Child Relief and You works with NEWS to set up a hostel for gypsy children, so their education does not become hostage to their parents' migrations.

The Justice Sampath committee looking into the devastating Kumbakonam fire is expected to report its findings on school safety in the next few months. But Tamilnadu has already seen other reforms reports with little real change. Will the upcoming recommendations bring any fruit? Krithika Ramalingam finds out.

The System of Rice Intensification may provide small and marginal rice farmers a way out of their perennial worries - for water, better yields, and the preservation of soil health. Rajeev Natarajan reports on one farmer in Tamilnadu, whose tentative beginning has now turned into a strong conviction.

With tens of thousands still displaced over a week since the Tsunami disaster, some schools are yet to reopen and others are seeing low attendance. And as children wait anxiously in TN relief camps, more awe-inspiring stories are emerging. Krithika Ramalingam reports.

"We were pushed out of the queues for food, relief material, an even drinking water", says Bama Rajazhagan, a dalit. But not all is gloomy in Nagapattinam; district machinery, voluntary organisations, and the army are lending support to rebuilding. Krithika Ramalingam reports.

The Chennai High Court opined in December that industrialisation created the wealth necessary for protecting the environment. Sunita Dubey tests this claim in the United States and finds that the court ignored the US' system of local public participation and more.

15-year-old Raje was left home alone in Chennai on 17 January while her family attended the Sunday church. When they returned, it was to find she had hung herself from the living room fan. Krithika Ramalingam reports on Tamilnadu's growing suicide numbers in the 10-19 age group.

Many widows and destitute women in the fishing communities of Tamilnadu have been left out of tsunami relief because of acute gender bias. Men are also abusing relief funds on liquor, with women bearing the brunt. In the meantime, NGOs are trying to erode rigid attitudes with social awareness, reports Freny Manecksha.

A multi-state campaign to draw attention to the adverse effect of agriculture and trade policies on sugarcane farmers has just ended. Padmalatha Ravi spoke with farmers and campaign coordinators in Tamilnadu, and traces the growth and decline of agricultural families' fortunes around this crop.

In what was seen as a major step forward for the reproductive rights of women, emergency contraceptives became available over the counter from September 2005. But last month, the Tamilnadu government's drug controller seized stocks from Chennai's pharmacies responding to protests. Krithika Ramalingam reports.

Tulir, a Chennai-based NGO has been doing pioneering work in bringing to attention the widespread sexual abuse of children -- as high as 42 per cent in one Chennai survey. In 2006, Tulir was honoured with an International Award. Ambujam Anantharaman has more.

Government schools are unable to deliver quality education in most cases. This has prompted some to argue for vouchers - coupons from the government to be given to parents that would let them admit their children in private schools instead. Krithika Ramalingam reports on a movement that is gathering steam.

New Delhi's two months time for feedback on its draft Coastal Management Zone notification expired on 8 July. Activists say the proposed law will make way for beach-front villas and water-front recreation parks and do little to protect the rights of fisherfolk and the environment. Krithika Ramalingam reports.

With Tamilnadu being a high-ranking state in the Educational Development Index in the country, one would expect children in government-run schools in metros like Chennai to be ahead of their counterparts elsewhere. Wrong. Krithika Ramalingam did a reality check.

A number of NGO-run schools in Tamilnadu are making a clear difference in helping underprivileged chilren get a better shot at the real world, in comparison to state-run schools. Still, the schools themselves need help, finds Krithika Ramalingam.

Papri Sri Raman

Stone quarries, brick kilns, sand mining and silk weaving are stealing SC/ST children out of school in Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts of Tamilnadu. Krithika Ramalingam reports on the hard reality these children face.

The odds of children in villages in Krishnagiri district, Tamilnadu, making it to college are one per cent, ten times below the low national average. Some interventions are helping, finds Krithika Ramalingam as she records the many realities here.

Recognising that government schools with their Tamil medium education do nothing to ensure a good career path or ensure employment, parents are stretching themselves to make the shift in rural Tamilnadu. Still, plenty of challenges remain reports Krithika Ramalingam.

The desire for quality education for all children is noble and surely one shared by all. But Tamilnadu's Samacheer Kalvi makes that more difficult, writes Parth Shah.

While jackfruit farmers across India lament the lack of fair compensation, one farmer in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu earns an income of two lakh rupees a year from his unique and succulent “Maharajapuram” variety. Shree Padre brings us his story.

Recent student protests in Tamilnadu may have had the Sri Lankan issue and the Indian governmental stance on it as the immediate trigger, but in reality, the dynamics go much deeper and need to be viewed in a broader context. Gnana Bharathy analyses.

