Articles
Dec 01 2006
AGRICULTURE
Jhum cultivation under sharper scrutiny
AGRICULTURE : Jhum cultivation under sharper scrutiny
Jhum, a traditional form of shifting cultivation common in the North-East, was the focus of a recent international meeting in Guwahati. But dilution of the original practice has impacted the ecosystem in some areas. Should jhum persist or perish? Surekha Sule has more.
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Nov 30 2006
OPINION / CASTE
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Sources, two. Understanding, nil.
The mob came from three different directions. Each group was preoccupied with its own murder. Bhayyalal's wife and daughter had their skulls smashed in, and his boys were beaten to death with sticks. Dilip D'Souza listens to the 'background' of yet another caste murder.
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Nov 29 2006
BOOK REVIEW: A LIFE LESS ORDINARY
A journey of courage
BOOK REVIEW: A LIFE LESS ORDINARY : A journey of courage
Baby Halder's life is like that of millions of poor, exploited women. What is different, and astoundingly so, is that she has written a book about it - a story which saddens us with its matter-of-fact narrative of a life of tribulation, but also makes us rejoice vicariously in its extraordinary triumph, writes Neeta Deshpande.
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Nov 28 2006
OPINION
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Shangri-La and sub-Saharan Africa
Sure, we have this crouching tiger economy. But life expectancy here is less than it is in Bolivia, Honduras or Tajikistan. Per capita GDP ranks below that of Nicaragua, Indonesia or Guatemala. And the inequality we so strongly pursue breeds its own mindset, writes P Sainath.
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Nov 27 2006
ECONOMY
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SEZs: Invitation to chaos?
A Marathi booklet published by the Pune-based National Centre for Advocacy Studies reveals a number of lesser known facts about the latest controversy in Indian development - Special Economic Zones. From land-use patterns to crony land acquisition to the stake of real estate developers in Maharashtra, Aparna Pallavi sums it up.
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Nov 26 2006
EDUCATION
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New indicators needed to track SSA
Since the introduction of the central government's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme, enrolment numbers in schools have gone up. But how reliable and meaningful are the enrolment figures? Deepa A uncovers major indications of things having gone wrong in SSA's quest for targets.
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Nov 25 2006
CRISIS IN VIDARBHA
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A fading cotton bumper crop
Claims of a cotton bumper crop in Maharashtra have faded. Farmers feel such talk was meant to push prices down further. Procurement delays could also force many to sell in distress to private buyers, writes P Sainath.
Nov 24 2006
KARNATAKA : ELECTRICITY REGULATION
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Citizens input on power tariffs
In a few weeks, Karnataka will once again seek public input in setting electricity tariffs. While the era of state electricity boards has ended, public participation is important to counter pressures from the government, utility companies, and the commercial private sector on regulators, write Lina Krishnan, Gautam Menon and M V Ramana.
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Nov 23 2006
INTERVIEW/YAMUNA GENTLY WEEPS
Caught on reality
INTERVIEW/YAMUNA GENTLY WEEPS : Caught on reality
Released in September 2006, Ruzbeh Bharucha's Yamuna Gently Weeps is both a documentary and book on slum demolitions through the eyes of the Yamuna Pushta (Delhi) episode of 2004, where the High Court ordered demolition of 40,000 homes. Anuradha Miraji chatted with Bharucha on the film and his take on filmmaking.
Nov 23 2006
CRISIS IN VIDARBHA
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Till the cows come home
The decision to give quality cows to poor farmers in Vidarbha has only harmed the beneficiaries, writes P Sainath.
Nov 22 2006
MEASURING WATER SUPPLY
Water meters help consumers, suppliers
MEASURING WATER SUPPLY : Water meters help consumers, suppliers
With a properly metered water bill, consumers have a much better chance of being heard than otherwise. Yes, there are justified concerns about rights and equity when we talk of water, but metering is not anti-poor. In fact, used well, it can address their demands powerfully, says S Vishwanath.
Nov 22 2006
CRISIS IN VIDARBHA
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It's official: distress up, suicides apalling
The Maharashtra Government's findings now show us that over 75 per cent of all farm households in the Vidharbha region are in distress. The data also show that farm suicides were 25 times higher this year than in 2001. But conscious jugglery works to play down the numbers, writes P Sainath.
Nov 21 2006
SOCIETY/VIDARBHA
The theatre of hope
SOCIETY/VIDARBHA : The theatre of hope
If the government thought Vidarbha's social bonds are crumbling due to the agrarian crisis, the region's best kept cultural secret -- Jhadipatti Rangbhoomi, a five-month-long theatre festival -- suggests that not all is wrong with the region. Jaideep Hardikar reports.
Nov 20 2006
EDITORIAL
Ministries must stop being regulators
EDITORIAL : Ministries must stop being regulators

Regulation that is working well, as well as others that plainly speak of misgovernance, are both instructive; the road forward lies in separating regulation from the government, and vesting this instead in independent and autonomous bodies created by Parliament. The India Together editorial.

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Nov 18 2006
RADIO POLICY
Community radio gets its day
RADIO POLICY : Community radio gets its day

After years of meetings, letters, discussions, workshops, petitions, and even some international pressure, New Delhi has decided to move forward and open up radio broadcasting in a way it never was until now. Subramaniam Vincent says radio will be the winner, and there's much more to be done.

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Nov 17 2006
HEALTH/OPINION
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Will the Public Health Foundation be meaningful?
The proposed Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), likely to be instituted soon, will establish five 'world class' institutes to train 1000 public health professionals every year. But just where will these new public health experts be employed? Padma Prakash on the unaddressed issues.
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Nov 16 2006
CIVIL SOCIETY / ELECTIONS
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Mumbaikers mobilise for civic polls
Citizens' Roundtable, a civil society group in the city, is raising the participation of residents in the electoral process to a new plane. Its members, many of them professionals and former insiders to urban governance, are rating the candidates and also querying them on their plans for governance and expenditure. Darryl D'Monte reports.
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Nov 15 2006
OPINION
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Reviving Agriculture
In what appears to be a desperate move to prop up agriculture growth, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for reversing the declining trend in investment in agriculture. But his approach may also end up compounding the already existing crisis, writes Devinder Sharma.
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Nov 14 2006
VERRIER ELWIN LECTURE
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The tribal world and imagination of the future
"The Constitution is yours. The borders are yours. The sovereignty is yours. The flag is yours. What is ours? What is that is both tribal and Indian in the Constitution?" Shiv Visvanathan recalls an Independence-era conversation that marks the passage of the adivasis, unheard and unheeded, between two worlds.
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Nov 13 2006
HEALTH
In the line of fire
HEALTH : In the line of fire

The Jharia mines in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district produce the best quality coking coal in India. However, the area, mostly inhabited by tribals, has been smouldering with underground mine fires for several decades now. Kalpana Pradhan reports on the health impacts.
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