A UNESCO dossier examines the problems faced by the original tribal inhabitants of the Andaman islands. SINCE the 1780s, a variety of players have vied for space in the Andaman archipelago. Today, apart from the three wings of the country's armed forces, others including rice farmers, timber merchants and academics are trying to push out its original inhabitants from their traditional habitats. For the first time in the past 150 years,...
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Fresh doubts over Govt's stand on Bhopal liability
Did the Indian government guarantee Dow Chemicals, the parent company of Union Carbide, that it will not be held liable for the Bhopal gas tragedy? An RTI response has raised fresh questions over the government's position in the case, as it brought to light a letter written in 2006 by Dow Chemicals CEO Andrew Liveris to the then Indian Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen, claiming that the Indian government...
More »'Food security bill must address nutrition needs of poor'
Issues like nutrition and welfare of disadvantaged sections are likely to be in focus when the National Advisory Council discusses the food security bill in its next meeting July 1, a member of the council said Monday. 'The welfare of the deprived sections needs to be addressed in the bill,' NAC member and social activist Harsh Mander said Monday. Headed by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the recently...
More »Policing the police by Moyna
Surprise was in store for Sushil Kaushik when in 1989 he first joined duty as a constable in Serkot in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district. He had no idea how corrupt police officials can be. He saw policemen taking bribes, and superiors deducting constables’ salaries without giving any explanation. Kaushik questioned his bosses on the irregularities he came across. In Serkot his colleagues would take bribes from villagers who brought fire-wood...
More »RTI activist's name falsely used to file applications
Right to Information (RTI) activist S. C. Agrawal was recently involved in a case of stolen identity. He received a response from Air India and Central Vigilance Commission for RTI petitions he says he never filed. On May 10, he received a letter from Air India in response to an RTI petition regarding Air India's then General Manager (Vigilance). Upon checking his records, Mr. Agrawal said he had filed no such petition....
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