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23of MGNREGS, SSA, environment and climate change,globalization and World Trade Organization, National LandRecords Modernization Programme (NLRMP),communalism and minority welfare, issues in higher andtechnical education, infrastructure and public privatepartnership (PPP), ethics in administration, total qualitymanagement (TQM) in government, hunger and foodsecurity, left-wing extremism, project management andappraisal, district agriculture planning, tribal policy, stressmanagement,gender-sensitization and gender budgeting,working for persons with disabilities, and ICT.Building camaraderie : The Academy hosted officer traineesof the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) undergoing training atthe National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), Nagpur,here on a brief exposure visit. Mixes of academic andoutdoor sessions were conducted by the Academy, apartfrom an interactive session with the Director, PadamvirSingh. The host officer trainees warmly welcomed theircounterparts from the IRS who partook in several activitiesconsidered customary at LBSNAA. From classroom sessionson administration, mess etiquette, executive dressing, toshort expeditions, trivia competitions, gigs and karaokedinners, the visit was truly an exposure trip.Phase I : The IAS officer trainees (OTs) of 2009 batch,currently undergoing Phase I of their professional training,were introduced to a number of themes in the weeklymodules. Soft skills dealing with leadership andorganization behavior; administrative skills and officemanagement; rural development and agriculture; educationand training; and regulatory administration and electionsformed part of their formal curricula. Apart from inputsdelivered by the in-house faculty, a number of experts wereinvited to share perspectives. Field visits, panel discussions,and skill testing exercises were also organized for aparticipatory experience. A number of out-of-class activitieskept pace with the academic training. The month also sawthe engagement of the OTs in the HOPE programme,wherein groups under the guidance of the faculty took up anassortment of projects ranging from mapping of Mussoorie,improving learning levels in primary schools, systematizingof hostels, calculation of carbon footprint at LBSNAA, tocataloguing of Academy photographs. With new electedbodies, the clubs and societies busied themselves withconducting an eclectic mix of events. Holi : Organized by the Officers' Club, Holi, (withclear directives for no unholy play), was a colourfullysthappy celebration. The morning of March 1 saw theAcademy parivaar out in large numbers in the HappyValley grounds - the faces masked in greens, reds, andblues. Discussing the Budget : In a style no less matchingthe 'Face the Nation', the Society for ContemporaryAffairs held an invigorating session on the IndianBudget for the fiscal 2010-2011. At an open floor analysis,the details of the just-announced budget were discussedwith special emphasis on India's growth in the light ofthe global economic meltdown. The participatingfaculty and the OTs, wearing their economist hats,dissected the budget to reveal its strengths, weaknesses,and gaps. Fate of the national animal : The Nature Lovers'Club began its innings with a roar! A declamationcompetition was held on an issue that has been raging inthe minds of all those who care for the environment -“Will tigers survive the human onslaught?” The floorwas divided into two groups - while the optimistsbelieved that the cause to save the tiger is worthy andrealizable, the cynics were less hopeful. Kavi Sammelan : The poetic fervor among the OTswas unleashed in an event hosted by the Fine ArtsSociety and Hobbies Club. Promising poets recited asequence of verses, some of which were commentarieson disturbing humanitarian issues.Poetic passions Trivia : The changing world order, climate change,and human rights violations, music, movies and aplethora of other teasers were subjects of a brain-rackingknow-all quiz organized by the Society forContemporary Affairs. Teams comprising of the OTs,LBSNAA's faculty, and visiting officer trainees of theIndian Revenue Service (IRS) had a stimulating eveningsecond guessing the answers. Treasure Hunt : A hunt to unearth hidden fortunessent groups of faculty and OTs on a wild goose chase inthe Academy premises. The skillfully conceptualizedtreasure hunt, organized by the Hobbies Club, broughtout many a Holmes within, as eavesdropping and lateralthinking were the ground rules. Recreation : Cutting through the hectic academicschedules was an array of sports activities whichincluded tennis, cricket, volleyball, badminton andbasketball tournaments. Playing in-house as well ascontinued on page 3News Sparkscontinued from page 2against teams from the Doon Club, and the IndiraGandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), LBSNAA'ssportspersons triumphed in badminton while calling iteven at the 'hoops'. After hectic wordays, a couple ofevenings of popular music and dance (coordinated bythe Fine Arts Society, and the Officers' Club) helped theofficer trainees and the faculty to unwind. The FilmSociety pitched in with screenings of popular andlandmark cinema. Excursions : Scaling the surrounding undulatingterrain in two weekend treks added the extra zing toliving in Mussoorie, and of course added to the fitnesslevels of the OTs. Following the oft rocky trail to GeorgeEverest Camp and Bhadraj Temple located in the lowerArdent mountaineersHimalayas was a thrilling experience. The visiting teamof IRS officer trainees from Nagpur also trudged alongto Bhadraj Temple and got a feel of the rugged beauty ofthe place.th International Women's Day : 8 March isdedicated to women the world over. On this day, Vani asociety of women employees of the Academy workingfor the empowerment of local women organized aspecial event to mark the day. The widely-attendedgathering was addressed by Director, Padamvir Singhwho spoke about changing social norms and theopportunities available to women today. In ameaningful talk intended to enlighten women ongender-sensitive laws, Rajesh Arya, Deputy Director(Sr.) detailed legislation in place to help womenovercome forms of discrimination. The womenemployees of LBSNAA drawing daily-wages weregiven gifts on the occasion. CII delegation : A Confederation of IndianIndustries (CII) team led by Deputy Director General,Dr. Sarita Nagpal visited LBSNAA and held wideranging discussions with the Director and members ofthe Academic Council. The meeting threw up possibleareas of cooperation between the Academy and CII:module development on corporate social responsibilityand project management skills, benchmarking, jointstudies, networking and exchange programmes, bestpractices from the industry amongst other significantinitiatives. CII also agreed to guide the Academy on'greening' of its buildings, given its expertise in thisgreen technology.Faculty from LBSNAA taught sessions to officers at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Academy, Mussoorie, on subjectsranging from soft skills, international humanitarian law, and Windows Vista and Microsoft 2007 operating systems.Centre for Rural Studies (CRS)The Centre organized a national conference on'Microfinance, Self Help Groups and Rural Development inIndia' in collaboration with NABARD on 25-26 March.Banking with the rural poor has emerged as a key initiativetowards sustained socio-economic development in the 21stCentury it is this technique's success that has causedmicrofinance to be an effective poverty alleviation tooltowards realizing the global Millennium DevelopmentOutreachResearch Centres in ActionGoals. In India, the combined efforts of the central and stategovernments and financial institutions and NGOs haveencouraged the formation of 'self-reliant', 'self-sustained'and 'self motivated' SHGs which are inherentlyhomogenous and community based. The linking of thesegroups to financial banking institutions is a powerfulvehicle for socio-economic improvement in the lives of therural poor. The conference was attended by eminentadministrators, bankers, academics, and social workers whocontinued on page 4A CADEMY MARCH 2010 MARCH 2010A CADEMY