Curse of limestone
Farmers from 12 Rajasthan villages refuse to part with fertile land for cement companies
Channels of change
Two villages in Uttar Pradesh have reversed the trend of migration by digging six kilometres of channels to bring water to drought-hit farms
INEVITABLE TRAGEDY
SOPAN JOSHI travels through Andhra Pradesh, only to find that beyond the immediate crisis of state-wide farmers' suicide lies one decade of …
Democracy under surveillance
West Bengal bureaucrats to monitor panchayat institutions, implement their decisions
Bridging the gap
Pressured by a highly active civil society, the Kerala state government is actually giving power to the people. The decentralisation theory has …
Public hearing for Bhushan steel plant ends in fracas
Company did not consult village council or obtain its consent as mandated by law for scheduled areas, complain residents
Nobody's waste
Kerala's capital wants a solid waste treatment plant in a nearby village. This has created a rural-urban conflict
Jharkhand
Most politicians and activists see the Forest Conservation Act as a hurdle towards empowering the tribal population. They want the act amended
Uttaranchal
The process of alienating people from natural resources has not stopped, even with the attainment of statehood
Chattisgarh
Fighting the drought preoccupies the new government. Charting a mining policy to explore the rich mineral deposits is next on the agenda
Chipping away
Time was, when the Saranda forest cover was so dense that even the sun's rays couldn't penetrate it. Ironically, denudation has driven the region …
Poor little rich states
Rich in natural resources but extremely poor, the three new states are in need of a new strategy for development. But no blueprints have been …
Panchayat Raj Half a cheer for democracy
There is a great push to make panchayats the fulcrum of rural development in India. But 16 years after the third tier of government was created, …
Under threat
A proposed dam is set to change the landscape in the Pindar ghati--host to the last free flowing tributary of the Alaknanda. Bharat Lal Seth …
Model in a fix
Chhattisgarh's much appreciated public distribution scheme is falling apart due to corruption and mismanagement
High risk
Problem: Tall buildings risky in high seismic zones; Status: Hill-stations are getting concretised and growing vertically; Challenge: Use local …
What goes down
Problem: Lack of space for garbage disposal; inadequate sewerage; Status: Garbage disposed on hill slopes ends in streams/rivers; Challenge: …
Defying gravity
Problem: Terrain forbids water supply systems that work in plains; Status: Water crisis in peak season every year; Challenge: Develop …
Local travails
Problem: Tourist influx too large; earnings flow downhill; Status: Residents forced to share meagre facilities with tourists; Challenge: Regulate …
Bay in distress
A proposed shipyard threatens the rich biodiversity of a south Goa bay, but government is unmoved
Walk the village talk
After raising the political profile of village councils, government wants to downsize them
Blatant lies for laterite
Andhra pollution control board holds public hearing for a project in Schedule Five area
How to stall COVID’s march in rural India
As cases of COVID-19 emerge in India’s rural areas, the time is ripe in strengthening implementation of National Rural Health Mission and …
A tale of two interpretations
Aparna Pallavi recounts struggles of residents of a tiny village in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra to get ownership of forest resources
Boom
Problem: Terrain forbids sprawl as in cities in the plains; Status: Alarming population density (people per sq km); Challenge: Policy question is:…