Counterview

Javdekar Counterview Desk In yet another move to “remove” alleged hurdles in the way of coming with “developmental” projects, the Government of India is all set to undermine Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) and Carrying Capacity Studies (CSS), which have been an important part of the environment impact assessment process of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Voting percentage 2012: Congress By Rajiv Shah A fresh study by top French scholar Christophe Jaffrelot should serve as a warning signal to those who believe the BJP would "lose" the 2017 Gujarat state assembly elections. Basing on shifting Other Backward Class (OBC) voter base data compiled by him, Jaffrelot believes, despite a little erosion in the BJP’s middle class upper caste base, there has been a clear “OBC-isation of BJP”, suggesting a new political trend in Gujarat.

By A Representative In an effort to what is being interpreted as a clampdown on supposedly “errant” Muslim-run educational institutes, the Government of India (GoI) wants Intelligence Bureau (IB) to create capacities that would go a long way to counter “radicalization” taking place among them.

By A Representative The Allahabad High Court has asked the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), to explain its controversial decision to prematurely terminate top Gandhian academic and Magsaysay award winner Dr Sandeep Pandey on January 6, 2016. He got the award, called Asian Nobel Prize, in 2002 the emerging leadership category for his grassroots work, taking up human rights issues.

Henri Tiphagne By A Representative India’s top network of advocacy groups, Human Rights Defenders Alert (HRDA), has sought National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) intervention for action against those responsible for the assault on Gujarat tribal rights activist Romel Sutariya during his visit to the office of Tapi district, Vyara on February 2 . He had gone to there inquire about his RTI pleas regarding illegal lease to sand and black stone mining mafia.

By  A  Representative Is BJP high command losing faith in Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel? It would seem so, if looks into how it fielded Gujarat BJP spokesperson IK Jadeja, a small fry, to “deny” a top media report , which pointed to a “scam” in which business group associated with her daughter was allocated 250 acres of prime land off Gir lions sanctuary at the rate of just Rs 15 per square metre.

Urban population (%): UN estimates By Rajiv Shah A recent United Nations report predicts that, contrary to Government of India claims that Make in India campaign will boost urbanization, the country’s urban population is unlikely to grow fast enough. The report says, in 2014, India had 32.4 per cent population living in urban areas, and it will rise to 50.3 per cent by 2050, the pace of growth is likely to go down, and will be far away from the world average.

By  A  Representative The Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas), ejatlas.org, an online portal claiming to “help” academic and public policymakers across the world in identifying exemplary cases of peoples’ resistance against climate change and environment degradation, has said that India has the highest number of cases of environmental conflicts than anywhere else in the world.

By  A  Representative Is stage being prepared for the ouster of the Anandiben Patel government in Gujarat? It would seem so, if two recent tweets, by senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, where he seeks to identify a scheming mole in touch with a top Congress leader, are any indication. Swamy who has lately gone very close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one reason why whatever he says about powerdom acquires significance. He does not, however, identify this person.

By  A  Representative In a gruesome incident, young Ambedkarite social activist, working among South Gujarat tribal farmers, Romel Sutariya, was attacked by unidentified persons in the Tapi district collector’s premises on Feruary 2, injuring him. He had to hospitalized, and his leg was plastered as it suffered a fracture. The attack took place, Sutariya, 25, said in an email to  Counterview, as he was going for a hearing in the district collector’s office regarding illegal sand mining, rampant in the district. “The papers in my possession regarding illegal mining, which we had obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and on the basis of which were considering to talk to officials, were snatched”, he said.