Welcome to the website of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung - India office
Introducation
The face of the India programme was carved out of its concern for various forms of prejudice, discrimination, exclusion, and violence amplified especially between diverse ethnic, communal and religious groups within India; the South Asian contours of globalization; the neglect of environmental concerns given the increasing pace of climate change; and the challenges to India’s democracy that lacks truly an emancipatory and participatory component.

Imperative to all programmes and projects of the Foundation is a commitment to gender justice and equality. Gender democracy is an overarching and crosscutting issue being mainstreamed in all activities and approaches.

National conferences and political campaigns on many critical issues, as well as active engagement with the international community on Global and South Asian experiences of democracy and inclusion have been key tools of political education to face political challenges. HBF India’s encouragement of new forms of civil society assertions has been significant in this light.

Our overall approach is to (a) generate opportunities of sharing, analysing and learning among formations of civil society (b) engaging in independent and critical analysis of societal trends and issues (c) enabling dialogue across varied perspectives, sectors and institutions of the concerned stakeholders.

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Democracy and Conflict Resolution
Interview
There is a lack of will to confront the Maoist challenge holistically.
July 29, 2010 - An Interview with Ajay K. Mehra – an expert on Maoist politics in India and Honorary Director of Centre for Public Affairs – on the roots of the Maoist revolutionary violence in India, the approach of the Government of India and the affected state governments and the Nexus between Maoists and mainstream politicians. Prof. Ajay K. Mehra more»
Interview
The Rebels mirror India’s failings as a Nation. – July 29, 2010 - An Interview with Sudeep Chakravarti - journalist and well known expert on the Indian Maoists – about the current stage of the conflict, the role played by media and business as well as its implications on the Indian state and society. Sudeep Chakravarti more»
Kashmir - Uending Conflict, What Is The Way Out.
July 19, 2010 - The conflict in Kashmir seems to be unending and the way it is being handled by our armed forces, especially the CRPF is further aggravating it. Unfortunately still it is being addressed primarily as a law and order problem and the aspirations of people and their problems hardly matter. Our armed forces go on violating human rights and they know only to kill. Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer more»
Article
State Religion and Social Reforms. – July 8, 2010 - No one will dispute the fact that social reforms are urgently needed with breath taking changes taking place all around in our society. But two questions become important in this respect: 1) what is the role of state and 2) what is the role of religion? There are people who insist that state should play an active role and usher in these reforms. Secondly there are people who think religion can hardly be helpful and instead it becomes an obstacle in social change. By Asghar Ali Engineer more»
Publication
Emerging Trends in Indian Politics The 15th General Election. – This volume is the outcome of a study organised jointly by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (HBS) India and the Centre for Public Affairs (CPA) before the 15th general elections to the Lok Sabha. The project attempted to gauge the emerging political trends that may influence the politics of the country. Ajay K. Mehra more»
Climate & Energy
Conference Summary: The Great Transformation - Greening the Economy
July 9, 2010 - This conference report summarizes the key debates of the two-day conference "The Great Transformation - Greening the Economy". Additionally audio recordings of all sessions are available as well as video recordings of several key notes. more»
Background Paper
Conference on "Global Carbon Budgets and Equity in Climate Change" – July 2, 2010 -

The crucial global climate policy issue today is the current unequal occupation of carbon space with the developed nations having occupied far more than their fair share of carbon space. Without these nations sharply reducing their emissions, it is evident that other nations cannot get their fair share. From the carbon space perspective, it is also clear that no nation can lay claim to more than its fair share, and that the burden of mitigation will fall progressively on all nations as they approach their fair share of global carbon space.

