Chhattisgarh tribals punished for exercising rights under Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act It was unconstitutional, violation of PESA, says petition It was pushed by local administration, politicians to set up thermal power plant One morning in March 2010, residents of Premnagar awoke to discover they were villagers no more. An administrative notification had dissolved Premnagar's village council or gram panchayat and replaced it with a city council or nagar panchayat. Unbeknownst to...

The Bihar Government's plans for a mega power plant at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district went for a toss as an agitation by a large mob of farmers turned violent on Saturday, resulting in the torching of an empty passenger train. The farmers were agitating against the acquisition of 1871 acres of private land by the State Government for setting up 3300 MW power project, on grounds that the State Government had...

What’s Going Wrong?     * Market intelligence remains a weak link; farm policies rarely reflect correct scenario     * Extensive damage to crop in Maharashtra not factored in promoting onion, tomato exports     * Middlemen make capital while farmers realise 10-15% margin, not enough to recoup losses     * Government market intervention capacity limited to foodgrains and pulses **** India’s worst-kept secret was finally revealed when the government threw up its hands in despair in the...

Indian schools have a long way to go before they meet conditions required under the landmark Right to Education Act, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2010 released today by NGO Pratham said. This was the first time that the RTE Act -- implemented from April 1, 2010 -- was factored into the survey. Rated on seven infrastructure parameters they are required to meet under the RTE Act, only 3%...

There is a new “plan” for the scheduled tribes, but the adivasis themselves will have no say. Alienation from the forest and its resources, alienation from cultivable land and alienation from the State underlie the anger of the adivasis in India’s heartland. This is not a new or startling observation. Adivasi mass organisations, the more sensitive administrators, political organisations with their ears to the ground and scholars who have studied India’s...