We have grossly under-estimated the true cost of urban infrastructure in our country. 20-odd committees have considered this over several decades, and so have the Planning Commission and several Finance Commissions. But we don't really have a legitimate figure for our urban infrastructure needs, says Ramesh Ramanathan.

Janjgir has a poor base to raise finances and is heavily dependent on fund transfers from the state government. There is little here that would qualify this as a town, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Rajnandgaon's location along a national highway has helped it to grow. It is also not cash-strapped. But its problem is the absence of good governance, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Democracy for Realists is an important critique of how democracy works in practice. Nidhi Gupta reviews the book.

With a focus on attaining self-sufficiency in the production of food grain, Tripura has embarked on an ambitious programme to bring large swathes of cultivable land in the state under the System of Rice Intensification. The results are promising, writes Ratna Bharali Talukdar.

More and more women in Tripura are participating in NREGA works, ensuring success of the scheme. The challenge lies in involving the menfolk too and implementing NREGA in insurgency-hit regions. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

Tripura's proclaimed progress in ensuring high attendance and sufficient numbers of teachers doesn't stand up to scrutiny. There are many holes in the numbers as well as quality. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports.

A social audit of the Corporation of Delhi finds public money is routinely redirected away from the purposes it is intended for. But citizens can monitor its uses, as Parivartan shows.

Delhi's Right to Information Act (RTI) is increasingly being used by citizens to pressure offiicials into delivering on projects and services says Arvind Kejriwal.

Varupi Jain visits Delhi's famous Panchkuian furniture market, where the city's plan for its Metro transit system threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of traders.

In ensuring that Delhi's roads and lanes are stiff with quality, citizens are facing stiffer resistance from the muncipality's officials, says Arvind Kejriwal

Drawing inspiration from an acclaimed film, a Delhi trust brings hope and opportunities to street children. Varupi Jain reports.

Another ongoing story on the pressure being created by citizens using the Right to Information Act in Delhi, this time on the Public Distribution System's (PDS) ration shops.

Varupi Jain sums up the threats to and opportunites for the development of Delhi's Pahar Ganj.

Arvind Kejriwal on how over one hundred and fifty citizens have filed applications seeking information about PDS ration records in Delhi's Food and Civil Supplies department.

A thriving Sunday book market on pavements competes handily with trendier retailers, but must fight off the system too. Varupi Jain reports.

Delhi's roadside markets offer a wide range of goods at competitive prices, but sellers' economic security depends on extra-legal rules too. Varupi Jain reports.

Sex sells, but prevention of rape does not. Planners who take deterrence seriously could contribute in creating women-friendly urban environments, says Pratiksha Baxi.

This Delhi non-profit's initial success in effective enforcement of Delhi’s Right to Information Act has woken up the establishment just as much as it has informed citizens, reports Varupi Jain.

Varupi Jain investigates the lives of these hard labourers at New Delhi Railway Station, and finds a constant struggle for livelihood.

Varupi Jain traces the life of household and other waste in India and Germany, and finds both hope and apprehension.

Varupi Jain reports on the steady progress in transparency in Delhi's public distribution system.

Attitudes among consumers long used to pilferage and non-payment of bills, has made early attempts at privatisation only of limited use. Ranjit Devraj.

New Delhi's citizen crusaders for the state's Right to Information law are now taking their methods and inspiration to other localities, reports Varupi Jain.

Millions of Indian kids are out of school because the places that were reserved for them by law were instead given to others like you and me. That may be about to change, says Ashwin Mahesh.

A Supreme Court directive on providing parents relief from high tuition comes with an addition - a reminder that these schools are required by law to reserve 25% of their seats free for poor children. Varupi Jain reports.

Delhi's High Capacity Bus System promises enormous gains, but has been a long time coming. Dr. Geetam Tiwari of the IIT-Delhi sheds some light on the project and the difficulties in the making it happen.

Ration shopkeepers won't divulge their records, Food Department officials wont file complaints, and the police wont act on their own or accept complaints from the public. But the cycle of corruption can still be broken.

The displacement of the Panchkuyian Road furniture market by the construction of the third line of the Delhi Metro has caused much uproar for almost a year. Many threats and agitations later, the market is still physically in place but hardly anymore a place to be in. Varupi Jain reports.

The State Council for Educational Research and Training in Delhi has taken a surprisingly different approach in its preparation of text books for students in classes 6-8. Dipta Bhog was coordinator of the team for Civics books.

