Articles
Feb 07 2006
ECONOMY
Weaving woes on the handlooms
ECONOMY : Weaving woes on the handlooms
While some of the handloom sector's troubles come from the relentless march of mechanisation, modernisation and sophistication, there's more to the troubled weavers' plight, says Narasimha Reddy.
Feb 06 2006
WAGES
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Minimised by the law
Neither the protections of law nor interventions by the Supreme Court have ensured adequate minimum wages for the jobs performed by tens of millions of unorganised workers. Kathyayini Chamaraj reports on a recent survey by a Bangalore-based group showing how far below fair standards these workers have been pushed.
Feb 04 2006
LABOUR/WOMEN/WAGES
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A new coalition backs garment workers
Even if activists and trade unions in India succeed in pushing up wage scales in the garment industry, manufacturers are likely to point out that with higher labour costs and hence billing, the high profit global retail buyers would shift their business to cheaper nations like Bangladesh or Indonesia. Is there a way out? Anuja Mirchandaney finds out more.
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Feb 03 2006
MEASURING PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
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ASER and beyond
What gets measured gets done. The First Annual Survey of Education Report has helped assess the scale of problems in public education better. It is now up to education ministries and administrators, as well as civil society to show progress in specific indicators, until the goal of universal education is met, writes Ashok Kamath.
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Feb 02 2006
RELIEF/LIVELIHOODS
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Orissa's draft resettlement policy is promising
Months before the recent police firings during tribal protests in Kalinganagar, Orissa, the state government and international development agencies had finalised a draft for a comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation for project-affected people. Manipadma Jena reports that the policy is likely to come into force in March 2006.
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Feb 01 2006
OPINION / LAW ENFORCEMENT
Police reforms: creative dialogue needed
OPINION / LAW ENFORCEMENT : Police reforms: creative dialogue needed
The Police Act Drafting Committee's term came to an end on 31 January. Any significant attempt to reform the Indian police must begin with the men at the bottom, the constabulary, not at the top. However, such changes would call for a struggle against the nature of Indian society itself, says former IPS officer K S Subramanian.
Jan 31 2006
NATIONAL EDUCATION SURVEY
A ciitzens' audit of education
NATIONAL EDUCATION SURVEY : A ciitzens' audit of education
Hundreds of NGOs, institutions, people's organisations, and individuals recently joined hands to conduct a survey, district by district, of the state of education in the country. Their findings have been summarised in the First Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER). Ashwin Mahesh reports.
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Jan 31 2006
LAW-MAKING
Parliament, Winter 2005 session
LAW-MAKING : Parliament, Winter 2005 session
M R Madhavan presents a brief summary of the proceedings in the national legislative bodies during the Winter 2005 session, which was conducted during Nov-Dec 2005.
Jan 30 2006
MEDIA COVERAGE OF FOOD SECURITY
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Covering the Republic of Hunger
About 320 million Indians go to bed without food every night, and recent data suggests this already alarming situation is getting worse. Despite the magnitude and intensity of this problem, it remains on the margins of policy planning, public action, intellectual discourse, and media coverage, writes Ammu Joseph.
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Jan 29 2006
RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE
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An autonomous NREG Agency needed
The current shape of government is too distributed to tackle the scale and complexity of the rural employment guarantee. A National-level autonomous body should be created solely for implementing the NREGA, and this agency should have the necessary authority, in addition to the responsibility, to manage the implementation, says Trilochan Sastry.
Jan 27 2006
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
Coca Cola moving out of Plachimada?
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION : Coca Cola moving out of Plachimada?
The Coke saga in Kerala took a new twist towards the end of 2005 when the company expressed its interest to shift out of Plachimada to a nearby industrial estate where water consumption may be less contested. Meanwhile, the tussle between Coke and the Perumatty Panchayat awaits resolution at the Supreme Court, reports P N Venugopal.
Jan 26 2006
REMEMBERING KUTCH
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Quake notes from the Rann
"Like thousands of other ordinary Indians I had rushed to Gujarat to lend a helping hand. And in the two weeks spent there I got to see up close, many dimensions of our innate, if imperfect, humanity." Venu Madhav Govindu remembers a relief camp he called home five years ago.
Jan 25 2006
WATER
Low-cost, these dams are lifelines
WATER : Low-cost, these dams are lifelines
In parts of Kerala and Karnataka, kattas (check-dams) have been making a quiet comeback, thanks in no small part to the efforts of farmer-journalist Chandrasekhar Yethadka. Recently, a few village councils have been footing some of the costs of these traditional structures, giving a fillip to conservation and reliable irrigation. Shree Padre reports.
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Jan 24 2006
PROTECTING THE SARUS CRANE
State bird in a perilous state
PROTECTING THE SARUS CRANE : State bird in a perilous state
Although designated as the offical bird of Uttar Pradesh, the Sarus crane finds itself under threat. Despite a protective High Court order, the economic plans of the government threaten to disrupt the birds' habitat. Wildlife conservationists take their case to the Supreme Court. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Jan 21 2006
RURAL ENERGY
Power-play, for the people
RURAL ENERGY : Power-play, for the people
Chandrakant Pathak has invented power-generation gadgets tailored especially for rural energy needs. As Pathak's gadgets are gaining popularity in rural areas of Pune district and several neighbouring districts in Maharashtra, state energy development agencies are taking note, reports Aparna Pallavi.
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Jan 20 2006
OPINION / THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
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Friday at the court

What's the difference between hearing a case, and merely setting a date for hearing it? Dilip D'Souza isn't quite sure, after yet another day spent answering a court summons. Justice, he learns first-hand, is riding on a prayer, and is often at least one more hearing away.

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Jan 19 2006
CLIMATE CHANGE
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Adapting to change, and coping
Predictions of dire consequences from climate change are not new. For some communities, however, it is already too late to ward off the changes, and their only hope lies in adapting. Darryl D'Monte reports on a conference at which scientists and NGOs discussed such adaptations.
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Jan 19 2006
CLIMATE CHANGE
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Adapting to change, and coping
Predictions of dire consequences from climate change are not new. For some communities, however, it is already too late to ward off the changes, and their only hope lies in adapting. Darryl D'Monte reports on a conference at which scientists and NGOs discussed such adaptations.
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Jan 18 2006
GENDER PARITY
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Maharaja's New Year gift
On December 28, 2005, Air India issued a directive stating that women could henceforth be in-flight supervisors. With this, one of the last vestiges of gender discriminatory practices that the airline has continued to hold on to, has gone. Kalpana Sharma recounts the Maharaja's glacially slow change of heart.
Jan 18 2006
FARMING AND INDEBTEDNESS
Loan after loan
FARMING AND INDEBTEDNESS : Loan after loan
A farming family holding 27 acres in Vidarbha has become a marginal landholder in a span of few years, and a vicious cycle of usurious debt robbed their lands and hopes. There are hundreds of others in the lurch similarly. The farming crisis has different shades of exploitation; Jaideep Hardikar presents one.
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