By Rajiv Shah  Is the Narendra Modi government, in its third but  what would appear to be a weaker avatar, seeking to show that it would keep a distance, albeit temporarily, from its most favorite business house, the Adanis? It would seem so if the latest move of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) latest to "defer" the Adani Energy’s application for 1500 MW Warasgaon-Warangi Pump Storage Project is any indication.

By Shankar Sharma*  The South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, and People has highlighted a concerning narrative regarding the detrimental effects of Pumped Storage Plants (PSPs) on the environment, particularly within the Western Ghats. The alarming proliferation of such projects reflects the Ministry of Power and the Central Electricity Authority's (CEA) pervasive drive to establish numerous PSPs across the country, often at the expense of ecological integrity and community well-being. 

By Parag Jyoti Saikia*  “Hey Rupam, open the door. Take this fish,” a woman yelled from outside. I was sitting in the kitchen at my friend Rupam’s house in rural northeast India. It was the heart of monsoon season, and rain had been falling since morning. The woman must have been shouting because the noise of the rain on the tin roof muted everything else.

By Sandeep Pandey*  The violence which shows no sign of abating in the ongoing Meitei-Kuki conflict in Manipur is a matter of concern. The alienation of the two communities and hatred generated for each other is unprecedented. The Meiteis cannot leave Manipur by road because the next district North on the way to Kohima in Nagaland is Kangpokpi, a Kuki dominated area where the young Kuki men and women are guarding the district borders and would not let any Meitei pass through the national highway. 

By Kritischer Konsum*    105,000 people have signed a petition calling on Nestlé to stop adding sugar to its baby food products marketed in lower-income countries. It was handed over today at the multinational’s headquarters in Vevey, where the NGOs Public Eye, IBFAN and EKO dumped the symbolic equivalent of 10 million sugar cubes, representing the added sugar consumed each day by babies fed with Cerelac cereals. In Switzerland, such products are sold with no added sugar. The leading baby food corporation must put an end to this harmful double standard.

By Bharat Dogra*  The Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has rendered a great public service by very recently publishing a report titled ‘Bayer’s Toxic Trails’ which reveals how the German agrochemical giant Bayer has been lobbying hard to promote glyphosate and GMOs, or trying to “capture public policy to pursue its private interests.” This report, written by Joao Camargo and Hans Van Scharen, follows Bayer’s toxic trail as “it maintains monopolistic control of the seed and pesticides markets, fights off regulatory challenges to its toxic products, tries to limit legal liability, and exercises political influence.” 

By Our Representative  A significant icefield in Alaska is melting faster than previously believed, and it may eventually hit an irreversible tipping point sooner than expected, according to a research carried out in the Newcastle University.

Counterview Desk  In an excerpt from their book, Izabella Scott and Skye Arundhati Thomas contextualize  how the occupation of Palestine informs the occupation of Kashmir. The authors point towards why the relationship between Israel and India is more complex than is generally though, pointing out how, to many in India, Israel presents an internationally sanctioned model for alleged exterminating Muslims. 

By Tapan Sen*  The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has voiced robust support for the striking employees of Ferro Scrap Nigam Limited (FSNL), who have embarked on an indefinite strike starting September 28, 2024. This action stems from the workers' concerns over the NDA government's aggressive efforts to privatize FSNL, undermining the legal framework established in India. 

By Bharat Dogra*  Addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation represents one of the foremost challenges of our era, affecting all nations and communities. However, the strategies we employ must consider the livelihoods and needs of people to avoid negatively impacting small farmers, workers, and vulnerable populations, especially in developing regions.  My research indicates that it is indeed feasible to align the vital goals of safeguarding the livelihoods of small farmers while also addressing climate change collaboratively. These objectives can evolve simultaneously. 

By Harsh Thakor*  As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, it is essential to reflect on the legacy of Edgar Snow, the first journalist to enter the northwest region known as Red China in 1936. His groundbreaking work brought the narratives of Mao Zedong and his followers to the global stage. A prominent figure in China, Snow was an American journalist celebrated for his 1937 book , "Red Star Over China." 

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The reactionary, regressive, and right-wing cultures promoted by authoritarian politics have managed to undermine democracy, constitutional, and liberal traditions in order to uphold the interests of various forms of capitalism and its imperialist foundations.  The propaganda of these forces has been very successful in creating, sustaining, and expanding differences between people and communities, resulting in atomised and antagonistic individuals who are unable to fight for their rights as individuals or communities. This project is accelerated by market forces, which seek to create competing consumers by expanding mass consumerism for profit.  Such a project dismantles the diversity of production, consumption, and local markets that facilitate interaction between consumers and producers in a social setting, with collective foundations of economic activities based on needs. Capitalism and its social, political, religious, and cultural forces create national

Counterview Desk  The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), condemning the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and about 150 Ladakhi Padyatris by the Delhi police and the "arbitrary imposition" of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) by the Delhi Police Commissioner, has demanded that the  Padyatris should be released immediately and allowed to continue their democratic and peaceful ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’ towards Rajghat for raising their "legitimate demands" for environmental protections and constitutional safeguards in the Ladakh region.

Counterview Desk  National Alliance for Justice, Accountability & Rights (NAJAR), an initiative of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), collectivizing "progressive legal professionals for democratic causes", has sought inquiry and legal action against vice chancellor of the  Rajiv Gandhi National Law University (RGNUL), for "objectionable actions" against the students protesting against his patriarchal stance.  Seeking an end to gendered discrimination in the university, NAJAR said, the VC violated the principle of equality through his patriarchal and conservative thoughts and decisions, directed against women students studying law, pointed out, he "entered the girls’ hostel without any prior notice, and commented on the woman students' clothes", even reportedly made "sexist remarks." Text:  National Alliance for Justice, Accountability, and Rights (NAJAR), a pan-Indian collective of progressive legal professionals for

By Shankar Sharma*  In light of recent reports regarding the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, it has been announced that the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has successfully met its 100-day target for enhancing wildlife habitats. While the media celebrates this milestone, and the Ministry may take pride in their achievement, environmental advocates across the country have reason to approach such claims with skepticism. 

By Proshakha Maitra, Mansee Bal Bhargava*  Rivers since their existence have a tendency to flow freely uninterrupted, as a saying often used by Jal Satyagrahi pertaining to river pollution -- Aviralta mei hee nirmalta (flow will ensure clean river). Since the emergence of dams along with the invention of cement-concrete in civilisational and technological evolution, we have come too far in taming the rivers as per the aspirations and needs. The latest in the riverscape in India is the riverfront designs and development besides many small streams filled up as lands from designate wastelands. This has changed the ecosystem of the river besides and importantly our association with it from ritualistic in spiritual sense to recreational in socio-economic sense. 

By Our Representative  On the International Safe Abortion Day, 28 September, the global advocacy group SHE & Rights Media Initiative held a session   on decriminalising abortion and making safe abortion accessible to all-in-need globally, with speakers insisting that it is critical to deliver on promises enshrined in SDGs. It was celebrated as the Global Day of Action to demand access to safe and legal abortions everywhere and for all women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals.

By Bharat Dogra*  In recent years the right to information campaign has made big strides in several countries. However a special feature of this campaign in India which has captured international attention is the inspiring start it got at the grass roots level. It is the simple peasants and workers of Rajasthan who first emphasised the   importance of this right and took the message of its importance to the educated elites. This struggle was spearheaded by an organisation of workers and peasants called the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathna (MKSS).