Articles
Sep 02 2006
POLAVARAM DAM
Preparing to repeat a dammed history
POLAVARAM DAM : Preparing to repeat a dammed history
Over 230,000 people in hundreds of villages to be displaced, tens of thousands of acres submerged, wildlife and forest lands inundated - the Polavaram project will repeat the great tragedy of displacement and environmental damage that has marked so many other projects in the country. R Uma Maheshwari reports.
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Sep 01 2006
WOMEN'S HEALTH
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When all joy leaks out
Women's gynaecological and urological organs share a close relationship, and disorders affecting one may give rise to symptoms in the other. Better care and knowledge can reduce the incidence of these problems, however, and many of the conditions are treatable. Fehmida Zakeer reports.
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Aug 31 2006
FILM REVIEW
Remembering Janam
FILM REVIEW : Remembering Janam
Natak jaari Hai, Lalit Vachani's film about the street theatre group founded by Safdar Hashmi, offers priceless vignettes into the character and persona of the activists, but is also an objective record of Janam's struggles against many forms of oppression, writes Shoma Chatterji.
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Aug 30 2006
MONSOON REPORT
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Horrifying face of the dammed river
Incessant rainfall in the catchment area of the Sardar Sarovar dam, coupled with less water being allowed to flow into the Narmada main canal led to an unusual overflow in early August, despite upstream dams not recording downstream releases. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports on the devastation in the Narmada valley.
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Aug 29 2006
NOTIFICATION ON CHILD LABOUR
Child labour ban not good enough
NOTIFICATION ON CHILD LABOUR : Child labour ban not good enough

The Centre's latest piece-meal approach to child labour is likely to be as ineffective as the previous failed schemes and plans. Unless the underlying causes of child labour are addressed, and the rights of children are properly secured, India will remain prone to wide-spread child labour, writes Ingrid Srinath.

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Aug 28 2006
PUBLIC HEALTH
Leprosy nearly eliminated, challenges remain
PUBLIC HEALTH : Leprosy nearly eliminated, challenges remain
India has recently declared that it has achieved the tag of 'elimination' of leprosy as the number of cases is now just around one per 10,000 people. Still, a major challenge is to reach medicine to remote areas and tribal pockets which still battle with leprosy, and integrating the cured into society, says Ramesh Menon.
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Aug 27 2006
A final note on credit
: A final note on credit
The announcement of fresh crop loans came late in the sowing season for Vidarbha. And, say the suicide notes of farmers, the talk at the top has not been matched by credit at the bottom. Meanwhile, the rain is adding to the devastation, writes P Sainath.
Aug 26 2006
PRS LEGISLATIVE BRIEF
State-owned carriage only
PRS LEGISLATIVE BRIEF : State-owned carriage only
The Post Office (Amendment) Bill 2006 proposes to give the Department of Posts an unaccountable monopoly role in the delivery of small letters and couriers, and introduces a registration system for private carriers. Kaushiki Sanyal presents a legislative brief of a Bill that harkens back to the license raj.
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Aug 25 2006
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Caution - road work ahead
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT : Caution - road work ahead
Work zones are an important source of traffic disruptions, and, if not properly managed, can cause both hardship and accidents. But the cost of planning and managing them is often only a tiny portion of the infrastructure costs, and the resultant savings in time can be very high, writes Madhav Pai.
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Aug 24 2006
LENS ON EDUCATION
Government stalling sec. school reforms
LENS ON EDUCATION : Government stalling sec. school reforms
The central government's own figures indicate that many as two-thirds of those eligible for secondary education remain outside the school system today. A Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) committee estimates that 88,562 additional classrooms will be required in 2007-08 and over 1.3 lakh additional teachers. Deepa A reports.
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Aug 23 2006
ENVIRONMENT
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Kali river dam proposal resurfaces dubiously
The Karnataka Governor, T N Chaturvedi, recently asked the state government for an explanation on why the state wants the central government to clear the Dandeli dam on the river Kali. This, in light of the fact that state government departments had themselves recommended and shelved the project earlier. An India Together report.
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Aug 21 2006
CHILDREN / RADIO
'Mischievous chatter' brings change
CHILDREN / RADIO : 'Mischievous chatter' brings change
In a society where children are never consulted, parents in an Andhra Pradesh district are looking at their children with new respect. Village children, determined to transform their communities, are writing and producing a Telugu community radio programme, 'Allari Muchchatlu'. Komilla Raote reports.
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Aug 21 2006
OPINION
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The media, war and peace
Voices for peace are plentiful as well as poignant, but even when there is considerable coverage of a conflict, we almost never read of any of these. There is resistance within the media to the idea of 'peace journalism'; opponents believe 'objectivity' would suffer if the media pursued indisputably worthy goals like peace, writes Ammu Joseph.
Aug 20 2006
CLINICAL SEX SELECTION
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Foeticide journeys
Affluent Indians have found a way around the Centre's ban on pre-natal diagnostic tests for sex selection. Since the law only applies in India they simply travel overseas, to the US in particular, for their tests. And fertility clinics in India and the US have greatly streamlined the procedure. Gagandeep Kaur reports.
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Aug 19 2006
VIDARBHA CRISIS
When death comes faster than the package
VIDARBHA CRISIS : When death comes faster than the package
"We are confused, whom should we believe in? The finance minister says action will be taken within 48 hours against officials who do not release the credit, and the babus say they have no notification," says sixty-year-old Tatyaji Panghate at Ghonsa in Zari Jamni block of Yavatmal. Jaideep Hardikar reports on more suicides in Vidarbha.
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Aug 17 2006
RIGHT TO INFORMATION
Say no to the new iron curtains
RIGHT TO INFORMATION : Say no to the new iron curtains
The central government has proposed to exempt file notings and cabinet papers from the RTI law. The government's idea that it can 'reveal the decision but not the reason for it' is anti-democratic. In democracy, people need reasoned decisions, reasons for decisions and not mere decisions without reasons, says Madabhushi Sridhar.
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Aug 16 2006
SOCIO-ECONOMIC PLANNING
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Grinding questions for a grand Authority
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposal for a North East Water Resources Authority to steer development along the Brahmaputra river basin in an integrated manner is both grand and glamorous. But how will the proposed Authority succeed where the Brahmaputra Board failed? This is still unclear, says Videh Upadhyay.
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Aug 15 2006
SOCIETY
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A marriage of her choice
The curbs on a woman's right to choose who to have a relationship with and/or marry manifest themselves in myriad ways. The data suggest that 'honour' crimes against women are widespread, but prevailing customs in many parts of the country thwart the protection of this right. Puja Awasthi reports.
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Aug 14 2006
OPINION: VIDARBHA CRISIS
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Rich daddy, poor daddy
At the core of the agriculture crisis in Vidarbha are the disparities between the western and eastern regions that the state's policies have fostered over five decades. Starved of the funds that western region has for long received, it now hardly matters whether Vidarbha gains the status of statehood, notes Jaideep Hardikar.
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Aug 12 2006
ORGANIC FARMING
Nothing unscientific about it
ORGANIC FARMING : Nothing unscientific about it

The scientific establishment remains highly sceptical about organic methods. But Dr Tarak Kate and his colleagues at a Wardha-based NGO have collected data systematically, to negate the charge that this alternative is unscientific and unproven. Darryl D'Monte reports.

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