io Decommissioning the diaper By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sun, 01 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000 L S Aravinda points out that many Indian children are better off because their parents prefer natural infant hygiene, but warns of an increasing number being swayed by 'the convenience' of diapers. Full Article
io Malnutrition rampant, may trigger crisis By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 "India should be worried." Experts reiterate that child malnutrition is not only responsible for 22 per cent of India's disease burden - and for 50 per cent of the 2.3 million child deaths in India -- but is also a serious economic hazard. Neeta Lal reports. Full Article
io Community conservation gaining By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 01 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000 Rasika Dhavse reports on the transition from conventional conservation practices to community based ones. Full Article
io Institutionalising compensation for lost forests By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 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. Full Article
io Uttarakhand Gujjars being ousted without compensation By indiatogether.org Published On :: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000 A large number of Ban Gujjar tribal families remaining within the Rajaji National Park are facing constant harassment from the state forest department. Their rehabilitation is mired in red tape. Aparna Pallavi reports. Full Article
io Tribals, forest interdependence, and integration By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Defining a clear land-use policy, integrating indigenous people along with their skills, encouraging mutual exchange between tribals and the outside world can help make the process of change easier for the indigenous folk. Malini Shankar digs deeper. Full Article
io Euphemising forest diversion? By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 06:36:34 +0000 Plantations or reforestation cannot replace natural forests, which provides an essential ecosystem. Unless policy makers realise this, our natural forests will continue to be used for various purposes shrinking the forest cover further, says Meenal Tatpati. Full Article
io When violence is not news By indiatogether.org Published On :: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000 The challenge before the media is to move beyond clubbing what happens to women with routine crime briefs, on the one hand, and sensational stories, on the other, to cover "the greatest human rights scandal of our times". Ammu Joseph looks at media coverage of violence against women. Full Article
io Covering the silent revolution By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000 A flurry of activities of senior citizen associations and related news coverage usually herald the International (and National) Day of Older Persons, annually observed on 1 October since 1990. However, it will take much more to focus serious attention on the world's fastest growing population group, says Ammu Joseph. Full Article
io Missing in action By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 A newly released report reveals that dialogue with and within the media is needed, not just to get gendered issues or events covered but, more importantly, to promote "a gender vision." Ammu Joseph notes that if accuracy and balance are the hallmarks of good journalism, better representation of women is integral to professionalism in the media. Full Article
io Countdown to better representation of women in media By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000 The worlds largest and longest-running longitudinal research and action initiative on gender in the news media released in New York on 2 March, where the 54th session of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is currently on. Ammu Joseph summarises the findings. Full Article
io The evolution of violence By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Violence in India has followed this macro-to-micro trajectory of Indian modernity. As different forces have shaped modernity, we have shifted from large-scale acts of violence cutting across national boundaries, to state-level violence, to village level violence, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io The nation and the nation-state By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 In India, as in no other large country in the world, the nation still has the potential to reign in the hegemony of the nation-state. If this happens, some of the worst forms of violence will be curtailed, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io Privatisation of behaviour By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Ritual culture is fundamentally incompatible with modern city life, but an alternative based on an implicit social contract has yet to emerge in India, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io The prickliness of our foreign relations By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000 New forms of power and influence are emerging in the 21st century, with opportunities no longer controlled by the west. So why are we harking to outmoded forms of power, asks Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io The nation as a person By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000 What happens once our self-understanding of India has been permanently transformed by the collective belief that India is a person? Some consequences are obvious; others are subtler, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io Institutional order and disorder By indiatogether.org Published On :: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000 We should profitably contrast the flexible chaos of our institutions with the iron order of the west. The