Forests have been the root cause of the struggle for statehood. In an interview with DOWN TO EARTH, Uttaranchal's first chief minister NITYANAND SWAMI says he intends transferring power to gram panchayats

Most politicians and activists see the Forest Conservation Act as a hurdle towards empowering the tribal population. They want the act amended

Rich in natural resources but extremely poor, the three new states are in need of a new strategy for development. But no blueprints have been drawn so far. DOWN TO EARTH reports on the posers thrown up by the birth of Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal and J

Although the Chipko movement is practically non-existent in its region of origin it remains one of the most frequently deployed examples of an environmental and/or a women's movement in the South. A small but growing number of commentators are now critiquing much neopopulist theorising on Chipko, and this paper provides an overview of these critiques. It then takes the debate further with reference to a more recent regional movement in the hills.