Tomorrow's citizens participate today
Rasika Dhavse
profiles the Bala and Yuva Janaagraha campaigns at Bangalore.
Better accounting paying off
An update from Bangalore's PROOF (Public Records of Operations and Finance) campaign.
PROOF : The Citizen-Government bridge
Bangalore Municipality's fourth quarter results round up and other updates from the city'
Public Records of Operations and Finance (PROOF) campaign.
Rs.180 crores to bury a river
Leo Saldanha and Subramanya Sastry
on the threats to the Kali River from pollution and sand mining and more recently a proposal to build the seventh dam across the river's last stretch.
Better lived than talked about
With more citizens taking interest, Bangalore's Janaagraha campaign is expanding to neighboring municipal areas.
No ordinary farm
On G S Gidde Gowda's farm outside
Hassan, the theories
of conventional farming take a backseat, while he applies
a systematic
preference for nature's own hand.
Interview : Ugly duckling to swan
T R Raghunandan is a hard hitting IAS officer managing Rural Development at the Government of Karnataka. In this interview to India Together, he talks about decentralization reforms and the challenges of winding down prevailing hierarchies in government.
Waiting in the wings
Marginalised communities continue to demonstrate that they can own and operate their own media to ensure that their voices are heard. But is the Government looking their way, asks Ashish Sen.
Mangalore airport : Runaway runway?
A recent Supreme Court order has said that the Government shall build a second runway only in full compliance the law.
PROOF: Q3, Sustaining the partnership
An update from the Bangalore's Public Records of Operations and Finance (PROOF) campaign.
Making a Govt Scheme work
Kathyayini Chamaraj looks at a civil society partnership that is catalysing a government urban poverty alleviation programme.
Little by little, Keradi gets better
Led by children themselves, and ably assisted by
concerned adult guidance, a remarkable Children's Council
gives true meaning to citizenship and informed choices.
Democratising the Panchayats
The Government of Karnataka's Working Group on Decentralization discusses mechanisms for democratizing decision making in Panchayats. This is the third in a series of articles adapted from the Working Group's 2002 report.
Reinventing Rural Governance
The Government of Karnataka's Working Group on Decentralization discusses transparency and accountability for rural self-governance in the state. The first in a series of articles adapted from the Working Group's 2002 report.
Warrior Women of Coorg
Veena Poonacha's recent book on three Kodagu women chronicles a
significant journey into the changing fortunes of women in India, says
Geeta Seshu
Seeding hopes for food security
The Malenadu home garden and seed exchange network in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka has made an impressive beginning in saving seed diversity says Sunita Rao.
Improving Accountability in Panchayati Raj
The Government of Karnataka's Working Group on Decentralization discusses institutions for upward accountability in Panchayati Raj. The second in a series of articles adapted from the Working Group's 2002 report.
From fields to a BPO in 6 months
A first-of-its-kind women-only BPO started by 'Harva' in a Haryana village is all set to harness the rural talent while changing the rigid mindset of the people, transforming rural economy, writes
Hemlata Aithani.
Saved by the women
Narnaul illustrates above all the value of investing in women. Many have continued to be active and involved even though they have little
practical support from the Municipal Council, writes
Kalpana Sharma.
Panipat power plant pollutes with impunity
It has been happening for several years under the nose of the Haryana administration. The nation's top government auditor has issued multiple indictments. And yet they have polluted recklessly. Himanshu Upadhyaya tells the tale.
SSA's acclaim hides many failures
Despite being feted as a huge success, the flagship programme of the government for the universalisation of primary education
leaves much to be desired. Ironically, the easy availability of the funds for a supposedly successful scheme may be
preventing it from being as productive as it could otherwise be.
Kalpana Misra
reports.
Was the Bhakra dam worth it?
Three years of painstaking research has shattered many a myth around the most revered hydropower project in the country. A mere 20 per cent of all cultivable area in Punjab is under the dam's command area.
Sudhirendar Sharma
reviews the recently released Unravelling Bhakra : Assessing the Temple of Resurgent India.
"Never" on the agenda
As employers play hide and seek because they want to cut corners, thousands of women weavers in Haryana pay
the price, says
Alka Arya.
A murderous arithmetic
The 'importation' of brides from poorer states keeps dowry
rates in Haryana high, despite alarming levels of
female infanticide.
Ranjit Devraj
reports.
The Dhemaji Tragedy
Parthajit Baruah, director of documentary The Dhemaji Tragedy – An Undefined Chapter, the tragedy that happened on the Independence Day in 2004 talks to Shoma Chatterji.
Where leopards await human compassion
The lack of awareness about a traditionally peace-loving species and inadequate safeguards to protect their natural habitats and corridors are posing a serious threat to the continued survival of leopards in and around the city of Guwahati. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.
