NEW DELHI - India and Israel will begin work on a free trade pact that Israel has been pushing for, officials said on Monday, as Benjamin Netanyahu began a first visit by an Israeli prime minister in 15 years.

India and Israel have built close ties over the years, largely centered on arms purchases, away from the public eye. But under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose nationalist party has long admired Israel for its tough approach to terrorism, ties have flowered across the economy.

"We have had diplomatic relations for 25 years, but something different is happening now," Netanyahu said soon after the two sides signed nine agreements covering cooperation in cyber security, space and oil and gas exploration.

Israel has given initial approval for Indian energy companies to explore oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, in the first such move by Indian firms in that region.

Netanyahu, who said he saw a "kindred spirit" in Modi in terms of getting things done, pushed for a free trade pact with Asia's third largest economy during the talks on Monday.

Modi agreed to open trade discussions, Indian foreign ministry secretary in charge of economic relations Vijay Gokhale told reporters. "A delegation from the commerce ministry will actually go next month for discussions on trade," he said.

Bilateral trade has jumped from $200 million in 1992, when the two countries opened diplomatic relations, to $4.16 billion in 2016, largely in favour of Israel.

Netanyahu, accompanied by a 130-member delegation, wants to increase exports to India by 25 percent over the three years.

Israel has emerged as one of India's biggest suppliers of weapons alongside the United States and long-term partner Russia.

But the two sides were tightlipped over the fate of a $500 million deal to buy anti-tank missiles from Israel's state-owned defence contractor Rafael that India called off just weeks before Netanyahu's first.

The Indian government wanted to support a local programme to build the missile but Israel has since pushed hard to revive the order. It has offered to transfer technology and eventually build the missile with a local partner in a boost for Modi's signature Make-in-India drive for a domestic defence base.

Without referring to the anti-tank missile deal, Modi said he had invited Israeli companies to take advantage of India's liberalised rules in the defence sector to "make more in India with our companies."

Last year, Modi made a first trip to Israel by an Indian prime minister ever.

The government will build facial recognition into its national identity card in addition to fingerprints after a series of breaches in the world's biggest biometric identification programme.

A local newspaper reported this month that access to the "Aadhaar" database which has identity details of more than 1 billion citizens was being sold for just $8 on social media.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues the identity cards, said it would add face recognition software as an additional layer of security from July.

Card holders will be required to match their photographs with that stored in the data base for authentication in addition to fingerprints and iris scans, the agency said in a statement.

Many card users have complained in the past that fingerprint authentication has not worked because of changes in the case of the elderly and labourers since the time the original prints were taken.

India has reported an outbreak of a highly contagious bird flu virus near Bengaluru in Karnataka, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday, citing a report from the Indian agriculture ministry.

The H5N8 virus was detected on Dec. 26 among birds in the village of Dasarahalli, killing 9 out of 951 birds. The others were culled, the Paris-based OIE said in a report posted on its website.

No details were given on the type of birds involved.

Living in flood-prone areas of Assam with no alternate sustenance options, women of Mising tribal community have upgraded their traditional handloom weaving skills, and have adapted to market needs for a lucrative livelihood.

By Abdul Hamid*, Lakhimpur, Assam

Mising is one of the indigenous tribal communities of Assam with a rich tradition of weaving. A Mising woman, despite being engaged in myriad household activities through the day, would spend some time on her loom everyday. The women make garments, mainly for everyday use, through handloom weaving. They also weave classy products for special occasions. Mising women would weave in advance, five to 10 sets of mekhela chador — a traditional women's attire — to gift their daughters at the time of marriage.

In Assam, women feel proud to wear handloom products, especially mekhela chador, during special occasions like weddings and festivals like Bihu and Saraswati puja. Hence, the products are in great demand among people residing in Assam as well as outside the state. However, handloom weaving has not taken off as a thriving source of livelihood for various reasons. Using simple technology and adapting to market needs, the Mising women have now found the prospects of handloom weaving looking bright.

Weaving a viable livelihood

Mising villages are on the banks of the Brahmaputra River and its mighty tributaries. Every year the area faces devastating floods. The recurrent floods reduce the scope of alternate livelihood. Villages like Sisitangoni of Dhemaji district and Matmora of Lakhimpur district are affected by riverbank erosion or sand deposition, reducing any possibility of agrarian or land-based livelihoods. See:Riverbank erosion no less a disaster than Assam floods

The traditional throw shuttle loom is built under the stilt house, such houses being a traditional practice among the Misings to adapt to the floods. Using a tedious process that needs patience, the weavers produce wraps like mekhela chador and gero, stole like gamosa, besides some utilitarian items. Traditionally, weaving in Mising community was for their own use. But these days Mising handloom products are much in demand.

The demand of Mising handloom was beyond expectation in the handloom fair in 2014 when the total sale was for Rs 14 million over a period of five days. But due to low efficiency (weavers produce just two mekhela chador in a month) of traditional looms and limited product diversity, the weavers' remuneration is low. As a result, handloom weaving is not seen as a viable livelihood.

Dovetailing technology into tradition

However, dovetailing modern technology with the traditional skill of the weavers, handloom can provide a lucrative livelihood opportunity for the families of the area. With the objective of bridging the demand and supply gap, and making handloom weaving a sustainable livelihood, Mising Autonomous Council (MAC) and the Center for Microfinance and Livelihood (CML) with the Tata Trusts planned an intervention to be executed over three years.

The team decided to introduce technology to overcome the low production efficiency. As a first step, a warping drum was introduced for getting a defect-free warp. Unlike the traditional method, warping drum helped reduce the area required to make a warp.

Replacing the throw shuttle loom with advanced fly shuttle loom brought down the cost of production. A complete set of fly shuttle loom costs about Rs 30,000. But the cost was reduced to Rs 5,000 through a local innovation of replacing the steel frame of the loom with bamboo frame. Bamboo is not only locally available, it is also cheaper, durable and easily repairable.

In batches of 25, the weavers underwent a 60-day skill training, overcoming resistance from the men at home, giving up their contribution to the livelihood and running of the family. During the training, they learnt to take the warp in a warping drum, practice in the fly shuttle loom, develop designs, diversify products and also maintain records. In 18 months, 375 members have completed their training.

On completion of training, each weaver received a fly shuttle loom. With the prospects appearing good, the weavers provided bamboo and labor for construction of a 100 sq. ft weaving shed in their homes where floods would not damage them. "Earlier I couldn't take warp during rains as it required a large open ground but today with the warping drum I can take warp in a single room," Runa Doley of Matmora village told VillageSquare.in.