management of diversity requires a sensible mix of order and chaos, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io Institutional ethics By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000 We need a new mechanism for creating trust, a mechanism that is neither traditional nor institutional. Post-institutional technology holds more hope than rule-based institutions, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io The nationalisms of India By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000 Is it at all possible to be an Indian nationalist without losing sight of our common humanity? Can nationalism ever be an emancipatory principle, asks Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io The national process By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 The nation is still the best mediator of the sphere of thought and the sphere of action. Even in a changing world, we cannot wish away the Indian nation and replace it with a world government overnight, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan. Full Article
io Wake up call on reservoir siltation nationwide By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Siltation studies of 27 dam-created reservoirs spanning the nation, obtained using the RTI law indicate that all is not well. Storage capacities of the reservoirs have been dropping and the loss is alarming; what's worse, little is being to done to stop the wastage, find Himanshu Thakkar & Swarup Bhattacharyya. Full Article
io Rioters against ration dealers By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000 Agitators in West Bengal have squarely accused the ration dealers of manipulating the supplies of wheat and rice for the open market by selling them at higher prices. Many of the ration dealers are themselves ruling party functionaries presiding over panchayat bodies. Shoma Chatterji has more. Full Article
io Reckless borrowing, unholy redemption By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 With support from the Gujarat legislature, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited's has moved to redeem its deeply discounted bonds prematurely, despite indictments from the audit watchdog and objections by SEBI. The matter is now at the Supreme Court. Himanshu Upadhyaya has more. Full Article
io CAG finds gaps in Arunachal education By indiatogether.org Published On :: Wed, 19 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 While the infusion of SSA funds has helped the State make considerable progress on many counts, there is still much to be done, to ensure all the necessary inputs flow to the schools. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports. Full Article
io Chhattisgarh’s food ATMs: Portable benefits minus biometrics By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 12:45:22 +0000 The smart-card driven CORE-PDS system demonstrates the feasibility of introducing portability in social security systems without the use of biometrics. A student team from IIT Delhi surveys Fair Price Shops in Raipur district following the new system to assess how it has been faring. Full Article
io The vision for our villages By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 04:09:17 +0000 6,433 model villages by 2024? A summary of the key features of the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, recently launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the objective of facilitating development in villages Full Article
io Is this committee overestimating leakages in ration to curb the food security act? By indiatogether.org Published On :: Fri, 13 Feb 2015 10:53:13 +0000 The report of a high level committee under BJP MP Shanta Kumar proposes radical restructuring of the PDS and reduced coverage of the food security act. But is the estimate of leakages in the report flawed in itself? Shambhu Ghatak presents alternative findings. Full Article
io The slow destruction of NREGA: Evidence from Jharkhand By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 16 Mar 2015 04:19:19 +0000 Wage delays, inadequate manpower and the indifference of authorities to real issues on the ground are stripping the employment guarantee programme of its strong potential to improve rural lives, and budget cuts have only made it worse. Ankita Aggarwal reports from Jharkhand. Full Article
io "Only the idiots are committing suicide" By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 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. Full Article
io Reorienting research priorities By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 01 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000 Having failed to meet the challenges of the post-green revolution era, agricultural research has reached a dead end, says Devinder Sharma. Full Article
io Towards a grey revolution? By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sun, 01 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Encouraging contract farming is going to hurt the 600 million people dependent on subsistence agriculture, says Devinder Sharma. Full Article
io Saving water to feed the billions By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Well-known experts presented `Water: More Nutrition Per Drop' at the April 20 meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York. Sudhirendar Sharma reviews the report and its considerations of the Indian situation. Full Article
io A revolution long turned brown By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sun, 01 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000 The measure of the Budget lies in whether the proposals have the potential to provide an effective solution to the crisis of the agrarian community. On that score, says Kasturi Das, there will be little to cheer as long as the government persist with the failed Green Revolution model. Full Article
