Meghalaya Diary, part 3: Politicians across party lines use football to score in the ultimate game of politics
One of the reasons why so many people connected to football are entering the electoral arena is because of the feeling that they can count on the votes of their fan bases.
Meghalaya Diary, part 2: Superstitions, privacy concerns, distrust of 'non-tribals' make Aadhaar a non-starter in poll-bound state
Many people in Meghalaya are avoiding Aadhaar enrollment because they believe it is akin to the mark of the beast.
Meghalaya Diary, part 1: Martin Luther Christian University's violations expose lacunae gripping higher education in poll-bound state
The first doubts about MLCU started in 2010, four years after the university started operations out of a church building in Shillong.
Meghalaya's murky links with Panama Papers: Politico-corporate nexus makes money laundering common in hill state
'Follow the money' is an old adage in journalism. Across the North East, and particularly in Meghalaya, that would be slightly modified to 'Follow the Marwari money'
Budget 2018: By hiking minimum support price, Modi govt makes good 2014 promise, but all is not as it seems
By taking a lower cost as the baseline for computing minimum support price, the government is resorting to sleight of hand, moreover one that most farmers are unlikely to miss.
Afrazul murder: Hate crime in Rajsamand reflects changing political economy of south Rajasthan district
What are the conditions prevalent in southern Rajasthan and Rajsamand under which an incident such as the murder of Afrazul could have occurred?
For transparent Brics, India must push for greater engagement with civil society
However, in the interests of a fair and transparent BRICS, it is better to engage with civil society. And India, with its strong democratic traditions and a robust civil society can play a strong role in ensuring this.
‘Fat tax’ levied by Kerala govt shows that all’s not well in God’s own country
The 14.5% ‘fat tax’ announced by Kerala on 8 July on fast food like pizzas and burgers is an indicator that when it comes to health, all’s not well in the state.
Marathwada’s drought: Crop insurance for farmers not adequate to cover cultivation costs
Three years of drought in Marathwada and extreme weather events have made agriculture unpredictable, but insurance meant to defray the risk is failing farmers
Marathwada's drought: Why debt-ridden farmers are deemed least creditworthy
In Marathwada, crop value has collapsed to near-zero as the drought has shrunk agricultural yields. With it, the ability of farmers to raise loans on their land has declined
Marathwada's drought: 'Toothless' laws lead to water exploitation
Toothless water and irrigation laws in Maharashtra explain the paradox of a state with the largest dam infrastructure facing water scarcity and drought
Marathwada drought: Will outreach help reduce farmer suicides?
Marathwada drought has seen a rise in farmer suicides due to shrinking income and debts. As a result social and medical interventions have increased
Marathwada’s drought: A surveyor of suicides tells the story behind the statistics and the lonely struggle of Indian farmers
Why are Marathwada’s farmers committing suicide? Is it crop failure, mounting debt or alcoholism? To find answers to these questions, Aurangabad-based organisation Swami Ramanand Tirth Sanshodhan Sansthan is doing a survey in Marathwada.
Marathwada drought: Maha has the most dams in the country, but the least effective irrigation network, leaving lakhs in the lurch
Marathwada drought: When a dam becomes an end, rather than a means to an end, what you get is a grand water and irrigation system on paper and water scarcity on the ground.
Marathwada's drought: Water scarcity has created a region where trust has eroded and left the social fabric frayed
In recent times, the drought in Marathwada has been reported, discussed and debated, but all from a safe distance. News reports, television debates, social media commentary and even judicial pronouncements have been made regarding the situation.
Marathwada's drought: Dry lands, economic deprivation shrinking opportunities, driving workers away from Latur
At first glance, Latur looks like any other Indian town with its dusty congested streets and crowded bazaars. But looks can be deceptive. The town is the epicentre of a process of deindustrialisation and economic deprivation that has spread across the whole district.
Marathwada's drought: In the midst of severe economic downturn, private water sellers reap profits in Latur
The current drought in Marathwada is being compared to the historic drought of 1972, of which some of the town’s older residents have vivid memories