FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED
Desertification in India is today not confined to arid ecosystems. Its menacing geological
spread is laying waste lands in newer regions in the country -- far beyond the
conventional hot and cold deserts. Yet there is very little national attention paid to
this insidious phenomenon that translates into long-term loss in land resource potential.
And the debate on accelerating desertification putting other ecosystems and people under
stress is non-existent.
The second CSE Media Fellowships on "Discovering The Desert" (December 15,
2002 – March 15, 2003) attempted to bring this issue into the center of the national
discourse through news stories, articles and features and provide the much-needed impetus
to understand its implications. The idea was to generate an all-India picture collating
facts and figures on crucial issues like drought, famine, soil infertility, crisis
in grazing lands, plight of nomadic tribes, decline in forest cover and escalating water
shortages.Our advertisements for the fellowships
drew an encouraging response from across the country. We were particularly heartened by
the interest, enthusiasm and unstinting support of editors who were keen to force this
issue into national attention. After a stringent screening process, an eminent panel of
jury has short-listed 10 journalists from different parts of the country.
| Names
and principle themes of study of selected journalists |
 Bharat
Dogra, freelance writer, Grassroots, New Delhi: Famine, food security
and poverty in western Rajasthan
Jayant
Singh Tomar, Bureau Chief, Dainik Jagaran, Morena (Madhya Pradesh):
Traditional systems of environmental management in Bhind Morena
K
Venkateshwarlu, Special Correspondent, The Hindu, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh):
Desertification and resultant fall-outs in Anantapur and Mehboobnagar districts of Andhra
Pradesh
Myda
Narayan Reddy, Science and Environment Reporter, Vaartha, Hyderabad (Andhra
Pradesh): Drought and desertification in Anantapur, Adilabad and Bidar
Rajesh
Sinha, Correspondent, The Hindustan Times, Jaipur (Rajasthan):
Disappearence of the Luni river in Rajasthan and the impacts of introduction of modern
technology on people and ecosystems
Ravsaheb
Pujari, Sub-Editor, Sakal, Kolhapur (Maharashtra): Issue of soil
salinity in Maharashtra and Karnataka
Satananda
Bhattacharjee, Correspondent, Assam Tribune, Guwahati (Assam): Aspects
of jhum cultivation in the north-east
Tashi
Morup, Correspondent, Kashmir Times (Ladakh): Situation in Changthang
– the threats to its traditional inhabitants from eco-tourism
Vijay
Thakur, Correspondent, The Statesman, Jaipur (Rajasthan): Politics of
drought and do a case study of the IGNP
Vinay
M, Senior Reporter, New Indian Express, Bangalore (Karnataka): Trends of
desertification in Chamrajanagar and Mandya.
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