Last Working Day at SDC of the year 2011

It is the last working day of this year 2011 at SDC today. This year SDC achieved almost all its goals. SDC wishes a very happy new year 2012.

The Attachment trainees of SDC are busy in writing their report. There last training day is on the next working day i.e. first working day of new year 2012 on 2nd January 2012.

Best Wishes.

SAARC Women’s Initiative for Peace and Prosperity

ASSOCHAM, Creative Living Foundation of India and Paiman Trust of Pakistan have set up an institutional mechanism called SAARC Women’s Initiative for Peace and Prosperity (SWIPP) to form a sustainable coalition of women from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan. The objective of SWIPP is to promote economic, educational and cultural cooperation in the SAARC region. The MoU was signed on Monday, December 26, 2011 by Mr D.S. Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM, Dr Harbeen Arora, founder and CEO of Creative Living Foundation, and Ms Mossarat Qadeem, executive director of Paiman Trust. The initiative plans to empower people with education and economic independence to encourage entrepreneurship in south Asia and provide them a networking platform to pull the masses out of poverty, illiteracy, disease and crime, said Mr Rawat. Dr Arora said formation of women associations and support groups should be encouraged to provide them bandwidth for critical thinking and critical mass. “There is need more than ever before for having more examples of successful entrepreneurship by women and inspiring role models.” Business leaders should unleash entrepreneurial urge and forge ahead with economic partnerships among the neighbouring nations to promote core values of unity and peace, said Ms Qadeem. “Space for women in economic and political spheres is essential for equitable development and peace in south Asia.”

For details, visit the link.................

Diamond Jubilee Lecture Series at NISCAIR (Host Institution of SDC)

The host institution of SDC i.e. NISCAIR is celebrating its diamond jubilee. On this occasion, a lecture series is being organized. In this series, 2nd lecture was organized on December 21, 2011. The lecture was delivered by the Director of DESIDOC Dr. A. L. Moorthy on the topic "S & T Information Communication and Dissemination Scenario - Role of DESIDOC". On this occasion Director of SDC & NISCAIR Dr. Gangan Prathap welcomed the guest and audience. Mr. A. K. Chawla, Chief Scientist, NISCAIR introduced the guest Dr. Moorthy. In his lecture, Dr. Moorthy gave details of the services provided by DESIDOC in particular and challenges before the library professionals in the new web era. He gave an overview of the various Library 2.0 tools and its implementation at DESIDOC.
DESIDOC started functioning in 1958 as Scientific Information Bureau (SIB). It was a division of the Defence Science Laboratory (DSL) which is presently called Defence Science Centre. The DRDO library which had its beginning in 1948 became a division of SIB in 1959. In 1967 SIB was reorganised with augmented activities and named Defence Scientific Information and Documentation Centre (DESIDOC). It still continued to function under the administrative control of DSL. DESIDOC became a self-accounting unit and one of the laboratories of DRDO on 29 July 1970. The Centre was functioning in the main building of Metcalfe House, a landmark in Delhi and a national monument. In August 1988 it moved to its newly built five-storeyed building in the same Metcalfe House complex. Since it became a self-accounting unit, DESIDOC has been functioning as a central information resource for DRDO. It provides S&T information, based on its library and other information resources, to the DRDO headquarters, and its various laboratories at various places in India.

At the end, Mrs. Deeksha Bist, Chief Scientist, NISCAIR proposed vote of thanks.

SAARC Workshop 2011 concluded successfully

SAARC Workshop 2011 on Library 2.0 concluded successfully concluded on 16^th December 2011 at Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop was organized by SDC and Ministry of Sc. & Tech., Nepal Govt. Total of 24 participants attended the workshop from various SAARC member states. Resource persons from India and Nepal facilitated various sessions.

The workshop was started with the introduction of the concept of web 2.0 on 12th Dec. 2011. The session was facilitated by Dr. G. Mahesh (NISCAIR) and Dr. Mohan Raj Pradhan (HealthNet). In this session the participants were introduced with the general concept of Web 2.0. The post lunch session of the first day was facilitated by Mr. Mukesh Pund. Various Open Source Software useful for library 2.0 were discussed in the session. Various software for creating blogs, wikis, rss and social networking were shown with their details. The last session of the first day was the demonstration of some websites exploiting library 2.0 in practice. The session was conducted Mr. Rajeev Kumar, SDC.

The first session of the second day (13th Dec.) was on web designing. The session was facilitated by Mr. Sanjay Burde. General introduction to the www, hypertext, hypermedia, webserver, html tags, url etc. were discussed. The next session of the day was on Blogs and their applications in libraries which was facilitated by Mr. Mukesh Pund, NISCAIR. Theoretical concepts on Blogs containing their definition, evolution, their usages, merits, types were discussed followed by practicals sessions.

The first session of the third day (14th Dec.) was on Philosophy of wiki and its uses in library which was facilitated by Mr. Rajeev Kumar. Introduction to wiki, its history, types of wiki, uses of wiki, features of wiki, syntax of wiki were demonstrated and discussed in the session. The second session was on practical on creation of wiki. Various steps required to create wiki were demonstrated. The third session was on RSS which was facilitated by Dr. G. Mahesh. Current awareness services and their changes with the development of new technologies were discussed. In addition, benefits of the RSS to the uses and publishers were also discussed. In addition, sharing of documents using Google documents was practiced.

The first and second session of the fourth day (15th Dec.) was on Federated Search with Koha Integrated Library Software. The session was facilitated by Dr. Mohan Raj Pradhan and Mr. Shiva Ram Shrestha. The concept of automated library system and digital library was discussed with respect to Koha and Greenstone digital library software. There was a visit program to Nepal National Library and site seeing in Bhaktapur Durbar square after the lunch. The participants were introduced with the objectives, services and other activities being carried out by the National Library. The participants were then taken to Bhaktapur to be aware with the historic places.

In the first and session of the last day (16th Dec.) the participants were demonstrated with the general concept of data entry in Koha software. The session was facilitated by Dr. Mohan Raj Pradhan and Mr. Shiva Ram Shrestha.

