As a country grappling with political and infrastructural problems, there are very few issues that do not evoke extreme, often diametrically opposite, reactions in India. Population control Bills, vaccination policy, farmer income initiatives, river water sharing mechanisms or surrogacy laws—there is no dearth of topics that have triggered controversy, and …
Gandhi's Hind Swaraj is more than a political text. It is an ontological drama staged by Gandhi, reflected in his treatises against "modern civilisation", and his critique of "modernity".
The elections to the 15th Lok Sabha are being held at a time when the country faces serious threat to its economic and political independence due to right-ward shift in economic policies under the garb of economic neo-liberalism and pro-imperialist tilt in the foreign policy. This is under the dubious …
To facilitate linkages between the voices of the masses and the future decision makers, South Asian Peoples' Initiatives (SAPI) and Indian Social Institute, New Delhi jointly organized a national workshop in Delhi, on People's Manifesto 2009 (PM 2009). Many from grassroots organizations, representatives of people's movements, NGOs, civil and democratic …
Norway has long tried to portray itself as one of the most environmentally responsible states. But it has consistently refused to support the moratorium against commercial whaling. This article offers a cultural explanation for this seeming contradiction, by examining the way the global antiwhaling movement framed the issue and the …
Regulatory bodies worldwide are charged with making major decisions related to chemical toxicology, such as designation of toxic thresholds and establishment of criteria for preclinical testing and toxic hazard classification. Although every agency has access to the same research data, each agency uses different criteria for judging which data to …
Drawing upon a micro-study of two villages in two non-Left gram panchayats in West Bengal, this paper puts one issue in the foreground, namely, the idea and practice of local politics. Using two counter examples to prove a general point about contemporary West Bengal
This paper focuses on the shifting contours of the anti-Tehri dam movement in the past three decades. It examines the changing declarations of environmentalists, especially Sunderlal Bahuguna and other leaders of the movement on the one hand, and the involvement of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the anti-dam politics on …
This publication demonstrates that natural resources can contribute to growth, employment, exports and fiscal revenues in low-income countries, where natural capital constitutes a quarter of total wealth. It highlights the importance of policies encouraging the sustainable management of these resources. Moreover, it emphasises the need to address the political challenges …
Elections to the Lok Sabha are a significant event in the political life of the country. For the fifteenth time, the people of India are being called upon to elect a new government. In the sixty years of independence, the people of India have suffused life into the democratic system …
This paper examines how political institutions and local power structures interact with and influence local public resource allocation in the Indian state of Karnataka. It use data from 80 village councils and 225 villages to examine how this local political economy influences the allocation of public resources. The empirical strategy …
India cautiously optimistic AS HE made history by becoming the first African-American president to occupy the White House, India, like other nations, is keenly watching Barack Hussein Obama
Pran Chopra THIS QUESTION has many possible answers, and all of them have implications, some extending far out of Singur, some even out of West Bengal. The question will become easier to answer when
The recall election in June in three municipal bodies in Chhattisgarh marked a national first in the call to accountability of non-performing representatives of the people. However, it is possible to use this provision to settle political scores as has been alleged in the Chhattisgarh case. Loopholes for such abuse …
