AFTER introducing the land acquisition Bill in Parliament last week, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh now plans to address the vexed and sensitive issue of land reforms, including the revision of land ceiling limits, in a big way. In a radical move, the minister has proposed that ‘ absentee landlords’ should own only half the quantum of land as compared to the ceiling fixed for normal landowners. “ Absentee landlords and non-...

-The Indian Express   Admitting that the child mapping survey conducted by its officials in December 2010 had left out many city areas while identifying eligible candidates for free education under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, UT Education Department has now roped in a research agency to rectify flaws in the data. The department has already handed over the data from its survey to the Centre for Research in Rural and...

-The Telegraph   The Centre is planning to carry out a land survey in 60 Maoist-affected districts and provide legal aid to tribals fighting disputes over plots amid concerns that tribal dispossession was the main reason behind the growth of Naxalism. rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today said a large number of tribals had lost land to non-tribals. “We have to document these cases and provide legal assistance to tribals who are fighting land...

Do agencies like the Ford Foundation push their own agenda through the NGOs they support? It’s often said, tongue in cheek, that India’s “shadow” government works out of the nondescript, low-slung buildings abutting the Lodhi Garden in Delhi. That’s partly hubris, but it also stems from being close to the centre of power. This rarefied zone houses powerful “cultural” institutions like the India International Centre, as well as a host...

The only bright spot in the latest Census, 2011, was the data on literacy. It seems to be increasing by leaps and bounds. In fact, one would imagine that walking into the forests of Jharkhand, the first man you meet will know how to read and write fluently in Hindi or the local dialect. Or, Bihar which will receive a trophy from the President for achieving the highest growth in literacy...