The freedom movement of India to get independence from nearly two centuries of colonialism was one of the most inspiring phases of the history of India. People were motivated to take up very inspirational work and were willing to suffer unending hardships including imprisonment and torture with courageous songs and slogans. This inspirational spirit must be retained even now as[Read More…]
Writer’s Note—The writer would like to dedicate this article to the memory of Sh. PV Satheesh, who breathed his last today on March 19, whose great contributions to ecological protection as well as justice in the context of farming will never be forgotten. His work with dalit women farmers has been a source of inspiration for so many good efforts.[Read More…]
As though the havoc created by GM crops was not adequate, several experimental efforts relating to genetically modified or engineered animals are bringing a wide range of new risks and uncertainties. These include health hazards relating to transfer of diseases from genetically engineered animals to normal animals as well as to human beings. In addition there are the additional risks[Read More…]
About a hundred years back there were about a million black, or African-American, farmers in the USA, today they have decreased to just around 45,000. This is one of the steepest declines suffered by any ethnic group anywhere in farming. Yet this has not received the attention that was deserved, and as a result remedial actions too have been neglected.[Read More…]
If the biggest single source of world-level ecological ruin is to be identified, this is most likely to be related to wars, preparations for wars, conflicts, weapons and sabotage. Of course the most direct cost of war and weapons in the form of loss of human life is extremely sad, but at the same time the severity of the much[Read More…]
Anjali Deshpande and Nandita Haksar have just written a book that simply has to be read by anyone interested in the welfare of industrial workers in India. This is also a must reading for all Japanese people involved with human rights to get a glimpse of the havoc their companies cause in the lives of innocent workers and poor people[Read More…]
There is increasing evidence that resistance to colonial and feudal exploitation by Bheel tribal communities increased significantly during the decade 1912-22, leading to extreme forms of repression by the British forces supported by princely kingdoms, culminating in at least two, perhaps more, massacres whose death toll is most likely to have been in excess of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre. Around[Read More…]
There is increasing need for at least seven important reforms in India’s democracy. First and foremost, there is urgent need for the government to be more protective towards minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, who have been feeling less secure in recent times. The government has a constitutional duty to ensure that there is no discrimination on the basis of faith[Read More…]
It has been confirmed time and again that traditional knowledge of farmers and farmer communities has a lot to contribute much but despite this the authorities of various countries have often tried to impose technologies without trying to work with farmers in a spirit of learning together with each other. This has curbed creativity and the access of invaluable information[Read More…]
Vaagdhara is one of the few voluntary organizations in the country which has centered its work around the vision of swaraj—or self-rule based on increasing self-reliance of rural communities. It has worked with this vision for nearly two decades in the tri-junction area of three states—Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with most concentration in South Rajasthan (particularly Banswara district). This[Read More…]
Report from Jhansi district National level information has frequently highlighted many unmet needs of schools and anganwadis in remote rural areas. While the government has several ambitious plans of improvements, the harsh reality is that budgetary allocations have been falling short of meeting even essential requirements, let alone make ambitious improvements. In such a situation, voluntary organizations can make an[Read More…]
Bundelkhand region, spread over 14 districts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in central India, has often been in news due to water scarcity, a problem that can easily worsen in times of climate change if adequate steps are not taken to check this. Recently there has been an increasing interest in the revival of Bundelkhand’s innumerable traditional water bodies[Read More…]
Recently when I visited several villages of Bhil tribal communities in Banswara district of Rajasthan, the greeting most often heard in villages was Jai Guru. The reference here is to Guru Govind, also known as Govindgiri, a social reformer and freedom fighter of 19th and 20th centuries who continues to live on in the songs, prayers, greetings and campaigns of[Read More…]
On the farming map of Uttar Pradesh Mahoba is generally considered a relatively backward district of Bundelkhand region, but thanks to a recent initiative called BIWAL a model combining water conservation and natural farming has given a new-found strength to many farmers and rural communities. Arunoday and Srijan voluntary organization have collaborated to take this model to several villages, with[Read More…]
Anandpuri block in Banswara district (Rajasthan) is known for high concentration of tribal communities, particularly Bhil communities. Their traditional livelihood and farming patterns based on biodiversity and self-reliance were well-suited to local conditions, but these suffered under exploitative systems of colonial times. Freedom from colonial rule brought some relief, but the dominant development thinking still neglected special needs, conditions and[Read More…]
Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales. This couple has grown over[Read More…]
Most farm development efforts focus more on bigger and more dominant farmers, and while they may also include smaller farmers, this gets lesser attention. It is rare to see a program focused mostly on the most marginalized farmers with the smallest holdings. An ongoing effort in Mau block of Chitrakut district should be welcomed therefore for its efforts to reach[Read More…]
About 30 farmers of Elha village ( in Manikpur block of Chitrakut district, Uttar Pradesh) have gathered for a group discussion in the courtyard of a farmer, along with activists of a voluntary organization ABSSS . One of the main subjects of discussion is—how far can the efforts of natural farming initiated about two years back progress? Two farmers Ram[Read More…]
Is implementation of NREGA (national rural employment guarantee legislation) being changed to such an extent that instead of helping workers in difficult times the scheme under this law may even becomes a source of exploiting them? This and other disturbing questions were raised at a press conference organized in Delhi on March 3 by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (a group[Read More…]
Women farmers of Neemkhera village (Niwari district and block, Madhya Pradesh) gather near their ancient water tank built during the times of Chandel kings several centuries earlier. Most of them are very small farmers, owning one to three acres of land or even less, yet the work they have taken up is not small, it is big. This work is[Read More…]
Europe is passing through critical times when a lot of caution as well determination is needed to avoid the possibility of large scale destruction. Hence this is a time for all those committed to a future of peace for Europe and for world to unite, setting aside all relatively less significant differences for the time being, to ensure that the[Read More…]
When the history of these times is written, the last 15 months or so from November 2021 to January 2023 will form a very tragic part of its pages. This has been the time of the most irresponsible abandonment of their most crucial responsibilities by world leadership, leading to a sharp, perhaps unprecedented, escalation of dangers and risks for the[Read More…]
The latest official statistics of ‘Youth Risk Behavior Survey’ (YRBS), USA, 2011-2021 released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), USA, have revealed truly alarming levels of distress among US youth. From a distance youth of other countries perceive life of youth in USA to be a life of joy and fun in a prosperous land free[Read More…]
Sukhrani is a koladivasi woman in Sakrauhan village of Manikpur block in Chitrakut district (Uttar Pradesh). She toiled at a NREGA ( rural employment guarantee scheme)work site for 21 days. This was about six months back. However she has still not received her wages despite having made several pleas for this. ChotwaKol is an adivasi farmer of this village. He[Read More…]
On September 23, 1973 Pablo Neruda, one of the greatest poets ever and a Nobel laureate, breathed his last. This was just 12 days after the US-assisted military coup in Chile on September 11 1973 which also resulted in the highly tragic and widely mourned death of one of the most sincere and democratic leaders of Latin America—President Salvador Allende—who[Read More…]
The extremely cruel deaths of a mother and her daughter in the course of a demolition drive in Marauli village of Kanpur Dehat ( Uttar Pradesh) has disturbed the conscience of even those people who normally remain silent on such injustices against the poor, and condemnations have been coming in from far and wide. Reports have pointed out how demolitions[Read More…]
An important aspect of fiscal policy relates to the extent to which the various welfare needs of people are being met. One important indicator of this are the allocations made for the social sector. The social sector in the context of the union government of India is generally identified in terms of the following ministries—Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development,[Read More…]
At a time when minority communities have been passing through difficult times and need reassurance and support, the union budget has come as a rude jolt for them with its big cuts in allocations for such obvious priorities as education and skills. What is more, as the now available data shows, there were very big cuts in the previous year[Read More…]
The union budget 2023-24 has failed to live up to the real needs and hopes of people living in villages, or to prioritize rural areas. A clear decline can be seen in the proportion of the budget going to rural development, agriculture and allied sectors. As the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability has pointed out in its analysis of[Read More…]
In India maize or corn has been traditionally known as a nutritious and tasty food crop grown predominantly on small family farms. It is relished in the form of mainly home baked rotis. In addition corn on cob heated on simmering fire is also a highly enjoyable food, particularly during rainy season. Similarly maize has been cherished in many cultures[Read More…]
There is increasing concern that the world is not on track to resolve climate change as well as about a dozen or so other serious, inter-related environmental problems that threaten to disrupt the life-nurturing conditions of our planet. Corrective actions should not be delayed much longer. Most environmental problems arise in the process of creating certain goods and services. In[Read More…]
Adequate investment in equality-based education is widely accepted as one of the key components as well as a strong base for the progress of developing countries. Despite this, educational progress in India has been impeded badly by low budgets as well as inequalities. There is near consensus, even at the official level, regarding the need to take government educational budget[Read More…]
The most common description of the union budget’s allocations for health sector has been that these have increased marginally. However it would be much more appropriate to say that the health allocations have been glaringly low compared to the officially recognized projections of what is needed. In 2017 the National Health Policy agreed that the health budget of the central[Read More…]
Child development is increasingly seen as the most important part of the development path. This is particularly true of a country like India where nearly a third of the children under 5 years of age are either stunted or underweight ( as per National Family Health Survey ) , or where nearly 32 million children are unable to complete school[Read More…]
2011-12 was a very sad year for Somalia. As hunger related to drought and other factors was worsening, a famine situation was not declared officially till very late and relief supplies were delayed. The result was that a large number of people perished in famine deaths even before famine was officially declared. A total of as many as 260,000 people[Read More…]
The people of Ukraine have suffered enormous distress during the last one year. Clearly it is time to consider carefully the various options and select the safest one involving the least possibilities of further distress and risks. From all available evidence the safest possible path from the point of view of the people of Ukraine appears to be a three[Read More…]
While most of the budget discussion is understandably concentrated on the financial year ahead of us, it is important to have an understanding also of the previous year’s experiences. An important aspect of this relates to significant cuts made in the allocations of various union ministries and departments of crucial importance during the previous financial year 2022-23, with hardly any[Read More…]
Even before the terrible damage caused by earthquake in Syria and Turkey, there was a strong case for ending sanctions against Syria as the existing sanctions imposed by the USA and its close allies, continuing for several years, had already accentuated the humanitarian crisis greatly in Syria. Now in the post-earthquake situation, it would be nothing short of a crime[Read More…]
An important aspect of health budget that we must keep in consideration while analyzing recent allocations relates to the fact that health budgeting in the present phase of India’s development is not about marginal increases. In fact marginal increases sometimes mean near stagnation after accounting for the inflationary factor. This apart, as India has one of the lowest public spending[Read More…]
Why GM Crops and Foods Are Becoming the Core Issue of Food Safety February 9 2010 was an important day for food safety in India when after a very broad-based public consultation the Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh announced a moratorium on Bt brinjal and thereby the entry of GM food crops was prevented at that time despite a huge attempt[Read More…]
As the prospects of world peace worsen and those of a war much beyond Ukraine increase, the role of Europe becomes increasingly important. Europe was at the center of the enormous destruction caused by both the world wars. As the possibilities of a third one increase, can Europe compensate by being the peacemaker this time? Certainly Europe, with all its[Read More…]
If a single aspect of the union budget 2023-24 is to be selected in the context of drawing the maximum criticism, then it is the very low allocation for NREGA. As a response to this widespread criticism, on February 3 the Rural Development Ministry issued a statement (see The Statesman, February 4), saying that there is no need for widely[Read More…]
India is widely mentioned as the top milk producer in world and this achievement is frequently stated to have been achieved on the basis of its ‘white revolution’ which in turn is claimed to have been achieved on the basis of improved livelihoods of small dairy farmers. How real are these claims? This is not merely an academic question. If[Read More…]
It has been customary to discuss war in terms of victory or defeat of the two sides. So it is hardly surprising that the ongoing Ukraine war too has often been discussed in these terms. However there are important reasons why such discussion is increasingly irrelevant, the most important being that even a victory by any one side in the[Read More…]
A disturbing aspect of the union budget for the year 2023-24 relates to food and nutrition. In the case of most allocations there is a decline compared to the previous year or else there is near stagnation, which also means a decline in real terms after accounting for inflation. Although so many schemes and programs impact the food and nutrition[Read More…]
The union budget for the year has been presented at a time of growing concerns that expectations regarding an inclusive recovery from the COVID and lockdown related economic crisis have not been realized for millions of poor households, while inequalities have been increasing sharply. There were therefore strong reasons for using this budget as an instrument for providing immediate relief[Read More…]
