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Two booked for attacking health official in Nagpur

A Nagpur municipal corporation (NMC) health official was attacked on Saturday by two men after he clicked photos of a woman who was roaming on a road with two children without wearing face masks, police said. The injured official is identified as Sanjay Karihar (47), a police official said. He said the woman called up two men, who came to the spot in Seminary Hills area and attacked Karihar. The accused are identified as Vinod Shahi (42) and Rajesh Shahi (37), the official said. A case was registered against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). No arrest is made yet.




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Nearly 3000 patients provided help, medicines through Srinagar call centre during lockdown

Nearly 3,000 patients were provided assistance for treatment and medicines by the Srinagar district administration in Jammu and Kashmir through its helpline amid teh coronavirus-driven lockdown, officials said. The IVRS-based call centre was inaugurated by Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on April 17 and it replaced a series of helpline numbers launched in March aimed at attending to health emergencies on priority during the lockdown. A dedicated fleet of 10 vehicles and a team of 12 professionals have been deputed on the job round-the-clock for attending to issues related to health emergencies, demands related to dialysis, chemotherapy, diabetes and other such ailments, the officials said. Apart from the IVRS call centre, they said four mobile numbers have also been made available. Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary empanelled 13 dialysis centres across the city for providing dialysis services, the expenses of which are borne by the district administration. Most ..




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Senate Republicans Cite Deficit Fears Over Next Round of Virus Aid

As Congress considers another round of aid to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Republican lawmakers are starting to worry about the long-term effects on the federal deficit. WSJ’s Gerald F. Seib explains. Photo: Eric Gay/AP




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A gigantic investment deficit


We have grossly under-estimated the true cost of urban infrastructure in our country. 20-odd committees have considered this over several decades, and so have the Planning Commission and several Finance Commissions. But we don't really have a legitimate figure for our urban infrastructure needs, says Ramesh Ramanathan.




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Municipalities overruling the SC


Except a standout municipality in AP, none of the other towns and cities in India are complying with a Supreme Court directive on waste management. Surekha Sule reports.




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Where suicide is a crime, but not murder | No, I will not give back my awards!


In this edition we remember the hunger strike launched by Irom Sharmila fifteen years ago and which is still going strong. We also have a national award winner explaining why she will not give back her awards like the other awardees, and much more.




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Rape laws have changed, but what about the judiciary?


Laws addressing sexual violence may have changed in India, but with judicial response mired in scepticism and age-old attitudes towards rape survivors, there is little hope for justice. In conversation with Pamela Philipose, noted lawyer Vrinda Grover exposes the contradictions in the legal system.




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Pests, Pesticides and Modern Science


The same combination of corporate interest and agricultural science that led to mindless use of pesticide is now turning to genetic engineerng, says Devinder Sharma.




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Teen suicides mount in Tamilnadu


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.




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Rest in peace, food self-sufficiency


Ironically at a time when food shortage is being widely perceived as a potential global concern in the near future, policymakers seem to be doing everything that would take agriculture further down the path of ruin. Devinder Sharma highlights the findings of a recent NSSO report to substantiate that.




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No pesticides, no Bt cotton, no pests!


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.




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Fiscal deficits and decentralization - II


In the second in a series of two articles, Jayaprakash Narayan discusses on the connection between the fiscal crisis and decentralization of political power.




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Despising politicians is dangerous


Elections 2004 are around the corner and Jayaprakash Narayan points out that the 'hate-politicians' attitude is perilous to democracy itself.




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Municipal budgets and poverty


As poverty in Karnataka acquires a larger urban face, municipal administrations must reorient themselves to meet basic needs, says Kathyayini Chamaraj.




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Environment Ministry to bend over backwards to whitelist illicit projects


A new notification from the ministry lays out a process by which illegal units can be granted clearance and “brought into compliance” within the next six months. Manju Menon and Kanchi Kohli report.




