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There must be a plan that can take care of all the people living in a country, and all those who may come by virtue of their birth in the meantime. It is the general principle. It must reflect in any planning of our government for any period whatsoever. However, unfortunately, this is not the approach of our government on the eve of the Eleventh Plan period (2007 - 12).

Had the mothers of our country taken enough care to breastfeed their newly born babies, over 15 per cent of 24 lakh child deaths every year could have been averted, especially if optimal breastfeeding practices were scaled up to 90 per cent, says the State of the World Breastfeeding, India Report Card - 2006.

De-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, who constitute nearly 10 per cent of the country's population, are living in the worst of conditions, moving from pillar to post for sheer survival. The tribes number around 500; however, they are not enumerated separately in the Census.

The Public faith on Judiciary has increasingly been on the decline despite the activism through PIL (Public Interest Litigations) shown by the various High Courts and Supreme Court. Fingers are being raised from various quarters not only on the quality of judgments but also on the functioning of the courts resulting in a high level of pending cases and vacancies of judges in the various courts throughout India. Now a blame game has been started that should be put an end to for the larger interest of the nation.

Presidential Election in India has become controversial this time for wrong reasons. The very concept of democracy and justice is under threat on many counts, however, it is no one's concern. Can the people hope for the better?

There exists a strong correlation between per capita energy, specifically electricity, consumption, and levels of human development. We need a minimum consumption of 4,000 kWh/capita for a “decent” living, says a recent report of Asian Development Bank.

The nuclear terrorism is indeed one of the most serious threats of our time. Even one such attack could inflict mass casualties and create immense suffering and unwanted change in the world forever. This prospect should compel all of us to act to prevent such a catastrophe,...

Veteran and most respected Marxist leader of India, Jyoti Basu's latest statement has certainly undermined his own goodness as a person. It is a surprising thing to know as to how even such a leader can fall in his opinion clearly supporting a capitalist approach of development in the fag end of his pro-people life telling people about his “government's inability” to return the lands, which have been taken from the people under SEZs (Special Economic Zones), to the people on account of “legal obstacles”.

World focus has again been shifted to global climate change. It has been discussed within the UN frameworks and G8 summits of the industrialized and developed nations. However, the results are far from satisfactory. If the things are to continue in the same pace and with the same mind-set, the world is bound to undergo a great suffering.

The Rajasthan state in India is on the boil. Twenty six out of 30 districts are under the grip of violence. Within three days of the Gujjars' agitation for Scheduled Tribe status, death toll in police firing and mob violence has increased to 20. With no chance of peace being restored in near future, one needs to think over this issue afresh. There are many more reasons that demand this rethinking including dwindling number of employment opportunities and the politics of reservation in the country.