There was a valedictory program at 4 PM on 16th Dec. 2011. The programme was chaired by Mr. Mukunda Raj Prakash Ghimire, Joint Secretary, MOST and G. B. member of SDC. Mr. Ishwor Singh Thapa, Acting Secretary, MOST was the Chief Guest. Mr. Pradeep Bhattarai spoke on the programme highlighting on the 5 days long workshop. Chief Guest Mr. Ishwor Singh Thapa, handed over the certificates to the participats. Representing the participants Mr. S. Siva Prasad Gauda expressed his happiness to learn and gain new idea about the topic. He further stated that the knowledge used would be implemented in the betterment of library services. Ms. Sheela Manandhar, Librarian of Nepal Administrative Staff College highlighted on the explosion of information in this age. She further stressed that modern technologies should be used to provide better services in this age. She expressed her happiness in participating in the workshop. Ms. Sohaila Noori, from Afghanistan speaking on the occasion said that the workshop was helpful and effective. Though there is a separate library system in Afghanistan, the skill learnt during the workshop would be utilized. Ms. Kesang Dechen, Deputy Director of SDC informed that the programme was the last one of SAARC. She further said that the workshop provided a forum for all the participants to share idea. She thanked MOST and all others engaged in the workshop.

SAARC Workshop 2011 inaugurated by Nepal S & T Minister

SAARC Workshop 2011 on "Library 2.0" inaugurated by Mrs. Kalpana Dhamala, Hon'ble Minister, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of Nepal at 9 AM at Hotel Marshyangdi, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal. While inaugurating the workshop, Mrs. Dhamala has said that Library 2.0 is an essence to library services. On this occasion, Secretary, Min. of S&T, Nepal; Dr. Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat, Director, SAARC; Mr. M.R.P. Ghimire, JS of MOST-Nepal & GB Member-SDC were present.

The theory sessions were initiated by Dr. G. Mahesh, NISCAIR and Dr. M. R. Pradhan, HealthNet by introducing the basic concept of Library 2.0 followed by Open Source Software for Library 2.0 by Mr. Mukesh Pund, NISCAIR. The inaugural day was concluded by the live demonstration of Library 2.0 tools and its implementations in various libraries by Mr. Rajeev Kumar, SDC.

SDC Resource persons arrived at Kathmandu

SAARC Workshop 2011 on "Library 2.0" organized by SDC in collaboration with Ministry of Sc. & Tech., Govt. of Nepal is going to be inaugurated on 12th Dec. 2011 at Kathmandu, Nepal. Earlier the resource persons from SDC namely Dr. G. Mahesh, Mr. Mukesh Pund, Mr. Sanjay Burde and Mr. Rajeev Kumar arrived today at Kathmandu.

SAARC Charter Day celebration concluded with Koha training

The 5-day Koha training programme concluded on 10th Dec. 2011 organized on the occasion of 26th SAARC Charter Day 2011. In the concluding day, the participants were given certificates. On this occasion, participants expressed their views about the programme. Most of the participants requested to extend the duration of the training programme. Information regarding newly initiated SDC Fellowship programme were announced during the concluding session. Dr. Narendra Kumar (NISCAIR), Mrs. Kesang Dechen (SDC), Mr. Indra Sen (NISCAIR/SDC) and Mr. Rajeev Kumar (SDC) were also present besides the participants.

SAARC Charter Day Marathon and Messages

On the occasion of the Twenty-sixth Anniversary of the founding of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the SAARC Secretariat, in collaboration with the National Sports Council of Nepal, organized a Marathon of approximately 8 Kms. in Kathmandu on 8th December 2011. About 150 men & women from SAARC Member States, diplomatic community and the SAARC Secretariat, including the Secretary General participated in the Marathon.
Mr.Lional Samarajeewa (Sri Lanka) in Men's category and Ms.F.E.Fox (British Gorkha) in Women's category secured the first prize. (Click here for complete news...........)

Earlier in her message on the occasion of 26th SAARC Charter Day, SAARC Secretary General Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed today said that the regional bloc had made significant progress in realising the objectives enshrined in its charter. Ms. Dhiyana said South Asian Free Trade Agreement, SAARC Development Fund, SAARC Food Bank and the South Asian University were some of the notable achievements of the regional grouping. “The association has institutionalised cooperation at all levels and set up a number of mechanisms and institutions to facilitate and guide the agenda of cooperation. SAARC has sought to promote a distinct South Asian identity and a culture of peace, cooperation and partnership,” Saeed said in the statement today, the 26th anniversary of the founding of SAARC. (Click here for the message...........)

Click here for Charter Day messages from Member states.........

27th SAARC Charter Day Celebrated at SDC

27th SAARC Charter Day [Twenty-sixth Anniversary of the founding of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)] was jointly organized by SDC and SDMC at SDC on 8th December 2011. On this occasion a Quiz Competition and a Debate was organized. Earlier a regional painting competition was organized by SDMC. Students from various schools participated in the competitions.
At the end of the programme, prizes and certificates were distributed by the Chief Guest Dr. Vikram K. Doraiswami, OSD (SAARC), Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India and the Special Guest Mr. R. K. Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Disaster Management), Ministry Home Affairs, Govt. of India to the winners of Quiz Competition, Debate and Painting Competition. All the participant were given gift. Dr. Gangan Prathap, Director, SDC and Dr. O. P. Mishra, Director, SDMC and entire team of SDC and SDMC were present on the occasion besides the school children, teachers, SDC sponsored trainees and NISCAIR staff.

SDC Fellowships for Research and Advanced Training

S.D.C. has initiated Fellowships for Research and Advanced Training for the professionals of SAARC member states. The programme was approved during the 17th GB Meeting.
The main aim of the present initiative is to enhance the research capacity of promising information scientists of the SAARC region, particularly those embarking on their research career, and also to encourage them to foster cross-country linkages for collaborative work. Under the aegis of SDC, one fellowship from each Member State will be sponsored for a period of six months. The Programme will aim in particular, to impact on capacity-building and research activities in the following areas:

• SAARC related topics
  
• Library and Information Science
  
• Science and Technology
  Developmental Matters
  
• Science Communication

SDC Fellows will be based at the Center and will have access to the library, computer facilities of the Centre and also CSIR-NISCAIR (host institute of SDC). During the six month period, SDC fellows will be attached to mentors from SDC or from the host institute, NISCAIR. Only those who are currently actively registered for a PhD programme in a SAARC country will be eligible for the programme.