The training and practice in the new loom has increased the production efficiency up to a maximum of 250%. "Now I produce four mekhela chador in a month, when earlier I could make only one or two," Anima Taye of Sisitangoni village told VillageSquare.in.

The introduction of technology has not only improved production speed but also reduced the drudgery for the weavers. "Earlier I had to bend after every weft to throw the shuttle and I couldn't sleep at night because of the back pain. But now I weave at triple the usual speed without bending and without pain," Purnima Kaman told VillageSquare.in.

Weaving for the market

The women took a while to consider that handloom weaving could be taken up commercially and to deliver orders on time. Exposure through handloom exhibitions and community-led commercial enterprises has instilled in the weavers the need to complete orders on time and to move beyond the traditional use of yarn, color combination and design to suit market requirement. "Till two months back I wove only what my mother taught. Now I know warp measurement for different products and can weave any design developed in a graph paper," said Doley.

Besides the traditional wraps, now the women weave shawl, stole, table cloth, curtain, fabric for shirt, kurta etc. in diverse design and combination of colors. As a result, the range of buyers for their product has increased in comparison to earlier days, with the sale almost doubling in a month. "It was painful to weave a mekhela chador for a month and get just Rs 1,200 in return. Now I will earn more," Doley told VillageSquare.in.

The women came together as informal producer groups (PG). With the PG periodically purchasing yarn, the women avail of their working capital in the form of yarn at a minimal rate of interest. The weavers are free to sell the products on their own or through a company promoted by CML.

Out of the women who got trained, 200 weavers have already constructed their shed and started production in their new loom, with the working capital provided for about 3kg of yarn. The weavers have formed three PGs with 150 members in each. The PGs undertake collective direct selling to a few customers.

Timely marketing of the products and regular cash flow to the weavers is now a challenge. So the marketing channel will have to be strengthened and more organized. The nascent initiative shows that handloom weaving could change the lives of the Mising population in the flood-prone riverine area for better. There is a need for the state also to step in and to scale up the initiative.

Abdul Hamid works for Centre for Microfinance and Livelihood as Senior Program Manager. He worked with Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) for many years after graduating from Assam Agricultural University. Views are personal.

This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.

(The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.)

Ravaged by Cyclone Phailin, people of a fishing village buried their differences and emerged with a strong sense of unity to rebuild their lives at a relocation site

By Samapti Bal*, Ganjam, Odisha

Kariamma was devastated. Her house was one of the worst affected after Cyclone Phailin struck the eastern coast of India in October 2013. Her fishing village of Golabandha bore the brunt of the cyclone. The houses built of mud and having thatched roofs were no match for the fury of the cyclone.

Golabandha in Rangeilunda block of Ganjam district in Odisha was an idyllic village, with rows of small houses close to the beach and the waves lapping against the boats on the water's edge. Fishing is the livelihood of about 95% of the 1,008 families in Golabandha. Majority of the population belongs to other backward class (OBC) and scheduled caste (SC). While living on the coast was ideal for the villagers' livelihood, it also made them vulnerable to nature's elements.

Disaster gateway

Odisha has come to be known as the disaster gateway of India as it is one of the most vulnerable states in the country with a very high probability of cyclonic hits. The state has been experiencing disasters on a regular basis. In the last 105 years, Odisha has suffered concurrent floods for 50 years, droughts for 32 years; it has been struck by cyclones 11 times. Each disaster affected people's lives, their livelihood and income significantly, thus upsetting the socio-economic structure.

Earlier the Odisha government had to tried to relocate them since the village was in the vicinity of the Army Air Defence College. But the villagers resisted, fearing that their livelihood would be lost if they were to move away from the sea. In the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin, despite the limited loss of life, the impact on the coastal residents of Ganjam, Puri and Khordha districts was massive. In Ganjam district, about 90,000 houses were partially or fully damaged along the coastal areas.

In Golabandha, nearly 700 houses were severely damaged. The villagers lost 305 boats, more than 2,500 livestock, besides many valuable assets. The Government of Odisha, with financial support from the World Bank, allocated houses to communities affected by Phailin, under Odisha Disaster Recovery Project (ODRP), to reduce their vulnerability. To the villagers of Golabandha, the government allocated land at New Kirtipur.

New location

The government chose New Kirtipur, following the guidelines regarding the distance of the village from the sea. Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) is the implementing agency for the post-disaster rehabilitation, with Gram Vikas, a grassroots non-profit, as the socio-technical support agency. The government offered Rs 3 lakh to each beneficiary for construction of a house, besides providing with other facilities like electricity, water supply, drainage, road, community center and daycare center.

Despite the promised facilities, the villagers were reluctant to move and start construction work, as New Kirtipur was a low-lying land. Leveling would involve additional expenditure. Groundwater was saline. The villagers said that they would not be able to use the saline water for construction purposes. Blind social beliefs and caste divisions further hindered the relocation.

At this juncture, Gram Vikas intervened and conducted several community meetings and interacted with all the beneficiaries at a personal level. The efforts of the panchayat members and village chief also bore results. Bonding between villagers became stronger and finally they stood united in relocating to New Kirtipur. They reached a consensus on segregating groups of houses on the basis of caste. "We were having so many differences among ourselves earlier. Now we stand united," J. Rajamma told VillageSquare.in.

For leveling the land, the villagers sought the help of the block administration and they agreed. The villagers pitched in labor wherever they could, to fill up and level the low-lying land. Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) dug tube wells to provide potable water for the villagers. Though one tube well was dug for every 50 houses, it was not sufficient for the 1000-odd population. To solve this problem, the community dug bore wells and installed about 250 hand pumps with their own resources.

Massive reconstruction

The massive construction work involved in the relocation project required skilled labor and trained masons. The supporting agencies trained interested villagers as masons. The beneficiaries have started constructing their houses through owner-driven construction of houses (ODCH) method, instead of seeking the services of contractors. "The training helped us build our own houses and so we saved money," resident N. Ramayya told VillageSquare.in. Building the houses on their own has helped each household save about Rs 30,000.

At the New Kirtipur relocation site, 80% of the construction has been completed. "Initially we protested, but now we are happy because it's a dream place for us," Kariamma told VillageSquare.in. The fishermen can continue with their work, as the village is less than 1 km from the sea. The government and Gram Vikas are training other villagers in alternate livelihoods.

