Counterview

By Mahesh Pandya*   Rain is one of nature's greatest gifts. Yet, through years of poor planning and mismanagement, we have transformed this blessing into an artificial urban disaster. For the past fifteen years, Gujarat has consistently received above-average rainfall, often exceeding 100 percent of the long-term average. The specter of drought has largely receded into history. Ironically, despite abundant rainfall and the availability of Narmada waters, groundwater levels continue to decline. Even today, 58 talukas in Gujarat remain classified as "dark zones" because of severe groundwater depletion. The problem is not the absence of water; it is the absence of sound water governance.

By Hidayat Parmar*  Every society is remembered not only for its rulers and institutions, but also for those who dared to ask difficult questions. Such individuals become the moral conscience of their times. They challenge easy certainties, defend truth over convenience, and remind citizens that democracy survives only when people continue to think critically.

By Jag Jivan   A recent New York Times  opinion piece  titled "This Teen Took on a $10 Trillion Industry. We Might All Be Healthier Because of Him", by Julia Belluz, co-author of "Food Intelligence," has highlighted what a senior expert believes is a pivotal moment in the struggle for a healthier food environment . The article focuses on the case of Bryce Martinez , a 20-year-old who developed Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease at age 16. Martinez filed a personal injury lawsuit against 11 major food manufacturers, including Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé, alleging that their ultra-processed products caused his chronic illnesses.

By A Representative A group of hunger strikers in Chennai are on an indefinite fast, demanding a complete ban on the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and demanding that education be moved from the concurrent list to the state list. The protest, led by S Manirathinam — brother of the late S Anitha — is taking place at Thiruvaliur Illam in Koyambedu, even as nationwide student protests that forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan have been called off.

By Biljana Vankovska  This may seem like a slightly belated reaction to India’s President’s visit to Macedonia 20-23 July. Yet the event deserves a brief reflection through a gender lens. The real inspiration comes from my engagement in a two-year project aimed at encouraging greater participation of women in politics — Gender Equality Mobilization ( GEM ), implemented together with academic and civil society institutions from Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. 

By Benyasiri Eimviriyapong, Fatima Shahzad  Over 70 delegates from 43 organizations across 17 countries gathered in Colombo from 16-18 July for the ‘Hands Off Asia’ conference, organized by the International Peoples' Assembly and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research . The choice of venue was no accident. Four years ago, Colombo was the world's cautionary tale; sovereign default, fuel queues, a presidential palace occupied by its citizens. But Sri Lanka's crisis was never uniquely Sri Lankan, it was the compressed experience of what much of Asia lives in slow motion: production structures designed under colonialism to serve the core, debt that disciplines every budget—from the national to the household—and an international order that punishes any attempt to escape it.