For details, please visit the SDC Website : www.sdc.gov.in/fellowship/

for Brochure and Application Form, click here...........

26th SAARC Charter Day - 2011

SAARC Documentation Centre is going to celebrate 26th SAARC Charter Day on 8th Dec. 2011 in collaboration with SAARC Disaster Management Centre, New Delhi. On this occasion, winners of Painting competitions, quiz competitions and debate will be given prize. SDC is also organizing a Koha training programme (5-10 Dec. 2011) on this occasion, inaugurated on 5th Dec. 2011

To commemorate the 26th SAARC Charter Day, the SAARC Secretariat is organising a marathon in the Capital city Kathmandu (Nepal) on December 8, 2011. The secretariat said in a statement that it has asked all members of the diplomatic community based in Kathmandu to take part in the event. The event will kick off from the SAARC Secretariat and end at the secretariat after passing through Durbar Marg, Kamaladi, Ram Shah Path, Singha Durbar, Thapathali, Tripureshwor, Sundhara, Mahankal and Jamal. Those who want to participate in the event should register at the secretariat by 3 pm on December 6 and arrive at the secretariat at 6.45 am on December 8 for the event that will begin at 7 am. The registration can also be done through email - shabbir@saarc-sec.org - or over the phone (01-4221694). (Click Here for News........).

In connection with the observance of the 26th SAARC Charter Day on 08 December 2011, SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC) and SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), Dhaka jointly organizing an essay competition. (Click Here for News........).

As Association of Management Development in South Asia (AMDISA) is a SAARC Recognized Body. It is commemorating the SAARC Charter Day on Thursday, 8th December, 2011 at AMDISA Secretariat, University of Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, with a view to raising awareness of the people about SAARC and its activities, thereby enhancing South Asian identity as well as solidarity within the Region and beyond. (Click Here for News........)

Attachment Trainees learning Bloging

SDC sponsored attachment trainees of different SAARC member states are enjoying while learning about Blog.
A blog (a blend of the term web log)is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The short form, "blog," was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May 1999. Shortly thereafter, Evan Williams at Pyra Labs used "blog" as both a noun and verb ("to blog," meaning "to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog") and devised the term "blogger" in connection with Pyra Labs' Blogger product, leading to the popularization of the terms.
There are several free blog sites using which a user can create his/her blog site such as blogger.com, wordpress.com, edublogs.com, livejournal.com etc.

Click here a link for a list of free blog hosting sites.........

Attachment Training participants learning Library 2.0

The SDC participants of 2nd Attachment Training Programme are learning Library 2.0. Earlier they have undergone training on GSDL. Now-a-days they are learning various Web 2.0 tools and techniques such as online sharing of documents using google docs, web site creation using google sites, creation of tiny URL etc.

The participants will attend a 5-day Koha (open source integrated library management system) training programme scheduled from 5th Dec. 2011.

10th SAARC Golf Championship - 2011

10th SAARC Golf Championship is going to be held in India in November 2011. Dates are from the 25th – 27th & the event will be held at the Rambagh Golf Course, Jaipur. The SAARC Golf Championship is the region's premier annual international amateur team event and all the teams are selected by the official golf unions of the participating SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Countries. Each country is invited to send a team of three men and one manager to the venue.
Pash India is the organizer of this prestigious Golf event that is being held in India after many years as per the dates approved by the by the Indian Golf Union (IGU) keeping in mind the schedule of the National Golf teams. Pash India holds the IPR for this flagship Golf event held across the SAARC region since its inception in 1999. The event is recognized by all the official golf associations in the SAARC region, this year the Championship will see the national teams tee off, as the golfing fraternity endeavors to foster greater friendships in the region.
The previous events have been held in Bangalore & Delhi in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Lahore in Pakistan and Kandy in Srilanka. The 9th SAARC Golf Championship was held in Kathmandu, Nepal and this 10th Championship is taking place in Jaipur in November this year.

Amidst the pristine setting of the 18 hole Rambagh Golf Club in the heart for the vibrant city of Jaipur, this SAARC event promise to be a memorable one. The championship event is being sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Dept of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan and Hon’ble Tourism Minster of Rajasthan Smt. Bina Kak is the Patron for the event. H.E. Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan would be invited to inaugurate the event. This event is also conceived to promote harmony and co-operation through sports in the SAARC region and the championship includes a corporate golf day titled the "SAARC Friendship Cup" which is like a Pro Am. Leading corporates, VIPs, Ambassadors, Government heads, Golf enthusiasts are invited to play alongside the national amateur teams.

SDC's National Focal Point in Afghanistan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has introduced the following persons as the National Focal Points for SDC related activities in the country:

• Ms. Sohiala Noori, Deputy Director, Institute of Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  (Tel.: 0093-707086997, Email: sohialanoori@yahoo.com)
• Ms. Ahdia Amiry, In charge of Library, Institute of Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  (Tel.: 0093-794431958, Email: ahdia_amiry@yahoo.com)

Website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan: www.mfa.gov.af

SDC welcomes them.

SAARC Workshop on "Library 2.0" in Nepal

SDC is going to organize SAARC Workshop on "Library 2.0" at Kathmandu in Nepal during the period 12-16 December 2011 in collaboration with Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of Nepal (National Focal Point of SDC in Nepal).
Library 2.0 is basically application of Web 2.0 technologies/tools in the areas of library services. Now a days, these tools are being widely used by various Library & Information Centres to provide user-centric sercvices.
The course content includes Introduction to Library 2.0, Open Source Software for Library 2.0, Web Designing, Blogs, Wiki, RSS Feeds, Online Sharing of Documents etc.,Social Networking sites and Forums.
For the details, please contact: sdc@niscair.res.in

SAARC Seed Bank

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers in their weekly meeting held under the chairmanship of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has agreed to establish a SAARC Seed Bank in Sri Lanka in keeping with the agreement reached at the 17th SAARC Summit held in Maldives last week. The objectives of setting up of the Seed Bank, as agreed upon by SAARC countries, are to provide regional support to national seed security efforts, address regional seed shortages through collective actions and foster inter-country partnership. The entity will act as a Regional Seed Security reserve for the Member States. Each member country is expected to contribute one percent of their total seed requirement to the Bank as reserve. The Seed Bank will help the member countries to make available quality seeds, exchange seeds and plant genetic resources and share practices, technologies and techniques among them to produce quality seeds. Under the agreement, all member countries will have enough stocks of quality seeds, and in case of calamities, one member can borrow from the other. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has proposed the establishment of a seed bank at the 16th SAARC Summit held in Thimpu, Bhutan, in 2010.

