Articles
Apr 09 2015
RESISTANCE & RECONSTRUCTION: NOTES FROM TUNIS
What I brought back from my meeting with practitioners & visionaries
RESISTANCE & RECONSTRUCTION: NOTES FROM TUNIS : What I brought back from my meeting with practitioners & visionaries
Interactions at the WSF, Tunisia with activists and thinkers from vastly diverse fields, united only by their dream for transformation and alternatives to well-being, inspire Ashish Kothari to hope for another world.
Apr 08 2015
FARMERS’ RIGHTS
Pay up, or give up your IP!
FARMERS’ RIGHTS : Pay up, or give up your IP!
The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001, based on the European seed patenting model, is increasingly proving to be more of a burden on small farmers. Shalini Bhutani explains why.
Apr 07 2015
POVERTY
Rethinking food security and hunger
POVERTY : Rethinking food security and hunger
A recent report from IFPRI indicates concrete progress by India in reducing hunger and malnutrition, while many experts continue to stress the unsatisfactory outcomes under GDP-driven growth. Prahlad Shekhawat calls for a new approach to address the real problems that lie somewhere in between.
Apr 06 2015
PROFILE: Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike
Casting out caste crime
PROFILE: Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike : Casting out caste crime
Pushpa Achanta describes the unrelenting efforts of the Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike (KDMV) in educating members of the Dalit and Adivasi communities in the state about their legal entitlements and helping them wage battles for justice in cases involving caste atrocity and discrimination.
Apr 03 2015
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
When women unite
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT : When women unite

A meticulous initiative by an NGO in remote tribal districts of Odisha has brought women from the local communities together, enabling them to wrest their rights and entitlements under laws such as the FRA and MGNREGA. Abhijit Mohanty writes on the project.
Apr 01 2015
GENDER LAW
Pro-life or pro-women’s rights?
GENDER LAW : Pro-life or pro-women’s rights?

Bijayalaxmi Nanda tracks some of the most prominent debates surrounding two critical legislations, dealing with gender-biased sex selection and abortion respectively, and highlights the commonalities in recommendations made by the apparently contradictory camps.
Mar 31 2015
OPINION
Time to write an obituary for AAP?
OPINION : Time to write an obituary for AAP?
In the aftermath of the recent developments within the Aam Aadmi Party, Himanshu Upadhyaya’s straight-from-the-heart essay describes the loss of hope and feeling of dejection among many idealists, who had fondly seeded and nurtured dreams of a politics of alternatives.
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Mar 30 2015
OP-ED: DRESS CODES FOR WOMEN
Must women play football in sarees?
OP-ED: DRESS CODES FOR WOMEN : Must women play football in sarees?

Women in India have continually faced restrictions on how they dress, whether it is on wearing jeans to college or sports gear on the fields. Shoma Chatterji looks at this persistent trend of sartorial repression and urges women to reject such diktats.
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Mar 28 2015
KARNATAKA IRRIGATION PROJECTS
15 years, and hardly any lessons learnt!
KARNATAKA IRRIGATION PROJECTS : 15 years, and hardly any lessons learnt!

Successive audits of irrigation projects in Karnataka over the years, starting with a report from the CAG for the year ending 31 March 2001, have repeatedly pointed to missed targets, wasted expenditure and negligible benefits. Himanshu Upadhyaya presents the findings from the most recent audits.
Mar 27 2015
WHITHER ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?
How Karnataka's mega port project is bending the rules
WHITHER ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE? : How Karnataka's mega port project is bending the rules

Legal and procedural lapses as well as disregard of critical public submissions mar the environmental impact assessment of the proposed Tadadi Port in Karnataka. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Mar 26 2015
FDI & JOBS IN MANUFACTURING
Can FDI really spur ‘Make in India’?
FDI & JOBS IN MANUFACTURING : Can FDI really spur ‘Make in India’?
The government’s thrust on ‘ease of doing business’ and ‘Make in India’ rests significantly on the premise of attracting foreign capital into manufacturing. Kannan Kasturi tracks data on FDI inflows to see whether it indicates true potential to boost the sector and job creation.
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Mar 25 2015
JUDICIAL REFORMS
Judicial delays: Understanding the system before fixing it
JUDICIAL REFORMS : Judicial delays: Understanding the system before fixing it

On 18 March, at a discussion organised by Daksh India, Nick Robinson from the Harvard Law School explored in detail the phenomenon of judicial delays, sharing insights from his work in both India and the US. Pavan Kulkarni summarises the important points raised.
Mar 24 2015
A NEW ROLE FOR INDIA
What will it mean to have India as a ‘security provider’?
A NEW ROLE FOR INDIA : What will it mean to have India as a ‘security provider’?
As India is poised to take on the role of a mature power centre in the Indian Ocean region, Firdaus Ahmed wonders if it will stick to its traditional defensive, accommodative strategic culture or if the move to a rightist polity will bring to the fore a different doctrine altogether.
Mar 23 2015
A NEW LIBERATION
Bringing spring back in the lives of India’s widows
A NEW LIBERATION : Bringing spring back in the lives of India’s widows
Widows in India have lived on the margins of society for decades but the intervention of NGO Sulabh International, led by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, has brought new hope and colour in their lives. Ramesh Menon reports on one of the first celebrations in their new-found lives.
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Mar 20 2015
HUMAN-ANIMAL CONFLICT
Where leopards await human compassion
HUMAN-ANIMAL CONFLICT : Where leopards await human compassion

The lack of awareness about a traditionally peace-loving species and inadequate safeguards to protect their natural habitats and corridors are posing a serious threat to the continued survival of leopards in and around the city of Guwahati. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.
Mar 18 2015
EDUCATION
Where is teaching headed in the Modi regime?
EDUCATION : Where is teaching headed in the Modi regime?
Despite the simplistic articulation of teachers' roles and teaching, including that by PM Modi, and the alignment of education to a broader nationalistic agenda, could there be potential ‘teachable moments’ under the new regime? Shivali Tukdeo and Savitha Suresh Babu explain.
Mar 17 2015
HIGHWAY TOLLS
Why Fadnavis mustn't be soft on motorists
HIGHWAY TOLLS : Why Fadnavis mustn't be soft on motorists

Sachin Tendulkar’s letter to the Maharashtra CM Fadnavis, urging him to reduce toll posts in the state, may just encourage the state further to execute its plan of exempting private cars and SUVs from such charges. Darryl D’Monte argues why that is entirely unjustifiable.
Mar 16 2015
PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD
Coal energy and pollution: Can communities fight the threat?
PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD : Coal energy and pollution: Can communities fight the threat?
A recent workshop in Karnataka focused on the health impact of coal-based power plants and other industrial pollutants and shared valuable inputs on how to empower local communities to combat the same. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.
Mar 16 2015
RURAL EMPLOYMENT
The slow destruction of NREGA: Evidence from Jharkhand
RURAL EMPLOYMENT : The slow destruction of NREGA: Evidence from Jharkhand
Wage delays, inadequate manpower and the indifference of authorities to real issues on the ground are stripping the employment guarantee programme of its strong potential to improve rural lives, and budget cuts have only made it worse. Ankita Aggarwal reports from Jharkhand.
Mar 13 2015
ECI MISSION: NERPA
Linking Aadhaar to EPIC for cleaner voter lists
ECI MISSION: NERPA : Linking Aadhaar to EPIC for cleaner voter lists

The Election Commission of India is introducing The National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme with a view to eliminating duplication and erroneous deletions in electoral rolls across the country. Chinmayi Shalya reports on the initial plans.