India’s Online Education Industry Will Be $1.96 Billion By 2021: Google, KPMG

May 31, 2017

Capturing the growing influence of the Internet on the education industry in India, Google and KPMG released a joint report titled: ‘Online Education in India: 2021’. The report reveals that the online education industry will grow at a healthy rate of 8x, to become a $1.96 billion industry by 2021. Based on a comprehensive market research conducted by KPMG, along with a primary research and insights from Google search, the report finds that the paid user base will grow 6x from 1.6 million users in 2016 to 9.6 million users in 2021.

As per the findings, over the last two years, there has been a 2x growth in online searches for education and a 3x growth in searches from a mobile device. Also, 44% of education searches are now coming from beyond the top 6 metros and there has been a 4x growth in education content consumption on YouTube in the last one year.

Highlighting the segment wise growth in the online education space, the report underlines that re-skilling and online certification is currently the largest. In 2016, it was valued at USD 93 million and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 38% to reach 463 million by 2021. As per the report, the primary and secondary education category has the largest addressable audience with a student base of around 260 million when compared to the other categories. Owing to this, the primary and secondary supplementary education segment was the second largest category in 2016, and will grow at a CAGR of 60% to reach $773 million, making it the largest category in 2021. The test preparation which is a small segment as of today is likely to grow at an impressive CAGR of 64% to become a USD 515 million category in 2021.

Speaking about the key findings of the report, Nitin Bawankule, Industry Director, Google India said, “The online education segment is set to become a multi-billion dollar opportunity in India. There are many factors driving this growth including the perceived convenience, increased reach and personalisation offered by online channels. It is also interesting to note, that high growth in education search queries is now coming in from tier 2 and 3 cities such as Patna, Guwahati, Aligarh and Kota, which points to the opportunities that growing penetration of smartphones and improving the quality of internet have opened up.”

Talking about the future of the online education industry in India, Sreedhar Prasad, Partner, KPMG India said, “There are several evolving trends in the Indian online education segment that are contributing to the growth opportunities ahead. These include emergence of hybrid learning channels, continuous need for working professionals to learn new skills as well as emergence of technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence that is enabling online education vendors to design customised content. At the same time, it will be critical for players to deliver differentiated offerings for consumers to see continued value in online education channels.

The ‘Online Education in India: 2021’ report is based on a primary qualitative and quantitative research that covered over 3,600 respondents across 27 geographies including metro and non-metros to understand the growth of consumer paid online education market in India by 2021. The respondents are in the age group of 16-45 years, both male and females, who are online/offline course takers/intenders and parents of primary/secondary courses.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.
Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Innovation Married To Sustainability. Are You There Yet?

Neha Bilandani

May 30, 2017

Pick the odd one out: carbon fiber, steel, bamboo. The answer, of course, is none of them.

You’ve probably sat on it, built with it, and maybe even eaten it, but did you know that your car could be next to benefit from bamboo – one of the world’s strongest natural materials?

While big investment in research has led to breakthroughs in new materials like super strong carbon fiber and lightweight aluminum, nature’s wonder material may have been growing – at up to one meter in a day – in our own backyard.

“Bamboo is amazing,” said Janet Yin, a Materials Engineering Supervisor at Ford’s Nanjing Research & Engineering Centre. “It’s strong and flexible, and because it’s plentiful in China and many other parts of Asia, it’s totally renewable.”

The benefits of bamboo have been recognised for centuries. Thomas Edison experimented with it while making the first light bulb. In building, its tensile strength (or how much it can resist being pulled apart) is well known, as it can rival or even better some types of metal. As it grows to full maturity in just two to five years – compared to up to decades for other trees – bamboo also regenerates easily.

Over the past several years, Janet and her team have worked with suppliers to evaluate the viability of using bamboo in vehicle interiors and to make extra strong parts by combining it with plastic. It is found that bamboo performs comprehensively better than other tested synthetic and natural fibers in a range of materials tests, from tensile strength tests to impact strength tests. It’s also been heated to more than 100 degrees Celsius to ensure it maintains its integrity.

And, while bamboo may be the latest ‘kid on the block’, Ford is familiar with the use of sustainable and recycled materials in its vehicles in Asia Pacific.

