A Group of Ministers (GoM) will discuss on Thursday issues pertaining to illegal mining, a ban on iron ore exports, the new mining Legislation and setting aside a share in the profits of mining companies for the development of tribal areas. Officials of the Ministry of Mines said Minister B.K. Handique was pushing for the Ministry's proposal to make mining companies in tribal areas shell out a part of their equity,...

The NREGS is restricted. The PDS is targeted. Only exploitation is universal. The rotting of lakhs of tonnes of foodgrain in open yards, while shocking, is hardly new or surprising. Remember the rural poor marching on godowns in Andhra Pradesh in 2001 in similar circumstances? The Supreme Court was quite right in jolting the Union government. “In a country where admittedly people are starving, it is a crime to waste even...

Farmers' wholehearted support and their economic wellbeing are vital for creating a sustainable food security system in the country, according to eminent agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan. Wrapping up a session on food and nutrition security, held as part of a three-day conference on hunger and poverty here on Monday, he said those who expressed their views on the proposed national food security law should keep in mind the plight of farmers,...

Even as the government plans to bring Legislation that will define and punish perpetrators of honour killings, a study said most violent reactions appeared to be prompted when a girl chose to marry a boy from a lower caste than herself. The study commissioned by the National Commission for Women (NCW) and conducted by NGO `Shakti Vahini' profiled 560 cases which reflected that honour killing was a north Indian phenomenon,...

During my fieldwork in Tonk district of Rajasthan, a Dalit family once narrated a ‘miracle’ to me. In 2002, they faced a drought as bad as the chhappani akaal of 1900-02. But at the end of 2002, the Dalit family was pleasantly surprised: they still had some foodgrain left. This, the family members said, was a result of the good relief work done by the Ashok Gehlot government. Similar proactive State...