Columns

August 13, 2021

Ujjwala 2.0 can address energy poverty in India but key lies in accessibility, awareness and financial support

More than 80 million Ujjwala connections have been distributed already, and the Union Budget 2021 has extended the scheme to an additional 10 million people. But a considerable section of the beneficiaries fails to sustain the use of LPG as cooking fuel exclusively. This must change.

Ajay Singh Nagpure
August 11, 2021

The disappearing buffaloes of Bhadawar

The Bhadawari breed of buffaloes, extant in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, are said to produce milk with the highest fat content anywhere in the world. But, they are dwindling in number and without intervention, may die out altogether.

Satyendra Pal Singh
August 10, 2021

Mine games in Sundargarh, Odisha where coal mines are on an expansion mode despite flouting several rules

More than 2,000 trucks daily pass through the
Raigarh-Sundargarh highway spewing coal dust on the houses, crops and water bodies of 45 villages. The promised coal corridor is still missing, yet the Kulda mine has got permission for expansion.

Bijaya Biswal
August 9, 2021

Adivasis in the Central Indian Plateau most deprived; livelihoods tracking initiative can offer useful insights

The Central Indian Plateau is one of the poorest pockets in India and the Adivasi communities in this region are the most deprived in the country. A livelihoods tracking initiative has been initiated in Jharkhand and Odisha, and its report with important findings will be released next month.

Parijat Ghosh
July 31, 2021

For tribal communities of Nuapada in Odisha, it’s a long road to community forest resource rights

During the acute drought of 1965, it was the forests and forest produce, such as tubers, that prevented villagers in Nuapada from dying of hunger. A large number of tribal and forest dwelling communities in the district are now fighting to get their community rights under the FRA, 2006.

Chinmaya Sunani
July 30, 2021

Draft Trafficking in Persons Bill: A beacon of hope?

Today is ‘World Day against Trafficking in Persons’. Recently, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development published the draft Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021, which is a step in the right direction. However, there is a need to add more provisions in the bill in order to strengthen it and make it more meaningful.

Subhasree Raptan
July 29, 2021

Tigers often embark upon long journeys through farms, forests and settlements. It’s crucial for the species’ survival

Today is International Tiger Day and dispersal is integral to the life history of tigers. But several factors, including infrastructure projects, fragment tiger corridors thus impeding tiger movement. Maintaining habitat connectivity to enable dispersal is arguably the most pressing imperative for tiger conservation today.

Pranav Chanchani
July 19, 2021

Tribal villagers in Odisha’s Sukinda eat chromite dust; govt builds stadiums and playgrounds with musical fountains using mining funds

Over 98% of India’s chromite reserve is found in the Sukinda region of Odisha where water, air and land is highly contaminated due to chromite mining and the local Adivasis suffer its impact. Despite large funds collected in the state under the District Mineral Foundation, money is being used to build an international hockey stadium and recreation facilities.

Bijaya Biswal
July 10, 2021

Even tigers get lonely, like RBT38 did, and head back to Ranthambore

In 2012, a young male tiger, RBT38, ventured out of Ranthambore looking to establish a home of his own. A couple of years later, he returned to Ranthambore to mate. But, in the last three years, tigers from Ranthambore have dispersed and bred outside the park. These are promising signs for the recovery of this isolated tiger population across northwestern India.

Prameek Kannan
July 8, 2021

Increased vulnerability to hunger and malnutrition in tribal communities of Jharkhand due to COVID19 pandemic

Despite the state government launching several initiatives, such as Mukhya Mantri Didi Kitchen, helplines for migrant workers and a 100-day job guarantee scheme for urban unskilled workers, Jharkhand needs to do a lot more to improve its performance on nutrition that has taken a hit in the pandemic.

Neha Saigal