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A True Sardar

Not many people would know this: in 2004 when Manipur plunged into a deep crisis, then PM Dr MMS went to Imphal and handed over the Kangla Fort, the most revered symbol of power to the public. After independence, this was kept captive to the Assam Rifles. Here is his speech there on Nov 20, 2004. https://archivepmo.nic.in/drmanmohansingh/speech-details.php?nodeid=45 Extracts: he ancient heritage of Manipur and its tradition of bravery continue to echo throughout the length and breadth of the State and inspires the rest of the country. The Kangla Fort exemplified the bravery of Manipuris and witnessed many a fierce battle against British authorities who wanted to capture it and conquer its people. ...it was Indira Gandhi who positively responded to the yearnings of the Manipuris to have a separate State so that they could fashion their destiny and develop and consonance with their own genius. It is important and instructive to recall that Indira Gandhi while studying in Shantiniketan belonged to the Manipur Group and learnt Manipuri dance. In fact during his visit to the State in 1952, Panditji saw a number of dances in Manipur and wrote, show at Manipur

What kind of India do we seek?

What kind of India do we seek?  https://vikalpsangam.org/article/yogendra-yadav-writes-what-kind-of-india-do-we-seek/  Yogendra Yadav Reporting on the 10th Anniversary of Vikalp Sangam, and its session at Bhuj Nov 24.

real alternatives to modern development? Can they take on the challenge of scale and survive in the face of giant corporations in a globalised market economy? Does the practice of majority-based democracy leave any room for concerns of future generations and nature? Valid questions. But you must also ask another set of valid questions: Can anyone seriously think of offering to every Indian the lifestyle available to everyone in the Global North? Is this model worth replicating? Can we afford to go on with the destruction of nature, lives and livelihoods as an inevitable cost of “development”?

Once we recognise the unbearable weight of these questions, a quest for alternatives does not remain an obsession of a mad minority. Once we realise that alternatives are not about going back to our past, but about imagining and shaping our future, this becomes a collective search. How do we make these radical alternatives feasible? Can we think of a “scale out” rather than “scale up” model? What is the roadmap of transition from where we are to where we wish to go? 

210 Forest Rights Act Claim Forms Approved in Gram Sabha at Naranag, Kangan

In a significant step towards empowering forest-dwelling and nomadic communities, 210 individual claim forms under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 were passed today in the Gram Sabha held at Naranag, Kangan. This milestone event underscores the growing momentum in securing the rightful access and ownership of forest resources for indigenous and pastoral communities in Jammu & Kashmir. 

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