Today’s environmentalism

Dr. Madhav Gadgil writes a fascinating article in the Economic & Political Weekly (EPW) drawing extensively from his experience with the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) and with mining in Goa. He recapitulates the horror experienced with mining in Goa, including the difficulties tribals have found in establishing a cooperative to undertake mining in their village.

Village cooperatives and basic income

Village cooperatives around the world seem to be getting to the idea of a basic income. Mendha-Lekha in India is a famous example of a village cooperative with their own Permanent Fund. Similarly, Alaska has a series of Native Regional and Village Cooperatives, many of which pay out an annual dividend, in addition to the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. In China …

The village with its own Permanent Fund

The tribal village of Mendha in the panchayat of Lekha (Mendha Lekha) in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra has been at the forefront of self-governance. Their famous slogan is “Dilli Mumbai Amcha Sarkar, Amache Ganavat Amhich Sarkar” (In Delhi and Mumbai is our Government, In our village we ourselves are the Government). From the 1930s itself, the village has been fighting for its rights …