What triggers desertification in India

A low down on the most important causes behind desertification in every state of the country. Addressing these will be critical to meet targets …

Controversial plan to sell water from Sheonath river

Ajit Jogi, Chhattisgarh chief minister, has announced an enquiry into the legality of India's first private project to supply water to industry …

Why diseases are "mysterious"

The government's public health system is completely defunct. Of late, there has been an alarming rise in disease outbreaks in the country. …

Chhattisgarh will not allow GM crops

Chandrasekhar Sahu, agriculture minister of Chhattisgarh, is passionate about making farming a viable proposition for farmers. He has written …

Forest conservation is too complex an issue to be resolved by executive fiat

The condition of India's forest and her forest dwellers is extremely grave. A fresh round of police attacks on tribal people -- four dead in Dewas,…

Sponge iron’s dirty growth

In the years to come, India's expanding steel production will be largely driven by sponge iron. But its manufacturing process, based on coal, is …

Bill will push PDS reform

Development economist JEAN DREZE, known for his work on issues such as hunger, famine, social and human development in India, child health and …

Unravelling the food mess

Reaching food to people who need it the most has remained one of the most stubborn problems in India. The public distribution system (PDS) is in …

How government is subverting Forest Rights Act

Does this official data betray a conspiracy? Only 1.6 per cent of the 2.9 million claims approved under the Forest Rights Act recognise community …

‘Tribals turn extremists because states are too busy making money from land’

The world’s largest democracy is facing a surge in tribal uprisings. The recent killings of Mahendra Karma and other Congress leaders in …

Let solar shine

Census 2011 throws light on the darkness across India. Of the 246 million households, 67 per cent get electricity from the grid, while 31 per …

Polavaram fraud

The Polavaram dam on the Godavari could displace 400,000 people and submerge nearly 4,000 hectares of forestland. Most of the people threatened …

‘New Raipur’ and ‘New Chhattisgarh’ in old India

Growth in the state and its capital city has reinforced and further accentuated an unequal order and concentration of wealth

Chhattisgarh High Court prevents PSU from evicting forest rights title holders

Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation had started mining in Sarguja district’s Pathrai village, where 50 Individual Forest Rights …

Chhattisgarh Assembly passes resolution against Hasdeo coal mining

State’s lawmakers urge Union government to cancel coal blocks allocated in forests; Echo long-standing opposition by tribals, activists

FRA comes to the rescue of people displaced by Salwa Judum

The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs decides to conduct a survey of the displaced people who had fled to Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, in order …

Shaala Sangwari: Killing two birds with one stone

The 'Shaala Sangwari' project in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district aims to employ educated Baiga tribal youth by making them teach their …

Is Artificial Intelligence excluding Indian women smartphone users?

Making the effort to create solutions that take a gender lens to solution design, can aid digital inclusion for Indian women

Chhattisgarh forest department expense avoidable: CAG

The department’s actions caused an excess expenditure of Rs 2.03 crore in the year 2014-15, says auditor

Mindless on the Maoists

Modi promises "development" to end the Maoist violence but slashes funds for essential jobs and food programmes

Proposed amendments to Coal Bearing Areas Act will change land acquisition for mining: Experts

The proposed amendments are likely to grant more control to private corporations, make tribal land acquisition easy, say experts

"All idiot farmers commit suicide"

Shubhranshu Choudhary finds out why farmers’ suicide is such a touchy subject in Chhattisgarh

Forest rights in Bastar: Of tribals being ‘guests’ in their own woods

There is a strong need to recognise locals’ customary rights over forests in Bastar and enhance their capacity to conserve them

Chhattisgarh mining protests continue on Day 5

Since June 7, tribals in Bastar’s Bailadila have been protesting the NMDC’s allotment of mines on the Nandraj hill to the Adani Group

Farmers and smartphone politics

Can pre-poll sops like giving smart phones with internet connectivity to farmers increase farm income?