Before a sustainable or recycled material is given the green light, it needs to meet Ford’s global standard. In Asia Pacific, a thorough test and analysis is conducted on each material to prove that it is as good – if not better and more durable – than its virgin material equivalent.

Another company is Godrej & Boyce, the holding company of the Godrej Group, which has designed a range of bicycles built from bamboo.

The frames of the bicycles are entirely bamboo, giving them a durability and lightness unmatched even by conventional steel and aluminum frame cycles. Moreover, they are more sustainable to make as bamboo is a fast-growing grass and therefore very sustainable. Their manufacturing process is not reliant on electricity from coal-burning power plants, and the economic benefits of their manufacture are spread along every step of the process, from sourcing-to-sale.

Commenting on the launch, Vijay Crishna, Executive Director, Godrej Lawkim said, “The Bambusa bicycle is in the direction of pushing boundaries of what’s possible in an environmentally and economically sound manner. Bamboo has a greater tensile strength (or resistance to being pulled apart) than steel, while its attribute of being 4 times as absorbent as carbon fiber gives a smoother ride even on bad roads. Having travelled 4400kms across the length of India during the monsoons, the bike has proved its strength and sturdiness on the road under the toughest conditions”

In every way possible, corporate houses should make the effort to a commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle. This, in order to works towards global sustainability strategy and lessen environmental footprint while accelerating development worldwide.

Other global examples innovations are coconut-based composite materials, recycled cotton material for carpeting and seat fabrics, and soy foam seat cushions and head restraints.

India Cancels Plans For Huge Coal Power Stations As Solar Energy Prices Hit Record Low

The CSR Journal

May 29, 2017

India has cancelled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations – about the same as the total amount in the UK – with the price for solar electricity “free falling” to levels once considered impossible.

Analyst Tim Buckley said the shift away from the dirtiest fossil fuel and towards solar in India would have “profound” implications on global energy markets.

According to his article on the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis’s website, 13.7GW of planned coal power projects have been cancelled so far this month – in a stark indication of the pace of change.

In January last year, Finnish company Fortum agreed to generate electricity in Rajasthan with a record low tariff, or guaranteed price, of 4.34 rupees per kilowatt-hour (about 5p).

Mr Buckley, director of energy finance studies at the IEEFA, said that at the time analysts said this price was so low would never be repeated.

But, 16 months later, an auction for a 500-megawatt solar facility resulted in a tariff of just 2.44 rupees – compared to the wholesale price charged by a major coal-power utility of 3.2 rupees (about 31 per cent higher).

“For the first time solar is cheaper than coal in India and the implications this has for transforming global energy markets is profound,” Mr Buckley said.

“Measures taken by the Indian Government to improve energy efficiency coupled with ambitious renewable energy targets and the plummeting cost of solar has had an impact on existing as well as proposed coal fired power plants, rendering an increasing number as financially unviable.

“India’s solar tariffs have literally been free falling in recent months.”

He said about it has been accepted that some £6.9bn-worth (approx. 57,181 crore) of existing coal power plants at Mundra in Gujarat were “no longer viable because of the prohibitively high cost of imported coal relative to the long-term electricity supply contracts”.

This, Mr Buckley added, was a further indication of the “rise of stranded assets across the Indian power generation sector”.

Investors from all over the world were showing an interest in India’s burgeoning solar sector.

“The caliber of the global financial institutions who are bidding into India’s solar power infrastructure tenders is a strong endorsement of India’s leadership in this energy transformation and will have significant ripple effects into other transforming markets, as is already seen in the UAE, South Africa, Australia, Chile and Mexico,” Mr Buckley said.

(Independent)

CSR Leaders Discuss The Current Challenges And Table Solutions

The CSR Journal

May 27, 2017

Treeni Sustainability Solutions, a software product company established by sustainability practitioners and technology experts, hosted its third edition of the ‘Sustainability for Breakfast’ event recently.

The theme for this edition was “Role of technology in CSR enablement.” The discussion panel included Meera Rajeevan, Program Director, Sarojini Damodaran Foundation, Shoma Bakre, Founder and Managing Trustee, Let’s Do Some Good Foundation, Aruna Newton Assoc. Vice President, Global head Diversity and inclusion, Sustainability Governance and Reporting, Infosys and Tushar Sujith, Director-Operations, AMBA Core Centre.

