Monthly Archives: January 2011
‘Creative And Cultural Industries Have The Largest Growth Potential’
Culture doyen Rajeev Sethi is working hard to set up a national mission for the crafts and culture industry, which he has titled ‘creative and cultural industries’. The Planning Commission has asked him to lay down the parameters for these … Continue reading
Goa’s New Eco-Tourism Zones Come Under Fire
The tiny state of Goa, ‘discovered’ as a charming, unspoilt holiday destination in the 1970s, has grown into one of the country’s best known tourist destinations both for domestic and foreign visitors. What began as a trickle of discerning holiday … Continue reading
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
2010 Human Development Report Analyses Long-Term Development Trends
Most developing countries made dramatic yet often underestimated progress in health, education and basic living standards in recent decades, with many of the poorest countries posting the greatest gains, reveals a detailed new analysis of long-term Human Development Index (HDI) … Continue reading
Contextualizing Reservations For Women
If accompanied by sincere efforts to deal with gender violence, education and healthcare for girls, the Women’s Reservation Bill could be a termination notice for gender inequality in India. If the Women’s Reservation Bill becomes law, then 181 out of … Continue reading
Scrap-Collectors Fight For And Win A New Legitimacy
The scrap-collectors union of Pune in Maharashtra has given waste-collectors who scoured garbage bins and collected old newspapers and bottles a new respectability and access. The municipal corporation now issues identity cards to them and offers a limited health insurance … Continue reading
Are Projects For People, Or People For Projects?”
SEZs typically create a few thousand jobs for outsiders while displacing thousands more who are currently surviving on the land. Most SEZs will use the land’s resources to produce goods for outside markets which no locals can buy and which … Continue reading
Land Reform: More Problems Than Solutions
Land is the most contentious problem in India today. Although land policy development is taking place, the issue is being looked at in isolation, rather than in the overall framework of human rights.
The Unfairness Of Doing Good
Conservation is good, but is it always fair? It is indigenous and local fishing communities that are bearing the costs of marine protected areas. They are faced with denial of livelihoods, displacement from fishing grounds, arrest and harassment for asserting … Continue reading
Eminent Domain, Absolute Doubt: Crusade For Goa’s Comunidades
Under Portuguese rule there were 223 comunidades, or independent village republics, in Goa. The people of each comunidade were absolute owners of its lands — from hilltops to coasts. A people’s movement is now challenging the Indian state’s right to … Continue reading