The State and society must understand that only when we facilitate and provide safety nets and ladders can people in desperate economic conditions hope to get out of the poverty trap, writes R Balasubramaniam.

Technology-only approaches to addressing the problems of 'hidden hunger' are missing the point completely, says Devinder Sharma.

The easy availability of Bt Cotton seeds without consent from the government is making a mockery of the regulatory environment. Ashok Sharma reports.

A local watershed management programme for semi-arid regions staves off bleak prospects in Andhra Pradesh. Rahul Goswami reports.

An environment magazine recently carried a Gujarat government-funded NGO's advertisement portraying vast tracts of Saurashtra and Kachchh supplied with drinking water through pipelines forking off of the Sardar Sarovar Canal. Reports in the print media were telling quite a different story. Himanshu Upadhyaya digs deeper.

The Coke saga in Kerala took a new twist towards the end of 2005 when the company expressed its interest to shift out of Plachimada to a nearby industrial estate where water consumption may be less contested. Meanwhile, the tussle between Coke and the Perumatty Panchayat awaits resolution at the Supreme Court, reports P N Venugopal.

A Pepsi bottling plant in Kerala is extracting excess groundwater and may be subjecting it to contamination risks, a state government study had reported several months ago. Despite meeting five times, a state assembly committee has not acted. M Suchitra digs deeper.

A high-power Kerala government panel has put Coca Cola in the dock and ordered it to cough up damages to Plachimada's victims. However, the panel's questionable constitution could act as a red herring and may even drag the saga, writes P N Venugopal.

For millions of people, the law does not explicitly direct that they are entitled to safe water. A United Nations resolution passed in July this year is about to change that. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

Powerbrokers and opposition parties chip away at New Delhi's dominance in Centre-state relations, forcing changes to Article 356 and rules for labour. Prasenjit Maiti reports.

We need to think about how RTI could be used to ensure more "systemic" solutions, where the performance of our government institutions are discussed in a regular, predictable manner says Ramesh Ramanathan.

What does it take to make the bureaucracy responsive to the needs and expectations of citizens? A recent workshop in New Delhi on Developing Institutions for Public Accountability in Urban Services explored this question. Darryl D'Monte recounts some key observations made at the workshop.

An early warning by China on impending floods in the Sutlej river helped avert major loss to human lives in June. Yet, India's disaster preparedness plans have been found wanting. India still does not have reliable information from China about glacial lakes that are prone to flooding the Himalayan rivers, writes Sudhirendar Sharma.

Even as the CAG audit findings find faults with SSNNL for diverting the central funds from canal construction to unintended purposes, permission has been granted to raise the Narmada dam height. Himanshu Upadhyaya. points out this irony and more.

The CAG Audit of the MGNREGS reveals serious irregularities and glaring discrepancies in the data in its MIS and actual paper records maintained. Shambhu Ghatak discusses the glitches, especially in the light of findings of several other reports and the National Sample Survey data.

As elections draw closer, state rhetoric over the Sardar Sarovar dam heightening project is slowly reaching a crescendo as evident from various media reports, but who will finally benefit from the moves on the ground? Himanshu Upadhyaya asks some hard questions.

The draft River Basin Management Bill 2012 has been crafted with good intentions but threatens to be counter-productive unless the critical need for decentralisation of power is addressed; a review by Shripad Dharmadhikary.

In view of the alleged corruption in rehabilitation of affected families, the Jabalpur HC has imposed a stay on the decision to raise the height of the Narmada dam further. Recalling the history of the project till date, Himanshu Upadhyaya asks why a higher dam should be considered at all.

Municipal corporations in India have neither any grip on the number of staffers employed and their skillsets nor any mechanism to ascertain these. Madhavi Rajadhyaksha discusses several studies including the ASICS from Janaagraha to expose what ails urban local bodies.

The joint statement on climate change at the end of PM Modi’s recent tour of China has expectedly created considerable hype. Darryl D’Monte takes a balanced view of its import and the real challenges for India in the face of global climate politics.

As the Prime Minister launches his vision for cities in the country, it is pertinent to ask what his record has been in the largest city of the state where he was Chief Minister before becoming PM. A recent study finds many pluses, and some minuses. Darryl D'Monte reports.

Pradeep Baisakh analyses a recently released report by human rights activists and civil society organizations to see how the present government has performed in the three years it has been in power.

Last month the government announced the list of 9 new Smart Cities, taking the total of Smart Cities to 99.  Prachee Mishra of PRS legislative takes a look at the Smart Cities Mission and a few issues with it.

Do district level and local media play a critical role in development journalism? In a two-part series The Hoot.org takes a closer look at Mirzapur's media.

While Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has managed to push centre-stage the key concerns of 'universal literacy' and 'elementary education for all', a spirited pitch for its implementation is necessary to ensure that it does not remain floundering in India's most populous state. Puja Awasthi reports.

