As employers play hide and seek because they want to cut corners, thousands of women weavers in Haryana pay the price, says Alka Arya.

A first-of-its-kind women-only BPO started by 'Harva' in a Haryana village is all set to harness the rural talent while changing the rigid mindset of the people, transforming rural economy, writes Hemlata Aithani.

This May 1, taking a resolute stand, the Supreme Court directed the Union and state governments to take specific measures to address the desperate crisis of food for drought-affected communities.

From Urban Poverty Alleviation Initiatives in India : A General Assessment and a Particular Perspective (2002), a publication of the Ramanathan Foundation.
Interact: What about bank red-tape and corruption?

Concluding article of the series from Urban Poverty Alleviation Initiatives in India : A General Assessment and a Particular Perspective (2002), a publication of the Ramanathan Foundation.

Shouldn't “fixing the delivery system” itself be one of the central planks of second-generation reforms, asks Ramesh Ramanathan.

The National Advisory Council sent a draft National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to the UPA government this August. The Prime Minister has since committed to bring the Act into Parliament this winter session. Rasika Dhavse reviews the proposed law, its entitlements and promises. See also: Interview with Jean Dreze, NAC member.

Despite the intervention of the Supreme Court, the state government is a long way from meeting its commitment to eradicate child hunger and deaths due to malnutrition. As a result, an already insecure condition for millions of children shows no sign of improvement. Rasika Dhavse reports.

The budget reflects our continued affliction for numbers and the GDP growth rate. It also follows the Prime Minister's insistence that planners shoot for higher growth rates, especially on the back of an economy that has surprised everyone. But, asks Sudhirendar Sharma, will the juggling of numbers do it?

Residents of our slums often pay more than their better-off counterparts for the most essential services. Aditi Dimri and Amiya Sharma discovered the poverty premium through a survey of Sanjay Colony, a slum in Okhla phase II, Delhi, with a population of around 40,000.

The complaints are many and often justified. People are sometimes exasperated by the way the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme works. But there is unanimity on its worth and value, writes P Sainath.

Several cases of starvation deaths have been reported in Orissa, especially in areas with high tribal populations. Added to this, government inaction in response to the crisis deepens people's woes. Arpan Tulsyan reports.

BPL politics at the central level is skewed, and quotas are fixed for every state, regardless of the actual number of people who need to be protected. Pradeep Baisakh reports on one family's near-total loss.

CIC Shailesh Gandhi orders that information about the public distribution system and its beneficiaries should be made public, offering hope that a corrupt system may finally see some reform. Shaweta Anand reports.

Even as the state government refuses to accept the cause behind the recent 50 starvation deaths reported by the media, hunger stalks the people of Balangir and other KBK districts in Orissa portending more such tragedies, writes Pradeep Baisakh.

Based on a laboratory understanding of nutrition, the government's public food support programmes and agriculture policies have condemned the poor to a daily diet that is of limited nutrition value. Rupa Chinai reports.

Most studies on mid-day meal schemes tend to focus on the obvious nutritional benefits or lack thereof. Carly E Nichols argues that the impact of these programmes extend far beyond, justifying the need to fund and monitor them more stringently.

As the rhetoric among political parties over their commitment and promises to the people rises, Shankar Jaganathan articulates that one question that will test what they truly stand for.

Total Sanitation Campaign, MGNREGS and other government schemes are unheard of among villagers at Dinesh Nagar, Assam who live with a perennial lack of food, pure water, and health amenities. Nilotpal Bhattacharjee wonders if they will ever find deliverance from despair.

Three million forest dwellers in Odisha are estimated to have been displaced since independence by various industrial and hydro-projects, among which the Upper Indiravati Hydro Project is one. Abhijit Mohanty brings us the story of three tribal settlements uprooted by it.

An apparently well-intended plan to help very poor tribes in Madhya Pradesh find sustainable livelihoods bears no relation to the reality of how it is actually implemented. Money is simply distributed and disappears, but things remain unchanged. Susmita Guru reports.

In September 2015, the central government announced a pilot programme of providing direct cash transfers in place of food grains in an attempt to reform the Public Distribution System. Centre for Equity Studies (CES) recently conducted a survey of this pilot programme in Chandigarh. Shikha Nehra of CES reports the key findings from the survey.

Women of a small village in Uttar Pradesh are weaving not just colorful yarn but also communal harmony in their region. Swapna Majumdar reports.

In conflict-stricken region of Kashmir where women are sheltered and house-bound, it's next to impossible for a woman to be an entrepreneur. Making it possible are women like Arifa, who overcame various challenges to start her own crafts store in Srinagar. Renu Agal meets Arifa to write her inspiring story.

