Having lost faith in the government for not conferring them tribal status, the Jhodia community in Rayagada district has threatened not to share their details to the enumerators during the census. The Jhodia population stands around 50,000 who live in around 85 villages, particularly in Rayagada's Kasipur block and eke out a living by collecting forest produce and engaging themselves as daily-wage labourers. "For the past several years, we are...
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Steep drop in representation for OBCs, minorities in panchayats by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai
MLC plans to approach Karnataka High Court seeking annulment of ZP, TP polls The State Government's Ordinance limiting political reservation in panchayat bodies to 50 per cent has not only reduced seats for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) but has also decreased the number of minority members in the rural local bodies. A study of the zilla and taluk panchayat election results available on the State Election Commission's website, www.karsec.gov.in, reveals that OBC...
More »Enemies of the state? by G Vishnu
In the end, Gangula Tadangi succumbed to tuberculosis. The Kondh Adivasi’s life could have been saved if he had made it to the hospital on time. But he was in judicial custody at Koraput district jail in southern Odisha for allegedly “waging war against the Indian State”. During his last moments, Tadangi, 25, is said to have whispered something in Kondh. But nobody could make out anything because no one...
More »The ‘Radia’ctive Indian Media by Satya Sagar
There has been a gross simplification of the issues involved in the exposures in the Radia tapes on the lack of integrity among mediapersons. In order to understand how exactly journalists really function it is necessary to understand the overall context in which they operate and clarify some of the persistent myths about what the profession is all about. Four myths in particular need to be dissected: That it enjoins...
More »Kiran's New Year gift: houses to urban poor
Taking forward the pro-poor schemes of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy announced in style his New Year gift: a housing scheme for the urban poor. With a proposed budget of Rs.5,000 crore, the project, ‘Rajiv Awaas Yojna', will ensure pucca houses to the poor in every slum across the State. Announcing the scheme amid much fanfare during a surprise visit to a slum in the city's outskirts, the...
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