-The Times of India   Shocking video has emerged of naked Jarawa tribals in the Andaman islands being made to dance before tourists for food and money during the course of 'human safaris' organized by operators in connivance with local authorities.  According to a report in the UK-based 'Observer' newspaper, which also released the footage taken by its reporter, the safaris brazenly flout laws that prohibit close contact with the tribals and photographing...

Indigenous knowledge and farming practices of the region's tribal people recognised for promoting food security and conserving biodiversity Traditional farming systems in India have received a major boost at a time when Indian agriculture is struggling to come to terms with modern technologies. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has accorded the status of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) to the traditional agricultural system being practiced...

-Down to Earth   Study shows untouchability and caste bias determine access to health care in rural areas A study on the access to health care services in Gujarat has found that children in rural areas who belong to backward castes are being left out of vaccination drives when compared to children of upper castes. The study conducted in 2011 by Navsarjan, a non-profit, focused on the coverage of polio vaccine campaign in 68...

Salman Khurshid’s proposal to send law school graduates to remote districts for a year should also benefit those who need free legal aid THE UNION law ministry’s proposal to send students to practice for a year in far-flung districts of the country after finishing studies is an excellent idea — and long overdue. But it can be a progressive move only if it is thought through properly. Ways have to be...

The Jharkhand government has appealed to Maoist rebels to make a fresh beginning in the New Year by surrendering to the rule of law, as it responded to feelers from a section of cadres, but did not promise any let-up in ongoing anti-rebel operations. The government gave a month’s time to active members of CPI(Maoist) to return to the mainstream, through an advertisement in local dailies on December 31. In the public...