As India gets ready for the much debated annual budget of the union government (which will be presented on February 1), this may be a good time to consider some aspects of budget analysis. It is of course very clear that budget analysis can be a very useful exercise as the mass of statistics and information contained in the budget[Read More…]
The single most issue of our deeply troubled world today is that it is already in the middle of a very serious survival crisis. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has been drawing attention repeatedly to this, and the most powerful symbol it has been using is that of The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic clock that shows how far humanity is[Read More…]
The ongoing struggle of the women of Iran for equality and gender justice is a very justified struggle which deserves full support as the right to dress in accordance with one’s wishes is a basic right of all women, both in itself and as a symbol of wider aspects of social rights and gender based equality. Authorities or morality police[Read More…]
Two most prominently stated facts about climate change are—firstly, it is extremely important to check climate change and secondly, that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced very significantly at a very fast pace, as scientifically determined. Both of these statements are absolutely correct. However if we confine ourselves just to these statements, then by themselves these can only give us[Read More…]
Thousands of people in Tughlaqabad, Delhi, will become homeless if the demolition notices served by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are carried out within the next few days. These are working class poor people who pooled their savings and incurred debts in order to be able to somehow arrange their present shelter here. The threatened demolition is likely to[Read More…]
Republic Day is the right time to re-confirm commitment to a path based on justice, equality, peace, harmony, genuine democracy and protection of environment, in keeping with the spirit of the constitution of India and the preceding freedom movement of India. In addition as at least the present phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra nears completion, with its emphasis on equality[Read More…]
The freedom movement of India was known for its many-sided efforts to create a better society out of the ruins of the massive destruction caused by colonial rule. Hence many constructive activities and social reforms were pursued side by side with the struggles against colonialism. This included continuing efforts for inter-faith harmony by some of the most inspiring leaders of[Read More…]
When the Taliban regime in Afghanistan recently banned women from working in NGOs, several of them decided to stop working in this country, but later some of them reconsidered this decision and decided to continue working. This decision should be supported because while the ban on women working in NGOs was clearly and completely wrong, the fact that over two[Read More…]
The recent tragic development of many houses ( and other buildings) being devastated and many families having to leave their homes in Joshimath and to a lesser extent in some other parts of Uttarakhand has once again raised serious questions regarding the path of development being pursued in the Himalayan region. A crucial question relates to whether such concern will[Read More…]
Reports and images of a large number of badly damaged and cracked up houses and other buildings in Joshimath town of Uttarakhand, located at a height of over 6000 feet, have shocked and distressed people even in distant parts of the country as they have a deep emotional and cultural attachment to the Himalayan region and its people. While the[Read More…]
Dara Shikoh (1615-1659) was a prince of Mughal Empire who made significant contributions but was deprived of the opportunity of potentially making even greater contributions as he was executed at a young age of 44. Son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, he was the chosen heir to be the next successor to the great empire but was captured and[Read More…]
“For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these—It might have been” –John Greenleaf Whittier Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, had a dream about two of his grandchildren. Even though he had emerged as one of the most powerful emperors in the world, he had suffered more than his share of distress. He was[Read More…]
In a recent 21 day march from Banswara to Jaipur, a distance of over 500 km., members of tribal communities of South Rajasthan and neighboring areas asserted the need for important policy changes keeping in view the harm being caused by over-centralizing tendencies which are imposing priorities and policies that are far from the priorities and real needs as understood[Read More…]
People of Markhera village had been facing increasing difficulties due to water shortages. Water table was declining and water level in wells was going down too. Hand pumps were often reduced to just a trickle. As women here bear most water related responsibilities, their drudgery in fetching water from more distant places increased. Many of them had back ache from[Read More…]
Oxfam India’s just released report ‘Survival of the Richest: The India Story’ has made a strong case for taxing the richest sections to find the resources for substantially stepping up funds for social sector, particularly health and education. Released close to the coming union budget, this report is expected to pitch the budget debate strongly in favor of reducing inequalities.[Read More…]
One of the most important questions in the development debate is whether economic viability of small and marginal farmers can be strengthened in sustainable ways. This question is all the more important in a country like India where small scale farming is the most common source of livelihood. The objective of land reforms is to make available at least some[Read More…]
There was a new zeal and enthusiasm, and a strong sense of comradeship among the people of Markhera village as they assembled to plan the forests they were going to create near their temple. The temple site was chosen as the forest and the birds likely to find shelter in this were considered to be safer here. These villagers had[Read More…]
While a lot of research has strengthened the case for spreading natural farming, a practical factor which has hindered its spread in India is that several farmers find it difficult to take up production of organic manures and pest-repellants for self-use, even though all the raw materials are available right within their home or close to them. In the most[Read More…]
Phulabai is a dalit woman farmer who, together with her husband, Sarman Chadaar, grows guavas and pomegranates on tiny plots of land. On another smaller plot they grow a diversity of vegetable crops with a few papaya trees standing in the middle of these. When I recently visited their one acre farm in Digaura village of Tikamgarh district (Madhya Pradesh),[Read More…]
In Bundelkhand region of Central India water tanks have constituted a very important component of efforts of communities to meet the water needs of people over the centuries. In particular the period of Chandela and Bundela rulers from 9th to 18th century has been identified as a time when royal patronage was extended to communities for creation of several thousand[Read More…]
While so many differences have emerged in the context of the recent response to COVID-19 in various countries, one point on which it should be possible to establish wider agreement is that this response would have been much better if a robust, strong, rooted among people, trust-creating, community-based, well-resourced health system was in place in all rural as well as[Read More…]
As the many-sided risks and harms of GM crops are so serious, obvious and well-established, it is only to be expected that any completely unbiased appraisal and regulatory system will not allow their approval and spread. Hence it is an important part of the big business agenda of dominating world food and farming via GM crops to weaken the appraisal[Read More…]
There were strong reasons why the issue of impending demolitions in Haldwani had so quickly led to national level sympathy and support for the threatened nearly 50,000 people, and there are equally strong reasons why the Supreme Court order of January 5 providing relief to them deserves widespread appreciation. It is obvious that the badly threatened, deeply worried people, faced[Read More…]
Millions of domestic workers in India, an overwhelming majority of them women, have suffered reduced real earnings and increased debts in recent times. In fact in some cases even actual earnings have declined, while after taking into account the impact of inflation, the decline of real wages can be seen in almost all cases. Aasmeen leaves her home in Shahbad[Read More…]
In a country where most people face severe constraints in the struggle to meet their basic needs, the question of housing is the most challenging one for many of them, particularly in urban areas. Most of them have to use each and every paisa of their meager savings and incur loans in very difficult circumstances in order to be able[Read More…]
If workers struggle for a long time for protective legislation and also succeed in their aim, but the protective law is threatened by dilution and restrictive changes even before its benefits can reach most workers, then should they not re-assert to protect this law? This is a question which construction workers face today in the context of the threat of[Read More…]
While peace and environment protection have always been important, now these have acquired the greatest urgency in the form of survival issues as basic life nurturing conditions are threatened now as never before by the most dangerous weapons and wars on the one hand and a range of very serious environmental problems led by climate change on the other hand.[Read More…]
How Construction Workers Sink Deeper into Poverty and Debt Keshav and Somvati are residents of a hut in Shahbad dairy colony of Delhi. When lockdown was announced in 2020 they were in Gujarat to work in a construction project. The closure was so sudden and placed them in such a difficult position in a new area where they had hardly[Read More…]
When two path-breaking laws were passed in India in 1996 for construction workers, there was great hope among tens of millions of these workers for a range of benefits and welfare measures promised by these laws. Despite a delayed and hesitant start, these hopes got a boost more recently when the Supreme Court gave strong directions for the better implementation[Read More…]
If 2022 was witness to a worsening of the most high-risk problems facing our planet, can 2023 bring a true message of hope? The dawn of a new year is a time for hope, but to give more meaning to this hope, some important decisions should be announced by world leadership regarding peace and co-operation for a protective world. Clearly[Read More…]
While the most visible devastation of the Ukraine war can be seen in the enormous sufferings of the people of Ukraine, the implications of this war turning sooner or later into a much wider war, perhaps even a nuclear war and the third world war, are simply too horrible to contemplate. Hence immediate peace is needed, creating conditions also for[Read More…]
In a recent press release the director general of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) explained various issues relating to GM mustard approval. He also issued orders against presenting opinion or writing articles, different from the stated documentation and decisions made by the regulators, on the subject by serving or former officials. Since then several persons well-informed on this[Read More…]
During recent months a determined struggle by villagers in Zira area of Ferozepur district, Punjab, has been demanding the removal of a highly polluting factory to save the soil and water of their region. As a result of this pollution water and soil have been badly damaged and groundwater was found to be very contaminated. The recent crackdown of[Read More…]
In 2023 the 50th anniversary of the famous Chipko Movement is being observed. This name (which translated from Hindi means hug the trees) and the movement it represents has caught popular imagination and become almost a household name in India. This refers loosely to a series of efforts, starting about 50 years back in India’s state of Uttarakhand, in West[Read More…]
A very unfortunate but at the same time undeniable fact of recent history has been that in the global order which emerged after the Second World War, the rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union played out in the form of several very destructive proxy wars. The two main rivals were heavily armed with thousands of nuclear weapons capable[Read More…]
Just before Christmas and holidays the Veterans for Peace organization has issued a call for ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict and at least a holiday truce which deserves wide attention. This statement has been signed by about 38 members, former or present office-bearers as well as a leading advisory board member. Veterans for Peace (VFP) is also an important constituent[Read More…]
At a time of increasing threats to world peace, a need often felt has been re-emphasized with increased urgency—our deeply troubled world should have a much stronger, much more broad-based peace movement, which works with continuity, instead of merely responding to crisis situations. Christmas may be just the right time to plan for this. To make the peace movement much[Read More…]
The European people suffered a lot in the two world wars, and hence in the post-1945 period it was only to be expected that there would be yearning for avoiding conflict and war within Europe. To the extent that the unity of Europe in the form of the European Union (EU) is a manifestation of this yearning, this should be[Read More…]
An update on the hunger hot spots of the world issued by the FAO-World Food Program in September 2022 drew particular attention to the serious situation in Afghanistan. This review stated that loss of life due to hunger may be already occurring, the levels of food insecurity and ‘significant loss of life’ are likely to increase from November, as another[Read More…]
“The truth of the matter is that we are in a heavy militarized society driven by greed, lust for profit and wars are being created just to fuel that.” The above is a very distressing, very worrisome truth about the USA of recent times that very few are willing to speak in the world’s ‘leading democracy’. However one very noteworthy[Read More…]
Two statements made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stolenberg on December 9 (quoted in The Telegraph, UK, next day), have attracted much attention. “I fear that the war in Ukraine will get out of control and spread into a major war between NATO and Russia.” “If things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong.” Although the NATO chief also said[Read More…]
Many eminent scientists who have examined the technology of genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GM) crops have come to a clear conclusion that it is a highly hazardous and risky technology. To give just one example, eminent scientists from several countries who comprise the Independent Science Panel (ISP) have drawn this conclusion after studying various aspects of GM crops,[Read More…]
International trade has generally been examined in the context of impacts on two or more trading countries as well as the world trading system and its rules. Specific studies in terms of impacts on poor and vulnerable people have received lesser attention, even though very large numbers may be adversely affected in some contexts. Certain elites may benefit while the[Read More…]
While need for wide-ranging reform of world farming and food system has been increasingly voiced, one relatively neglected aspect relates to improvement of animal welfare and in particular protecting animals from many-sided cruelties. While farm animals generally have better working and living conditions in family farms, as family farms are increasingly replaced by factory type of farms in the increasingly[Read More…]
It is well-known that life-styles in developed and rich countries are much more burdensome for environment compared to normal life-patterns in developing countries. However due to more power and resources, the developed countries are in a position to shift the burden of this on developing countries in several ways. The World Resources Report has stated, “The OECD countries and their[Read More…]
