-The Friday Times How are demographics changing in Assam and Bengal? And what does this mean for 'indigenous' communities? Garga Chatterjee considers the argument for territorial purity The Assam state of the Indian Union has seen violence flare up suddenly from July 6th. With more than 40 people reported dead and upwards of one and a half lakh displaced in a week, the Kokrajhar riots between Bodos and Muslims have again brought...
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Lifting AFSPA will hit Kashmir ops: Army Chief-Manu Pubby
-The Indian Express The Army is against thinning of troops in Jammu and Kashmir and has reiterated its position that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act should not be withdrawn from certain parts as has been proposed by the state government. Army Chief General Bikram Singh, who visited the Northern Command last month, is believed to have recommended to the Ministry of Defence that thinning of troops is not feasible at present...
More »World close to ending polio, yet it's a tough foe
-AP Less than four months ago the world was cheered to learn that India had gone a full year with no new cases of polio, a landmark that left only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria on the World Health Organization's list of countries where the disease is endemic. But the battle is far from over, judging by the WHO's latest expressions of alarm. It says that in both Nigeria and Afghanistan the number...
More »Dams and the Damned-Ramachandra Guha
In September 2010, a large public meeting was held in Guwahati to discuss the impact of large hydroelectric projects in the Northeast. In attendance was Jairam Ramesh, then the minister of environment and forests in the government of India. Ramesh heard that the people of Assam were worried that the hundred and more dams being planned in Arunachal Pradesh would reduce water-flows, increase the chance of floods, and deplete fish...
More »We need a new anti-Maoist strategy
-Live Mint Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh is advocating a new approach to fighting the Maoist Insurgency that has gripped 78 districts so far. Apart from development and security, the approach involves politics and justice, he said. In an interview, Ramesh warned that in the rush to attain high growth rates, India was placing the interests of tribals below that of mining firms. The minister suggested the setting up of a...
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