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Carnival of resistance John Samuel reports from the World Social Forum in Porto Algre, Brazil, a global meet that presents the counterpoint to the World Economic Forum at Davos. The myth that there is no alternative to globalisation is being busted here by 150,000 participants from across the world More... Dying wisdom: The tanks and stepwells of RamtekFor centuries the people of Ramtek managed their traditional water harvesting systems, thrived and prospered. The community decided on water distribution. In 1950, water management became the responsibility of the state. Today, the area is drought-ridden. Revitalising the tanks and stepwells could be the best solution More... Free meals make them dependent, so should they go back to eating grass?A couple of months ago, a free community kitchen offering three square meals to the starving Sahariya tribals of Baran district in Rajasthan, was forced to shut down after NGOs claimed the tribals would become victims of the 'dependency syndrome'. But how and when do you draw the line between relief measures and sustainable rehabilitation? More... 'What's a woman supposed to do in a gram sabha?'Ten years after the enactment of the 73rd amendment, how well is panchayati raj working in India? An in-depth study of the local self-government system in one district of Maharashtra reveals that there is little awareness of the importance of the gram sabhas, and in many villages the sabha is non-functional More... 'The poor do not have access to resources. Whose world is it?At the Asian Social Forum, Mari Marcel Thekaekara recorded the straight-from-the-heart testimonies of people who have suffered injustice and exploitation, people who bear the consequences of globalisation More... Saying no to globalisation at the Asian Social Forum?Dalits, adivasis, displaced people, the disabled, the landless, the evicted, were present as the Asian Social Forum opened in Hyderabad on January 3. More... Beware, the term 'sustainable development' has been hijackedSustainable development has become a mantra for big business and multinational corporations. Worse, it has unwittingly opened the door to the gradual hijacking of the environmental movement by so-called 'corporate realists' More... India follows Argentina: More food exports, more hungerIndia appears poised to follow Argentina's economic model - boost private investment in agriculture and encourage commodity exports. But since last year 450,000 jobs have been lost in Argentina, leaving one in four people destitute. Is this the way forward for India? More... Dollars versus idealism: It's a Gates-versus-GNU/Linux tug-of-war in IndiaThe world's richest man, Bill Gates, is pouring money into India. Is it largely because of the challenge posed by the GNU/Linux computer operating system? And what really are the benefits of Free Software? More... Fractured minds, fragmented livesExploring the lives of the mentally ill in India More... Women 'major' in disaster managementThe terrible aftermath of the Orissa supercyclone in 1999 prompted UNDP to launch the Community-Based Disaster Programme (CBDP) which trains small armies of volunteers to handle evacuation, first aid, reconstruction, carcass disposal and counselling in disaster situations More... Food security, not vitamin supplements, is vital for public healthA year ago, Unicef's vitamin A campaign in Assam caused the death of 30 children and sent over 1,000 to hospital with vitamin A toxicity. The larger question is whether such mass campaigns to combat malnutrition-related deficiencies in India are still required. Or do we need a more sustainable approach? More... After Bt cotton, it's GM mustardThe Genetic Engineering Approval Committee has deferred granting commercial approval to a genetically-modified mustard. But are these just delaying tactics? Could we soon see the release of the first genetically-engineered food crop in India? More... The Handwashing Initiative: selling soap or saving lives?The World Bank's Handwashing Initiative is based on the conviction that the simple practice of washing hands with soap could reduce deaths from diarrhoea by half. But its intentions are being questioned in Kerala, where people say they need safe drinking water, not multinational soap More... |
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