What a university is for? Of course, there is much that is deplorable in Indian highr education. First, there is no environment to stimulate open debates on high and sensitive issues. There was this column by a lady columnist, on universities and the academics. The caption of the column provoked me. “The conformism of free…
Rural India is still a holy cow!
There is no unemployment in the villages! Rural realities no one speaks out! We live in the village. We are engaged in farming. Is this enough to convey the truths about Indian villages as they are evolving today? It seems rural India is a holy cow! Yes, when President Abdul Kalam talks of the technological…
Rural India is changing fast!
Though governments don’t do much! Citizens’ initiatives take roots. Citizen services? Consumer interests? Transparency, e-governance? Do you hear such words from any of the ministers? We dont hear so far! And yet, yes, there are new problems and new initiatives and opportunities opening out. Here we feature a few such services, be it municipal services,…
Bankers and farmers : Rajya Sabha debates agri issues for 5 1/2 hours.
Rajya Sabha in an unusual move debated farmers issues for five and half hours. All pointed to bankers and Nabard as guilty parties! Yes, the Economic Survey claims that the flow of credit to farm sector went up by 40 per cent as againt the govt’s target of 30 per cent. This year another 30…
A new food safety law : Unsafe foods flood the market!
Weak consumer rights movement need activation. Sudan-I dye in Indian chillies creates a scare all over the world about India’s food safety standards. World Consumers Day was duly celebrated. Unsafe foods, GM foods, potato, soya, maize based foods with no labels flood our super stores. Food eating out is growing even faster. So, there is…
India’s poor law : India’s poor politics
Hinders economic development. The Economist magazine, true to its verbal gymnastics, had called India’s much talked about employement guarantee programme (or just a promise on date?) as India’s poor law! In the same typical imperial mindset the magazine goes on to elaborate its wisdom as it see it. Of course what the Singh government is…
Agriculture problems are practical problems!
Agriculture needs practical solutions! There was recently the Rajya Sabha debate on farmers issues, farmers’s suicides for a record five and half hours. Members cutting across party lines spoke unanimously. M.S.Gill, a former Union Agriculture Secretary, being a senior authority on the subject said it is too serious a topic. So too Rajya Sabha Chariman,…
Karnataka farmers’ insurance model
Rajasthan Chief Minister visits Bangalore Meet Dr. Devi Shetty of Narayan Hrudalaya Discusses farmers insurance scheme for adoption in Rajasthan Ms. Vasundara Raje is no ordinary Chief Minister. Given her royal background and equally her son, Dhusyant Raje, an young M.P. who is also engaged back in his rural base concentrating on agriculture on modern…