In the third edition, hosted at The Royal Orchid Hotel, Bengaluru, CSR executives representing organizations such as Tech Mahindra, Narayana Healthcare, Oracle and Philips gathered together to discuss the challenges faced while measuring impact of CSR campaigns, innovation in CSR and the use of technology to overcome roadblocks.

The panellist engaged with the CSR executives to understand difficulties faced by organizations to measure the direct impact on communities and society at large, and the intangible, but very important impact on the brand and reputation. Bengaluru, being a leading technology hub of the country, also paved way to deliberate on how organizations can leverage technology to engage better with the society rather than just investing a part of the revenue towards CSR activities.

Aruna Newton, Assoc. Vice President, Global head Diversity and inclusion, Sustainability Governance and Reporting, Infosys said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and what we eat for breakfast influences how we perform mentally and physically. S4b is a smart and innovative way to sharpen the focus on the most important sustainability actions that will influence how we work together to build and nurture endeavors that will sustain.”

Shoma Bakre, Founder and Managing Trustee, Let’s Do Some Good Foundation added, “Technological intervention is an immediate need in CSR to access desired output and measure impact. Platforms such as Sustainability for Breakfast plays an important role in bringing together experts and advocates of CSR to share and exchange knowledge and ideas. “

Talking about the impact measurement of CSR activities, Meera Rajeevan, Program Director, Sarojini Damodaran Foundation said, “To scale operations and be effective the NGOs have to focus on process, people, technology and metrics. The measurement CSR effectiveness, corporates should look at long term impact and benefits rather than going after the low hanging fruits and short term welfare.”

Sustainability for Breakfast, also known as S4B, is a concept to get experts and decision makers in the domain of sustainability together to drive change and build a community of change-makers. The purpose of this unique initiative, powered by Treeni Sustainability Solutions, is to promote dialogue on the emerging trends in ‘Sustainability’ that is re-imagining the way businesses are run today. The last two S4B events were hosted in Pune, Maharashtra where sustainability experts discussed about Circular economy and Integrated reporting.

Speaking on the event, Ankush Patel, Co-founder and CEO, Treeni Sustainability Solutions, said, “While there is a lot of wonderful CSR work being done in India, there are areas where effective execution of CSR initiatives can be improved. This event acts as a platform for sustainability thought leaders, CSR experts, Foundation Heads and program managers to discuss common challenges, enable problem solving, and share new approaches and best practices in the domain.”

Why India’s New Maternity Law Is Bad News For Women

The CSR Journal

May 26, 2017

The Maternity Bill has been in force since 1 April, bringing in a host of issues in its wake. There have been over the economic forces that come into play while implementing the tenets of the Act, with HR managers across disciplines trying to find solutions to their specific requirements within the framework mandated by the government.

Unfortunately, some talent managers are now thinking twice before hiring women employees because it means they have to pay for a resource who may go on leave for 26 weeks. They are also not eager to set up childcare infrastructure which may or may not be used by the employees.

The government could have given employers the space to come up with a plan that works best for their employees. For instance, there are companies that are located far away from residential neighbourhoods. Parents are often averse to the idea of bringing their children to work if there’s a long daily commute involved. For some companies, the issue is also the male-female ratio. Even if they have a significant number of employees, some of their centres may have a larger number of women than men. A childcare/crèche facility may be desirable in one company location and not in the other.

The cost of setting up crèches or sending employees on 26 weeks of paid leave is now to be borne by the company. The government could perhaps consider providing incentives such as tax breaks to parents, following the SODEXO model which has worked out quite well. It could also consider providing tax exemptions and subsidies for employees who are new parents. What the government did with CSR initiatives—making them tax-free and hence attractive to socially responsive companies—could also be emulated in the case of the Maternity Bill.

According to a Bloomberg report published in 2016:

“India’s female workforce participation rates peaked at 37 percent in 2005 and fell to 27 percent as of 2014, according to data from the World Bank. The U.S. rate declined from 58 percent to 56 percent during the period, the data show.”

