Economic&PoliticalwEEKLY

ISSN OOI2-9976
Ever since the first issue in 1966,
EPW has been India's premier journal for Dongria Kondh and governments to help establish social
comment on current affairs
and economic equality at the earliest. So,
and research in the social sciences.
It succeeded Economic Weekly (1949-1965), while attacking his opponents, the prime
which was launched and shepherded
We VedantaVedanta
welcomePlays"
Plays"(epw,
the editorial
22 December
(epw, 22 "The December Games minister is attacking the very funda-
by Sachin Chaudhuri,
who was also the founder- editor of epw. 2012). It highlights an issue that the mentals of the Constitution.
As editor for thirty-five years (1969-2004)
Krishna Raj
Dongria Kondh have repeatedly raised The prime minister, who has imposed
gave epw the reputation it now enjoys.
with Survival International. neo-liberalism on the country by follow-

EDITOR
As one Dongria elder told us: "We do ing the diktats of bodies like the World
C RAMMANOHAR REDDY not think that we have won. We hear Bank, International Monetary Fund, World
DEPUTY EDITOR that mining has been stopped but whilstTrade Organisation and multinational
BERNARD D'MELLO
the factory [refinery] is still there ourcorporations (mncs) should dare to pro-
WEB EDITOR

SUBHASH RAI
people, our land, may be taken awaypose a bill in Parliament to remove the
some day". word socialism from the Preamble and the
CHIEF COPY EDITOR

ROGER ALEXANDER Vedanta's announcement of the closure Directive Principles from the Constitution.
SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITORS
of the refinery appears perfectly timed The Socialist Party also poses this chal-
LINA MATHIAS
ANIKET ALAM to exert the maximum impact on the lenge to political parties who supported
SRIN I VAS AN RAMANI
proceedings of the Supreme Court. It is fdi in retail in Parliament.
ASHIMA SOOD
BHARATI BHARGAVA good to see epw exposing such tricks The Socialist Party would like to tell
COPY EDITORS that the company is trying to play. the prime minister that he himself is
PRABHA PILLAI Nonetheless, I was concerned to see the ignorant of global realities. For him, the
JYOTI SHETTY
Dongria Kondh referred to as a "primitive world is confined to the United States, an
ASSISTANT EDITOR

P S LEELA tribal group". The term "primitive" is epitome of capitalist neo-imperialism,

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT derogatory, wrong and dangerous. Since and the developed capitalist countries of
LUBNA DUGGAL
2006, the Government of India has rec- Europe. The profit-hungry mncs of these
PRODUCTION
ommended that the term be avoided and countries have played havoc in poor
U RAGHUNATHAN
S LESLINE CORERA that tribes, such as the Dongria Kondh, countries. The result is enormous violence,
SUNEETHI NAIR
should be referred to as Particularly Vul- insecurity, fear and hunger. In India, lakhs
CIRCULATION
nerable Tribal Groups. Internationally, of farmers have committed suicide;
GAURAANG PRADHAN MANAGER
B S SHARMA
the use of the term has been discour- several crore people are suffering from
ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER hunger and malnutrition; and several
aged for many years. Back in 2007, the
KAMAL G FANIBANDA
Association of Social Anthropologistscrore have been displaced as the result
advised that the use of the term primi-of neo-liberal reforms. Not only will
GENERAL MANAGER 8c PUBLISHER

K VIJAYAKUMAR

EDITORIAL
tive is damaging and is used as a pre-four crore retailers and around 25 crore
edit@epw.in text for depriving people of their landsof their family members face its disas-
CIRCULATION
and rights. We would urge the epw totrous effects, farmers too will be badly
circulation@epw.in
ADVERTISING
affected by the entry of multinational
avoid its use altogether in the context of
advertisement@epw.in tribal peoples. retail chain giants like Wal-Mart, Carre-
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WEEKLY Stephen Corry four, Teseo, etc.
320-321, A TO Z INDUSTRIAL ESTATE Director,
Prem Singh
GANPATRAO KADAM MARG, LOWER PAREL Survival International
MUMBAI 4OO OI3
General Secretary,
PHONE: (022) 4063 8282 Socialist Party (India)
FAX: (022) 2493 4515
Attack on Constitution DELHI

EPW RESEARCH FOUNDATION

epw Research Foundation, established in 1993, conducts Stop Incarcerating Activists
research on financial and macro-economic issues in India.
Prime ofoffresh
fresh Minister zeal for after
zeal for reforms Manmohan reforms after Singh winning is full
winning
DIRECTOR

K KANAGASABAPATHY
the vote on foreign direct investment (fdi)
C 212, AKURLI INDUSTRIAL ESTATE in retail in Parliament. He has targeted For government
governmenta long timeavoiding
has been has now,con-
been the avoiding Jharkhand con-
KANDIVALI (EAST), MUMBAI 4OO IOI
opponents saying they are either ignorant frontation with people's issues. Any strug-
PHONES: (022) 2887 3038/41
FAX: (022) 2887 3038 of global realities or are constrained by an gle or protest that takes place today in
epwrf@vsnl.com Jharkhand is automatically viewed as one
outdated ideology like socialism. The word
Printed by K Vijayakumar at Modern Arts and Industries,
"socialism" is mentioned in the Preamble which is anti-state. Whether the issue is
151, A-Z Industrial Estate, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg,
Lower Parel, Mumbai-400 013 and of the Indian Constitution. Further, the one related to displacement or of resource
published by him on behalf of Sameeksha Trust
from 320-321, A-Z Industrial Estate,
Directive Principles of the State in Part grabbing or even mgnrega, no dialogue
Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai-400 013.Four of the Constitution can be viewed as is considered important; instead, activists
Editor: C Rammanohar Reddy.
a guiding manifesto for political parties are put behind bars.