Visit the official government news porotal of Sri Lanka...........

Koha Workshop on the occasion of SAARC Charter Day 2011 at SDC

SDC is going to organize a 5-day workshop on "Koha - Open Source Integrated Library Management Software" on 5-10 Dec. 2011 on the occasion of SAARC Charter Day (celebrated on 8th December every year).
Koha is an open source Integrated Library System (ILS), used world-wide by public, school and special libraries. The name koha comes from a Māori term for a gift or donation. Koha is the first free software library automation package. In use worldwide, its development is steered by a growing community of users collaborating to achieve their technology goals. Koha’s feature set continues to evolve and expand to meet the needs of its user base. Koha is web-based ILS, with a SQL database backend with cataloguing data stored in MARC and accessible via Z39.50. The user interface is very configurable and adaptable and has been translated into many languages. Koha has most of the features that would be expected in an ILS.
To get admission in the workshop, nominations may be sent to SDC through SAARC Secretariat via proper channel. Direct applications are not accepted at SDC. Two participants from each member state will be sponsored by SDC. For details, contact: sdc@niscair.res.in / 91-11-26863609
For more details on Koha, click ..............

Addu Declaration at the end of 17th SAARC Summit

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit - 2011 has decided to set the timeline for finalising a framework for rail and sea connectivity. The “Addu Declaration” issued at the end of the Seventeenth SAARC summit on 11th Nov. 2011 (Friday) shed some of the despondency reflected in the previous summit held in Thimphu. The eight leaders of SAARC member states at the summit decided to finalise a Regional Railways Agreement and complete the preparatory work on an Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service by the end of this year.
The declaration also decided on early demonstration run of a Bangladesh- India-Nepal container train.
On the trade front, emphasis was on effective implementation of the free trade pact, paring the sensitive lists, eliminating non-tariff barriers and harmonising standards and customs procedures. With consensus eluding the SAARC on climate change, the declaration made a bland one-line reference to the issue.
Click Here for Addu Declaration.........

17th SAARC Summit Inaugurated

17^thSAARC Summit was inaugurated on 10th Nov. 2011 at the Equatorial Convention Centre, Addu City in Maldives. The Inaugural Session began with the recitation of Holy Quran.
Opening of the Seventeenth SAARC Summit was carried out by the Chairman of the Sixteenth SAARC Summit and the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan, H.E. Lynchhen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley.

President of the Host Country, the Republic of Maldives – H.E. Mohamed Nasheed addressed the gathering; followed by the Adoption of the Agenda of the Sixteenth SAARC Summit and the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan H.E.Lyonchhen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley. President of the Maldive, H.E. Mohamed Nasheed assumed the Chair of the Seventeenth SAARC Summit.
The gathering was addressed by the Heads of States and Governments of the SAARC Countries, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and the hosting Maldives.
Foreign Secretaries of SAARC Member States and the Heads of Observer delegations, Cabinet Ministers of the Republic of Maldives, Ministers of the Visiting delegations, Foreign/External Ministers of SAARC Member States, Vice President, the Speaker of the Parliament, the Chief Justice of the Republic of Maldives, and the Secretary General of the SAARC, H.E. Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed attended the inaugural session of the Seventeenth SAARC Summit in the Equatorial Convention Centre, Addu City; Maldives.

• Official website of 17th SAARC Summit.............
  
• For the Videos of 17th SAARC Summit, click here...........
  
• For the Photos of 17th SAARC Summit, click here...........
  

SAARC Standing Committee Meeting : 2011

The Foreign Secretaries of the SAARC member countries met at the SAARC Standing Committee Meeting on 7^th Nov. 2011. The delegates deliberated on the annual report of SAARC Secretariat and the agenda for the upcoming SAARC Summit. The Standing Committee meetings held on 7^th and 8^th Nov. 2011 will be followed by the Council of Ministers meeting, which will be attended by Foreign Ministers of SAARC countries, on 9^th Nov. 2011 (Wednesday).
The SAARC Programming Committee met on 6^th Nov. 2011 and discussed on a US$2.7 million (Rf41.6 million) budget proposed by its members for the functioning of the SAARC Secretariat and ways to reduce the budget of the Secretariat and the Regional Centres.
The 17^th SAARC Summit will begin at 2pm on 10^th Nov. 2011 (Thursday) and will end at 3pm on 11^th Nov. 2011 (Friday).
Official Website of 17^th SAARC Summit.............
For news updates, click here .................

SAARC Under 25 Twenty20 Cricket Tournament

H.E. President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed said that the SAARC Under 25 Cricket Tournament to be held in Fuvammulah, would showcase the best and the brightest talents of South Asian cricket. The President also conveyed his optimism that the tournament, which is to be held as part of this year’s SAARC festival, would be extremely rewarding, and encouraged the Maldivian team to aim for championship. H.E.President Nasheed said that the Cricket Ground in Fuvahmulah is being built with assistance from a number of sources, and added that this of an added advantage to the development of Cricket in Maldives.The teams are to be accommodated in Herethere Resort.
Click Here for official news..........
Click Here for updates.............

DSpace: Open Source Software for Digital Libary

SDC sponsored participants for II^ndshort-term & attachment training programme are learning DSpace. DSpace is an open source software for creation and development of digital library. A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. A digital library is a type of information retrieval system.
DSpace is an open source software package that provides the tools for management of digital assets, and is commonly used as the basis for an institutional repository. It supports a wide variety of data, including books, theses, 3D digital scans of objects, photographs, film, video, research data sets and other forms of content. The data is arranged as community collections of items, which bundle bitstreams together. DSpace is also intended as a platform for digital preservation activities. Since its release in 2002, as a product of the HP-MIT Alliance, it has been installed and is in production at over 800 institutions around the globe, from large universities to small higher education colleges, cultural organizations, and research centers. It is shared under a BSD licence, which enables users to customize or extend the software as needed.
For details about DSpace, visit the link..............

