THE NEWS IN
PROPORTION
17 February 2020
17 February 2020
TRIBAL SUB PLAN
Diversion of funds mars tribal welfare plans
Diversion of funds mars tribal welfare plans
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.
FOREST PATROL
Saving forests: Women sentinels of Gunduribadi 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.
TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT
Reversing fate through love for land, forests and waterAbhijit Mohanty brings us the story of certain tribal villages in Koraput district of southern Odisha that have successfully overcome the challenges posed by denudation and inadequate irrigation and have etched out a path towards food security and well-being.
DEVELOPMENT & DISPLACEMENT
Three villages that show why land acquisition needs a rethinkThree 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.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Farming for self-reliance in KalahandiThe struggle to feed themselves and their families round the year drives millions of farmers in remote rural areas to desperate measures. Abhijit Mohanty’s story shows how sustainable agriculture has helped farmers in Odisha’s backward Kalahandi district pull themselves out of poverty and food insecurity.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
‘Lighting up’ the lives of the poorA renewable energy project covering three of Odisha’s most backward villages has gone beyond the immediate promise of providing electricity, bringing about perceptible and deeper changes in the quality of lives of the local people. Abhijit Mohanty reports on the project.
CEC REPORT ON MINING
A new course for iron ore mining in OdishaRejection 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.
WOMEN’S EDUCATION
A better life through literacyThe broad-based Community Based Functional Literacy Campaign launched by the State Resource Centre of Rayagada, Orissa aims to educate women and drop-out girls in three of the most backward districts of the state. Abhijit Mohanty summarises the key take-aways so far.
MINING IN ODISHA
A battle that hasn’t been won in nine yearsWith numerous court cases, regulatory rulings and pending environmental clearances behind it, the South Korean steel major POSCO still persists with its plans in India. Kanchi Kohli looks at the latest in the case and wonders why.
DISASTER AFTERMATH
For distraught Phailin survivors, life is little consolationTheir shelters and livelihoods ravaged by the deadly recent cyclone, many women along Odisha's coastline are are so bereft of any hope for the future that they feel it would have been better to be among the dead. Sarada Lahangir meets some of them.
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
New report on POSCO - who's listening?The report of the Roy Paul Committee set up by the MoEF to examine and act on the earlier judgment of the Green Tribunal recommends several studies and assessments, but few of those seem to have been considered in the most recent appraisal. Kanchi Kohli reports.
BAUXITE MINING IN ODISHA
Niyamgiri gets some time to breatheThe 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.
FOREST RIGHTS ACT
Rights Act, not working rightThere is wide-spread failure in safeguarding the rights of forest communities protected under the Forest Rights Act. State and Central Governments are complicit in diluting it. Tushar Dash reports.
India Together offers an excellent forum for people from diverse fields of expertise to present their views, share their experiences and raise questions about where our country and society are headed in the future.
Amitabha Basu
- Retired Scientist
- National Physical
- Laboratory
- India Together reader
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From Aug 2013, published with support from Oorvani Foundation, a champion of public-funded media for the new India.
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