Dalits / Scheduled Castes

This report by the Task Force, constituted by the Planning Commission, Government of India in April, 2008, is an outcome of the need expressed by the Prime Minister of India for a fresh analysis of the problems of the hill states and hill areas of the country in a manner that suggests that these areas do not suffer in any way on account of their peculiarities.

Opinions have been expressed that the pace of development of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) has been slow when compared to the rest of the country. At the same time, its fragile nature and difficulty of taking up conventional development initiatives has not been appreciated. In this report, arguments have been presented recommending reshaping of policies to bring in the “mountain perspective” for the IHR, in the national planning. Emphasis has also been laid on developing norms for good governance and for harnessing social capital at the grassroots.

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 This paper published by the International Environmental Law Research Centre briefly describes the geography and the socio-economic background of Plachimada, and analyses the legal and institutional framework applicable to the case, examines how the government approached the case, which had already been presented before the Kerala High Court, and finally makes an analysis of the case law.Read More

The deterioration of groundwater in quality and quantity and the consequential public health problems and the destruction of the agricultural economy are the main problems identified in Plachimada  due to the activity of the Coca Cola company. The availability of good quality water for drinking purposes and agriculture has been affected dangerously due to the activity of the company. Apart from that, the company had also polluted the agricultural lands by depositing the hazardous wastes.