Articles
Jul 21 2014
CLASS POLITICS
What have the reserved constituencies voted for?
In the 2014 elections, the BJP won 66 out of 131 seats reserved for SC/ST candidates, which is the highest for any single party since 1991. Prabhu Mallikarjunan looks at the statistics and tries to decipher what this says for voting behaviour in these constituencies.
Jul 21 2014
TELANGANA TROUBLES
Two states with healthcare for one
TELANGANA TROUBLES : Two states with healthcare for one

Already struggling with low budgetary allocation for healthcare and shortage of trained staff, health services in Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh have taken a more serious hit due to issues arising out of bifurcation. Tejaswini Pagadala reports.

Jul 18 2014
E-WASTE MANAGEMENT
When companies flout norms and regulators look away
A recent report from environmental research group Toxics Link exposes how multinationals are flagrantly violating the MoEF-notified rules on e-waste, even as the authorities empowered to enforce implementation remain passive. Richa Malhotra details the key findings.
Jul 16 2014
BUDGETING FOR AGRICULTURE
How about smart villages, Mr Modi?
BUDGETING FOR AGRICULTURE : How about smart villages, Mr Modi?
For over two decades now, agriculture has suffered overall neglect as successive governments, led by World-Bank prescribed growth models, have issued disproportionate doles to industry. While the present allocations do not spell much hope, Devinder Sharma suggests what the Modi government may still do to reverse the trend.
Jul 12 2014
NARMADA DAM PROJECT
When a tsunami is manufactured
NARMADA DAM PROJECT : When a tsunami is manufactured

In view of the alleged corruption in rehabilitation of dam-affected families, the Jabalpur HC has imposed a stay on the decision to raise the height of the Narmada dam further. Recalling the history of the project till date, Himanshu Upadhyaya asks why a higher dam should be considered at all.

Jul 11 2014
FOREST DIVERSION CLEARANCE
'E' is for efficiency, but what about empathy?
FOREST DIVERSION CLEARANCE : 'E' is for efficiency, but what about empathy?
The MoEF’s recent move introducing e-filing of applications for approval of forest land diversion may facilitate procedural agility and efficiency, but precludes the interpretation of environmental and human complexities critical to a fair process. Kanchi Kohli elaborates.
Jul 10 2014
UNION BUDGET 2014
No big bang in Jaitley’s budget
UNION BUDGET 2014 : No big bang in Jaitley’s budget

Key highlights and provisions of Arun Jaitley’s maiden budget, presented in Parliament on 10 July:

Jul 09 2014
OP-ED: UNION BUDGET PREVIEW
What we should score Arun Jaitley on
OP-ED: UNION BUDGET PREVIEW : What we should score Arun Jaitley on
As the country eagerly awaits the new government’s maiden budget, Shankar Jaganathan evokes the realities of the Indian economy to provide a reference framework within which to judge the Jaitley budget.
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Jul 07 2014
THE PATH TO DEVELOPMENT
Why UPA’s folly could be Modi’s too
THE PATH TO DEVELOPMENT : Why UPA’s folly could be Modi’s too

With Narendra Modi at the helm, the push towards market-driven development looks likely to be continued, leading to an eventual defeat of real expectations from the voter, says Pradeep Baisakh as he analyses the causes behind the UPA debacle.

Jul 05 2014
THE RAPE EPIDEMIC
In search of the missing link
THE RAPE EPIDEMIC : In search of the missing link
Indifference, impatience, aggression and denial have been among the common responses to rape as a multi-layered problem. In the concluding part of her article, Ammu Joseph draws attention to all that fosters a culture of violence against women in our society and why it is unamenable to hasty remedies.
Jul 05 2014
TAPAS PAL CONTROVERSY
Spewing venom, leaders remain above hate speech laws
The abhorrent remarks by actor-turned-Trinamool MP Tapas Pal, stating that he would get the women among his opponents raped, have left many outraged but drawn mild reactions from his party and no legal action at all. Shoma Chatterji exposes the milieu where leaders like Pal enjoy complete impunity.
Jul 03 2014
PREVENTING RAPE
Are we just blind persons feeling an elephant?

Every case of sexual violence that becomes a cause celebre gives rise to earnest calls for action which often yield some results. But limited, quick-fix solutions that do not address the underlying causes of this deep-rooted problem have clearly not worked, writes Ammu Joseph in the first of a two-part article examining the many layers of the issue.

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Jul 02 2014
TACKLING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A law to help women, but who is enforcing it?
TACKLING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE : A law to help women, but who is enforcing it?

Passed in 2005, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act could have been an effective tool to ensure redress for victims of domestic abuse. But an understaffed implementation body has made it yet another selective and often toothless piece of legislation, finds Puja Awasthi.

Jul 01 2014
DEVELOPMENT
Should Modi now steer India towards Gujarat?
Throughout the campaign of Narendra Modi, the Gujarat development model had been widely credited with the potential to change India’s future. As the new government completes a month in power, Ramesh Menon stresses the need to seriously question if it is really one that should be replicated in every Indian state.
Jul 01 2014
BREAKING STEREOTYPES
The women who choose petrol over perfume
Comprised of over 350 students, professionals, homemakers from across the country, Bikerni is the first all-female motorcycle association of India. Surekha Kadapa-Bose brings us the stories of this group that has been charting new horizons for women to follow.
Jun 27 2014
AAP IN PUNJAB
Why Punjab still holds aloft the flag of 'new politics'

While the entire country appeared unimpressed by the Aam Aadmi Party and its promises, Punjab not only sent four of its candidates to the Lok Sabha, but as recent data shows, also overcame the rural-urban divide in its mandate for the party. Srinivasan Ramani explores why.

Jun 26 2014
IB REPORT
Decoding the red alert on green NGOs
The accusations of the Intelligence Bureau against foreign environmental NGOs appear hollow and misguided when one looks at the direction and substance of their work in India so far. Darryl D’Monte urges the government to restrict itself to scrutiny of forex norms followed, without stifling the expression of dissent by these NGOs.
Jun 26 2014
INTERNAL MIGRANTS
Could Aadhaar be the game changer for footloose labour?
Several recent studies bring out the abysmal deprivation from entitlements among India’s vast internal migrant population. Shambhu Ghatak throws light on the problems faced by migrants and explores if the UID can indeed live up to its promise of making mobility a smoother process.
Jun 25 2014
NUCLEAR DYNAMICS
Will Modi relook at ‘massive’ retaliation in India’s nuclear doctrine?
Regardless of how it is interpreted, India’s doctrinal promise of ‘massive nuclear retaliation’ in the event of nuclear first use by the enemy would be more than strategically flawed. At a time when India is now poised to review its doctrine afresh, Firdaus Ahmed digs deeper.
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Jun 24 2014
MANUAL SCAVENGING
There’s always one to clear your mess!

Despite the enactment of a law prohibiting the casteist and deplorable practice of manual scavenging, many continue to labour in the profession in the face of neglect, deprivation and indignity. Pushpa Achanta draws attention to the injustice meted out to manual scavengers and other sanitary workers.