South Asia Citizens Web

The World Environment Foundation (London) - a dubious racket of incriminating corporations - was set to hand over the Golden Peacock Award for Best Environmental Management to Vedanta Alumina Ltd (Lanjigarh, Orissa). Vedanta has been globally indicted for gross environmental and human rights violation. Its plant in Lanjigarh (which WEF had chosen to honour) has already devastated the lives of at least 15000 adivasis and dalits, polluted a river that is the lifeline of about 40000 people, created untold health hazards for local residents by indiscriminate dumping of toxic waste and unchecked emission, and has unleashed an army of goons to create a reign of terror. It is pretty much apparent that such companies need entities like WEF and vice versa, which helps build a clean image for the former and wealth and shameless reasons for existence for the latter.

The CPI(M) is fond of narcissistically flaunting its world record of 32 years in power in West Bengal as "proof" of its performance. But in the past two decades, a new kind of virtually totalitarian power has been put in place. The local panchayat, MLA, district administration, police and the ubiquitous ’party’ act in tandem. There is no avenue forum for redress, no way to appeal against corruption, non-implementation of schemes and the absence of simple developmental activity such as water (…)

A song on the present day exploitation of tribal land and forests in the name of development. Directed by KP Sasi

If you are worth over Rs. 50 million, you are 75 times more likely to win an election to the Lok Sabha than if you are worth under Rs. 1 million. At least, in the case of the 2009 polls. (Some 23 of 64 Cabinet Ministers whose asset worth is in the public domain fall into this Rs. 50 million-plus category. Providing it stability of sorts, I guess. In the entire Cabinet, only one falls into the less-than-Rs.1 million group.)

During the process of enactment of the Forests Right Act in 2006, the National Forum for Forest People’s and Forest Workers (NFFPFW) passed two important resolutions in the second National Conference held at Ranchi:
1) Establishment of community governance over forest resources. 2) To resist commodification of forests and related resources.