Students must feel comfortable seeking counselling on sex-related issues. Each of their questions, no matter how private, needs to be answered. Experts argue that openness in conversation would decrease frustrations and aggressions linked to sexuality amongst youth, says Parul Sharma.

Severe shortages of power and water are predicted for the coming months in much of the North. Himanshu Thakkar looks beyond the 'natural phenomena' that are blamed.

An empowered committee of the Supreme Court calls for the blacklisting a construction firm in Himachal Pradesh, after noting that state officials probably connived with the developer in violating conservation and development laws. Kanchi Kohli reports.

A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India reveals blatant procedural and legal non-compliance in respect of compensatory afforestation work in Himachal Pradesh. Himanshu Upadhyaya summarises the findings.

In Second Strike: Arguments about Nuclear War in South Asia, Rajesh Rajagopalan articulates that ‘the probability of nuclear weapons use is less in the India-Pakistan feud'. This is comforting, and perhaps on that account, dangerous, because of the false sense of security its conclusions give rise to, says Firdaus Ahmed.

Why do so few adoptions take place each year? Recognising some of the barriers to adoption from her own experience, Vinita Bhargava decided to research this question. Swapna Majumdar finds the answers informative and reassuring, and that they bring a complex conversation into much-needed public light.

While agreeing with General S Padmanabhan who says in his recent book that "politicisation of the military is a self defeating exercise in a democracy," it is difficult to concede that "greed for fish and loaves of office" is how the politician would corrupt the military establishment and wrench it from its apolitical moorings, writes Firdaus Ahmed.

The book serves a felt need, as also the purpose of getting Baba Amte under the reader's skin. But the author does not tease out historical and sociological connections, and ask questions of broader relevance. The definitive interpretation of Amte's life and its significance is still awaited. Neeta Deshpande reviews Wisdom Song: The life of Baba Amte.

A recent publication from the World Resources Institute shows that the informed consent of those affected by large projects can be an asset to those projects, rather than an obstacle. Shripad Dharmadhikary reviews Development Without Conflict: The Business Case for Community Consent.

The Kaoboys of R&AW, which records the role of India's external intelligence agency over three decades, is replete with material that should force a re-assessment of intelligence operations by policy-makers and political leaders, says K S Subramanian.

Influencing public policy and implementation is a long grind, but with a portfolio of ideas in hand, Nandan Nilekani has coursed the meeting rooms of state and central governments for years. Ashwin Mahesh reviews his first book.
Also see: Interview with Nandan Nilekani.

Gurcharan Das's new book is bound to ride the recent wave of writing by Indians about Indians. The evidence for the core premise of the book, however, is thin. R Rajagopalan reviews India Grows at Night.

The ubiquity of genetically modified crops, brought about by the sustained efforts of agribusiness giant Monsanto has raised concerns globally. Neeta Deshpande reviews Marie-Monique Robin's The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Politics and Power.

Holding trust brought forth by equality of individuals as a critical foundation for a strong democracy, Shankar Jaganathan discusses the postulates of two recent academic publications that add to the important discourse on the issue of inequality.

The bi-monthly book review journal Biblio celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Its founder editors, Darryl D’Monte is one of its founder editors, were invited to the Chandigarh Literature Festival, which was held earlier this month. D’Monte talks about an interesting book discussion he chaired at the festival.

Administrative lapses and the fears of young parents keep a small percentage of infants outside the vaccine's reach, and this may be enough to keep the virus alive.

For AIDS prevention education to be successful, powerful gender-sensitive messages must replace the nebulous 'moral framework', argues Anita Anand.

Shipra Saxena on Midnapore's strides in implementing a government and UNICEF sponsored rural sanitation scheme, in West Bengal.

Marien Mathew meets a confident and yet vulnerable Padma Shri Malathi Holla, a very special athlete.

Simply suspending the human rights of poor women cannot improve a suddenly over-anxious system. Abhijit Das warns against adopting reactionary population policies, and urges more investment in health instead.

Swapna Majumdar reports on the continuing ostracism that women and children face as a result of their illness.

Damaged soil, ill-effects from pesticides, and falling water tables are the legacy of practices that were once thought great for the state. Ramesh Menon reports.

Gopal Krishna reports on the heavy price being paid by stone-cutters of the Lalkuan area of New Delhi.

What plans and promises on 'health for all' have the NDA and the Congress offered to the electorate this election cycle? Abhijit Das takes a closer look.

Abhijit Das expresses concerns on the United Progressive Alliance's misplaced stress on population control targeting, taking the case of Uttar Pradesh.

As new cases of polio are reported in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, health departments scramble to respond quickly. Safia Sircar on a neighbourhood program in Shorpur.