Alternate livelihoods

Some families, essentially the non-fisher folk, plan to start petty businesses and micro enterprises. The villagers also plan to develop plantation around the habitation & kitchen gardens at their backyards. "We have formed a Village Water Sanitation Committee (VWSC) for maintenance and sustainability of water and sanitation facilities," A. Narayan, the committee's president, told VillageSquare.in.

Another major positive change is that the community has bonded well and has resolved disputes amicably. They share resources and help each other in work. "Now we can have our new lives in safe homes," J. Appeya Naidu, head of the village, told VillageSquare.in.

Samapti Bal is a postgraduate in sociology from Ravenshaw University and works for Gram Vikas. She has been associated with the Odisha Disaster Recovery Project since its inception in 2014.

This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.

(The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.)

Nepal's traditional bio-pesticide and fertilizer Jhol Mol is suited for many smallholder Indian farmers as well, as it can be easily made in a farm without resorting to artificial chemicals that are harmful for soil health

By Nivedita Khandekar*

For centuries, Indian farmers have mixed livestock dung and biomass compost for use as manure. It's the same with Nepal's farmers. Both countries have a large proportion of small farmers, for whom chemical fertilizers and pesticides is not always desirable in the long run, both in terms of cost and maintaining soil health and nutrient balance. Nepal has turned to Jhol Mol, a traditional bio-fertilizer and bio-pesticide, which can be beneficial to Indian farmers too.

On the one hand, soil productivity decreases over the time due to persistent use of chemical fertilizers. On the other, it leads to environmental and health impacts too. To make things worse, farmers are increasingly facing the vagaries of nature vis-à-vis the changing climate, including erratic rainfall and increasing temperatures. The condition of Nepalese farmers is no different from their Indian counterparts. But many of them have found a savior in Jhol Mol.

"This already was a traditional practice. What we did was basically a blending of the scientific approach and local traditional knowledge and systems," Keshab Dutt Joshi of the Centre for Environmental and Agriculture Policy Research, Extension and Development (CEAPRED) said in Kathmandu last month.

Jhol Mol is a variety of organic fertilizer, which is a combination of Jeevatu, Nepal's indigenous effective microorganism mixed and fermented with water, cow or buffalo urine, cow dung and biomass such as leaves available on the farm land. Although it has a pungent odor and taste, "it is helpful in controlling insect pests that attack and damage crops, protects crops against fungal and vector-borne disease and improves plant health," its promoters say. Farmers from the Dhulikhel area in Nepal corroborated this. The farmers used plastic tanks or even plastic lined covered pits to prepare and store this solution.

This microbe solution has done wonders for smallholders in Nepal. "After successful experiments in three pilot projects, now the idea is being replicated by farmers themselves in 16 of Nepal's districts," Joshi told VillageSquare.in. The Nepal government has come forward to spread this to other districts from 2017.

Climate-smart villages

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development is helping CEAPRED, an NGO, to turn mountain villages into climate-smart villages. In fact, the success of this venture prompted Nand Kishor Agrawal, program coordinator for ICIMOD's Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP), to include this as a positive case study in a compendium called Building Mountain Resilience: Solutions from the Hindu Kush Himalaya brought out in December at the International Conference on Resilient Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) held at Kathmandu.

After meeting Joshi and his colleague Roshan Subedi at the open stalls showcasing various resilience practices across the HKH — several of them featured in the compendium and such that can be applied for Indian Himalayas and its foothills too — I asked Agrawal, originally a rural development management professional, if this can help Indian farmers. The immediate response was: "More than Nepal farmers."

Feasible for India

"This — the Jhol Mol solution — is in fact more feasible for Indian conditions. The important thing is that this needs fermentation. It will work for both Indian Himalayan villages and for plains too. With more temperature in Indian villages on plains compared with Nepal hills, this will function even better," Agrawal told VillageSquare.in.

And just as this is more effective for small farmers in Nepal, this beneficial microbe solution can be effective for Indian small farmers. Government data shows that India has about 67% farmers categorized as marginal (those with less than 1 hectare of land); about 18% as smallholding farmers (1-2 ha) and just about 10% that fall in semi-medium (2-4ha) land holding.

In Maharashtra, the state government filed an FIR against five companies when at least 18 people died between July and October 2017 in Yavatmal district, allegedly owing to a toxic pesticide they were exposed to.

Big market

Statistics from Government of India's Department of Fertilizers shows that there are 160 fertilizer companies across India, including public sector, cooperative and private, and the total sale of fertilizers in 2016-17 was 54.2 million tons. The government said in a reply to a question in Lok Sabha on January 2 this year that the all-India consumption of urea for the year 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 was around 30 million tons every year. Further, stating that the import of urea is based on demand-supply gap dynamics, the government said it has allocated Rs 14,000 crore for Imported Urea in the Budgetary Estimates (BE) 2017-18.

The Crop and Weather Watch Group under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare's Crop Forecast Coordination Centre holds regular meetings — such as this latest meeting on January 5, 2018 — where the Central Integrated Pest Management Centres (CIPMCs) report about pests and diseases.

But, as is evident from Maharashtra's example, chemical fertilizers have not helped, and especially so for the smallholding farmers. It should indeed be evaluated if the usage of chemical fertilizers, including urea, is really worth in view of both the cost and risk involved. Remember, the government's fertilizer subsidy stood for 2017-18 stands at Rs 70,000 crore, according to the annual budget. Chemical fertilizer cannot be a long-term solution even for the soil health. More and more farmers should be doing better without the chemical fertilizers and turn to entirely organic farming.

Affordable replication

The ICIMOD conference adopted a 12-point action agenda for building resilience across the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Aligned with the sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it talks of prioritizing what is essential for mountains in view of the changing climate, which includes "mass promotion of resilience-building technologies and solutions that are proven to be simple, affordable, and replicable apart from promoting and strengthening regional cooperation at all levels across the HKH region." And in cases such as Jhol Mol, this "replication" of a simple, affordable solution can be done across India, not just Himalayas.

Organic farming has taken a positive turn in India with more and more demand from the conscious citizens. Ardent promoters of organic farming have always maintained that it can meet demands for the growing food needs of Indians and also be environmentally friendly. Jhol Mol proves it can be not just cost-effective but good for farmers' health and that of the soil as well.

Nivedita Khandekar is an independent journalist based in Delhi.

This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.

(The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.)

Since his election four years ago, Indian markets have welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign to mend patchy public finances and develop new areas of growth in Asia's third largest economy.

To keep investors' confidence, however, Modi's government will need to be seen containing the fiscal deficit, while also increasing spending in key areas of the slowing economy.

Markets will be focused on how much India widens its fiscal deficit beyond the 3 percent of gross domestic product projected for 2018/19.

