Apex court ruling comes as a boost to mineral-rich states. The interpretation of the court in this verdict could also give states more power to raise their own taxes, which been diluted significantly in recent years.
Tribal communities in Similipal are being encouraged to conserve seeds and water, use bio-inputs and inter-crop millets with other crops. Farmers are optimistic that this can bring them food security and better livelihoods.
The emphasis on rice and wheat production for decades has steadily reduced the importance of millets. once a staple for many Indians, especially adivasis. Some states, like Odisha, are trying to change this.
Odisha has the second highest number of reported cases of witch-hunting. Superstitious beliefs are made out to be the reason, but discrimination and revenge are often the real causes.
Habitats and corridors for wild elephants are shrinking due to other development priorities, and local communities are unwilling to tolerate the growing number of human-animal conflicts.
Facing an acute shortage of doctors at its rural health centres, the state government hopes that some of their work could be done by pharmacists instead. But public health advocates are not so sure.
Repeated lockdowns and curfews have been a golden opportunity for wildlife traffickers targeting termite-eating pangolins in Simlipal National Park and adjacent districts.
Odisha's Livelihood Mission promotes local gardens to help adivasis find food security. These also improve nutrition levels, and provide additional income from surplus produce.
Repeated natural disasters, closed mandis and a forced halt to transportation of produce have brought maize farmes in Nabarangpur and other districts to the brink of distress.
A pilot program shows how learning can continue despite the lockdown, and also how the gap in technology-assisted learning available to children in government schools can be closed.
Scheduled Tribes were marginalised even before Covid-19. Now, in Odisha's tribal districts, they face a worse reality. Livelihoods are vanishing, and health risks loom large.
As Covid-19 rages through the rural areas, hundreds of thousands of tribal farmers in Odisha's Kandhamal district are selling their turmeric harvest at half the usual market rate.
Himanshu Upadhyaya examines a CAG audit report to point out the blatant non-compliance of environmental laws largely by the Forest officials.
Shripad Dharmadhikary explains why setting up a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi Water Dispute will not help the people or the river.
The Kashipur movement against mining operations that threaten local livelihoods and ecosystems has seen merciless suppression and gross violation of human rights.
India Together is published with support from Oorvani Foundation.
