Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• World Bank’s Reforms: Different Image, Same Tune?

  17 October 2009, by Mitu Sengupta

  In February 2009, the World Bank’s Governors approved the first of a series of reforms aimed at amplifying the voice and influence of developing countries inside the World Bank Group. The centerpiece of these much-awaited reforms is an additional seat for Sub-Saharan Africa on the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, a change that will allow developing countries a majority on the Executive Board. The reforms, which also seek to bring the share of developing countries in the Bank’s voting (…)

• How World Bank Prevents Development

  17 October 2009, by Bharat Jhunjhunwala

  Two models of economic development are available to us. The first model is of centralised development. The big businesses will lead smaller ones in this model. Big industries will buy parts from small vendors. They will also provide loans for setting up vendor units through their banking subsidiary. The growth and progress of the vendors is wholly dependent upon the growth of the big unit. The second model is of decentralised development as we see in a large number of lock-making units in (…)

• The Valley of Incongruities

  17 October 2009, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  Whatever may be the substance of the much-advertised point of difference between Peking and Washington over the question of détente, it may be safely assumed that Gerald Ford’s talks with Mao Tse-tung and his cohorts explored the further potentialities of Sino-American collusion, particularly in the countries of the Third World. Angola shows the enormity of this entente while the happenings in Bangladesh underscores this danger in our immediate neighbourhood.
  The Sino-American (…)

• Use Doha Round to Correct Past Mistakes of the WTO Regime

  17 October 2009, by Bharat Dogra

  Concerted efforts have been made to give a new lease of life to the Doha Round of WTO negotiations. The question before us is: what is the most relevant role which this revived round of trade talks can play? If we take an overview of the entire international trade scene and the changes that have taken place ever since the WTO was created (including the negotiations which preceded the WTO’s creation to replace the GATT) then the most credible answer to this question is: the most relevant and (…)

• Balagopal’s Legacy Will Live Forever

  17 October 2009, by Manoranjan Mohanty

  TRIBUTE
  A legendary human rights activist of India, K Balagopal, General Secretary, Human Rights Forum, died of a sudden heart attack in Hyderabd on October 8, 2009. He was 57.
  I cannot believe that Balagopal is no more. He came to Delhi last month to address an important meeting launching a Citizen’s Peace Initiative calling for stopping the cycle of violence and urging for a dialogue between the government and the Maoists. We had been in constant touch to carry this initiative (…)

• Victims of the Home Ministry?

  17 October 2009

  The advertisement of the Union Home Ministry, captioned ‘Look at These Innocent People—Victims of Naxal Violence’, that was carried in The Indian Express, The Hindu, and The Times of India on September 20, is not only vicious and vindictive, it is easily the most irresponsible in recent times. Has the executive arrogated to itself the functions of the judicature? The ad is calculated to prejudice not only the public mind but also the courts before which many prosecutions of so-called (…)

• Human Rights Groups Condemn Maoist Violence in Jharkhand and Maharashtra

  17 October 2009

  CHRI Statement
  The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative condemns the killings and gory violent means being adopted by the Maoists in the last few days. The merciless beheading of the police officer in Jharkhand and the brutal murder of 18 police personnel in Gadchiroli is shocking and such mindless bloodshed cannot be justified as a means to achieving any end in a democracy and the perpetrators need to be brought to justice before the law.
  The CHRI urges the Maoists to abjure the (…)

• Jinnah, Direct Action Day (1946), CPI, Partition

  17 October 2009, by D P Sen

  COMMUNICATION
  R.M. Pal in his article “Was Partition in India Inevitable?” in the Independence Day Special of Mainstream (August 15, 2009) observed that “Jinnah did not want India to be partitioned”. (page 49) He quoted M. N. Roy to support his case. But Roy was also quoted as having referred to Jinnah’s declaration: “I have won Pakistan for you. Now do what you can do with it.” That declaration establishes the opposite.
  From 1940 onward at the grassroot level, the burden of the (…)

• Challenge before the Democratic Forces

  11 October 2009, by SC

  As we go to press news has come of the Indian embassy in Kabul being the target of a fresh terrorist attack. The attack took place this morning (that is, on October 8) killing 17 persons and leaving more than 80 injured. (Reports suggest that the casualty figures are steadily mounting.)
  Since August this is the fourth terror strike on major installations in the Afghan capital. This attack eerily resembles the one that rocked the same embassy building in July last year; more than 50 (…)

• Dr Mukerjee on Hindutva and Article 370

  11 October 2009, by Balraj Puri

  The BJP chief, Rajnath Singh, and the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, reiterated the commitment of the two organisations to Hindutva and abrogation of Article 370 which grants a special status to the Jammu and Kashmir State. They were speaking at a function organised by Dr Shyama Prasad Mukerjee Research Foundation at the University of Jammu on the occasion of 57th death anniversary of the founder President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Dr Mukerjee, on June 23.
  As far the concept of (…)