A Reuters poll showed most economists expect a 3.2 percent deficit as the government looks to increase investments in key areas such as agriculture to bolster its re-election prospects in elections due by 2019.

A modest widening of that nature would calm investors worried that the government may slip away from its judicious spending. Traders say bond yields could fall 10 to 15 basis points, while shares could hit new record highs. Gains could be more pronounced if India sticks to its 3.0 percent target.

But a deficit above 3.2 percent could hit shares and send bond yields up by 20-25 basis points, depending on the size of the blowout, on fears of populist policy ahead of next year's elections.

Markets remain nervous after the government's annual economic survey on Monday suggested "a pause" in fiscal consolidation, sending bonds plummeting.

"I think the budget will be focused on both investors as well as the common man," said A. Balasubramanian, chief executive officer at Aditya Birla Sun Life Asset Management, adding he expects a deficit of 3.2 percent.

"The government will take care so that the budget is neither inflationary nor fiscally less prudent."

A prudent budget could also soothe the Reserve Bank of India, which holds a policy review on Feb. 6-7 amid worries it could raise rates in coming months after inflation hit a 17-month high in December, well above its 4 percent target.

CRITICAL JUNCTURE

Benchmark 10-year bond yields have fallen 135 bps and the NSE share index has surged 55 percent since Modi took power in May 2014.

But a recent spike in inflation, tightening cash conditions, and worries about fiscal slippage have sent the 10-year bond yield up more than 80 basis points since July, the biggest move since the 2013 rupee crisis.

Stocks have been more resilient, gaining 4.9 percent this year and hitting records amid signs earnings are recovering after years of poor performance.

While investors expect some spending to support an economy that's expected to post its weakest growth in four years, they will want to see such stimulus is well-financed.

Growth has been hampered by a chaotic rollout of a goods and service tax last year and a shock move to ban high value currency notes in late 2016, which hit tax revenues and increased the chances the fiscal deficit shortfall would hit 3.2 percent target for the year to March.

An expected pickup in growth next fiscal year and state asset sales estimated to raise 1 trillion rupees ($15.74 billion) should boost tax revenues.

Despite an expected revenue increase, investors don't believe India will swing to profligacy, with a rally in oil prices likely to constrain government spending.

India imports 80 percent of its energy requirements, and the government may need to respond to higher crude prices like it did in October, by cutting fuel duties. The risk that such a contingency is needed could keep the government in check.

"I believe that there is a high chance that fiscal discipline is more likely to be maintained in this budget," said Lakshmi Iyer, fixed income head at Kotak Mutual Fund.

Manoj Kumar, Suvashree Choudhury

NEW DELHI — As the government gets set to unveil its 2018-19 budget on Thursday, all eyes will be on whether the authorities stay the course on containing the fiscal deficit, or whether they throw caution to the wind with a populist set of spending priorities.

Facing discontent at home over falling farm incomes and a backlash following policy initiatives that have dented growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be aiming to woo rural voters and small business owners in the last full budget before a general election that must be held by May 2019.

While economic growth has been slowed by the botched rollout of a nationwide goods and service tax (GST) in 2017, and a shock move to ban high value currency notes in late 2016, investors have so far looked beyond the setbacks, perceiving the initiatives as positive long term.

Benchmark 10-year bond yields have fallen 135 basis points and the NSE share index has surged 55 percent since Modi took power in May 2014.

To keep investors on side however, Modi will have to convince them that he plans to keep to his word on working towards reining in the fiscal deficit.

A Reuters poll this week showed most economists expect a 3.2 percent deficit in 2018-19, as the government looks to increase investments in areas such as agriculture. Anything much beyond that, however, may draw a swift sell-off in the markets.

Investors were already spooked this week after India's Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, in an economic survey ahead of the budget, suggested "a pause" in the fiscal consolidation path, while the government attempts to reinvigorate growth.

Indian shares fell for a second consecutive session on Wednesday, as investors opted to book profits ahead of the budget, with markets trading near all-time highs.

The benchmark 10-year bond yield closed flat at 7.60 percent on Wednesday, but it is up 13 basis points from its close on Friday after Subramanian's comments.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar and Suvashree Choudhury; Writing by Euan Rocha and Sanjeev Miglani, Editing by William Maclean)

By M M Paniyil*, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu

It has been a long wait for Amaladasan. His son-in-law Binu, an artisanal deepsea fisher, was caught in Cyclone Ockhi, and never came back.

From the southern coastal villages of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu and Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, at least 293 fishermen have died or went missing in the cyclone since November 29. At Vallavilai, the worst hit village, the count is 70 — 33 local fishers and 37 colleagues from other places, including four from other states.

"I am a survivor of Ockhi too," Amaladasan told VillageSquare.in, gazing at a poster with portraits of his missing colleagues displayed at the local church entrance. "I had gone to fish off the shore of Kochi. At about 1 am, the sea was very rough, and our wireless sets stopped working."

"There was lightning. One thunderbolt, then blinding bright light and the sky was red." Amaladasan said the fishers did not know about the approaching storm, and now they lost touch with other boats around. Binu was in one of them.

No warning

"We have been offshore for six days and six nights," Amaladasan said. "Nobody told us there was going to be a storm. There is no system (of early warning)." Offshore, artisanal fishers seldom get any weather alerts. The fishers' short-distance radio sets are meant only for communication amongst boats in a fleet.

After Ockhi that hit fishers unawares, scientists have called for better communication systems even for small boats. "The only solution is two-way communication," said a senior official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Thiruvananthapuram. Scientists are now improving Navik, a gadget based on ISRO technology for offshore communication, emergency alerts and tracking of vessels in distress.

In Tamil Nadu and Thiruvananthapuram, there are several initiatives to improve risk communication for fishers by introducing shore-based messaging systems, community FM radio, and two-way wireless communication systems. Studies have shown that the best way forward is a mix of technologies that ensures seamless multi-way communication for the safety of fishermen.

The local villagers are now testing and tweaking their wireless sets for better communication and forecasts. They are part of a small cluster of villages around Thoothoor inhabited by deepsea fishers. Unlike most other artisanal fishers who fish within 20 or 30 nautical miles (37-55 km) over day or night trips, Thoothoor fishers go over 100 nautical miles offshore over a fortnight to 50 days, catching tuna and shark.

They usually operate from Kochi to ensure good harbor facilities and market for fish. They fish from the sea around Lakshadweep archipelago and beyond, some fishers reaching off the shore of Oman and Diago Garcia. Catch from a trip could fetch around INR 500,000 (USD 7,860).

