IOM Assists Over 130 Yazidis

IOM Assists Over 130 Yazidis

IOM Assists Over 130 Yazidis to Resettle from Iraq to France

President Macron has pursued this policy with the support of 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad, who has advocated for vulnerable Yazidi women worldwide.  

The initiative was the subject of a signing ceremony between IOM and the French Government attended by Ms. Murad two weeks ago in Paris.

“Today we have come to see you off on your new journey to France,” Dominique Mas, the French Consul General in Erbil, told the Yazidi families as they boarded the aircraft.  

“In France you will receive protection, security, education, as well as medical and social support,” he continued.  

The 28 Yazidi families are moving to France five years after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIL, swept through Sinjar, the stronghold of Iraq’s Yazidi community. Since those attacks, a significant portion of the community remains displaced, including hundreds of families who fled to Mount Sinjar in 2014. 

“We are grateful for the French government’s support to this vulnerable group of Yazidis, some of whom have gone through a terrible ordeal,” said Gerard Waite, IOM Iraq’s Chief of Mission. “IOM Iraq continues to assist all displaced Iraqi citizens, including Yazidis, both in areas of displacement as well as in their hometowns, to facilitate their sustainable reintegration.”  

Prior to their departure, IOM assisted the families with transportation from Dohuk to Erbil, accommodation in Erbil and medical check ups. The teams also organized cultural orientation sessions and are facilitating their travel to France.  

“As this group of Yazidi families touch down in Toulouse and surrounding areas, local nongovernmental organizations are ready to assist them to facilitate their integration in the host communities,” said Ambassador Eric Chevallier, Director of the French Crisis Center, before boarding the plane alongside the families on their journey. 

New Report: The Best and Worst Countries for Digital Life Abroad

New Report: The Best and Worst Countries for Digital Life Abroad

Dear Mr. Naresh Kumar Sagar​,

Over the last years, it has become impossible to imagine a world without digital communication, especially for globally mobile people: staying in touch with loved ones at home, mastering the administrative challenges in a new country, or working remotely as a digital nomad — the digital needs of expats are extremely diverse.

Based on the latest Expat Insider survey, one of the most extensive studies about living and working abroad, InterNations publishes its first Digital Life Abroad Report: Estonia is the best country for digital life abroad, followed by Finland, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands, and the USA. At the other end of the scale, expats in Myanmar (68th out of 68 countries), China, Egypt, India, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Peru, Turkey, and Uganda are the least satisfied with their digital life.

The press release, corresponding infographic, and full report can be downloaded at the end of this email. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, require statements from survey participants, or if you are interested in an interview with a spokesperson of the company.

