-The Hindu People’s objections, from Chhattisgarh to Odisha, against large development projects have brought out the real power of the Forest Rights Act of 2006. Democracy is alive and kicking in India. No, I am not referring to the Assembly elections. It is unfortunate that the term democracy has been reduced to the drama of periodic elections and the subsequent reliance of the electorate on politicians and bureaucrats. When these powerful few...
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‘Civil liberties in danger, but India fighting back’ -Kallol Bhattacherjee
-The Hindu Censorship by hardline Hindu groups has grown, says Amnesty Criticising the government for using archaic laws to suppress dissent, Amnesty International, in its report for 2015-16, has included India among countries that have failed to match up to the “international standard” of freedom of expression and civil liberties. The report especially noted that over the past year, crackdown on freedom of expression by majoritarian groups linked to the government had intensified,...
More »Where have all the women gone? -Charan Singh
-The Hindu Business Line The government must open up conventional and unconventional avenues for women to find their way into the workforce Officials in the finance ministry are busy with budgetary consultations. At the outset, it needs to be recognised that the Union Budget is more than a mere accounting exercise as it lays out the vision of the government and provides a strategy to implement it during the course of that year. In...
More »SC: Is AFSPA in Manipur eternal? -Dhananjay Mahapatra
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Manipur government how long the Army should be deployed in the state and enjoy unaccountable power under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and whether 35 years of the Army's presence had improved the law and order situation. The court had appointed a high-level inquiry committee headed by an ex-judge of the SC to inquire into allegations that...
More »Farmland-lease nod on table -Basant Kumar Mohanty
-The Telegraph New Delhi: A high-level panel is set to propose legalising the leasing of farmland in all states, a practice now banned in many states as a perceived legacy of the zamindari system. If it's legalised, people unable or unwilling to till their farmland - or at least the whole of it - can formally lease their land or a part of it for cultivation by others. This will allow millions of...
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