Civil Society - June 2019

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In this magazine we prefer to keep ourselves out of politics. Of course, as journalists, there would be no question of a political agenda on our part. Often, such stories tell us more about political realities than the cut and thrust of politics itself.
An election is a good time to see how all the concerns and aspirations add up. Modi’s appeal to voters, particularly the poor, doesn’t surprise us. He’s been seen as a doer who delivered real benefits to people. But the size of the mandate and the seemingly untrammelled power that goes with it sends out a message that needs to be better understood. The verdict is as much about Modi as the comprehensive rejection of the opposition. Flawed as our democracy might well be) the mandate given to Modi comes at the end of a full five-year term. To offer a perspective on the results, we asked Sanjaya Baru, our columnist and a keen political observer, to write the cover story this month.
We have a story from Maharashtra on solar dryers being used to dehydrate and package vegetables. Getting a good price for their perishable produce is a problem farmers face nationally. When there is oversupply farmers are at the mercy of the market. A farmer producer organisation near Nashik has been alerting its members about a glut and helping them dehydrate vegetables like bitter gourd so as to be able to reach a new range of customers.
Environmental disputes indicate how poorly regulation is working. In Goa, a new airport has been cleared but a public effort has revealed that the environment impact assessment (EIA) report had ignored the need for cutting thousands of trees and jeopardizing forest cover and water bodies. Through Supreme Court intervention, the EIA was annulled. A new EIA is in the making but shouldn’t there also have been better scrutiny of the EIA in the Union Ministry of Environment. If regulators fail to do their duty, people step in as has happened in this case. The Rainbow Warriors in Goa deserve special praise.

Civil Society Magazine Description:

Civil Society is an independent magazine published from New Delhi.

It was launched in September 2003 to tell stories of change from across the chaotic landscape of post-reforms India.

A newly growing economy has winners and losers — as journalists we wanted to tell the stories of those who were making it and as well as those who were getting left behind.

In the past 15 years, Civil Society has come to be known for its refreshing style of covering people, events and trends. We are credited with redefining mainstream concerns in the Indian media.

Civil Society's reportage has brought to national attention individuals and groups who play leadership roles and drive change but get overlooked. We have shown that there is an India that exists beyond prime time.

This has been possible because we moved out of big media jobs to create a small and efficient enterprise through which journalists could look for stories where it may not be fashionable to look for them.

A democracy thrives on credible information. Small media entities, freed up from the demands of big capital, allow journalists to innovate and explore new frontiers. A large and complex country like India needs more alternative voices.

Started with just Rs 4 lakhs (about $6,000) of personal savings, one small car and a single computer, Civil Society has shown that it is possible for professional journalists with skills and clear values to build influential enterprises in the media.