India plays a crucial role in achieving the millennium development goals not only because of its population but because models of success in India hold promise for the developing world at large. The country has done well on several fronts including reduction of poverty and improvements in literacy, and its commitment to national and global environmental governance. There is, however, a long way to go on several other fronts such as health. This session will present an overview of the current scenario in India on select development issues, in a global context. It will bring into discussion, factors responsible for success and failures, touching on issues of financing, institutions and governance, service and delivery mechanisms, empowerment and stakeholder participation.

Left to right: Ms Preety Bhandari, Director, Policy Analysis, TERI, New Delhi; Dr Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi; Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Hon'ble Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, New Delhi; Mr Jairam Ramesh, Hon'ble Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha, New Delhi; Mr Michael F Carter, Country Director, The World Bank, New Delhi; Mr Suman Bery, Director-General, National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi

Video		Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia Hon'ble Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, New Delhi 'In this country, we have been focusing on poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, and globalization, but for a long time it was in compartmentalized areas. What is happening now is that the way policy issues are addressed, they operationalize in all these areas together.'

Access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are the prerequisites to ensuring good health of the population and overall socioeconomic development. This session will focus on factors that are key in improving the quality of water supply and sanitation service delivery. In particular, it will highlight successful experiences in sector reforms and institutional arrangements including demand responsive approaches and community participation in investments, ownership, decision making, and operation and maintenance.

Left to right: Dr Leena Srivastava, Executive Director, TERI, New Delhi; Mr Sanjiv Gupta, President & CEO, Coca-Cola India; Mr Gourisankar Ghosh, Executive Director, Water Supply and Sanitation, Collaborative Council, Geneva; Mr Bill Alexander, Chief Executive, RWE Thames Water, UK; Mr Warren Evans, Director of Environment, The World Bank

Video		Mr Bill Alexander Chief Executive, RWE Thames Water, UK 'Our aim is not to make profits but to recover costs.'

Dr Leena Srivastava Executive Director, TERI, New Delhi 'The key challenge is of managing a sizeable investment because we have a high level of costs and because water consumption does not pay in itself.'		Video

This session will draw on international experience to discuss the success factors in making rural energization more effective in addressing poverty. Specifically, the session will deliberate on the necessity to move beyond “basic needs” and explicitly address productive needs as an objective of rural energization. It will address issues related to appropriate demand analysis, tariff and connection policies, choice of technologies, financing and delivery mechanisms including the role of governments at the village level, the community, and other non-governmental organizations, private participation in infrastructure provision and the need for complementary infrastructure for overall rural development.

Left to right: Mr I H Rehman, Associate Director, Action Programmes, TERI; Mr Steven D Smith, Senior Managing Director, Ritchie Capital, USA; Dr Joe Madiath, Executive Director, Gram Vikas. Orissa, India; Mr Deepak S Parekh, Chairman, Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, Mumbai, India; Dr Lutz Mez, Executive Director - Geschäftsführer, Environmental Policy Research Centre, Free University of Berlin, Germany; Dr John C Wall, Vice President - Chief Technical Officer, Cummins Inc., Columbus, USA

Video		Dr Joe Madiath Executive Director, Gram Vikas. Orissa, India 'We do not need rocket science. What we need from our policy-makers is the will to do something with and for the villages.'

Dr John C Wall Vice President - Chief Technical Officer, Cummins Inc., Columbus, USA 'Right technology matters! We have to understand the applications and then identify the right technology for rural electrification.'		Video