Another report by Bloomberg-Quint cites the following statistics:

“Only 23.7 percent of eligible Indian women are part of the workforce. Compare that to 75 percent of men.
In urban areas, this number drops further to only 16 percent. For men, the comparable number is 69 percent.
Even for those women who are part of the workforce, the unemployment rate is high. 8.7 percent compared to 4 percent for men.“

It will take a more concerted and sustained effort to improve these numbers.

It is not enough to force the Maternity Bill upon employers. It is also important to create a work culture that encourages better gender-sensitivity, safer modes of transport for women, street lighting and overall awareness. Some MNCs and tech companies have also started programmes such as “bring your mother-in-law to work” and “take your child to work” days to help key family members understand the importance of the work that most women do.

It’s also important that employees and parents understand how the Bill may have encouraged fly-by-night operators who wish to make the most of this scramble to provide childcare support for women employees. They need to exercise caution before signing up with a service provider that does not comply with industry standards of quality and qualifications of the staff. The Maternity Bill can only succeed if all stakeholders take a more calibrated approach towards implementing it.

(HuffingtonPost)

Business Environment In India Is Better But Not Good: Michael Porter

The CSR Journal

May 25, 2017

A handful of corporate titans, young entrepreneurs and researchers on Wednesday got an opportunity that even some students of Harvard Business School do not get. They got a crash course in business and economics from Michael Porter.

The business strategist and economist teaches at Harvard. A student who wants to attend his lectures has to clear a special test.

But in Mumbai on Wednesday, delegates at an event got to hear Porter’s views on India and its prospects.

When he had visited India 14 years ago, people were “obsessed with talking about electricity” as the major challenge. The economy has improved a lot since, but much remains to be done, Porter suggested. “The business environment is better but it is not good. Infrastructure is better but it is not good,” he told the delegates, many of whom paid about Rs 25,000 to listen to and interact with him.

But, Porter’s bet is still on India, rather than China. The difference in growth rates between the two countries is closing and India could catch up with, and perhaps even overtake, the levels of its larger neighbour, he said. “We need this incredibly complex democracy to win.”

The event came a day ahead of a NITI Aayog lecture in Delhi that he will give, in the presence of prominent ministers and policymakers. “The harmonised tax system to be implemented is an important move,” Porter said, adding that the government seemed to be taking steps in the right direction.

The economist, who recently turned 70, embodied the demeanour and voice of a younger man. The venue, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Colaba, was filled to capacity by the time he began speaking, about 350 people in attendance.

At the back-to-B-school moment, India Inc’s personalities took notes, raised their smartphones to take photographs of PowerPoint slides, and posed questions. Porter was invited by the Institute for Competitiveness. The professor used three short sessions to explain key concepts he has developed over the years and outlined his views on the Indian economy.

He began by talking of how businesses often confuse “goals” with a “strategy”, and struggle to align various aspects of the business to achieve this strategy.

Later during a “fireside chat” with ITC Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Puri, he was asked how to balance a company’s desire to be competitive, with the larger expectation of employing more people. In Porter’s view, given the abundance of unmet needs in the country, such synergy would be easy. Services that emerge to take care of these needs would create jobs for the young, growing demographic, he observed. “Most of the growth in India will be domestic.”

But the academic went on to lay a charge on the audience, saying it was not up to the government or non-profit organisations to influence social progress. “The societal needs we live in the middle of are business opportunities.” He described at length the idea of “creating shared value”, which he had first illustrated in the Harvard Business Review.

He said he wanted companies to use an alternative model, in place of traditional philanthropy or corporate social responsibility. “Businesses acting as businesses, rather than charitable givers, will be the force that addresses social issues.” According to him, companies — including Jain Irrigation working on water conservation, and Aravind Eye Care tackling cataract treatments — are on this path already.

There are challenges, he admitted, responding to questions from the gathering. Around 26 per cent of the top 300 companies have not even met the minimum requirement of CSR investment, one audience member pointed out. Companies would have to be persuaded to think social, the strategist said. “The government will need to give out prizes and incentivise such action.”

If his vision of shared value was implemented, Porter reckoned employees would want to work for companies and citizens would respect these companies.