Lost at sea

In the flash of lightning, Amaladasan could see the danger he was in. "The waves were as high as this church. We thought it was the end," he told VillageSquare.in. "Then I prayed 153 beads of the rosary (a popular Catholic prayer)." The shoreline of Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram are dotted with churches of the predominantly Catholic marine fishers. Francis Xavier, a missionary from Navarrese in today's Spain, who co-founded the Jesuit order, converted their ancestors during the 1540s as part of the Portuguese colonial project.

"My colleagues who survived made a pilgrimage to Velankanni (a pilgrim center in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu). I didn't. I am waiting for my son-in-law Binu," Amaladasan said, holding Binu's daughter, a toddler, in his arms.

"Nine of the us reached an island (presumably an uninhabited island of the Lakshadweep archipelago). We called others over the wireless set. At one point they said their anchor ropes were broken," he said. "Then there was no reply, we did not hear anything from them."

"We were a group of nine fishers in one boat. Caught in the high waves and nets (laden with fish) the boat turned to one side. Someone cut it free from that nets," Amaladasan told VillageSquare.in. They were later rescued. "We told the officials we are fine, go and look for the others."

Locating stranded fishers

While Amaladasan and colleagues were struggling, back home their villagers were trying to locate and rescue the stranded fishers. "We gathered information provided by fellow boatmen who had escaped the storm," Sunil Sabariar, a local information and communication technology expert, told VillageSquare.in. Sabariar is the local version of the name Xavier.

Darwin Peter, the parish priest of Vallavilai, said 182 big boats from the area were caught in the storm. At the same time, there were 32 ships passing by within 142 nautical miles, unaffected by the cyclone.

The villagers set up a wireless station and they could communicate with the ships with powerful radio systems. The ships in turn could locate stranded boats in their vicinity and pass on the details to the villagers, Peter said.

The Coast Guard and the Navy made several rescue trips, still a large number of fishers were stranded in the sea, far offshore, beyond the reach of vessels launched from points in Tamil Nadu.

"On (December) 3rd night, we gave (the rescuers) the latitude and longitude of our boats," Peter told VillageSquare.in. "Still they were not saved. We decided to have a strike. On 7th morning, we had a strike. We walked 22 km. We blocked the National Highway, and the railway line for 13 hours." The protest involving over 15,000 people spurred speedy government action.

Swimming to safety

Meanwhile some fishers made it to safety on their own. "Eight fishers swam ashore in Kalpeni in Lakshadweep, spending three days in the sea," Peter said.

Peter said 18 boats from this village were destroyed in the storm. "With gear and equipment they were worth Rs 60 lakh each. Many fishers are in debt, with loans of Rs20, Rs30 or Rs40 lakh on them."

Peter hails from the neighboring village of Eraviputhenthurai, and he is now busy helping the bereaved families. "There are families in which three to four people have died. Mostly they are young persons. There are a few men in the 40 to 50 years range. About 75% of the orphaned children, however, are under 10."

The Tamil Nadu government has offered compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the families of dead fishers. Ten lakhs will be given now and the rest after six months. Besides, the government will give one job each for each affected family.

Tweaking gear

Meanwhile Sabariar is testing, tweaking and supplying gadgets to the fishers. "Fishers usually carry cheaper handheld systems that reach only up to 25 nautical miles in good weather. They are good for small boats," Sabariar told VillageSquare.in.

"Big boats can carry powerful wall or desk-mounted wireless sets that can communicate within 400 nautical miles under good weather condition and half the distance or even less in rough weather," Peter said.

"The best solution, however, is satellite phones. They work in all weather conditions. In Sri Lanka fishers use them," Sabariar said. Licensing and security norms, however, make them largely inaccessible and unaffordable in India. Thoothoor fishers are negotiating with the government to make available limited-feature satellite phones.

MM Paniyil researches and writes on environmental issues, and is based in Bangalore.

This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.

Short films offer a great platform to filmmakers to showcase their talent. Making a short film is always a difficult proposition. As opposed to feature films, the financial prospects are not too bright. However, the one thing that drives such productions is passion. But these constant threats often serve as fuel that end up stirring the deepest artistic urges of the filmmaker. One thing, however, is more or less certain. What these films lack in scope they more than make up for it in terms of vision.

Of late, the short films are becoming more and more mainstream with big names from the Hindi film industry going the bandwagon. But still there is a long way to go before the short films enjoy the same reverence and recognition that's associated with feature films. In order for that to happen we need to be more aware as viewers. So, here's a compilation of some of the most exciting short films that have come out in the recent times.

1. Anukul

Even three decades after his death, it is difficult to overlook the creative genius of Satyajit Ray. Based on a short story by Ray, Anukul is directed by Sujoy Ghosh who is well renowned for his works like Kahaani, Jhankaar Beats as well as the popular short film titled Ahalya. Anukul, starring Saurabh Shukla and Parambrata Chatterjee, transports us to the futuristic world of artificial intelligence where even the machines have rights. Anukul is clever, futuristic, and profoundly thought-provoking. Here is a short film that reminds us about the true potential of cinematic storytelling.

2. Juice

The celebrated director of Masaan, Neeraj Ghaywan, is back with Juice — a riveting critique of everyday patriarchy and misogyny. Ghaywan's short film is as relevant as any and reminds that once the emotions start touching the right chords, words tend to become futile. Starring Shefali Shah (who delivers a deeply nuanced performance) in the role of a house wife, Juice makes a strong case for gender equality while exposing the deep-seated sense of inequality that governs an average Indian household.

3. Half Ticket 2

Here is a light-hearted short film about life that reminds us about the importance of enjoying the little moments of joy that we often tend to ignore amidst our pursuit for greater goals. Directed by Prathamesh Patil, Half Ticket 2 is the sequel to the 2017 short film Half Ticket. The USP of Half Ticket 2 is the delicate manner in which it handles the complexities of the modern relationships. The short film stars Gunjan Malhotra, Naveen Kasturia, Darshan Jariwala, and Kumar Varun.

4. Maa

Drug abuse is gradually becoming a menace for the Indian youth. Directed by Niranjan Iyengar, Maa revolves around a young artist who is addicted to drugs. The short film stars Neena Kulkarni, Dino Morea, and Vivaan Shah. The film's strongest point is how it depicts the tender relationship between a mother and a son. The performances are brilliant all around with Vivaan Shah edging out the others in the limited screen time he gets.