SAARC on Facebook

During the inauguration of the Indo-Nepal Literary and Cultural Festival, SAARC Secretary General Fathimath D Saeed informed that SAARC had created a facebook page to reach out to the general public and also for creating a stronger South Asian identity particularly among the youths.
More than 60 people from the field of art, literature and culture are attending the three day festival being organised at the initiative of Foundation of SARC Writers and Literature, an apex body of SAARC, in collaboration of Indian Embassy, Kathmandu and BP Koirala India Nepal Foundation. The festival will feature poems recitation by noted literary personalities from Nepal and India, paper presentation on tourism, culture, art and architecture and music and dance presentation.

Click here for the news items in details.............

Click here for SAARC Facebook page..............

Web Page Designing

Now-a-days, SDC sponsored participants are learning basics of webpage designing in the Short-term / Attachment Training Programme at NISCAIR.
A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext links. Web pages frequently subsume other resources such as style sheets, scripts and images into their final presentation. Web pages are requested and served from web servers using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Web pages may consist of files of static text and other content stored within the web server's file system (static web pages), or may be constructed by server-side software when they are requested (dynamic web pages). Client-side scripting can make web pages more responsive to user input once on the client browser.
Participants are learning basics of HTML skill and MS-FrontPage.
Some external links related to the webpage design tutorials:

• http://www.w3schools.com/html/
  
• http://webdesign.about.com/od/frontpage/
  

Koha : Open Source Integrated Library Management Software

The SDC sponsored participants are learning Koha - Open Source Integrated Library Management Software in the Short-term / Attachment Training Programme at NISCAIR (on 17-18 Oct. 2011). Koha is an open source Integrated Library System (ILS), used world-wide by public, school and special libraries. The name koha comes from a Māori term for a gift or donation. Koha is the first free software library automation package. In use worldwide, its development is steered by a growing community of users collaborating to achieve their technology goals. Koha’s feature set continues to evolve and expand to meet the needs of its user base. Koha is web-based ILS, with a SQL database backend with cataloguing data stored in MARC and accessible via Z39.50. The user interface is very configurable and adaptable and has been translated into many languages. Koha has most of the features that would be expected in an ILS.
For more details on Koha, click ..............

ABCD : Library Automation Software

The SDC sponsored participants are learning ABCD - Library Automation Software in the Short-term / Attachment Training Programme at NISCAIR (on 13-14 Oct. 2011). ABCD, as an integrated package for library automation (both traditional but also digital/virtual libraries !) and a tool for documentation centers, is the culmination of several technologies developed by BIREME (OPS/PAHO, Brazil). The package contains an advanced database management (both creation/definition and data-entry/cataloging) module, an OPAC integrated into a 'library portal' page with meta-search functionality for either local or remote databases (iAH), a Serials Control module (SeCS), a module for Circulation and Statistics, a Thesaurus Manager and - to be added later - an Acquisition module. The software heavily relies on ISIS-database technology (developed by UNESCO).
ABCD is the acronym for a software suite for the automation of libraries and documentation centres. In Spanish this is, in full 'Automatisación de Bibliotécas y Centros de Documentación', which keeps the same acronym valid also for French (Automation des Bibliothèques et Centres de Documentacion) or Portugese (Automatização das Bibliotecas e dos Centros de Documentação). Even in other non-latin languages, with some slight but quite acceptable variations, -e.g. Dutch : 'Automatisering van Bibliotheken en Centra voor Documentatie' -the acronym can still be maintained.
For more details, click...............

17th SAARC Summit - 2011

The Charter (Article III) of SAARC provides that the Heads of State or Government "shall meet once a year or more often as and when considered necessary by the Member States". However, the Summit has generally been convened at an interval of one and half year or so. The next i.e. Seventeenth Summit of the Heads of State or Government is scheduled to be held at Addu City, Maldives on 10-11 November 2011. Addu City or Seenu Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives. Most inhabited islands in Addu are in the western reef and these are Hithadhoo, Feydhoo, Maradhoo, Gan while the islands of Meedhoo, and Hulhudhoo share a large island in the east. One of the most populated atolls in the Maldives, with over 30,000 people, the islands are connected with each other through a ‘link road’ and the islands are comparatively larger than that of other islands in the Maldives.

“SAARC Summit 17: Building Bridges”, has been chosen by the Government of Maldives as the theme for the Seventeenth SAARC Summit to be held in Maldives in November this year. The theme has been selected as a visionary thought to link past, present and future of SAARC without undermining the achievements of 26 years of building SAARC.
For more information, visit the Official Website.....

2nd Short-term & Attachment Training Programme started

The second short-term & attachment training programme for the year 2011 were started on 3^rd October 2011 at SDC. Participants from various SAARC member states are attending the programmes. The programmes are being organized by NISCAIR and SDC sponsors SAARC nominated participants. The short-term training programme is a one-month programme on "Information Technology for Information Management", while the Attachment training programme is a three-month programme. During this period, participants will learn Open Source Software in Library Areas, Digital Library, DSpace, Green Stone Digital Library (GSDL), WINISIS, Koha, SQL etc. The participants will be introduced about the e-consortia system also.

17th Governing Board - 2011

17^th Governing Board Meeting of SDC is scheduled to be held on 15-16 September 2011 at SDC, New Delhi. In the meeting, activities carried out will be discussed and budget and activities for the next year will be finalized. It is expected that a number of new proposals will be finalized by the GB.
The GB acts as programme planning body and oversee the programme activities of SDC. The GB reviews the Report of Audited Accounts of the Centre and annual Budget in respect of Institutional and Programme Cost of the Centre and submits the same with its own recommendations and onward dispatch to the Standing Committee. The desiganted Members of the GB is responsible to monitor and coordinate activities of the Centre.
SDC welcomes all the Members in the Meeting.