Relations of dominance among human beings have caused enormous distress. When the same attitude of dominance was directed towards nature, this resulted in large-scale ecological ruin. The tendency of looking upon nature as something to be dominated and conquered has been extremely counter-productive: it has inflicted huge destruction on environment and has greatly diminished the possibilities of humanity to benefit[Read More…]
Human beings are the most capable among the millions of life-forms on earth, but unfortunately their numerous capabilities cannot contribute adequately to reducing distress because of some highly undesirable traits among human beings afflicting them to a lesser or greater extent in the course of their known history. When persons of great spiritual strength and deep social concerns emerged to[Read More…]
The growing disillusionment with the existing pace as well as the direction of the efforts for checking climate change is leading many people to explore the need for an alternative framework which can be more successful in checking climate change while at the same contributing much more to adaption aspects, and which is better integrated with important justice, equality and[Read More…]
Nature has been desperately trying to tell us something very important. When even desperate calls go unheeded, what does the caller do? It is likely that the caller will yell even more loudly, jump and throw around limbs and legs, and when all this fails, will even turn violent. This is exactly what nature has been doing recently—in the form[Read More…]
Several distressing reports of justice being denied to displaced and evicted people have been received from time to time. Sometimes those who have been promised satisfactory compensation and rehabilitation have to wait endlessly for years for this. In this context the strong action taken recently by a District Court for providing speedy justice has proved very effective in Himachal Pradesh[Read More…]
The four ruptures in the Nord Stream Pipelines in the Baltic Sea on September 26-27 constitute an act of sabotage that has led to the biggest-ever single point leak of methane. Let us first examine the various aspects relating to this issue on which already there is widespread agreement. Firstly, it is already widely agreed that this is the single[Read More…]
There is increasing realization that prolonging or escalation of Ukraine conflict can bring very high risks for the entire world. Elsewhere in the world, many less talked about conflicts in the Horn of Africa, in Nigeria and elsewhere are aggravating very serious situations of starvation and starvation deaths, making it impossible for relief workers to reach those in dire need[Read More…]
The extremely serious issue of the threat of genetic contamination caused by genetically modified or engineered (GM or GE) crops finally reached the Supreme Court of India on November 30 in the context of on-going cases relating to the introduction of GM Mustard in India. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, after pointing out the serious implications of this risk in a country[Read More…]
On December 1, in the on-going case relating to objections raised against the introduction of the first GM (genetically modified) food crop in the form of GM Mustard in India, the Supreme Court raised some important questions. As reported in The Times of India (December 2, 2022), “A bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and BV Nagarathna told Attorney General R.Venkataramani,[Read More…]
Starting from 1989 and continuing for at least 15 years, perhaps much more, millions of tonnes of toxic wastes were dumped in the long-stretched coastal areas of Somalia, as confirmed in several reports of United Nations agencies, leading NGOs and independent investigators. While attention is currently focused understandably on the devastating impact of drought, hunger and malnutrition in endangering the[Read More…]
In the hunger map of present day world, Somalia is probably the most seriously affected country of the 21st century. Somalia is reported by the UN to have lost 260,000 lives in and around 2011 to hunger and famine deaths, one of the very few countries in the world to have such a high number of recorded hunger deaths in[Read More…]
At a time when most of the world has left far behind the stage of prolonged COVID related lockdowns, the Chinese authorities have continued with very long lockdowns in several parts of the country, justifying this as a policy of so-called zero tolerance for COVID. This is both surprising and unfortunate, as recent experience of long stretched lockdowns in many[Read More…]
Supreme Court’s firmness in upholding the Bombay High Court’s order granting bail to Anand Teltumbde has been widely appreciated. However, we must also listen to what this 73 year old distinguished scholar activist, coming out after spending 31 months in prison, had to stay regarding the case in which several other distinguished activists have also been implicated—“the sad thing is[Read More…]
In May the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC-22), prepared by UN agencies and other expert groups, issued a clear warning stating that the acute hunger situation in world, including its extreme forms, is worse now than ever before since this annual report started being prepared. Then in mid-September the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program, which[Read More…]
Suppose there is a restaurant in your locality which is notorious for serving unsafe food. Of course you feel very bad about this, but not exactly threatened as you have the option of not consuming its food and also warning your friends not to do so. But supposing the restaurant has such high-level connections that it acquires the[Read More…]
She may have left us 16 years ago, but on her birth anniversary November 25, Surinder Kaur is being remembered very fondly by her countless admirers in India, Pakistan, Canada, UK, USA and several other countries as well. The contributions of the ‘Nightingale of Punjab’ to music can never be forgotten, all the more so in present times of degradation[Read More…]
Efforts to prevent violence against women and girls should be based on careful identification of causes When the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in his message for the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women and Children ( November 25) that “every 11 minutes , a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family[Read More…]
In 1945 from the ruins of the second world war emerged a new world and initially, for the people of world aspiring for democracy, freedom and justice the USA emerged as the most important center of hope. This is not because these people were not aware of several highly suspect aspects of the US ruling classes, but because these had[Read More…]
Among all the people who leave for work on any given day, about 1000 do not return home—they die in workplace accidents. This is stated on the basis on the total number of occupational accident fatalities in a year, the WHO/ILO estimate for which is 360,000 in a year. This is very sad, but even more distressing is the fact[Read More…]
COP-27 (the 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) has ended as expected on a note more or less of status quo. True, the long pending demand of countries worst affected by climate change for a loss and damage fund has been accepted, an important gain in itself, but any celebrations over this will be[Read More…]
In international strategic discussion a hot topic is the challenge posed to US dominance by China in the coming years. However the leadership position of the USA is increasingly under pressure not so much by external competition as by its own policy failures, internal weaknesses and problems. Democracy was supposed to be the biggest strength of the USA giving it[Read More…]
Recent controversy regarding the research at Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) has again revived the concerns regarding continuation of certain types of high-risk biological research. As reported, a team of 14 scientists here has developed a new strain of COVID-19 that killed 80% of the mice infected with the virus in a laboratory setting. NEIDL has denied[Read More…]
‘One Earth’ is A Great Theme for G-20, But How Do We Take it Forward in the Middle of Grim Realities? India has done well to select ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ as the theme of the year of India’s presidency of G-20. In fact one can go a step further and say that if only this is accepted[Read More…]
On 17 November, 1913 the colonial British regime mobilized cannons and machine guns to fire on Bhil tribal freedom fighters gathered at the hill of Mangarh, located in present day Banswara district of South Rajasthan. Over 1500 of those gathered died. The legendary leader of the tribal community, Govind Guru ( or Govindgiri) was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.[Read More…]
During the last two decades the experiences of over 7 million cotton growing farmers in India, the world’s highest producer of cotton, has changed drastically as a diversity of cotton varieties have been replaced to the extent of perhaps over 90 per cent by genetically engineered Bt cotton varieties like Bollgard I and Bollgard II. This change was widely promoted[Read More…]
If 1 out of 2 high school girls feel persistently sad or hopeless and one out of six students plan suicide in a year, isn’t it time for a society so affected to look inwards at what has gone wrong, so that at least, and as a first step, the causes of such a dismal state of affairs can be[Read More…]
There are few writers who have displayed such consistency and continuity in their writings on justice and concerns of the unprivileged as Jeremy Seabrook. His writings on these and other issues of high social relevance are marked by deep sympathy for those who deserve and need this the most. Readers are frequently awed by the sheer brilliance of his deep[Read More…]
In the discourse on climate change, as the inadequacy of incremental change is increasingly realized, we are now beginning to hear those much needed words more frequently—that much wider changes in economy and society are needed to check climate change effectively. What exactly does this mean? It is a widely accepted norm of present-day society that people keep aspiring for[Read More…]
The Global Report on Food Crisis has been drawing attention to the people affected by acute hunger annually for seven years, and this year its recently presented estimates stated that as many as 205 million spread over 45 countries are affected by acute food insecurity and need urgent assistance. To this were later added 17 million people from 8 other[Read More…]
The World Food Organization and the World Food Program recently released a joint review of the world-level acute hunger situation for the period October 2022—January 2023. This review starts by mapping the countries and regions worst affected by acute hunger and just a glance at this is adequate to tell us that the hunger hot-spots are most heavily concentrated in[Read More…]
The concerns expressed by a Supreme Court Bench on November 9 regarding the health of an elderly political prisoner Gautam Navlakha have been widely appreciated in the country. Justice Hrishikesh Roy found it disturbing that hardly any progress had been made since the charge-sheet against him was filed in October 2020 ( over two years ago). Justice K.M. Joseph stated,[Read More…]
As election day (November 12) approaches, people of Himachal Pradesh are more inclined to recall the more impressive achievements of the long era of Congress rule. In 2017-18 among Human Development indicators Himachal was at 7th place and in Gender Development indicators Himachal was at number 2 place ( compared to rank number 16 of neighboring state Haryana) among 36[Read More…]
by Bharat Dogra and Madhu Dogra A true mark of greatness is that the message conveyed by a person by work as well words, conduct as well as character, brings solace to people and reduces distress of people in contemporary times, but at the same time is also found to be of enduring importance to people when they cope with[Read More…]
Since mid-October there has been widespread concern regarding hurried introduction of GM (genetically modified) food crops in India due to the approval of a GM/HT (herbicide tolerant) mustard crop by a regulating agency. Hence there was a feeling of great relief on November 3 when the Supreme Court of India asked the government to maintain the status quo and not[Read More…]
Pakistan has suffered its worst ever floods this year, resulting in over 1700 deaths, nearly 13,000 seriously injured persons and damage estimated at around $40 billon. UNICEF stated in a report that as a result of these floods, nearly 10 million children needed urgent assistance. As millions of persons were rendered homeless by floods, urgent reconstruction efforts are needed. Winter[Read More…]
If very high and increasing mental health problems are reported from any society, then the most obvious response is to increase the availability of mental health services. However, if despite this, the trend of high incidence of such problems persists, then isn’t it time to inquire at a wider level regarding what problems of society are causing this and then[Read More…]
Some recent statements that have appeared in media indicate that there is a lot of pressure for very hurried introduction of genetically modified mustard crop after its approval by a regulating agency GEAC. Even the fact that on such an important matter the final government decision should be awaited has not been considered by GM lobbyists and pressure groups. In[Read More…]
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times. It has to be checked as a matter of highest priority. Despite this adequate attention has not been given to how human life must change to realize this objective. We know that fossil fuels must be phased out and replaced by renewable energy. But is renewable energy capable of[Read More…]
While conservation and protection of environment should get very high priority in development planning, avoidable problems have been created whenever conservation has been pushed into a narrow path where it gets alienated from the concerns and needs of local people and communities. One aspect of this narrow approach, promoted by elites who frequently dominate conservation groups, relates to strong opposition[Read More…]
Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, there has been no other year when the possibility of a Third World War has been discussed as much as in the year 2022, mostly in the context of the Ukraine War and USA-Russia relations, but to a much lesser extent also in the context of Taiwan and USA-China relations.[Read More…]
A rise in the number of homeless people has been reported from several countries. This is either being neglected, or at best is seen in terms of stepping up relief. However relief alone will not take us very far if the deeper, wider injustices of urban and housing policies is not corrected. In the USA there have been warnings against[Read More…]
The possibility of the use of nuclear weapons, intentional or on the basis of misunderstandings which can result in a situation of high-tensions and escalating tensions continuing for a long time, has been repeatedly and increasingly held out in recent times. In this context various scenarios have been presented by several eminent experts almost all of which reveal a very[Read More…]
Will COP-27 help to improve the climate agenda in significant ways, or will it carry on as before? This is an important question for humanity, keeping in view the increasing evidence of the extremely serious nature of climate disruption related threats, which just keeps on piling. At the same time, it has become increasingly clear that the existing response of[Read More…]
Recent times have witnessed constant constant lobbying by very powerful corporate interest lobbies for the introduction of GM (genetically modified) crops and technology in India. These corporate interests have been promoting GM technology and GE (genetic engineering) technology in food and farming which has been exposed by eminent experts to be extremely harmful for food, health and farmers and useful[Read More…]
When the history of the struggles of industrial workers against injustice in India is finally written, a detailed chapter will have to be devoted to the various injustices suffered by Maruti vehicle workers in Manesar (Haryana) following some unfortunate and regrettable violence in July 2012. More than a decade later this struggle is still continuing, as was visible in[Read More…]
Sometimes this happens also in personal life—someone who insists he is helping you keeps pushing you in the direction of harm and even ruin. Something similar seems to have unfortunately been the fate of Ukraine in recent times—those who kept insisting about helping Ukraine have actually kept pushing it towards ruin. It was certainly possible for Ukraine to have a[Read More…]
