These are the days of frenetic crossborder data networking. Electronic cilia have crawled into almost every nook in the world where information could be waiting to be tapped or inserted. Access to a gigantic, and growing, well of information is a few keyb
Diseases that were cheerfully believed to have been eradicated are inexplicably cropping up again in India in deadlier, drug resistant forms
The Delhi administration's move to make the Asola and Bhatti sanctuaries exclusively protected areas ring alarm bells in the local villages
As the world increasingly resorts to natural, plant derived cures for illnesses, the wealth of India's traditional medicinal systems lies virtually untapped because of poor research and development and marketing.
Natural disasters are trying times for people and a test of government ability and determination to handle crises. In the Philippines, the explosions of the Pinatubo and Mayon volcanoes exposed how ill-conceived efforts can cause more harm than good.
Global environmental concerns throw open the South to Northern intervention, whereas the South has limited interest in intervening in Northern affairs. After Rio, the South finds all the cards stacked against it.
India is one of the few developing countries to have its own space satellite systems. And, now Indian planners are depending increasingly on remote sensing for resource mapping and the monitoring of natural disasters.
<p>Grid-connected solar power is growing fast in India, going from just a few megawatt (MW) in 2009 to over 1000 MW by mid-2012. 1000 MW of solar power can supply over 20 lakh Indians with electricity.
The rich nations are trying to frame the rules for trading in emissions. However, the methods being used to allocate these are questionable. ANIL AGARWAL and SUNITA NARAIN argue that the rights and responsibilities of both rich and poor countries must be
<p>“…………… what was the question?”</p> <p>If you ask someone living in one of our medium or large cities to name the most serious civic problem faced by his city, he will more likely than not say it is the growing problem of traffic.</p>
The proposed energy tax has run into heavy weather in Europe, despite strong backing from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
Recent studies indicate increasing pollution may be hampering the atmosphere's inherent cleansing abilty
Skirting commitments on all controversial issues like Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, the government today made it clear that pro-people, inclusive social and economic policies alone would be pursued in the last year of its five-year term. The President's address to the joint session of Parliament, traditionally a summary of the government's activities during the previous year and its priorities for the coming year, spelt out only those issues on which there was parliamentary consensus. Therefore, while showcase schemes like the expansion of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme and the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan were held up as ways in which the government had embraced the poor, contentious issues like Left extremism, land reforms and labour legislation were not even mentioned in the speech. Much was made of Bharat Nirman, the National Rural Health Mission and the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. This was made possible, the government said, because of the performance of the Indian economy that has grown at close to 9 per cent per annum for four years in a row. "The historically high investment rate, of over 35 per cent of GDP, and savings rate, of over 34 per cent of GDP, symbolise a new dynamism in our economy,' the government said in the address, adding that this was all the more creditable against the background of high international oil prices and rising commodity prices. The government said the Indian consumer would continue to be insulated against high international costs of food commodities and oil, putting paid to any tinkering in the duty structure and subsidies in oil and gas. The government said outlays on agriculture, health and rural development had been tripled and together with education, these sectors account for more than half of the Central Gross Budgetary Support as compared to less than one-third in the Tenth Five-Year Plan. "This is a major structural shift in Plan priorities, aimed at reducing disparities and empowering people,' the address said. It added that attention had been focused on areas like agriculture and the target set in the National Common Minimum Programme, of doubling agricultural credit in three years, had been exceeded. However, the government did not commit itself on the implementation of the Radhakrishna report on rural indebtedness. Conscious that it was under fire on the issue of agricultural prices, the address said the government had effected "an unprecedented steep hike of over 50 per cent in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat and about 33 per cent for paddy in the last four years'. Specific sectoral successes like the legislation for unorganised labour, increase in the level of minimum wage from Rs 66 to Rs 80 per day, increase in the eligibility limit for payment of bonus to workers from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000 per month, and the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy for people displaced from their land due to development projects, were also mentioned as landmark schemes. Despite the prime minister's repeated warnings on the performance of the power sector, the President's address only patted itself on the back for allotment of coal blocks with the capacity to support 68,000 Mw of power generation and the identification of nine sites in for setting up coal-based Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPP) with capacity of 4,000 Mw each. Nor was there any mention of when additional spectrum would be allotted for the telecom industry, even as the government announced that the Indian telecom sector had emerged as the fastest growing in the world with the addition of over 7 million subscribers per month. On SEZs, the address said the government had already provided direct employment to about 100,000 people, with indirect employment estimated at twice as much. "They have attracted investment of over Rs 50,000 crore, and are expected to generate exports of Rs 67,000 crore this year,' the address said. Meanwhile, the third front declared that the President's speech skirted around major problems facing the country, including that of continuing farmer suicides and inflation. The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) leaders said they had support of UPA allies CPI(M) and CPI in their attempts to raise these issues in the public realm. According to the Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat and CPI leader A B Bardhan will be participating in a UNPA-sponsored dharna on farmer suicides to coincide with the presentation of the railway budget on Tuesday.
Resources devoted to health care systems are neither divided equitably nor in proportion to the distribution of health problems
Against a background of worldwide recession, the Rio conference came and went with many promises of aid by the Northern countries. But by the end of the year, nobody remembered those promises or the problems of the South. Even doughty donors like the Scan
For the first time in German history, the Green Party is part of the ruling coalition. The country is all set to embark upon new environmentally sound projects and even a series of new green taxes
Today's neo Malthusians have acquired a fashionable new fig leaf: environmentalism. And Robert McNamara's recent talk in Delhi was an eloquent expression of this trend
Taking off from its climatic range Himalayan to tropical India has much to offer in terms of fruit diversity. Large varieties of major fruits are native to the land, but countless other types are also grown throughout India. The bad news is many, many
Conservation of fruits may be difficult, but that is no excuse. Preservation of national assets should be given top priority
A four-stroke scooter is all set to hit the market. But in the absence of data, it is too early to tell if it is any different
