In one little patch of Maharashtra, a lot, it seems, lies in a name. About 175 girls whose names mean “unwanted” in Marathi will be re-christened in a public ceremony next week in a novel initiative to fight female foeticide. The Satara zilla parishad in west Maharashtra has found in a survey of the district that parents with many girl children often name them Nakusa, Nakoshi or Nakushi, all meaning “unwanted” or...
More »SEARCH RESULT
INCLUSIVE MEDIA FELLOWSHIPS 2011 ANNOUNCED
Eight journalists from all over India have been selected for the 2011 Inclusive Media Fellowships of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). One of the fellowships is supported by the ASER Centre of the Education NGO, Pratham, a pioneer in quality of education in Indian schools. The Inclusive Media Project also conducts media research and runs a unique resource centre, im4change.org, on India’s rural crises. The recipients of the...
More »Mihir Shah, Planning Commission member and chairman of the committee to redraft rules and guidelines of NREGA interviewed by Sreelatha Menon
Mihir Shah, member of the Planning Commission and chairman of the committee to redraft rules and guidelines of NREGA, tells Sreelatha Menon that the Act may also cover farm labourers. The consortium of NGOs that recommended changes in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was founded by you, but your suggestions have been criticised. You seem to consider it a lack of demand rather than a supply problem. First, you should...
More »Things, not people by Prabhat Patnaik
The basic problem with the Approach Paper, as with its predecessor, is that its theoretical paradigm is wrong. WHAT used to be said of the Bourbon kings of France applies equally to the Indian Planning Commission: “They learn nothing and they forget nothing.” The Approach Paper to the Twelfth Five-Year Plan gives one a sense of déjà vu. It is hardly any different from the Approach Paper to the previous Plan...
More »Shift to market by Venkitesh Ramakrishnan and Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashastha
The changing stances of the Planning Commission reflect the influence of the political climate. THE short note on the history of the Planning Commission on its website concludes thus: “For the first eight Plans the emphasis was on a growing public sector with massive investments in basic and heavy industries, but since the launch of the Ninth Plan in 1997, the emphasis on the public sector has become less pronounced and...
More »