Victims of occupational diseases suffer all too frequently from neglect, resulting in extremely distressing conditions for them. Hence a recent campaign involving activists, judiciary and some state governments, particularly Rajasthan government, has appeared like a rare ray of hope. This campaign shows how significant benefits can reach workers suffering from silicosis, one of the most serious and common occupational diseases,[Read More…]
Deepawali, the most awaited festival of lights in India, is celebrated by people in many ways but most prominently as a wish and worship for prosperity to them and their near and dear ones. While economic well-being should be wished to all people of the world, certainly our greatest concern should clearly be for the poorest sections. It is very[Read More…]
High levels of workplace violence are becoming a cause for serious concern in many countries. According to the European Working Conditions Survey, 6 million workers in the European Union are exposed in one year to workplace violence. If verbal violence is included, then the number exposed to violence is likely to exceed 30 million. France, Denmark and Belgium are among[Read More…]
Occupational diseases constitute a much more serious risk to the health and welfare of workers than is normally realized. The International Labor Organization and the World Health Organization got together jointly to estimate the number of deaths caused by occupational diseases and injuries at world level for 2016. The two international agencies found that as many as 1.90 million ([Read More…]
There has been growing concern in recent years regarding the extent to which workers and employees are stressed in their work and have strong feelings of alienation. In this context the findings of one of the most extensive surveys on this subject are significant. These can be seen in Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report 2022. This is based[Read More…]
Accidents are a leading cause of human distress. However most discussion has been concentrated on road accidents while occupational accidents which affect mostly the working class have received comparatively much lesser attention. This should not lead to neglect of the very heavy price that workers have to pay in terms of serious injuries or even loss of life caused[Read More…]
On October 15, the Indian Women’s Cricket team won the 8th Asia cup in great style, turning the final match into a one-sided game which they won by 8 wickets in 8 overs. The Indian women played exceedingly well throughout the tournament, putting in an exceptional all-round performance. There was no dominance of one or two players, all team-mates contributed[Read More…]
The peace movement is extremely important for our increasingly troubled and violent world, particularly at a time when the world leadership is strangely getting less and less cautious about the world being led into the most dangerous situations. Those who contribute sincerely and honestly to the peace movement, standing for truth in difficult conditions, are among the most noble persons[Read More…]
World Food Program says that now needs are sky-high and resources are rock bottom Possibilities of not just increase of hunger but even of starvation deaths have been voiced by several international agencies during the greater part of this year. This is particularly true for the Horn of Africa region where the situation has been reported to be the most[Read More…]
On October 11 over 100 leading peace organizations of the USA released a joint statement calling upon President Biden to “end the US role in escalating the extremely dangerous tensions with Russia over Ukraine.” This statement has stated very clearly, “It is greatly irresponsible for a President to participate in brinkmanship between two nations that possess 90% of the world’s[Read More…]
At a time of increasing economic inequalities and ecological ruin, the search for alternative development paradigms has increased and an important aspect of these efforts has been to learn more about indigenous and tribal cultures and world-views as a source of guidance. While these efforts can be seen more in a few countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, there have been[Read More…]
The recent closure (mostly from October 1 onwards) of several industrial units in the National Capital Region (NCR) has led to the unemployment of a very large number of workers in several leading centers of industrial activity like Panipat, Faridabad and Gurugram. This is hardly the first time that pollution control curbs have led to the unemployment of workers on[Read More…]
Exceptionally heavy continuous rain has been experienced in several parts of India in early October, at a time when the season of monsoon rain is normally considered to be over. Such abnormal weather is not rare in times of climate change, and we need to be very careful in several contexts to minimize harm. In particular we need to be[Read More…]
On October 8, as many as 12 passengers died and 43 were injured when a sleeper ‘luxury’ bus caught fire after hitting a truck in Nashik city ( Maharashtra). Recently several other serious accidents involving sleeper buses have been reported. In June this year a large number of passengers travelling from Gonda ( Eastern UP) to Delhi had a narrow[Read More…]
In the middle of the increasing proliferation of arms and weapons in most parts of the world, a small window of hope is still provided by the partial success of some campaigns to check the use of some of the most painful weapons. These efforts were led by a broad-based campaign to ban the use of landmines. Wounds caused by[Read More…]
In an extremely tragic accident on October 5 in Faridabad (Haryana) four workers who had gone for cleaning sewer of a hospital died due to inhaling poisonous gas. Two of them were real brothers, young sons of a widow. The hospital used their services through a contract agency. So soon after the deaths allegation were being traded between them regarding[Read More…]
If the single most important feature of the present phase of human history is to be identified, then clearly it is that this phase is the most dangerous in human history. The year 2022 appears to be confirming this more than several previous ones. Several serious human-made environmental problems led by (but by no means confined to) climate change threaten[Read More…]
On the night of October 1 at least 125 people died in a football stadium in Malang, East Java (Indonesia) in an entirely avoidable mishap. When the home team lost there was a rush of frustrated spectators, a situation that could have been controlled. However when the police over-reacted with excessive use of tear gas shells and batons, a big[Read More…]
On October 4 a bus carrying a marriage party fell into a deep gorge near Simri in Pauri Garhwal district ( Uttarakhand ). Although local villages rushed for rescue effort followed by a government rescue team, as many as 33 members of the marriage party (coming from Haridwar district ) died while 19 were injured. While all accidents are tragic[Read More…]
The Indian Himalayas stretch majestically for nearly 2500 km across 13 states and union territories. Nearly 50 million people live here, but the number of people whose life is closely influenced by the Himalayas is many times more, with a heavy concentration in the densely populated Gangetic plains. For all their outward grandeur, the Himalayas are geologically young and fragile[Read More…]
In October-November this year the world observes the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 when the world had come closest to the exchange of nuclear weapons. Now in October 2022 we again have a situation where the risk of use of nuclear weapons is fast increasing. This risk is more widely discussed today than ever before in[Read More…]
Recently a mass unemployment threat has arisen in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India, in densely populated cities and towns like Panipat, Sonipat , Bahadurgarh, Ballabhgarh and Faridabad. Several hundred thousand jobs may be lost. Thousands of industrial units temporarily suspended work on October 1. At a more obvious level, it is being said that this crisis situation has[Read More…]
Majrooh Sultanpuri ( 1919-2000) was a highly talented lyricist of Hindi cinema who also received the highly coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement. What is less known is his involvement in the Progressive Writers Movement and his strong leftist views as reflected in some of his earliest poems. In fact due to this he was imprisoned in 1949, just[Read More…]
Jahanara–The First Lady of a Great Empire Who Devoted Herself to Reducing Suffering and Distress In times when royalty was characterized by the craze for luxury and constant intrigues for power, Princess Jahanara (1614-81) is almost a unique character in the Mughal Dynasty who devoted most of her time, efforts and wealth to reducing the distress and suffering of others.[Read More…]
A Pioneering Book That Brings Out the Love of School Children for Birds “Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.” This is the illuminating quote from Douglas Coupland with which a remarkable new book ‘Familiar Birds of Sanawar’ has started. This book has been[Read More…]
On October 2 an increasingly divided and troubled world observes the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (MG). This is a good time to reflect on the essence of some of his enduring messages. Firstly, he said that economics should never be separated from ethics. In particular he gave a call for placing the poorer and weaker sections at the center[Read More…]
Charlie Chaplin called this the most beautiful Italian film he had ever seen, but then this is also an extremely tragic film. Based on the life of a family in post-Second War Berlin, ‘Germany Year Zero’ (1948) is not a film you can forget easily. War is over, but its devastation lives on in the life of so many people.[Read More…]
In the build-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the USA was on the one hand provoking Russia in numerous ways to attack and on the other hand saying to its European allies and other countries—Look how dangerous is Putin’s Russia—attacking its weaker neighbor so aggressively. Unfortunate as such conduct was, it could be understood by those who had followed[Read More…]
Seven months after the Russian invasion started, the Ukraine crisis has become the biggest flashpoint which can endanger world peace. From the point of view of those who cherish world peace, the situation is fast becoming more perplexing, difficult and dangerous than before. It may sound alarmist to ask whether we are moving closer to a world war type situation[Read More…]
Today on September 28 many, many people in Chattisgarh and other parts of India will be remembering Shankar Guha Niyogi on his death anniversary. It was on this day that he was assassinated at the peak of his efforts to mobilize workers for a big struggle. Niyogi, a labor leader who became a legend in his lifetime, led a very[Read More…]
Today September 28 is the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh, the revolutionary freedom fighter from India who could dare to think at a very young age of fighting imperialism all over the world! Although he was hanged by colonial rulers at the age of only 23 in 1931, he is still not only remembered with great affection and respect by[Read More…]
With the passage of time, not only has distress and destruction associated with the Ukraine war increased, in addition the possibility of peace has become more distant and difficult. As in the case of many wars that drag on, more unfortunate incidents and statements become the cause of increasing bitterness on both sides and this itself then becomes the reason[Read More…]
At a time when the trend of trying to maximize profits has led to so many serious distortions in the health sector, the need for at least some efforts which have been consistently providing rationality based, low cost medical care with a special emphasis on trying to reach out to workers and peasants and to all weaker sections of society[Read More…]
Europe could have criticized the Russian invasion as much as it wanted, it could have called Putin authoritarian as many times as it desired and of course it could (should) have provided even more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine refugees/displaced persons, but its more or less unquestioning acceptance of the role of the USA in Ukraine certainly raises several disturbing questions.[Read More…]
There has already been significant criticism of the Ukraine policy of the USA government from a perspective of world peace. The base of US policy is the concept of a proxy war that can bleed and weaken Russia as much as possible (at great cost to the people of Ukraine as well as the peace and stability of the rest[Read More…]
Soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, in the very next month of March an important initiative was launched with the help of Turkish diplomats. Right through this month this initiative appears to have progressed well, and broad agreements for ceasefire were substantially reached, even though details remained to be worked out. Among other things, this is likely to[Read More…]
Ukraine has for long been a very productive food grain producing country with very favorable natural conditions for this role. In particular its role in producing surplus wheat has been very well-established. What is important for government policy is to establish the sustainability and equality aspects of these natural strengths. Unfortunately in recent years Ukraine has instead travelled in an[Read More…]
One of the most widely discussed rural initiatives from India has been the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) which provides a guarantee of employment in various tasks of rural development. While it can provide very genuine benefits to workers and peasants while carrying out highly useful tasks ( like water conservation), in practice its implementation has been increasingly marred[Read More…]
September 21 will be remembered in history as a day when the Ukraine crisis appeared to be escalating very sharply. Russian President Vladimir Putin called up 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine and backed a plan for territorial gains to make up for some recent reverses. In an address to his country he said, “If the territorial integrity of our[Read More…]
Several peace activists in the USA recently observed a peace week during September 12-15 to mobilize more and more people for pressurizing US government policy towards peace-based solutions, instead of merely announcing weapon supply increases to an already deeply ravaged region. This effort was coordinated by Peace in Ukraine Coalition (PIUC) and spread to several parts of USA including Washington,[Read More…]
At what stage can the USA’s increasing military assistance to Ukraine become like a direct conflict-or war- with Russia? This is one of the most significant questions facing humanity today, with very dangerous implications not just for these three countries but the entire humanity. Reuters reported on August 2 ( see news report titled ‘Russia says United States is directly[Read More…]
The release of eight cheetahs into the Kuno National Park ( Madhya Pradesh) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, although accompanied by a media blitz, has raised several questions. The animals were flown from Namibia to Gwalior and from there they were taken to the release site in a helicopter. Official sources have stated that this is the[Read More…]
Most countries of South Asia have suffered excessive flood losses this year, peaking in Pakistan. In the last week of August Pakistan, overwhelmed by surging waters, declared an emergency. Nearly 1500 human lives have already been claimed by the disaster. With excessive rains affecting almost half the country and a third of the country submerged during the peak of the[Read More…]
In Kolawalpur village of Banda District (state of Uttar Pradesh), many farmers complained bitterly that the miners of river sand had destroyed their farms and standing crops. What is more, threat of floods in the rainy season and the river drying up in the dry season had increased due to the excessive extraction of sand from the river using heavy[Read More…]
US Policy Makers Must Listen to Gerry Condon Gerry Condon, former President of Veterans of Peace, a USA-based global organization of Military Veterans and allies with 140 chapters worldwide whose collective efforts are to build a culture for peace and end all wars, has very recently written a letter to President Biden which needs to be widely read by all[Read More…]
Barbara Ehrenreich died at the age of 81 on September 1. The American author had reached a worldwide readership with her over 20 books which are best known for their strong voice of justice and dignity for the weakest sections as well as for opposing hypocrisy and social deceit at several levels. Her brilliant reportage, social commentary and book reviews[Read More…]