Best known for developing the “five forces model”, used to gauge the profitability and attractiveness of any industry, Porter is among a few in Harvard University’s tenured faculty to be given the title of university professor. Competitiveness has been a constant theme of his examinations. He is also researching how “divisive politics is standing in the way of social progress.”

(Business Standard)

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.
Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

‘CSR By Global Brands Must Look Beyond Tier-1 Of Leather Supply Chain In India’

The CSR Journal

May 24, 2017

Ethical trade and corporate social responsibility (CSR) may be the stated top priorities of global brands, but most high-end leather footwear, garments and accessories brands sourcing goods from three Indian hubs — Agra, Kolkata and Tamil Nadu — are unaware of poor wages, caste and gender discrimination, appalling working conditions and environment hazards beyond the first-tier of the supply chain, says a recent report by a Dutch non-profit organisation, ICN.

“We believe companies should increase the traceability and transparency of their full supply chain up to the level of tanneries and sub-contractors. Of the 13 reacting companies (to whom reports were sent), only two brands (Adidas and C&A) publicly disclosed the tanneries on their corporate website. C&A is increasing its supply chain transparency and is planning on disclosing second tier suppliers, including tanneries, on their corporate website in 2017,” says a report “Do Leather Workers Matter?” by India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN).

Export of leather goods account for nearly 75% of total exports to the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, the UAE, Spain, France, the Netherlands, China, Vietnam and Belgium. The top global brands that source from India include Armani, Bata, DKNY, Hush Puppies, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Versace, Zara, Tommy Hilfiger and Marks & Spencer, among others.

The leather sector is said to employ 2.5 million people, mainly Dalits and Muslims. About 30% of the workforce is women, many of whom are home-based workers, says the report, drawing from interviews with 166 workers of 46 companies and 14 home workshops in 2011 and 2012 in the three producing hubs of India, which together account for 60% of the country’s tanning capacity and finished leather production.

The report found a wide gap between the price of the end product and wages in all three hubs.

Workers’ wages

“According to one recent source, the workers’ wages make up only 2% of the final price of the shoe, while the brands keep a quarter of the price and one third goes to the retailers,” says the report, citing a study that estimated that the piece rates for home-based women stitching uppers for a pair of shoes was around Rs 10 while the retail price of the shoe might be £100 (about Rs 8,400), varying across brands.

In the Vaniyambadi-Ambur cluster in Tamil Nadu, “one group of workers, who produce bags for an export company, receive Rs 90 (about €1.19) for a bag. On average piece rate workers make Rs 3,500 (about €46.34) per month,” said the report.

In footwear production, almost all interviewed labourers said they got piece-rate wages at Rs 5-10 per piece. “On average, workers make Rs 80-25 per day, which is mostly below the legal minimum wage for the footwear sector in Tamil Nadu, being Rs 121.91 a day for footwear workers”, said the report

In Agra, none of the interviewed workers received the minimum wage for skilled workers, even though they had all worked in the leather industry for over five years.

Pollution hazards

Noting that the tanning industry causes one of the world’s worst polluting problems, mainly because of intensive use of chrome, the report said “up to 250 kg of chemicals are used for the production of 500 kg leather.”

The major environmental hazard relates to the dumping of solid and liquid waste, which holds leftover chrome and other dangerous compounds. Also, the tanning process of one tonne of hide generally produces 20-80 cubic meters of waste water. As a result, an estimated 2,000-3,000 tonne of chromium ends up in the environment of India every year.

(Hindu Business Line)

Versova Beach Issue Resolved, But What Is Next?

Balbir Singh Aulakh

May 23, 2017

Part of the city’s coastal flora and fauna, the Versova beach in Mumbai’s western suburbs, is one of the dirtiest beaches. Starting in October 2015, the world’s biggest beach cleaning initiative took 85 weeks to get completed. Afroz Shah, a lawyer at Bombay High Court, started off with his 84-year-old neighbour Harbansh Mathur. “The first day, we filled four-five plastic bags with garbage and we were so happy,” Shah said.

The task ahead for Versova Residents’ Volunteers (VRV), the residential group of volunteers heading the clean-up drive, as Shah describes was a case of “participative democracy at its best”. In their enormous action to clear and protect the Versova beach, VRV were supported by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC); while it also inspired support from United Nations and similar-thinking citizens. “It was fascinating to see people from the film industry, police, lawyers, fishermen and other walks come together for one cause,” expressed Shah.