Interview for the post of Librarian (GSS-II) at SDC

A walk-in-Interview for the post of Librarian (GSS-II) at SAARC Documentation Centre, New Delhi will be held on 14^th September 2011 at 9:30 AM. The venue is: SAARC Documentation Centre, NISCAIR Building, 14, Satsang Vihar Marg, Near J.N.U. East Gate (JNU VC Residence Gate), New Delhi - 110067.
For details, visit the SDC Website: www.sdc.gov.in
OR
alternatively one can visit the following website also:
www.sites.google.com/site/saarcdocumentationcentre/

25th Anniversary of RIM, Bhutan, an NFP of SDC

August 10, 2011 marks the Solver Era of Royal Institute of Management (RIM), Bhutan. RIM is a National Focal Point (NFP) of SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC) in Bhutan. The RIM was established in 1986 as the premier management institute in the country with the mandate to "impart, promote and improve professional knowledge and skills in management and public administrator for both the public and private sectors". The Institute was established during an important phase, when the Royal Government initiated the decentralization process. In 1908s, the Institute focused mainly on certificate level courses in office management, accounts and audit. In 1990s, RIM began to offer diploma and PG Diploma programmes in Public Administartion, Financial Management, National Law and Information Management System including series of short in-service management development programmes. Besides training programmes, RIM was and is actively involved in providing a number of advisory and consultancy services to the civil service and corporate sectors towards professionalizing their management systems. The Institute had organized and hosted the South Asian Management Forum twice.

RIM Library designated as the NFP of SDC in 1994.
The Institute offers host of programmes from Diploma and PG Diploma levels in the field of Public Administration, Financial Management, National Law and Information Management Systems. RIM is launching in-country master's programmes namely Master of Public Adminstration (MPA) and Master of Management (MM) in August 2011. Two more master's programme in Business Administration and Supply Chain Management will introduced in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
The Institute is located in the heart of Thimphu city.
Best wishes to RIM family.
For more details, click ..........

7th SDC NFP Coordinators Meeting held on 28-29 July 2011

7^th SDC NFP Coordinators Meeting held on 28-29 July 2011 at SDC, New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Mr. Bikash Chandra Saha [Principal Scientific Officer, BANSDOC, Dhaka] attended the meeting on behalf of SDC NFP Coordinator (Bangladesh), Mr. Indra Sen, SDC NFP Coordinator (India) [Sr. Technical Officer(3), NISCAIR, New Delhi], Ms. S. D. I. Arachchige [Planning Assistant (Library), Centre for Development Information, Department of National Planning, Ministry of Finance & Planning, Treasury Building, Colombo] attended the meeting on behalf of SDC NFP Coordinator (Sri Lanka) and Ms. Thifla Umar, SDC NFP Coordinator (Maldives) [National Library of Maldives, Male] attended the meeting. Ms. Thifla Umar attended the meeting via Internet based Video Chat mode. This is the first time in the history of SDC, Internet based Video Chat mode was used. Besides, Dr. Gangan Prathap (Director, SDC), Mrs. Kesang Dechen (Deputy Director, SDC), Mr. Rajeev Kumar (Computer Officer, SDC) and Mr. Ahmed Rasheed (IT Staff, National Libray of Maldives, Male) also attended the meeting. Mr. Ahmed Rasheed attended the meeting via Internet based Video Chat mode. Pakistan and Bhutan sent thier country papers, which were read in the meeting.

The 2-day Seventh Meeting of the SDC NFP Coordinators (SAARC Documentation Centre National Focal Point Coordinators) began with introduction of each of the member present in the meeting by the Mrs. Kesang Dechen, Deputy Director, SDC followed by the welcome of address by Dr. Gangan Prathap, Director, SDC on July 28, 2011 (Thursday) at 10:30 AM. Bangladesh was elected as Chair.
In the meeting, efforts made by SDC to fulfill its objectives was widely appreciated. Several suggestions were given on HRD and Database projects. The Digital Library Service of SDC was discussed and Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka show there interests to use the service.
The meeting was declared closed by the Chair after vote of thanks proposed by Mr. Indra Sen on 29^th July 2011 at 1:30 PM.

SDC NFP Coordinators Meeting 2011

SDC NFP Coordinators Meeting 2011 is scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India on 28-29 July 2011.
In order to implement the programmes of SAARC Documentation Center (SDC),effectively, the National Focal Points (NFPs) of the SDC have been established in each SAARC Member State. The functioning of the SDC-NFP is administered by a Coordinator in each NFP. The NFPs also play an important role in popularising the activities and functions of SDC in the respective Member States. The SDC-NFP Coordinators meet to ensure effective coordination in implementing the programmes and activities of SDC.
Following are the National Focal Points of SDC in member states: -

1. Afghanistan - under process
   
2. Bangladesh - BANSDOC (Bangladesh National Scientific and Technical Documentation Centre), Dhaka.
   >>[Coordinator - Mr. Md. Mijanur Rahman].
   
3. Bhutan - RIM (Royal Institute of Management), Thimpu.
   >>[Coordinator - to be nominated, earlier Coordinator Mrs. Kesang Dechen has joined as Deputy Director of SDC on 20th May 2011].
   
4. India - NISCAIR (National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources), New Delhi.
   >>[Coordinator - Mr. Indra Sen].
   
5. Malidives - NLM (National Library of Maldives), Male.
   >>[Coordinator - Ms. Thifla Umar].
   
6. Nepal - .., Kathmandu.
   >>[Coordinator - Mr. Purushottam P. Tiwari].
   
7. Pakistan - PASTIC (Pakistan Scientific and Technological Information Centre) National Centre, Islamabad.
   >>[Coordinator - Mr. Mohammad Aqil Khan].
   
8. Sri Lanka - Centre for Development Information Department of National Planning, Colombo.
   >>[Coordinator - Ms. B. I. Hendavitharana].
   

In the year 2009 and 2010, the SDC-NFP meetings were not held. In the meeting, forthcoming programmes of SDC will be discussed. Entire SDC team is preparing for successful meeting.

