As the refugee crisis deepens in Syria, visuals of millions of people hoping to catch a train to a better life fill the media space. Shalini Bhutani reflects on the state of refugee policies in the South Asian region while remembering her own father’s experience weeks before the India-Pakistan partition.

With a few more Udavum Karangals, the world would probably be an ideal place! Shoma A. Chatterji chronicles the story of the Chennai-based NGO that has helped thousands among the destitute and underprivileged find a new life of dignity and purpose.

A one-on-one with India’s most well-known historian, Romila Thapar, who shares her thoughts on intellectuals protesting the growing communal discord, the ever-shrinking “liberal space” and the need for a dialogue that defines pluralism in the Indian context with Rashme Sehgal.

For decades now the beautiful state of Manipur has been suffering from the violent insurgency and the excesses of the Indian army. Pushpa Achanta visits the state and narrates her experiences which shows how much is not known about the state or its people.

2009 – mid 2014: UPA.
Mid 2014 – present: NDA.
This map will show you that irrespective of who’s at the helm, national policies and issues considered sacrosanct are not open to debate in our country.

The shocking physical abuse inflicted on police horse Shaktimaan has rightly created a furore in society. But cruelty towards animals does not just manifest itself in stray, isolated incidents. Shoma Chatterji draws attention to the treatment of animals in film making and stresses the need for strict monitoring.

The women of Meghpar village of Kutch District are fighting the big port town Gandhidham municipality which is dumping its waste in their village. Vimal Kalavadiya and Shvetangini Patel report from Kutch.

Shoma Chatterji writes about the challenges faced and efforts being made in the Northeastern states of India to encourage and support film making.

It has been more than nine months since a political crisis has snowballed into a battle between the tribals and the non-tribals of Manipur creating sharp divisions. Ramesh Menon surveys the fragile situation.

A brief overview of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 by PRS legislative.

While stonewalling their demand to broadcast news, the I&B Ministry has said CR stations can air AIR bulletins instead. Geeta Seshu reports.

With the instant triple talaq been declared unconstitutional, Shoma Chatterji finds it interesting to look back at how the Muslim identity has been represented in Hindi cinema and if it will change now.

The World Bank's Inspection Panel finds that a Bank-backed coal mine disrupted livelihoods by violating guidelines on resettlement, supervision, and the environment.

In the poorest part of Jharkhand, community radio has become an important instrument for the development of neglected communities. If access to their own media were freer, the villagers believe, things could be even better. Pratibha Jyoti reports on the progress made even without government support for community stations.

I would like to salute women like Dayamani Barla, for reminding us that there are other ways to "develop" and that it is possible to fight peacefully but with determination for your convictions, writes Kalpana Sharma.

"The main hurdle to the development of Jharkhand is political: the state’s resources are under the control of this criminal nexus, and people have no say." Jivesh Singh interviews Jean Dreze on Jharkhand's 10th anniversary.

The forests of India have enough treasure to power the economy of the whole country, it seems, but not enough to empower the adivasis. Shoma Chatterji reviews Johar.

The Dhanbad and Jharia regions in Jharkhand, noted for rampant coal mining and related operations, face grave environmental issues due to dumping of pollutant by-products from coal washeries. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports after a visit to Dhanbad.

A state-wide campaign called “Yojana Banao Abhiyan” undertaken to plan for NREGA implementation in Jharkhand has sensitized the people and authorities to the potential of the scheme and recharged local democratic institutions. Ankita Aggarwal reports.

Sudarshan Chhotoray reports on displacement and lack of rehabilitation in water projects in Orissa.

B V Narasimham

The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court has found illegalities in central government clearances to Sterlite Industries' bauxite mining project in Orissa. The committee has recommended (to the apex court) against diversion of forestlands for the project. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Months before the recent police firings during tribal protests in Kalinganagar, Orissa, the state government and international development agencies had finalised a draft for a comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation for project-affected people. Manipadma Jena reports that the policy is likely to come into force in March 2006.

Is Vedanta's proposed alumina refinery dependent on mining in protected forest lands? The company kept the two apart in its first proposals, but now, having proceeded on one front without the necessary clearances for the other, claims it may incur significant losses if the Supreme Court blocks its plans. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The Orissa state government is proposing to amend a law that prevents easy selling of tribal land to non-tribals. The government's argument -- that land sale is one of the important ways for needy tribals to raise immediate cash – does not appear as benign as it sounds, writes Pradeep Baisakh.

