Let us bribe Newton and Einstein

A string of corruption issues has our newspapers and TV channels all untied-up. Reliable sources admit that sales of 'sting' gadgetry are …

The Method Behind The Madness

When the official system learns to loot the official treasury, it also targets the natural estate, the biggest property of the modern state. Good …

`Top scientists misuse power, funds'

It seems like a lost cause but Kasturi Lal Chopra battles on. As president of the Society for Scientific Values (SSV), he leads the charge to …

Civil v political

Arguably, this is the hottest political summer for Delhi. Reason: friction between anti-corruption activists and the Union government over the …

Murder mystery in Bihar

The killing of two social activists has left behind a series of unanswered questions. On the evening of January 24 social activists Sarita and …

Breach of trust

This is not a story about floods in Bihar. This is a story about how an entire society has been corrupted by money meant to build embankments for …

How MGNREGA blew Rs 10,853 crore

The “little known” success story of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has unfolded as a disaster. …

Exhausting Practices

Prescribed as the antidote for all problems related to vehicular pollution, Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates have been an obsession …

'They asked me to withdraw my court case'

P PARDHA SARADHI is tenacious. This mild-mannered professor at the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Delhi (DU) has …

`Many doctors are simply businessmen'

Samiran Nundy, chairperson of the department of surgical gastroenterology and organ transplantation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and editor-in-chief …

What goes down must come up

It is a crime. Numerous factories deliberately inject untreated effluents directly into the ground, contaminating underground aquifers. Down …

A dark tunnel

Twenty-nine workers were killed in a landslide at the Tehri dam. The contractor building the dam has blamed the "weak mountains" for …

What goes down must come up

It is a crime. Numerous factories deliberately inject untreated effluents directly into the ground, contaminating underground aquifers. Down To …

The CNG sabotage

To clean up Delhi's air, the Supreme Court ruled in July 1998 that all public transport should move away from diesel and towards compressed …

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 …

How Bellary was laid waste

Karnataka’s Lokayukta Santosh Hegde’s report is a sordid story on the rise of India’s mining poster boy, Bellary. The …

Treasure in troubled land

International aid has supported the economy of Afghanistan for 12 years. With aid flow gradually declining, the war-torn country will now have to …

Science under siege

Agricultural science has ossified in India. Despite a vast network of public research institutions and agriculture universities across the country,…

Universal health scare

The country’s planners are debating how to provide healthcare to all. In a drastic shift from the 65-year-old public health system, the …

Kind to cash

The government has a plan to reach welfare to the poor without wasting money. It wants to put hard cash in their hands instead of spending on …

Sand slips

Where there is a river, there is sand. Called a minor mineral, it fulfils a major requirement of the booming construction industry. No wonder, …

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 …

Transparency International Global Barometer Survey

If you had a magic wand and you could eliminate corruption from one of the following institutions, what would your first choice be? " The …

Our broken system of environmental clearance

Environmental impact assessment has become a convoluted exercise, designed for futility  

Four priorities for Zambia after the 2021 elections

Regaining credibility with international financiers; fighting corruption; ending the reign of terror by political party vigilantes are among the …