4 DECEMBER 29, 2012 vol XLVii no 52 laavi Economic & Political weekly

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 Several activists have been jailed due displacement of adivasi people fromIs GM Technology
to this attitude of the government. The their habitat. She was first implicated in'Anti-fragile'?
latest detentions in this context have a case for raising her voice against scams
been that of Xavier Dias and Dayamani
in MGNREGA in April 2006. On 16 October
Baria. Xavier Dias has been active in 2012, while she was participating in There
a and andhave
against genetically
against modified
been genetically several articles modified for
Noamundi village of West Singhbhum (gm) crops in journals around the world,
protest, she came to know that a Kudhki
warrant had been issued in her name
district where for the past two decades including the epw. This debate can be
regarding the 2006 case. Baria surren-
villagers have been fighting against Tata viewed in terms of a recent book by
Steel for land grab and molestationdered
of before the court the same day andNassim Nicholas Taleb entitled Antifragile:
women by Tata Steel workers. Things That Gain from Disorder. One
was sent to 14 days of judicial custody.
She was granted bail in this matterwould
Back in the year 1991, the tisco plant on like to ask the question: Is gm
18
was set up on adivasi land without theirOctober, but as soon as she was about
technology fragile or anti-fragile? I would
consent. These were people mainlytoof meet her friends and relatives waitinglike to argue that it is anti-fragile as long
Moodhi village along with those from outside, she was arrested in another caseas this open dialogue which at times
the surrounding villages like Noamundirelating to land acquisition (she was looks disorderly on its usefulness and
who protested against the setting upopposing
of the construction of a National safety is sustained. This dialogue will
the plant on their land. But they did Law
not College and iim on fertile land actually
in make gm technology anti-frag-
succeed. The plant came up. In oneNagdriof village near Ranchi district and ile because it will challenge scientists to
the subsequent protests, villagers also
of- land acquisition by Arcelor Mittal undertake thorough research to make it
Moodhi locked the plant from outside safer. Those who are against gm tech-
for a steel plant in that area). In a letter
written
to prevent workers of the next shift to nology should not advocate banning it,
from jail on 6 November, Baria
enter the plant. In response, the tisco
clearly mentioned she had no problems
copying some purists who would like to
with educational institutions coming ban
management asked their security guards upall sorts of changes, gm technology
to open fire on the villagers. Instead in
of their
a should be treated as a window of oppor-
area, but it was a better idea for
case then being filed against the man-
such construction to happen on barren
tunity for continuous exploration into the
agement, 15 activists were named inland
an and not on fertile land on which future. As a reflection, I remember, even
the
fir filed by the Railways (as the plant in the corridors of Mahalanobis' Indian
is adivasi people depend. Baria is also
concerned about the impact of such
adjacent to the railway line and tisco Statistical Institute, Calcutta, genetics
constructions on water resources and
used the opportunity to somehow have was whispered in 1966, 46 years ago, by
the Railways file a case against environment.
the its outstanding director, C R Rao. Why
Both Xavier Dias and Dayamani Bariadid he and his PhD students wish to
activists). This case has been languish-
ing for two decades and the activistshave given years of their lives strug-spend time to think about genetics? This
have been out on bail until now. gling for people's issues in Jharkhand.zeal to explore the frontiers of science is
However, recently, when their lawyer, Both are law-abiding and surrenderedgetting dampened by those who are
without prior information, abandoned before the court. But it is deplorable against gm technology. If they open up
the case to join another steel company, that the Jharkhand government is nottheir minds, history tells us that scien-
the court issued a warrant in the name taking the concerns raised by the peo-tific progress will make gm technology
of the seven out of the 15 activists whople seriously. "anti-fragile".
are still alive. This warrant has now We strongly condemn this conduct ofChandrashekhar G Ranade
been converted into a Kudhki warrant, the Jharkhand government of increas-
WASHINGTON DC

i e, one which will lead to seizure of their

ingly incarcerating activists in order to
properties also. As in 1991, this time suppress any form of struggle or protest
Corrigendum
too Xavier Dias and his comrades have about serious problems being faced by
The name of the author of the Book Review
gone ahead and surrendered themselves its citizens. We demand that Xavier
"Redefining India's Independent Foreign
in front of the magistrate. The details Dias and Dayamani Baria be released
Policy" has been erroneously spelt as Prithvi
mentioned above about the protest haveimmediately; all cases imposed on them Raj Mudiam in this issue (pp 27-28). The
all been revealed by Xavier Dias himselfand fellow activists be withdrawn;correctand name is Prithvi Ram Mudiam. The
in a letter to fellow activists before he the demands raised by the people corrected
af- version of the article is on the
surrendered on 22 November. He fears EPW website.
fected by the tisco plant in Noamundi
they would be tortured in jail. village and by the land acquisitions
Thein
error is regretted.
Another activist who has had a similar Nagdi village be taken seriously and
fate is Dayamani Baria of the Adivasiacted upon. New Year Greetings
Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch (ForumParamjeet Singh,
EPW wishes all its readers,
for the Protection of Tribal and Indige-Preeti Chauhan
contributors and well-wishers
nous People's Identity). She had been People's Union for Democratic Rights
NEW DELHI
the very best for 2013.
leading several campaigns against the
Economic & Political weekly 13253 December 29, 2012 vol xlvii no 52 5

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