Two-and-A-half years ago, Kandhamal was tagged as a “national shame”, after communal violence triggered by the killing of a Hindu seer left 38 people dead, with houses and churches burnt and vandalised, and thousands of people homeless. But on February 2, Kandhamal is set to get a different tag — one of “national pride” — as the Union Ministry of Rural Development awards it for being one of the top 10...
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Of margins and the marginalised by Jayati Ghosh
The countrywide share of corporate retail in food distribution tripled in the past four years when retail food prices showed the greatest increase. THE dramatic increase in food inflation over the past two years has been associated with several surprises. One major surprise has been how the top economic policymakers in the country have responded to it. The initial response was one of apparent disbelief, followed very quickly by the...
More »Mirchpur violence: dalits leave village fearing Jat threat
Nearly a dozen dalit families have left this village in the last 15 days as last year's violence in Mirchpur has come back to haunt them. It was here that a 70-year-old and his physically-challenged daughter were killed in an attack by the dominant Jat community. The fear of violence from Jats, who have over the past 12 days staged protests demanding the release of those arrested for the incident in...
More »Post office is out of bounds to us, say dalits by Anisha Sheth
It is located in a separate building on the residential premises of the postmaster dalits forced to transact from outside ‘If we try to enter the post office, they block the door' Seventy five-year-old Bailu has never set foot in the post office in her village in Betlhangady taluk for fear of being thrown out. dalits of Melanthabettu village, located about 6 km from Belthangady, say they are denied entry into the post...
More »Mirchpur residents end agitation
The 11-day-long agitation by the residents of Mirchpur and adjoining villages, demanding a fresh probe into the killing of two dalits, ended on Wednesday after talks with Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday concluded on a positive note. The talks between Bhag Singh Jalabh, convener of the 41-member committee constituted by the Sarvjatiya Sarvkhap Mahapanchayat, and Mr. Hooda were held in Kaithal. Mr. Jalabh said the meeting was held in...
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