Monthly Archives: January 2011
National Food Security Act: Universalisation Vs Targeted Approach
With the government at loggerheads with the National Advisory Council and civil society groups on the question of a universal vs targeted approach to the proposed food security Act, Sachin Kumar Jain presents the case against the targeted approach in … Continue reading
Economic Model An Environmental Threat: UN Chief
“We need a revolution,” the secretary-general of the U.N. told a panel at the World Economic Forum on how best to make the global economy sustainable. “Climate change is also showing us that the old model is more than obsolete.”
HIV Prevalence Climbs Among FSWs In Mumbai: Study
HIV prevalence has gone up from 28.1% to 34.9% among female sex workers in Mumbai and a few other districts in the country, according to a study of six vulnerable Indian states
17,000 Farmers committed suicide n 2009: NCRB
The number of suicides by farmers continues to rise countrywide with Maharashtra topping the list for the tenth consecutive year. Even as food prices soar, farmers in India do not seem to be profiting. The National Crime Record Bureau’s most recent … Continue reading
The Forest Rights Act Is Floundering
One of the flagship programmes of the UPA government, the Forest Rights Act, is floundering. An eight-month investigation across 17 states by a committee set up jointly by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, … Continue reading
Safe Livelihoods
The development or closure of industry is generally based on the premise that industry must be isolated from other human activities. Not only does this throw workers out of jobs, it does nothing to control pollution, because every relocated hazardous … Continue reading
‘Malnutrition Kills 56,000 Children Annually In Urban Slums’
An interview with a field worker of the NGO Apnalaya on the frequent occurrences of malnutrition related deaths among children in the slums of Mumbai.
The Nuts And Bolts Of Appropriating Agricultural Land
How much land is actually transitioning from farm to non-farm use? The government itself puts the figure at 1.5% of net sown area between 1990 and 2003, or more than 21 lakh hectares. The actual figures could be much higher. … Continue reading
Fighting Persistent Poverty
A global report card on poverty eradication prepared by the U.N. Secretary-General shows glaring disparities in performance both across and within regions. Economic growth is one evident reason for the progress in East Asia, particularly China, in reducing extreme poverty … Continue reading
How Bypasses Boost Agrarian Economy
BY NANDKUMAR KAMAT WE need not consult the World Bank, Planning commission or Nobel laureate Amartya Sen to find a solution to Goa’s rural unemployment. There are success stories right in front of us–in our own familiar countryside.