Indian Together

The States of India account for about 55 per cent of the combined expenditure of the Union and the States, but the Centre now collects two-thirds of the combined tax revenues. Kannan Kasturi details this imbalance.

We can fight the scrouge of corruption not by legislation nor by moral pressures but by an awakened community which refuses to settle for anything less that what is its legitimate due, writes R Balasubramaniam.

In the 1960s, Maharashtra ended famine forever by passing an Act that deleted the word 'famine' from all laws of the State. It's an idea that is still in fashion, writes P Sainath.

The State Information Commissioners are supposed to uphold the RTI Act in their respective states. But their own appointments are shrouded in secrecy, writes Krishnaraj Rao.

India risks being sucked into the incipient global rivalry between a hegemon and a rising challenger. Keeping economic growth on track will be pivotal to retaining an independent stance, writes Firdaus Ahmed.

To shield women from vilification, the National Commission for Women is all set to recommend strict penalties against men who level false allegations of adultery against their wives in divorce cases. Tripti Nath has more.

The problem of Indian politics is not that it exists, but rather that success in the system doesn't seem to be connected in any way to the ability to govern, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan.

Over the years, several thousands have made their way to this Kolkata eatery to feast on authentic local food. It's the star feather in the All Bengal Women's Union's cap. Aditi Bhaduri has more.

The Census thinks that prostitutes are not workers, not because they don't work, but because of traditional views that what they do simply should not be counted as work, writes Shoma Chatterji.

In Kashmir, it seems the only person the Centre is listening to is Omar Abdullah, the man against whom the entire population, including his own party, his bureaucracy, and his police is up in arms, writes Madhu Purnima Kishwar.

We now have data that establishes that due to the fear of violence and harassment many women do not have the autonomy to freely move in a variety of public spaces, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Eco-pioneer Mohammed Dilawar's nest boxes, specially designed to bring back sparrows and other birds into urban areas, are a hit among bird-lovers and of course, the target group - the birds - themselves.

Reuters Market Light, a professional content service, has been changing the way Vidarbha farmers make decisions on sowing, selling farm produce, and other important matters and increase their profits.

There is indeed a vital link between paid news and private treaties. One is in the political sphere. And, second, in the sphere of business and commerce, writes P Sainath.

The NREGS is restricted to a 100 days a year. The PDS is targeted to exclude 'APL' families. Only exploitation is universal, writes P Sainath.

The assumption that the workplace and the home are always mutually exclusive spheres distorts our understanding of women's economic roles, writes Shoma Chatterji.

Policy makers have understood the importance of producing energy, but have been much slower to promote measures for energy efficiency. This has to change, writes Girish Sant.

If you hire consultants who are not familiar with the local terrain, they are apt to provide solutions which do not conform with the situation on the ground. Mumbai's latest self-vision exercise bears this out, writes Darryl D'Monte.

On learning that she could find out why her widow pension was being delayed, she made her grandson write out an RTI application on her behalf. When she got her pension, I realised how powerful this law could be, writes R Balasubramaniam.

During the last 100 years, the production and consumption of power happened at two different places, miles away from each other. This will change in the future, writes Chandrashekar Hariharan.