Counterview

By A Representative   The All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan (AIKKMS) Gujarat unit has strongly condemned the state government's order denying irrigation water to farmers in the Saurashtra and Kutch regions, warning that the decision will prove to be a "disastrous blow" to farmers who are already reeling from power cuts and a deficient monsoon.

By Mohd Ziyaullah Khan   Maharashtra is facing a severe agricultural crisis. After a deficient monsoon, failing crops and mounting water stress, the drought threatens farmers, agricultural labourers, livestock and rural livelihoods. Yet alongside the struggle for water and compensation, another contest has emerged: the political battle over which constituencies make it onto the drought-relief list.

By Vikas Meshram*  In the tribal belt stretching from Banswara to Dahod, the day often begins with a glance at the sky. The fields are small, the land uneven and sloping, and irrigation mostly means whatever the rain chooses to give. Yet in the villages of this region, a different story has been unfolding over the past few years. Sitting in meetings of Vaagdhara’s Gram Swaraj groups, farmers have begun to treat water, forest, land, livestock and seed as their real capital. 

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  French students are taking to the streets in search of teachers and quality education, while the United Kingdom’s National Health Service faces mounting pressures amid the expansion of market-oriented reforms. Young people are grappling with unemployment, low wages, marginalisation and exploitation. Democratic protests are increasingly met with legal threats, possible imprisonment and heavy-handed policing. Protests and riots are growing across parts of the developed Western capitalist world, where democratic deficits, economic alienation, rising living costs and the marginalisation of working people expose deep-seated problems within capitalist societies. Meanwhile, propaganda against socialism as a potential alternative continues to grow.

Counterview News  The global race for artificial intelligence dominance is not just about computing power or capital; it is fundamentally about human capability. According to the newly released Global Skills Report 2026 by Coursera and Udemy , a stark "readiness disconnect" is threatening to derail global AI investments, with the report revealing that 88% of leaders believe their planned AI investments will fail without greater investment in human skills training.

By A Representative   Senior p ower and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has urged the Ministry of Power and other senior policymakers to undertake an urgent review of India’s power-sector priorities, citing rising renewable-energy curtailment, transmission bottlenecks, delays in battery storage projects and the growing financial and ecological costs of conventional power infrastructure.

By Rajiv Shah  A new report published by the international research and advocacy organization GRAIN has warned that the global resurgence of biofuels is triggering a dangerous dynamic of “more fuel, less food, more land grabs.” Driven by intersecting energy security concerns, geopolitical tensions, and aggressive decarbonization mandates, the expanding agrofuel industry is increasingly pitting corporate energy interests against global food security and indigenous land rights. 

By A.V. Yadappanavar*  Parliamentary panel advises Centre to continue engagement, strengthen governance, and expedite recruitment *** The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), a premier national institution for rural development training, research, and capacity building, has come under renewed public scrutiny following the recent recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.

By Vikas Meshram*  We proudly say that India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. At the same time, in the Global Hunger Index 2026, we stand at 100th position among 122 countries. In this report, released on 14 October 2026, India's score is 24.1, placing the country in the "serious" category. India has remained in this category since 2012. Last year, we were ranked 102nd among 123 countries, which means we have improved by two places this year. But this marginal improvement in ranking is no reason to feel satisfied. Behind these figures are malnourished children, mothers exhausted by anaemia, and families in tribal hamlets struggling to get two square meals a day.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   India has travelled a remarkable distance from a country plagued by food shortages and dependence on imports to becoming one of the world's largest food producers. Yet a troubling question is emerging: can a country that produces record quantities of food still face a food crisis?

By Vikas  Meshram*  Banswara district, nestled at the southern tip of Rajasthan, is known for the colourful heritage of its tribal culture. One of its blocks, Sajjangarh, is today witness to a quiet revolution—one with no noise and no slogans. There is only a steady round of meetings, proposals written on paper, the bustle of Gram Sabhas, and the villagers' firm belief that the key to the lock of their problems lies in their own hands.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  A self-declared democratic socialist and a member of both the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mr. Zohran Kwame Mamdani was elected on November 5, 2025, and assumed office on January 1, 2026, as the 112th mayor of New York City, with much hope and fanfare. His victory was built on many decades of struggle by Black communists in Harlem, workers' struggles under the leadership of the Communist Party (CPUSA), and many civil rights activists who shaped the progressive and democratic political consciousness of the city. These struggles were central to the rise and victory of Mr. Mamdani as mayor of New York City.

By Bharat Dogra  Eminent scientists and others are increasingly warning that the basic life-nurturing conditions of the earth are very seriously threatened. In 2019, I humbly but sincerely initiated the Save the Earth Now Campaign and wrote five books on the subject in English and Hindi. The campaign statement emphasized that the task of protecting life-nurturing conditions must be carried forward within a framework of justice, peace and democracy. The immediate demand was that the decade 2020-30 be declared a decade for saving and protecting the earth and its life.

Counterview News   As the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded their Annual Meetings in Bangkok this week, civil society groups and policy experts outside the official proceedings released two critical documents challenging the institutions' legacy and prescriptions for Asia, calling for a fundamental overhaul of the global financial architecture.

By Shankar Sharma*  India has achieved historic milestones in power sector capacity addition over the past decade. Yet, beneath the surface of these record numbers, an unprecedented confluence of structural demand shifts and climate-induced supply volatility is testing the absolute limits of our national grid. 

By Dev Narsinghani*  A recent Counterview article  rightly pointed out that the Indian market is flooded with packaged snacks, instant noodles, and sugary drinks, and it welcomed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) push for red front-of-pack warning labels on such items. 

By Tings Chak   At the entrance to Xingfuli, a residential compound in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, a bulletin board displays the names, photographs, and phone numbers of the people responsible for managing the neighbourhood. Though an ordinary bulletin board at first appearance, among the building representatives and Communist Party members is an unexpected name: Kang Jiafei, a food delivery worker who is also listed as a community ‘grid worker.’

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The 2026 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel—commonly known as the Nobel Prize in Economics—has been awarded to Prof. Robert E. Hall and Prof. Michael Woodford "for microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation."

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The Lancet Commission's report on "21st Century Global Threats to Health" identifies seventeen interconnected crises threatening life on Earth: air pollution, antimicrobial resistance, childhood malnutrition, the collapse of development and health assistance, conventional conflicts, high alcohol use, high blood pressure, income inequality, low educational attainment, the malicious use of AI, nuclear conflict, obesity, pandemics, poor mental health, smoking, and unhealthy aging.

By Vikas Meshram*  The Vagad region of Rajasthan, encompassing the districts of Banswara and Dungarpur, is a land of rich biodiversity, fertile soil, and plentiful water, deeply intertwined with the cultural identity of the Bhil community. Yet, for decades, unsustainable farming practices had silently eroded this natural wealth, shrinking crop yields and deepening the grip of poverty.