The Curious Case Of Indian Smart Cities
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INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTION RESEARCH
Why these Conversations?
In a world where the new normal is of masks, ‘social distancing’ and work from home, and almost everyone is still adjusting to lockdowns, containment zones, isolation and quarantine of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances, just about everything about us demands a fresh rethinking. As national and globally economies plummet, unorganised ad informal communities who constitute a majority of the economic population are left grievously impaired.
In this climate of despair, various young researchers and activists have been working on emerging trends in Interdisciplinary Action Research which address some of the most pressing issues of our times, and that from various sectors: urban planning, public health, sociology, ecology and environment, digital commons, public education, migration studies, entrepreneurship, informal economy, and more.
Such ideas and explorations deserve public focus. Given the post-pandemic situation, and difficulties to meet and discuss such ideas, CFA and ESG collaborate to bring to focus various exciting explorations by young researchers from across India. In this webinar series we draw attention to such quiet and inter-disciplinary efforts by emerging researchers and leaders, through in-depth and engaging conversations. In the process, the series aims to create spaces for interaction between academia and civil society, and also students and the wide public.
These webinars will be scheduled every Thursday, 5 pm – 6.30 pm IST, and is open to all with prior registration.
Organised by:
Environment Support Group – www.esgindia.org
Centre for Financial Accountability – www.cenfa.org
Session 1: The Curious Case Of Indian Smart Cities
The first of the series happened on Thursday the 20th of August 2020 5-6.30 pm IST
Speakers: Gaurav Dwivedi and Chinmay Mishra
Gaurav Dwivedi is associated with Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) and is based in Bhopal. He has been researching privatisation, reforms and public-private partnership projects in public services like water supply and sanitation. He is currently working on infrastructure finance including mapping and researching financial aspects of infrastructure projects like smart cities and industrial corridors in India.
Chinmay Mishra is a senior journalist based in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He has been closely associated with various social movements in the region like the Narmada Andolan. He has been the editor of Sarvodaya Press Service and heads the Sarvodaya Mandal in the state. He writes regularly in dailies on emerging issues.