SAARC Training Course on Combating Child Trafficking

SAARC Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC), Islamabad, Pakistan is organizing a 6-day training programme on "Combating Child Trafficking: Unravelling the Push and Pull Factors in the SAARC Region" (18 – 23, July 2011).
SAARC Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) is a regional centre of SAARC. The objective of SHRDC is to undertake research, impart trainings and workshops, disseminate information on HRD issues and advise the Member States on HRD related policies and strategies.
The training program on “Combating Child Trafficking: Unravelling the Push and Pull Factors in the SAARC Region”, organized by the SAARC Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC), Islamabad will look into greater and better-targeted tools to combat the child trafficking, strong policy commitments; exploitations of synergies between socioeconomic issues and human development; learning from the experiences of high achievers; rearrangements of available resources and regulations for combating the issue in the Member States.
(for more, click here .............)

SGIB Orientation Programme

An SGIB (SAARC Gender Infobase)orientation programme was organized at SAARC Documentation Centre, New Delhi on 8th July 2011. The programmed was chaired by SAARC Director (Maldives) Mr. Ibrahim Zhuree, Mrs. Pratima Gupta (Ministry of WCD, GOI), Ms. Sapna Joshi (Homenet South Asia), Ms. Renu Golani (Homenet South Asia), Mr. Hemant Kumar, Mr. Vibhor Swaroop, Mr. S. R. Nimesh (all from Rashtriya Mahila Kosh), Ms. Sangeeta Thapa (UN Women - Nepal), Dr. Rinchen Chophel (UN Women).
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Gender Infobase (SGIB) has been set up as a joint initiative of the SAARC member countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in collaboration with UNWomen (older name - UNIFEM).

SAARC Mutual Fund planned by South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE)

The executive meeting of South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE), a recognized body of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), has planned to introduce SAARC Mutual Fund. The executive committee of South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE) is holding its three-day meeting in Kathmandu on July 6-8, 2011. “SAARC Mutual Fund will be issued in South Asian nations and citizens of the member countries can purchase the units,” informed chief executive officer of Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) Shanker Man Singh. “Though this is only being discussed right now, but if realised, will be very beneficial in mobilising savings and generating lump sum capital that can be invested in infrastructure projects,” he added.
South Asian Federation of Exchanges is a cooperative platform launched by the bourses in South Asia with a purpose to promote the development and harmonisation of the securities markets in the region. The South Asian Federation of Exchanges stands to prepare and position its member markets for their orderly integration into the global financial system be enhancing the depth, inter-connectivity, integrity and transparency of its member markets. The South Asian Federation of Exchanges comprises 32 member entities of South Asia, Bahrain, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates. It is the recognised body of the SAARC and is a network exchange association of the World Federation of Exchanges. South Asian Federation of Exchanges’ permanent secretarial is located in Islamabad, Pakistan and serves as the central coordinating office.
“Though there are regulatory issues but cross border listing will facilitate the companies to raise capital from others countries as well,” said chairman of SAFE Joseph Massey. He also expressed the need of capital generation that is essential to propel economic activities and infrastructure development. “To accelerate the economic activities more participation of private sector is required that can be supplied by stock exchanges as they mobilise small savings into large capital,” he informed. However, he pointed out that integration is gradual process that needs to be undertaken on phase-wise basis. “Securities sector being highly regulated, integration of stock exchanges can not be achieved until and unless all the members are following the same regulatory standard,” secreatary-general of SAFE Aftab Ahmad Chaudhary, said, adding that integration of stock exchanges will help the free movement of the capital within South Asian region. “The surplus investment in one stock exchange can be transferred to the one that with scarcity,” he said. “The agenda is standardising regulatory principles so that unified regulation can be applied on the member exchanges. Foreign investment can enter the capital market only if it is vibrant and provide the protection of the investment that the international investors seek, according to him.
SAFE is attempting at replicating the EU where all the EU member countries follow free movement of capital in financial services as well. The executive committee of South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE) is holding its meeting in Kathmandu on July 6-8 to move forward on the agenda of regional financial integration within the South Asian region. It is a cooperative platform launched by the bourses in South Asia with a purpose to promote the development and harmonisation of securities markets in the region. The SAFE stands to prepare and position. Its member markets for their orderly integration into the global financial system by enhancing depth, inter-connectivity, integrity and transparency of its member markets.
(Link of the news items ........)

Fifth Conference of Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians 2011

The 5^th conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians will be held in New Delhi from July 9 to 12, the second time that the event is being held in India.
The Speakers of Parliaments of SAARC Countries first met in Sri Lanka in June 1992 and resolved to set up an Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians. They met in Kathmandu in November 1992. In the First South Asian Festival (held in India in October 1992 with participation from all Member Countries), a unique event which focused on the rich cultural heritage of South Asia, formally launched the "Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians" and adopted the Charter of the Association. The Speakers Council, which is the Apex Body of the Association, finalised and ratified the draft rules of the Association prepared by the Parliamentary Secretaries-General in January 1994. Since then they have met periodically and addressed issues of common interest to member countries. The Heads of State or Government at their Seventh Summit (Dhaka, April 1993) welcomed the initiative of the Speakers of Parliaments of SAARC Countries in forming the Association.
The Inaugural Ceremony of the Fifth Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians will be held in the Central Hall of Parliament House on Saturday, the 9th July, 2011 at 1800 hours. Hon’ble Prime Minister (India), Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the Conference and deliver the Inaugural Address. Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha will deliver the Welcome Address. H.E Chamal Rajapakse, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka will deliver the vote of thanks speech in his capacity as the former President of Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians.
Lok Sabha (India) Speaker Meira Kumar constituted the Reception Committee for the Conference with K Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, as its chairman and Kariya Munda, Deputy Speaker as the co-chairman. The committee comprises 38 members, including Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal; besides sitting and former members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Pakistan is set to unleash woman power at the Conference. The Pakistan contingent, led by National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza, will include three women MPs, Tasneem Siddiqui, Shahnaz Ali and Kashmala Tariq. Mirza is the first woman Speaker in the Muslim world. Afghanistan is making a debut at the conference.
The Conference will deliberate upon two themes: "Consolidating Democracy: Strengthening Trust between Parliament and the People" and "Sustainable Development in SAARC Countries- The Way Forward". Earlier, the Conferences have been held in Delhi, Islamabad, Dhaka and Colombo.
(Lok Sabha Link .....)

