Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Can we Avoid the Present Anarchic Conditions?

  1 December 2010, by D G Bokare

  The common man is now getting confused and also disillusioned by the way the social, political and economic affairs are being handled by the government, particularly more so after the globalisation concept was brought in by the present Prime Minister when he was the Finance Minister.
  There are many types of problems the common man faces today. None of the problems can be isolated and solved independently. They are all interconnected. Food security, unemploy-ment, criminal activities, (…)

• An Insidious Line

  1 December 2010, by Barun Das Gupta

  COMMUNICATION
  Sumanta Banerjee in his communication (Mainstream, October 30, 2010) says that he does not need to be convinced that the CPI-M in West Bengal is indulging in “fascist atrocities and crass corruption”. Fine. At least on that point, one believes, he has no quarrels with D. Bandyo-padhyay. He is also aware that the people of West Bengal are “tired and exasperated” with the CPI-M.
  But the next moment he is assailed by a crippling moral dilemma. Can “exasperation alone” be (…)

• Surge in Food Insecurity

  1 December 2010, by J. George

  Every passing day makes it clear that the proposed food security law may not come by for a while. One report quoting the Planning Commission even suggested that it can be expected only in 2012. This Twelfth Plan (2012-17) launch has support from the concerned dual Ministry of Agriculture as well as Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution. In that eventuality it does mean a surge in food insecurity.
  A dispassionate analysis will indicate that the National Advisory Council (NAC) will (…)

• Stalling the Vedanta: Right to Tribal Self-determination Ignored

  1 December 2010, by J.J. Roy Burman

  Recently the N.C. Saxena Committee report on the Vedanta project in Orissa became instrumental in stalling the project on the grounds of environamental degradation—forests and animal life—and effect on the life style—social fabric of the Kondh tribes. The Committee stated that the Vedanta industry flouted the environmental laws and that the food source of the tribes would have been destroyed. This episode has been portrayed as a victory of the local Kondh tribes. But in reality this could (…)

• The Democracy Question in Indian Foreign Policy

  1 December 2010, by Arvind Kumar

  BOOK REVIEW
  India’s Foreign Policy: The Democracy Dimension (With Special Reference to Neighbours) by S.D. Muni; Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi; pp. VII + 178; price: Rs 495.
  Not many of us know that the ‘democracy-Icon’ of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released this Saturday (November 13) was educated at Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College where she studied Political Science and grew up as a political activist to ensure ‘democracy’ back home in Myanmar. While the (…)

• Report Card of the Government in Bihar

  1 December 2010

  by Sanket Samudra
  In his open letter to Sonia Gandhi [Mainstream, Vol XLVIII, No 47, November 13, 2010], Shree Shankar Sharan has strongly defended the Government of Bihar. According to him, “Nitish has been nationally and internationally acclaimed as having turned Bihar around by his new accent on development. His linking of rural and urban areas by a vast network of roads and bridges is the talk of all sections, castes and communities in Bihar, because they have all benefited from it. (…)

• America’s Quest for Global Dominance

  1 December 2010

  by Tarun Patnaik
  America, the land of opportunities, of free private enterprise, of individual freedom, promises and appeals to the aspiration of many international citizens to come and seek to make their abode in the US. This is the place where ideas are respected and valued and one can prosper because of the quality of one’s mind. That is a matter of prestige for the American people. An example would be Bill Gates’ dramatic rise to prominence and wealth for the ideas he had and the (…)

• India-Japan Civil Nuclear Co-Operation Agreement: A Saga of Interests Eclipsing Ideals

  1 December 2010

  by D. Gnanagurunathan
  Hold your faith. The civil nuclear co-operation agreement between India and Japan, that was to have been signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan in October 2010, has been delayed. Two rounds of negotiations failed to resolve the differences and remain inconclusive. One of the stumbling blocks is Japan’s insistence on India’s commitment for a moratorium on nuclear testing to proceed with the deal. But India is unwilling to compro-mise its (…)

• Improved Longevity in India: A Challenge

  1 December 2010

  by Monica Munjal And Poonam Kaushik
  It is a universal phenomenon for a person to grow older. However, changes in demographic structure in the last century have altered the picture of the ageing population. The world’s population has gone on a changeover course of increased life expectancy and lowered fertility. The number of children is no longer increasing as rapidly as the older population continues to grow. The age-structure of the population has changed. There is growth in the number (…)

• PM Cannot Remain A Mute Spectator

  24 November 2010, by Analyst

  Indian politics has a Mahabharata like nature to it. A casual observation can reveal all the great elements of drama, like the seven sins, classic fight of the good versus evil, and the climax. Electoral democracy tries to sabotage the timing of the climax by ensuring timely elections for those in power, but nevertheless sometimes the characters of this massive ongoing epic catalyse sudden and unexpected developments that can give as much thrill as the climax of a drama. Like the original (…)