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Article
A Green New Deal in India? – May 28, 2010 - Although India can be perceived as a low-carbon economy, with only 1.3 tons CO2 emissions annually per person, it is already the fourth biggest CO2 polluter worldwide. Therefore a green change within India’s development framework is badly needed. Dr. Michael Köberlein more»
Can Economic Growth and Climate Protection be Reconciled? – We have almost used up our emissions budget. Should we continue to emit at the current rate, our budget will be used up within ten years. Thus, we have to ask ourselves: Is continuous growth the right approach? Can we afford more economic growth? Is our present economic system able to increase and sustain wealth on a worldwide scale? The Böll.Thema essay by Claudia Kemfert tries to give answers to these questions. more»
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
The Great Transformation – Greening the Economy – May 27, 2010 - The international conference deals with the political framework, regulatory instruments, as well as leading technologies, key projects and new alliances for the economic-ecologic turnaround. On May, 28-29 a live-stream will be available. more»
Interview
Threat to Himalayan glaciers is real. – April 15, 2010 - Dr. Jürgen Kropp from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) about the errors of the last IPCC report and the direct impact of melting of Himalayan glacier on water resources and agriculture in India. more»
Publication
Distributed Renewable Energy Projects in Rural Areas of India - A guide to Implementation. –

The need for renewable energy resources is real and pressing today simply because our current dependence on conventional petro -based fuels and energy sources cannot be sustained. Electrification Scheme over the past two decades there remains a lot of work that needs to be done. The numbers of villages which still don’t have access to electricity continue to be very high and in a number of these village the grid reaching them may still be some years away.

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Research Study
An India That Can Say Yes: a Climate-Responsible Development Agenda for Copenhagen and Beyond – March 1, 2010 - The book analysis at environmental policy framing approaches within India, its priorities, challenges and opportunities. The climate change as an issue have been looked through in detail from all aspects like equity, poverty, diplomacy, policy framework, etc… The COP in Copenhagen was an important milestone in International climate Negotiations and weighing all the aspects of taking a decision, the author has proposed a way forward more»
Blog-Symbol
Publication
HALF LIFE: Radioactive Waste in India – Nuclear Energy generation is slated to rise in the coming decades from the present 3 percent to upto 20 percent in the energy mix of India. With climate change concerns, nuclear energy is now being brought back and reconsidered as 'clean' and 'zero cost' energy. The amount of waste created will increase manifold. more»
International Politics
Article
Shanthie Mariet D'Souza: Afghanistan - Deminting a General's COIN
July 5, 2010 - President Obama’s dismissal of General McChrystal has laid to rest doubts on the continuity of US strategy, but victory still seems a distant prospect. Shanthie Mariet D'Souza more»
Conference
An Assembly Towards a Union of South Asian Peoples. – Geopolitically South Asia has never been a coherent region. South Asia is suffering from numerous conflicts leading to political and economic instability. The regional organisations like SAARC have failed to meet people's expectation. This conference identified relevant issues and suggested future course of action and made a pledge to enhance regional cooperation not only in economic matters but also towards building a unique South Asian Identity above national considerations. more»
Pakistan's Energy Future: What Role for Chinese Nuclear Reactors? – June 29, 2010 - Pakistan is looking to solve its energy supply crisis by importing nuclear reactors from China. However, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, of which China is a member, forbids transfer of any kind of nuclear technology to non-signatories of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty like Pakistan. By Pervez Hoodbhoy more»
Gender and Trade
Interview
Level of awareness about GM foods is low in the country.
July 19, 2010 - On the introduction of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in India, Dr Sahai has been asking for greater technical competence, transparency and public participation in the regulatory process dealing with GM crops. more»
Research Study
The Current Trade Framework and Gender Linkages in Developing Economies: An Introductoey Survey of Issues with Special Referance to India. – Given the emphasis on gender mainstreaming today, the gender impact of trade policy must be paid serious attention to, especially as it is increasingly evident that trade policy is not 'gender neutral'. The nature of international trade itself is undergoing continuous changes, with autonomous liberalization being accompanied by initiatives at the WTO as well as rapid advances in Preferential or Free Trade Agreements.
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Research Study
The Current Trade Paradigm and Women's Health Concerns in India: With Special Reference to the Proposed EU-India Free Trade Agreement. – India is currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, which includes not only liberalization of commodity trading, but also a wide range of chapters including deep services trade liberalization, full investment liberalization, and stricter IPR conditions than the TRIPS norms. As trade is an engine of growth and development, India’s trade policy has many goals to meet. India shows high poverty level, increasing income and social inequalities as well as deep seated gender inequalities.
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