Articles
Mar 22 2006
HAZARDOUS WASTE
Beyond the Clemenceau's recall
HAZARDOUS WASTE : Beyond the Clemenceau's recall
The recall of the decommissioned French warship Clemenceau back to France in the wave of protests worldwide opens a great opportunity for India to clean its ship breaking yard in Alang, and improve conditions for its workers. A thorough assessment of facilities at Alang is much needed, notes Ramesh Menon.
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Mar 21 2006
HEALTH
Scientific interest surging in yellow magic
HEALTH : Scientific interest surging in yellow magic
In India, we have known the magic of turmeric all along. An Indian kitchen without a can of turmeric is rare. The world today is discovering this member of the ginger family. Scientists worldwide as well as in India are validating the medicinal properties of the root, reports Ramesh Menon.
Mar 20 2006
WATER MANAGEMENT
Sponge bath future
WATER MANAGEMENT : Sponge bath future
Maharashtra's latest step towards water management has raised a large controversy, pitting strong views against one another. But lost amidst the arguments is an important fact - the solutions for our water crises are not going to be easy, because we've left ourselves very few options. M Rajshekhar reports.
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Mar 19 2006
OPINION / DOWRY
Why dowry will not die
OPINION / DOWRY : Why dowry will not die

Given the lack of any news about dowry deaths, dowry violence or dowry demands, one would have thought that the problem had disappeared. Far from it. In fact, it has become far more entrenched and taken new forms. Dowry is a symptom of a deeper disease that relates to how our society values women, writes Kalpana Sharma.

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Mar 18 2006
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Look to helpline, land in jail
Those turning to the Government 'helpline' in Mahbubnagar, Andhra Pradesh, learn the hard way what happens when the little farmer of the countryside runs into the large apparatus of the state. P Sainath reports on a farmer's near-death brush with the government's promise of relief.
Mar 17 2006
MEASURING POVERTY
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A thin Indian line
The first step towards eradicating poverty is to understand just how many of us are poor, and what that means. Thus far the government's measurement of poverty has simply been a self-serving one, and it's time we adopted a more honest calculation, writes Dilip D'Souza.
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Mar 16 2006
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCES
No public, no hearing
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCES : No public, no hearing
The Nalwa Sponge Iron Limited's plans to further expand its operations at a plant in Chhatisgarh run into opposition from locals and NGOs, who point to the company's history as well as irregularities in the environment clearance process. Kanchi Kohli reports on recent developments.
Mar 14 2006
BOOK REVIEW
Police reforms book a breath of fresh air
BOOK REVIEW : Police reforms book a breath of fresh air
Through his new book, Arvind Verma makes a positive contribution to police scholarship. Some of Verma's analysis is in sharp contrast to prevalent wisdom which ignores the negative role of police leadership in the current system. K S Subramanian reviews The Indian Police: A Critical Evaluation.
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Mar 13 2006
TEACHER TRAINING
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An instruction set for teachers
A draft curriculum for teacher training acknowledges several problems in preparing teachers properly for the classroom, but it's unclear if the proposed revisions would adequately tackle these. The typical classroom in India is nothing like the environment that teachers train in, and this, say experts, must change first. Deepa A reports.
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Mar 12 2006
VIDARBHA FARMING CRISIS
Suicide in a distant land
VIDARBHA FARMING CRISIS : Suicide in a distant land
In Vidarbha, where over a thousand farmers have taken their own lives in last the four years over unabated distress, Venkanna Ramayya Rayee's suicide has an unusual edge. A farmer from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, his name won't figure as an entry in the suicide ledger in either state. Jaideep Hardikar has more.
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Mar 11 2006
COTTON FARMING CRISIS
350, and counting
COTTON FARMING CRISIS : 350, and counting
Inexplicably, Maharashtra's bosses have gone into hiding after announcing a "bailout package" for Vidarbha's beleaguered farmers. Not a single pie has been distributed yet, two months after the chief minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, announced it. Farmers' suicides are failing to move a heartless government, reports Jaideep Hardikar.
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Mar 10 2006
ENVIRONMENT REGULATION
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EIA: The foundations of failure
Public participation and decision-making to safeguard the environment have been highly contentious issues in modern India. Sunita Dubey traces this to the prioritisation of development over conservation, and to lessons drawn from the wrong precedents.
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Mar 09 2006
ECONOMY
The high cost of 'easy' foreign exchange
ECONOMY : The high cost of 'easy' foreign exchange
A new sop came into effect for net-foreign exchange earning businesses in designated export zones from February 10 -- a 15-year income tax holiday. But are the costs of the revenues foregone worth the claimed benefits of more investment and jobs? M Suchitra examines the reality and does not find a rosy picture.
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Mar 08 2006
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Girls without power
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY : Girls without power

Despite islands of progress and even a paradoxical government-run success, the larger picture of girls' education and their empowerment is dismal. There is an enormous gap between fact and paper fiction, and the task for feminists and activists is cut out, says Deepti Priya Mehrotra on the International Women's Day.

Mar 07 2006
PRS LEGISLATIVE BRIEF
Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill
PRS LEGISLATIVE BRIEF : Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill
The Central government proposes to shuffle the composition of the IMC and bring in more of its own appointees, reducing elected members to a minority. The government claims this will increase the IMC's accountability, but will it also turn it into an arm of the government? M R Madhavan and Ruchita Manghnani present a legislative brief.
Mar 05 2006
INDIA AND THE U.S.
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Naturally allied
Although relations between the United States and India have largely been cold or chilly since our independence, briefly in the early 1960s, there was a phase when Washington sensed the possibility of an entente. Ramachandra Guha recalls love and hate between the two nations before the age of George Bush.
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Mar 04 2006
ECONOMY/OPINION
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GDP planning: number crunching won't do
The budget reflects our continued affliction for numbers and the GDP growth rate. It also follows the Prime Minister's insistence that planners shoot for higher growth rates, especially on the back of an economy that has surprised everyone. But, asks Sudhirendar Sharma, will the juggling of numbers do it?
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Mar 03 2006
WILDLIFE HABITAT
Illegal construction threatens Courser
WILDLIFE HABITAT : Illegal construction threatens Courser
The Jerdon's Courser is the latest endangered species to be caught in the path of unregulated development. Its habitat in wildlife sanctuaries in Andhra Pradesh is threatened by illegal construction activity within the protected lands, and environmental activists have taken the matter to court. Kanchi Kohli reports.
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Mar 02 2006
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: The western ghats region is not one that has any dearth of rainfall, and yet there many areas with considerable water scarcity. Kasaragod district in Kerala, for instance, enjoys an annual rainfall of 3500 mm -- this is 14 million litres (1.4...
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Mar 01 2006
SECULARISM AND THE STATE
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Muslim headcount: A useful controversy
The furore over the counting of minorities in the armed forces has taken attention away from what such a survey might reveal. Are the minorities adequately represented in the security services? This question too should concern secular-minded citizens, says Firdaus Ahmed.
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