These days, select impoverished neighbourhoods in Chennai have become the nursery of future champion boxers. Girls in these neighbourhoods are receiving training in boxing, something that has given them the confidence to stand up for themselves and dream big, reveals Hema Vijay.

E-governance is governance first and electronics next. Though administrative improvements brought about through the use of technology are welcome, the real goal should be enhanced governance. We cannot also ignore the great risk that mere technocratic e-government may sharpen the stark inequalities of our society. The India Together editorial.

The proposed National ID should be a backbone upon which governance and economic development rest comfortably, rather than merely a tool for auditing schemes, writes Ashwin Mahesh.

The global effort to shift the focus of agricultural research from addressing immediate hunger to 'hidden hunger' is in reality an effort to postpone the real problems confronting the society, says Devinder Sharma.

Gene Campaign writes to the Agriculture Minister demanding compensation for Indian farmers payable under the laws for failure of Monsanto-Mahyco's Bt cotton variety.

Technology-only approaches to addressing the problems of 'hidden hunger' are missing the point completely, says Devinder Sharma.

While 'good' science has been given a quiet burial, the party for the biotechnology industry has just begun, writes Devinder Sharma.

The hype that surrounded the introduction of Bt Cotton has now predictably proven false, says Devinder Sharma.

Multinationals producing genetically modified foods attempt to force open Third World markets, even as consumers in the wealthier countries reject the risky science behind their products, says Devinder Sharma.

India's position is opaque, based on incomplete research, and unresponsive to public health and food security issues. Dr. Suman Sahai lists recommendations from a national symposium.

Around the developed world, GM crops are discredited, but in India, under the emotional tag of 'eradicating hunger', the industry is having a free run, says Devinder Sharma.

A New Delhi based non-profit organization has filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court against commercialisation of GM crops until a sound regulatory and monitoring system is put in place.

2004 is being celebrated as the International Year of Rice, and the starchy grain has undergone a complete metamorphosis, says Devinder Sharma.

India Together

Devinder Sharma on the recent approval given in India for commercial growth of another Bt cotton variety.

The easy availability of Bt Cotton seeds without consent from the government is making a mockery of the regulatory environment. Ashok Sharma reports.

6 years ago, Punukula village in AP was no different from many other cotton farming regions. Pesticide overuse and environmental poisoning were rampant, and so were pests. But by 2004, the village had successfully charted a simple escape route. Devinder Sharma looks at the lessons.

On 3 May, the Ministry of Environment and Forests cancelled its earlier approval for commercial cultivation of three varieties of transgenic Bt cotton seeds in Andhra Pradesh. How must one read the decision of the GEAC? Kanchi Kohli says the developments may only be a breather.

Swiss biotech corporation Syngenta has tightened its monopoly control over rice. Seeking global patents over thousands of genes in rice, the multinational based in a country that produces no rice itself, is set to own the world's most important staple food crop, says Devinder Sharma.

The Green Revolution was a publicly owned technology, but the current version is its opposite; processes, products, and research methodologies are caged in patents and the farmer has little say or control. But chasing nuclear stardom, India has once again sacrificed agriculture, writes Suman Sahai.

Cotton farmers around the country are following Andhra Pradesh's lead in skipping both pesticides and Bt seeds. And there are no pests. Why? There are 28 predators of the American bollworm, cotton's main enemy. If you stop spraying pesticides, these beneficial insects devour the bollworm, notes Devinder Sharma.

Genetically engineered foods are blurring the line between acceptable and taboo sources of food for many people. This advance of technology is taking place without the informed consent of the consumers, and additionally raises questions about the safety of such foods and the labeling standards that ought to be adopted, writes Suman Sahai.

Studies from China and the US show the limitations of Bt-based resistance. The bollworm evolves to resist the toxin eventually, and a number of secondary pests remain unaffected. Suman Sahai argues that this is not really a workable strategy except in the first few years.

How does one countenance a regulator that does not adhere to the law of the land and is also unable to protect the interest of one group against another? The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, says Bhaskar Goswami, itself needs to be regulated to ensure it plays a balanced role.

Lobbyists for agri-business interests will promote their agenda, naturally, but we must judge the merit of introducing more GE crops in India ourselves. Common sense, and all the data that is open to scrutiny, suggests that we should not, says P V Satheesh.

Following Gene Campaign's challenge to the government's decision to withdraw all existing regulatory oversight over the import of GE foods, the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre, writes Suman Sahai.

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.

Small farmers distribute risk and harvest different things from different sources . Heribicide Tolerant crops strike at the very root of such proven strategies relying on diversity, writes Suman Sahai.