Kind regards,

The interNations Press Team

The Best & Worst Countries for Digital Life Abroad  • Estonia, Finland, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands, and the USA are the best countries for digital life abroad. • Estonia is voted the best country for two out of the five factors that determine digital life abroad: the unrestricted access to online services and the availability of administrative/government services online. • Myanmar, China, Egypt, India, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Peru, Turkey, and Uganda are the countries where expats are the least satisfied with their digital life. Munich, 22 May 2019 — Over the last years, it has become impossible to imagine a world without digital communication, especially for globally mobile people: staying in touch with loved ones at home, mastering the administrative challenges in a new country, or working remotely as a digital nomad — the digital needs of expats are extremely diverse. In its first Digital Life Abroad Report, InterNations, the world’s largest expat community, identifies the best and worst countries to live a connected life. The results, which are based on the annual Expat Insider survey, reveal that Estonia, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and New Zealand excel at offering a digital environment. Expats in these countries are very satisfied with their unrestricted access to online services and the possibility to pay without cash almost anywhere. At the other end of the scale, Myanmar, China, Egypt, India, and the Philippines are rated the worst countries for digital life. Expats in these countries struggle with a lack of government services online, difficult access to high-speed internet at home, or even restrictions in their use of online services. At the other end of the scale, Myanmar, China, Egypt, India, and the Philippines are rated the worst countries for digital life. Expats in these countries struggle with a lack of government services online, difficult access to high-speed internet at home, or even restrictions in their use of online services. Interestingly, the worst-rated destination in the world, Myanmar, also holds a surprise: it ranks first for the ease of getting a local phone number.   Top 10 Countries for Digital Life Abroad 1. Estonia Being featured in the Expat Insider survey for the first time, Estonia comes in 1st place out of 68 countries in terms of digital life. The country is rated best in the world for both unrestricted access to online services (e.g. social media) and the availability of administrative or government services online. In fact, 96% of expats judge the access to online services favorably (vs. 80% globally), with 86% saying it could not be any better (vs. 58% globally). Another 94% are impressed with the availability of administrative or government services online (vs. 55% globally), with 70% giving it the best possible rating (vs. 23% globally).These excellent results help the country compensate its low rankings in terms of available leisure options (51st) and travel opportunities (65th): all in all, Estonia comes in a good 21st place out of 68 countries for its general quality of life.  2. Finland Paying without cash seems to be no issue at all in Finland, which comes first in the world for this factor. Nearly all expats in the country (96%) are satisfied with the ease of cashless payments (vs. 78% globally). They are also happy with the ease of getting high-speed internet at home (96% vs. 75% globally), the availability of administrative or government services online (88% vs. 55% globally), and the unrestricted access to online services such as social media (94% vs. 80% globally). Interestingly, it does not seem to be that easy to get a local mobile phone number in Finland (9% negative ratings vs. 7% globally), with the country ranking 44th out of 68 destinations for this factor. 3. Norway Similarly to Finland, Norway ranks among the top 10 countries for most rating factors regarding digital life, but it drops drastically to 50th place for the ease of getting a local mobile number. In fact, just 84% of expats find this easy (vs. 86% globally), making Norway the worst-ranking among the top 10 countries for this factor. On the other end of the scale, nearly all expats (97%) are happy with the level of unrestricted access to online services in Norway, compared to 80% globally. The same is true for high speed internet access at home (95% positive ratings vs. 75% globally) and paying without cash. The latter is considered easy by 97% of expats, which is 19 percentage points more than the global average (78%). 4. Denmark An excellent 4th place in terms of digital life helps Denmark to make up for its bottom 10 positions for leisure options (64th out of 68 countries) and personal happiness (66th): it comes in 24th place for quality of life overall. The Nordic country ranks 2nd worldwide for the ease of cashless payments (97% satisfied vs. 78% globally), only beaten by Finland. Additionally, nine in ten expats living in Denmark (90%) rate the availability of administrative or government online services positively (vs. 55% globally), while over half (57%) even claim that it is very good (vs. just 23% globally). Only getting a local mobile phone number does not seem to be all that easy in Denmark (46th out of 68 countries), with 6% stating to be unhappy with this factor (about the same as the global average of 7%). 