Articles by Ajay Dandekar

A study in two districts recording high numbers of farmer suicide—Yavatmal in Maharashtra and Sangrur in Punjab—explores the tipping point for this desperate act and finds that in addition to the shame of indebtedness, especially when borrowing from members of the family, several other factors contribute to farmer suicides. These include faulty cropping patterns, rising input costs, aspirational consumption, and the absence of non-farm sources of income.

The case of the local people's grievance against the mining of iron ore for the Bhilai steel plant from Rowghat in the reserved forest area of Chhattisgarh, a Fifth Schedule Area, is just one more example of the infringement of constitutional rights and guarantees. It also portends what is to come with the polity poised to take a decisive right-wing turn.

The 97th amendment to the Constitution inserts a critical point into Article 19(1)(c) by recognising the right of the people to form cooperative societies as a fundamental right. It envisages their insulation from political interference, and infusion of greater managerial skills and autonomy into their functioning. However, there is the possibility of the managerial element overriding the concerns of the members and lack of sufficient room for an effective state intervention when required.