With Mittal Steel moving into India, it becomes even more important to look at the firm's poor environmental and social track record around the world in its rise to become the world's largest steel maker. There are crucial lessons for the governments of Orissa and Jharkhand, but are they listening, asks Sunita Dubey.

In this small sleepy Orissa village with a population of barely 400 adivasis, where there is no electricity and harsh conditions prevail, there is something remarkable about the women. Their level of awareness, their attitude and their personality have undergone a dramatic change in the last few years. Pradeep Baisakh has more.

Thousands of miles away from India, the Norwegian Government's pension fund has recognized what has gone wrong with a global corporation's mining interests in Orissa's Niyamgiri hills. But the decision will be made in the Supreme Court, and things do not look promising, notes Kanchi Kohli.

The Supreme Court acknowledges the indictment of Vedanta's operations in India by the Norwegian Council on Ethics, but its recent verdict appears to let the company off lightly, treating the Indian subsidiary as unrelated to its parent. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Launched after a successful international pledge campaign in 2007, the Bakul children's library in Bhubaneshwar is slowly turning into a node for various kinds of volunteering. Professors, young artists, students, organisers and others have started chipping in. Sailen Routray has more.

The new law's provisions are infusing into the proceedings of the Gram Sabhas a democratic character that they have lacked so far. From a conservation standpoint too, the law is proving to be positive, writes Tushar Dash.

The recession in the West is having a profound impact on the deep rural interior of Orissa. Thousands are returning home, writes P Sainath.

Once-young fighters from Sri Lanka are now mostly family men entrenched in Malkangiri town. The way the one-time, once-brash warriors have woven themselves into the community is touching, writes P Sainath.

Ganjam migrants in Surat send home Rs. 400 crore a year, a fourth of that through the unique Tappawala courier system. But global recession has seen remittances take a hit, writes P Sainath.

Ganjam has been a high-migration district from British times. For two decades, the bulk of its labour force has gone to Surat, but that is changing now, writes P Sainath.

Why bother complying with regulations if a committee can decide that it didn't matter much that the law was bypassed? MoEF finds itself on the backfoot, after its experts look away from the law. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The battle between Sterlite Industries and tribal communities over mining in the Niyamgiri hills may not be just over yet, but the most recent Supreme Court judgment empowering the gram sabha has come as a temporary reprieve for the people. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Rejection of regularisation of mines operating beyond lease areas, and compensation for other violations being used for tribal welfare are among the recommendations of a recent report on mining in the state. Kanchi Kohli places the key points in context.

The struggle to feed themselves and their families round the year drives millions of farmers in India to desperate measures. Abhijit Mohanty’s story shows how sustainable agriculture has helped transform the lives of farmers in Odisha’s backward Kalahandi district.

The women of Gunduribadi, a small tribal village in Odisha, go out daily for thengapalli or forest patrolling around their village. They are also members of their Forest Protection Committee which decides how to manage the forest and its resources. Sonali Pattnaik spent a day with these sentinels of Gunduribadi to find out how this movement has restored the forest and empowered the villagers.

In spite of the development and welfare plans and programs implemented since Independence, the tribals of our nation remain the most marginalised group. There are many valid reasons for this as Abhijit Mohanty finds out when he looks into the existing Tribal Sub Plan funds and what's happening with it.

Shripad Dharmadhikary explains why setting up a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi Water Dispute will not help the people or the river.

Himanshu Upadhyaya examines a CAG audit report to point out the blatant non-compliance of environmental laws largely by the Forest officials.

The media is partisan and the government corrupt. In this environment, the committed reporter has no choice but to go out and investigate with a hidden camera. But such sting operations are not a substitute for investigative reporting; as a result even serious revelations are quickly forgotten, says Arun Sadhu.

Editors and columnists are flattered into believing that because of their proximity to power, they somehow enjoy and exercise power, too. Ramachandra Guha finds the seductions of power starkly apparent in the media's coverage of Pramod Mahajan's passing.

Acknowledgement of the declining utility of military force in a nuclear environment may hold a peace dividend that includes Kashmir says Firdaus Ahmed

As 'limited war' doctrine evolves to 'limited nuclear war', the strategic necessities as well as their implications for the polity must be repeatedly examined, says Firdaus Ahmed.

Sreedevi Jacob says the May 2003 killings at Marad in Kerala could have been avoided.

Firdaus Ahmed provides insights from the subcontinent's brush with 'war' last year -- Operation Parakram.

Event-driven media perpetuates the hostility that marks relations between India and Pakistan, says Kalpana Sharma.