Urban areas have come to symbolise, and apparently seem to provide, better income and employment opportunities. However, the people who move in to access these opportunities tend to remain on the socio-economic margins, struggling to meet the most basic requirements of life and livelihood. One of the most intense struggles is for food. In recent times there has been some attempt to highlight the extent of malnutrition among the poor, but the focus has largely been on rural areas. The urban situation remains under-explored, but it is very relevant particularly in the context of the food security legislation the government is poised to introduce.

In Nepal, lost in the chaos of political upheavals, a silent revolution is afoot. In remote villages of this mountainous and energy-starved country people are demanding their right to electricity. They say electricity is a national good; everyone must have a right to it.