The Weekend Leader - We Report News & Stories that Matter
Facing facts

Various government agencies continue to employ manual scavengers, disguised as sweepers, or hired as contract workers so that they do not appear on their rolls. IndiaSpend does a reality check

No comic stuff

Former political cartoonist Sharad Sharma’s comics movement seeks to empower the rural population by teaching them to express their problems through comic strips, says Nikhil Walia

Food robbery

Depriving farmers of remunerative prices is a corporate conspiracy that plays out regularly. Biju Negi points at a few recent instances that only prove that FDI in retail cannot help farmers

No bullshit

Bowing to a five year campaign by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a government department stops using bullock carts leaving 465 cart owners and their families in the lurch

Rising heat

By demanding the removal of atomic scientist M R Srinivasan from the expert panel, anti- Kudankulam nuclear plant activists have shown that they would not hesitate to take on Jayalalithaa

By her grace

A woman’s urge to put an end to the illegal practice of ‘dedicating’ young girls to Gods, thus depriving them of all human dignity, has saved many dalit teenagers from becoming joginis. Kavita Kanan Chandra finds out how Grace Nirmala did it

 
Neutral voice

T Hanumantha Rao, former chief engineer of Andhra Pradesh's irrigation department tells Bharat Lal Seth that there is no need to decommission Mullaipieriyar dam, as it is safe

Iron lady

Irom Sharmila, who has been on a fast for 11 years, is an icon for all peace-lovers and activists fighting oppression. She tells Tripti Nath about the special man in her life, Desmond Cutinho

A Tamil supporter

The Tamils of Sri Lanka now have a friend in Ram Vilas Paswan, who hit out at Mahinda Rajapakse at a convention on war crimes. Akash Bisht finds him to be the new champion of the Tamil cause

Anna Hazare’s man

Swami Agnivesh was in the limelight when Anna Hazare went on a fast to press for the Lokpal Bill. But then, Agnivesh has been taking up public causes for quite a long time, says Akash Bisht

Vidarbha’s hope

He is the hope for cotton farmers in Vidarbha, where suicides are a regular feature. Kavita Kanan Chandra meets Kishor Tiwari, who gave up a top job with an MNC to fight for farmers’ rights and sensitise the government on their problems

Combat corruption

The fight has begun. Civil society has woken up to the social menace - corruption. This was the message that emanated from Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Martyr’s Day. Kavita Kanan Chandra reports

 
Smelling success

The Bhopal gas disaster saw several legal battles and struggles in the last 26 years. Vivek Trivedi meets Alok Pratap Singh, who was one among the few to start a fight soon after the gas leak

Right support

If RTI activists have been exposing corruption, it has also exposed them to violent attacks. In Mumbai activists are rallying together in the wake of a fresh attack, says Kavita Kanan Chandra

Financing women

It is a bank run by women for women. It is the first rural financial institution to receive a cooperative license from RBI. Kavita Kanan Chandra meets the driving force, Chetna Gala Sinha

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