In the summer of 2006, I travelled with a group of scholars and writers through the district of Dantewada, then (as now) the epicentre of the conflict between the Indian State and Maoist rebels. Writing about my experiences in a four-part series published in The Telegraph, I predicted that the conflict would intensify, because the Maoists would not give up their commitment to armed struggle, while the government would not...
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Patkar leads protest against mega dam projects by Sushanta Talukdar
Social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar on Wednesday led thousands of protesters in laying a siege to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pratik Hazela's office here and blocking the busy Mahatma Gandhi Road for nearly two-and-half hours. They were demanding an immediate halt to mega river-dam projects in Arunachal Pradesh and other north-eastern States. The protesters, most of them NGO, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) activists, marched to the...
More »Govt slashes UIDAI budget by over 50 per cent
Troubles continue for the government's dream project Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Already battling a staff crunch, its request for Rs 7,000 crore to roll out 60 crore UID numbers in the first phase has been shot down by the Empowered Finance Committee (EFC). "The EFC is understood to have refused to entertain the request of the UIDAI for Rs 7,000 crore to execute the first phase of the ambitious...
More »Why you must read this censored chapter by Raman Kirpal
A RESEARCHER WORKING on the State of Panchayats Report (SOPR) 2008-09 met Mahangu Madiya in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, a dangerous place for gathering data. Madiya’s story was startling. In January, he was given Rs 55 lakh compensation for his land, but the amount is sitting in his bank account. He does not even own a mobile phone. “I am concerned with farming. My land is important to me. What will I...
More »PM's security killed our child: Kanpur couple
A Kanpur couple has alleged their 10-year-old son died because roadblocks set up for the Prime Minister’s visit to the city prevented the family from taking the child to hospital in time. Aman Khan, a Class 2 student, suffered head injuries on July 3 after the iron gate at his home in Shyam Nagar fell on him. His parents tried to take him to a hospital but were allegedly delayed because...
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