On Saturday afternoon, Shah shared a picture of the Versova beach on Twitter emphasising on maintaining the cleanliness. “This is Versova beach an hour back. Week 85 of cleanup. Versova beach is gorgeous and clean now. We have done our bit. We need to maintain it.”

Shah, who was honoured by UN with ‘Champions of the Earth Award’ for his efforts to initiate the world’s largest beach clean-up, is determined to continue his efforts and fight the battle against ocean litter. The growing involvement of citizens, personalities from film industry, police, lawyers and the fishermen community helped complete the overhaul.

In October last year, Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, who volunteered with VRV for waste collection at the beach said, “His [Shah] efforts, and the hundreds of volunteers he’s inspired, is a wonderful example of citizen action and reminds the rest of the world that even the most ambitious, global agreements are only as good as the individual action and determination that brings them to life.”

The accomplishment has received lots of praise and acknowledgement over the past few days. It is important to understand and act upon, as Shah stated in 2016, “Institutionally, they will have to put up some sort of mechanism.” The growing problem of garbage disposal in Mumbai is not a new discovery, as issues surrounding the Deonar dumping ground still remain unaddressed. With unsystematic dumping techniques causing health problems and affecting the quality of coastal waters severely.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had awarded Shah the UN’s top environmental accolade — Champions of the Earth award — at Cancun, Mexico, making him the first Indian to achieve such a feat.

(inputs from Livemint and Hindustan Times)

About the Author

Balbir Singh Aulakh is a 20-year-old Mass Media graduate, who is an extremely passionate writer about football. He has past experience of covering Indian football for Football Counter as a Sports Correspondent. He is a contributor at TheHardTackle and possesses experience working in electronic and digital media. Based in Mumbai, he aims to pursue his Master’s degree in Public Policy. You can contact him via e-mail at balbirsinghaulakh@gmail.com.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author in his personal capacity and do not in any way represent the views of any entity, organisation that the author may have been associated with.

Abortion Kills 20 Lakh Women Every Year: Survey

Neha Bilandani

May 22, 2017

According to a recent survey, 13% of 1.5 crore women who opt for abortion to terminate their pregnancy, lose their lives every year.

Executive Director of Population Foundation of India, Poonam Muttreja, who works in the field of women’s interest and family planning, said that this information was provided by the International Institute of Gutmaker and the Indian Institute of Population Sciences in a report submitted to the government.

“A paucity of knowledge of family planning and ignorance is the main reason for these deaths. To prevent such deaths, an extensive work across the country is needed,” she added.

But now the figures of the government and other organisations are the same. According to them, 1.5 crore women get abortion every year, out of which 13%, i.e. about 20 lakh women, die. This figure incorporates cases of illegal abortions made to conceal crime

According to the first official figures, only six lakh women had abortion recorded every year, while the figure of non-governmental organisations was 10 million.

“From the developed countries like the US to the under-developed African countries, the situation is critical due to lack of awareness and knowledge of the family planning,” she pointed out. “Awareness can reduce death by more than 50% annually,” said Muttreja.

The budget for health and family planning was proportionally very low. It is 4.5% in South Africa, 3.7% in Thailand, 4.7% in Brazil, 3% in China and 3.1%Russia. While in India, it is only 1.33%.

Referring to the hygiene campaign, she said, “If the campaign starts with primary health centres, then half the diseases can be reduced. Apart from this, we have to work on social awareness too.”

Arun Nair, who works with Marie Stopes International (MSI), said, “There are challenges in the way of introducing the slogan of “Child by Choice not by Chance” and the role of women in family is important.”

The MSI has been working in the field of family planning in 13 districts of Rajasthan since 2008. “It would be better, if more private hospitals and NGOs are pooled in by the government. Although the government is doing its best,” he opined.

But on the contrary, an RTI query has revealed that for the first time in this decade, the number of abortions in Mumbai has fallen. But are abortions on the decline in the country as a whole?

