-Down to Earth The Gram Nyayalaya Act was passed in 2008 to make the judicial process participatory, inexpensive and accessible to rural India. But rural courts are still few and far between When a mobile court visited Luhari village in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district a year ago, it was a blessing for people like Birsan Singh. A tea vendor, Birsan would lose his daily income whenever he had to attend court. He...
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Why do millions of Indians defecate in the open? -Shannti Dinnoo
-BBC It's early morning and local commuters are queuing up for tickets at the Kirti Nagar railway station in the Indian capital, Delhi. Along the tracks, another crowd is gathering - each person on his own, separated by a modest distance. They are among the 48% of Indians who do not have access to proper sanitation. Coming from a slum close-by, they squat among the few trees and bushes along the railway tracks...
More »Trouble in the hills -Bhoomika Joshi
-The Hindu On the first anniversary of the Uttarakhand disaster, here's a look at issues plaguing the fledgling state. On June 16, it will be a year since Uttarakhand experienced its worst natural disaster. It was also a year of loss, of grief, of recovery and of resilience. While those affected continue to cope and rise, we need to look beyond the disaster in order to unravel the contradictions and challenges that...
More »Uttarakhand pushes for more hydropower projects -Soma Basu
-Down to Earth Lakhwar-Vyasi project cleared by Centre this year is a violation of Supreme Court order, says expert The Uttarakhand government is pushing for more hydropower projects in the state even through a Supreme Court-appointed panel of experts blamed existing hydel power projects in the state for the Uttarakhand flood disaster of 2013. The panel has sought complete overhaul of the environment clearance mechanism for such projects. The state government has...
More »Rs 60,000 crore cost overrun in Maharashtra irrigation projects: CAG
-The Times of India MUMBAI: In a severe indictment of the state irrigation department, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India that inspected 601 ongoing projects in the state has found a cost overrun of Rs 60,235 crore. Nearly 77 projects have been underway for more than 30 years and another 195 projects for more than 15 years. Of the 601 ongoing projects, there was a cost overrun of Rs 47,427 crore...
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