Articles
Mar 12 2015
EMERGENCY CARE ON TRAINS
Mr Prabhu, here’s one thing every traveller on Indian Railways needs
EMERGENCY CARE ON TRAINS : Mr Prabhu, here’s one thing every traveller on Indian Railways needs
The Rail Budget this year has been hailed for its pragmatic approach and emphasis on modernisation and customer experience. Tanvi Bhatikar raises a critical issue that needs to be addressed in order to deliver on those fronts.
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Mar 11 2015
BLOG: RESISTANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION
Confluence of hope: Converging for a better world
BLOG: RESISTANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION : Confluence of hope: Converging for a better world
Ashish Kothari outlines the vision and processes of Vikalp Sangam, a movement that seeks to bring together a multitude of grassroots initiatives that are exploring alternative, inclusive and sustainable paths to human well-being.
Mar 09 2015
RTI-ON-WHEELS
The bus that brought in transparency in J&K flood relief
RTI-ON-WHEELS : The bus that brought in transparency in J&K flood relief
The RTI-on-Wheels bus, an initiative of Gujarat-based organisation Janpath and the Association for India's Development, has inspired the people of J&K to press for their right to information and to a government that works for them. L S Aravinda reports.
Mar 09 2015
RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION
CAG report on Odisha: Will legislators take note please?
RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION : CAG report on Odisha: Will legislators take note please?
As Parliament debates the amended land acquisition and mining laws, Himanshu Upadhyaya draws attention to the report of an audit of Odisha’s resettlement and rehabilitation policy that clearly highlights the threats to displaced communities.
Mar 07 2015
REVIEW: INDIA’S DAUGHTER
What to expect when you watch the most talked-about film today
REVIEW: INDIA’S DAUGHTER : What to expect when you watch the most talked-about film today

Though based on strong reporting, India’s Daughter remains restricted in its scope, and even strays from its purported objective, thanks to a very pronounced colonial supremacist gaze, writes Shoma Chatterji in a dispassionate review that cuts through the noise.
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Mar 06 2015
OPINION: BAN ON 'INDIA'S DAUGHTER'
Give us the strength!
OPINION: BAN ON 'INDIA'S DAUGHTER' : Give us the strength!

Tara Krishnaswamy takes a brutally honest and incisive look at Indian society to argue why far from being banned, India’s Daughter – the BBC documentary on the infamous 2012 rape and murder in a Delhi bus – should actually be made compulsory viewing for the Indian audience.
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Mar 06 2015
BOOK REVIEW
A paean to Chhattisgarh from an exiled lover
BOOK REVIEW : A paean to Chhattisgarh from an exiled lover

Dr Ilina Sen’s association with Chhattisgarh and her deep, empathetic understanding of its society and culture have come lyrically alive in "Inside Chhattisgarh: A Political Memoir." Freny Manecksha reviews the book.
Mar 04 2015
LAND, FOOD AND BIODIVERSITY
Why the land acquisition law is a threat to several others
LAND, FOOD AND BIODIVERSITY : Why the land acquisition law is a threat to several others
The government’s push to the amended land acquisition law overlooks provisions in other acts that address closely related issues such as food security and conservation of biodiversity, writes Shalini Bhutani.
Mar 03 2015
ATTACKS ON RTI ACTIVISTS
Does the government really want to protect whistleblowers?
ATTACKS ON RTI ACTIVISTS : Does the government really want to protect whistleblowers?
Around 40 RTI activists in the country have been killed in recent years, several of them after the passage of the Whistleblowers Protection Act. Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya explores why the latter law has been unable to achieve its stated objective.
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Mar 02 2015
BUDGET SIMPLIFIED
Budget 2015: Does it have enough to turn vision into reality?
BUDGET SIMPLIFIED : Budget 2015: Does it have enough to turn vision into reality?

