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Paradise lost? The destruction of gorgeous birding area by Delhi
Delhi and its surrounding areas host thousands of birds, both permanent residents and visitors from Europe, Russia and other areas. Wetlands, the thickly wooded ridge, old buildings and a variety of other habitats enable hundreds of species of birds to thrive in the area. The wetlands present one of the most heavenly sights that one gets to see in the grater Delhi area, and it is getting encroached, polluted and destroyed. This news item by CNN-IBN documents one beautiful wetland that has been given to builders, so that ugly buildings can replace a beautiful habitat for hundreds of birds and…
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Rights based approach to development: Lessons from India’s Right to Food Campaign
Posted on September 28, 2011 | No CommentsIn April 2001 People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) approached the Supreme Court of India arguing that the government has a duty to provide greater relief in the context of mass hunger. The litigation has now become the best known precedent on the right to food internationally. This paper reviews the litigation with a view to understand various strategies used by the litigants to create and enforce far-reaching entitlements in a near legal vacuum on the right to food. This is followed by a discussion on the lessons from this case for rights based approach to development at large. Citation:... -
From fractions to millions: Getting more people to challenge corruption using mobile phones
Posted on September 22, 2011 | 1 CommentAn initiative to use mobile phones to combat corruption in programmes that matter to the poorest people in India. -
Poverty as a choice: Response to a friend
Posted on August 31, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a response to a long and rambling comment by a dear friend. Dear Venki: thank you for being an avid reader, even if it is against your best instincts J I can always take some words of encouragement from a “senior” of my high-school days. Your words were encouraging and I am keen to accept the personal remarks. That said, I will have to respond to your worldly wise(?) comment about poverty being purely a choice. That is a little too tempting, considering that much of our relationship is built on arguments. Let’s get an argument out of... -
Can crowd-sourced discussions be democratic?
Posted on July 27, 2011 | 1 CommentThis is a response to a critique of wathiqah.com (a platform to discuss the future of Egypt’s constitution) in Meta-Activism Project. The article entitled “the revolution is not a branding opportunity” points out that the name of the commercial platform is visible prominently and takes an objection to it. She also discusses the limitations of such platforms to which I would like to respond. The author points out that online discussions reach a very small proportion of the population, that they are not representative, and that they are easy to manipulate by well organised groups. I agree with the critique... -
Hawa mein bath: Stories from the Indian airspace
Posted on July 21, 2011 | No CommentsThe woman sitting next to me was travelling on air for the first time. She grew up in a small town and there was not much discussion about air travel among her friends. I did my share to make her feel comfortable. We did a round on how to buckle the seat belt, how to turn on the light, how to turn off the air vents and whether she should hold her three month old tight through the flight. After we reached the altitude she asked, “Chal rahi hai kya” (is it going?). I heard it as “Jal rahi hai... -
Remembering Suresh Tendulkar
Posted on July 7, 2011 | 2 CommentsI cannot forget the parting advice of a professor who just departed. It was a ritual that he followed batch after batch, and as far as I remember it was the only time in the class that he ever strayed out of the course topics; he was a kind of a serious man. As you go out of the school and start your lives, typically you will have two major options. You could choose a career and accept a lifestyle that comes with it, or choose a lifestyle and accept the careers that come with it. Very rarely is one... -
Gift of the Magi 2.0
Posted on June 22, 2011 | No CommentsO. Henri's Gift of the Magi rewritten in the Web 2.0 age. -
Corruption in the PDS & will coupons or cash transfer work better?
Posted on May 26, 2011 | 2 CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . The level of corruption in the public distribution system has been one of the rallying points in the cry for change. The following are some of the corruption related arguments for change: There is large scale corruption in the system It is undeniable that there is a lot of corruption in the PDS, and something needs to be done about it. In arguing that we should shift from PDS to coupons or... -
The politics of PDS “reforms”
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . Some scholars have pointed out that the motivation to dissolve the PDS comes from the ideological belief that the government should not be engaged in providing public services, and of course the material appeal this has for the rich. The quest for PDS reform started in the context of India’s liberalization and globalization. Pushed by multilateral agencies, the PDS was converted into a targeted system in 1997. The motivation of these reforms... -
Coupons and cash transfers give people a choice unlike the PDS
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . Paying cash instead of grains will give people a choice Another strong argument for coupons or cash is that the recipients will have the choice to spend it on what matters most to them. Proponents of reform have argued that the Indian policymakers tend to be paternalistic, and often argue that if the government gives cash instead of grains, poor people may misuse it, including by drinking it away. They have argued...
