2010

Recently the N.C. Saxena Committee report on the Vedanta project in Orissa became instrumental in stalling the project on the grounds of environamental degradation—forests and animal life—and effect on the life style—social fabric of the Kondh tribes. The Committee stated that the Vedanta industry flouted the environmental laws and that the food source of the tribes would have been destroyed. This episode has been portrayed as a victory of the local Kondh tribes. But in reality this could (…)

BOOK REVIEW
India’s Foreign Policy: The Democracy Dimension (With Special Reference to Neighbours) by S.D. Muni; Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi; pp. VII + 178; price: Rs 495.
Not many of us know that the ‘democracy-Icon’ of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released this Saturday (November 13) was educated at Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College where she studied Political Science and grew up as a political activist to ensure ‘democracy’ back home in Myanmar. While the (…)

by Sanket Samudra
In his open letter to Sonia Gandhi [Mainstream, Vol XLVIII, No 47, November 13, 2010], Shree Shankar Sharan has strongly defended the Government of Bihar. According to him, “Nitish has been nationally and internationally acclaimed as having turned Bihar around by his new accent on development. His linking of rural and urban areas by a vast network of roads and bridges is the talk of all sections, castes and communities in Bihar, because they have all benefited from it. (…)

by Tarun Patnaik
America, the land of opportunities, of free private enterprise, of individual freedom, promises and appeals to the aspiration of many international citizens to come and seek to make their abode in the US. This is the place where ideas are respected and valued and one can prosper because of the quality of one’s mind. That is a matter of prestige for the American people. An example would be Bill Gates’ dramatic rise to prominence and wealth for the ideas he had and the (…)

by D. Gnanagurunathan
Hold your faith. The civil nuclear co-operation agreement between India and Japan, that was to have been signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan in October 2010, has been delayed. Two rounds of negotiations failed to resolve the differences and remain inconclusive. One of the stumbling blocks is Japan’s insistence on India’s commitment for a moratorium on nuclear testing to proceed with the deal. But India is unwilling to compro-mise its (…)

by Monica Munjal And Poonam Kaushik
It is a universal phenomenon for a person to grow older. However, changes in demographic structure in the last century have altered the picture of the ageing population. The world’s population has gone on a changeover course of increased life expectancy and lowered fertility. The number of children is no longer increasing as rapidly as the older population continues to grow. The age-structure of the population has changed. There is growth in the number (…)

Indian politics has a Mahabharata like nature to it. A casual observation can reveal all the great elements of drama, like the seven sins, classic fight of the good versus evil, and the climax. Electoral democracy tries to sabotage the timing of the climax by ensuring timely elections for those in power, but nevertheless sometimes the characters of this massive ongoing epic catalyse sudden and unexpected developments that can give as much thrill as the climax of a drama. Like the original (…)

Noted Gandhian and indefatigable crusader for upliftment of the poor L.C. Jain, 85, passed away in New Delhi on Sunday, November 14, after a courageous battle against cancer. Survived by his wife, Devaki, a well-known social activist, and his sons, Gopal, an advocate, and Sreenivasan, a TV journalist, Lakshmi Chand Jain was an erstwhile High Commissioner to South Africa and a former member of the Planning Commission (1989-90). He also received the Magsaysay Award in 1988 for “his informed (…)

Imagine Barack Obama inviting Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader, to his inauguration ceremony. That will make history. With that one act, Obama, as the resident of the White House, can bring radical transformation in the relationship between the US and Cuba.

Despite its seminal success in beginning a process of addressing issues of poverty, star-vation and empowering the poor, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) needed a general election to breathe life into it. However, the disproportionate influence of the middle class on social sector policy has led to the same set of pre-election prejudices resurfacing.
“What use is the MGNREGA to the economy at large?” asks the businessman, one eye fixed apprehensively on (…)