South Asia Citizens Web

India is a secular democratic republic not a military dictatorship. Four anchors of the most prominent English news channels would do well to remember that their collective coverage of the recent incursions in Jammu and Kashmir are irresponsible in as much as they de-link the Army’s actions from the Political leadership of the Centre. In their shortsighted and limited objectives of trying to ‘put the union government in the dock’ at the cost of rational coverage.

11th October: The Justice MB Shah Commission of Inquiry was constituted in 2010 by the Ministry of Mines in response to the growing number of cases of illegal contracting, flouting of royalty payments and encroachment on public lands by large and small scale iron ore and manganese ore mining operations throughout the country. The Commissions’ duration allotted for investigation is coming to a close on 16th October 2013, yet the Commission has not visited three of the states listed in its TOR (Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and MP). Having anticipated the dearth of time, Ms Samantha Agarwal of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan made numerous inquiries between July and September 2013 to the Commission’s Primary Investigator, Dr. UV Singh on our behalf, and he assured that the commission would definitely complete the investigation. However, on 1st October Ms. Agarwal was informed by Dr. Singh that although the Commission has requested an extension to complete the investigation, the Ministry of Mines has categorically denied its request, thus the MB Shah Commission of Inquiry would no longer be coming to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra.

Indian authorities should properly investigate all crimes, including allegations of sexual assault and gang rape during last month’s communal violence in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh

the opportunities for agents and intermediaries, whose services have only become more valuable as the procedures increase in complexity.

Our economic policy should focus on complete access to healthy food, clean air and water, secure energy, sanitation, learning and conditions of good health. This would require empowering communities to be relatively self-sufficient.