Poverty News - India Together

ENTERPRISING WOMEN
Weaving harmonious threads of change

Women of a small village in Uttar Pradesh are weaving not just colorful yarn but also communal harmony in their region. Swapna Majumdar reports.

U.P. Women

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FILM REVIEW

In the aftermath of a hooch tragedy In a terrible, but not-so-rare tragedy in rural West Bengal, 170 people lost their lives after consuming illicit liquor. But what actually happens after an incident such as this? Cholai, a well-researched black comedy, reveals the moral and social degradation that cuts across spheres, writes Shoma Chatterji.

Reviews Society

DIRECT BENEFIT TRANSFER

Ration to cash, a harsh transition In September 2015, the central government announced a pilot programme of providing direct cash transfers in place of food grains in an attempt to reform the Public Distribution System. Centre for Equity Studies (CES) recently conducted a survey of this pilot programme in Chandigarh. Shikha Nehra of CES reports the key findings from the survey.

Food Security Government

EYE CAMP FIASCO

Why must only the poor suffer? In Barwani, Madhya Pradesh, people lost their sight after botched up cataract surgeries. Was it because the organizers, the medical and paramedical staff of the district hospital did not take necessary steps? Or was the quality of medication used questionable? Or, because the victims are too marginalised and too poor to protest? Asks Shoma Chatterji.

Public Health Health Madhya Pradesh

UN DEVELOPMENT MANDATE

How sustainable are the SDGs? Can we look at ending poverty without looking at the structural reasons and dimensions of poverty and inequality? Pradeep Baisakh looks at this and at other objectives within the UN SDG framework and analyses how realistic their achievement would be.

Agriculture Environment Government

RURAL INDIA

The case of sustainable poverty in rural India In what appears to be a damning indictment of the Five Year Plans, launched in 1951, as well as the economic reforms process that began in 1991, the first ever socio-economic survey has painted a dismal picture of rural India, says Devinder Sharma.

Livelihood Opinions Devinder Sharma

TRIBAL WELFARE

All good, but only on paper An apparently well-intended plan to help very poor tribes in Madhya Pradesh find sustainable livelihoods bears no relation to the reality of how it is actually implemented. Money is simply distributed and disappears, but things remain unchanged. Susmita Guru reports.

Livelihood Adivasis M.P.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

The real challenges to sustainable development With the expiry of the MDGs which guided global development till 2015, the international community is now negotiating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the period 2016-2030. Prahlad Shekhawat summarises the ensuing debates and explores a way forward.

Agriculture Economy Environment Government

POVERTY

Rethinking food security and hunger A recent report from IFPRI indicates concrete progress by India in reducing hunger and malnutrition, while many experts continue to stress the unsatisfactory outcomes under GDP-driven growth. Prahlad Shekhawat calls for a new approach to address the real problems that lie somewhere in between.

Food Security Economy Government Opinions

DEVELOPMENT & DISPLACEMENT

Three villages that show why land acquisition needs a rethink Three million forest dwellers in Odisha are estimated to have been displaced since independence by various industrial and hydro-projects, among which the Upper Indiravati Hydro Project is one. Abhijit Mohanty brings us the story of three tribal settlements uprooted by it.

Displacement Land Odisha

TALES FROM THE STREET

The invisible makers of the city Homeless, vulnerable in equal measure to the vagaries of nature and human whims, and deprived of any form of social security, street dwellers often provide critical services, helping to sustain themselves and also the city. Pushpa Achanta meets some of them in Bengaluru and finds out more about their existence.

Livelihood Displacement Urban Poor

KELKAR COMMITTEE REPORT ON MAHARASHTRA

Pursuing development: The perils of the beaten track The report of a high level committee led by Vijay Kelkar to promote balanced development in Maharashtra has several important recommendations. But will it all come to nought because of its failure to avoid a few conventional pitfalls? Shripad Dharmadhikary explores.

Agriculture Water Economy Government MAHARASHTRA

BLOG: RESISTANCE & RECONSTRUCTION

Will 2015 be a year of hope? Will the synergies between the politics of resistance and grassroots initiatives towards reconstruction of the damages wrought by ‘development’ be reaped effectively enough in the year ahead? That is what Ashish Kothari will track in his new blog.

Environment Government Justice Human Rights Ecommentary

India Together offers an excellent forum for people from diverse fields of expertise to present their views, share their experiences and raise questions about where our country and society are headed in the future.

Amitabha Basu

Retired Scientist
National Physical
Laboratory
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