Articles
Apr 16 2008
ECONOMY
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Wanted: talented young to match jobs galore
The Indian economy is creating millions of varied job opportunities. Despite this, scores of educated youth are not readily employable and face a grim future. Companies are struggling to find and retain talent. Ramesh Menon on the challenges.
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Apr 14 2008
WORKING WITH HIV POSITIVE WOMEN
Surviving a battle they fight every day
WORKING WITH HIV POSITIVE WOMEN : Surviving a battle they fight every day
In India's business capital, the NGO Sanmitra is helping HIV positive women re-enter the mainstream workforce, thereby ensuring them a life of independence and dignity. Sumita Thapar has more.
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Apr 11 2008
INDIA'S CONTRIBUTION TO MODERNITY
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The beginning of history
We need to reflect on the political and social possibilities that India has contributed to the modern world. The Indian experience offers new interpretations of key modern concepts such as nationhood, democracy, citizenship and individual freedom, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan.
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Apr 09 2008
ENVIRONMENT
Old conflict resurfaces at Athirappilly falls
ENVIRONMENT : Old conflict resurfaces at Athirappilly falls
Kerala's electricity board is preparing to build the seventh dam across the 144-kilometers-long Chalakudy river. The fate of the picturesque Athirappilly waterfalls hangs in the balance, with locals battling against the project. Sudhirendar Sharma has more.
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Apr 08 2008
RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION
Defending the right to legal aid
RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION : Defending the right to legal aid
Convicted of murder without a lawyer to represent him during the trial, a man was finally set free by the Bombay High Court after a human rights lawyer obtained the landmark order that upholds the constitutional right for legal aid in case of indigent and poor undertrials.
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Apr 08 2008
EDUCATION
Fighting to learn in their language
EDUCATION : Fighting to learn in their language
For a miniscule community of East-Bengali origin living in in Maharashtra, it has been a long struggle for the right to learn in their mother tongue. The community has won some victories recently, and much more remains to be done. Aparna Pallavi reports.
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Apr 06 2008
OPINIONS / MEDIA
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And now the good news
Khabar Lahariya, run by Dalit and Kol women, has emerged as a truly rural newspaper that is read and respected by all sections of society in Chitrakoot. It is a small shining star on the media horizon that exposes the hollowness of the mainstream media, writes Kalpana Sharma
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Apr 05 2008
POLITICAL HISTORY
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Is Vox Populi good enough?
In Advani's worldview, populist sorrow over the Babri Masjid demolition, and Narendra Modi's re-election after the Gujarat riots amount to democratic endorsement of whatever happened, and is sufficient political accountability. Thankfully, the Supreme Court doesn't agree, notes Firdaus Ahmed.
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Apr 03 2008
KONKAN SALT PANS
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Wilful distortion denies salt pan owners justice
Contrary to its own knowledge, the Salt Departmnt has been contending that the lands that belong to salt manufacturers along the Konkan coast are government lands, and that the claimants are mere lessees with a license to manufacture salt. P Venu reports.
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Apr 01 2008
GOVERNMENT
Assam's poorest district moves forward
GOVERNMENT : Assam's poorest district moves forward
Conflict-ridden and marked as 'backward', Karbi Anglong is the first district in the North-East and the fourth in the country to have implemented a quality management system in compliance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Ratna Bharali Talukdar has more.
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Mar 30 2008
CONTROLLING TUBERCULOSIS
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Not quite on the DOT
The Directly Observed Treatment strategy to combat tuberculosis was introduced to ensure that every TB patient completes the full six-month course of treatment. But most poor patients find that its benefits are out of their reach, both economically and physically. Neha Singh reports.
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Mar 27 2008
OIL WORKERS IN THE NORTH-EAST
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Two classes, two unions
At the Guwahati IOC Refinery, labour is divided between organised and unorganised workers, with social and cultural factors at play too. How do the unions handle complex issues? Is there a workers unity? Sriram Ananthanarayanan digs deeper.
Mar 26 2008
WATER HARVESTING
Shedding the borewell dependency
WATER HARVESTING : Shedding the borewell dependency
An initiative at an educational institution near Mangalore ensures that the institution can do without water tankers during the monsoon months. Rainwater suffices and what's more, its borewell also gets recharged. Shree Padre reports.
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Mar 26 2008
HERITAGE VS MODERNISATION
No future without a past
HERITAGE VS MODERNISATION : No future without a past
Are ancient structures the relics of a past that we no longer want to remember? As the 139-year-old Crawford Market in Mumbai faces the demolition squad, Darryl D'Monte looks at the pitfalls of a 'development' model that could have cities across the world sporting the same skyline.
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Mar 25 2008
JUSTICE DELAYED
Government itself to blame for backlog of cases
JUSTICE DELAYED : Government itself to blame for backlog of cases
The state is by far the biggest litigant, and contributes a large part to the staggering backlog clogging the courts. The Centre, States and public sector companies determinedly appeal every adverse verdict, despite winning only a small minority of them eventually. Kannan Kasturi reports.
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Mar 23 2008
REALITY CHECK
Kerala's development paradox
REALITY CHECK : Kerala's development paradox
In India, other states look at Kerala's record of firsts with envy. Dr Amartya Sen, the Nobel laureate, has hailed it as a model. But Kerala, caught in a web of paradoxes, is not what it seems, writes Ramesh Menon.
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Mar 23 2008
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCES
Fail, fail, fail .... and pass!
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCES : Fail, fail, fail .... and pass!
Construction without approval. An incomplete public hearing. Failure to notify local residents in a timely manner. It seems no amount of non-compliance with the law is enough grounds for the proposed expansion of the Monnet plant in Chhatisgarh to be halted. Kanchi Kohli reports.
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Mar 20 2008
NARMADA OUSTEES
A unique land scam in MP
NARMADA OUSTEES : A unique land scam in MP
With the state government abdicating its responsibility to rehabilitate dam oustees on cultivable land, middlemen and officials in Madhya Pradesh have connived to create a huge land scam that has been forced into the light in the courts. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.
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Mar 20 2008
SENIOR CITIZENS
When I'm sixty-four
SENIOR CITIZENS : When I'm sixty-four
In Delhi, it is not just private old-age homes that have people queuing up, despite the relatively steep rates. Government-run old-age homes, which are far more modest, are also filled to the capacity. Swapna Majumdar reports on a changing society.
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Mar 18 2008
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT
Girls count
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT : Girls count
A global investment and action agenda seeks to put adolescent girls at the centre of development initiatives in developing countries. These girls, say the authors of a new report, form a special category, deserving exclusive attention of the state, donors and NGOs. Anuja Agrawal reports.