Much has been written on the inhuman atrocities inflicted on women during the 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar and the deplorable conditions in the relief camps. Saumya Uma draws attention beyond these to how the violence has robbed women of their basic rights and voices in myriad ways.

Radha. Zahira. Neha. Names and tales that serve to remind us that despite the reams written, laws passed and discourses held on sexual violence in the country, the road to justice for rape survivors remains as arduous as ever. Manjari Singh reports.

Civil society candidates should be eligible for appointment to key RTI posts in the States and the Centre. We must apply for such jobs, and help improve the system, writes Krishnaraj Rao.

On learning that she could find out why her widow pension was being delayed, she made her grandson write out an RTI application on her behalf. When she got her pension, I realised how powerful this law could be, writes R Balasubramaniam.

The assumption that the workplace and the home are always mutually exclusive spheres distorts our understanding of women's economic roles, writes Shoma Chatterji.

In the wake of record-breaking times from runners wearing Nike’s Vaporfly shoes, and new regulations from the sport’s governing body, brands are racing to roll out new shoes ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Craig Ruttle/AP Photo

Garments made in Bangladeshi factories that major retailers have banned as unsafe are finding their way onto Amazon's site for sale in the U.S. WSJ investigates Amazon's apparel supply chains and the impact of its marketplace on garment factory workers. Photo: Karan Deep Singh for The Wall Street Journal

Markets in Asia refuse to shrug off worries in Europe. The WSJ's Deborah Kan speaks to Hong Kong Digital Editor Jake Lee about how fears over contagion in Europe are impacting Asia.

U.S. stock futures advanced, buoyed by gains in European markets, but caution prevailed given increasing worries about Spain's debt crisis. Paul Vigna has details on The News Hub. Photo: Bloomberg.

Stocks edged higher, rebounding from sharp losses on Monday, though caution about Spain's debt crisis lingered ahead of a pivotal weekend election in Greece. Steven Russolillo reports on Markets Hub. Photo: Reuters.

GoPros on the runway at Rag & Bone, a 4-D fashion show at Ralph Lauren and more from the tech-heavy fifth day of New York Fashion Week.

London fashion designer Mary Katrantzou is among four designers who created costumes for the new York City Ballet. Others include Carolina Herrera, Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton and Thom Browne.

At MasterCard’s New York City tech hub in the Flatiron District, a mix of business and startup sensibilities informs office style, whether it’s hoodies, tailored jackets or the occasional bow tie.

You want to change the world? Don't forget the little tasks in life. Adm. William McRaven, who offered that piece of advice in a landmark 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas, discusses his book, "Make Your Bed," on Lunch Break With Tanya Rivero. Photo: iStock

Amazon.com opened a bookstore in Manhattan this May, but are young people interested in visiting it?

Susan Packard, co-founder of HGTV, tells WSJ's Veronica Dagher how she coped with the challenge of being the only woman in the room, her advice to young leaders and the importance of self-awareness.

This year's CES tech show in Las Vegas might not have had an overarching theme, but it certainly was high on invention. WSJ's Katherine Bindley tries out the most interesting contraptions on display, from Segway's new personal transporter and Samsung's rotating TV to a pair of huge robotic arms and, yes, motion-tracking pajamas. Photo/Video: Emily Prapuolenis

Musician Imogen Heap gives advice for aspiring musicians, shares favorite lyrics and explains why she’s interested in a human-machine collaboration for an upcoming project.

WSJ's Joanna Stern "bumps" into General Motors CEO Mary Barra in the WSJ elevator and asks about self-driving cars, NAFTA and how GM is diversifying its workforce. Photo: Jeff Bush/The Wall Street Journal

Mary Ann Bartels, CIO of portfolio solutions at Merrill Lynch, says low interest rates will continue to support U.S. stocks, and emerging market stock valuations are "the best on the planet."

Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, shared his insights and quoted Yoda, the Star Wars Jedi master, during a conversation with WSJ Editor in Chief Gerard Baker at the CEO Council meeting in Tokyo.

LinkedIn's co-founder Reid Hoffman talks to The Wall Street Journal about the best way to run a meeting, his biggest business challenge, and which of the "PayPal Mafia" would win at Settlers of Catan. Photo: Chloe Aftel for The Wall Street Journal

The Massachusetts governor struck a deal for N95 masks from China, but he needed a way to transport them. The New England Patriots plane ended up making the delivery. Photo: New England Patriots

The Netflix documentary series "Tiger King" sheds light on the culture of tiger ownership in the U.S., but doesn’t reveal how prolific this culture really is. This video explains the patchwork of state laws that makes private ownership of tigers hard to regulate. Illustration: Carter McCall/WSJ

Max Levchin’s financial technology startup Affirm Inc. has raised a $100 million in Series D, according to a person familiar with the matter.