The water portal, which is co-ordinated by Arghyam, a non profit trust headed by Rohini Nilekani, supplies information – in Kannada – on various aspects of water. It was formally launched by K Jairaj, Principal Secretary,
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, here on Friday. Arghyam launched the portal in January this year, and intends to launch more vernacular portals. The Kannada portal, which is totally funded by the trust to the tune of Rs one crore, is also a forum for citizens to air their views, concerns and suggestions on water-related issues.
Type: Article
‘Water’shed policy to save valued resource
To sustain water assets in Karnataka’s rural areas, the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department will draw up a new policy shortly.
RDPR principal secretary K Jairaj on Friday announced the policy will be implemented from April. He was speaking at the launch of a water portal in Kannada, launched by India Water Portal and Arghyam.
Kannada Portal for information on Water – www.indiawaterportal.org/kannada – Kannada
Kannada Portal for information on Water – www.indiawaterportal.org/kannada – Kannada
Broadcasting the excluded
A forum on mobile broadcasting threw up interesting ideas on how it can become a great medium of communication in remote areas.
Addressing a gathering of more than 100 representatives from the government, NGOs, CBOs and Civil Society Organisations, key note speaker Rohini Nilekani said, “Discrimination and exclusion are the prime culprits that have handicapped community voice,” she said.
Launch of Water Portal – www.indiawaterportal.org/kannada – Kannada
Launch of Water Portal – www.indiawaterportal. org/kannada – Kannada
Praaja Vaani.
Now, Mrs. Nilekani On TV
It is time for change. To business television junkies, Nandan Nilekani has been a familiar face. Be it talking about his company or pitching for Indian software skills, Nilekani is almost a brand ambassador for the industry. In the next, we will see another Nilekani take the centre stage. Nilekani’s wife Rohini will host a talk show on
social issues in an yet-to-be launched channel.
Watering A Change
It’s back to the grassroots for techies who are giving up their plum jobs for a noble cause — water conservation.
The story of a young engineer from NASA, who gave up his high profile job to change the lives of villagers in India in the Bollywood blockbuster ‘Swades’ was motivating. But it was on the silver screen after all. Bangalore techies are now taking this type of inspirational actions to a different level altogether.
Save The Flow – Protect nature, conserve water
The Bangalore Film Society and fellow organisations have no hammer. Still, for four days in early June, they hammered out a warning, with cinema as their tool. The purpose: to generate awareness about the vital importance of water, its destructive capacity generate awareness about the vital importance of water, its destructive capacity.
Kelvinator GR8! Women Awards 2007
ohini Nilekani started as a writer. She worked as a journalist for several years writing for many for leading publications such as Sunday and India Today. Her first novel, a medical thriller called STILLBORN was published by Penguin Books.
She is Founder-Chairperson, Pratham Books, a non-profit publishing house set up to create high quality, low cost books for children. Since 2004, Pratham Books has published 150 new titles and distributed 2.5 million books in ten Indian languages, mostly to underserved children across the country.
For the past eight years, however, Rohini Nilekani has been actively involved with several non-profit organizations. As a committed philanthropist, she funds projects focussed in the areas of water, education, health, ecology, microfinance etc.
Breaking their shells
IN THE northern plains of Bihar, which are so used to being part of a flood economy that the railway stations have permanent stalls for flood relief personnel, we at Arghyam are supporting a small, yet bold, initiative in the districts of Madhubani, Sahara, Supaul and Khagaria.
A small, but committed group of five NGOs have come under the banner Maegh Pyne Abhiyan to work with the leftover
people live on the embankments of canals during the flood season.

