-The Deccan Herald Cover eight states, hold meetings in 87 villages Rights groups released a report here demanding the implementation of Panchayats (Extention to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) and rights of the tribals in India. The recommendations were based on the 39 days of foot march conducted by the Adivasi Janjati Adhikar Manch (AJAM), supported by ActionAid. The primary demand put forth by the tribals was implementation of PESA in Forest Rights Act, 2006...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Penance for Ganga-Purnima S Tripathi
An environmental scientist continues his relentless battle to save the Ganga, this time by starting a fast unto death. THE campaign to save the Ganga has cost one life in the hill State of Uttarakhand. The life of another activist now hinges on the government's commitment. In 2011, Swami Nigamananda of Matri Sadan undertook a fast unto death demanding an end to illegal sand mining in the Ganga, at least in Haridwar...
More »Has Poverty Really Dropped in India? by Nikhila Gill
Remember when the public was outraged at the idea that the poverty line should be 32 rupees, or 63 cents, a day in urban areas? We’ve now learned it should really be 29 rupees. And believe it or not, this is no sleight of hand to show a drop in poverty. The Planning Commission’s latest poverty estimates, released Monday evening, show a 7 percentage-point drop in India’s poor, the largest fall since...
More »Poverty line: Myths, perceptions and reality by Sriram Balasubramanian
The Planning Commission is back in the news. The latest round of poverty levels that have been disclosed have created another debate in the country. Once more, people are stunned at the meager rate of Rs 28 that has been defined as the poverty line. Even though I addressed some apprehensions in an earlier post, this time around the issue seems to be more about myths, perceptions and lack of...
More »Open access to government data on the cards-T Ramachandran
The way has been cleared for public access to the data collected by Union government ministries and departments, with official approval being accorded to the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP). Following its recent approval by the Union Cabinet, the policy has been notified and is in the process of being gazetted, said R. Siva Kumar, CEO of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and head of the Natural Resources Data...
More »