Unmindful of clear urban development guidelines, the Delhi municipality is replacing greenery lined pavements with tiles, followed by a yearly ritual of retiling with newer designs. Kanchi Kohli writes about the unchecked concretization.

The flower industry suffers from logistical bottlenecks and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure, but government support has focussed mostly on the growers. Varupi Jain starts at Delhi, India's apex flower market, and travels back the supply chain.

Sewer cleaners must be provided instruments to check poisonous gases, blowers to throw out polluted air, torches, gloves, etc., say government rules. But with Delhi municipal authorities ignoring safety measures, 10 workers recently died in a span of just one and a half months, reports Pankaj Chaturvedi.

In the sixth incidence of recent violence against citizens exposing corruption, Santosh (20) was attacked murderously on 30 December 2004. The Delhi government is not pursuing the wrongdoers, and has instead projected the violence as an issue between an NGO and shop owners. Varupi Jain reports.

Employees of the Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have been celebrating recently. The Padma Shri award, the Stockholm Water Prize and the Chameli Devi Jain award have come in quick succession. Ramesh Menon tracks the growth of CSE and Sunita Narain, its director.

Part of the Aravalli range, the Delhi ridge is an icon of greenery and part of the capital's heritage. But over the years, much of the ridge has disappeared, with the most recent threat coming from swanky hotels and malls. A multi-stakeholder board is supposed to protect the ridge, but is fraught with conflicts of interest. Deepa A reports.

Many Delhi roads in July-August are dotted with thousands of water-carrying, orange-clad kanwarias, devotees of Shiva. Their long journey from Haridwar finds logistical support from the government and society alike. It is a reminder that the values of mutual support and service do exist but have not penetrated deeper, notes Varupi Jain.

24/7 water for an Indian city? Unclear motives of the Delhi government in applying for a World Bank loan, possible hiccoughs in the supply anyway, and questions about the World Bank's role itself are irking a number of local NGOs and civic groups. As they increase pressure on the government to change course, Varupi Jain reports.

25 per cent of the seats in Delhi private schools are reserved for poor students, to be provided free. But this provision is dodged in numerous ways; schools claim ignorance of the law, that they can't find poor students, that poor students have to be educated separately even if admitted, and so on. Deepa A reports.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Timarpur Waste Management Company Pvt. Ltd., have proposed a waste incineration plant to treat the city's solid waste and generate 6 MW of electricity. TWMPCL has applied to a United Nations body for tradable carbon credits. Gopal Krishna finds much wrong in the proposal.

In conversation with Vinita Deshmukh, Magsaysay award winner Arvind Kejriwal talks about India's RTI movement, and worries that a formidable tool of empowerment might slip out of the hands of citizens if amendments proposed by the UPA government are enacted.

The Delhi Police's booklet containing tips for women from the Northeast to be safe in the capital exposes only their own need for sensitivity training. Not surprisingly, many northeastern students in Delhi are incensed at being portrayed as responsible for their own problems, writes Kalpana Sharma.

The sulphur content of diesel in India is 350 particles per million, twenty times that of the United States. Diesel exhaust is far more hazardous than petrol exhaust. Yet, diesel cars in Indian cities are rising with the association of automobile manufacturers pushing hard for it. Darryl D'Monte has more.

In Delhi, it is not just private old-age homes that have people queuing up, despite the relatively steep rates. Government-run old-age homes, which are far more modest, are also filled to the capacity. Swapna Majumdar reports on a changing society.

Compared to other bus corridors world-wide, the Delhi effort is a very limited one. The current design is only a busway, and the government must push forward to build a full-fledged Bus Rapid Transit system, say Dario Hidalgo and Madhav Pai.

In the name of housing Commonwealth Games participants for a mere 10 days, an exclusive gated community is being established on the Yamuna banks, in areas previously protected as green spaces in the heart of Delhi. Kannan Kasturi reports.

The Delhi Metro chief's recent letter to the Planning Commission, warning that Hyderabad's model for its Metro could lead to a political scandal overlooks the subsidies his own organisation has received, writes Sunil Jain.

These kids can hold their own on sensationalism in the media. Why? Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's vision of journalism, they help put together a newspaper called The Yamuna. Shobha S V has more.

Monsoon reawakens Vasundhara Chauhan’s senses as she soaks in the smell and sound of rain, irresistible mangoes, pakodas, and what not.

We now have data that establishes that due to the fear of violence and harassment many women do not have the autonomy to freely move in a variety of public spaces, writes Kalpana Sharma.