-The Hindu About two lakh from Odisha working in brick kilns live in sub-human conditions Ranga Reddy district: Birubak and his wife Varanasi, together with their five-year-old daughter Seema are paid just Rs. 600 to Rs. 800 a week. Hailing from Odisha, they have a 14-hour work-day that starts at 4 a.m. They just have time to eat the little food that Varanasi can prepare, wash utensils and grab just two to four...
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Aruna Roy seeks Sonia’s help to end Medha Patkar’s fast
-The Times of India Activist Aruna Roy has sought UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's intervention to end the fast undertaken by fellow Activist MedhaPatkar in Mumbai to protest the demolition of slums. "I want to reiterate the urgency of this matter, given both the democratic imperative and in light of Medha's failing health and thus request your immediate personal intervention in this matter," Roy said in a letter to Sonia. According to Roy, Union...
More »Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo: Fighting his own party for tribals -Nidhi Sharma
-The Economic Times Tribal affairs minister VKishore Chandra Deo is best known for engaging Cabinet colleagues through carefully-crafted letters to get his point across. From preventing the dilution ofForest Rights Act to a directive to governors to stop mining in tribal areas, the 66-year-old Activist-minister believes in winning over Cabinet colleagues politely. And he has proved one doesn't have to be outspoken, like some of his colleagues, to get work done....
More »Why corruption isn’t a poll issue in Karnataka -Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi
-The Indian Express If the BJP finds itself on the back foot today, it isn't because of corruption scandals, but due to the splintering of its social coalition As the stage is set for the state assembly elections in Karnataka, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda recently made a surprising admission: corruption is not an issue in the upcoming elections, and the precipitous decline in political morality can only be arrested by...
More »Indian patent rulings may face legal heat internationally -Soma Das
-The Economic Times The recent patent rulings in India may get frequently challenged in international courts if the government yields to the European Union's demand of including matters related to intellectual property in the investors-state dispute mechanism in their proposed trade pact, health Activist groups have warned. An investor-state dispute resolution mechanism typically allows foreign investors to sue countries for compensation if national laws, policies, court rulings of the country infringe upon...
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