By Harsh Thakor*  After a sustained 11 day protest dharna outside the office of the Sub-divisional magistrate, in Jaitu village of Faridkot, from 24th May, the Grameen Mazdoor Union emerged victorious in winning demands. Enduring the gruelling heat the Dalit agricultural workers displayed unflinching resilience. The grassroots or spade work of the union deserves to be complemented.

By Bharat Dogra*  The recent disastrous Odisha train accident has re-emphasized the need for ensuring better train safety. Taking an average figure for the last decade, nearly 24,000 deaths are caused by railway accidents in a year. This may be compared to less than 700 deaths in the entire European Union related to train accidents in 2021.

By Our Representative  As many as 75.86% (5,421) elementary schools in Odisha do not possess a playground, depriving students of physical activity opportunities. Also, 75.68% (5,408) of schools require minor or major repairing, undermining the norms and standards stipulated in the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

By Shankar Sharma*  The true concerns over water inefficiency in coal power plants have been known and have been highlighted many times in the past. A highly relevant study report by Prayas Energy Group had highlighted this fast looming threat to our society many years ago. But our authorities have been acting as though there can be no issue with water supply, and that additional coal power plants can be added indefinitely; even without any true relevance to climate change.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin By NS Venkataraman*  The practice of organizing global investor meet was started by the Gujarat government when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the state. He projected it as a novel idea, seeking to catch the imagination of the investors and the general public, with huge claims being made about investment proposals and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  A few days back, results of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) were out for this year's civil services. Lots of congratulations and greetings were being loud mouthed everywhere, as if that is the final achievement for anyone's life. The fact is that these elite services are meant to protect the interests of those in power and not devote themselves in the service of the people. They claim to do 'service' to the nation but not the people. Somehow, in the new system, the nation is basically a piece of land, and not its people.

Counterview Desk  Maria Nirmalini, president of the high profile Christian organisation Conference of Religious, India (CRI), in an open letter to Catholic Church's major superiors, the clergy which governs an entire or a part of a clerical institute, has called upon them to meaningfully engage in "burning issues" of India "which are happening at a frightening regularity".

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

Counterview Desk  In a letter to Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, several experts and senior activists, commenting on the need to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have said that there is a need too harmonise India’s health laws with the Consumer Protection Act, insisting that there should be a criteria to objectively define what is a “healthy food”.