The Right to Information Bill tabled in Parliament raises expectations to new levels by
proposing a dedicated Information Commission for enforcement. Except, the commission is
crippled at conception, with no direct penalizing powers.
Prakash Kardaley
comments.
The Chennai High Court opined in December that industrialisation created the wealth
necessary for protecting the environment.
Sunita Dubey
tests this claim in the United States and finds that the court ignored
the US' system of local public participation and more.
The Maharashtra State Cotton Growers Marketing Federation was originally setup to procure cotton from growers at
reasonable prices and sell it to mills and traders. Instead, with government policies not helping,
it has trapped itself and farmers in a vicious cycle of debt and losses, reports
Jaideep Hardikar.
Half a century of harvests ago, the plans to control the flooding of the Kosi river got underway. The lives of those
who live within its embankments have never been the same again; successive governments have failed them, and the
practices that brought them such misery have remained firmly in place, notes
Dinesh Mishra.
There is no overlap between the administrative jurisdictions of various city agencies, or congruence with political boundaries. The
result: the citizen is confused, the local politician is confused, the agency representatives are confused.
Ramesh Ramanathan
calls for a transformation of this chaotic situation.
In the immediate aftermath of the 26 December tsunamis, many bloggers visited the affected areas. Their eyewitness accounts brought the horrors of the devastation to distant audiences and were instrumental in garnering widespread
relief support,
writes
Rasika Dhavse.
Although most members of the Mahila Shanti Sena are illiterate labourers, they are very aware of the strength of thier
force, and the importance of their role in society.
Alka Arya
reports on a women's movement that is tackling complex social and economic questions with a deep conviction for peace.
In Samiyarpettai, sub-collector Rajendra Ratnoo had put together a disaster management
plan as a test case just two months ago. When the tsunami came last December 26,
Ratnoo's plan worked spectacularly. Over one hundred survived
because of Ratnoo's
plan. That was an achievement, says
Dilip D'Souza.
In the sixth incidence of recent violence against citizens exposing
corruption, Santosh (20) was attacked murderously on 30 December 2004.
The Delhi government is not pursuing the wrongdoers, and has instead
projected the violence as an issue between an NGO and shop owners.
Varupi Jain
reports.
For the great majority of us who are far from the Tsunami disaster,
the easiest thing to contribute is money. Finding someone who'll take our money is easy.
But a recipient's annual
report summarising relief transactions is not enough to tell us
how our money was used, says
Ashwin Mahesh.
"We were pushed out of the queues for food, relief material, an even drinking water",
says Bama Rajazhagan, a dalit. But not all is gloomy in Nagapattinam; district machinery,
voluntary organisations, and the army are lending support to rebuilding.
Krithika Ramalingam
reports.
The Tsunami of 26 December did not invade several coastlines to the
degree it did many others because of mangroves and coral reefs.
Mangroves offer double protection, but India has seen their rampant
cutting down in favour of tourism and shrimp farming, says
Devinder Sharma.
If a woman, or a group of women, does well in any sport in India, it is despite the State and the establishment and not
because of it. Their achievements therefore are that much greater than of those who are pampered and feted, even for failing
continuously, says
Kalpana Sharma.
Toddy is legal in Kerala, while arrack is banned. Also, while a litre of toddy costs Rs. 30, a sachet of arrack goes for Rs. 11. As the
farm crisis sees thousands of migrants crossing over into Karnataka, arrack shops right on the border are booming.
P Sainath
continues his series on the agrarian crisis in Wayanad.
The simple man silently walked out of his hut that fateful day, went to the backyard and
consumed pesticide in the veil of darkness. Rising family debt had forced his children
out of school, and that proved the last straw.
Jaideep Hardikar
recounts the stories of this and two other farmer suicides.
Municipalities are outsourcing city waste collection to private
contractors. As a result, rag-pickers face a loss of their
livelihood, unless the informal sector itself is institutionalised within the
hierarchy of solid waste management.
Surekha Sule
reports.
With tens of thousands still displaced over a week since the Tsunami disaster, some schools are yet to reopen and
others are seeing low attendance. And as children wait anxiously in TN relief camps, more awe-inspiring stories are emerging. Krithika Ramalingam
reports.
True, Bangalore must be able to handle more flights, passengers and air freight to meet current
demand and future growth. But Londons Heathrow airport sits on 1000 acres less land, and yet
flies 14 times more passengers than Bangalore's new airport will. What's going on?
Jacob John investigates.
The conflict between farmers and government in Rajasthan escalated recently. Farmers resorted to violence after demonstrations failed. There are simply too many stakeholders and too few resources to satisfy everybody. But
there are ways to make life easier for citizens, writes
Deepak Malik.
While women who have to commute at night, or use public transport, are forced to remain alert at all times because they
are aware of the dangers, call centre employees who believe that "the company" takes care of all their needs
might just let their guard down.
Kalpana Sharma
answers a reader's question: will it ever end?
