ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Pradeep KumarSubscribe to Pradeep Kumar

Care and Support of Unmarried Adolescent Girls in Rajasthan

Adolescent girls have considerable unmet needs in health, reproductive health, and nutrition. A survey in Rajasthan sought to ascertain the extent to which unmarried adolescent girls receive care and support from their parents. Study findings suggest that a majority of them received a high or medium level of care. There was no clear pattern by socio-economic status. In a context where gender discrimination is rife, some families, regardless of their economic circumstances, do seem to provide nutrition, health, and psychosocial care for their adolescent daughters.

Uttarakhand: One Year After

One year on, expectations behind the creation of the state of Uttarakhand seem to have been largely belied. However, the emergence of 'popular' candidates, to contest the forthcoming elections, and their promise to set forth a new trajectory of politics - one based on meeting the state's immediate concerns of land, water and forests - spells new hope for the hill state.

Reservations within Reservations

The UP exercise of creating quotas among the backwards and the dalits may have been motivated by the election politics of the BJP trying to salvage its image in the state, but it nevertheless defines the new and important political trajectory that is likely to be drawn in other states, such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab, as well. The articulation of the interests of the dalit sub-castes, progressively marginalised is to be expected.

Social Federalism and Coalition Politics

Coalition Politics and Power Sharing edited by Akhtar Majeed; Manak Publications in association with Centre for Federal Studies, New Delhi, 2000;pp 198, Rs 400. 

Demand for New States

There is an acute sense of relative deprivation in the underdeveloped regions of many states. This perception of lack of development has transcended the linguistic cohesion which had seemed to be such a strong cementing force in the initial years of post-colonial political development.

Dalits and the BSP in Uttar Pradesh

After establishing its monopoly over dalit votes, especially the numerically strong jatavs and pasis, the BSP is attempting to turn the electoral arithmetic in Uttar Pradesh in its favour by wooing the upper castes who are no longer in direct conflict with the dalits in view of the structural changes in rural India. The BSP undoubtedly has instilled self-respect among the UP dalits through its strategy of single-mindedly pursuing electoral power. Yet, its neglect till now of well-thought out programmatic content, besides its loose hold over other dalit castes and MBCs, can prove a hindrance to evolving a more inclusivist agenda for the future.

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