From the blurbs

HEADCOUNT: MEMOIRS OF A DEMOGRAPHER, by Ashish Bose, Penguin, Rs 450

News 360° - Briefs

MINING TAX Oz magnates choose the pm

From the blurbs

BACKWATERS OF DEVELOPMENT, SIX DEPRIVED STATES OF INDIA, edited by Shovan Ray, OUP, Rs 750

Letters

Desert cash crops will make India poor The western part of India, specifically the dry region, will play an important role in determining the Indian monsoon and even global climate patterns. Our team at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) recently completed an analysis on groundwater depletion in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan and found an overall decline of 20 cm per year; there was no significant recharge through monsoon rainfall.

Lack of governance agenda

The Left in India seems to be in complete disarray. It does not look as if it can reinvent itself and make significant contributions to natio-nal politics. At the heart of the problem is its ‘success’ in West Bengal, where it has ‘ruled’ for over three decades.

A party of non-economics

The Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) is in the midst of a crisis. However much its leaders deny its existence, it is very real. The crisis is layered: from factionalism and leadership problems, it extends to fundamental ideological and programmatic drift.

Goa's mining problems

We were standing between a massive mine and a stunning water reservoir. Local activists were explaining to me that this iron ore mine was located in the catchment of the Salaulim water reservoir, the only water source for south Goa. Suddenly, as I started clicking with my camera, we were surrounded by a jeepload of men. They said they were from the mine management and wanted us off the property. We explained that we had come on a public path and that there were no signs to indicate that we were trespassing. But they were not in a mood to listen.