Articles
Jun 24 2007
RETAILING
Carts, kiosks and Indian retail
RETAILING : Carts, kiosks and Indian retail
A number of implicit and explicit constraints influence the extent to which carts and kiosks work as avenues of creative entrepreneurship. Varupi Jain compares the Indian scenario with that in the US, and notes cultural and social realities that shape the Indian experience.
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Jun 23 2007
EDUCATION OF GIRL CHILDREN
Wanting to study, daring to dream
EDUCATION OF GIRL CHILDREN : Wanting to study, daring to dream

In U.P., the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya scheme - instituted under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in 2005 to ensure access and quality elementary education (Class 6-8) for disadvantaged girls - has opened new doors hitherto closed because of discrimination and poverty. Swapna Majumdar has more.

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Jun 22 2007
OPINION
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Bare right field
As a believer in the promise of democracy first and above all, I long for the checks and balances of competing ideologies. Yet for too long in this country, we heard only, or largely, the voice of the left, and the right that did emerge eventually was itself flawed, writes Dilip D'Souza.
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Jun 22 2007
FARMING CRISIS
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Unwilling parents, unwary orphans
In Anantapur, farm suicides are fewer than they were in 2002. But they still happen and could rise again in this fragile region. As elsewhere, agriculture is plagued by uncertainty, writes P Sainath.
Jun 21 2007
COMMUNITY ACTION
At last, some good news on conservation
COMMUNITY ACTION : At last, some good news on conservation
India's community conservation areas (CCAs) are nowhere near prosaic; they are instead heartening and remarkable pools of ecological and biodiversity rejuvenation in a country beset with environmental degradation in its bid to industrialise. Keya Acharya identifies the silver lining.
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Jun 20 2007
COMMUNALISM AND THE COURTS
State has no religion
COMMUNALISM AND THE COURTS : State has no religion
Court decisions have lacked strong measures to penalise religious fundamentalism. On the contrary, as some decisions indicate, the judiciary seems to permit social ostracism, boycott of minorities and ghettoisation. But in a democracy the State has no religion, argues Colin Gonsalves.
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Jun 19 2007
INDO-US WHEAT ROW
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Weeding out wheat
Claiming highest quality standards in the world when it comes to its own agricultural imports, the United States has no qualms in exporting sub-standard wheat to India. US participation in India's wheat procurement cannot be at the cost of India softening quarantine standards, says Devinder Sharma.
Jun 18 2007
ELECTIONS IN GOA
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Small state, big stakes
Goa is, by Indian standards, a prosperous and progressive state. In terms of human development, access to education and healthcare, for example, it ranks almost as high as Kerala. But, as a small and beautiful state, it feels itself peculiarly vulnerable, writes Ramachandra Guha.
Jun 17 2007
OPINION: INEQUALITY
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CEOs and the wealth of notions
Gross inequality does far more than breed resentment. It destroys millions of lives, devastates the access of the poor to basic needs, dehumanises both its victims and its votaries, and undermines democracy itself, writes P Sainath.
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Jun 16 2007
TRAFFICKING/EXPLOITATION
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Maid to suffer
Madhya Pradesh may be fast emerging as the trafficking hub of the country, with thousands of girls having vanished from the tribal-dominated areas over the last five years. Those rescued are living with the horrors of having been trafficked. Shuriah Niazi reports.
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Jun 15 2007
SPECIAL EDUCATION
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Bringing disabled kids back to school
When a teacher specially trained to handle children with special needs started work at a local government school in Bangalore, children were benefited and stopped dropping out. Padmalatha Ravi has more.
Jun 13 2007
FARMING CRISIS
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In Yavatmal, life goes on
P Sainath
Jun 12 2007
PROSTITUTION
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Sex trade thrives in conflict-ridden Manipur
Acute poverty linked to armed conflict and displacement is a major reason for the growing number of commercial sex workers in Manipur. Drug abuse too is common, further impacting those turning to the world's oldest profession. Thingnam Anjulika Samom reports.
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Jun 11 2007
VIDARBHA'S FARMER WOMEN
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Super-moms of suicide country
In Vidarbha, where an average one cotton farmer ends his life every six hours, Mangalabai and Kamalabai are mothers who singularly stand out. After the death of their husbands, they learned every thing and are raising their family with unnoticed resilience, reports Jaideep Hardikar.
Jun 10 2007
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Funded, controlled, and run aground
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION : Funded, controlled, and run aground
Meghalaya's vocational training system, despite being funded by New Delhi as well as the state government, has two problems. One, there is dearth of adequate number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITI). Two, the placement record is poor and does not generate demand. Ratna Bharali Talukdar finds out what went wrong.
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Jun 08 2007
EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS
First class, against all odds
EDUCATION IN RURAL AREAS : First class, against all odds
A remote school with no electricity, in an area full of other institutions that don't fare well. Why does the Swastik school in Godbhanga village in Orissa perform so much better than others in the district? Ranjan K Panda observes that it is led by someone who perseveres, and all its achievements can be traced to this simple fact.
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Jun 07 2007
SINGUR AND NANDIGRAM
Tales of eviction in Bengal
SINGUR AND NANDIGRAM : Tales of eviction in Bengal
Free Bird Productions, a Kolkata-based documentary unit that makes cultural, ethnographic and documentary films, has made two of the more noteworthy films about the recent events in Singur and Nandigram. Shoma Chatterji notes the unanswered questions the films raise.
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Jun 06 2007
DISABILITY
Tech to the aid of autistic children
DISABILITY : Tech to the aid of autistic children
Recent research has shown that computer/digital technologies can help children with autism (and other disabilities) learn and communicate better. A computer training workshop for parents and children was held recently at Bangalore. Shuchi Grover reports.
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Jun 05 2007
THE BIODIVERSITY ACT: A REVIEW
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Biodiversity: read the fine print
In the first few years since the passage of the Biodiversity Act, it has become evident that rather than promote conservation, the law merely establishes procedures for access and commercial use. Communities are waking up to the actual wording of the law, and they don't like what they see. Kanchi Kohli reports.
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Jun 04 2007
ECONOMY/CONSUMERS
Tender coconut juice, instantly chilled
ECONOMY/CONSUMERS : Tender coconut juice, instantly chilled
Moments after a customer approaches this cart, the vendor pours tender coconut juice into a funnel-like part. Chilled juice comes out of a stainless steel tap below, filling a 250 ml glass, for Rs.10. Shree Padre reports about Fruit Hut Beverages, a Hyderabad-based firm that has launched the Coco Fresco brand.
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