By Raj Kumar Sinha*  Most major cities of Madhya Pradesh—Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain and Sagar—depend directly or indirectly on rivers, lakes and groundwater for drinking water. All these sources are under increasing pressure from urban sewage, industrial waste and solid garbage. Sewage treatment plants are either inadequately designed or, in many cases, completely non-functional. As a result, partially treated or untreated sewage flows directly into water bodies. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), based in Bhopal, recently acknowledged that serious risks of water contamination exist not only in Indore, but in other major cities of the state as well. The remark points not only to administrative failures but also raises deep questions about the model of urban water governance in Madhya Pradesh. The NGT’s comments come at a time when urban populations are expanding rapidly, yet sewage treatment, solid waste management and water protection systems have failed to grow in proporti...

By A Representative   In a strongly worded submission to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare , public policy expert Dr. Donthi Narasimha Reddy has signaled a red alert: the Pesticides Management Bill, 2025 , in its current form, is a paper tiger. Without sweeping amendments, this legislation risks becoming yet another ineffective administrative measure, incapable of stemming the tide of pesticide-related deaths and chronic health crises that continue to haunt India. ​Addressed to the Secretary at Krishi Bhavan , Dr. Reddy’s detailed 80-page critique argues that while the Bill introduces progressive elements like digital databases, it remains shackled to the outdated philosophy of the 1968 Insecticides Act . This fragmented regulatory landscape is precisely what has allowed devastating tragedies—from the 2013 Bihar poisonings to the recent 2025 Mysuru disaster —to repeat with sickening regularity. ​The fundamental failure of the Bill lies in its institutional architect...

By Bharat Dogra  As debate intensifies over a new seeds bill, groups working on farmers’ seed rights, seed sovereignty and rural self-reliance have raised serious concerns about the proposed legislation. To understand these anxieties, it is important to recognise a global trend: growing control of the seed sector by a handful of multinational companies. This trend risks extending corporate dominance across food and farming systems, jeopardising the livelihoods and rights of small farmers and raising serious ecological and health concerns. The pending bill must be assessed within this broader context.

By A Representative   The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) has written to the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer alleging attempts to remove eligible Muslim voters from the electoral rolls in Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur constituency. In a letter dated January 18, 2026, MCC convener Mujahid Nafees said several Form 7 applications seeking deletion of names had been filed against registered voters in multiple parts of the assembly segment.

By A Representative   National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has drawn significant criticism from political and civil society circles following his address at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue in New Delhi on January 10, 2026 . Speaking to a gathering of roughly 3,000 young delegates, the 81-year-old NSA invoked historical grievances, suggesting that India’s ancestors remained "helpless, mute spectators" while villages were burned and temples were looted. 

By A Representative   Andhra Pradesh police have arrested Kranthi Chaitanya, a senior leader of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), on charges including sedition and violations under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, as well as laws related to national honour and use of the State Emblem.  

By Lotte Rørtoft-Madsen   On 14 January, a few hours before the historic meeting in Washington between representatives from Greenland and Denmark and their U.S. counterparts, J. D. Vance and Marco Rubio, Denmark and several of its NATO allies reinforced their military presence in Greenland and announced that more reinforcements would follow. Some interpreted this move as pressure on the Trump Administration before the meeting. But anyone familiar with NATO-Denmark politics would recognise that appeasement with the empire is the more likely explanation.

By A Representative   In a new episode of the Unmute Podcast , activist Deepa Pawar, founder of Anubhuti Trust and a voice from India's Nomadic and Denotified Tribes (NT-DNT), laid bare the deep-seated wounds inflicted by colonial-era laws that branded her community as criminals. Speaking with hosts Gagan Sethi, a veteran development practitioner with over 40 years in policy advocacy and minority rights, and Minar Pimple, founder of YUVA and former Amnesty International director, Pawar dismantled the myths of progress that sideline these marginalized groups, urging a reckoning with dignity, citizenship, and mental health in the fight for justice.

By A Representative   The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has written to the Chief Electoral Officer of the state alleging that over a thousand Muslim voters from Akbarnagar in Ahmedabad’s Bapunagar constituency have been wrongly removed from the electoral rolls following a demolition drive. In a letter dated 17 January 2026, addressed to Harit Shukla, IAS, the MCC claims that 1,206 residents of Akbarnagar’s “Chhapra” locality, who were previously listed as eligible voters in Part 173 of the 49-Bapunagar Assembly seat, have been excluded from the ongoing Special Summary Revision.