GENRE: In Focus

Roughly a couple of days from now, Karnataka will be voting to elect its next Assembly. One of the most conspicuous features of the high profile state election this year has been the participation of several new players other than the traditional big names, one among them being the Swaraj India party led by psephologist-turned-politician Yogendra Yadav. But how does a party, founded on the premise of alternative politics and with its origins largely in the political narrative of the northern part of the country, plan to make a mark in a southern state, where the dominant dialogue has been…

It is that season in democracy when every politician talks about "clean politics", and paints oneself clean. But how does the voter know whether one is really clean? One yardstick is to look at the legal cases slapped against them. The existence of a case on a person doesn't mean he or she is tainted or guilty. Sometimes they drag for years. Sometimes cases are slapped for frivolous reasons, and sometimes they are slapped for political reasons. Some cases might get withdrawn, or get decided in favour of the candidate. However, there are serious cases too, which might result in…

With Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 just around the corner, it’s important to be well-informed about the procedure and your options before you cast your vote. Here’s a quick guide from Citizen Matters to clear the most common questions you may be pondering upon for the moment. Why vote in the Legislative Assembly elections? How do I know if I can cast my vote? How do I locate my Assembly Constituency? How do I know where my polling booth is? Can I vote if I do not have a Voter ID card? How do I know who’s contesting from my constituency?…

Amidst all the political and other developments in the state, one thing that went largely unnoticed was the withdrawal of urad dhal from the Public Distribution System. While there has been no official gazette notification to this effect, it appears that the particular pulse has for a long time not been available for distribution. Conversations with beneficiaries bring out the situation on the ground and the impact. Beneficiaries across Chennai have raised their voices on the non availability of not only urad dhal, but also sometimes sugar and other items as well. In this context, it is important to understand…

When things don’t work well its always tempting to say “Let’s privatise”, though the experience of privatisation hasn’t been all that great – particularly when dealing with public facilities like health, public transport, water supply or waste disposal. The same logic seems be at work with the recently announced policy of the Government of India to allow privatisation of urban heritage, a move that has evoked extreme reaction from both ends of the spectrum. Some believe privatisation will be a good way to increase efficiency and generate income while others see it as a step signifying abdication of responsibility by…

A Children-centric Chennai school Unkempt buildings, broken toilets, steep absenteeism and disinterested students? Fits your idea of a government or Corporation school? Think again. Perceptions and ideas develop over time and, once hardened, it is rather difficult to demolish them. While there’s no denying the fact that such schools continue to exist, the opposite holds true as well. And, one such example is the Chennai High School in Kottur. With a renewed focus on obliterating absenteeism and moulding well rounded individuals, the team of teachers led by an inspiring and resourceful Head Mistress is making heads turn. Tackling absenteeism in…

A malnourished boy, in shabby clothes, stood trembling in fear at the Chennai Central Railway station. Unaware of the surroundings and people, he sat in silence at the railway station for hours. Only when the Railway Protection Force (RPF) employees initiated a conversation, did he open up about his risky escape from a confectionery unit in Karnataka. The 17-year-old boy, a resident of Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu, was coaxed into work by a middle man, when he was barely 13. The promise of a decent job and good salary soon turned sour, as the boy was forced to work…

With every year in the 21st century getting hotter than the previous, the question arises if Indian cities are geared up to face the severe summers that loom large. Heat waves across the country have turned out to be silent killers. According to one report from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), heat wave casualties are increasing every year and India was worst hit by heat waves in 2015, causing 2300 deaths, making it the fifth highest in world history in terms of number of deaths. But the numbers often go unnoticed. Most of the deaths were concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,…

The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to expand the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) to eight times its current size has earned a fair share of criticism from city activists and residents. This became particularly evident during the public consultative meeting organised by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) recently. Even though the second master plan for Chennai, proposed in 2008, has proved to be a damp squib, the state government had, via a notification in January 2018,  proposed to expand CMA from the current 1,189 sq.km to a whopping 8,878 sq.km.  The proposal, if implemented, will urbanise a total of 1,709 villages…

At a broad level, legislative assemblies and legislative councils together form the legislative body at the state level. As a representational body, it has the mandate to make laws, hold the state executive accountable and sanction public expenditure, just as the Parliament at the central level. As opposed to the Parliament of India, some states comprise of the lower house only (called the legislative assembly whose members are directly elected by the people), while few others also have the upper house (called the legislative council whose members are elected through a select electorate comprising of members of municipalities, teachers, MLAs…