Articles
Oct 12 2008
ECONOMY
Nagpur cargo hub plan drives villagers desparate
ECONOMY : Nagpur cargo hub plan drives villagers desparate
Maharashtra's Vilasrao Deshmukh-government is asking the private sector not to go about acquiring land for projects if the farmers are opposed. Shivangaon is the hypocritical face of the state government itself. Jaideep Hardikar reports.
Oct 12 2008
RELIGIOUS CONFLICT
The violence of the virtuous
RELIGIOUS CONFLICT : The violence of the virtuous
When the good is almost always defined in terms of one community's ascendance over another, it is not the evil in us that makes us violent. How can we reduce this, ponders Rajesh Kasturirangan.
Oct 12 2008
CARGO HUB DEVOURS LAND
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Milkmen of a dying village
Shivangaon, a village near Nagpur produces a staggering Rs.25-29 crores worth of milk each year. Government-led land acquisition here for a new cargo hub is hurting the local economy, reports Jaideep Hardikar.
Oct 08 2008
SOPS FOR METROS
Give us a break, Mr Sreedharan
SOPS FOR METROS : Give us a break, Mr Sreedharan
The Delhi Metro chief's recent letter to the Planning Commission, warning that Hyderabad's model for its Metro could lead to a political scandal overlooks the subsidies his own organisation has received, writes Sunil Jain.
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Oct 08 2008
DOMESTIC DECISIONS
The gift from the sky
DOMESTIC DECISIONS : The gift from the sky
Frustrated with the hardness of borewell water, H Ramesh and his family are harvesting rain in their Mysore house for almost all their domestic uses. Shree Padre has more.
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Oct 06 2008
LARGE PROJECTS
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PPPs: Tall claims, but little evidence
The many arguments offered in support of Public Private Partnerships don't stand up to close examination. The private sector is not more efficient than its public counterpart, nor is cheap money accessible to it as readily, write Shripad Dharmadhikary and Gaurav Dwivedi.
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Oct 05 2008
DEFENCE PAY
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Heed the silent protest

The defence services are convinced that the sixth Central Pay Commission has further downgraded the status of Indian soldiers. Maj Gen S G Vombatkere (retd) cautions that testing the patience of the Indian soldier cannot be in the best interests of the nation.

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Oct 01 2008
POST-NSG WAIVER
Doors open for familiar nuclear worries
POST-NSG WAIVER : Doors open for familiar nuclear worries
As the nuclear world appears poised to pry open a vast market for power plants and arms in India, Darryl D'Monte reports voices from a corner of the world that was witness to an earlier, Soviet-era nuclear rush.
Oct 01 2008
RELIEF/NARMADA SAGA
Scamming the law, pretext of inability
RELIEF/NARMADA SAGA : Scamming the law, pretext of inability

In late August, the Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered a judicial inquiry on allegations of large scale corruption in distribution of compensation to families affected by Sardar Sarovar/Narmada Project. Himanshu Upadhyaya tells the continuing story of a scam.
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Sep 29 2008
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION
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Another anti-environment ruling at the NEAA
An appeal in the environment appellate authority that ought to have been a clear case of evidence and cross evidence has instead thrown up something new - a case of a project being upheld despite the objections to it being true. Kanchi Kohli reports.
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Sep 28 2008
OPINION/PEOPLE
A forgotten Bengali hero
OPINION/PEOPLE : A forgotten Bengali hero
He designed the general elections, India’s greatest gift to itself. It is time the Bengali mathematician-turned-civil servant got his due, writes Ramachandra Guha.
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Sep 27 2008
SERIES: RECLAIMING GOVERNMENT
Can there be justice without the state?
SERIES: RECLAIMING GOVERNMENT : Can there be justice without the state?
There has been a massive erosion in public confidence in our criminal justice system. There have been numerous commissions set up to suggest improvements, but nothing much has come of these, writes C V Madhukar.
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Sep 25 2008
HEALTH/SOCIETY
Using popular culture to mainstream AIDS
HEALTH/SOCIETY : Using popular culture to mainstream AIDS
A new anthology AIDS Sutra has 16 renowned literary figures writing about the AIDS epidemic in India and how different communities across the country are grappling with it. Sumita Thapar has more.
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Sep 24 2008
COMMONWEALTH GAMES
A run on the Yamuna banks
COMMONWEALTH GAMES : A run on the Yamuna banks
In the name of housing Commonwealth Games participants for a mere 10 days, an exclusive gated community is being established on the Yamuna banks, in areas previously protected as green spaces in the heart of Delhi. Kannan Kasturi reports.
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Sep 22 2008
GOVERNMENT
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The key to speeding up languishing RTI appeals
Maharashtra's RTI activists recently attended and recorded hearings at the state's Information Commission and identified why pendency of disposals is building up: Information Commissioners were not hearing cases for not more than two hours per day. Shailesh Gandhi has more.
Sep 21 2008
SECURITY
In Muslim India, an internal battle
SECURITY : In Muslim India, an internal battle
The struggle to wrest back interpretations of Islam from the extremists could give security a boost, but more importantly, it could halt the marginalisation and ghettoisation of Muslims in India, writes Firdaus Ahmed.
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Sep 19 2008
GM FOODS
Pause before you eat
GM FOODS : Pause before you eat
The Bt gene in brinjal does not increase productivity. But what it is surely about to do is bring India's first genetically altered food crop to your dining table. And there are lots of reasons why this should worry you, writes Devinder Sharma.
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Sep 17 2008
BIHAR FLOODS - REMEDY
Repairing Kosi’s breaches not a longterm solution
BIHAR FLOODS - REMEDY : Repairing Kosi’s breaches not a longterm solution
A recent study on the Kosi deluge asserts that embankments are the root cause of the present crises. Only a longterm micro-level study of why the river course is changing along with firm policy decisions can remedy the situation, says Sudhirendar Sharma.
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Sep 14 2008
REVIEW: GULABI TALKIES
A village on the screen
REVIEW: GULABI TALKIES : A village on the screen
Girish Kasaravalli's latest film is a beautiful celluloid essay on the trials and tribulations of a poor Muslim woman, Gulabi, as the world around her changes in response to apparently unconnected events. Shoma Chatterji reviews the film.
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Sep 14 2008
HUMAN RIGHTS/CITIZENSHIP
Livelihood crisis for Chakma, Hajong refugees
HUMAN RIGHTS/CITIZENSHIP : Livelihood crisis for Chakma, Hajong refugees
45 years after their settlement in Arunachal Pradesh, these refugees are still fighting for citizenship and livelihood rights. There is sustained local opposition to their settlement, reports Ratna Bharali Talukdar.
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