-The Hindu Citizens march from Vrindavan to Delhi to demand a right to their lifeline – the Yamuna Why are thousands marching presently from Vrindavan to Delhi? Not for jobs, special privileges or land rights. But for their lifeline river Yamuna, which for many of them is integral to their daily chores, as to them the river is much more than a mere physical entity. It is well known that the folklore associated...

-The Hindu Paper products made out of elephant and rhinoceros excreta are a duo’s idea of nature conservation. Innovation can be described as finding creative solutions to a problem. And if the solution happens to solve more than one problem, then that’s a huge bonus. Retired Coal India engineer M.C. Bora and his daughter Nisha Bora recently hit upon a unique solution to protect the wildlife in the eastern state of Assam,...

-Outlook The rot runs deep and cuts across states As expected, the farm loan waiver scam has hit the spotlight, with the Comptroller and Auditor General’s critical report being released in Parliament. Given the intense political grandstanding on display, many think this report (on the gaps in the implementation and monitoring of the Rs 52,275-crore scheme) has the potential to be a major political embarrassment for the UPA ahead of the...

-The Hindu Though Bill on protection of women against sexual harassment at workplace has been passed in LS, activists are sceptical about its impact on MNCs They are powerful Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) which hold a clout in the market, but have flouted norms with impunity when it came to their own women staffers complaining of sexual harassment at workplace. Now, even as the country is set to welcome the first law for...

Introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, the UPA government’s Food Security Bill is finally going to be discussed in the current (Budget) Session of Parliament. The proposed legislation is now slated to see many additional amendments from the government, following criticism from the States, NGOs and diverse stake-holders working on access to food and child health. Attempt here is to summarise in a Q & A format the...