The former finance secretary and former Indian ambassador to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), S.P. Shukla, has demanded that the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Act be repealed. Mr. Shukla was speaking at a national convention against SEZs organised at Gorai village on the outskirts of Mumbai on November 25 and 26. came together to resist the anti-people model of development that SEZs represented. Farmers, fishermen, labourers, activists, artists,...

Non-governmental organizations are making a difference to the lives of poor and marginalized people in India. Most work in geographically limited areas. They are idealistic and want change, and hope to enter the lives of those they work with. Funding agencies and NGOs are enthused by any sign of change in the long-failed state of Bihar. A virulent and discriminatory caste system that deprives the lower castes even of government-funded...

This has been a hot week for climate talks. The two laggards, China and the US, both departed from their no commitment stand to boldly announce the following: the US to reduce its carbon emissions by 17 per cent over 2005 levels, and China to reduce the intensity (CO2 emissions per unit of output) by 40-45 percent. Europe has already promised a 40 per cent cut in per capita terms....

The United Nations Conference on Women was held nearly 15 years ago in Beijing, China. This was an extraordinary moment in the history of the international women’s movements as well as women workers around the world, with unprecedented mobilisation of feminist policymakers, activists and academics in the international political arena, both prior to the conference and subsequently. The two-part conference, referred to as Beijing Platform and the Call for Action,...

Greenpeace today released a report – “Still Waiting” – which reveals that despite growth in electricity generation – and increasing carbon emissions – the rural poor continue to be deprived of electricity. The report challenges the government’s energy model and recommends a decentralised energy mix as a solution to overcome social injustice and mitigate climate change. The report compares the electricity supply scenarios among rural and urban areas in five...