Arguing that the initial years of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board were dominated by the priorities of the then ruling party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, whose government created it in 1971, this paper points out that shelter policies in the state had a formal orientation away from eviction and resettlement and towards in situ tenement construction, alongside an informal tendency to protect and reward those groups of the urban poor that the party was trying to court for votes.

An audit of production-sharing contracts reveals violations that have hurt the interests of the public. (Editorial)

India has played a key role in drawing up the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that was initiated by the World
Health Organisation and the country has ratified it. Ironically,
the government’s Indian Tobacco Board is expected to promote
Indian varieties of tobacco and the development of the tobacco

With a growing betel vine sector as well as thriving paddy cultivation and fishing, it is no wonder that villagers in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district have resisted the state government’s forceful acquisition of land for the POSCO project. Political parties of all shades as well as the intelligentsia are increasingly coming together in support of the agitation. The future of the anti-POSCO movement looks bright, but will it put an end to POSCO’s plan?

Darjeeling tea makes its mark world over, but back home it brews suspicion between planters and workers finds Down To Earth.