The article presents the political and economic impacts of various kinds of natural and man-made disasters and associated displacement of populations, and argues for a wider and more inclusive definition of disasters in the interest of human rights, social justice and equity for the victims of disasters. Legislation, Disasters and People Numerous disasters at national and international levels have caused governments to recognise the need for rapid and effective response to provide...

The Centre plans to bring a "state-of-the-art" legislation in the Winter session of Parliament to deal with complaints of corruption against judges and ensure accountability in higher judiciary. The Judges Standards and Accountability Bill will cover the "entire judiciary" and would not be a "one sided affair". It would also provide appropriate protection to the judges so that "it will not be misused," says Law and Justice Minister M Veerappa...

The current contraction in global economic growth offers an opportunity to re-assess what will foster economic resurgence.  The sustained growth of India’s IT sector is a further example of what can be achieved through strategic use of IP A strong commitment to strengthening its IP capacity will help India unleash the full potential of its people The Indian government has declared a decade of innovation, emphasising the importance of innovation...

There is a growing chorus of views - representing some very influential writers in India and elsewhere - in favour of direct cash transfer into poor people's bank accounts as a more efficient social security net than the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Economist Arvind Panagariya has called direct cash transfer ''the least costly policy to give immediate relief to the poor". Having returned from a series of field...

Judges at India's Supreme Court have made public details about their financial Assets and published the information on the court's website. Twenty one judges of the country's highest court presided over by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan have declared Assets owned by them and their spouses. The landmark move follows intense public debate about the importance of judicial accountability in India. The decision is likely to lead to some 600 high court...