Sarguja Losing battle
First district for tribal development Rampant deforestation Malnutrition and starvation deaths
Dungarpur A 'common' death
Once rich in forest and grazing land Now known as 20th century desert 68% population 'marginal and unemployed'
Phulbani Access to poverty
Sal forest worth: Rs 30,000 crore 85% population dependent on forest 65% people below poverty line
Green issues plaguing rural West Bengal missing in Panchayat election campaigns, say activists
Low groundwater levels, cutting of trees and poor waste management not being addressed; political parties pass blame in response
Costly largesse
US unveils safety net for its farmers, shackling global free trade and posing a threat to environment
Stink over missing toilets: ministry initiates probe
CAG audit may be sought if states fail to disclose correct information, says secretary for drinking water and sanitation
A hard rain’s falling
Sayantan Bera tells the story of a man and a state, paralysed inside the remote islands of Sundarbans
India’s mysterious diseases: ‘We need a public health system’
Human health management is dismally low in India, says T Jacob John, virologist and former professor at Christian Medical College, Vellore
Funds for social welfare cut drastically in revised budget estimates
Ministers write protest letters to prime minister and finance minister, saying it would greatly impact ongoing schemes
RTI activists’ murders: Jairam Ramesh demands prompt action, compensation to families
Rural development minister’s letter to Nitish Kumar includes four suggestions for better implementation of social welfare schemes
Who are the poor?
Identifying the poor and measuring the poverty is a contentious issue. Poverty line is not a sacred line. At best, it indicates how far the …
Poverty level will increase if health expenditure included
Planning Commission factors in less than one rupee a day as health expenditure in its affidavit to the apex court
Will land Bill cross Rajya Sabha hurdle?
Narendra Modi government accuses rival parties of opposing amendments in the land acquisition law for the sake of opposition
A new roadblock
Tribal affairs ministry objects to Maharashtra's Village Forest Rules that violate FRA. Other ministeries pressure it to backtrack
Another village, this time in Odisha, gets official permit to sell bamboo
Though Jamguda was conferred community forest right two years ago, it was not allowed to cart bamboo out or sell it in the market
Between Maoists and mines
Ho tribals lose hold of Saranda as mining is set to take over the pristine sal forest. A report and photographs by Sayantan Bera
PMO orders huge cuts in social sector spending for 2015-16
Employment guarantee, rural road and sanitation schemes among those likely to be affected
MPs funds to now be used to develop over 2,000 ‘model’ villages
Ministry of rural development will channelise MPs’ funds through different schemes for Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
Protocol to protect RTI activists in the works
If a single panchayat-level activist can expose corruption worth Rs 25 lakh, then each needs protection for effective implementation of …
Half-way to autonomy
Decisions by Maharashtra’s top forest official can empower gram sabhas prepare plans to revive their forests, but a policy is awaited
Criminal neglect takes toll on Attappady tribes
30 infants die in five months as result of malnutrition; rural development minister announces Rs 125 crore package
Rare takes on the year just passing by
Being a Down To Earth reporter entails merging the personal with the professional. The magazine you so dearly own has a fascinating world hidden …
Why Marathwada is becoming a graveyard for farmers
Season after season of failed crops is pushing farmers to the brink of desperation, while the inaction of the Maharashtra government is allowing …
What rural folk need is motivation
V B SALUNKE, a 58-year-old social worker, abandoned his engineering firm in 1972 to mobilise villagers towards community participation in the …
Large promises
Prime Minister Vajpayee is terribly interested in rural development these days. On his birthday he inaugurated Swajaldhara, a nation-wide water …