South Asia Citizens Web

We are all witness to and victims of the times characterized by monstrous brutalities of war and deep scars of deprivations, inequities and oppressions. We live under a world order wherein those who brought, for example, untold tragedy and destruction to Iraq will never be brought to justice because they are the global hegemons. [. . .] We on the subcontinent, too, have suffered grievously and felt the heat from far too close. Afghanistan is a continuing saga of tragedy; Pakistan has been made to pay too heavy a price; and India too has not managed to steer clear of the catastrophe. And we know very well that when we count the countries that have suffered, the loss is borne invariably by the people and not by their rulers. But can we – the witness, the victims, the people – escape all responsibility?

Delivering the 2nd S V Narasimhan Memorial Oration, organised by
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Dr Ramakrishnan said that just as good system
of government guarded people from their worst instincts, the process
of science "protects us from our biases and irrationality." "Scientific methods protect us from the danger of false beliefs. No system that does not incorporate proper testing, criticism from peers and other checks of modern science can claim to be ’scientific’ regardless of the scientific jargon used," he said.

Greetings! We, the Expert Team of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has met today at Kanyakurmari and confirms the worst fears of the people that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has compromised on safety and failed to perform statutory due diligence. Citing the responses on the matter of siting and the issue of fresh water supply – both critical components in determining safety of the plant – we confirm that NPCIL has compromised on both these aspects.

The Indian government’s clearance of visas for 237 Pakistanis to attend a major peace convention in Allahabad from Dec 29 to Jan 1 is a welcome step, allowing the much-delayed Eighth Joint Convention of the Pakistan-India Peoples for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) to finally be held.

If we get it right, the Food Security Bill carries the potential to alter the destinies of millions of India’s poor and disadvantaged people, by assuring them as a legal right sufficient food to live with dignity. It was approved by the Cabinet after over two years of intense, sometimes fractious debate. Opinion in the Cabinet itself was reportedly divided around the proposed law. Gaping divisions persist, even as the debates now shift to Parliament, campaigns, the media and the people. The discussions around this proposed law hold up a mirror to unequal India, an India comfortable for too long with this inequality.