Land rush and sustainable food security by MS Swaminathan

M.S. Swaminathan (Chairman, MSSRF, and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha) Managing our soil and water resources in a sustainable and equitable manner needs a new political vision, which can be expressed through the proposed Land Acquisition Bill and the recently formed Global Soil Partnership. […] It has been estimated that 50 million to 80 million … Read more

Wastewater snow would ruin a mountain considered sacred – Flagstaff (USA)

[R]ivers run through Navajo lands but the water is diverted to golf courses in Phoenix […] while natives lack legal rights to the water and can’t even get plumbing to wash their hands. Source: Janene Yazzie, a Navajo community organizer, explained to her interlocutor from the New York Times quoted by Vinay Lal (Professor of … Read more

Exploring human evolution in the Narmada Valley: Rich in fossils and archaeological sites, facing submergence – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Gujarat

VADODARA: Much is known about how the Harappan Civilization flourished on the banks of the Indus almost 5,000 years back. But now is the time to move ‘ahead’ of the Indus Valley Civilization. Through the largest exploration exercise ever undertaken, M S University’s Department of Archaeology and Ancient History along with United States’ Stone Age … Read more

Community development involving Bhil women: A synthesis of traditional small community cooperation with the systems of a democratic state – Madhya Pradesh

Adivasi Millennium The Dhas Gramin Vikas Kendra is engaged in mobilisation for rights and community development among the Bhil Adivasis or indigenous people since 1982 in Alirajpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. […] All this has been achieved by adhering to the prevailing legal system and also by networking with other organisations to bring new … Read more

Alcohol and drug-awareness group, political leaders and women activists worried: Increased alcoholism in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

What’s the price of the ‘right’ to alcohol? By Mari Marcel Thekaekara, New Internationalist, March 8, 2013 While successive governments have patted themselves on their backs, each claiming credit for our galloping economy, India refuses to talk about the enormous social costs to our communities. Alcoholism and drug abuse are at their peak. In the past, many of … Read more