There have been frequent demands in recent times for increasing the budgetary allocations for weaker sections as many of their priority needs are not being met properly. Instead of responding sympathetically to these demands, if some of these allocations are cut in arbitrary and indiscriminate ways, then this is bound to increase the distress of weaker sections by midway jeopardizing[Read More…]
The population of elderly (60 years plus) citizens in India is around 140 million. The union ( central) government pays annual pensions worth around Rs. 180,000 crore ( one crore=10 million) to its former employees numbering between 6 to 7 million. For the remaining elderly it provides about Rs. 9700 crore ( inclusive of some other welfare spending). During recent[Read More…]
Landowning farmers ( kisans) present the most visible face of India’s villages, and most of the discussion is in their context. However a very important aspect of rural India seldom emphasized is that there are more landless peasants and workers ( bhumiheen) in villages of India than landowning farmers. Several landless farm workers have belonged traditionally to the most marginalized[Read More…]
Communal propagandists who want to disrupt inter-faith harmony often distort and misrepresent history to peddle their lies. While this can be shown in the context of many instances, the times of Dara Shikoh are particularly relevant in this context. As is well known , Dara Shikoh (1615-59) was the favorite son of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the buider of[Read More…]
September is supposed to be a very critical month for the nearly 5.5 million people of Tigray region of Ethiopia affected by very severe food shortages, almost half of them on brink of starvation. If the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara are included then as many as 13 million people face a very difficult situation. The United Nations officials[Read More…]
The USA is without doubt the most powerful country in the world. It was endowed with an exceptionally plentiful natural resource base. Despite this the bottom half of the population of the USA has been facing increasing difficulties in meeting its basic needs. One of the most important reasons for this relates to increase of inequalities. The USA poverty level[Read More…]
While scientists and activists have done well to establish the urgency of checking climate change before it is too late, it is increasingly clear that the current paradigm of checking climate change is not working. Briefly, it has to be changed in ways which will link it very closely to checking militarism and inequalities while promoting peace and justice, preventing[Read More…]
Crop stubble burning has so far attracted concern mainly in the context of Punjab and nearby areas. Its most widely discussed impact has related to increase in air pollution in Delhi and some other nearby cities. However what is not often realized is that in a more quiet way this is also spreading in several other parts of the country[Read More…]
The greater part of the Horn of Africa region is seeing a steady worsening of hunger and starvation, as four years of rain failure have tasted the limits of the coping mechanisms of people. In Somalia, a country of around 16 million people, nearly 260,000 people are reported to have died in the famine of 2010-11. The international community was[Read More…]
One of the most important initiatives to be taken by any political parties in recent times, the 3570 km. Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, passing through 12 states and 2 union territories and spread over around 5 months, covering on average 22 km. in 6.5 hours every day, has raised high hopes at a time of increasing problems.[Read More…]
While evictions of the poor from their huts and small houses should be avoided as far as possible in all circumstances, the situation since the pandemic appeared has been all the more difficult for the weaker sections as they suffered very big losses in earnings and employment. What is more weather conditions have also been becoming more adverse in these[Read More…]
Nomadic communities have suffered from increasing marginalization in recent times as both their needs and potential have not received the due attention and understanding. On the one hand their rights are trodden upon and violated by powerful forces, on the other hand whatever development work is initiated for them fails to take account of their real and considerable potential, their[Read More…]
There has been an increasing, welcome trend in many parts of world for seeking a better, unbiased and more comprehensive understanding of real-life impacts of large dams. This is to a substantial part driven by the actual experience of several leading and highly publicized dam projects which turned out to be very different from the rosy promises made earlier. The[Read More…]
The union government has often voiced its support for natural farming but this is not yet seen in real change in government’s commitments. The government’s subsidies in favor of agriculture are still heavily biased in favor of chemical fertilizers or overall agro-chemical intensive farming or ‘green revolution’ type farming. This farming also tends to use water and power in greater[Read More…]
In recent years concern has been expressed that the number of homeless persons in the USA has ranged between 500,000 to 600,000, too high for such a rich country. However now the number of homeless people here appears likely to increase very rapidly in the near future. Why? Nearly one-third of the households, mostly in the lower-income groups and racial[Read More…]
Soon after the Second World War ended, the British government with its vast colonial empire made significant territorial concessions to the USA which could facilitate the rapid spread of USA military bases in many parts of the world. In addition of course the defeated Axis countries and their territories could provide another suitable place for the rapid proliferation of the[Read More…]
Risks of nuclear weapons have become alarmingly high due to a number of factors. Giving one indication of this, the Union of Concerned Scientists, USA, has written recently that warheads on just one US nuclear armed submarine have SEVEN times the destructive power of ALL the bombs dropped during World War II including the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan.[Read More…]
Gorbachev set out to reform the Soviet Union and make the entire world a less dangerous place to live in. If he had succeeded, the mad race for weapons of mass destruction would have not only slowed down but, assuming the best possible outcome, there was a real chance of their elimination or the elimination process at least starting. Much[Read More…]
Highly destructive floods devastated parts of Afghanistan in August. This was preceded by a prolonged drought, stated to be the worst in decades, and two earthquakes this year. As an overwhelming majority of people including children face serious hunger and many-sided deprivation, the USA and others should immediately release the Afghanistan central bank reserve funds of 9 billion dollars or[Read More…]
In recent months there have been growing signs of increasing assertiveness of environmental movements in Punjab. This should be widely welcomed and is much needed, given the rapid degradation of environment here at several levels in recent decades. There was an impressive and successful mobilization recently to save the Mattewara forest in Ludhiana from the onslaught of an ill-conceived industrial[Read More…]
Economist Abhijit Sen passed away on the night of 29 August, 2022. He was 72. For a long time he has been regarded as one of India’s leading agricultural economists who made a very important contribution to government policy, particularly in the context of public distribution system. India’s structure of food security has been created to a considerable extent on[Read More…]
Opposition to Vizhinjam Port Project Must be Seen in the Wider Context of Protecting Coastal Ecology and Communities The wider discussion on coastal areas often takes place in the context of their beauty and tourism potential. However ecologists place more emphasis on seeing coastal areas as very significant as well as sensitive areas whose development activities should be carefully monitored[Read More…]
On August 28, 3700 kg. of explosives were used in Noida city ( in national capital region) to demolish two 100-metre tall structures called Apex ( 32 storeys) and Ceyane ( 29 storeys), following court orders based on complaints of glaring violations of construction regulations and the builder’s own earlier commitments. These twin towers were not in the original plans[Read More…]
30 to 33 million persons are reported to be seriously affected by floods in Pakistan, a country with a population of 220 million. Due to this a national emergency has been declared in Pakistan. The previous worst floods in Pakistan were recorded in 2010 when nearly 20 million people were affected, causing damages estimated at $10 billion. This was followed[Read More…]
In recent months the need for strengthening the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has become clearer than ever before. As USA/NATO relations with Russia and China have deteriorated fast, there are increasing indications of the world’s division between two major political and military power blocks being strengthened, the dividing lines becoming deeper. First and foremost, it must be stated clearly that this[Read More…]
India has been implementing some of the biggest nutrition programs for decades and while some improvement in nutrition is indicated, on the whole malnutrition levels remain high. This needs to be explained at several levels, and one explanation that should not be neglected relates to soil health. It is increasingly realized by scientists that soil health is closely related to[Read More…]
There have been several reports recently which indicate that road accidents due to drunken driving are increasing. In particular the rules relating to distancing of liquor availability from highways are being widely flouted. A recent detailed report on the situation regarding some highways passing through Haryana, in particular the Delhi-Jaipur highway,( Dainik Tribune August 24, 2022) states that there are[Read More…]
According to recent reports which have caused widespread concern, authorities in New York, London and Jerusalem have discovered evidence that polio is spreading there and the source of this has been traced to the oral vaccine itself. According to data quoted in a recent AP report ( Polio in US, UK and Israel shows rare risk of oral vax), since[Read More…]
Most of the discussion on budgets in India is dominated by the discussion of union budget and hence adequate attention is not drawn to trends in state budgets. However this much is well-known that state governments have faced increasing pressure in recent years to meet the extra needs of people caused due to the adverse economic situation related to demonetization,[Read More…]
In recent months leading dairies have been increasing the price of the packaged milk sold by them while GST on packaged milk products has also added to the woes of consumers. During the last six months or so, leading dairies like Mother Dairy and Amul have twice raised their price, each time by about Rs. 2 per litre, citing inctease[Read More…]
Vimal Bhai breathed his last on 15 August at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. He was 60. He will be remembered for a long time for his contributions to many ecological and social movements, but perhaps most prominently for the movements against the excess of several ill-planned hydro-electricity projects in Uttarakhand. He was involved in this[Read More…]
India recently celebrated 75 years of Independence. While there are many reasons of happiness and pride while observing this important anniversary, perhaps the most important feeling should be of the compelling need to stand up at this critical time for saving and protecting democracy in India. The reason is that during the last 8 years of the NDA/BJP regime democracy[Read More…]
In 2019 the Government of India announced a reduction of corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 22 per cent, along with a further reduction to 15 per cent for new corporations. The Parliamentary Committee on Estimates has recently stated that this has led to a revenue loss of Rs. 1.84 lakh crore to the public exchequer in the[Read More…]
On August 16 protests of apple growers resumed in Himachal Pradesh after a 10-day ultimatum to the government by the apple growers did not bring a satisfactory response. On August 5 following a a big agitation the protesting apple growers had given this ultimatum to the state government to resolve their problems within 10 days. Harish Chauhan, convener of Saunkta[Read More…]
At a time when the urgency of climate change and the wider environmental crisis has made international peace and cooperation more essential than ever before, there are all the signs of moving away further from this. Seldom have we seen the spectacle of the three biggest military powers the USA, Russia and China becoming more aggressive and defiant at the[Read More…]
What India Achieved, What It Could Not and What it Lost After Achieving India achieved independence in 1947 and is now celebrating the completion of 75 years of its independence. In 1947 the life expectancy in India was a little less than 32 years. Now it is 69.6 years. This would appear to be a big achievement, but if you[Read More…]
Crucial to understanding the present day world is an understanding of its two major crises and their close inter-connection. The first crisis is the survival crisis. It consists of a number of ways in which the basic life-nurturing conditions of our planet are threatened by human made factors. One important factor is the emergence of about a dozen very serious[Read More…]
Great speeches are those which address the most urgent issues of the time in such such a way as to bring out real solutions while exposing falsehoods. Greatest speeches are those which achieve this in such a way that their relevance increases with the passage of time and years later, even decades later, we can refer to them to improve[Read More…]
How will you feel if someone promises to remove an injustice you have suffered for years, but in the end leaves you suffering even more than before? Something similar appears to be happening to tribal communities in India in the context of the Forest Rights Act 2006. They were promised by the government that the historic injustice caused to them[Read More…]
The Independence Day is always a proud day for all citizens of India. This year it is all the more so as this is the 75th Independence Day. However at the same time there is growing concern about the increasing erosion of some essential precepts of the freedom movement during the last eight years or so of the NDA/BJP regime.[Read More…]
The Indian women cricket team was on the verge of clinching the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, but just missed out on this much coveted goal. Till the last over the result could have gone either way, but being more experienced, the Australian team could win. It does not matter. A T20 match result can go either way within[Read More…]
A Great Upsurge of People Which Warned Colonial Powers that Their Rule Must End It was on August 8 1942, 80 years ago, that Mahatma Gandhi gave his great call to the people of India to ‘do or die’ for independence and thereby served notice to the colonial rulers. Even though all the leading Congress rulers were arrested almost immediately,[Read More…]
Handlooms Day ( August 7 ) is a good time to assert the need for a strong protective policy towards not just handlooms ( hand-woven cloth) but also towards cloth which is hand-spun as well as hand-woven ( called khadi in India). In this context we also need to make the wider point, as emphasized by Mahatma Gandhi repeatedly ,that[Read More…]
In the context of the ongoing debate on the Agnipath scheme, one of the factors that has been mentioned sometimes in its favor relates to the need for reducing the pension burden. However this is not relevant due to the reasons given below. Firstly the amount of civilian defense personnel pensions is often included in the armed forces pension bill.[Read More…]
August 5 witnessed the biggest protest of apple growers in Himachal Pradesh in recent decades as a very large number of them joined a march in Shimla, following the getting together of nearly 27 of their organizations under the Sanyukta Kisan Manch ( SKM or Joint Farmers’ Front).This was the biggest protest of apple growers since 1990. Incidentally then too[Read More…]
While the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ( MG-NREGA or simply NREGA)has certainly provided an important means of improving rural livelihood prospects, it is increasingly clear that its implementation problems are increasing, and this is particularly true this year.
