-TheWire.in In The Vanishing Stepwells of India, Victoria Lautman articulates how a traditional water conservation system was foolishly destroyed when the British took the reins. It is not difficult to comprehend the importance of water conservation. The resource is as precious and far more valuable than gold. Water will always be scarce and in arid, dry regions, the liquid is worshipped. It is an integral element in rituals that manifest faith. All...
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Gujarat's Adivasi Migrants: Unseen and Unheard by Party Manifestos -Divya Varma and Sangeeth Sugathan
-TheWire.in An estimated 35 lakh Adivasis in Gujarat seasonally migrate to cities for work but the grand electoral promises of BJP and Congress fail to acknowledge their issues. Sharma Bhuriya seems disillusioned with the recently released party manifestos ahead of the Gujarat elections. “There is nothing in it for people like me. I have been living on pavements in Ahmedabad for more than 20 years now and have been thrown around like...
More »Demolitions, Evictions and Toilets for Show: How Indore Won Swachh Bharat's Top Rank -Sukanya Shantha
-TheWire.in In an attempt to make the city ‘open defecation free’, families who had paid for toilets and were midway through construction allege that their houses were destroyed before surveyors came around. Indore: In November last year, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) officials moved around in the city in twos or threes to ensure that every household without a personal toilet was enumerated. Nanjubai’s house was one among 40 – all belonging to...
More »No means no
-The Indian Express Delhi High Court judgment in the Mahmood Farooqui case obfuscates the basic principle of consent. The December 16, 2012, gangrape in New Delhi, and the widespread public agonising and legal reform that followed it, helped redefine ideas of gender justice in progressive ways. Following the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, criminalised voyeurism and stalking. These changes in the law have been accompanied...
More »Why govt-subsidised Amma, Indira canteens are lifesavers -Reetika Khera
-Hindustan Times After Tamil Nadu’s pioneering Amma canteens, many states have started community kitchens, such as Karnataka’s Indira Canteens. This is a welcome development. The first coverage of the recently inaugurated “Indira canteens” in Karnataka that I noticed were two reports on television channels. Both were poking fun (justifiably) at Rahul Gandhi’s goofy speech at the launch. Sadly though, neither commented on the rationale or importance of the Karnataka government’s initiative. This...
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