io Biotech policy : task force report By indiatogether.org Published On :: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Suman Sahai comments on the recently released report of Task Force on Biotechnology policy. Full Article
io UN MDGs, hunger, and biodiversity By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Five years ago, the United Nations set a goal to drastically reduce hunger and poverty in the world by 2015. This September, the UN met at New York with over 850 million people going hungry everyday. To target hunger, an international consultation in April at Chennai had recommended a new approach to the UN, reports Ramesh Menon. Full Article
io Biotech Policy: secretive and hasty By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000 The government's stance towards biotechnology shows such disregard for the public interest that even its own Expert Committee is not privy to the proposed new policy. Suman Sahai protests the reckless endorsement of vested interests while many other stakeholders are kept in the dark. Full Article
io Scars of the Green Revolution By indiatogether.org Published On :: Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Sick soils, declining yields, growing debts and rising malnutrition stalk the Punjab farmer, as the practices of the boom years catch up with him, writes Bhaskar Goswami. Full Article
io A suggestion for Munnabhai By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000 As Munnabhai has already tackled the callousness of our health system, and the greed of real estate sharks, how about tackling the one Indian tradition that refuses to die that of dowry? I could imagine that such a film could work very well, says Kalpana Sharma. Full Article
io Sex education and survival tools By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 The recent decisions of several state governments to ban sex education in all schools concern everyone, particularly women. In this age of the knowledge economy, we cannot believe that people's access to information on any subject, including matters relating to sex, can be controlled, says Kalpana Sharma. Full Article
io At last, some good news on conservation By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000 India's community conservation areas (CCAs) are nowhere near prosaic; they are instead heartening and remarkable pools of ecological and biodiversity rejuvenation in a country beset with environmental degradation in its bid to industrialise. Keya Acharya identifies the silver lining. Full Article
io The sensitive sociologist By indiatogether.org Published On :: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Any social scientist would give an arm and a leg to coin one new concept. M N Srinivas invented three such, with each resonating widely among the intellectual community, writes Ramachandra Guha Full Article
io Imperious authoritarianism in the garb of modernity By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Our deities can't be bullied into becoming soulless robotic creatures that yield to every new wave of political fashion. Madhu Purnima Kishwar wants protection from the new missionaries of uniformity. Full Article
io Unexpected sounds on Southern radio By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000 One would think that Hindi and Kannada music would never play in Chennai on radio, and Bangalore because of its unique history would surely have Tamil and Telugu songs on air. And Hyderabad must have one Hindi station. Wrong, finds Vaishnavi Vittal. The Great Indian South is one big surprise! Full Article
io The city in question By indiatogether.org Published On :: Wed, 29 May 2019 17:28:26 +0000 Girish Karnad's clear-eyed, unsentimental and even self-deprecatory view of the city seems rare in the Indian narrative imagination, which continues to nurse the notion of ‘the village innocent’ vs ‘the city corrupt’. Full Article
io 'Not the litmus test for patriotism' By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 05 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 The entire weight of technical opinion has been to proceed with caution on the Interlinking of Rivers. An extract of Jairam Ramesh's speech in the Rajya Sabha debate on the working of Ministry of Water Resources on 20 April 2005. Full Article
io Have you overstepped the Sustainable Consumption Line? By indiatogether.org Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Humanity has collectively crossed the limits necessary for ecological sustainability. Ashish Kothari argues for a sustainable consumption line that would ensure individuals and communities do not partake of resources in a way that deprives others or endangers the environment further. Full Article
io Production cost Rs. 60, auction price Rs. 47 By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 01 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000 As tea estates are closing down, 70,000 plantation workers in Kerala face joblessness. M Suchitra and M P Basheer report from Peermade. Full Article
io Saviour of the hassled commuter By indiatogether.org Published On :: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000 Rasika Dhavse summaries a study on bus transport systems from India's Auto Fuel Policy report of 2002. Full Article
io Unemployment and migration By indiatogether.org Published On :: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Jobless growth and regional imbalances have collectively spurred migration, and this is the larger malaise behind recent mass murders on ethnic lines, says Swati Narayan. Full Article
io Diamond Point : where dignity is auctioned By indiatogether.org Published On :: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Hyderabad has been seeing a spurt in construction activity whose benefits are not exactly trickling down to daily wage workers. Safia Sircar finds out why. Full Article