This year has been extremely threatening in terms of the rise of big power rivalry and tensions. First, the escalation of the Ukraine crisis with Ukraine becoming a proxy country in the real conflict between the USA and Russia has led to tensions worsening steadily. What is most worrying is that unlike in the case of most recent wars, no[Read More…]
In various streams of the freedom movement, we meet Yogendra Shukla ( 1896-1960) in different roles: what is common to all these roles is that he always worked with the highest commitment. If at an early stage of his life we find him living as an inmate of Sabarmati Ashram attracting the admiration of none other than Mahatma Gandhi, at[Read More…]
Tragedy of Hundreds of Children Dying in Pond and Well Accidents Can Be Avoided In a very tragic accident in Una ( Himachal Pradesh) on August 1, 7 teenagers and youths from Punjab drowned in Govindsagar lake. 4 of them were from a single family. In a joyful mood they had gone for a routine bath in the lake but[Read More…]
The most important support needed by elderly persons is for regular and adequate pensions. Only about 10 per cent of senior citizens in India have access to regular and reasonable pensions. They are mostly those who have served in the civil government, armed forces and related parts of the formal sector. For the remaining over 90 per cent of senior[Read More…]
Many eminent persons, individually and in groups, have been trying to convince the world leadership to give much more attention to environment protection, particularly to checking climate change. This is very well justified by the seriousness of the environmental crisis. While fully supporting this, it must be asserted that peace and disarmament are even more important. One compelling reason is[Read More…]
On June 7, 13 passengers were killed when a bus plying on Shainshar-Kullu road, in Sainj Valley of Himachal Pradesh, rolled down a hill. The high death toll was caused by at least two avoidable reasons which are often seen in hilly areas. Firstly, there was delay in relief and rescue. Secondly, a landslide had thrown boulders and stones on[Read More…]
As India celebrates the 75th Independence Day, it is interesting to look at those Hindi film songs which have best reflected the spirit of the freedom movement in the years following the freedom of India from colonial rule. The coverage here is restricted to about two decades following freedom. First of all, there are songs directly dealing with films made[Read More…]
The freedom movement of India is a highly inspiring chapter of world history. With their deeds and not just their words, year after year so many freedom fighters gave highly inspiring examples of facing very tough challenges in highly courageous ways, often making big sacrifices with a smile and freedom movement slogans and songs on their lips. The broad message[Read More…]
Vijay Singh Pathik (1882-1954) was an eminent freedom fighter, peasant leader, journalist, poet, author, educationist and historian who worked tirelessly all his life to fight both imperialism and feudalism at several levels. At one level he was active in the Indian National Congress, fulfilling important responsibilities in Rajasthan in particular but also in other areas. However he had started life[Read More…]
The struggle of the people of Dhinkia and nearby villagers ( in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha) to save the local green rural economy based on dhana – mina – pana (paddy, fish and vines of betel leaves , apart from cashew nuts) from the onslaught of highly polluting big industries has acquired a new relevance and resonance in the middle[Read More…]
As the crisis of climate change has aggravated rapidly, there is a strong reason for being highly cautious about development of any new coal projects. Nevertheless, countries of the global south cannot entirely ban such development as they have to be concerned also about their crucial energy needs as well and of developing their own resources within the country for[Read More…]
One of the most challenging tasks in India has been to report from those remote places which are in the middle of several conflicts and repressive policies. Apart from the more routine problems relating to collecting evidence and facts in remote areas, when these become conflict zones or when repression is being unleashed there, risks of journalism work increase considerably[Read More…]
The case of social activist Himanshu Kumar is attracting widespread concern as it is widely believed that something exceptionally unjust has happened, even when judged by recent standards. To capture the events so far very briefly, as a social activist working in Dantewada, Chattisgarh, Himanshu Kumar petitioned the Supreme Court in 2009 ( with co-petitioners) regarding an independent inquiry into[Read More…]
At a time when headlines were focused more on the heat wave in Europe, an event of great importance which should have received more attention was the melting of as much as 18 billion tons of ice sheets in just 3 days of mid-July in Greenland. Very frightening estimates have been presented of the extent of rise in sea level[Read More…]
Few changes in armed forces have been as controversial as the Agnipath scheme of recruitment announced in June. It is very important for national interest to examine carefully the objections raised by several very senior and experienced veterans of armed forces, some of whom have distinguished themselves not just in the battlefield but as also as very learned commentators on[Read More…]
In recent times there have been several very impressive claims by the union government regarding its very strong commitment to various welfare programs. However at the same time we cannot ignore that equally strong criticisms questioning these claims have also been voiced. As a lot of statistics are often quoted in support of claims as well as criticisms, people are[Read More…]
There are increasing demands from many sides that the amendment of Electricity Act 2003 which the union government has been trying to push ahead for some time should not be passed in a hurry. It has been discussed that the government is likely to introduce the Electricity ( Amendment) Bill 2022 in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. A reference[Read More…]
The importance of protecting biological diversity has been increasingly realized all over the world in recent times. This realization came in the wake of several disturbing trends such as very disturbing pace of destruction of natural forests and fast spread of monocultures over vast farming areas. As biological diversity was lost in nature but its importance was realized by powerful[Read More…]
In June 2021 the Delhi High Court passed a judgment on a petition filed by leading film actor Juhi Chawla. She had filed a petition against hasty roll-out of 5G Technology. While anyone may agree or disagree with this, the fact remains that hundreds of scientists worldwide have been warning on the same issue that Juhi Chawla had taken to[Read More…]
An avoidable controversy has arisen recently due to the unfortunate comments of a politician of Punjab who called Shahid Bhagat Singh a terrorist. That this politician is linked closely to the Khalistani ideology explains his narrow worldview, and his comments regarding Bhagat Singh were quickly dismissed by most people. However to counter false propaganda based on such comments, it will[Read More…]
A recent news published in several newspapers has quoted India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as telling a seminar that she has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow India to export food grains from its public stockholding to nations which are facing food crisis. She said that India could help in reducing hunger or food insecurity but there was[Read More…]
The Government is in the process of finalizing a new public health bill while repealing the 125 year old Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. While few will question the need for replacing such an old and outdated law, there is also urgent need for carefully studying the various provisions of the new bill so that it is not coercive and[Read More…]
Social activists who devote their life selflessly to advancing the cause of justice and environment protection in peaceful and democratic ways are a source of great strength for any genuine democracy and any such country would take great pride in their achievements. Medha Patkar and her close colleagues in the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) are such activists whose achievements in[Read More…]
Punjab has one of the lowest forest coverage in the country as only about 4 per cent of the land here is reported to be under forest. Hence, apart from making longer-term efforts to increase its forest cover, it is extremely important to save its few remaining precious forests and it is in this context that the impressive mobilization that[Read More…]
We will soon be 8 billion on Planet Earth. Is this good news or bad, happy or sad? Well, the answer is not such a simplistic one, it is more nuanced. We can examine more than one side of various arguments. Some well-intentioned persons concerned with the present-day inability of very significant numbers of people to even meet their most[Read More…]
In a statement on June 24, the UN-Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned,“ There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022.” He went on to add, “2023 could be even worse.” In a message to a meeting of representatives of several countries being held at Berlin, Mr. Guterres said that the world faces catastrophe because of[Read More…]
On May 3 World Freedom Day ten international human rights and press freedom organizations (including the Committee to Protect Journalists and PEN America) expressed serious concern at the increasing assaults on journalists and media freedom in recent times. They called upon the Indian authorities to stop targeting journalists and critics, and more particularly to desist from prosecuting them under sedition[Read More…]
There have been several assertions on the part of the union government at high levels that natural farming will be promoted by it in a big way. While natural farming has been interpreted often in different ways, generally the meaning sought to be conveyed is that ecologically safe practices to produce healthy food free of harmful chemicals will be promoted[Read More…]
Recently serious concern was expressed by some senior doctors and doctors’ associations regarding the shortage of clofazimine, a drug urgently needed in the treatment of leprosy. The shortage is confined to private hospitals but nevertheless is affecting the treatment of many leprosy patients who need multi-drug combination treatment and the absence of one key drug adversely affects the overall treatment.[Read More…]
If the homeless people faced a difficult time earlier in heat wave conditions, they are now suffering due to heavy rain in many places. Yet concerns relating to them hardly ever become a leading concern, except perhaps for a very few days in a year in a few places where deaths on footpaths caused by cold wave are reported. The[Read More…]
Leading media organizations have come out in strong support of recently arrested journalist Mohammed Zubair. These organizations include, among others, the Editors Guild of India, the Press Club of India, the Delhi Union of Journalists and DIGIPUB, a platform for several important digital media organizations. All these organizations have condemned the recent arrest of the noted journalist and demanded his[Read More…]
National and international voices for justice for Teesta Setalvad, leading human rights defender, have continued to grow stronger since she was detained by the Indian authorities on June 25. UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor stated soon after Teesta’s detention that she is deeply concerned by this. She said that Teesta is a strong voice against hatred[Read More…]
An earthquake which has been called the deadliest in two decades hit Afghanistan on June 22. The latest reports indicate that nearly 1000 people have died and the death toll is likely to increase as more reports are received from remote, cut-off areas. It is feared that crucial rescue help needed in the first 24 hours or so may not[Read More…]
A very recent study on farmer suicides during 2000-2018 in six districts of Punjab has stated that as many as 88% of these were due to debts. This study by Sukhpal Singh, Manjeet Kaur and HS Kingra of Punjab Agriculture University published in the Economic and Political Weekly has stated about this state, which has seen the most intensive form[Read More…]
A recent book released on the first death anniversary of Sunderlal Bahuguna has recalled several inspiring episodes of social and ecological movements in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Edited by Madhu Pathak and published by Samay Sakshya, this book titled Sankalp ke Himalaya , for the most part in Hindi, will be remembered most for the chapters contributed by social[Read More…]
While the pipeline network has been expanding in Himachal Pradesh as a result of the emphasis placed on speeding up drinking water supply, at the same time drinking water scarcity from an increasing number of places is being reported. One basic reason for this is that a significant number of natural water sources including rivers, streams and khuds are being[Read More…]
Why Excessive Hostility of the Ruling Regime against the Congress and Its Leaders Should Worry All Democratic Forces The past week has been tragic and ominous for Indian democracy. A former law minister and some senior retired judges of both the Supreme Court and several high courts have condemned the actions of bulldozing and demolitions of houses of protestors as[Read More…]
In a letter released on June 14 and sent to the Supreme Court with the names of former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan and six former judges as well as some senior advocates and legal luminaries the recent repressive actions against protestors, including demolitions, in Uttar Pradesh have been called illegal. Shanti Bhushan was Law Minister during 1977-79 and had worked[Read More…]
A protest was organized recently on 10 June by highway construction workers in Rampur Ke Nirath area of Himachal Pradesh. The reason—most of the workers had not been paid their wages for almost four months by the contractor. While this was their main grievance the CPM leaders who addressed the protest meeting also said that labor laws were being widely[Read More…]
In editorials published on 14 June, several leading newspapers have expressed deep regret at the highly selective use of bulldozers to damage or demolish houses or other buildings related to or belonging to protesters. The Tribune has written an editorial appropriately titled ‘Free run for bulldozers—Bypassing of due process a dangerous trend ’. This editorial has written, “ The no-holds[Read More…]
Kabir Jayanti ( 14 June) is being observed at a time when the message of the great saint for inter-faith harmony is really needed in very troubled times. Such a great saint would like to be remembered on his jayanti not in terms of any ceremonies but in terms of real commitment to his everlasting message of true spirituality, love,[Read More…]
In one of the most inspiring examples of highly courageous spontaneous actions based on the unity of people, parallel governments were formed by freedom fighters in several parts of India in the course of the Quit India Movement in 1942. Although generally four such leading efforts have been identified in Satara ( Maharashtra), Talcher ( Odisha), Tamluk ( W.Bengal) and[Read More…]
Scorching heat has again been accompanied this year by reports of acute drinking water shortages in many villages. The situation was supposed to be different this time because of an unprecedentedly high increase in the budget for drinking water supply in villages announced about 15 months back, but clearly the actual improvement has fallen far short of the high expectations[Read More…]
Recent protests by environmental groups against the proposed felling of trees in Paris as part of efforts to speeding up of redevelopment for the 1924 Olympic Games have revived earlier controversies regarding the Olympic Games. The celebrations relating to this biggest sports event cover up increasing problems relating to them due to which a significant number of initial host candidates[Read More…]
At a time when serious food shortages are emerging in several parts of world, food safety issues may get lesser attention and hence it is all the more important to assert that to protect human health, food safety is of the greatest importance. In addition, as we observe World Food Safety Day on June 7, it is equally important[Read More…]
The Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) Project in India is one of the most gigantic water-transfer projects ever envisaged in the entire world. This involves 30 (or 29) links of 37 rivers all over the country. Its cost was officially projected at Rs. 11 lakh crore (one crore=10 million) in 2016, although this is now considered an underestimate. This project was[Read More…]
May 15 this year came as a timely warning that India is in the center of the global warming crisis. On this day the maximum temperature crossed the 47 degrees Celsius limit in about 20 cities, mostly in northwest and central parts of the country. These cities also figured in the table of the hottest cities at world level on[Read More…]
In 1972 a British doctor stumbled to refugee camps in Bangladesh, making sincere but rather clumsy efforts to make a contribution amidst an ocean of unmet medical needs. Five decades later, this uncertain initial effort has grown enough to reach out to over 500,000 of the poorest patients, many of them with serious conditions who would not have been able[Read More…]
As India is troubled increasingly by more scorching heat waves than ever before, its water worries are also increasing. With 18% of the world’s population and 15% of its livestock but only 4% of the its fresh water resources, India is a water-stressed country whose water woes are further increasing in the times of climate change with more frequent droughts,[Read More…]