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Officials resisting amending RTI law


The National Campaign for the People's Right to Information is asking citizens to put pressure on the Prime Minister to deliver on the UPA government's promise of bringing in a 'progressive, participatory and meaningful' right to information law.




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Suicides due to poverty: How reliable is our data?


While researching suicide data published by the NCRB, Shambhu Ghatak files an RTI enquiry on how the Bureau identifies causes behind suicides and compiles the data across states to arrive at national figures. The response reveals the lack of clarity in the exercise.




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Holding a municipality accountable


Hasmukh Dhumadiya describes the ordeal of residents of Bakshipunch Housing Society in Dwarka, Gujarat, and their efforts in overcoming it.




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Medicine to Make You Healthier-and Wealthier

Daniel Wiener, CEO of Adviser Investments, sees huge opportunities in health care, regardless of political battles over coverage.




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Pricing carbon correctly


Under the Kyoto Protocol, it is possible for developed countries to simply buy off the cost of their pollution from less developed economies that do not put out their permitted quota of harmful substances into the atmosphere. This mechanism is fraught with both moral and practical difficulties, writes Darryl D'Monte.




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Energy efficiency is inevitable


Policy makers have understood the importance of producing energy, but have been much slower to promote measures for energy efficiency. This has to change, writes Girish Sant.




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'E' is for efficiency, but what about empathy?


The MoEF’s recent move introducing e-filing of applications for approval of forest land diversion may facilitate procedural agility and efficiency, but precludes the interpretation of environmental and human complexities critical to a fair process. Kanchi Kohli elaborates. 




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How valid is the criticism?


A number of barbs have been flung at Anna Hazare and the India Against Corruption campaign, amidst the rising popularity of the effort. Are these justified, wonders Rajesh Kasturirangan.




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"Only the idiots are committing suicide"


In Chhatisgarh's Durg district, there is no shortage of farmers who have taken their lives - the district ranks second in the state on this count. But equally, there is no shortage of those who don't see these suicides. Shubhranshu Choudhary reports.




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Why relief packages and loan waivers won’t be enough to stem farm suicides


Even in regions touted as India’s food bowl, Rs 3000 a month is all that a farmer earns for his family! Devinder Sharma crunches data from CACP to highlight the grave crisis in the agrarian economy.




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Organic : to combat pesticide residues


Kasturi Das makes a strategic case for a shift to organic agriculture in India.




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The rising import of 'suicides'


What is behind the suicides in Vidarbha? Is it drought or lack of irrigation, like some are saying? Why have over 550 farmers ended their lives in the last season? Many factors -- local and global -- have together pushed farmers to the brink here, notes Jaideep Hardikar , but says that lopsided global cotton trade is one major cause.




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Idle generators in the midst of power deficit


The Southern region of India is expected to face high energy deficit this year while the Western and Eastern regions will have a surplus of energy generation. Kannan Kasturi explains why this regional skew in energy generation and energy consumption exists and what it will take to resolve it.




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Where suicide is a crime, but not murder


For the last 15 years, India has been unable to deal with a fasting, frail poet! Anjuman Ara Begum writes  how Irom Sharmila has been waging a protest against the cruel Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, enforced in her home state of Manipur and other parts of northeast India.




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Why the Current Account Deficit matters to you and me


India's current account deficit reached alarming levels in the year 2012-13. Kannan Kasturi provides a historical context and lucid explanation of the phenomenon and rues the government's shocking lack of action.




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Seeds of suicide - I


The seed, pesticide and fertilizer dealers are the new moneylenders of the AP countryside. The power this group wields is a vital factor in the ongoing crisis and continuing suicides of farmers. P Sainath continues his series.




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Seeds of suicide - II


Seeds, fertilizer and pesticide dealers are at the centre of a growing controversy in Andhra Pradesh. They are the new moneylenders to a peasantry strapped for credit. P Sainath concludes his series on farmer suicides in AP.




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Renew lapsed farmers' insurance policies


Calls for the renewal of hundreds of thousands of lapsed insurance policies have begun, reports P Sainath.




