Articles
Jul 25 2011
TRADING WATER
Back-pedaling the market mantra
TRADING WATER : Back-pedaling the market mantra
The Chawla Committee backs away from recent efforts to create a market for water rights. Still, it doesn't go far enough in recognising the importance of citizens' involvement. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.
Jul 19 2011
INDO-PAK TALKS
Negotiate in good faith
INDO-PAK TALKS : Negotiate in good faith
India and Pakistan don't negotiate with a give-and-take approach. Instead, they hope to gain some advantage in the background while the negotiations continue. This makes the process meaningless, writes Firdaus Ahmed.
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Jul 18 2011
SACRED HILLS
Niyamgiri again
SACRED HILLS : Niyamgiri again
Why bother complying with regulations if a committee can decide that it didn't matter much that the law was bypassed? MoEF finds itself on the backfoot, after its experts look away from the law. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Jul 14 2011
MERCHANTS OF HOPE
Twice blessed
MERCHANTS OF HOPE : Twice blessed
Dolly Basu's production of The Merchant of Venice, with special children cast in nearly all roles, has taught her as much as it has helped the children themselves. Shoma Chatterji reports.
Jul 10 2011
THE RTE ACT
The Reservation syndrome
THE RTE ACT : The Reservation syndrome
There has been a needless focus on the Right to Education Act's provision of aspirational seats in private schools. Only a small fraction of public schools students can benefit from this, writes E S Ramamurthy.
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Jul 10 2011
ESTIMATING POVERTY
How is India doing?
ESTIMATING POVERTY : How is India doing?
Why is there a huge discrepancy between official calculations of poverty and the alternative figures arrived at by many scholars as well as development agencies, asks Prahlad Shekhawat.
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Jul 06 2011
ENERGY HOT-ZONE
Singrauli singed by coal and power
ENERGY HOT-ZONE : Singrauli singed by coal and power
In the energy heartland of India, countless projects have wreaked havoc on the environment and displaced people extensively, sometimes more than once. With more projects planned, the future is just as bleak. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Jun 29 2011
PADDY CULTIVATION
Popularising SRI
PADDY CULTIVATION : Popularising SRI
The System of Rice Intensification, known to increase rice yields significantly merely by following a few simple rules, is spreading throughout Bihar, thanks to an award-winning film that educates farmers. Shoma Chatterji reports.
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Jun 25 2011
POVERTY / SUICIDE
Who killed Sathyamma?
POVERTY / SUICIDE : Who killed Sathyamma?
The State and society must understand that only when we facilitate and provide safety nets and ladders can people in desperate economic conditions hope to get out of the poverty trap, writes R Balasubramaniam.
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Jun 24 2011
MILITARY
Defence reforms: The next phase
MILITARY : Defence reforms: The next phase
The proposed second round of defence reforms will make the armed forces more utilisable. Nonetheless, this should not blind us to the questionable impulse behind the reforms, writes Firdaus Ahmed.
Jun 22 2011
GLOBAL CLIMATE
Montreal Protocol: The unfinished agenda
GLOBAL CLIMATE : Montreal Protocol: The unfinished agenda
The replacement of CFCs by more benign HCFCs and HFCs has removed the risks linked to ozone depletion, but these gases continue to contribute to global warming. Darryl D'Monte reports.
Jun 20 2011
A FAMILY'S LOSS
A death in the family
A FAMILY'S LOSS : A death in the family
A single parent also caring for her own aged mother, Hanifa Wani died after months of lying paralysed from a spinal injury - the result of security forces firing on her as she fled in panic. Freny Manecksha reports on a family's suffering amidst the violence around them.
Jun 17 2011
THERMAL PLANTS
Here a plant, there a plant
THERMAL PLANTS : Here a plant, there a plant
The mushrooming proposals for new thermal power plants must be managed better by State governments, considering the potential harm from such plants to local communities. Kannan Kasturi reports.
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Jun 14 2011
DRUGS / MEDICINE
The Superbugs are here - II
DRUGS / MEDICINE : The Superbugs are here - II
Superbugs will alter the course of medical history. India needs to put in place proper systems that will ensure that drug resistance does not set in. Ramesh Menon reports.

Click here to read Part I

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Jun 07 2011
FORCED EVICTIONS
Children impacted by forced evictions
FORCED EVICTIONS : Children impacted by forced evictions
Motivated by the media attention in Nandigram, six volunteers of Child Rights and You decided to examine how the urban poor are faring against State-sponsored eviction. Shoma Chatterji reports.
Jun 07 2011
WATER RIGHTS
Lessons from Chile's Water Code
WATER RIGHTS : Lessons from Chile's Water Code
The government's agenda for water privatisation has relied heavily on the supposed success of the chosen model in Chile. A new book reveals we may be learning the wrong lessons. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.
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Jun 07 2011
MEDICAL AID
All power is within you
MEDICAL AID : All power is within you
The Hathkhola Medical Bank touches thousands of lives each year, quietly and determinedly led by Ashish Das's self-belief. Ruchi Choudhary reports.
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Jun 06 2011
HYDEL AT ANY COST
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What Digvijay Singh forgot to tell the PM
Beneath Jairam Ramesh's recent turnaround on a 400 MW MP hydel project, was a series of interventions by Digivijay Singh with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Himanshu Upadhyaya digs deeper.
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May 31 2011
DRUGS / MEDICINE
The Superbugs are here
DRUGS / MEDICINE : The Superbugs are here
For decades, antibiotics have been used carelessly in India, with doctors, pharmacists, patients and drug companies all contributing to their abuse. The results could be catastrophic. Ramesh Menon reports.

Click here to read Part II

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May 28 2011
PROSTITUTION
Trapped from all sides
PROSTITUTION : Trapped from all sides
Young women and girls in red light areas face extreme levels of desperation, stemming partly from poverty, but also because of sheer physical exploitation, even by husbands and fathers. Ruchi Choudhary reports.
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