"Building Bridges" : Theme of SAARC Summit 2011

The Republic of Maldives, declared “Building Bridges” as the theme for the Seventeenth SAARC Summit to be held in Addu Atoll of the island nation on 10-11 November this year.
“Building Bridges - both in terms of physical connectivity and figurative political dialogue. However, the notion of bridging differences would be represented as the overarching theme of the summit rather than any set diplomatic or development aims,” stated a Press Release issued by the Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 19 June 2011.
Addressing the media following the unveiling of the theme for the upcoming Summit, President’s Office representative and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) youth arm president Shauna Aminath said that the Maldivian government - as part of SAARC - had been working with fellow member states to try and improve communication and collaboration throughout the region. Shauna took the recent recommencement of ferry services between India and Sri Lanka after a thirty year hiatus as a physical example of the summit’s own aims to try and strengthen economic and diplomatic ties between different member nations for their mutual benefit and prosperity.
She further said, “The idea is to celebrate the differences that we have and use these to unite nations to build a better region. South Asia is specifically unique in that it is home to 100 different languages, ten different major religions and one fifth of the world’s population,” she said. “The Maldives is the lowest lying nation in the world, at the same time [fellow SAARC member] Nepal has the [planet's] highest points. So these are differences, but we want to use these as an opportunity to celebrate as a united force to build bridges of friendship, peace and security.”
The Sixteenth SAARC Summit held in Bhutan in April 2010 devoted to the theme, Climate Change.
The Republic of Maldives hosts the Summit meeting of the SAARC Heads of States or Governments for the third time, having earlier hosted the Fifth and Ninth Summit meetings in 1990 and 1997 respectively. (Link - SAARC HQ Website)

Science Olympiad for SAARC Countries

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, India in collaboration with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), South Asia Office in New Delhi is organizing the Science Olympiad 2011 for the South Asian Countries. The purpose of the Science Olympiad is to search for and motivate the science talent in all SAARC countries. This will be conducted on a two-tier level, initially on the basis of an objective test with huge participation, followed by limited participation by the toppers of the first test. Hereafter, this Olympiad will be called as IGNOU-UNESCO SCIENCE OLYMPIAD 2011. (for Details, click..........)

Themes of SAARC Summit 2011 to be held in Maldives

SAARC Summits are the highest level of authority in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). SAARC summits are usually held annually and are attended by the heads of Governments/States of the member countries. Country playing host to the Summit holds the Chair of the Association. First SAARC Summit was held in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, in 1985.

The 17th SAARC Summit will be held in Maldives' capital Male this year (2011), as announcement made by the Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley on the concluding day of the two- day 16th Summit of the eight-nation bloc, comprising India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Maldivesannounced held in April 2010 at Thimpu, Bhutan.

H. E. Uz. Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed, Secretary-General of SAARC, proposed the following subjects as possible themes for the Seventeenth SAARC Summit for consideration of the Maldivian Government:

1. Women as Catalysts for Change;
   
2. Women as Agents of Development; and
   
3. Women as Partners for Development.
   

The Secretary-General also identified five sub-themes (Maternal Health; Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence; Economic and Political Empowerment; HIV/AIDS; & HPV, other STDs and Cervical Cancer) for consideration of the esteemed Government. She also drew attention of the Government to issues occurring within these contexts. The Secretary-General stated that in having appointed its first woman Secretary General, it is an opportune moment for SAARC to bring intensified focus at the Summit level on the many issues impacting on women. The Secretary-General further said that while the selection of such a theme will afford the opportunity to intensify focus on issues that have traditionally been voiced out, it will also be a starting point for generating debate and discussion on issues that have not yet received due attention such as HPV and other STDs and their bearing on cervical cancer. She also emphasised that she has taken this initiative in submitting the said themes for the esteemed Government’s consideration as she feels that there is a moral imperative on everyone, especially women, in places of authority to bring to bear all the influences they can to work for the betterment of women in South Asia. (for more click.............)

SAARC and its Regional Centre

Like SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC), there are eleven regional centres of SAARC. The SAARC Secretariat is supported by these Regional Centres. The RCs are established in Member States to promote regional cooperation. These Centres are managed by Governing Boards comprising representatives from all the Member States, SAARC Secretary-General and the Ministry of Foreign/External Affairs of the Host Government. The Director of the Centre acts as Member Secretary to the Governing Board which reports to the Programming Committee.
At present, there are two RCs in Dhaka (Bangladesh), two in Delhi (India), two in Kathmandu (Nepal), two in Islamabad (Pakistan) and one each in Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Following are the regional centre: -

• SAARC Agricultural Centre (SAC), Dhaka (www.saarcagri.net)
  
• SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC), Dhaka (www.saarc-smrc.org)
  
• SAARC Tuberculosis Centre (STC), Kathmandu (www.saarctb.org)
  
• SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC), New Delhi (www.sdc.gov.in )
  
• SAARC Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC), Islamabad ( www.shrdc.org)
  
• SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC), Maldives ( www.sczmc.org/)
  
• SAARC Information Centre (SIC), Nepal (www.saarc-sic.org/ )
  
• SAARC Energy Centre (SEC), Pakistan (saarcenergy.org )
  
• SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC), India (saarc-sdmc.nic.in )
  
• SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC), Bhutan
  
• SAARC Cultural Centre (SCC), Sri Lanka ( www.saarcculture.org)
  

The details can be found at this web link - http://www.saarc-sec.org/Regional-Centers/12/

Welcome to SDC's Blog

www.sdc.gov.in

SAARC Documentation Centre, established in the year 1994, is one of the Regional Centre of SAARC . It acts as an effective information system for the SAARC member states that enables exchange of information in the areas of biological, physical, chemical, engineering and life sciences as well as in developmental matters. 

SAARC Documentation system comprises a central facilities i.e. SDC and its sub-units in all the member states i.e. National Focal Points, which act as the repositories of the centre.

SDC acts as a repository of documents/reports produced in the region and on the region in scientific, technical, economical, industry-related and developmental matters. Publications of the SDC include the Directory of Research and Industrial Institutions in the SAARC Region and Select Bibliography on Alternative Systems of Medicine in the SAARC Region.

Human resource development is an important activity of SDC. It conducts short term and attachment training programmes in information technology applications for library/documentation/information professionals in the Member States. The Centre also offers information services for research scholors in the Member States.