The negotiators
Of India's 18 major rivers, 17 are inter-state. In all cases, the water is intensely fought over. In all cases, there seems no resolution. In …
Impotent plan?
In August 2005, the Indian Parliament passed the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (nrega). The latest avatar of state-financed employment …
Hiware Bazar - A village with 54 millionaires
Hiware Bazar, a village in Maharashtra's drought-prone Ahmednagar district, was sliding into an abyss after degrading its environment. But in …
Bamboo rising
Five years after it was implemented, the Forest Rights Act finally takes root. Communities across the country rush to claim rights over forests …
Polavaram fraud
The Polavaram dam on the Godavari could displace 400,000 people and submerge nearly 4,000 hectares of forestland. Most of the people threatened …
Village democracy, Mendha style
A nondescript Maria Gond village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, can offer a lesson to urbanites on how to run a functioning democracy.
Tribal turmoil
Upbeat about the restoration of ownership rights, Gadchiroli tribals march towards self-governance
We will protest against mining through gram sabhas: Lalasu Nogoti
Lalasu Nogoti is a lawyer and human rights activist from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. He was recently elected as a zila parishad member from Arevada-…
Bill must ensure power to the people
The political debate on the Panchayati Raj and Nagarpalika bills does not address the issue of giving power to the people so they can take …
For the people
Grassroot bodies should pressurise the state government to effectively implement the new Act on tribal self-rule passed by the Centre
Gram sabha empowered
Anna Hazare's relentless crusade leads to ordinance granting more powers to the gram sabha in Maharashtra
People power
Kerala launches a movement -- of the people, by the people, for the people. Whether the movement will stand the test of time is yet to be seen,…
Puppet power
Gyani Baba (wise saint, literarily), a seven feet-tall puppet with handle moustache, is up for a big task in Rajasthan's Ajmer district. He is …
Implementing PESA Act in Jharkhand is not an easy task
The Act recognising the right of tribal communities in Scheduled Areas was enacted in 1996. Despite being formed 22 years ago, Jharkhand is yet …
Odisha villagers, forest department at loggerheads over rights to sell kendu leaves
Can Odisha government deregulate kendu leaf trade with support mechanisms to facilitate private trade beneficial to communities?
Return of the woods
Two decades of toil have given back to Seed village in Udaipur a forest that villagers felt had been destroyed forever
Panchayati Raj institutions in Bihar submitted utilisation certificates for only 42% of grants received: CAG
Staff crunch in PRIs in the state impacted the devolution of functions, the audit highlighted
Odisha Mining Corporation's fresh attempt to mine Niyamgiri
In May 2013, 12 gram sabhas surrounding the Niyamgiri hills had voted against mining in the region
Fight for Khandadhar
Once rescued from Korean company POSCO, Odisha's ecologically rich Khandadhar hills have now been handed over to the state's mining body. Tribal …
Forest dwellers intensify protest
21 years on, profit sharing under joint forest management remains unclear in Maharashtra
Supreme Court foils Odisha government’s bid to takeover the sacred Niyamgiri Hils
The apex court asked the state government to file a fresh plea with all the stakeholders including the Dongria Kondhs on board
OMC moves Supreme Court seeking fresh palli sabhas in Niyamgiri
The application is yet to be listed for hearing and any formal comment could be made only after the apex court hears the matter
The curious case of panchayats in Delhi
The Nagar Swaraj Bill will usher in decentralised governance in the city state, but what happened to rural panchayats?
10 villages to get forest benefits
Maharashtra to finally give JFM villages their due, but the share is bigger, say activists
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