5. New Zealand New Zealand’s generally high ratings for the local quality of life (11th worldwide) are further consolidated by the Digital Life subcategory: Nearly all expats (98%) say that it is easy to get a local mobile number (vs. 86% globally), which is the highest share in the world. What is more, 99% of expats are happy with the ease of cashless payments (vs. 78% globally), with 77% even saying it could not be any better (vs. 48% globally). When it comes to the availability of government services online, another 91% agree that the access is good (vs. 55% globally). However, New Zealand just ranks a mediocre 35th out of 68 countries in terms of getting access to high-speed internet at home: about four in five (79%) agree that getting high speed internet access at home is easy, which is only slightly above the global average (75%). 6. Israel Israel makes it into the top 10 countries in terms of quality of life for the first time, thanks to the new Digital Life subcategory, which has helped it to climb up the ranks. The country receives its best ratings for the unrestricted access to online services such as social media and the ease of getting a local mobile phone number (3rd worldwide for both). In fact, nearly all expats (95%) rate their access to online services positively (vs. 80% globally), and 84% say it could not be any better (vs. 58% globally). Similarly, 94% find it easy to get a mobile number (vs. 86% globally), and 80% think this could not be any easier (vs. 58% globally). Expats in Israel are not nearly as satisfied with the availability of administrative or government services online; however, the country still ranks a good 21st out of 68, with 67% positive ratings for this factor (vs. 55% globally). 7. Canada With regard to digital life, Canada receives its best ratings for the availability of administrative or government services online (ranking 8th out of 68 destinations) and the ease of cashless payments (10th). More than nine in ten expats (94%) find the latter easy, compared to 78% globally. Moreover, expats in Canada are happy with the unrestricted access to online services such as social media (11th) and the ease of getting high-speed internet at home (12th). Close to nine in ten respondents (89%) are happy with the latter (vs. 75% globally), but the “very high costs of internet” are mentioned as a downside of life in Canada by a German expat. Only getting a local mobile phone number does not seem to be all that easy in Canada (38th); however, the share of expats who are satisfied with this factor is still slightly above the global average (89% vs. 86% globally).  8. Singapore Singapore shows an interesting mix of excellent and rather average rankings in terms of digital life. The country ranks 21st out of 68 countries for cashless payments, 29th for the ease of getting a local mobile phone number, and 45th for unrestricted access to online services. Although the latter result places Singapore in the bottom half worldwide, 83% of expats still rate this factor positively, three percentage points above the global average (80%). On the other hand, Singapore receives great ratings for the ease of getting high-speed internet at home (8th) and the availability of administration or government services online. For the latter, Singapore even ranks 2nd worldwide, beaten only by Estonia. More than nine in ten expats (93%) are happy with this factor (vs. 94% in Estonia and 55% globally), and 60% say it could not be any better (vs. 23% globally). 9. Netherlands Expats in the Netherlands can expect to be pleased with digital life if they are looking for unrestricted access to online services such as social media (8th out of 68) and a good availability of administrative or government services online (10th). “Everything can be done online”, an expat from Germany comments. In fact, 83% of respondents are happy with the availability of administrative or government services online, compared to 55% globally. The Netherlands receive its worst — though still above-average — ratings for the ease of getting a local mobile phone number (24th out of 68) and paying without cash (20th). While 90% of respondents do agree that it is easy to pay with something other than cash in the Netherlands (vs. 78% globally), this is the second-worst ranking among the top 10 countries for digital life, after Singapore (21st). 10. United States of America Coming in a low 47th place out of 68 countries regarding the general quality of life, the USA receives its best ratings within this index for its digital life. Expats in the USA are most satisfied with the ease of cashless payments (8th), as nearly all respondents (95%) rate this favorably (vs. 78% globally). Close to three-quarters (74%) even agree that paying without cash could not be any easier in the USA (vs. 48% globally). Expats are also very satisfied with the ease of getting high-speed internet access at home (90% happy vs. 75% globally). However, this is not the case when it comes to getting a local mobile phone number (31st): This factor has the lowest ranking within the Digital Life subcategory. Nonetheless, 91% of expats still say that it is easy to get a local number (vs. 86% globally), with one expat from Sweden highlighting “how easy it is to get a local phone number anywhere” in the USA.  