"I joined the Decentralization Community in early 2007…. from that time I became an active participant in the community’s interactions…. The most important feature of Decentralization Community is that it keeps equivalence among all its members, ignoring any difference of academic, intellectual or social stratification…..”

K. Rajasekharan, Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Thrissur

“The Decentralization Community has grown into an active platform for experts and practitioners on decentralization to connect and share experiences and views on many important topics related to strengthening decentralized governance… I particularly like the concept of a Consolidated Reply, prepared as a tightly edited summary that concludes each discussion and captures its essentials...”

T. R. Raghunandan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (Local Self Government), Government of India, New Delhi

“I think Solution Exchange for this very unique initiative and hope that the process would go on uninterrupted and sharing new experiences and challenges with development professionals.”

Anurag Mishra, AED, Lucknow

“We have benefited from the Decentralization Community of Solution Exchange… it helped us to share our learnings with similar activists from almost all the states of India. These linkages prompted development enthusiasts from some of these state to visit Kerala and our partner groups to learn more about our experiences."

Nirmala Sanu George, SDC-CapDecK, Trivandrum

“Our thanks to all, especially the contributing members, for valuable inputs to the Consolidated Reply on PAHELI.  It has come out very well and provides valuable feedback on the PAHELI tool, besides giving us expert advise on how to utilize the outcomes in the Report Card.”

Seeta Prabhu, UNDP, New Delhi; Rukmini Banerji, Pratham India, New Delhi;
and Shanti Jagannathan, PAHELI, New Delhi

“… the forum [Solution Exchange] has provided a platform for sharing experiences from the field and deliberating upon the issue.”

Rishu Garg, ARAVALI, Jaipur

“I have found the postings a very rich resource to become/remain aware of the issues and nuances of the sector. Thanks for this initiative, and the effort that goes into moderating the communities.”

Madhukar Shukla, XLRI, Jamshedpur

“I thank members for timely support and good references relating to social audit… the Consolidated Reply is also a great document which I feel is very useful. Great work and keep going!”

Janakiraman N., DHAN Foundation, Madurai

“The Solution Exchange has really picked up and the level of discussion is at a very high pitch. Keep it up!  I have used the material generated in the discussions in my work.”

Bidyut Mohanty, Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), New Delhi

“The queries are interesting but it would help if you can provide some reading resources with the query.  We can then focus on the relevant issues while responding.”

Abey George, Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Thrissu

“Thanks for sending the Consolidated Replies.  I find them very useful.  I have become an addict of SE mails and can’t work without them!!”

Vibha, Independent Consultant, New Delhi

“I am on a day to day basis following the discourse in the decentralization community.”

George Mathew, Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), New Delhi

“I am happy to see the change in the type of queries to more practical issues relating to Panchayati Raj –particularly the one on West Bengal Accounts Rules….”

Pradeep Sharma, United Nations Development Programme, East Timor

“The Decentralization Discussion Forum', an open and informal platform anchored in Trivandrum formed as an off shoot of the Decentralization Community, discussed the 'Draft Road Map for West Bengal Panchayats' on 5 May 2007… We are happy to participate in such fruitful interactions.”

Joy Elamon, SDC-CapDecK, Thiruvananthapuram

“Thank you very much for posting the query on de-fluoridation, and for preparing the Consolidated Reply, which has given me enough material to work on with a few good contacts of people who are already working in this field.”

Venkatrao Ghorpade, SHIRDI Foundation, Bangalore

“I and my organization Debate have been associated with Solution Exchange from the beginning…. [my] association with the community has helped in our work with state governments…”

Amitabh Singh, Debate, Bhopal

“…. [when the Decentralization] Community provided extensive feedback on draft guidelines for decentralized district planning in Madhya Pradesh it really helped our work…. Overall, it has been a wonderful experience.”

Leena Singh, Debate, Bhopal