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2 months ago | 
countercurrents.org | G Naveen |Manas Jena |Ram Puniyani |P J James
In his recent Lok Sabha speech during the budget session, the leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi made an important observation about the OBC (Other Backward Caste) population of India. He quoted the caste survey conducted by Telangana government that showed the OBCs as comprising 56% of the state population, SCs (Scheduled Castes) ~17% and STs (Scheduled Tribes) ~10%. Thus, together, the three communities account for more than 80% of the state’s population.
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Vidyadhar Date |J Hester |Rebecca Gordon |Manas Jena
The BJP has scored a big if questionable win in the just held legislative assembly elections in Maharahtra. But the state administration has scored a self goal or shot itself in the foot when it comes to it boasts about so called modern, high technology and urban transport with the miserable failure of its hobby horse the Metro rail network in Mumbai. The Metro was touted as a technology marvel and the actual result has blown into the authorities’ face.
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Manas Jena |Cedric Prakash |Vikas Meshram |Bharat Dogra
The recent( Nov-2024) death of two young tribal women,Ms Runi Majhi ,age 30, Ms Ramita Patamajhi, age 28, and hospitalization 7 other in serious condition due to consumption of Mango kernel in Mandipanka village under Daringbadi block of Kandhamal district in Odisha has refreshed a prolonged debate over such deaths. Odisha has witnessed death of many people in the past years in tribal areas of Odisha , specially the South-western belt due to consumption of gruel from mango kernel.
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Nov 22, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Bharat Dogra |Manas Jena |Harsh Thakor |Kandathil Sebastian
I recently travelled in the rural area of Atarra (in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh) at a time when paddy harvest was in full swing. Although mechanization of harvesting has started in this region with some harvesters being brought here all the way from distant places, most of the harvesting is still done manually and in the place where I was staying all the harvesting was being done manually.
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Nov 20, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Manas Jena |Andre Damon |Neeraj Jain |Rejaz M Sydeek
ToShri V L Kantha RaoUnion Secretary (Mines)Dear Shri Kantha Rao,Please refer to my letter of 16th November 2024 pointing out that allotment of the Dagocha gold mine to HZL, a subsidiary of the Vedanta Group in Udaipur District in Rajasthan violated two Central legislations, namely, PESA & FRAS, that protect the interests of tribals, since the area where the mine is located lies within a Scheduled Area.
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Nov 17, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | dev chandrasekhar |Arun Kumar |Sam Pizzigati |Manas Jena
Recent global data paints a stark picture. Despite corporations across the world in the aggregate reporting rising record-breaking corporate profits year after year, millions of people worldwide are struggling to make ends meet. Rising food and energy costs, coupled with stagnant wages and rising unemployment, have pushed many into precarity.
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Nov 16, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Manas Jena |Biju Negi |Andre Damon |Wangui Kimari
ToShri V L Kantha RaoUnion Secretary (Mines)Dear Shri Kantha Rao,I understand that your Ministry has allotted the Dugocha Gold mineral block in Udaipur District in Rajasthan in favour of HZL, in which the Vedanta Group holds the majority share The Dugocha Gold block is located in Dugocha, Dhariyabad, Salumber, Matasula, Bori, Bara Talav, Kothar, Jarap, Sanjela villages in Salumber Tehsil in Udaipur District in Rajasthan.
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Nov 3, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Arun Kumar |Sam Pizzigati |Manas Jena |Daron Acemoglu
I. IntroductionDuring the campaigning for 2024 general elections, inequality became an issue. A Congress leader suggested imposition of an Estate Duty to reduce inter-generation inequality. The idea was to achieve greater equity through redistribution. The ruling BJP leadership attacked it as a Robin Hood idea of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. The idea makes sense given the rising inequality in India and its macroeconomic implications.
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Nov 1, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Bhabani Nayak |Manas Jena |Vidyadhar Date |Shamsul Islam
The Odisha government is making all efforts to create new excitement among the state’s residents regarding the “Subhadra Scheme”. The government is using its machinery to project it as “self-reliant,” “women empowerment,” and “revolutionary” to create a positive image across the state. But the government is failing answer a few questions. If this scheme is considered a success by the BJP government, then why, a few years ago, were similar schemes ridiculed as “Rabidi” schemes?
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Oct 26, 2024 | 
countercurrents.org | Manas Jena |Ram Puniyani |P J James |A K Shiburaj
Caste census will show economic status ,demography of various castes and layers of inequality for better execution of affirmative policyWay back in 1881, the British government had a caste census till 1931, which was not in practice in Independent India from 1951 to 2011, except for SC and ST. The caste data of 2011 socioeconomic and caste census by the Ministry of Rural and Urban development has not been made public due to a number of mistakes in enumeration.