Bottom 10 Countries for Digital Life 68. Myanmar Ranking last worldwide in terms of digital life, it seems like Myanmar is still a long way from becoming a digital society. The country is the world’s worst-rated destination to pay without cash and to get access to high-speed internet at home. In fact, 74% of expats find making cashless payments in Myanmar difficult, which is 61 percentage points more than the global average (13%) and double the share in Argentina (37%), the second-worst destination for this factor. Similarly, 58% of expats in Myanmar are unhappy with their access to high-speed internet at home, which is the highest share worldwide and close to four times the global average (16%). However, Myanmar also holds a surprise: The country ranks first worldwide for the ease of getting a local mobile phone number. Nearly all expats (96%) find this easy, compared to 86% globally, and 80% even say it is very easy (vs. 58% globally). 67. China Coming in 57th place in the Quality of Life Index overall, China performs worst when it comes to digital life. The poor performance is one of the reasons for its further drop in the rankings: China is by far the worst country for unrestricted access to social media, with 83% being unsatisfied, which is over eight times the global average (10%) and 37 percentage points higher than the share in Saudi Arabia (46%), the destination with the second-worst ranking. Over half the expats in China (52%) even say that it could not be any worse (vs. 3% globally), and a US American respondent names the “government control of media and internet” as one of the worst things about life in China. While expats are also extremely unsatisfied with the access to high-speed internet at home (38% negative ratings vs. 16% globally), the ease of getting a local mobile phone number (14% vs. 7% globally), and the availability of administrative or government services online (52% vs. 26% globally), China ranks a good 17th out of 68 for cashless payments: 89% say paying without cash is no problem (vs. 78% globally), and 72% even think it could not be any easier in China (vs. 48% globally). 66. Egypt Almost seven in ten expats in Egypt (69%) are unsatisfied with the availability of administrative or government services online (vs. 26% globally), which is the highest share worldwide (together with Myanmar). Digital life in Egypt is made even harder due to the slow internet speed, with close to half the expats (47%) finding it hard to get access to high-speed internet at home (vs. 16% globally). A US American expat lists the “internet at home” as one of the worst things about living in Egypt. What is more, expats are unhappy with the ease of paying without cash (35% negative ratings vs. 13% globally) and the access to online services such as social media (19% negative ratings vs. 10% globally). Only getting a local mobile phone number seems to be fairly easy in Egypt (39th out of 68 countries; 89% positive ratings vs. 86% globally). 65. India When it comes to getting a local mobile phone number, India is the world’s most difficult country to live in. Almost two in five expats (37%) find this hard, which is more than five times the global average (7%) and 13 percentage points more than in Japan (24%), the country with the second-worst ranking. “Administration is terrible,” an expat from Sweden complains. “You have to fill in hundreds of forms for getting a local prepaid cellphone number.” Administrative procedures do not get any easier with a lack of government services online (64th out of 68). Almost three in five expats living in India (59%) say they are unsatisfied with the services on offer, which is more than double the global average (26%). Expats in India also struggle with a lack of high-speed internet at home: almost three in ten (28%) are unsatisfied with their internet speed, which is twelve percentage points above the worldwide average (16%) 64. Philippines Expats not having access to high-speed internet at home is one of the biggest reasons for the Philippines’ ranking among the bottom 10 destinations for digital life. Close to half the expats (49%) state that they are unsatisfied with their internet speed (vs.16% globally), with only Myanmar (58%) ranking worse. “The internet speed is slow”, bemoans an expat from Indonesia. What is more, almost half the respondents (48%) are unhappy with the availability of government services online, which is 22 percentage points above the global average (26%). Expats also seem to struggle to pay without cash as over a third (34%) say it is difficult, compared to just 13% worldwide. Only getting a local mobile phone number does not seem to be an issue: Ranking the country 27th out of 68 in this respect, 90% say that this is easy (vs. 86% globally). More than seven in ten (72%) even say that it could not be any easier (vs. 58% globally). 63. Saudi Arabia Having always ranked in the bottom 10 of the Quality of Life Index, the addition of the Digital Life subcategory is one of the reasons for Saudi Arabia dropping another eight places (59th out of 65 in 2017 vs. 67th out of 68 in 2018). The country comes in second-to-last place worldwide in terms of unrestricted access to online services such as social media, only ahead of China. In fact, close to half the expats in Saudi Arabia (46%) are unhappy with this factor, compared to 10% globally, or as an Indian expat states: “There is no freedom and too much restriction.” Close to one in five expats (16%) even say it could not be any worse, which is more than five times the global average (3%). Only administrative or government services seem to be easily available online (27th out of 68), with 55% of respondents stating that they are satisfied, exactly the same share as the global average. Lastly, expats in Saudi Arabia seem to struggle to get a local mobile phone number (21% negative ratings vs. 7% globally) as well as access to high-speed internet at home (25% negative ratings vs. 16% globally). 