Kasmin Fernandes

Startups are emerging as a force of change in the country. While we talk about Edtech, Auto and Fintech startups bringing a change, CSR platforms/ startups are not behind. CSR platforms are using their offerings and products to solve real-world problems by acting as catalysts for individuals and NGOs to create an impact. These startups step...

It’s Earth Day today. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection on this day. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day now includes events in more than 193 countries, which are coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. The goal of the Earth Day Network is to broaden, diversify and activate the...

One of the proven ways to improve women empowerment in rural India has been the Self Help Group approach. As SHGs graduate towards micro-enterprise activities which are sustainable, women are experiencing economic empowerment. Government support A number of business houses, NGOs as well as the government are currently involved in SHG formation. There is provision of...

India has significant distance to cover on almost all development fronts. Its ranking on global development indicators like the Human Development Index (HDI) and the SDG index hasn’t improved substantially in recent years. The country ranked 130 on the HDI in 2018, the same ranking as in 2014, and 112 on the SDG index...

The hallowed TISS campus on Deonar Farm Road in Mumbai saw a flurry of activity last week as senior and mid-career professionals from the non-profit and corporate social responsibility sectors immersed themselves in an intensive training programme titled ‘Development Perspectives, Management and Practice’. This was the second batch of the 5-day certificate programme by TISS...

India’s LGBTQ economy is largely untapped, and research by Godrej India Culture Lab shows that it has enormous potential. In most populations, around 6% of the adult population is LGBTQ. Applying that to India suggests that just under $200 billion (6% of GDP) can be assumed to be earned income from India’s estimated 45...

Within the growing urban vulnerability, it is the poor and those who live in informal settlements that will be the hardest hit. There are close to 14 million slum households across India (Census 2011). Measures to lower impact on these families will be essential, particularly from the growing heat stress. A first look at what...

In the aftermath of earthquakes in Kashmir in 2005 and Nepal in 2015, there were instant reactions to local materials, with a view that concrete structures were safer. Yet in both cases, what was seen was that well-built indigenous structures proved safer than unengineered reinforced concrete homes. In Kashmir, it took some time but...

The level of learning achievement among children remains a major area of concern as India’s schooling system still focuses on rote learning with little re-invention. In 2008, the percentage of standard II level readers in government schools was 15% lower than children in private schools. By 2018, this gap widened to 21% on a national...

If India is to achieve its goal of supplying water to 90% of rural households by 2022, then scaling water interventions is paramount. However, the dominant technologies currently in use may not be fully adequate to provide holistic water solutions in rural areas. The prime concern is around wastage of water in some technologies that...

Ever since the RBI granted differentiated banking licenses to Small Finance Banks (SFBs), there has been a world of difference to customers of SFBs like Ujjivan. SFB licenses are more restrictive than a regular bank license, such as one given to State Bank of India (SBI) or ICICI Bank. While small finance banks can undertake...

Did you know, some 6,600 silkworms are killed to make just 1 kilogram of silk? Silk is the fibre that silkworms weave to make their cocoons – outer casings that protect them during the pupal stage. But most of the insects used by the silk industry don’t live past this stage, because they are boiled...