Articles
May 29 2006
ENTITLEMENT TO WATER
Farmers' win in court boosts morale
ENTITLEMENT TO WATER : Farmers' win in court boosts morale
Two farmers from Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, took the state government to court for not giving them water for the past three-four years. The twist is that they approached a district consumer court, and won the case in less than a year. Veena N reports.
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May 26 2006
LENS ON EDUCATION
A bridge it is, but to where?
LENS ON EDUCATION : A bridge it is, but to where?
Public funded non-formal education has been in vogue in India from the 1970s. While NFE centres were meant to be a special bridge for underprivileged children to get back to mainstream schools, many are bereft of infrastructure, pay teachers less and teach students little. Deepa A investigates.
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May 24 2006
HEALTH/CHILDREN
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School soft drink bans mirror global concern
There is now a growing body of opinion against soft drinks in particular and fast food in general being marketed to children through the media and directly in schools. A number of private schools in Mumbai have already stopped sales of colas in their canteens. Darryl D'Monte has more.
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May 24 2006
OPINION: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
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Reservations and the 'politics of illusion'
Are quotas the way to redress inequities? A majority of the members of the National Knowledge Commission did not agree, but the UPA government is pressing ahead with its focus on quotas. Two of the NKC's members, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Andre Beteille, have resigned from the commission.
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May 23 2006
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Three weddings and a funeral
As farm suicides in Vidarbha cross the 500-mark in under a year, families are holding funerals and weddings at the same time. Sometimes, on the same day. In moving shows of solidarity, very poor villagers are pitching in to help conduct the marriages and funerals of down-and-out neighbours, writes P Sainath.
May 20 2006
MEDIA/OPINION
A managed media
MEDIA/OPINION : A managed media

Editors and columnists are flattered into believing that because of their proximity to power, they somehow enjoy and exercise power, too. Ramachandra Guha finds the seductions of power starkly apparent in the media's coverage of Pramod Mahajan's passing.

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May 19 2006
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN
A gallery of failures
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN : A gallery of failures

A former member of the National Commission for Women, Syeda Hameed records the powerlessness of the institution in her new book, They hang: Twelve women in my portrait gallery. Deepti Priya Mehrotra notes the chilling refusal of the system to defend women against atrocities.

May 18 2006
URBAN ENVIRONMENT
Walk on the road, legally
URBAN ENVIRONMENT : Walk on the road, legally
With the decision to turn an important commercial road in the city into a walking plaza on weekends, Pune is reaping a healthier urban environment as well as a popular public space. Vinita Deshmukh reports that the early opposition from some quarters has given way, as more people take to the street.
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May 17 2006
URBAN TRANSPORT
Ahmedabad takes the bus
URBAN TRANSPORT : Ahmedabad takes the bus
While other cities in India are planning new Metro systems to address their transport woes, Ahmedabad has thrown its weight behind Bus Rapid Transit instead. And given the may advantages this enjoys over rail - cost, potential, flexibility - it may prove to be the wiser choice, writes Madhav Pai.
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May 16 2006
OPINION
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When the media are silent
A young Manipuri wrote to me recently: "I used to believe that media can really help ... But, how do we act when the media go silent?" India's northeastern States come into the news only when there is an election, an atrocity so huge that it cannot be ignored, or a natural disaster, writes Kalpana Sharma.
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May 15 2006
OPINION: JUNIOR DOCTORS' STRIKE
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The doctor keeps away
Stressful apprenticeship in a system that is not geared to meet the medical needs of the majority makes junior doctors very different from the counterparts in other professions. Their strikes over questions of merit and reservation should not divert attention from this more important issue, says Abhijit Das.
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May 14 2006
OPINION: PRIVATISATION OF WATER
Thirst for profit
OPINION: PRIVATISATION OF WATER : Thirst for profit
People pay more for water than corporates do; in many parts of the country soft-drink giants get it almost free. Whole communities lose out as heavyweights like Coke step in. The corporate hijack of water is on and if the current trend continues, India's water sources will be in private hands before long, writes P Sainath.
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May 12 2006
OPINION
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How things change in government
There are many ideas about how change occurs. Each has some strengths and is able to influence government to some degree, for good as well as bad. I prefer advocacy of decency and an autonomy that benefits people directly over other methods, says Ashwin Mahesh.
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May 11 2006
WHEAT IMPORTS
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Importing a farming crisis
India is unilaterally opening its doors to imports of wheat at a time when several contentious issues remain to be settled in the World Trade Organisation. This deliberate step up will result in serious consequences, and weaken the country's bargaining power, writes Ashok B Sharma.
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May 10 2006
WATER AND SOIL CONSERVATION
The root of the solution
WATER AND SOIL CONSERVATION : The root of the solution
Vetiver plants have long been known to provide economical protection against soil and water loss, and more recently they have also been found to be useful for water purification. But while other nations have rapidly embraced it, in India itself its adoption remains rare, finds Shree Padre.
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May 09 2006
HEALTH
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Positive blip on HIV radar
A new Indo-Canadian study has found a one-third decline in new HIV infections in the worst-hit regions of the country - Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Maharashtra. Researchers say that prevention efforts seem to be paying off, but warn that the battle is far from over. Nitin Jugran Bahuguna reports.
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May 08 2006
VIDARBHA CRISIS
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Much research, but no decisive action
At least sixteen committees and panels – from the National Farmers Commission led by Professor M S Swaminathan to the Planning Commission's fact-finding-mission led by bureaucrat Adarsh Misra – came this year to Vidarbha, apparently peeved by and concerned over the suicide crisis. Nothing has come of all this yet, notes Jaideep Hardikar.
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May 06 2006
WATER FOR KACHCHH
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In the dam's waters they trust
In the arid west of Gujarat, there are still those who place their faith in the Sardar Sarovar project, and its promises of water for their region. The government has paid little attention to the local water resources in the region, but this has not deterred them. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports on a petition before the Supreme Court.
May 05 2006
WOMEN AND MEDIA
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Behind the lessening of true potential
The idea of women as autonomous and equal citizens is sanctioned in our public sphere through the media, even as the media also endorses the idea that women are around to be gazed at through advertisements, films, contests, and the like. Shoma Chatterjee says that our women are paying a price for this contradiction.
May 04 2006
ENVIRONMENT
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Slipping from leadership on conservation
The governing body meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Brazil in March. Since being one of the most pro-active countries in the formulation of the CBD, India has been gradually losing its leadership role in the last few years. Kanchi Kohli elaborates.