Articles
Jan 18 2007
COMMUNITY RADIO
Mouthpiece of change
COMMUNITY RADIO : Mouthpiece of change

The government's recent CR policy is considered a big leap forward in enabling people to participate in the mass media. The next five years may see some self-help groups, fisherfolk and farmer groups, in areas remote and near, bid for radio stations of their own. Malvika Kaul reports.

Jan 17 2007
GUJARAT RIOTS AND CHILDREN
Still suffering, five years after
GUJARAT RIOTS AND CHILDREN : Still suffering, five years after

Five years have passed after the riots, five years in which saplings have become trees and blueprints have taken the shape of buildings. But time seems to have stopped for many families and children who suffered or witnessed atrocities during the 2002 riots, altering their dreams and hopes in unlikely, distressing ways. Deepa A has more.

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Jan 14 2007
OPINION / ELECTIONS
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Elite activism: can't vote, can vet
The Beautiful People whose next-door neighbours never vote are back, teaching the masses - who do vote - how to go about it in the civic elections in Mumbai. This is the upper middle class trying to preen itself in the one process where they matter less, writes P Sainath.
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Jan 13 2007
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Traditional knowledge receives a boost
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY : Traditional knowledge receives a boost

The government's recent traditional knowledge digital library will send data to patent offices abroad, so that indigenous knowledge that India abundantly has is not patented overseas. Following India's example, other nations too are showing interest in similarly protecting their interests. Ramesh Menon reports.

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Jan 12 2007
FILM REVIEW: AB AUR WAQT NAHIN
Is it too late for Jharkhand's adivasis?
FILM REVIEW: AB AUR WAQT NAHIN : Is it too late for Jharkhand's adivasis?
"There is this growing feeling among the adivasis of Jharkhand that in this newly created state, given to them only in name, they stand at the crossroads," runs the commentary in Ab Aur Waqt Nahin, a documentary film directed by Abhijoy Karlekar. Shoma Chatterji reviews the film.
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Jan 11 2007
INNOVATION IN THE CLASSROOM
Are new teaching methods working?
INNOVATION IN THE CLASSROOM : Are new teaching methods working?

Efforts to make learning more interactive and more fun for students appear promising, but it may be too soon to judge if they are positively impacting children's performance in standard tests and surveys. Meanwhile, teachers complain that these efforts have added to their already heavy burden. Padmalatha Ravi reports.

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Jan 09 2007
ASSAM: PUBLIC HEALTH
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Struck by fluorosis
Of 62 million Indians suffering from fluorosis, more than six million are children and young people. Among these young, nearly 20,000 are in Assam alone, and in Karbi Anglong, well known for its scenic beauty and thick forests, a tenth of the population is afflicted with dental or skeletal fluorosis. Nava Thakuria reports.
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Jan 08 2007
INFORMAL SECTOR ECONOMY
A storehouse of untapped potential
INFORMAL SECTOR ECONOMY : A storehouse of untapped potential
A majority of poor and low-income workers, especially women, are not aware of how to secure their own income using basic skills. Often, they are clueless about using the skills they have tacitly acquired. Varupi Jain on the starting point for development efforts that aim to help them tap their own potential.
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Jan 08 2007
ECONOMY
Training the millions left behind
ECONOMY : Training the millions left behind

Vocational training could play a key role in bridging the gap that keeps millions of workers in the unorganised economy away from a better future. The needs of informal sector workers are complex, and mere training for income-generation is seen to be insufficient, writes Varupi Jain.
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Jan 07 2007
OPINION : SEX RATIO
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Keeping fingers crossed
From newspaper reports, it would appear that some of the focused programmes that the Haryana government launched after the uproar over the low sex ratio are making a difference. Until this is confirmed, we must assuage the genuine fears of people about the girl child, writes Kalpana Sharma.
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Jan 06 2007
VIDARBHA CRISIS
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Replying with bullets
After the police firing incident at Wani in Vidarbha last month, the Maharashtra government's cotton procurement at the minimum support price rose to 20,000 quintals in four days at one centre alone. But in weeks, it's back to the old ways, making distressed farmers wait at market yards for days, writes Jaideep Hardikar.
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Jan 06 2007
EDUCATION/LEGISLATION
An entitlement with no law
EDUCATION/LEGISLATION : An entitlement with no law
With the Central government lobbing the ball into the states' court, the right to education bill has practically lost its very essence. Without a central legislation to support it, a constitutional guarantee will have little meaning, say most experts. Deepa A concludes the 'Lens on Education' series.
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Jan 04 2007
URBAN TRANSPORT
Pune's BRT stumbles at the start
URBAN TRANSPORT : Pune's BRT stumbles at the start
While the idea of Bus Rapid Transit has merit, its implementation in Pune has created a poor first impression. Inadequate planning, lack of enforcement of dedicated lanes for buses, and haste in rolling out the project have all been criticised, and experts find much room for improvement. Vinita Deshmukh reports.
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Jan 03 2007
EDUCATION
Sitamarhi's lost children
EDUCATION : Sitamarhi's lost children
This northern most district of Bihar, bordering Nepal, has hordes of dalit hindu and muslim children working at hotels and restaurants in violation of a statutory order prohibiting such work. Everything from education policy, to law enforcement, to rehabilitation has been messed up, finds Rahul Ramagundam.
Jan 03 2007
OPINION
The Indian Army: crisis within
OPINION : The Indian Army: crisis within
The army may have delivered on its mandate of ensuring the return of an environment more conducive to law and order since more than a decade, in Kashmir. But the recent spate of suicides and fratricides within are showing that the army is under stress, a slide that the political side can and must prevent, says Firdaus Ahmed.
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Jan 01 2007
OPINION : HEALTH INSURANCE
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Healthcare as a broad public challenge
The mounting cost of hospital care, increasing out-of-pocket expenditure, and its catastrophic impact on family finances demand an innovative and flexible risk-pooling mechanism to provide a security net for the poor. Merely transfering the costs to the public exchequer will land the nation in a no-win situation, writes Jayaprakash Narayan.
Dec 31 2006
PUBLIC HEALTH / DISABILITY
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In UP, the war on polio stumbles
In India's most populous state, with its low levels of sanitation, and high malnutrition rates, polio has made a dangerous comeback. The world is now looking at India to stem the spread as fears of the disease spreading to other parts of the world have come true. Ramesh Menon reports.
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Dec 30 2006
OPINION
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Exploring the new expressways

The idea of world class highways in India, runway smooth, takes some getting used to. There is the Golden Quadrilateral from Delhi to Mumbai, and then there are the 70 kms of rubble between Disa in Gujarat and Sanchor in Rajasthan. Dilip D'Souza drives into the New Year weekend.

Dec 29 2006
WATER TARIFFS
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A fair price for water
What is the price of water to the supplier? What are people being charged out there? Where are our institutions headed in the balance between equity-accessibility and cost recovery? S Vishwanath looks at the example of Bangalore, and finds much room and need for improvement in water pricing.
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Dec 28 2006
AGRICULTURE
Timbaktu Organic is scaling up
AGRICULTURE : Timbaktu Organic is scaling up
This year, 160 farmers in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district committed 480 acres for organic production. Two complete cycles of procurement, processing, and marketing of organic produce in a number of cities have already been completed. Rajni Bakshi says Timbaktu Organic is expanding.
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