5. The Chair

The Chair, directed by Sumit Singh, highlights the disparity that the LGBTQ population faces on a day to day basis. The short film stars Sushant Divgikar and Prerna Dua in the lead roles. The Chair reminds us about the importance of being original. We often try to shy away from who we really are and end up paying a great price. While the acting could have been better, the story deserves all the praise for its progressive themes.

6. Test Drive

This Samir Chand-directed short film presents a day in the life of a struggling actor. Needless to say, Ashutosh Rana essays the part brilliantly, reminding us yet again what he is capable of doing in front of a motion picture camera. If you are looking for a refreshing short film with a great scope for character development then it is highly likely that you won't find any better than Test Drive.

7. MAD

Directed by Vinod Rawat, MAD, A Perfect 10 winner at the Mumbai Film Festival, is one of those rare short films that make us realize the true power of cinematic storytelling. The care with which the movie tackles the mother-daughter relationship is absolutely commendable. Here is a short film that needs to be watched.

8. Gutargu

Directed by Raju and Vishal Desai, Gutargu proves that good love stories need not always require an operatic scale. The short film stars Mohit Choudry, Nazia Davision, and Pankaj Rungta. Gutargu is essentially a story of a guy and a girl who are attracted towards one another. What makes it rather interesting is that it takes place on a rooftop.

9. The Thought Of You

Directed by Ahmed Roy, The Thought Of You brilliantly explores the marital insecurity and jealously. The root cause of all couple problems is lack of trust and in the absence of trust things only gets worse with time. A Perfect 10 winner at The Mumbai Film Festival, The Thought Of You highlights this and more. It stars Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiah, and Monica Dogra. While it may not be the best short film to have come out in the recent times, the brilliant acting performances, in particular Kalki's, make it an engaging experience.

10. The Good Girl

The Good Girl, directed by Ritesh Menon, is another highly relevant short film that deserves our attention. Starring Gurdeep Kohli and Plabita Borthakur, The Good Girl touches upon premarital pregnancy. Even in today's modern times, premarital sex largely remains a taboo in India. The Good Girl endeavors to highlight the stereotypes associated with it while simultaneously spreading awareness about the perils associated with unprotected sex. The acting performances are superb. Also, the mother-daughter relationship is brilliantly explored.

Manoj Kumar, Suvashree Choudhury

NEW DELHI — India said on Thursday it expected economic growth to surge above 8 percent as it announced a 2018/19 budget that allocated billions of dollars for rural infrastructure and unveiled a health insurance program for around 500 million poor.

In his last full year budget before a national election that must be held by May 2019, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley spoke of massive spending on rural infrastructure, to win over voters in the countryside where two-thirds of India's 1.3 billion people live.

Farm incomes have fallen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has failed to deliver enough jobs to employ the mass of Indian youth joining the labor market and moving to its overcrowded cities each year.

But Jaitley said economic growth was picking up and that Asia's third largest economy was "firmly on path to achieve 8 percent plus growth soon."

Gross domestic product is expected to grow 6.5 percent to 6.75 percent in 2017/18 — its slowest pace in three years.

While growth has been slowed by the botched rollout of a nationwide goods and service tax (GST) in 2017, and a shock move to ban high value currency notes in late 2016, investors have so far looked beyond the setbacks, perceiving the initiatives as positive long term.

To keep investors on side however, Jaitley will have to convince them that he plans to keep to his word on working towards reining in the fiscal deficit, one of Asia's largest.

Bond yields in India's benchmark 10-year bond rose 4 basis points after the government said its fiscal deficit would be 3.3 percent of GDP in 2018/19, compared to a previously projected level of 3 percent.

A Reuters poll this week showed most economists expected a 3.2 percent deficit in 2018/19.

It also revised its fiscal deficit for the ongoing 2017/18 year to 3.5 percent of GDP, as widely expected by the markets, given the decline in tax revenues following the rollout of the goods and services tax in 2017.

Delivering his opening statement, Jaitley switched from English to Hindi as he outlined schemes to promote agriculture, organic farming, animal husbandry and fisheries, ensuring that he was understood by people living in rural areas.

He also announced the launch of a flagship health insurance scheme that would cover over 100 million poor families and give up to 500,000 rupees ($7,860) in medical coverage for each family annually.

"This will be the world's largest health protection scheme," said Jaitley.

The healthcare scheme announcement spurred a rally in shares of healthcare stocks like Apollo Hospitals, Thyrocare Technologies and Narayana Hrudayalaya in trading on Thursday.

(Reporting by Delhi and Mumbai bureaux; Writing by Euan Rocha and Sanjeev Miglani, Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India unveiled its budget for the fiscal year starting April 1 on Thursday, in what is being seen as a test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to maintain fiscal discipline without stifling economic growth ahead of general elections next year.

Here are the highlights of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's budget for the 2018/19 fiscal year.

HEALTH/POLLUTION

To provide 500,000 rupees per family annually for medical reimbursement under National Health Protection Scheme. Finance minister says the plan will protect 100 million poor families and will be world's largest health protection scheme.

To implement special schemes for governments around Delhi to address air pollution

Removal of crop residue to be subsidized in order to tackle the problem of pollution due to burning of crop residue

GROWTH

Estimates 7.2 to 7.5 percent GDP growth in second half of current fiscal year

Finance minister says "firmly on path to achieve 8 percent plus growth soon"

INFRASTRUCTURE

To spend Rs 14.34 trillion on rural infrastructure

AGRICULTURE

Finance minister says will focus on strengthening rural, agriculture economy

Sets 10 trillion rupees to 11 trillion rupees credit for "agricultural activities"

Minimum support price of all crops to be increased to at least 1.5 times of production cost

Export of agriculture commodities to be liberalised

By the time I met I Gayatri Devi, the former princess of Cooch Behar in West Bengal had lost most of her royal privileges, her title, and the privy purse that all princely states were paid after they surrendered their ruling rights and integrated with India in 1947. Indira Gandhi stopped these allowances in 1971 to all royal families. Gayatri Devi subsequently spent time in prison for alleged tax violations during the Emergency. But she was still the titular Rajmata of Jaipur.

She reminded me, a little sadly, of a lioness in winter. At 82, her handsome face had grown almost leonine in its looks, the silver-grey hair thick and lustrous. Barefoot, she softly padded around the Lilypool, her French-style mansion adjoining the Rambagh Palace of Jaipur, and led me to the dining table where lunch waited.