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Slowing down the suicides


There are several immediate steps both the Centre and the Maharashtra Government could take to ease the situation in Vidarbha. These would not solve the long-term crisis, but would surely slow down the farm suicides that continue to rise, writes P Sainath.




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It's official: distress up, suicides apalling


The Maharashtra Government's findings now show us that over 75 per cent of all farm households in the Vidharbha region are in distress. The data also show that farm suicides were 25 times higher this year than in 2001. But conscious jugglery works to play down the numbers, writes P Sainath.




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Suicides are about the living, not the dead


In society's eyes, Kamlabai is a `widow.' In her own, she's a small farmer trying to make a living and support her family. She is also one of about one lakh women across the country who've lost their husbands to farm suicides since the 1990s, writes P Sainath.




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Farm suicides worse after 2001


While the number of farm suicides kept increasing, the number of farmers has fallen since 2001, with countless thousands abandoning agriculture in distress, writes P Sainath.




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1.5 lakh farm suicides in 1997-2005


Close to 150,000 Indian farmers committed suicide in nine years from 1997 to 2005, official data show. While farm suicides have occurred in many States, nearly two thirds of these deaths are concentrated in five States, writes P Sainath.




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One farmer's suicide every 30 minutes


Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have together seen 89,362 farmers' suicides between 1997 and 2005. On average, one farmer took his or her life every 53 minutes between 1997 and 2005 in just these states, writes P Sainath.




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Over 16,600 farmer suicides in 2007


The broad trends of the past decade seem unshaken. Farmer suicides in the country since 1997 now total 182,936, but the real causes behind this devastation remain unaddressed, reports P Sainath.




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Nearly 2 lakh farm suicides since 1997


The share of the 'suicide belt' - Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh - remains very high; these states account for two-thirds of the total farm suicides in the country. P Sainath reports.




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Farm suicides: A 12-year saga


In 2006-08, Maharashtra saw 12, 493 farm suicides. That is 85 per cent higher than the 6,745 suicides it recorded during 1997-1999. And the worst three-year period for any State, any time. P Sainath reports.




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Urban Water: Judicial recipes falling short


Reviewing recent High Court and Supreme Court rulings, Videh Upadhyay comments on judicial recipes for protecting urban water bodies




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Legislature and Judiciary: The balance


Pradeep K Baisakh traces the changes in the balance of power between our courts and lawmakers.




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How the latest changes to our Constitution will impact the judiciary


A quick summary of the recently passed Constitution (121st Amendment) Bill 2014 from PRS Legislative Research outlines the broad changes that it will bring about in the judicial structure of the country.




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Why a depoliticised police force is a distant dream


With only 14 functional State Security Commissions in the country, and those too with flawed compositions and diluted roles, the efforts towards minimising government interference in police functioning have naturally been lax. Navya PK cites critical findings of a CHRI Report that shows the present sad state of our SSCs.




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The role of data in judicial reform


It is commonplace to cite the number of cases pending in Indian courts as evidence of a judicial crisis and suggest reforms based on the same. Aparna Chandra highlights why the numbers themselves need to be questioned and understood better for effective reform.




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Judicial delays: Understanding the system before fixing it


On 18 March, at a discussion organised by Daksh India, Nick Robinson from the Harvard Law School explored in detail the phenomenon of judicial delays, sharing insights from his work in both India and the US. Pavan Kulkarni summarises the points raised.




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Pracharak to politician, and now, activist


K N Govindacharya, the pracharak-turned-politician who led the Bharatiya Janata Party into power in the 1999 elections, is today a staunch campaigner against the politics and economics of globalization. He now promotes swadeshi development and says he has renounced party politics. N P Chekkutty caught up with Govindacharya.




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Kids steeped in hunger, while officials fiddle


Around 80,000 children in Madhya Pradesh are suffering from severe malnutrition. So stark is the situation that one evaluation report has said that even if the children were saved, they may go blind due to lack of vitamin A. Sachin Kumar Jain chronicles continuing negligence in government departments in M.P.