This study investigates a community-owned and managed model of solar irrigation (led by women self-help groups) implemented by Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. It aims to assess the impact of irrigation access on agricultural incomes. The study also highlights the challenges and roadblocks …
DR. RAMAN Singh became the second Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the State on December 8, 2003. An Ayurvedic doctor by profession, he entered politics in 1976. While Chhattisgarh was still a part of Madhya Pradesh, he was Member of the …
DEEP in the jungles of Bastar, a few kilometres off the dirt track that runs between Bijapur and Gangalur, in the adivasi village of Irullipallan, it is almost noon. Marvinda and his family have just arrived from a refugee camp at Shevnaar, about 10 km away, to inspect the old, …
the Chhattisgarh government has declined to make public the memorandum of understanding (mou) it had signed with Tata Steel and Essar Steel to set up steel plants in the predominantly tribal district of Bastar. A Raipur-based businessman had sought details of the mou under the Right to Information (rti) Act, …
For about seven months now, Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district (formerly in Bastar district) is said to be in the grip of Salwa Judum, a spontaneous tribal uprising against the Maoists. According to one report: "From a handful number to thousands. This is how the anti-Naxal movement is gaining ground in the …
It was August 15, 2001, Independence Day, in an adivasi village of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. Two primary school teachers had invited me, the only adult literate in the village, to unfurl the national flag. I had arrived, but one of the teachers was absent, owing to a week-long drinking spree. …
• India has 16,000 recorded plant species. About 3,000 of these yield minor forest produce (MFP). • Nearly 500 million people living in and around forests in India depend on MFP for sustenance and as a supplement to their income • Studies in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar …
This paper looks at two interfacing trends shaping devolution of forest management in India: appropriation of space for forest management by diverse self-initiated community formations at the grass roots level despite state seizure of forests; and state-driven devolution where government policies define the scope of local authority in forest management. …
The Supreme Court has suggested that the forested states, which lose revenue because of the ban on felling of trees should be compensated for keeping their forests intact. Protection of the biological hotspots should be the responsibility of the country, says the court, and therefore, if the state protects its …
More than 24 people were accused in the land and forest scam in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. However, no action was taken against the culprits. Taking serious note of this, an empowered committee constitued by the Supreme Court reprimanded the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh governments and the Central Bureau …
A river tells its story through its geological history and the life that it supports. Much can be revealed to the discerning observer, as in the case of the Indravati river, which traverses the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. The predominantly tribal population here, whose livelihood depends on this river, is …
ever since 2000, Bastar district in the fledgling state of Chhattisgarh has been on the boil. The reason for the growing unrest: a State government proposal to set up a Rs 300-crore steel plant project of the National Mineral Development Corporation (nmdc) in the Nagarnar area of the district . …
the tribal community of Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh will be involved in a scheme to process minor forest produce. With an estimated expenditure of Rs 16 crore, the scheme will provide employment opportunities to the tribals who will be involved in processing, marketing and transportation of minor forest produce. …
the Bastar forest scam in Madhya Pradesh (mp) , involving forest encroachment and felling of trees with officials' tacit support, has taken a new turn with the arrest of a social activist who was closely associated with the investigations. The activist, Ratneshwarnath , was part of the team that prepared …
The Supreme Court has ordered a CBI enquiry into the Bastar forest scandal that is related to illegal transfers and serious irregularities in grant of permission for felling of trees. The division bench comprising Justice J S Verma, Justice B N Kripal and Justice B N Khare expressed concern that …
a high-level committee formed by the Lok Ayukta of Madhya Pradesh, began probing the felling of Malik Makbooja trees in Bastar district in early May, said state government sources. The move came following a public interest litigation moved by S R Hiremath, coordinator of Samaj Parivartan Samudaya, a Karnataka-based social …
BIOLOGY Yellow pigment clue to evolution Bilirubin, responsible for the yellowish tinge in the skin, eyes and nails of jaundice patients, has for the first time been identified in plants. The pigment was discovered in Strelitzia reginae Aiton, commonly know as the Bird of Paradise plant. It is indigenous to …