A fascinating aspect of the freedom movement of India relates to very useful inter-actions among various streams of the movement, and their various meeting points. An interesting chapter of this concerns the family of Lala Gurudas Mal Talwar ( sometimes also written as Gurdasmal) whose various members contributed in very important ways to different streams of the freedom movement. This[Read More…]
One of the less discussed side-effects of the Ukraine war is that it is likely to have aggravated the hunger crisis in many countries of Africa. Some of the countries more affected by hunger , like Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC), had been getting substantial parts of their wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine, and to[Read More…]
The Sangh Parivar has often talked a lot about its big concern for the rich heritage of the country, but now that there are several significant cases of the BJP-led union government inflicting heavy harm to this heritage, why is it so quiet about this? Bullocks have been the most useful farm animals of India for several centuries, for ploughing,[Read More…]
If the poorest of the poor people must get the topmost priority in terms of welfare programs, then surely those households who have been employed in manual scavenging (MS) work in India should get the highest priority. The scheme for self-employment based rehabilitation of those employed in MS has therefore been considered a high priority scheme. Despite this, it is[Read More…]
On July 5 2021 the world was shocked by the news of 84 year Jesuit priest and human rights activist Fr. Stan Swamy breathing his last in Mumbai in the course of his jail sentence. He had spent a lifetime defending rights of tribal communities and other weaker sections. Arrested in October July 2020, all through the nine months of[Read More…]
At a time of increasing concern over climate change, contributions of several women, farmers and innovators have given reason for increasing hope in mitigation as well as adaptation work in villages of India. When Leela Devi was married in Tilonia village (Ajmer district of Rajasthan), she had not heard of solar energy. But making use of the existence of solar[Read More…]
May 28 is the 92nd death anniversary of Bhagwati Charan Vohra who sacrificed his life in 1930 at the age of only 25 while making preparations for rescuing Bhagat Singh from jail. As he was preparing for his own martyrdom in jail, Bhagat Singh paid very rich tributes to the great sacrifices of Bhagwati Charan Vohra in the course[Read More…]
In a recent interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI) published on May 25, former advisor to the Government of India has given a timely warning against the increasing polarization in India’s society. Prof. Kaushik Basu, who also served as chief economist at the World Bank, stated, “The rise in divisiveness and polarization in Indian society is sad not[Read More…]
In recent days reports of hunger strikes by two political prisoners Sagar Gorkhe and G.N.Saibaba have deeply hurt the conscience of a nation preparing to celebrate its 75th independence day. During the freedom movement several political prisoners had gone on very valiant hunger strikes taken up in very difficult conditions. These included such great freedom fighters as Bhagat Singh, Jatindranath[Read More…]
It is a true mark of greatness if what a leader struggles to achieve in his lifetime is widely realized to be even more valuable in the years or decades after he has left the world. This is exactly how Jawaharlal Nehru is being remembered by more and more people of his country, despite a persistent tendency on the part[Read More…]
All those who are committed to peace are once again passing through a sad phase of introspection regarding why they cannot be effective enough to check what is very clearly a very alarming phase of further drift towards militarization, that too at a time when the world can least afford it due to very serious worries relating to pandemic and[Read More…]
While the dalit community has been always known for higher levels of poverty as well as social discrimination, even within the dalits there is a sub-section known for even worse levels of poverty as well as social discrimination. This is the section which was traditionally involved in manual scavenging. The shocking injustice they have suffered from over the years has[Read More…]
Birds are the most endearing friends of humanity, so why is it that we are hearing less often the Good Morning call of sparrows and why is it is increasingly more difficult to see the enchanting spectacle of a dancing peacock? A recent study stated that over the last 5 decades the number of birds declined by about 3 billion,[Read More…]
People’s Campaigns Raise Serious Objections to Rice Fortification Scheme, with Special Concerns Regarding Tribal Communities At a time when the plans of the Government of India to hurriedly spread rice fortification have already become highly controversial with several serious objections being raised by several experts, leading food rights campaigns have prepared a detailed report in the specific context of Jharkhand[Read More…]
Will recent changes sound the death knell of good old atta chakki, oil press and small rice mill? In a recent widely publicized scheme the new AAP government in Punjab has announced that instead of supplying wheat in public distribution, the government will supply atta or wheat flour right at the footstep of consumers. While this is generally seen as[Read More…]
There is increasing worry that in some areas of critical importance the situation in India has been deteriorating steadily during the last 8 years or so. As India is home to about 18 per cent of people in the world, this is clearly a matter of urgent concern. Hence a review of these disturbing trends is urgently needed with a[Read More…]
They are often victims of neglect and even cruelty, while the wild ass is badly endangered People who are sincere and hard-working, simple and quiet should be highly valued for these virtues, yet their simplicity and sincerity are often misused by others. This can also be said about donkeys, who have much the same virtues and have suffered much the[Read More…]
Freedom fighters often face immense difficulties, all the more so if they are challenging the biggest imperial power in the world. This is precisely what Sufi Amba Prasad (1858-1917) did ever since his young days. In fact he took up this challenge not in one but in two countries—India and Iran—and finally died fighting for this cause in Shiraj ([Read More…]
Many thoughtful people of world are now concerned deeply about aggravation of several serious problems led by life-threatening environmental problems and accumulation of weapons of mass destruction. At the same time they realize that the earlier problems of inequalities and injustice are also worsening in many contexts. As life-nurturing conditions of our planet are also threatened there is greater urgency[Read More…]
dem On May 1, in the presence of heavy police force, demolition squads of Chandigarh swooped on huts and houses of colony number 4, Industrial Area Phase 1. The homes and hearths of nearly 5000 people, all of them from the poorest sections of one of the most affluent cities of India, were destroyed within a few hours. Many of[Read More…]
All those committed to protecting democracy, and more specifically to stopping the recent trend of highly undemocratic assaults on political opponents, will feel greatly relieved by the happy ending of the 10 day ordeal of Jignesh Mewani on April 29 by the acceptance of his bail by the Barpeta district and sessions court. As a bonus gain for the democracy[Read More…]
Workers in India Feel Increasing Need for Unity in the Middle of Increasing Unemployment, Inflation and Privatization This year May Day is being observed at a time of increasing need for wider unity by workers in the wake of adverse government policies leading to increasing burden of unemployment and inflation at the same time. Policies relating to demonetization, poorly conceived[Read More…]
The High Court of Gujarat recently rebuked the State Bank of India for not issuing a no dues certificate to a farmer due to the pending dues of just, believe it or not, 37 paise ( not Rs.) in his accounts! This should be read along with the statistics that the same bank wrote off loans amounting to Rs. 34,402 [Read More…]
While Safety is First Priority, Serious Problems of the Poor Living Nearby Should Also be Reduced A big fire at the Bhalsawa landfill near Delhi has led to the emergence of a highly hazardous situation in Delhi. Official sources have attributed this to the release of mehane gas, a GHG many times more more potent than carbon dioxide in terms[Read More…]
Recent reports indicate increasing problems in the implementation of MG-NREGA in Himachal Pradesh, the most disturbing aspect being the long delays in the payments of workers. A front page, top news report in a leading newspaper of this region Amar Ujala stated on April 28, “ in most gram panchayats of Himachal Pradesh daily wage payments of thousands of workers [Read More…]
A freedom fighter who was killed at the age of 45 in prison in the most cruel way, Sagarmal Gopa was one of those who dared to challenge the might of the cruel royal kingdoms which often operated in even more arbitrary ways than the main colonial government and provided hardly any avenues for dissent. Gopa stood up against such[Read More…]
A Timely Warning by Over 100 Very Senior Ex-Bureaucrats On 26 April over 100 former senior civil servants of India belonging to the Constitutional Conduct Group sent a letter to the Prime Minister drawing attention to the shocking increase in communal violence and government response to this. What is stated in this letter is so important that this should be[Read More…]
Reports of water shortages and forest fires have been appearing all through the month of April in Himachal Pradesh. It is ironical that the tourist rush to popular hill-stations like Shimla, Manali and Kasauli increased heavily during this month, even though increasing sufferings of local villagers were reported. According to rainfall data, the rainfall from March 1 to April 23[Read More…]
An important aspect of climate change that clearly affects many Asian and African countries more is that a very large part of their working population toils in open spaces. In a country like India where over two-thirds of the population is rural and a significant section of urban workers, like construction workers, also do much of their work in the[Read More…]
In difficult times of resource crunch if some important development needs remain unmet then this can be understood, but what about a situation when funds have been sanctioned and allocated but despite clear and crying need for utilization of these funds, these remain unspent and ultimately lapse. It is this big failure that is becoming a big debating point in[Read More…]
Rural Decentralization is Crucial for Strengthening Grassroots Democracy and People-Centered Development. A Reminder to Resist Over-centralizing and Corporatization Trends Today the 30th National Panchayati Raj is being observed in India. On this day we remember the passing of the 73th constitutional amendment for panchayati raj and rural decentralization in 1992. Although panchayati raj existed earlier also but the system of[Read More…]
When things deteriorate very rapidly in any country , there is a tendency—and a temptation– to discuss the situation more in terms of the lead personalities, particularly if these happen to be as colorful as Imran Khan. Yet there is a clear need to go beyond mere personalities and look at some of those problems which appear to be more[Read More…]
Women Panchayat Leaders Fighting Powerful Interests Should Get Protection It is shocking to know from recent media reports that 21 year old Neha Verma, the youngest woman Pradhan (or elected head-person of officially constituted village council) was attacked in her village (Tambar in Palampur region). She is reported to have received serious injuries on her neck. She was attacked[Read More…]
This year the Earth Day is being observed at a time when the dangers to our once beautiful and bountiful planet appear to be at their most extreme. This is not just because of the more worrying projections of climate change by leading scientists, or because of similar projections of a worsening situation with respect to other serious environmental problems.[Read More…]
One of the most important requirements of our troubled world is a meaningful system of education which is able to create joyful, interesting conditions of learning linked to strong ethical values of justice, equality, honesty, truth, compassion, non-violence, care of all living beings, protection of environment and courage. A key question that any student should be exploring is—how can I[Read More…]
Apple orchards have become a leading livelihood source in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Himachal Pradesh. However orchard owners have been troubled from time to time by several problems including competition from indiscriminate imports and reducing margins. In such a situation sometimes they are tempted to go in for technologies which offer a quick way to increasing yields[Read More…]
At a time when inter-faith harmony is being disturbed at several places in the country, it is important to recall a very important lesson of our freedom movement—all the great leaders who got the maximum support and affection of people were those who stood firmly for inter-faith harmony. People generally identified two important streams of the freedom movement—the mainstream Congress[Read More…]
The Ukraine War is one of the most significant and sad events of our times. In the middle of several conflicting claims and counter claims, 11 facts regarding this war stand out as the most crucial With thousands dead and over four million displaced within a few weeks, this war has very high humanitarian costs. With each passing day the[Read More…]
Western Diplomats and Experts Have Been Warning About US and NATO policies Escalating Ukraine Crisis Much before the Ukraine war this year, several internationally renowned foreign policy experts, including retired senior officials and other persons close to the establishment in the USA and its western allies, have been warning that a policy of excessive hostility towards Russia, persistent interference in[Read More…]
In areas that experience more political tensions including those relating to conflicts, environmental problems tend to be sidelined and neglected. This can lead to less remedial actions than in other comparable areas, while problems continue to increase. This can be seen in Jammu and Kashmir. While environmental problems have been widely discussed in the context of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh,[Read More…]
A Great Way of Celebrating 75th Anniversary of Independence is to Release All Political Prisoners. Campaign Should Start Now to be Effective by August 1 In the course of India’s long and very courageous freedom movement, India became from time to time the country with perhaps the largest number of political prisoners in the world. These included many highly distinguished[Read More…]
Protecting the Ganga river is a cause dear to the heart of all Indians. Nowhere is the need for protection greater than near the origin of the Ganga river or Gangotri, in Uttarakhand Himalaya. So it is shocking to know that thousands of trees face the threat of being axed here in the near future. A strong national campaign is[Read More…]
As the world heats up with climate change, urban areas with their dense habitations, traffic congestions, higher pollution levels and excessive cement and concrete invariably heat up more than rural areas. What is less realized is that within a single city certain areas can heat up much more than others, and the difference can be as high as 10 degrees[Read More…]
The government has recently announced a very fast schedule of spreading rice fortification in India. According to this schedule the supply of fortified rice to ICDS, mid-day meals, other nutrition and welfare schemes as well as to the vast public distribution system is to be completed by the year 2024. The capacity of the government to achieve this is much[Read More…]
As each day of war increases sufferings of people of Ukraine and creates new possibilities of escalation of wider conflict, the first priority, the overwhelming priority should be to end the war as early as possible and secure immediate peace. However several forces and leaders which are in the forefront of the debate on this highly regrettable invasion do not[Read More…]
In certain historical circumstances the US dollar received the status of world reserve currency at the end of the Second World War. It is a very privileged and special position. It gives very sweeping control and benefits relating to international finance, payments, banking and trade. However with power comes responsibility and the USA certainly has a special responsibility to[Read More…]
Is it possible to suggest a solution for climate change which does not mention the words fossil fuels even once? Before you dismiss this suggestion, kindly spare just two minutes for the very short viewpoint below. Very briefly, I recommend six changes to be taken up in the next decade as a top priority. Firstly, we have to take a[Read More…]
Over 3 million trees are cut in a year to pave the way for public infrastructure projects, according to official estimates. While replying to a question in Parliament in March the Environment Minster responded that nearly 31 lakh ( 3.1 million) trees were cut down for construction and development of public infrastructure projects across India in year 2020-21. He added[Read More…]
