In the expansive corridors of the ministry of external affairs, there's an interesting 'section' that few citizens are aware of. It's the gift chest of the Indian government or the 'toshakhana', where ministers, bureaucrats and dignitaries are supposed to deposit all the gifts they receive on their TRIPS abroad.  The toshakhana stores some amazing presents, from jewellery, silverware and paintings to wine and even couture (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was, strangely...

-The Telegraph A judge in a key Gujarat riot case today walked down the alleys where the pogrom occurred a decade back, video-graphing the spots and talking to some of the 95 victims’ families. Jyotsna Yagnik’s visit to Ahmedabad’s Naroda Patia, where one of the worst episodes of violence unfolded during the 2002 riots, came at the request of defence lawyers. Mobs allegedly instigated by Mayaben Kodnani, a former minister in the Narendra...

Yesterday was the last day of the Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi. It should have been the first day of ending our obsession with cars and instead, realise what this fascination is doing to our insides.  Over a decade ago, Delhi was a heroic city. It had successfully reduced air pollution by shifting buses and three-wheelers from diesel to CNG. But now, Delhi's residents are choking again. Recently, this paper...

Not only are the Forest Rights Act and the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act routinely violated in Chhattisgarh, the adivasis are also short-changed on legislative representation and reservations in government jobs. As the state cedes land to capital while reducing the adivasis to an ornamental presence, there is increasing assertion of adivasi identity, born out of class predicaments and experiences of displacement as much as notions of indigeneity. Supriya Sharma...

-The Hindu   Achieving universal health coverage through an equitable system is among the key goals of India's 12th Plan. Within the overall objective of creating an entitlement-based health care system, one of the challenges is access to medicines. The High Level Expert Group instituted by the Planning Commission on Universal Health Coverage underscores serious policy distortions and inefficiencies that stand in the way of making essential medicines accessible to all. A...