The might of the Indian state is unable to turn the tide in Chhattisgarh. A violent Maoist insurgency continues to rage despite massive deployment of security forces. Ever wondered why? Part of the answer has come now with the findings of a joint committee that recently visited the state to take stock of the implementation of the Forest Rights Act. The Act, legislated in 2006 to provide tribals legal access...
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Hospital turns Bhopal victims into guinea pigs by Hemender Sharma
Some Bhopal gas leak victims who survived the tragedy were used by Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) for four years to carry out drug trails. The number of such people who were subjected to drug trials is 151. Ramadhar Shrivastva is one such gas victim. In 2007 when he had chest pain, he was referred to BMHRC, the multi-specialty hospital set up for gas victims from the money given...
More »Judicial hurdles by V Venkatesan
The Central Information Commission decides to appeal against a judgment of the Delhi High Court that threatens to disrupt its smooth functioning. SHAILESH GANDHI, a Central Information Commissioner, recently said the Right to Information (RTI) Act faced a serious threat from the government and the judiciary. His warning came in the context of the woefully inadequate government-sanctioned resources and the number of stay orders issued by High Courts on the...
More »Calling attention by Papri Sri Raman
A UNESCO dossier examines the problems faced by the original tribal inhabitants of the Andaman islands. SINCE the 1780s, a variety of players have vied for space in the Andaman archipelago. Today, apart from the three wings of the country's armed forces, others including rice farmers, timber merchants and academics are trying to push out its original inhabitants from their traditional habitats. For the first time in the past 150 years,...
More »Fresh doubts over Govt's stand on Bhopal liability
Did the Indian government guarantee Dow Chemicals, the parent company of Union Carbide, that it will not be held liable for the Bhopal gas tragedy? An RTI response has raised fresh questions over the government's position in the case, as it brought to light a letter written in 2006 by Dow Chemicals CEO Andrew Liveris to the then Indian Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen, claiming that the Indian government...
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