It was a Rajasthani lunch, half Marwari-half Rajput, prepared by the Executive Chef of the Rambagh Palace. This was now a Taj heritage hotel. So I was confident about the food. However, it was rich, oily and heavy. The Rajmata delicately broke a piece of roti, dipped it in papad ki sabzi, and nibbled. Scowling, she ticked off the chef who was standing respectfully behind.

"Chef, jyada tel dala hai Papad Ki Sabzi mein. Kaun sa tel hai? Vital! Pehle baar suna!"

"Would you say you are a gourmet?" I asked, coming to the poor man's rescue. "No, I'm no longer interested in food. Or what I eat. Any old thing the cook in this house makes will do," she grumbled.

This was the princess who in 1969 brought out a compilation of royal recipes called the Gourmet's Gateway to raise funds for Indian soldiers wounded in wars against Pakistan and China. I reminded her about it. The Rajmata clicked her tongue irritably.

"I don't eat as much as before. As you grow old, food does not matter. And if you're going to ask me whether I like cooking, don't! I cannot cook. I learned how to cook at this Lausanne finishing school in Switzerland, but I'm hopeless."

"Of course, I enjoy a good meal. I'll tuck into it! But I'm saying, I don't eat as much as before. As you grow old, food does not matter. And if you're going to ask me whether I like cooking, don't! I cannot cook. I learned how to cook at this Lausanne finishing school in Switzerland, but I'm hopeless."

Age had robbed her of her interest for good food. But I wondered if the Rajmata had memories of the royal banquets and shikars she had attended in the past. I hesitated to ask her. Instead, I said, "What's your favourite cuisine?" "Bengali," she replied promptly, "because my home was Cooch Behar in West Bengal and Bengali cuisine is good, it's not just Hilsa and Bekti, there's so much more."

She made a valiant attempt to recall the menus of her youth.

"There was this dish of tiny, tiny prawns (she held up her little finger to show how tiny) that used to be cooked in mustard oil... can't remember what it used to be called." After crinkling her eyes and staring into the distance, the Rajmata had a brainwave. A phone call was made to Cooch Behar.

"Devika," the Rajmata said, coming straight to the point, "what's that fish we used to have at what-you-call-its house? Ilish something in mustard oil? Paturi Macch... no? That's different. This is made out of dal, it's nice and crispy, dal ka banta hai... You don't know! Thank you, my dear."

I had heard enough not to discuss food with her further. But the chef was serving murg mokul and gatta curry and the Rajmata looked at the food disfavourably. "I used to eat so much earlier when life was a whirl of socialising and entertaining. I don't do it anymore. I've become lazy. My cook has also become lazy. Kuch bhi bana dalta hai! I have fewer guests. A party for Diwali, sometimes not. But I select the menu. I'm particular about that."

"I've become lazy. My cook has also become lazy. Kuch bhi bana dalta hai! I have fewer guests. A party for Diwali, sometimes not. But I select the menu. I'm particular about that."

The Rajmata's dinners used to be the talk of Jaipur. I remember hearing how she planned to have a party at the height of Indira Gandhi's Emergency. The general manager of the Rambagh Palace gently tried to discourage her. "It is not the right time," he warned her, "people are watching you." And the Rajmata had drawn herself up and said imperiously, "These people are watching me? And to think I had the power to send a man to the gallows not so very long ago!" Lunch at the Lilypool was soon over.

The Rajmata sat back, a cigarette between her fingers, still talking about food. This was one of the world's most-written-about women. She had shot her first panther when she was 12. And had won a Lok Sabha seat in 1960 (for the Swatantra Party) with what John F. Kennedy (yes, JFK) and the Guinness Book of World Records said was the most staggering majority of any election. She had to face tragedies too as great as her triumphs.

Now she told me, "I used to like Rajasthani game food, the 3-minute partridge, who cooks this anymore? But I hated duck, rabbit and wild boar. I was never health conscious. I cared two hoots about diets and discipline. I still like a peg or two of whisky. But I will not go to a party and ask the host, 'Tell me what you've got.' I'm not Khushwant Singh. And no wines and champagnes, either."

Suddenly she sprang to her feet. "Would you care for coffee? Ardha cup? No? You want Cognac! Whatever gave you the idea I drink Cognac? Chalo, chalo, it's getting on. I'll have to get on my bicycle and work this heavy lunch off."

(The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.)

In the Rajasthan bypoll elections, held in the aftermath of the agitation that tailed the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat, the Congress Party has wrested two Lok Sabha seats in Alwar and Ajmer and one Assembly seat in Mandalgarh from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The three victories for the Congress and the significant winning margins in the two Lok Sabha constituencies is likely to set off alarm bells in the BJP camp ahead of the Assembly election which will be held in Rajasthan by the end of the year.

Rajasthan has voted the BJP and Congress Party into power in turns for the past five state elections.

Both sides had campaigned intensely for the bypolls which were held on January 29. In Alwar, Congress candidate Karan Singh Yadav beat BJP's Jaswant Singh Yadav by almost two lakh votes. In Ajmer, Congress candidate Raghu Sharma beat BJP's Ramswaroop Lamba by over 84,000 votes. And in Mandalgarh, Congress candidate Vivek Dhakar beat BJP's Shakti Singh Hada by over 11,000 votes. It is worth pointing out that in Mandalgarh, the Congress pulled off a victory even after one of its former leaders, Gopal Malviya, contested as an independent.

The BJP's huge defeat, just one week after the Vasundhra Raje government failed to implement the Supreme Court order that called for the screening of Padmaavat in the interest of freedom of speech and expression, has raised questions as to whether the two events were connected. In other words, did the results reflect public unhappiness at how the BJP had handled the situation.

While the Congress steered clear of defending free speech, the BJP failed to rein in the Rajput Karni Sena, the fringe group that has led a violent agitation against the movie. The Karni Sena claims that several aspects of film, including the portrayal of the titular character of Rani Padmini by Deepika Padukone, tarnish the image of the warrior caste. BJP governments in four states backed the Karni Sena's agitation, with some leaders making it an issue of Hindu pride. Eventually, the Karni Sena terrorized Rajasthan to the extent that cinema and multiplex owners decided not to screen the movie and the public stayed mum.

Interestingly, in a recent interview with HuffPost India, Karni Sena president Mahipal Singh Makrana claimed that the the Rajputs were also unhappy with the BJP government for failing to ban the movie and his group had backed the Congress in Alwar and Ajmer. "But the Congress people at the national level don't even know that we are supporting them. They are so dumb, they are speaking against us," he said.

