GENRE: Report

Cyclone Fani blew in and out of Orissa nearly two weeks back. But relief and rehabilitation of lakhs of affected people in Puri, Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar is yet to pick up pace. Pitching in, mainly in Bhubaneshwar, with the aim of getting local communities involved in the restoration works is Civil Society Responds to Fani (CSRF), an initiative by a group of state-based not-for-profit organisations. While the state and central government’s disaster response teams are busy clearing roads and rebuilding the electricity and other infrastructure networks, CSRF volunteers are trying to mobilise residents to participate in the work being done…

Days after Cyclone Fani hit Odisha, ravaged its towns and cities and proceeded further towards the north-east, the capital city of Bhubaneswar remains in shambles. Water supply is still severely disrupted in parts of the city, and the service infrastructure is in total disarray, leaving citizens with no electricity, mobile or other forms of connectivity. While the state has been rightly praised in national and international media for its immense achievement in minimising casualties in the face of the severe storm, local patience is now running out and protests are being reported from various corners of the state, and in…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his campaign speech in Aligarh on April 14th, invoked three main development indicators, "bijli...kanoon vyavastha...sadak” (electricity, law and order and roads)**." Development or "vikas" has been one of two constants in his campaign; the other being "karobaar " or business. In his Aligarh speech, he specifically mentioned how this election was a fight to get "nyay" not only for youth, women and farmers but also for "chote karobaari" or small business owners. Yet, in Aligarh, vikas and chote karobaari clashed head on when shops belonging to small business owners were demolished to widen roads as…

On a day that India saw another round of voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, and people were engrossed in coverage of verbal slugfests between leaders, sensational comments by candidates and all the typical frenzy that accompanies the conduct of elections, the national capital quietly conducted the final phase of an election that is no less important for the Delhiite. The annual elections for the post of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the vital three member standing committee (Sthayi Samiti) of three autonomous municipal bodies of Delhi (MCDs) concluded on Monday unanimously. With the ruling BJP enjoying a clear majority…

“We want policies and schemes that are people centric, not nominal ones that our elected representatives decide,” say volunteers of Chittoor People’s Action Committee (CPAC). CPAC is a pro-active citizen movement and the voice of the people in Chittoor, a city crying out for basic amenities and infrastructure.   CPAC has interacted with more than 5000 citizens from Chittoor, Gangadhara Nellore and Puthalapattu constituencies, to deliver a data-centric, in-depth citizens' manifesto.  The manifesto is the end product of various surveys and workshops such as Nenu Bharath Aithe (inspired from a political drama movie starring Mahesh Babu). The volunteers of CPAC…

April 16 Tight security across the city ahead of Mangaluru polls Security across Mangaluru city has been beefed up ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The police have identified 220 vulnerable polling booths in 93 areas. 501 intimidators were nabbed from these pockets. Central Armed Forces will provide security at 156 among the 220 booths identified as vulnerable and critical; micro observers and video observers have been deployed at the others. Meet this 105-year-old poll enthusiast from Chennai A 105-year-old voter from Anna Nagar with firm belief in democracy wants to vote. C Balasubramanian has strong political views and urges…

A misguided water policy, rapid unfettered urbanisation, lack of vision and a growth model characterized by indiscriminate greed is killing Mumbai and depriving the city of its basic right to quench its thirst. The 1.2 crore residents of the megapolis currently face a 10 percent water cut, effective since November 15, 2018. Mumbai is no stranger to water cuts but the rationing started much earlier this year than in previous years, months before the scorching summers were due to set in. This was to make up for the less rainfall this year. The city received 13.13 million litres of surface…

A second time MP, Dr Naramalli Sivaprasad is a versatile personality. A theatre-artist, actor, film producer and two-time MP from the Chittoor Constituency, Sivaprasad is known for dressing up as various characters in Parliament to draw attention to issues. Dressed on various occasions as characters as diverse as Adolf Hitler, Chatrapathi Shivaji and MG Ramachandran, the MP staged protests demanding special packages for Andhra Pradesh. While his appearances as a theatre artist have hogged headlines, his recorded attendance and engagement as Member of Parliament on the floor of the House leave much to be desired.  In the 2014 elections, Sivaprasad…

In February, the Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited – MSPDCL announced a whopping number of total vacancies within the company --- 622 for various posts across departments. The jobs advertised included those for Computer Operator, Junior Technical Assistant and other vacancies. Other than two positions which required a Bachelor’s degree, the vacancies were mostly for undergraduates and specified no requirement for technical or higher education. Given the open call and the large number of vacancies, the response was overwhelming. Unemployed youths – men and women thronged the MSPDCL office located in the state capital Imphal. The large number of applicants swelled to…

What you see in the picture above is not just a classroom. This houses an entire school from first grade to seventh grade with 27 students right in the heart of Mysuru city. A few years back this government school had over 300 students. Since 2005 Pratham’s Annual Survey of Education reports (ASER) have been showing dreadful learning performance of our future generation every year. Every one knows that the emperor has no clothes, but we are not ready to implement the needed reforms. India's education sector, for all practical purposes, has collapsed. Ironically, at a time when we want…