A rapid increase in mental health problems has been reported by several studies among children and adolescents (roughly the age-group 7-17) in several rich countries, particularly during the last decade or so. Such a trend is visible even in studies that end in early or mid-2019, or before this, and hence entirely exclude any COVID impacts. At the same time,[Read More…]
by Bharat Dogra and Madhu Dogra 21 Most Memorable Songs of Immortal Love in Hindi Cinema Love and romance being the eternal theme of Hindi films, it is not surprising that we have so many great love songs here, but by songs of immortal love we refer specifically to those songs which speak of love as a very deep lifelong[Read More…]
There has been a great surge of united actions by tribal communities against the Par-Tapi-Narmada River Link Project following which the central government and the Gujarat state government have suspended the project for the time-being. Apart from protests by tribal communities, the fact that the Congress party has extended its support to the opposition of this river-link project and that[Read More…]
In recent years, and particularly after the 2019 General Elections, there have been growing concerns regarding the fairness of the election process in India. These have ranged from highly technical issues concerning the EVMs to the systemic corruption and lack of transparency in election bonds, the amassing of huge funds by the ruling party and its misuse. A new book[Read More…]
A historic speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered even 55 years later as one of the most courageous speeches ever made. This speech stated those truths which no other leading political leader or even leading activist was willing to state in such a clear and sharp way. The reference here is of course to the speech delivered[Read More…]
A Program Based on Justice, Equality, Peace, Harmony and Environment Protection Introduction In the middle of unprecedented world problems and many-sided internal distress, India must find a firm path based on equality, justice, meeting basic needs of all, strengthening creative livelihoods, social harmony and peace. As its present path is far from being such a path, there should be very[Read More…]
Young People Should Not Be Starting Life Saddled With Big Debts Young people should be able to start life on a note of freedom and liberty. They should be entirely free to act according to the voice from their heart regarding what is the most promising and satisfying work for them. They should be able to choose work where they[Read More…]
At the time of a huge corporate assault to get clearance for Bt brinjal GM ( Genetically Modified) crop, farmers and civil society had joined hands together to resist this and the Environment Minister of the then UPA government Jairam Ramesh had bravely resisted all pressures while announcing a moratorium on this GM food crop, a decision which won[Read More…]
The call for a 2 day national level strike by workers given by 10 central trade unions and other supporting organizations in India drew a strong response by over 200 million ( 20 crore) workers on March 28 and 29, according to organizers. These workers included those from ports and mines, railways and transport, banking and insurance, refineries and telecom,[Read More…]
At a time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine has faced a lot of well-justified criticism, a different yet related question also needs to be raised. Would Ukraine have become such a serious crisis point if the USA had sincerely adopted a policy of peace towards Russia during the last 35 years or so? Revisit Russia of three decades back.[Read More…]
On March 25 is observed the death anniversary of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, a great editor, a highly dedicated freedom fighter and a lifelong crusader for justice and freedom who sacrificed his life at a young age of 41 in 1931 while trying to stop communal violence and rescue trapped people. His death in Kanpur, the central place of his work[Read More…]
by Bharat Dogra, Jagmohan Singh and Madhu Dogra It is often said that those who excel brilliantly at a very young age or else make big sacrifices at such an age are inspired by close family members or relatives. This can be very clearly seen in the inspirational impact of several members of the extended family or joint family[Read More…]
I have just completed 50 years as an independent writer. This is no news for a world busy with big things, but democracy needs truly independent, unbiased journalists and in this context my experiences of five decades have some relevance. At the more obvious level, I could contribute about ten thousand articles/reports, and four hundred books and booklets in Hindi[Read More…]
Each tree is considered to be a conserver of water, so it is extremely strange that a leading project in India widely publicized to reduce water shortages of a drought-prone area is supposed to start with the axing of 2.3 million trees, besides badly disrupting wild life including tigers in a protected zone and displacing thousands of villagers. The claims[Read More…]
The Barefoot College, which has emerged as one of the most creative institutions in the field of rural development, discussed and admired at world level as a symbol of the often hidden but great abilities of ordinary people, particularly women and weaker sections, is completing 50 years of its eventful journey this year. Its experiences are important in the context[Read More…]
Recently former legislator of Himachal Pradesh Bambar Thakur has made a strong indictment of indiscriminate and illegal tree felling at various places in Bilaspur District. He has pointed out very specific sites where such felling of trees has taken place. He has also alleged that when local persons have drawn attention to such felling no action has been taken and[Read More…]
It was over 50 years back that over 20,000 families living in villages of Kangra region were asked to leave their beautiful settlements to make way for Pong Dam constructed on Beas river in Himachal Pradesh. The land here was so fertile that it produced bountiful diverse crops without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. So people were very, very[Read More…]
While the pandemic has brought distress to all sections of people, the poor and vulnerable sections have suffered the most in this phase, not just from the disease directly but including the impact of policy measures like prolonged lockouts which caused huge unemployment and loss of income. The urgency of discussing this issue particularly from the perspective of weaker sections[Read More…]
Even some of the most publicized programs fall far short of funds required for proper implementation Recent times have been extremely difficult for weaker sections in India due to not just the pandemic but several highly adverse policy decisions as well. Within weaker sections it is often the women who suffer more and face the most difficulties and distress in[Read More…]
NAM has a new resonance in the fast-changing world In recent times the world situation has changed very swiftly, with the world getting closer and closer to getting divided between two blocks, one led by Russia and China, and the other led by the USA and its NATO allies. Other countries may face various pressures from one or the other[Read More…]
A lesson from Ukraine crisis- Decentralisation can help greatly to correct the mismatch between need and availability of medical personnel As thousands of medical students from India have recently faced extreme difficulties and risks in Ukraine, a lot of attention has been drawn to the anomaly of a very large number of Indian medical students going to study in difficult[Read More…]
In recent times urban poor households have faced great difficulties due to the pandemic as well as loss of livelihoods and income. In such times they need help and certainly nothing should be done which will increase their difficulties. So it is really very disturbing to know that thousands of hut and slum dwellers have been recently threatened by[Read More…]
Very significant gains were achieved by construction workers of India in the form of two laws enacted in 1996 for their social security and welfare. Then for over two decades another phase of struggle had to continue for their implementation in the right spirit. By the year 2018 again there were significant successes in the form of decisions of Supreme[Read More…]
A very important issue of international relations on which open and free discussion is often avoided relates to the extent to which maintenance of worldwide domination of US dollar is important for the USA and the extent to which it is reflected in US policy. Transparency and unbiased discussion on this issue is clearly very important. The period[Read More…]
Protection of the Ganga river is one of those tasks in which the government can achieve great success with the enthusisastic involvement of people. Then why is it that success has so far proved so elusive? The available data for Varanasi, the most prioritized place for Ganga protection, reveals that in terms of the essential parameters which define acceptable water[Read More…]
All through human history there has been a quest for understanding what really constitutes betterment of human beings, indeed of all inhabitants of our planet. This quest still continues, at higher levels of sophistication, with one major difference. There is now increasing recognition that major environmental problems, accumulation of weapons of mass destruction and some other issues have combined to[Read More…]
Putin is the most criticized person in western countries today. Repeated criticism of the invasion unleashed by him is justified, both because of the enormous distress caused to the people of Ukraine and the very serious threats posed to world peace and stability. Mass protests against Ukraine’s invasion in several western countries are therefore justified. However the interests of world[Read More…]
Despite increasing budgets for water conservation and irrigation, real benefits are not reaching the villages of Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh. Wrong priorities, poor planning, alienation from people and corruption have all combined to deny badly needed benefits of widely publicized government schemes to the long-suffering people of Bundelkhand. The recent revival of Kachnauda irrigation scheme in Lalitpur district[Read More…]
Today ( Feb. 27 ) is 91st death anniversary of Azad While travelling in Uttar Pradesh I have often been struck by the extent to which people still become inspired and excited by the sheer mention of the name of a freedom fighter, legends of whose courage are spread[Read More…]
The most obvious aspect of the Ukraine war just now is that it should end immediately, or as early as possible. If this lingers on, possibilities of new ways of spreading conflict can emerge. This has to be checked. This war and its violence should not spread. If all sides see reason, clearly it is possible for the conflict to[Read More…]
In recent times there have been several well-intentioned studies and reports which strongly advocate raising more resources by imposing much higher taxes on the super-rich and billionaires. An increasing support for this is provided by the sharply escalating inequality of COVID times in which billionaires have increased as never before and have been amassing wealth to an unprecedented extent, at[Read More…]
All limits of irresponsibiity have been crossed by big powers in the build-up to Russia-Ukraine war and now its actual outbreak. Beyond the immediate issues lurks the much bigger truth that the deeply troubled humanity just cannot afford any war at this critical juncture of its history, when it stands precariously at the onset of a survival crisis caused by[Read More…]
On the morning of February 22 in a very tragic accident in an illegal firecrackers factory at Baathu (Una district of Himachal Pradesh), six women migrant workers were burnt to death. These included mother and daughter from a single family. 14 other workers, most of them also women migrant workers, were injured. In most cases injuries are serious. In fact[Read More…]
If responsibilities with respect to a most deserving and vulnerable section of our population increase significantly and the government also accepts that responsibilities have increased yet refuses to increase the budget in accordance with increased responsibilities, then surely this is a case of serious injustice. If on top of it even the limited allocations are frequently cut mid-year and so[Read More…]
Recent reports from Bihar have pointed to the building up a movement of flood and erosion affected people of Bihar against denial of promised relief and rehabilitation. In addition longer term issues of the injustice done to people caught between embankments on two sides are also being raised. Although the emphasis of the movement just now is more on[Read More…]
Several leading experts and veterans of the dairy sector in India have recently stated in a joint statement that they are worried about the recent privatisation trends in the National Dairy Development Board which had been engaged so far in advancing cooperatives based dairy development. In fact this trend extends to some other dairy institutions also, sending strong signals that[Read More…]
Veer Narayan Singh (1795-1857) is remembered today as a great freedom fighter of Chattisgarh and India who sacrificed his life fighting colonial rulers. A huge cricket stadium has been named after him in Chattisgarh, and this provides a convenient identity point with him to the youth. However there is more to his valiant life that we need to know and[Read More…]
by Bharat Dogra and Kumar Gautam An issue of increasing worldwide concern is that more people have been pushed into poverty and deprivation in COVID times, negating years of progress and promise. In this context, the need for equality-led economic recovery is being increasingly emphasized and engaging a lot of attention of economists and policy-makers. This need is even more[Read More…]
Apple orchards have become a very important part of the economy of several parts of the Himalayan region in India. This is particularly true of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, and to a lesser extent Uttarakhand. However in recent times the orchard owners and local apple traders have become increasingly worried about the increasing imports of cheaper apples from Iran. These[Read More…]
Problems of the bottom half of the population in the USA are much more serious than is commonly realized In the midst of increasing distress of common people, some leading opposition leaders in some important developing countries like India are increasingly drawing attention to accentuating economic inequalities as the most crucial reason for the distress of people. In this context[Read More…]
Fast increase in liquor consumption is a matter of increasing concern.The WHO Status Report on Alcohol points out that while per capita consumption of alcohol at present is highest in developed countries like the USA and European countries, the trend of increasing world consumption is mainly driven by increase in alcohol consumption in China and India and this in[Read More…]
A legacy of the freedom movement of India which remains extremely important not just for India but for all of South Asia relates to the enduring great importance of inter-faith harmony which is extremely important for peace, stability and prosperity of this region. A very important achievement of the freedom movement was that some of the greatest leaders, each of[Read More…]
In recent weeks several groups which have been active on food safety issues have expressed concens about the serious health hazards involved in the increased possibility of introduction of imported or domestic GM foods in India. These concerns have been also related to the process of creating a regulatory framework by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).[Read More…]
At a time of continuing high levels of economic distress and hardship in rural areas, there is a very strong case for a big increase in budgetary allocations for those schemes which can directly help to reduce this distress. In this context two actvist groups known for their careful study and monitoring of rural employment guarantee scheme and which are[Read More…]
During 1917-1947 for three decades tens of millions of people in India, including a large number of women, were drawn towards a path of freedom struggle whose most non-negotiable precept was that of non-violence. This remains perhaps the biggest non-violent mobilization of people against injustice, which also had reasonable continuity over the longest period. This struggle against what was then[Read More…]
Even in Pandemic Times, Health Allocations Have Been Far Short of Real Needs One of the most glaring flaws of India’s fiscal policy which has faced severe criticism relates to less than adequate allocation for health sector. Raising combined annual spending by the centre and states on health to at least 2.5% of the GDP has been mentioned often as[Read More…]
Recent times have been exceptionally difficult and full of uncertainties for most people. While there are so many important issues that face India today, this review seeks to focus attention on six exceptionally urgent ones. Firstly, we need to give much more attention to all those people who are living in poverty and denial of basic needs, including those who[Read More…]
In recent times several justice studies have pointed out how the wealth of top billionaires of world have increased at a very fast pace. But the latest estimate presented on January 19 by the organisation Americans for Tax Fairness has still proved shocking for many people. This estimate tells us that the wealth of top 10 US billionaires has increased[Read More…]
While a drift towards increasing inequality is by itself very harmful for a country which already has high levels of poverty and deprivation, this situation has been worsened further in some countries by increasing dominance of billionaires and the extremely extra-ordinary increase of their wealth within a short time, particularly since the advent of the pandemic. At world level,[Read More…]