Articles
Aug 21 2008
ENVIRONMENT
Kerala's unconvincing shot at the environment ministry
ENVIRONMENT : Kerala's unconvincing shot at the environment ministry
Kerala’s Left-dominated 141-member legislative assembly adopted a resolution on 11 July urging New Delhi to withdraw the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification of 2006. The resolution says the notification is “against the interest of Kerala State, nature, environment and people.” M Suchitra reports.
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Aug 20 2008
OUTCOMES IN EDUCATION
Learning loss and the education bureaucracy
OUTCOMES IN EDUCATION : Learning loss and the education bureaucracy

The government school system is not a rationally driven and coherent apparatus of state policy. Instead, its everyday work is continuously and varyingly reshaped in the light of social, institutional, and policy related inflections, write A R Vasavi and Rahul Mukhopadhyay.

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Aug 19 2008
NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE
Early gains from Forest Rights Act
NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE : Early gains from Forest Rights Act
The new law's provisions are infusing into the proceedings of the Gram Sabhas a democratic character that they have lacked so far. From a conservation standpoint too, the law is proving to be positive, writes Tushar Dash.
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Aug 19 2008
AMARNATH YATRA
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Inventing a controversy
Sectarian positioning with an eye upon votes fuelled the controversy over Amarnath land transfer issue. The two main opposition groups made no effort to counter the bogey of Hinduisation of Kashmir, writes Sant Kumar Sharma.
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Aug 17 2008
HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT
Tiger terror in Chandrapur
HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT : Tiger terror in Chandrapur
The forest regions in Brahmapuri and Chandrapur regions in Maharashtra are the scene of a spurt in tiger attacks for the last two years. Fear of attack has also caused significant damage to the forest-reliant local economy. Aparna Pallavi reports.
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Aug 17 2008
COMPENSATORY AFFORESTATION BILL
Institutionalising compensation for lost forests
COMPENSATORY AFFORESTATION BILL : Institutionalising compensation for lost forests
A new Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha, ostensibly to re-green India, is actually a blow to the environment. Rather than conserve forests, it advocates market mechanisms to make money off afforestation in degraded lands. Kanchi Kohli writes.
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Aug 15 2008
EDITORIAL - INDEPENDENCE DAY
Less government, by default
EDITORIAL - INDEPENDENCE DAY : Less government, by default
While endless rounds of complaint and criticism have been seen in every arena, this has not led the public to demand that the size of government be reduced. How long will this last? The India Together editorial.
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Aug 12 2008
MEDIA/REGULATION
Guide to getting a community radio license
MEDIA/REGULATION : Guide to getting a community radio license

Applying for and getting a license to set up a community radio station in India is convoluted. A new publication offers a step-by-step guide to the entire process along with useful information on how and what to prepare before applying.

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Aug 11 2008
OPINION: ABORTION DEBATE
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Niketa's choice
The Niketa and Harish Mehta case has thrown issues that concern individual choice, ethics, technology and the law. In each instance, there are no clear guidelines, there is nothing that is black and white, writes Kalpana Sharma.
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Aug 10 2008
AGRICULTURAL IMPORTS
Edible oil policy on the boil
AGRICULTURAL IMPORTS : Edible oil policy on the boil
The policy that reportedly favoured Indian consumers at the cost of farmers has come back to bite the consumers with a vengeance. And with the US and Europe embracing biofuels, things could get even worse, writes Kannan Kasturi.
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Aug 09 2008
VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURES
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Preparing for the future of RTI
If RTI applications continue to rise in number, it will not be too long before the system as we know collapses and will have to be overhauled. More suo motu disclosures are needed to avert this, writes Vivek Vaidyanathan.
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Aug 06 2008
REVERSING THE DAMAGE
Relocation of tigers to Sariska proceeds, amidst caution
REVERSING THE DAMAGE : Relocation of tigers to Sariska proceeds, amidst caution
Two tigers have been relocated from Ranthambore to Sariska tiger reserve, but wildlife conservationists are not about to rejoice, given the extent of work pending at Sariska to reverse past wrongs. Malini Shankar digs deeper.
Aug 03 2008
OPINION
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Like father, like son
On the evidence of their respective performances in the trust vote, it must be said that the young Abdullah appears to be better qualified for the post he seeks than the young Gandhi is for the job some think should be his by right of birth, writes Ramachandra Guha.
Aug 03 2008
WATER
Bit by bit, he filled his well
WATER : Bit by bit, he filled his well
S Ganesh Mallya, a high school teacher cum Sunday farmer in Yedapadavu in Karnataka, has greened his plot without borewells. Using simple techniques to catch rainwater, he has managed to raise the water level in his open well and grow a bountiful farm. Shree Padre reports.
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Jul 31 2008
STREET VOICES
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Eyes and ears, on wheels
In a city that lives on the edge, the taxi drivers see and hear a lot. They could provide any news channel its biggest scoop ever, but they are also smart enough to value their lives and keep their mouths tightly shut. More street voices from Rajendar Menen's book.
Jul 28 2008
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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CDM and hydro-power
Most hydropower projects don't need the Clean Development Mechanism credits to be built. But a gross mockery is being made of the basic principles and understanding of the Kyoto Protocol, with no real cuts in emissions. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.
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Jul 28 2008
OPINION/RECLAIMING GOVERNMENT
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Unanswered questions, forgotten middle path
Systematic and chronic under-investment in public goods such as education, law enforcement and infrastructure has already impacted our cities. And yet, we have not asked and answered a number of questions as a nation. C V Madhukar begins a new series.
Jul 27 2008
OPINION
Wrong priorities?
OPINION : Wrong priorities?

Why when we want recognition as a nuclear power and a growing economic power, why when we want to boast of our educated and trained manpower, should we not come to grips with the issue of sanitation? Kalpana Sharma on the larger reality.

Jul 26 2008
PUBLIC DEBATES
Decentralising knowledge
PUBLIC DEBATES : Decentralising knowledge
The fundamental reason for the lack of a substantive debate on important issues is that we, the public as well as the representatives, simply do now know what the real issues are. We have to fix that deficit in our democracy, says Rajesh Kasturirangan.
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Jul 25 2008
WOMEN ON TELEVISION
Looking back at Hum Log
WOMEN ON TELEVISION : Looking back at Hum Log

For a show intended to promote women's empowerment, it wasn't too bright about it. Its messages were often self-defeating, because the women were heavily tinged with the politics of patriarchy. Shoma Chatterji looks back at television's first big impact-making serial.

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