The Global Gender Gap Index annually benchmarks the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment). It is the longest-standing index tracking the progress of numerous countries’ efforts towards closing these gaps over time since …
For those thinking of tailoring their vote in this weekend's state election around environmental policies - the World Wildlife Fund is providing a colour-coded rating of each of the major party's environmental strategies. Not surprisingly, The Greens score entirely, well, green. The Nationals barely register a rating in the green …
As is now well known, the Government of Orissa and Pohang Steel Company (POSCO), Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 22, 2005 for setting up an Integrated Steel Plant in Orissa, in Jagatsinghpur district, affecting 8 villages of three Gram Panchayats of Kujang Tahsil, i.e. …
In an elaborate cover-up, the Ministry of Mines is working behind the scene to save politicians and industrialists involved in illegal mining in Odisha How do you defeat attempts to punish corruption? For the Union Ministry of Mines the answer is simple: set up a commission and then sabotage it. …
The construction of the Ravi-Tawi Irrigation Canal project from Basantpur to upstream of Ranjit Sagar Dam in Kathua district has become the victim of political differences between two Cabinet ministers, with the state government deciding to seek a fresh legal opinion on the project from the Law Ministry. Official sources …
he Supreme Court, in its fi nal order of October 1991, upheld the compensation settlement with Union Carbide which made the Government of India liable for any shortfall in compensation or any new claims from the Bhopal gas victims. Following this order the Indian Council of Medical Research disbanded its …
Climate change was catapulted to the forefront of the U.S. general election on Thursday after New York's independent mayor threw his weight behind Democratic President Barack Obama, citing his stance on climate change. After refusing to endorse any presidential candidate in the last election in 2008, New York City Mayor …
The office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is an essential instrument for enforcing the accountability of the executive to Parliament. It is wrong, as in the coal blocks and other recent cases, to cast aspersions on the CAG for pointing out the omissions and commissions of the government. The …
The complexity and politicization of climate computer models can hinder communication of their science, uses and limitations. Evidence suggests that information on climate models in US newspapers is declining and that when it appears, it is often within sceptic discourses. Furthermore, model projections are frequently portrayed as probably being inaccurate, …
Buddhadeb Ghosh (“What Made the ‘Unwilling Farmers’ Unwilling? A Note on Singur”, EPW, 11 August 2012) has made important observations that help us understand the Singur story better. However, I fi nd some of his arguments problematic. (Letters)
This new report by MHHDC addresses governance from the point of view of empowerment. It analyses governance of political, economic, and social institutions from the perspective of how people are being empowered in South Asia. This report addresses governance from the point of view of empowerment. It analyses governance of …
Mrinal Gore, veteran politician and leader of the women's movement in Maharashtra, who passed away recently was the quintessential grass-roots leader who could also hold her own in the state legislature. A call from her would mobilise thousands of women on the streets of Mumbai and she tirelessly raised issues …
An ethnography of everyday life in Shivaji Nagar, a predominantly Muslim slum locality in Mumbai, illustrates how its "Muslimness" complicates the residents' access to water, a commodified and politicised amenity. The struggles of local Muslims to access water also involve holding the state accountable through localised "mundane" politics at the …
The Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in southern Sumatra (Indonesia) has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 2004. Home to tigers, elephants, and rare Sumatran rhinos, the Park is also home to numerous squatters since the early 1970s. Part of the Park was restored after forcible …
Some states have banned mechanised mining, but the mafia is not ready to obey. Illegal mining is hollowing the riverbed putting at risk the stability and ecology of rivers. This special report in Down To Earth examines the murky business of sand mining. Where there is a river, there is …
Three out of four U.S. voters favor regulating carbon dioxide as a greenhouse-gas pollutant, and a majority think global warming should be a priority for the president and Congress, a survey of American attitudes on climate and energy reported on Thursday. The survey was released one day after Rolling Stone …
Though much intellectual energy has been expended on the “poverty problem” in India, the debate simply does not take into account the highly unequal social context in which poverty is produced and reproduced. Can we reflect on the right not to be poor without taking on these background inequalities? Arguably, …
A Bill to re-enact the law to provide for establishment of an independent body of Himachal Lokayukta to inquire into complaints and allegations of corruption against public servants and public functionaries and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
The Arctic is likely to attract substantial investment over the next ten years, potentially reaching 100 billion $ or more, according to the report “Arctic Opening” by Chatham House and Lloyd´s of London. The authors also point to risks: the environmental consequences of disasters in the Arctic are likely to …
