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Equal compensation for equal loss


The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that excluding canal oustees from the R&R policy applicable to its dam projects is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.




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A lifetime's harvest


Sitaram Patidar fights on for the land which means everything to him, now lost to the Narmada dam. At the ripe age of seventy, the end of this road of struggle is still not within reach. Neeta Deshpande reports.




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Narmada dams continue to roll over the rules


It is 23 years since the Indira Sagar project was cleared and 17 for the Omkareshwar dam, but in neither case is there a rehabilitation plan in place. The construction, however, continues. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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What Digvijay Singh forgot to tell the PM


Beneath Jairam Ramesh's recent turnaround on a 400 MW MP hydel project, was a series of interventions by Digivijay Singh with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Himanshu Upadhyaya digs deeper.




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Mera Bharat aur Mahan


The CAG recently suggested that there may be huge losses to the government from improper allocations of coal bocks to companies. All eyes are now on the next set of allocations to be made. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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MP town seeks to reclaim its right to water


An independent committee appointed by the state validates and upholds most of the objections raised by civil society against attempted privatisation of water supply in Khandwa. Shripad Dharmadhikary, Rehmat and Gaurav Dwivedi discuss the report.




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Competing effectively in MP panchayats


Panchayats of Madhya Pradesh provide reservation of up to 50 per cent for women, but the participation of women in governance has gone beyond such new roles. Shirish Khare reports on how women leaders are transforming the very traditions and symbols of grassroots politics.




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Where did our money go?


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.




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More stories of Parivartan


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.




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Testing your municipality's work


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




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Salaam, Dilli!


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




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Unmapped, yet visited


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




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Delhi's citizens acting en-masse


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.




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Rape and Delhi's urban environment


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




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A burdensome livelihood


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




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Illiteracy begins at home


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.




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Fast, smooth, and affordable - but when?


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.




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Her mind, her country


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.




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Sewers becoming death holes


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.




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Malls trampling Delhi's green belt


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.




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Discrimination in the name of inclusion


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.




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Burning biomass is not green


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.




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RTI: An enormous power with the people


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.




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When I'm sixty-four


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.




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From Busway to BRT


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.




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A run on the Yamuna banks


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.




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Give us a break, Mr Sreedharan


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.




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Teen journalists make their own newspaper


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.




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Music of the monsoon


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




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Delhi, through women's eyes


The Indian capital with its chauvinistic society and sordid history of crimes against women is the last place that one would imagine women to be attracted to. Zumbish talks to women who live and work in Delhi to know their thoughts on the city.




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What makes the Aam Aadmi Party tick?


Veteran journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta talks to India Together on the phone from Delhi to share his views on what the nation is talking about - the spectacular debut performance of the Aam Aadmi Party in the recent state elections.




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A tipping point for Indian democracy


The translation of support for the Aam Aadmi Party into votes in the Delhi Assembly Elections 2013 augurs well for the Indian democracy, long struggling to break free from a corruption-ridden, archaic political establishment, writes R. Balasubramaniam




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When idealism isn't impractical anymore


Debates on a paradigm shift in Indian politics have primarily seen arguments around the feasibility of change, even as they took its desirability as given. Shankar Jaganathan celebrates the developments which promise a triumph for idealism and show its potential of being translated into reality.




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Why Arvind Kejriwal does not need magic


The question foremost on the minds of both believers and sceptics now is whether AAP will be able to keep its lofty promises to the people. Subramaniam Vincent feels that this may not require rocket science, after all.




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Delhi's cry: No more dead men walking


Not least among the problems in the national capital is the lack of road safety for pedestrians and those using non-motorised transport. Shambhu Ghatak presents data exposing the stark reality of commute in Delhi and outlines recommendations made to improve the situation.




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Leading from the capital


As Delhi prepares to choose its leaders for the 16th Lok Sabha, Navya P K presents a look at the leaders who represented the key urban constituencies in the last session of Parliament.




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A man for all times


One hundred and seventy years after his passing, the life of Raja Ram Mohan Roy has much to offer a world full of religious conflict. Melanie P Kumar looks back.




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“What about our dreams of a free Tibet?”


The Election Commission of India has ordered states to include children of Tibetan refugees born in India between 1950 and 1987 in the electoral rolls. Ramesh Menon finds that even as they acknowledge India’s gesture, the right to vote leaves them with mixed emotions.




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A scheme for a better parliament


Though the quality and calibre of our representatives in Parliament, and consequently its functioning, has often come under a cloud, options for induction of apolitical talent in Parliament are limited. P V Rajeev envisions a scheme that could make it possible.




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Homecoming election for Harvard professor, courtesy Mamata


Historian and author Sugato Bose is taking a break from his position at Harvard University to contest the Lok Sabha elections from a key urban constituency in West Bengal as a candidate of the ruling Trinamool Congress. He speaks to Amrita Mukherjee on his plans for parliament if elected.




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“I want to learn the mainstream language of cinema”


The multi-faceted Gulzar, revered equally in intellectual literary and mainstream film circles, was recently bestowed the 45th Dadasaheb Phalke Award. In this interview with Shoma Chatterji, the venerable Gulzar Sahib speaks of his art, his career in Indian cinema, and the changes he has seen over the years.




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Remembering Ananthamurthy, the critical insider


UR Ananthamurthy's brutally honest stance on Brahmanism, or in fact on any of the subjects that concerned him, has been fiercely debated in his life and death. In a tribute to the recently deceased stalwart of public thinking, Prakash Belawadi seeks to find clues to his inquiring spirit.




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The value system of the ruling elite is a threat to India: Xerxes Desai


Hailed for his stewardship of Titan Industries where he built a premium brand from scratch and won for it international renown, Xerxes Desai naturally has one of the keenest perspectives on Indian industry. But his equally deep insights into Indian society and development become apparent through this interaction with Christopher Lopaze.




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The wandering minstrel who turned down Peter Brook’s Mahabharat


He said no to Brook, as he would not be allowed to carry hemp to the US! He had selective praise for Dylan and was openly caustic about contemporary artists. Shoma A. Chatterji reviews a biographical film on Gour Khepa, the brilliant and eccentric baul who lived life on his own terms.




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Ain't no mountain high enough!


Nungshi and Tashi Malik from Dehradun have created history as the only twin sisters in the world to have scaled the seven highest peaks across the seven continents. Surekha Kadapa-Bose brings us the story of their feat in the face of myriad odds.




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Subramaniam Vincent receives John S Knight fellowship for journalism innovation


Every year the Knight fellowships program at Stanford University awards eight international fellowships for journalism innovation. This year, one of the eight is your own newsmagazine’s co-founder.




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Saving the Malabar Hornbill in the hills of Tamil Nadu


Farming practices encouraged by existing forest policies have drastically reduced the sources of food for the Malabar Grey Hornbill, once abundant in the Palni Hills of Tamil Nadu. Madhu Ramnath explains what endangers the species and how they can be saved.  




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Elder abuse at home


Elder abuse is on the rise in India even as most senior citizens remain unaware of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 and redressal mechanisms. Reshmi Chakraborty and Nidhi Chawla took a look at findings from a recent survey and spoke to elder helpline counselors to find a bleak picture.




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The Other Side of Dr Kalam


E S Ramamurthy, founder of Sikshana Foundation, Bangalore fondly remembers the time he spent with the late Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.




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Why do these ghastly stories rarely make news headlines?


Crime and atrocities against Dalits is on rise, while support and justice in these cases are long delayed and the coverage of these crimes is inept, biased or voyeuristic. Pushpa Achanta finds out why media, the fourth pillar of our democracy, is falling short in its duty.