“Going by the data that we have from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the trend has shown an increase in abortions,” says Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, PFI. MoHFW data shows that despite a general declining trend in the mid-2000s, there was an uptick in the last few years for which data was available.

Another set of data comes from women themselves, through household surveys. Based on this data, nationally, the abortion rate — the number of abortions for every 100 pregnancies — has been on the decline. While data on abortion from the latest round of the National Family Health Survey is not yet available, data from the District Level Health Survey shows that abortion rates declined in most states in the period between 2007-08 and 2012-13.

Nationally, in 2014, 1.7% of all pregnancies in rural areas and 3.1% in urban areas resulted in an abortion, according to the National Sample Survey Office. This is a globally low number; the United States, for instance, has an abortion rate that is close to 15%.

Abortion remains highly restricted in India. The governing law, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (1971), permits abortions before 12 weeks of pregnancy by a registered medical practitioner or before 20 weeks of pregnancy with the approval of two registered medical practitioners, but only if the mother or child’s mental or physical health is in danger. A slightly more liberal amendment is under consideration, but still does not allow abortion if the woman simply wishes to terminate the pregnancy. Only last week, an HIV positive rape survivor was denied an abortion by the Supreme Court in India because she was 26 weeks pregnant, having lost crucial weeks to the legal process.

13% of married women still report an unmet need for contraception according to the latest National Family Health Survey, and female sterilisation remains the overwhelming mode of contraception in India.

Corporate India Needs to Keep a Close Eye on U-17 FIFA World Cup 2017

Balbir Singh Aulakh

May 20, 2017

This year, in March, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the deplorable condition of Indian football in his Mann-ki-Baat radio show. “Today our ranking in FIFA is low (163), I feel reluctant to even mention it.” It is May and India is nearing the start of FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017, an international football tournament India has waited to host for a while.

The tournament is India’s brightest opportunity for a certain ‘roadmap’ of Indian football. So just maybe, for a nation with the largest youth population, predicting its search for daylight in football depends on teenagers shouldn’t be an odd choice.

As part of the build-up to the World Cup, the BJP government launched ‘Mission XI Million’, to make football “the sport of choice in India.” The initiative aims to bring together 11 million children to play football, as part of a “massive school engagement programme”. While the timing of the initiative is evident, its execution will be a major setback; as lack of infrastructure, education and awareness of the sports remain a core problem.

In December 2016, Bank of Baroda joined as a ‘National Supporter’ for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017. Later on, in March 2017, Hero MotoCorp was announced as a supporter, filling in the second of the six slots presented for the tournament. But with just over four months remaining, the remaining spots are yet to be filled.

Corporate involvement in sports is not as unusual as it may seem. Last year at the Paralympics in Rio, IndusInd Bank came forward to support few of the Indian Paralympians in their bid for international glory. In the past, India has seen the success of Indian Premier League – and more recently, successes of Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi League and Premier Badminton League – all of these, supported by companies such as Reliance, International Management Group, Vodafone, Vivo, JSW etc. But the lack of it, in India’s build-up to the tournament has been a real setback, with FIFA still struggling to find an Indian company as an affiliate for promoting the tournament globally.

Philippe Le Floc’h, FIFA’s Chief Commercial Officer, asked Indian corporate houses to be a part of the U-17 World Cup back in March. “The benefits of being associated with the FIFA U-17 World Cup are twofold. Firstly, you have the prestige of being associated with a World Cup, the visibility from which will be huge. Secondly, you are also helping football develop in India by supporting youth development in the sport.”

Le Floc’h also mentioned, “To join us as a global affiliate would be the perfect partnership for Indian companies looking to push their products to markets outside of India.”

Though FIFA has been actively promoting the sport across India, there has been no update about interested companies for World Cup U-17’s National Support remaining slots. The government’s ‘Mission XI Million’ has made effective steps to promote football, initiating projects such as ‘Oorja’; with support from not only the sports fertility but also celebrities such as Alia Bhatt and Kangana Ranaut.

Football in India is always an uphill task with the popularity of cricket growing every day. But the Under-17 World Cup 2017 will bring the country’s football sphere and private market a great scope for participation – and possibly, India’s finest chance to introduce itself as a football superpower on the global scale.

(with inputs from Hindustan Times)

About the Author