Articles
Sep 18 2013
CAG AUDIT
NREGA workers kept waiting for wages
CAG AUDIT : NREGA workers kept waiting for wages
A performance audit of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Karnataka reveals delayed payment of wages, sometimes by three months or more, to nearly five lakh workers under the scheme during the period 2009-12. Himanshu Upadhyaya looks at the key audit findings and connects the dots.
Sep 12 2013
ENERGY ALTERNATIVES
Can rural India get the 'power' to choose?
ENERGY ALTERNATIVES : Can rural India get the 'power' to choose?
The benefits of providing access to energy and lighting to increasing numbers of the populace are indisputable, but many of the current initiatives to provide cleaner energy rely on corporate partnerships. Darryl D'Monte examines its pros and cons vis-à-vis an alternative model.
Sep 12 2013
A SURVIVOR'S ORDEAL
Punished for being the victim
A SURVIVOR'S ORDEAL : Punished for being the victim
Suzette Jordan was labelled a prostitute and an anti-government conspirator when she alleged rape in a moving car on the streets of Kolkata. Her frank conversation with Vinita A Shetty reveals why the atrocity of abuse is not the only thing that shatters the life of a rape victim.
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Sep 10 2013
CONTROLLING THE CAD
Who's importing all that gold?
CONTROLLING THE CAD : Who's importing all that gold?
The Indian government has stopped short of imposing effective controls on gold imports despite the soaring current account deficit and its concomitant ills. Kannan Kasturi examines recent trends in gold demand to see if the government's rationale behind the soft policy holds good.
Sep 07 2013
SCIENCE CAREERS
Where did all the women go?
SCIENCE CAREERS : Where did all the women go?
Vineeta Bal, a former member of the Prime Minister's task force for Women in Science under the Department of Science and Technology, explores the status of women scientists in India in a freewheeling conversation with Pamela Philipose.
Sep 06 2013
SHIP-BREAKING IN INDIA
Alang shipyard: Pushing more than ships to their graves
SHIP-BREAKING IN INDIA : Alang shipyard: Pushing more than ships to their graves
The ship-breaking yard of Alang in Gujarat, which brings millions of dollars into the state, wreaks heavy environmental damage and endangers thousands of labourers. Ramesh Menon, who first visited the yard in the early eighties, finds very little has changed over the decades.
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Sep 05 2013
AGRI-INNOVATION
The wonder climber for areca nut trees
AGRI-INNOVATION : The wonder climber for areca nut trees

A new mechanical device that makes areca nut harvesting less labour-intensive and hence affordable could solve one of the major problems faced by farmers of the crop. Shrikrishna D reports.

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Sep 03 2013
THE ECONOMY
Our cheese has moved, and only we must find it
THE ECONOMY : Our cheese has moved, and only we must find it
The drying up of the dollar and the resultant plummet of the rupee reflects on the government's flawed economic strategy. Shyam Sekhar draws upon the famous business fable Who Moved My Cheese? to show the kind of behaviour and actions that could resolve the crisis now.
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Sep 02 2013
DEEP TALK
The Telangana prophecy: Will more states mean more conflict?
DEEP TALK : The Telangana prophecy: Will more states mean more conflict?
With the government clearing Telangana as India's 29th state, long-standing demands for separate states in other parts of the country have gained fresh momentum. This could be a foretelling of many more states to come, but would that necessarily augur ill for the unity of India? Noted historian Ramachandra Guha shares his thoughts.
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Sep 02 2013
RAPE SURVIVORS
The trauma never ends!
RAPE SURVIVORS : The trauma never ends!
Incidents of sexual violence against women arouse transient societal awakening and state rhetoric, but beyond that there is little active effort. As schemes for rehabilitation rot in cold storage, Vinita A Shetty throws light on all that can be done to make life easier for survivors.
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Sep 01 2013
GENDER VIOLENCE
Why the death penalty stands for nothing
GENDER VIOLENCE : Why the death penalty stands for nothing
The pressure of ill-informed popular sentiment coupled with a retributive judicial system may lead to an award of capital punishment for rapists, as it has in the Delhi 2012 case, but that does very little to address the much larger problem of VAW in all its dimensions. Ammu Joseph explains.
Sep 01 2013
GENDER VIOLENCE
Why the death penalty stands for nothing
GENDER VIOLENCE : Why the death penalty stands for nothing
The pressure of ill-informed popular sentiment coupled with a retributive judicial system may lead to an award of capital punishment for rapists, as it has in the Delhi 2012 case, but that does very little to address the much larger problem of VAW in all its dimensions. Ammu Joseph explains.
Aug 31 2013
ENDOSULFAN VICTIMS
A committee to exonerate industry?
ENDOSULFAN VICTIMS : A committee to exonerate industry?

The recommendations of the committee constituted to look into the claims of endosulfan victims in Kasargod and decide on the need to set up a tribunal to settle those, appear to be largely sympathetic towards the Plantation Corporation and endosulfan manufacturers. P N Venugopal reports.

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Aug 30 2013
TELANGANA AFTERMATH
Why Assam burns again
TELANGANA AFTERMATH : Why Assam burns again
The recent nod to Telangana has led to unrest and violence anew in Assam, where several groups have been struggling for their respective states for decades. Ratna Bharali Talukdar looks at the current situation in the context of the long and checkered movements for statehood in the region.
Aug 27 2013
MID-DAY MEALS
Look beyond the food
MID-DAY MEALS : Look beyond the food

Most studies on mid-day meal schemes tend to focus on the obvious nutritional benefits or lack thereof. Carly E Nichols argues that the impact of these programmes extend far beyond, justifying the need to fund and monitor them more stringently.

Aug 25 2013
FLOOD OR SUBMERGENCE
Villages devoured by rising waters
FLOOD OR SUBMERGENCE : Villages devoured by rising waters
The extent of submergence of villages and farmland in the Narmada valley under the backwaters of Sardar Sarovar dam increases with successive monsoons. Himanshu Upadhyaya stresses the need for a more realistic and effective look at solutions to the woes of the region.
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Aug 25 2013
GULAB(I) GANG
Will reel kill the power of real?
GULAB(I) GANG : Will reel kill the power of real?
A mainstream Bollywood production in the making, titled Gulab Gang, draws heavily on the circumstances and even the name of a now-famous real life movement, but purports to be purely fictional. Shoma Chatterji explores the questions of ethics and creative morality that this raises.
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Aug 22 2013
NO TO PRIVATISATION
MP town seeks to reclaim its right to water
NO TO PRIVATISATION : MP town seeks to reclaim its right to water
An independent committee appointed by the state validates and upholds most of the objections raised by civil society against attempted privatisation of water supply in Khandwa. Shripad Dharmadhikary, Rehmat and Gaurav Dwivedi discuss the report.
Aug 22 2013
DBT SCHEME
Transferring benefits, but where?
DBT SCHEME : Transferring benefits, but where?
With an eye on the electorate, the UPA government is trying to scale up its Direct Benefits Transfer scheme in a big way, linking it to the Aadhaar project. But given the low levels of financial inclusion and poor financial literacy among beneficiaries, its effectiveness remains suspect.
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Aug 20 2013
BEYOND POLITICS
Can India learn from its neighbours?
BEYOND POLITICS : Can India learn from its neighbours?
Political differences notwithstanding, given the shared socio-cultural fabric, it makes sense for India to collaborate with her South Asian neighbours and look to them for solutions to common problems, writes Sakuntala Narasimhan.