IN PATNI, a remote village in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, sevenmonth- old Sandeep is playing in the mud. He finds a pumpkin seed in the dust and promptly puts it into his mouth. A tiny piece of cow dung, a pebble, a fallen leaf and finally the sole of a rubber slipper follow the pumpkin seed. For Sandeep and the children in the 300- odd families in the village,...

Highlighting the fact that the tobacco industry often pays the lowest possible wages, keeping its workers in a cycle of poverty, debt and ill-health, a recent research study titled “At the crossroads of life and livelihood: The economics, poverty and working conditions of people employed in the tobacco industry in India” presents key evidence linking tobacco production and manufacturing with crucial issues of growing poverty and impeded development. The study recommends...

Tamil Nadu's success in implementing the NREGA shows its commitment to social welfare, and the way ahead for other states. The share of women in the NREGA workforce has remained high from the beginning and is the highest in the country The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), enacted in 2005, has had a varied record so far. In many states, implementation has been lame (e.g. Bihar and Gujarat) or...

Even as Maoists continue to pose a threat to the government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday urged panchayats to play a big role in helping the Centre tackle the rebels by working more effectively and ensuring administrative transparency. Inaugurating a conference to celebrate ‘National Panchayati Raj Day' under the auspices of the Ministry of the Panchayati Raj here on Saturday, Dr. Singh said that if Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) functioned...

How did your trip to Niyamgiri and Vedanta’s mining project there come about? I’ve been a human rights, social justice and environment protection advocate for the last 30 years. I am the founder and chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation. I also love India and have a long relationship with this country. Many people know this. This is why Action Aid approached me to meet Sitaram Kulisika, a tribal...