62. Indonesia Indonesia is another country among the bottom 10 which appears to be lacking in online administrative or government services. Over three in five expats (61%) are unhappy with the services available, ranking the country 66th in the world for this factor (vs. 26% globally), only ahead of Myanmar and Egypt (69% negative ratings). Indonesia also comes in a low 61st place for both the access to high-speed internet at home (30% negative ratings vs. 16% globally) and the unrestricted access to online services such as social media (20% negative ratings vs. 10% globally). Lastly, the country appears to be a long way from becoming a cashless society, as one-fifth of expats (20%) say it is difficult to pay without cash, seven percentage points more than the global average (13%). 61. Peru Expats in Peru seem to struggle with the lack of administrative or government services online: Close to half (49%) are unsatisfied with the services provided, which is 23 percentage points more than the global average (26%). A US American expat specifically mentions that “dealing with the government” can be difficult in Peru. Paying without cash (26% negative ratings vs. 13% globally) and getting access to high-speed internet at home (29% negative ratings vs. 16% globally) also appear to be tricky in the South American country. In fact, Peru ranks among the bottom 10 countries for all three factors mentioned so far. On the other hand, 86% of expats are satisfied with the unrestricted access to online services such as social media (vs. 80% globally). Among the bottom 10 countries, this is the best performance, but worldwide Peru still ranks just 46th out of 68 destinations. 60. Turkey Turkey has lost 14 ranks in the Quality of Life Index within one year (from 39th out of 65 countries in 2017 to 53rd out of 68 in 2018). This is partly due to the addition of the Digital Life subcategory, where it ranks among the world’s worst countries. Expats seem to be particularly unsatisfied with their unrestricted access to online services such as social media: Close to half (45%) rate this negatively, which is over four times the global average (10%). A French expat even names “media control” as one of the things he dislikes most about life in Turkey. Receiving a local mobile phone number appears to be difficult, too, as one in five expats (20%) struggles to get one. This is almost three times the global average (7%). The country receives its best ratings for the ease of paying without cash, coming in an average 34th place out of 68 destinations. 59. Uganda Ranking among the worst countries in the world for digital life, Uganda receives its lowest ratings for getting access to high-speed internet at home (65th out of 68 countries) and paying without cash (61st): close to two in five expats in the country (39%) are unsatisfied with the first factor (vs. 16% globally), while a third (33%) rate cashless payment opportunities negatively (vs. 13% globally). In fact, twelve percent even say it is very difficult to pay without cash in Uganda; only five other countries worldwide have higher percentages in this regard (Germany, Argentina, Egypt, Japan, and Myanmar). On the bright side, Uganda ranks among the top 10 countries regarding how easy it is to get a local mobile phone number (8th) — nearly all expats (97%) say that this is not an issue. About the Digital Life Abroad Report The Digital Life Abroad Report is an addition to the annually published Expat Insider survey by InterNations. The topical report is based on the Digital Life subcategory, which was added to the Expat Insider survey for the first time in 2018. The subcategory is part of the Quality of Life Index, which covers five other subcategories, including Leisure Options, Health & Well-Being, and Travel & Transportation. To identify the best and worst countries for digital life, survey respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with the following factors on a scale from one to seven: the unrestricted access to online services such as social media, the availability of government/administrative services online, the ease of getting a local mobile phone number, the ease of paying without cash, and the ease of getting access to high-speed internet at home.   For a country to be featured in the Expat Insider 2018 survey and subsequently in the Digital Life Abroad Report, a sample size of at least 75 survey participants per destination was necessary. In 2018, 68 met this requirement, with a total of 18,135 expatriates taking part in the survey, representing 178 nationalities and living in 187 countries or territories. About InterNations  With 3.5 million members in 420 cities around the world, InterNations (www.internations.org) is the largest global community and information site for people who live and work abroad. InterNations offers global and local networking both online and face-to-face. At around 6,000 official events and activities per month, expatriates have the opportunity to meet other global minds. Online services include country and city guides created by a team of professional writers, guest contributions about life abroad, and discussion forums to help members with topics such as the local job or housing search. InterNations membership is by approval only to ensure we remain a community of trust.