What could the taxes, allocations and schemes in Arun Jaitley’s budget ultimately mean for the country and its people? Shankar Jaganathan takes a bird’s eye view of the government’s most anticipated annual document for the year.
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Feb 28 2015
BUDGET BLOG
Why Jaitley’s budget has failed to bring cheer to our farmers
BUDGET BLOG : Why Jaitley’s budget has failed to bring cheer to our farmers
As has been the historical trend, most of the budget announcements on agriculture this year, too, are geared towards benefitting agribusiness rather than augmenting farm income, writes Devinder Sharma.
Feb 28 2015
ECONOMY
Highlights from the Union Budget 2015
ECONOMY : Highlights from the Union Budget 2015

Expansion of social security benefits, focus on infrastructure, easing of fiscal deficit targets and rationalisation of the tax structure - these were some of the most prominent features of Arun Jaitley's budget. A look at some of the provisions:
Feb 27 2015
FILM REVIEW: QUISSA
The strange tale of the 'son' who wasn't!
FILM REVIEW: QUISSA : The strange tale of the 'son' who wasn't!

Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, a recently-released feature film, exposes the shocking depths of insanity to which a father may be driven by his obsession with a male heir. Shoma Chatterji reviews the film, underlining the brutal, patriarchal society that it lays bare.
Feb 26 2015
RAILWAY BUDGET 2015
A broad vision for a better experience
RAILWAY BUDGET 2015 : A broad vision for a better experience
Four goals, five drivers and 11 thrust areas formed the framework for Suresh Prabhu’s railway budget, otherwise shorn of big ticket announcements or details about the nitty gritty of execution. Here’s a look at some key announcements in the Budget speech.
Feb 25 2015
WASH SUMMIT 2015
Swachh Bharat: What are we missing?
WASH SUMMIT 2015 : Swachh Bharat: What are we missing?

From the time of the PM’s speech on 15 August 2014, where he announced his commitment to a ‘Swachh Bharat’, what has changed in the WASH sector in India? Himanshu Upadhyaya shares some notes taken as a delegate at the recent India WASH Summit in the capital.
Feb 24 2015
DEVELOPMENT & DISPLACEMENT
Three villages that show why land acquisition needs a rethink
DEVELOPMENT & DISPLACEMENT : Three villages that show why land acquisition needs a rethink
Three million forest dwellers in Odisha are estimated to have been displaced since independence by various industrial and hydro-projects, among which the Upper Indiravati Hydro Project is one. Abhijit Mohanty brings us the story of three tribal settlements uprooted by it.
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Feb 23 2015
THE ROAD AHEAD FOR AAP
Will the Aam Aadmi Party deliver true 'swaraj'?
THE ROAD AHEAD FOR AAP : Will the Aam Aadmi Party deliver true 'swaraj'?
The initial euphoria over its emphatic electoral win over, the focus is now on realities within which the AAP will have to deliver on its promises. T R Raghunandan explores if the party can realise its vision of ‘swaraj,’ living up to the true ideals of decentralisation.
Feb 20 2015
MUMBAI DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Who will benefit from the ‘Manhattanisation’ of Mumbai?
MUMBAI DEVELOPMENT PLAN : Who will benefit from the ‘Manhattanisation’ of Mumbai?
The Mumbai municipal authorities have delivered a draft 20-year development plan for the city, but implementation of many of the proposals therein could well deliver the final blow to a city already gasping for breath, says Darryl D’Monte.
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Feb 18 2015
HOSPITAL NIGHTMARES
What’s turning women in labour away from hospitals?
HOSPITAL NIGHTMARES : What’s turning women in labour away from hospitals?

Institutionalised delivery is encouraged as a means of reducing maternal/infant mortality, but the misbehaviour meted to pregnant women in government hospitals deters them, and others who hear of their experiences, from seeking such care. Ruhi Kandhari reports.
Feb 17 2015
INDIAN SEED CONGRESS 2015
For the love of the seed industry
INDIAN SEED CONGRESS 2015 : For the love of the seed industry
It was a Valentine’s Day vow with a difference. The bond between the private seed industry and the public agricultural sector received a fillip at the recently concluded Indian Seed Congress in Agra over the weekend, reports Shalini Bhutani.