Articles
Feb 09 2007
ECONOMY
SEZs: Lessons from China
ECONOMY : SEZs: Lessons from China
While single-minded pursuit of exports has helped China touch record growth figures, millions have been left behind, besides incurring huge environmental costs. And without even the limited dose of welfare that China offers its poor farmers, India must wary of copying China's SEZ-approach, writes Bhaskar Goswami.
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Feb 08 2007
DISASTER MANAGEMENT ACT
Farce follows disaster
DISASTER MANAGEMENT ACT : Farce follows disaster

The top down approach of the Disaster Managment Act had its advantages but completely ignored local knowledge and ways of living. The need is for a judicious mix of the traditional and technological, argues Max Martin.
Feb 07 2007
SOCIETY/HEALTH
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The forgotten Saharias of Sheopur
In a number of villages in Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh, children have been dying since 2006 because of chronic malnutrition, prompting Supreme Court commissioners to call the region one of the world's malnutrition hotspots. Running schools, nutritious food, and health camps are all a rarity here, reports Sachin Jain.
Feb 06 2007
MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION
Goa wrestles with language in schools
MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION : Goa wrestles with language in schools

The abrupt transition from Konkani and Marathi in primary schools to English in Standard V puts tremendous pressure on children from rural communities in Goa. By the time these learners reach the crucial higher grades, nearly half of them drop out of school. Rupa Chinai reports.

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Feb 05 2007
GUJARAT RIOTS AND EDUCATION
Segregated and building their own schools
GUJARAT RIOTS AND EDUCATION : Segregated and building their own schools
The Gujarat state government appears to have very little planned by way of support for the education of Muslim children. What's more the education department appears to be standing in the way of the embattled community's attempts to help itself. Deepa A has more.
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Feb 04 2007
BEYOND THE ALPHABET
A programme for functional literacy
BEYOND THE ALPHABET : A programme for functional literacy

A few months of learning using the primers developed by Utthan have helped over 2000 women in the ravine regions of Bundelkhand so far; they no longer rely on the assistance of others for their daily reading needs. Freny Manecksha reports that crossing this threshold helps open the women many other doors too.

Feb 02 2007
HEALTH/ADIVASIS
Paying a steep price for motherhood
HEALTH/ADIVASIS : Paying a steep price for motherhood
Even as New Delhi says maternal mortality numbers are falling, tribal women in Madhya Pradesh are facing a negligent, cruel and corrupt healthcare system and dying during childbirth. When the conduct of hospital staff is questioned, they face retaliation instead of accountability. Sachin Jain reports.
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Feb 02 2007
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS
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What's that on your plate?
Genetically engineered foods are blurring the line between acceptable and taboo sources of food for many people. This advance of technology is taking place without the informed consent of the consumers, and additionally raises questions about the safety of such foods and the labeling standards that ought to be adopted, writes Suman Sahai.
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Jan 31 2007
OPINION
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One-step, two-step, write

Is it enough for me to go travelling to various parts of this country and write about my experiences? Does it really help those I write about, in any meaningful way? Dilip D'Souza writes about the gnawing question.

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Jan 30 2007
OPINION
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When even Pax Romana seems gentler
Remember how keen so many of our national security experts were on sending our own troops into Iraq alongside those of the U.S.? Remember it was to have been such a good thing for India, asks P Sainath.
Jan 30 2007
FOREST ADVISORY COMMITTEE
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Whose expert is an expert?
The empowered committee of the Supreme Court and the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests are engaged in a dispute to define the expertise needed to oversee conversion of forest land to non-forest use. Kanchi Kohli notes that the MoEF's recent record of clearing questionable projects does not inspire confidence in its stance.
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Jan 29 2007
EDUCATION/GOVERNMENT
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SSA under the Comptroller's lens
Last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) brought the performance of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme under the scanner. The report, which was placed in Parliament in August 2006, uncovered a top-heavy programme with local leaks and a flawed implementation. Himanshu Upadhyaya has more.
Jan 28 2007
FARMERS' SUICIDES
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Striking a note of dissent
Even as the suicides in Vidharbha go on relentlessly, a trend has strengthened these past months. More and more farmers are blaming the Government and even talking directly in their suicide notes to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, writes P Sainath.
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Jan 27 2007
THEATRE IN VIDARBHA
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And all the world's a stage
While theatre struggles to survive in the metros, it thrives in Vidharbha where it draws audiences of thousands for plays that go on through much of the night, writes P Sainath.
Jan 25 2007
PRS LEGISLATIVE BRIEF
Cooperatives Bill
PRS LEGISLATIVE BRIEF : Cooperatives Bill
It is debatable whether the governance mechanisms of voluntary bodies such as co-operatives should be specified in the Constitution, as the Cooperatives Bill proposes to do through an amendment. Kaushiki Sanyal presents a legislative brief.
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Jan 24 2007
OPINION
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Information or technology?
The key to understanding information and communication technologies is that their potential for development does not lie in their electronic wizardry, but rather in the information that is communicated by their use, and the subsequent informed actions of citizens. Ashwin Mahesh on the much-touted ICTs.
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Jan 23 2007
WOMEN IN THE FOREST SERVICE
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A forest road less travelled
Eleven young women in Maharashtra have chosen to become Foresters. These women Foresters are mostly from rural Maharashtra. From places such as Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Yavatmal and not from the big cities. P Sainath reports.
Jan 23 2007
OPINION : REGIONALISM
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Feeling left out
Indian regionalism has come in three varieties - regionalism properly so called, parochialism, and secessionism. The odd thing about the Ulfa is that it has simultaneously partaken of all varieties, and this is why the common people of Assam have never turned completely against the militants, writes Ramachandra Guha.
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Jan 20 2007
DRYLAND FARMING
A green foundation for prosperity
DRYLAND FARMING : A green foundation for prosperity
There is much that the nation's farmers need to hear in the Green Foundation's message, and avoid past mistakes. But there is also a positive message, reminding farmers that "traditional farming will help you gain control of your finances and your food security." Sudha Narasimhachar reports.
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Jan 20 2007
ENVIRONMENT/TRANSPORT
Grey skies looming over colourful roads
ENVIRONMENT/TRANSPORT : Grey skies looming over colourful roads
Despite the inconsistencies in pollution data as well as measurement approaches in different Asian cities, there is now sufficient knowledge about the health risks of rampant and unchecked levels of motorisation, particularly in India's cities. A workshop for journalists at Indonesia sounded the warning bells again, writes Darryl D'Monte.
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