By Shankar Sharma*  As concerned environmentalists and informed citizens, many of us share deep unease about the way environmental governance in our country is being managed—or mismanaged. Our complaints range across sectors and regions, and most of them are legitimate. Yet a hard question confronts us: are complaints, by themselves, effective? Experience suggests they are not.

By A Representative  A series of community-based events marking the Jayanti of Savitribai Phule were organised across working-class and marginalised neighbourhoods of Delhi in December 2025 and early January 2026 by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) and its women’s collective, Mahila Kaamkaji Manch (MKM). The commemorations sought to move beyond symbolic observance and instead create spaces for dialogue, reflection and collective resistance, foregrounding education as a question of rights, dignity and social transformation.

By Vikas Meshram  While people across the world were celebrating the New Year, U.S. President Donald Trump launched air strikes last Friday on four Venezuelan cities and several military bases. By Saturday, reports emerged that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had allegedly been taken hostage and transported to the United States. President Trump initially claimed that Maduro was involved in a “drug war” against the United States, accusing him of narco-terrorism.

By N.S. Venkataraman*  History may record U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to invade Venezuela, arrest its President and his wife, and forcibly take them to the United States to face trial in a U.S. court as one of the gravest errors committed by an American President. This action represents a fatal misjudgment that seriously damages the moral standing and international credibility of the United States. It may take decades for future U.S. administrations to undo the disrepute caused by this episode.

By Harsh Thakor*  Paka Hanumanthu, also known by the names Ganesh and later Roopa, was killed in an encounter on 25 December 2025 in the Gumma forest area of Ni Kandhamal district. According to information released by Maoist sources, the incident occurred around noon. Security agencies have described the incident as an encounter, while Maoist groups have alleged that it was staged. Hanumanthu was 67 years old. He was a native of Pullemla village in Chandur mandal of Nalgonda district, Telangana.

By Harsh Thakor*   A public assembly was held in Kolkata on December 24, 2025, to mark the centenary of the First Communist Conference in India , originally convened in Kanpur from December 26 to 28, 1925. The programme was organised by CPI (ML) New Democracy at Subodh Mallik Square on Lenin Sarani. According to the organisers, around 2,000 people attended the assembly.

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  Indore has long been branded as India’s cleanest city, but the tragic events of early January 2026 have stripped away this veneer to reveal a horrifying reality. With 15 deaths now reported due to contaminated drinking water, it is clear that this is no mere accident. It is the grim culmination of years of systemic flaws, administrative negligence, and a persistent refusal to act on the grave revelations and recommendations issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.  The warning signs were present long ago; CAG Report No. 3 of 2019 regarding the water supply systems of Indore and Bhopal should have served as a clarion call for any responsible government. That report revealed that between 2013 and 2018, these two cities recorded over 5.45 lakh cases of water-borne diseases, primarily because nearly 8.95 lakh families were denied safe drinking water. During that period, 4,481 water samples were found unfit for consumption. The audit furthe...

By Prof. Hemantkumar Shah*  The deaths of at least fifteen people in Indore after consuming contaminated water, and the serious illness of many others, constitute a grave failure of governance. In response to this tragedy, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti issued a statement that, according to Gujarat Samachar , included the following assertions: those responsible for the deaths must atone for their sins; they must seek forgiveness from the victims; the guilty must be punished; and this grave sin requires severe penance .

By A Representative   A detailed representation has been sent to Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , with a copy marked to the Prime Minister, urging the Union government not to extend fiscal incentives, tax concessions or policy preferences to nuclear power in the forthcoming Union Budget 2026 .