There is no mechanism for the people to intervene in the affairs of Parliament, to direct it to enact laws on particular subjects, to prevent it from passing certain other kind of laws. The People are supreme, not Parliament. But unfortunately, in India, the People do not have any control, whatsoever, on the functioning of Parliament, says Arvind Kejriwal. Exclusive to Rediff.com
As an NGO, IVDP has facilitated loans totalling Rs 2,406 crore.
P Sainath said since 2008, some 3000 journalists had lost their jobs in India but the word 'recession' was banned in the media. "When I say media, I mean the dominant media always. The dominant media always lies as they invest in the stock exchange and keep the Sensex up".
The retired IPS officer and social activist talks about the need for value-based education and just what it is that she wishes young Indians would know.
Two days after she dubbed the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal as 'fascist', Magsaysay award winner social activist Mahashweta Devi has said she had full faith in the chief minister.
Sheela Bhatt profiles Arvind Kejriwal, a crucial member of Team Anna, who has emerged as one of the key players in the movement for a strong anti-corruption law.
Sheela Bhatt profiles Arvind Kejriwal, a crucial member of Team Anna, who has emerged as one of the key players in the movement for a strong anti-corruption law.
Probably for the first time in the history of independent India, a struggle has been given respect due to a peaceful protest by the people, says Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey
In Arvind Kejriwal, you will meet an unassuming fighter with a focused social objective -- rooting out corruption and introducing better governance.
Annasaheb, I have known of your good work in Ralegaon Siddhi in Maharashtra for the past 30 years. Most Maharashtrians know you well, but this generation of youth has not been fed much information of 'good works' by the media.
Even five years after the implementation of the Right To Information Act, the government has failed to frame rules for the selection of Chief Information Commissioners across the country which has resulted in "arbitrary selection" of these officials, a leading activist has alleged.
Arvind Kejriwal returned over Rs nine lakh in dues to settle the issue of his resignation from the Indian Revenue Service, insisting that he was doing so in protest and it does not mean he has accepted any mistake.
Arvind Kerjriwal, the leader Team Anna, explains his motivations and his methods in a fascinating interview with Sheela Bhatt.
Arvind Kerjriwal, the leader Team Anna, explains his motivations and his methods in a fascinating interview with Sheela Bhatt.
In an interview with rediff.com's Sahim Salim, Arvind Kejriwal, who played a key role in convincing the government to allow a joint panel, consisting of government and civil society members, for the drafting of the Lok Pal bill, explains why the Anna Hazare-led movement was such a huge success.
'Jairam Ramesh is almost single handedly bringing about a paradigm shift within the government.'
Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey reports on the first peace caravan from Asia to make it to Gaza.
Talking about the conversations on the tapes Sainath said, "Some of them are boring. One sounds like a waiter taking an order, one shows serious breach of ethics, one is plain bragging. The tapes show corporate power."
With the Centre warning of action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against civil society representatives speaking in favour of Naxals, social activist and writer Mahasweta Devi on Friday dared Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to arrest her.
A peace caravan to Gaza travels through the middle-east to a rousing reception. The caravan is part of an effort to lift the two-year blockade of Gaza by Israel.
In a late evening development on Tuesday, Magsasay award winner writer and social activist Mahashweta Devi told singer-turned-politician Kabir Suman to 'hold' his 'written resignation from the Trinamool Congress and the Lok Sabha for two days, for the sake of Lalgarh -- we want to discuss with you.'
A peace caravan to Gaza travels through Iran to a rousing reception. The caravan is part of an effort to lift the two-year-old blockade of Gaza by Israel.
'Shah Mehmood Qureshi also happens to be the Sajjada Nashin (family custodian) of the dargah of the Sufi saint Bahauddin Zakaria in Multan. In 2005, when a Delhi-Multan peace march on the initiative of civil societies of both countries reached the mazar for the culmination of the march, he said something which people in Pakistan would normally avoid saying.'
After Krishna's November 17 concert to be held at Nehru Park was cancelled by AAI, the Aam Aadmi Party government had on Thursday stepped in to organise another performance by Krishna, who often finds himself in the cross-hairs of controversy over his outspoken views.
'If the Sangh Parivar is actually interested in constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya why doesn't it do so on the land owned by the VHP?'
Noted social activist and Magsaysay award winner Murlidhar Devidas Amte alias Baba Amte died at his Anandvan ashram in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra on Saturday. He was 94. Baba Amte passed away at 4:15 am, his son Dr Vikas told PTI. One of the country's most respected social leaders, Amte devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients. He is survived by two sons.
'The poor must be allowed to self select themselves. A poor family must be given a ration card on demand and the government must accept responsibility for providing subsidised food grain.'
Winner of the 1996 Jnanpith and 1997 Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Mahasweta Devi firmly believed that 'real history is made by ordinary people.'
Magsaysay awardee Aruna Roy tells Sreelatha Menon that she is ready to chase a new dream, a School for Democracy.
The 2009 Magsaysay Award winner explains why he thinks the NREGA is critical.
India's 71st Republic day celebrations in the United States on Sunday were marred by protests and marches, albeit peaceful ones, against recent changes in the citizenship law by large number of Indian Americans in various cities of the country.
"Bhattacharjee has said his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi is a fundamentalist, but what is he doing here? He hounded Taslima out of the city to get Muslim votes in the coming Panchayat polls in the state," the Magsaysay award winning writer told a press conference in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The intelligentsia in West Bengal has expressed indignation and outrage at Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen being taken to Rajasthan following the violence during a shutdown to demand cancellation of her visa.
Unlike the upwardly mobile upper middle class, the much neglected Indian backward class which struggles for a daily living knows better how to lead an enriched and harmonious life, believes Magsaysay awardee and eminent RTI activist Aruna Roy. "India's backward class, which has always been neglected and considered as socially irrelevant has empowered me and taught me how to struggle in life, while the middle class disempowered me with its urbanised thoughts," she adds.
The iftar will be attended by Shia cleric and religious leader Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, Christian priest Anand John, Sikh leader Gurcharan Jeet Singh and Sandip Pandey, Magsaysay award winner and convenor of National Alliance for People's Movement
Renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr Pramod Karan Sethi, whose invention of artificial limb 'Jaipur foot' was a durable hero of medicine in helping lakhs of amputees around the world lead a normal life again, died of cardiac arrest in Jaipur on Sunday.
Former super cop and Magsaysay award winner Dr Kiran Bedi is all set to hit the small screen with her reality show Aap ki kachehri on Star Plus. The show replaces Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
T N Seshan believed that toughness at every level is needed to keep the flock under him strictly duty bound, recalls Dr K S Parthasarathy, former secretary, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
All the deaths, he said, could have been avoided had the IIT provided better living conditions for the labourers on the campus
According to Singh, neither big dams nor more embankments are going to help Bihar get rid of annual feature of devastating floods. The solution lies in a simple and cost effective model of decentralised water management.