100 % students from ‘GAIL Utkarsh’ Kanpur centre clear JEE Mains

100 % students from ‘GAIL Utkarsh’ Kanpur centre clear JEE Mains, 50 out of 60 from Uttarakhand centres make the cut

GAIL’s CSR initiative transforming lives of hundreds of students

Kanpur, May 22, 2019: In a resounding success of GAIL (India) Limited’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative ‘GAIL Utkarsh’, all 100 students from underprivileged sections of society enrolled at its Kanpur centre qualified the JEE Mains 2019 examination. Apart from them, 50 of the 60 students from its newly-established centres in Uttarakhand also cleared the prestigious entrance test, GAIL Director (Human Resources) Shri P K Gupta announced here today.

While the Kanpur chapter has been consistently successful in transforming the lives of talented students, this is the first time that it has achieved a success rate of 100 %, wherein all the 100 students including 14 girls, qualified the JEE Mains this year. Last year, 99 of the 100 students had passed the examination, Shri P K Gupta said at a felicitation ceremony in which also present were GAIL Executive Director (HR & CSR) Shri Prasoon Kumar, GAIL Chief General Manager (CSR) Shri Anoop Gupta and Center for Social Responsibility and Leadership (CSRL) Director Shri S K Shahi.

The students, who are from the tenth batch of ‘GAIL Utkarsh’, were provided one year of free residential coaching under this CSR project which is conducted in partnership with CSRL. GAIL was the first among PSUs to start the coaching centre at Kanpur for talented but underprivileged students in 2009-10.

GAIL also started similar programmes recently in Dwarahat and Srinagar in Uttarakhand. This year, 26 out of 30 students from Srinagar and 24 out of 30 from Dwarahat qualified JEE Mains. In view of the success at these centres, the strength has been increased to 50 each in the current season, Shri P K Gupta said.

‘GAIL Utkarsh’, which started with just 23 students in 2009, has, so far, transformed the lives of 683 students, who have secured admissions in IITs/NITs and other reputed engineering colleges. The success rate of the project is 89%.

The students are selected on the basis of written test, interview and strict economic criteria, i.e., the annual income of parents should not exceed Rs 2.50 lakhs per annum. Most of them come from rural background. Students securing seats in Engineering Colleges, are provided scholarships, through GAIL Charitable & Educational Trust (GC&ET). Each selected student receives Rs. 48,000 to 60,000 per annum to meet their academics fees and other expenses.

The students of first five batches have joined various reputed companies and started their professional career with average salary of Rs. 6.00 lakhs per annum.

On International Biodiversity Day, Namami Gange works on roadmap for Sustainable Agriscapes in Ganga Basin

New Delhi: On the occasion of The International Day of Biological Diversity (IDB) National Mission for Clean Ganga and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) organised a oneday workshop at India Habitat Center on Wednesday.

Welcoming the guests, Director General, NMCG, Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said that ‘Sustainability is the key-mission of NMCG’. Sustainable agriculture integrates environmental viability, economic profitability and social equity. Organic Farming is being promoted in certain regions along Ganga and it would be scaled up over the Ganga basin.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Bharat Sharma, former Director IWMI Delhi emphasised on effective water management and conservation of rain water as basic requirement for sustainable agriscape. He recommended different approaches of water conservation in Himalayan basin, Western Gangetic basin, Eastern Gangetic Basin and coastal or delta region.

Shri Upendra Prasad Singh, Secretary, MOWR, RD and GR said that sustainable water resource management is the key to the success of the program. He expressed his satisfaction that subjects like biodiversity conservation and water conservation has become the center of the narrative. He also emphasised on the inter -departmental collaboration for better result from the river conservation initiatives.

The objective of the workshop was to understand the impact of agriculture on the Ganga basin through landscape approach and the larger ecosystem services that the basin provides.

The workshop was designed to bring together experts, academicians, civil society organization and policy planner to understand the linkages between agriculture and river Ganga.

The workshop saw participation from organizations like IUCN, Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga rejuvenation, Ministry of Environment and Climate change, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, IIT Kanpur, BHU, Institute of Economic Growth, NEERI, FRI, WWF, WWI, CGanga and representative of state governments including UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. 

Further eminent dignitaries including Prof. RK Sinha, VC, Nalanda Open University, Mr. Amit Mohan Prasad, Principal Secretary, Agriculture, UP and participants from organisations like Welthungerhilfe, OISCA, WHO, FAO and Development Alternatives, also took part in the workshop.

Two technical sessions were held on ‘Biodiversity, Ecosystem services & Sustainable Agriculture challenges and Opportunities for India’ and Sustainable Agriculture; Ground Level Experiences’.

Promotion of organic farming in Ganga Basin was recurrent theme of the workshop. It was informed that Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare released an amount of Rs.1413 lakh for the year 2018-19 to the Government of Uttar Pradesh for organic farmaing under Namami Gange Clean Abhiyan for 700 clusters i.e. 14000 hectare area.

Participants advocated curbs on cultivation of non-essential water-guzzling crops such as sugarcane, particularly in water-constrained regions and creating adequate buffer regions of natural vegetation (trees, shrubs and grasslands) between farmlands and rivers, lakes, etc. for minimizing polluted runoff from agricultural fields directly into the nearby water bodies.

The concluding session sought to create a roadmap for sustainable agriculture in the Ganga basin by bringing in various solutions and experiences from the field.

The workshop succeeded in getting close to 20 national and international organizations involved in sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation and community building on a common platform. Sharing success stories and challenges in creating ecologically sustainable world keeping water and river Ganga at the center was an excellent learning experience for the participants.