01 April 2005 Newsletter
http://www.indiatogether.org/
The news that matters
Editors: Subramaniam Vincent, Ashwin Mahesh
Dear Reader:
The April 01, 2005 newsletter from India Together includes an
Editorial and
articles in the following regular sections: Agriculture, Book
review, Economy,
Education, Environment, Government, Media, Opinion, Security,
and Right to
Information. In addition, all India Together articles are
archived and freely
available online. Several Interact conversations are also open.
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IN THIS
ISSUE
01 APR 2005
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Editorial
~~~~~~~~~
Dissent isn't defection : Our anti-defection law disqualifies
legislators who
switch allegiances when a government's majority in legislature
is threatened,
and rightly so. But by stretching to it to penalise lawmakers
who simply vote
against their party's stand on normal legislative matters, our
Constitution
has curtailed dissent itself. The India Together editorial.
href="javascript:ol('http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/apr/edt-dissent.htm');">http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/apr/edt-dissent.htm
Agriculture
~~~~~~~~~~~
Organic farming takes hold in Rajasthan : Large numbers of
farmers have opted
for a way of cultivation that does away with chemical
pesticides, and most
importantly, uses less water in a water-starved state. The
dramatic results are
nowhere more visible than in Rajasthan's Shekhawati belt,
reports Deepa A.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/agr-orgswitch.htm
An organic cup of tea, please : Since 1980, organic tea
consumption has grown by
leaps and bounds. India too has joined this new green revolution
with many
farmers
already growing organic tea or converting their
plantations to do so.
However many barriers have to be overcome before this sector
realises its full
potential. K V Prayukth reports.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/agr-greentea.htm
Book review
~~~~~~~~~~~
Aiyar logic, weaker argument : In his defense of secularism,
Mani Shankar Aiyar
fails on two counts - his poor arguments for secularism, as well
as his scant
attention to his party's role in creating the economic
conditions for
communalism. Ashwin Mahesh reviews Confessions of a Secular
Fundamentalist.
color=#000099>http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/rvw-confessns.htm
Economy
~~~~~~~
Pulling the workhorse, driving the rickshaw : Despite
notoriously variable and
low earnings, close to 30% of the male population in Bilaspur's
Chingrajpara
slum are cycle-rickshaw pullers. Third in the SLUM DIARIES
series, Ashima Sood
cuts across boundaries to chronicle the forces impinging on
pullers' livelihoods.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/eco-chingpar3.htm
Education
~~~~~~~~~
The needs of today, hopes of tomorrow : There is a surprising
hope in the most
despairing places. It isn't often that many of us see this, but
when we do, we
are struck by the determination with which enormous
deprivation
is tackled by
real heroes. Somnath Mukherji encounters the work of Tomorrow's
Foundation in
Kalighat, West Bengal.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/edu-kalighat.htm
Environment
~~~~~~~~~~~
Orissa's aluminum mining costs are steep : The Central Empowered
Committee of
the Supreme Court has found illegalities in central government
clearances to
Sterlite Industries' bauxite mining project in Orissa. The
committee has
recommended (to the apex court) against diversion of forestlands
for the
project. Kanchi Kohli reports.
color=#000099>http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/env-alumina.htm
Researching turbulent waters : Researchers around the country
gathered to
discuss solutions to the key water-related problems India faces.
From conflicts
between states, to water-saving agricultural practices, to
receding glaciers, a
number of issues were raised, and their economic and social
implications
weighed. Surekha Sule reports.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/env-waterconf.htm
Government
~~~~~~~~~~
TN's e-Gov experiences spotty, but ongoing : Tamilnadu's foray
into e-governance
has not yet lived upto potential because policy makers may be
implementing top-
driven projects with little public participation.
Still, the
state does have its
own examples of how things could work. Krithika Ramalingam
reports.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/gov-tnsystems.htm
Media
~~~~~
New boundaries, old limits : A study on coverage of
developmental issues by
regional newspapers in the three newest states of the Union -
Jharkhand,
Chhatisgarh, and Uttaranchal - reveals public as well as media
apathy towards
the plight of people living in rural areas. Aman Namra reports.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/med-newstates.htm
Opinion
~~~~~~~
Nice painting, poor canvas : Total plan funding for urban
areas
is Rs 3,500
crores, but for rural programmes, it exceeds Rs 40,000 crores.
In the meantime,
the urban poor often live in sub-human conditions, and the
infrastructure is
barely able to cope. Ramesh Ramanathan says we need more rigour
in our policy
discourse.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/opi-budget05.htm
Inspiration from Pakistan : Perhaps one of the most moving and
inspiring stories
to have come from Pakistan in recent times is the story of
Mukhtaran Bibi or
Mukhtar Mai as she is now called. Her fight is an uplifting
example for all
women, not just those who are victims of sexual crimes, says
Kalpana Sharma.
color=#000099>http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/ksh-mukhtar.htm
Peace and security
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An illusory battleground : Among military planners, it is common
to devise war
games to counter any nuclear attack by enemy states. The
theories put forward in
such games, however, are not always grounded in reality. The
peace community
should alertly challenge such thinking, says Firdaus Ahmed.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/fah-battle.htm
Right to Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RTI finding : Cities subsidising the rich : Property prices have
gone up over
the decades, but Mumbai leases land to private interests at
rates as low as
Rs.7 per sq.m. In the last three years
alone, revenue
authorities have on
average lost close to Rs.48 crores, estimates Shailesh Gandhi.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/mar/gov-rtilease.htm
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Interact on India Together - a conversation space for you
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NEW: Is urban India really elite?
http://indiatogether.org/interact/2005/itr-000043.html
Your reactions to the Tsunami disaster
color=#000099>http://indiatogether.org/interact/2005/itr-000035.html
AIDS: Compromising values?
http://www.indiatogether.org/interact/2004/itr-000029.html
One person, one vote?
http://www.indiatogether.org/interact/2004/itr-000028.html
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India Together
href="javascript:ol('http://www.indiatogether.org/');">http://www.indiatogether.org/
India Together is a broad-spectrum public-interest publication
of Civil
Society Information Exchange Pvt Ltd, Bangalore. Every day,
readers get
in-depth information and news on the issues that matter covering
15 major
topics and over 20 states. Leaders, experts, practitioners,
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artists take their ideas, insights and concerns expeditiously to
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interested global audience. This newsletter may be freely
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Editors: Ashwin Mahesh, Subramaniam Vincent
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