Mumbai’s landfi ll fi re shows that Indian cities are at sea with garbage. (Editorial)

From late colonial rent reliefs and agricultural researches to the recent land acquisition bill and the "second green revolution," Indian agriculture has seen several transitions. This paper tracks detailed quantitative and qualitative evidence on long-term shifts in agricultural practices, yields and land relations in Dhantala, a village in western Uttar Pradesh, from the 1930s to 2012. This is done with the help of family and kutcherry records, elders' recall and surveys as well as the interviews conducted personally in three revisits since 1989.

The National Mission for a Green India proposal, released under the aegis of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, is a significant attempt to integrate the mechanism of ecosystem services in the overall framework of forest conservation in India. It suggests a series of strategies for improving the quality of forests and proposes reforms for strengthening joint forest management. This paper discusses the likely impact of these reforms on current forest use practice. It does so by analysing the various provisions of the mission and how they support or contradict ongoing forest uses.

The mohalla or community clinics run by the Delhi government could be termed populist but have the potential to meet the needs of the people, make basic healthcare accessible and decongest higher level health facilities. These could also prove to be a landmark in health service delivery in India.

Agriculture cannot be revived without a different approach to water, soil, crops and research. (Editorial)

An analysis, based on a survey of the print advertisements and TV commercials for safety content, and the pricing policy for offering safety technology of six major automobile manufacturers, shows that manufacturers are not promoting safety issues or their safety technology in any significant manner. They are not offering airbags or anti-lock braking systems in most of the base models costing less than $12,000.

Rapidly increasing urbanisation in India has brought much needed focus on the urban development policies in India. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was the first programme to provide substantial funds for urban local bodies to improve their infrastructure and bring in better governance systems. This article tries to look at the mission from a new public management perspective. The performance of ULBs in project implementation shows delinking from the reforms agenda of the mission.

Small farmers' participation in global value chains is of prime importance for inclusive agricultural development in developing countries like India. However, the issue of inclusiveness of modern arrangements like contract farming and the determinants of participation in such arrangements is understudied in such contexts. This paper examines the issue of small farmers' participation in contract farming arrangements in Punjab, where farming is dominated by medium and relatively large farms.

The Delhi government's move to allow only alternate use of cars with odd and even registration numbers from 1 January 2016 is a step in the right direction. However, even as such command and control measures will be difficult to sustain, the gains made from these measures will only wane over time. Long-term measures with strong economic incentives to ensure favourable outcomes are imperative for better quality of air and environment. This involves strengthening public transportation systems.

The odd-even car formula in Delhi has brought to the fore the class bias that always existed in the city. Can we learn from history to build a more just and equitable environment for all to live, or will we reinforce the old walls of inequality?