Counterview

By Vikas Meshram   There are few people who are born into privilege yet choose to dedicate their lives to the cause of the poor. Jean Drèze is one such individual. Born on January 22, 1959, in Leuven, Belgium, into the family of a distinguished economist, Drèze has become one of the most influential voices in the study of poverty, inequality, and social policy in India. Having lived in India since 1979, he adopted Indian citizenship in 2002 and has since played a pivotal role in shaping some of the country's most important welfare initiatives.

​By Keshav Tiwari, Saksham, Mansee Bal Bhargava   ​Hundreds of tribal farmers, led by women, are currently engaged in a Chita Andolan (protest) in Chhatarpur. They are fighting for the rights to their land, water, forests, and traditional community management systems inherited over centuries. Facing forced eviction, poor compensation, an information vacuum, and deep uncertainty, these indigenous communities are asking a fundamental question: If this project is not for the people whose resources it consumes, who is it actually for?  

By Jag Jivan   As Bangladesh approves a vast new barrage, experts caution that unilateral river engineering is outpacing diplomacy, with potentially severe ecological and geopolitical consequences. In a development that has raised alarm among water security experts, Bangladesh has given the green light to one of the largest river engineering projects in its history: the Padma Barrage . The massive structure, designed to restore water to the country’s drought-prone southwest, comes at a moment when upstream neighbours China and India are also accelerating their own dam-building programmes.

By Jag Jivan    A high-stakes controversy has erupted in the Indian Himalayan Region following the abrupt publication and immediate withdrawal of a major infrastructure tender. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) issued a public tender notice for the proposed "Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel Project (Link 3)" only to cancel it abruptly just three days later.

By A Representative   India's flood early warning system came under sharp criticism this week after the Central Water Commission's main Flood Forecast website remained inaccessible for over a week at the very start of the 2026 monsoon season, even as flash floods battered parts of the Northeast and extreme rainfall events struck several cities.

By Dr. Gopabandhu Dash*  The United Nations University (UNU) recently warned that humanity has entered an era of " global water bankruptcy "—a condition in which long-term water consumption persistently exceeds nature's ability to replenish freshwater resources. This process steadily depletes critical water reserves such as aquifers, glaciers, wetlands, and other natural storage systems. Water bankruptcy signifies a new and alarming global reality: humanity's freshwater withdrawals have exceeded natural replenishment to such an extent that many vital water systems are becoming insolvent and, in some cases, irreversibly damaged.