With a few more Udavum Karangals, the world would probably be an ideal place! Shoma A. Chatterji chronicles the story of the Chennai-based NGO that has helped thousands among the destitute and underprivileged find a new life of dignity and purpose.

A one-on-one with India’s most well-known historian, Romila Thapar, who shares her thoughts on intellectuals protesting the growing communal discord, the ever-shrinking “liberal space” and the need for a dialogue that defines pluralism in the Indian context with Rashme Sehgal.

For decades now the beautiful state of Manipur has been suffering from the violent insurgency and the excesses of the Indian army. Pushpa Achanta visits the state and narrates her experiences which shows how much is not known about the state or its people.

2009 – mid 2014: UPA.
Mid 2014 – present: NDA.
This map will show you that irrespective of who’s at the helm, national policies and issues considered sacrosanct are not open to debate in our country.

The shocking physical abuse inflicted on police horse Shaktimaan has rightly created a furore in society. But cruelty towards animals does not just manifest itself in stray, isolated incidents. Shoma Chatterji draws attention to the treatment of animals in film making and stresses the need for strict monitoring.

The women of Meghpar village of Kutch District are fighting the big port town Gandhidham municipality which is dumping its waste in their village. Vimal Kalavadiya and Shvetangini Patel report from Kutch.

Shoma Chatterji writes about the challenges faced and efforts being made in the Northeastern states of India to encourage and support film making.

It has been more than nine months since a political crisis has snowballed into a battle between the tribals and the non-tribals of Manipur creating sharp divisions. Ramesh Menon surveys the fragile situation.

With over 2.19 crore pending cases, the Chief Justice of India pleads again to fill the numerous vacancies in the judiciary at the earliest. Ramesh Menon reports.

A brief overview of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 by PRS legislative.

While stonewalling their demand to broadcast news, the I&B Ministry has said CR stations can air AIR bulletins instead. Geeta Seshu reports.

With the instant triple talaq been declared unconstitutional, Shoma Chatterji finds it interesting to look back at how the Muslim identity has been represented in Hindi cinema and if it will change now.

Shoma Chatterji reviews a beautiful short film Amma Meri that was screened recently in a film festival.

The World Bank's Inspection Panel finds that a Bank-backed coal mine disrupted livelihoods by violating guidelines on resettlement, supervision, and the environment.

Despite an inspection confirming substantial violations of its lending policies in a Coal India project, the World Bank's board recommends only minimal action, and claims local people gained nonetheless.

Shabnam Dhar

In the poorest part of Jharkhand, community radio has become an important instrument for the development of neglected communities. If access to their own media were freer, the villagers believe, things could be even better. Pratibha Jyoti reports on the progress made even without government support for community stations.

"There is this growing feeling among the adivasis of Jharkhand that in this newly created state, given to them only in name, they stand at the crossroads," runs the commentary in Ab Aur Waqt Nahin, a documentary film directed by Abhijoy Karlekar. Shoma Chatterji reviews the film.

I would like to salute women like Dayamani Barla, for reminding us that there are other ways to "develop" and that it is possible to fight peacefully but with determination for your convictions, writes Kalpana Sharma.

"The main hurdle to the development of Jharkhand is political: the state’s resources are under the control of this criminal nexus, and people have no say." Jivesh Singh interviews Jean Dreze on Jharkhand's 10th anniversary.

The forests of India have enough treasure to power the economy of the whole country, it seems, but not enough to empower the adivasis. Shoma Chatterji reviews Johar.

Less than 100 days of work and chronic delays in payment - in continuing focus on NREGS implementation across states, Himanshu Upadhyaya summarises the findings of a recent performance review by the CAG of the scheme in Jharkhand.

The Dhanbad and Jharia regions in Jharkhand, noted for rampant coal mining and related operations, face grave environmental issues due to dumping of pollutant by-products from coal washeries. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports after a visit to Dhanbad.

Jan Adhikar Yatra, a ten-day long march took place across the state of Jharkhand last month. The yatra was to mobilise people against the growing attacks on their basic rights like employment guarantee, food security, social security, and right to their forest and land. Ankita Aggarwal reports about her experience in the Yatra.

A state-wide campaign called “Yojana Banao Abhiyan” undertaken to plan for NREGA implementation in Jharkhand has sensitized the people and authorities to the potential of the scheme and recharged local democratic institutions. Ankita Aggarwal reports.

With help from formal learning centres, CRY, and the Dalit and Adivasi Liberation Trust, Orissa's forgotten villages work to control their own destinies.

