Crisis among Varanasi Weavers

The lives of over a million weavers of the famous Banarasi Saris are at risk as a result of insensitive policies vis-à-vis the WTO.

Agrarian Interests Be Protected at WTO-Hong Kong

With the upcoming ministerial level meeting at Hong Kong on WTO, civic society groups are actively demanding that the Government of India protect agrarian interests. Anti-WTO caravans, civic society recommendations, petitions and study groups are all recommending that current WTO programs will adversely affect farmers, artisans and agrarian communities at large.

Employment Guarantee Act � What it Promises, What it Doesn�t

The employment guarantee bill, passed by the Lok Sabha in August 2005 guarantees employment for one hundred days every year to every rural household, at minimum wage. The act is a significant one �with the government for the first time acknowledging that it has responsibility towards providing some measure of employment protection to the citizens.