Maharashtra

This paper reviews the experience of creation and functioning of ward committees in urban local bodies in states of Kerala and Maharashtra. The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act provided for ward committees to be constituted in urban local bodies with more than 3 lakhs population. The ward committees were expected to act as an institutional space for participation of citizens in matters of urban local governance.
The state of Kerala has provided an elaborate legal and institutional framework for functioning of ward committees especially with regards to participation of citizens. This paper examines the functioning of ward committees in a municipal corporation in Kerala for the past decade and points out achievements and shortcomings in actual functioning of ward committees in the state.
        The state of Maharashtra while legislating for ward committees in its municipal acts has not provided an elaborate legal framework. Ward committees in Mumbai Municipal Corporation was constituted only after judicial intervention. In 2009, the state enacted Community Participation Law, which is yet to be implemented. This paper questions the legal framework for ward committees in Maharashtra from the point of view of enabling participation of ordinary citizens in matters of urban governance.
        In light of the experiences of both states with regard to ward committees, This paper concludes with issues for further discussion on citizen participation in urban governance and functioning of ward committees in India.

Odonata are freshwater insects spread world-wide. Tropical areas are high Odonata diversity areas. However, there has not been accumulation of extensive baseline data on spatial distribution of these insects from such places. Maharashtra, the third largest state of India, harbors a variety of land-use and occupies six biogeographic provinces. We carried out Odonata surveys in Maharashtra during 2006–2014. Compilation of all these studies along with other authenticated records resulted in a checklist of 134 species of Odonata belonging to 70 genera representing 11 families. The highest numbers of species were recorded from the Libellulidae (48 species) and Gomphidae (22 species) families. A previous study had reported 99 species of Odonata from the Maharashtra state considering records from early 1900’s to 2012. Our observations across the state add 33 species to this list. Maharashtra forms a unique source of Odonata diversity and our observations support the importance of this region in providing valuable habitats for Odonata. Here, we discuss several of the new records, how global surveys might help fill the local gap in species distributions, how secondary data deposited through crowd-sourcing can help and what it offers to conservation.

This study examines a growing concern about the quality of elementary education in India. It focuses on Maharashtra, where significant progress in access to education has enabled more attention to be placed on what children actually learn when they are at school.

Following a statewide baseline test in 2005, which revealed that 42 per cent of pupils in government schools were unable to read or do simple numeracy tasks, a Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (3R) Programme was initiated. This incorporated regular tests and remedial teaching to help children who failed these tests achieve basic learning levels. This was followed by a 2005 Government Resolution marking the launch of the state Educational Quality Improvement Programme (EQIP). In order to implement EQIP, a state education Quality Cell (QC) was created. This was a semi-autonomous agency dedicated to improving educational quality in government elementary schools. It comprised a small team assembled to monitor local education systems and to help
develop and implement strategies for enhancing these systems.
After some opposition to the programme of tests and remedial education—notably from teachers who were concerned about their increased workload—the QC, with support from UNICEF and
grass-roots activists, effected a further Government Resolution in 2007. This landmark legislation effectively enshrined the right of all children in Maharashtra to achieve basic levels of learning. It also emphasized more community involvement and increased capacity building of teachers to facilitate children’s all-round development through education.

Through discussions with educationalists from across Maharashtra, we learnt how the QC created platforms for sharing and developing promising educational initiatives. By bringing together civil society and government, it had been possible to upscale schemes such as the
Learning Enhancement Programme (LEP), incorporating inclusive activity-based pedagogies in schools across the state.

Our fieldwork, conducted in Latur district, highlights two contrasting scenarios: one, where initiatives supported by the QC have helped build capacity to sustain quality education in the village primary school, and another, where the promise of quality education has yet to be realized. In the latter case, our research showed the significant capacity-building potential of the 2007 Government Resolution that grants children the right not only to an education, but also to an education of good quality. It demonstrated a community’s willingness to come together to demand that their children’s rights are met.

With reference to specific cases, this study illustrates the role that local communities can play in supporting education in the context of a decentralized political system. However, if local level bodies, such as Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and Village Education Committees
(VECs), are to make a more positive difference to educational outcomes, their capacities need to be built more effectively. We therefore recommend that future attempts to improve the quality of education should take steps to engage entire communities in support of children’s learning.

This is particularly important in the areas of historic educational deprivation where many parents and other adults may lack the ability to monitor children’s progress. Identifying good-quality education as a collective responsibility, the study also advocates raising public awareness of its importance.

[Research Documentation Project undertaken as part of an internship programme organized by Knowledge Community of Children in India (KCCI) and UNICEF. Published by UNICEF, 2009.]

Nallasopara is looked upon as one of most unpleasant suburbs to go to in present day Mumbai. However, Sopara or Surparaka, as it was known in the past, had a glorious run not only as an important port on the western coast of India and but also as a major trade center. It had trade links with the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and the Middle East so much so that it finds mention in a 2000 year old book Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. It is also believed to be the capital of Apranta (old name for Konkan) and is also the oldest historical testament of Mumbai, in the form of Ashokan Edits. Apart from all these things, Sopara is also an important Teertha.
Sopara finds itself mentioned as an important Teertha in almost all faiths of Indian origin. Brahmanical texts mention it as Parshuramtirtha. Buddhist text Divyavdana mentions it as the place where Buddha himself visited. Jain text Vividhatirthkalpa mentions it as one of the 84 most revered Teerthas for the Jains.
It doesn’t stop here; Sopara has also lured a lot of foreign travellers. Travellers ranging from Chinese Huen Tsang to Arab Al Idrisi amongst others have paid a visit to the place. Hebrew texts refer to Sopara as Ophir.
The purpose of this paper is to shed light on Sopara as an ancient Teertha, a place to which a lot of Yatras took place and a place where foreigners flocked much before travel and tourism became mainstream in today’s world. We would present this on the basis of historical and literary references, previous archaeological works on the site as well as data revealed by the recent archaeological explorations conducted at the site.

The report is third in the series published since 2012 on behalf of the Community Forest Rights Learning and Advocacy Process. It includes detailed case-studies from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha as well as policy and implementation updates at the National Level from May 2013-February 2015.