The decision to set up a nuclear power station with U.S.-made reactors at Kovvada in Ranasthalam mandal of Srikakulam district has caused serious concern among environmental and Social Activists. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is confident of completing the land acquisition process for Kovvada and four other coastal-based plants within one and half years. It wants clearances for the plants as fast-track projects. Sources have told The Hindu that...

Introduction The phenomenon of disability is one of the pressing problems in the world. According to the projections of international agencies, about 10 per cent of the population are affected with physical, mental, sensory and other forms of impairments and around 75 per cent of the disabled population are concentrated in the rural and inaccessible areas of the developing societies. This data is based on recent studies carried out in various...

At a time when there is growing concern about the causes of increasing discontent and alienation among tribals, it is important to recall a very important law for improving the governance of the Scheduled Areas in such a way as to protect the interests of tribals. The reference here is to the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996 (briefly called the PESA law). If this Act had been properly...

Drug companies in India will be prohibited from handing out cash or gifts or stand-alone entertainment to doctors under a code of ethics proposed by industry associations to govern the marketing of medicines. But the code has run into rough weather even before it has been adopted, with at least two industry associations disassociating themselves from the document, tabled at a meeting called today by the government’s department of pharmaceuticals. The two...

Social activist Medha Patkar has approached Governor M.C. Bhandare, apprehending fake encounter of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh leader Nachika Linga even as police recommended that the government ban the organisation for its alleged Maoist links and violent activities. A delegation of Social Activists led by Patkar approached the governor with a memorandum containing a list of demands in support of the organisation. The team included Prafulla Samantra of the Lokshakti...