Blending theatre with nature
In Assam, a unique innovation by a passionate tribal theatre enthusiast succeeds in taking the art from the confines of the auditorium into the lap of nature, creating a near-cosmic experience for the performer as well as the audience. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.
SC verdict puts the spotlight on Bangla immigrants in Assam
Should foreign immigrants in Assam enjoy Indian citizenship as outlined by the Assam Accord and endorsed by Section 6A of the Citizenship Act? Tanvi Bhatikar reports on a recent court ruling that focuses on these questions.
NaMo-RaGa brand war drowns out Assam’s cries
The ruling government has seen limited success in some areas, but the state's lingering needs seem to have been forgotten in the war of personalities ahead of the looming parliamentary elections. Ratna Bharali Talukdar has more.
Areca nut opens up new horizons for Assamese youth
Eco-friendly disposable plates and bowls made from sheaths of the abundant areca nut plant in rural Assam hold great promise for a lucrative industry with global reach. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports on the enterprise.
Big hopes from small tea
The Assamese small tea sector has seen impressive growth over a relatively short span of time, thanks to the efforts of growers and support from
the Tea Board. All it needs now is state support to take it to the next level, reports
Ratna Bharali Talukdar.
Why Assam burns again
The recent nod to Telangana has led to unrest and violence anew in Assam, where several groups have been struggling for their respective states
for decades.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
looks at the current situation in the context of the long and checkered movements for statehood in the region.
'Pearl of water' transforming lives
An innovative eco-friendly handicraft, developed and promoted by NEDFi, using the abundant water hyacinth has improved the
economic conditions of rural artisans and crafts-women in the Northeast and given their lives new meaning
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
Opting out of the chaos
Endless ethnic clashes in the state since the 1990s, coupled with chronic flood and erosion, have triggered
large scale migration from Assam to greener pastures outside the state.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
Repeated mistakes in relief efforts
Despite years of conflicts and lakhs of people being housed in relief camps, the Assam government is yet to develop a practical
policy of responding to the recurring crises.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
Linking conservation to livelihoods
A livelihoods programme for villages on the fringes of Kaziranga National Park makes big gains in the fight against poaching, and also recognises
the importance of locals as stakeholders in wildlife conservation.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
Prayers answered: women enter Vaishnavite monastery
Ban on entry of women into places of worship comes out of deep-seated religious and cultural prejudices. However, a recent development in Western Assam's Barpeta district offers a ray of hope to those in search of justice, reports
Teresa Rehman.
Making silk looms spin faster
A young entrepreneur's new innovation promises to boost productivity and incomes in the weaving sector, and give a major fillip to an important industry in
Assam.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
A spate of witch-hunting assaults
Murders and other violent crimes are on the rise in Assam, as superstitious belief in witches provides cover for such actions. Both state and society
have much more to do, writes
Ratna Bharali Talukdar.
New sparkle in Assam's jewels
With training from the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurs, a new generation of jewellery traders is making its mark in Assam, focusing on
traditional designs.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
The wrecking sand dunes of upper Assam
Farmers in Assam have had to move out of agriculture during the past two years because sand dunes created over their fertile lands. Comprehensive bungling of river flood control and other ill-thought out projects are the cause,
finds
Surekha Sule.
Fishy, with lots of money
Assam is blessed with more than 150 indigenous ornamental fish species, and these are found in abundance in its natural waters. Now, the government is
trying to organise the market for these, and promote new businesses.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
Bodo weavers spin money in Bhutan
In a region mired in conflict for a decade now, the emergence and growth of weaving as a livelihood option for Bodo women has been welcome, and the
women have taken to it with great entrepreneurship.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
River dolphin numbers rise
Recent conservation efforts, linked to the development of alternate livelihood options for local communities along the Brahmaputra, have led
to new hope for Assam's state aquatic animal.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.
Sericulture gets a boost
A cluster plantation scheme promoted by the state government in Assam is providing new opportunities in silk production for thousands of
families.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports on the effort and the challenges it faces.
Jhum cultivation under conflict in the Northeast
Shifting cultivation in the Northeast, called jhum, is under stress because of conflicts and industrialisation.
Sriram Ananthanarayanan
examines how the cycle of jhum cultivation is getting adversely affected, causing immense hardship to the people dependent on it.
Long disenfranchised, and struggling for ST status
The struggle of Adivasis in Assam is more or less unique. It is the only state in India where, post Independence, adivasis were given Other Backward Class (OBC) status instead of Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Sriram Ananthanarayanan
says this, and their struggle, warrants an examination.
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.
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.
River erosion threatens Majuli
Dramatic erosion of embankments, and continuous siltation threaten to wipe away a large island settlement on the Brahmaputra. Residents unhappy with
the government's efforts to stem the erosion are now hoping the island's heritage and ecology will attract more attention.
Ratna Bharali Talukdar
reports.