Sudarshan Chhotoray reports on displacement and lack of rehabilitation in water projects in Orissa.

Dilip D'Souza on how unglamorous measures have begun to pay off for the Saora people in Orissa.

B V Narasimham

A conniving chain of regulators, police, and contractors is profiteering upon the backs of gruelling labour by migrants. Jaideep Hardikar reports on the exploitation.

In its eagerness to provide more Central funding for large irrigation projects, the government is overlooking an important fact - that the proposed mechanism for this funding has been severely indicted for corruption by the CAG. Himanshu Upadhyaya offers a few examples.

The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court has found illegalities in central government clearances to Sterlite Industries' bauxite mining project in Orissa. The committee has recommended (to the apex court) against diversion of forestlands for the project. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Months before the recent police firings during tribal protests in Kalinganagar, Orissa, the state government and international development agencies had finalised a draft for a comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation for project-affected people. Manipadma Jena reports that the policy is likely to come into force in March 2006.

The Orissa state government is proposing to amend a law that prevents easy selling of tribal land to non-tribals. The government's argument -- that land sale is one of the important ways for needy tribals to raise immediate cash – does not appear as benign as it sounds, writes Pradeep Baisakh.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is being implemented in Orissa in stops and starts. But by pressing for information on NREGA benefits using the sunshine law, citizens are able to hold officials accountable and are able to remedy the situation by themselves in some cases. Pradeep Baisakh has more.

In one of development's pampered districts in Orissa, chamar children are still polishing shoes, some even as they are supposedly schooling. Special economic packages are helping only a little here, and academic performance and serious rehabilitation remain abysmal, finds Ranjan K Panda.

A remote school with no electricity, in an area full of other institutions that don't fare well. Why does the Swastik school in Godbhanga village in Orissa perform so much better than others in the district? Ranjan K Panda observes that it is led by someone who perseveres, and all its achievements can be traced to this simple fact.

With Mittal Steel moving into India, it becomes even more important to look at the firm's poor environmental and social track record around the world in its rise to become the world's largest steel maker. There are crucial lessons for the governments of Orissa and Jharkhand, but are they listening, asks Sunita Dubey.

In this small sleepy Orissa village with a population of barely 400 adivasis, where there is no electricity and harsh conditions prevail, there is something remarkable about the women. Their level of awareness, their attitude and their personality have undergone a dramatic change in the last few years. Pradeep Baisakh has more.

A large development or industrial project, stiff people's protests, takeover of vast tracts of land, widespread environmental and social impacts, and more. All of these realities have manifested themselves in government clearances for the POSCO project in Orissa. Manshi Asher and Kanchi Kohli analyse the current situation.

Rs.500 crores of Orissa's funds for rural employment guarantees for 2006-7 appear to have been siphoned off by the state bureaucracy. This money would have brought 10 lakh poorest families two subsistence meals for four-six months, at a time of hunger and starvation deaths. Parshuram Rai has more.

Thousands of miles away from India, the Norwegian Government's pension fund has recognized what has gone wrong with a global corporation's mining interests in Orissa's Niyamgiri hills. But the decision will be made in the Supreme Court, and things do not look promising, notes Kanchi Kohli.

The Supreme Court acknowledges the indictment of Vedanta's operations in India by the Norwegian Council on Ethics, but its recent verdict appears to let the company off lightly, treating the Indian subsidiary as unrelated to its parent. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Launched after a successful international pledge campaign in 2007, the Bakul children's library in Bhubaneshwar is slowly turning into a node for various kinds of volunteering. Professors, young artists, students, organisers and others have started chipping in. Sailen Routray has more.

Despite many shortcomings in implementation, an array of examples and a government willing to move on public pressure are showing that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is making progress in Orissa. Pradeep Baisakh reports.

POSCO's attempt to separate the mining, steel plant and port components in getting environmental and forest clearances from the central government has been wrong-footed by the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court. The committee took a wholistic view, but several concerns remain, says Kanchi Kohli.

The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court's forest bench has put forward recommendations on how the court's order on Vedanta Alumina's plans for mining in Orissa should proceed. Kanchi Kohli reports on a continuing tale of intrigue, as the locals get one more breather.

Resistance to large projects is founded on many fears and objections. Key among them is loss of access to water. Without proper consideration of the water impacts of development plans, public acceptance of these projects will remain elusive, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

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.

The recession in the West is having a profound impact on the deep rural interior of Orissa. Thousands are returning home, writes P Sainath.