READ: Will Rethink Allegiance To Modi, Says Karni Sena President

The Karni Sena founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi said today that the BJP lost because of its failure to ban the movie. "For the first time ever in Rajasthan bypolls, candidates from ruling party did not win. Padmaavat was not banned so it took the shape of outrage which was evident on 29th January and its result came today. I would suggest to the Prime Minister to ban it. It is the only solution," he said.

The bypolls were made necessary by the deaths of the BJP lawmakers who held the three constituencies.

Meanwhile, elated Congress Party leaders congratulated each other over their victory.

"A huge victory for the people of Rajasthan. Hats off to the hard work put in by all Congress workers, leaders, volunteers and well wishers. This is the start of the end of BJP in the state," Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot tweeted after the results. "Young people have realised that the politics of polarisation doesn't work," he said.

Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi congratulated Pilot who had led from the front in the battle for the bypolls, while characterizing the result as a "rejection" of the BJP." "Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan."

In 2014, Pilot had lost the Ajmer seat by a margin of 1,71,983 votes in the Lok Sabha election. The BJP, in fact, swept all 25 seats from Rajasthan in the parliamentary polls when the country was in the grips of the Modi wave. In the 2013 Assembly poll, the BJP won 162 seats, leaving the Congress with a mere 21.

Yashwant Deshmukh, the founder of the polling agency, C-Voter, has predicted that the Congress would win 140 seats in the upcoming polls, leaving the BJP with a mere 53. Citing trends from 17 Assembly seats, the poll pundit said that Congress would manage to swing 119 seats in its favor, while the BJP would lose 109.

And here is the ultimate shocker calculation: There are trends from 17 Assembly segments available today from #Rajasthan. If these trends are applied on full Vidhan Sabha of 200 seats; then we are staring at massive Congress sweep.
Congress: 140 seats (+119)
BJP: 53 seats (-109) pic.twitter.com/gAJk8zlFXE

— Yashwant Deshmukh (@YRDeshmukh) February 1, 2018

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When many of us wake up in the morning, it is to a world capable of vast and rapid change – a world which has provided us with information through technology at our fingertips, which provides us with the luxuries of private transport, an array of food and drink choices, hospitals to keep us healthy, and schools to help us learn.

Yet despite such astonishing achievements, our world has been far too slow to change the life chances for millions of our children. In fact, I find it astonishing that we can indulge in self-praise when tens of millions of children across the world confront a bleak and dark future. Till every child enjoys the right to be a child, our goal of a better, more moral and more compassionate humanity remains elusive.

Till every child enjoys the right to be a child, our goal of a better, more moral and more compassionate humanity remains elusive.

There remain 152 million children who are victims of child labour, with almost half of them aged 5-11 years. But instead of waking up for a day of learning, they wake up for a day of hard labour – in fields, in factories, and in unimaginable conditions. More than 75 million children are in crisis situations due to emergencies and wars – all of whom have the threat of exploitation hanging over their heads, unlikely to be able to return to any kind of life of normality during their childhoods. These are all children who are denied the dreams to which every child should have the right. These are all children like your children, or the children we once were.

According to UNESCO, 264 million primary and secondary school age children are out of school. When we see the numbers of children affected by child labour, conflict, and emergencies, it is not hard to see the correlation.

On 2 February, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is holding its third Financing Conference in Dakar, co-hosted by the governments of Senegal and France. GPE has a longstanding track record of working with dozens of countries to expand and improve education, not only by providing funding, but also by ensuring that those countries are working to increase their own national education budgets for sustainability. However, GPE needs to replenish its funds to continue its work – with a target of US$2 billion per year.

Let me put this into context.

The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, of which I am honoured to be a member, estimated the cost to deliver education for every child by 2030 at US$3 trillion. Currently the world is spending US$1.2 trillion. Close to 97% of the US$3 trillion must come from domestic budgets – so it is only 3% that the world must find. This 3% – or US$90 billion – is what is spent by consumers every 18 days on gadgets and technology.

In 2000, governments pledged to deliver universal primary education for every child by 2015, stating that that "no countries seriously committed to education for all will be thwarted in their achievement of this goal by a lack of resources."

In fact, funding for education declined in real terms between 2010-2015, meaning that there was no effort on the part of donor countries to speed up efforts to achieve the goal – quite the opposite.

Sadly, we have failed on both counts. In fact, funding for education declined in real terms between 2010-2015, meaning that there was no effort on the part of donor countries to speed up efforts to achieve the goal – quite the opposite. In 2015, the world shifted the deadline by another 15 years – but adding universal secondary education to the target, and taking away any financial commitment to achieve this.

Without immediate action, we stand to lose out on the potential of half the youth generation – that's 825 million young people. Citizens, activists, and governments have already worked hard to create the Sustainable Development Goals to give everyone the best possible chance in life, but these must not become empty promises. And the best hope we have to achieve the goals is for every young person to have their right to quality education.

As part of my work to support young people to demand their rights, I have launched the 100 Million For 100 Million Campaign. This aims to inspire and mobilize young people to stand up and act for their own rights and those of their peers, to break the cycles of illiteracy, poverty and violence so that they have the chance to fulfill their potential. Already, over a million young people have taken part in the campaign: from India to Togo, from Brazil to Sweden, young people have been hosting discussions with decision-makers and demanding more focus and funding for issues that affect them directly –violence against children, child labour, and – critically – quality education.

Without immediate action, we stand to lose out on the potential of half the youth generation – that's 825 million young people.

Financing education is one critical part of the solution – I will not pretend it is as easy as that. To give children their freedom, families must have the income they need to survive, enabling them to send their children to school and not to work. Children living in rural and agricultural areas must have safe access to schools in their local communities, and not be shut out of education due to a lack of basic infrastructure. Children who are forced to flee their homes must have the safety net of education in whatever context they find themselves – be it a new home in another country, or in a refugee camp. But ensuring there are sufficient funds for all of this is the first step.

Education truly has the power to transform lives. By equipping our young people with education, they can support their families better, they can join the modern workforce, and they can participate in their democracies. This will reduce poverty and boost national economies, and we can increase our chances of living in peaceful and sustainable communities. Think how different our world would be if we achieved just the one target of education for every child.

Last week, I was thrilled and honoured to speak at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States, at the premiere of a film about my work and the work of my team to free child labourers, and to give them the support they need to enjoy their right to childhood. At each screening, I was moved by the compassion shown by the audience – all of whom I hope will become ambassadors for the rights of every child to be free, safe, and educated.

This is a compassion I believe exists in all of us – citizens and representatives alike. And so, I call on all governments to take this first step: let us fund education, let us give all of our children their right to learn, and let us change everything together.

(The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.)