breakfast Scheme in all government schools and it was one of the pioneers in universal school feeding as early as 1930.
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Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Dear Friends,
Kindly let me know the frequency of filing FCRA return and oblige.
Thanks and Regards
Ashish Kumar Saxena
Akash Memorial Charitable Trust
India was the largest recipient of foreign aid between 1951 and 1992. India received about $55 billion in foreign aid. Now, it seems a transformation is going to take place- India’s switch from world’s biggest recipient to donor is a part of wider change shaking up foreign aid. India seems to be on the verge of setting up its own aid-giving body. The government is in active discussions to create an India Agency for Partnership in Development (IAPD), an equivalent of America’s Agency for International Development (USAID) or Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID). Even today, America remains the largest single donor,with $31 billion in 2010. The second in the list would be China, which gave away $25 billion in 2007. Brazil gives upto $4 billion a year of assistance. Then, in the list is Sweden, Italy or Saudi Arabia. If India gives around $ 2 billion a year, it would rank with Austria or Belgium.
The Indian government sees aid as a way of improving its ties with its neighbors. It gave $25m to Pakistan a year ago, via the United Nations, to assist in flood relief. It has also made huge investments in hydropower in Bhutan, which have helped both countries. India would now like to do something similar with Nepal. India extends large, soft loans to curry favor with a friendly regime in Bangladesh and is paying for post-war reconstruction in Sri Lanka. With Western support, it is also building roads, a power grid and a new parliament building for Afghanistan, where India is the fifth-largest donor.
According to a new report by a non-governmental organization called Global Humanitarian Assistance, aid from non-DAC (Development Assistance Committee) countries rose by 143% in 2005-08, to $11.2 billion, before falling during the financial crisis. Aid from the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) more than doubled. The establishment donors’ aid monopoly is finished. Moreover, aid from upstart donors is not exactly new. India has trained poor countries’ civil servants for decades, in a programme called Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation (ITEC). According to the foreign ministry sources, this year, ITEC will train 5,500 people from 120 countries. As countries and their contributions are soaring, the aid world would be witnessing genuine competition from donors all over the world.
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Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Further to our last post on the topic that Open Discharge Toilets is costing Indian Railways more than Rs 350 crores (see http://www.srr-foundation.org under Section on Social Issues), Indian Railways has now decided to launch a train, Bundelkhand Express, with bio–toilet facilities. At present, Duronto Express has controlled discharge toilet system.
However considering there are 1.72 lakh Open Discharge Toilets and only less than 200 toilets have been converted into bio-toilets, Indian Railways has to move at a much faster pace. This system also perpetuates the evil practice of Manual Scavenging within the government, although the Act banning manual scavenging was passed way back in 1993.
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Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Most members would be aware that SRRF Dialogue has been working continuously on Pedestrian Safety, considering large number of death and suffering being caused due to traffic accidents and further that almost every second person being killed in road accidents is a pedestrian and the problem is escalating due to growing urbanization.
In view of such serious situation, the authorities are making efforts for improving the Pedestrian safety infrastructure, particularly for crossing wide roads which have fast moving traffic. Lately, it has been observed that PWD has put up rumble strips (4-5 mini speed breakers in a continuous row) on various places on experimental basis. Though rumble strips have been put up to help people cross road, it rather appears to be unscientific as these only allow slowing down of vehicles. It still does not help elderly, disable and children, who need more time to cross. It is also a hazard for fast moving vehicles, particularly two wheelers.
Traffic lights seems a better option, as it brings the traffic to complete halt and thus it provides time for pedestrians to cross the roads with dignity and peace of mind. Further even vehicles need to stop only during the red light.
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Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Dear Friends,
I have a query and would request you all to respond. We have a EU supported project and as part of the guielines we have to float a International Open Tender for procurement. My point is as follows:
“We will be receiving Tender Guarantee Money from the bidders. Where shuould be the money parked if the money is received from foreign supplier? Should it go to LC account or FC?”
Thanks and regards,
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B V Soma Sastry
Centre for World Solidarity
12-13-438, Street No. 1, Tarnaka
Secunderabad 500 017
Andhra Pradesh
Dear SRRF Members,
Can you please let me know whether there is any exemption available for registered charities on VAT payment? In some cases when we purchase equipment we are charged VAT. Can we tell the sellers not to charge tax if there is exemption if any on VAT for charities?
Your opinion will help us a lot.
Thanks & Regards,
T. V. Balasubramanian
Regional Finance Manager
Sightsavers (India)
Phone : +91 22 28821919/ 0808 Extn:102
Fax : +91 22 2882636
Cotton provides livelihood to more than 60 million people in India by way of support in agriculture, processing, and use of cotton in textiles. It is an important element of the agriculture GDP contributing 29.8%. In terms of quantity, India is the third largest producer of cotton. Compared to other countries yield is substantially low. The major reason for the low productivity is due to damage caused by insect pests, mainly American Bollworm. Farmers need to invest heavily in pesticides (worth Rs 12 billion) to control the same. As a solution, Bt cotton technology in India was introduced by Mahyco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company), in collaboration with Monsanto. Bt cotton has already been commercialized in six countries: the United States (1996), Australia (1997), South Africa (1997), Argentina (1998), Mexico (1996), China (1998), and Indonesia (2000).
In India, Bt cotton now constitutes nearly 90% of total area under cotton cultivation. The state wise cotton crop data released by the ministry for 2010-11 has shown that Bt cotton has emerged as the largest cotton crop in all the major cotton producing states.
Slowly Bt cotton is appearing to improve the productivity, though there are arguments that it is not appropriate for rain-fed areas. However, the improvement in overall production of 334.25 lakh bales in 2011 compared to previous year’s 242.25 lakh bales; while the cultivation areas has more or less remained constant (110 lakh hectares) indicates that perhaps there is a need to further study the impact of Bt cotton.
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Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Tele/Fax: +91-11-25821088, 25817157, 25722044
e-mail: socio-research@sma.net.in
