Even as India and the European Union (EU) inch closer to threshing out a free-trade agreement, the unresolved issue of seizures by EU member countries of Indian generic drugs on their way to other destinations continues to sour relations between the two. Over a score of such incidents of unlawful confiscation of Indian drug shipments by European customs authorities have occurred in the past three years. Ironically, most of such...

Video Volunteers, a Goa based chapter of an international community media portal is inviting application for its India Unheard program. It is the second round of program under which selected candidates would be trained to make video reports from their area focusing issues, concerns, actions, innovations, traditions etc related to communities. It’s a one year old endeavor to provide fellowship for citizen journalism.      The Fellowship is open for Hindi speaking...

Farmers in Bagli village of Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh will organise a public hearing on Oct 8 on the harmful impact of chemical fertilizers on soil. Several agriculture experts, government officials, politicians and representatives of civil society are expected to attend the hearing. The public hearing is part of the 'Living Soils' campaign launched by Greenpeace India to highlight soil health and its relevance to food security. 'The hearing will review the...

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which has revitalised the rural landscape across the country, stands diminished in the land of its birth, Rajasthan, hijacked and held to ransom by vested interests and stripped of its backbone of an open social audit. As the Andhra experience has shown, there is one ingredient that can bring back its vitality: institutionalising citizen audits. But, is the Rajasthan government up to...

Media persons from all over the country have a great opportunity to witness the dance of democracy in Jaipur beginning Gandhi Jayanti. A peaceful ‘dharna’ organized by grassroots organizations like the MKSS and RTI Manch, among others, is already attracting some of India’s top writers, editors, development thinkers and civil society activists, besides thousands of common people from all across Rajasthan. The movement will continue indefinitely from October 2 onwards...