Judgment of the Supreme Court in the matter of In Re: Zudpi Jungle Lands. A batch of applications involved a peculiar issue concerning the situation prevailing in the six districts of eastern Vidarbha region namely Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli. The issue pertains to the status of the …
PEOPLE paralysed because of spinal injuries need not give up hope. Two independent studies reported in the British journal Nature (Vol 367, No 6459) show that damaged nerve tissue can be repaired, at least partly. In one study, scientists from Kyoto University in Japan used rat foetal tissue transplants to …
THREE teams of scientists at the University of Delhi South Campus have identified fungi, algae and bacteria that are natural extractors of metals washed out in mine effluents. Sheela Srivastava, a microbial geneticist at the university, says these microorganisms can be exposed to the polluted water and left to gobble …
DEVELOPMENT, environment and science could be said to be the troika driving modern progress. But while the United Nations has been offering the "big picture" on the first two through its annual world reports, science and technology (S&T;) has been conspicuous by its absence. Now, with the recent release of …
THE Cold War has ended and so has the bipolar superpower configuration. The universal acceptance of democracy as a preferred form of government has had its impact. In shifting decision-making to the people through their elected representatives, the prospect of the people themselves having the final word in shaping their …
What is the Indian marine fishery scenario? Total catch is increasing. But the economically important species - mainly prawns, oysters and mackerels - which account for 50 per cent of the total export output, are stagnating. Why has the output declined? The main reason is over-exploitation of prawn. For instance, …
URBAN India faces a water crisis Madras to Jodhpur, most cities are already facing the crippling effects of scarcity. There is hardly any city in India that canboast of a 24-hour water supply. But much of this crisis may be totally bogus. And there is no better example than Delhi: …
LEAD is the number one environmental threat to children in the US. However, in India, lead is only one of the major environmental threats to children in overcrowded urban areas, which have high traffic density. Lead is used in petrol to improve its octane rating. In most of the industrialised …
THE Prime Minister, P V, Narasimha Rao, took a commendable step by revoking the patent granted to the US company, Agracetus, in 1991. Agracetus was awarded the patent for its transgenic cotton by the Indian Patent Office even though the Patent Act specifically forbids the Patenting of "investing process related …
I WAS 14 when we moved out of the village. Though I do not remember much of 'the village, the tree that bore saffron flowers has a permanent place in my heart. My most playful years spent swaying in its arms and on its branches. As the sun shown its …
Every country should have, the right to protect its people and environment from the negative actions of foreign countries. Based on this basic principle, the German Minister, Klaus Topfer was right in saying in Agra that he will not allow Third World to dump products that under the environment and …
VASANT Yeshwant Gharpure of Pune palms a very unlikely calculator -- one made of cardboard, but capable of addition, subtraction and squaring upto four digits, including decimals. "The principles," says Gharpure, "are very simple and follow those of the well-known slide rule and log tables." The doodad can even handle …
SIXTOK ROXAS, an economist with an abiding in the optimal role of communities in the management of resources, is chariperson of the Foundation for Community Organization and Management Technology a non-governmental organistion in the Philippines. His across-the-board professional of the American Express International Bank in the early 1970s. Through his …
WHAT comes to mind immediately when we talk of traditional water harvesting systems are the tanks and eris that punctuate south India. But these systems are not restricted to the south alone: local variations are to be found, both functioning and dry, all across the country. Funnily enough, estimates of …
THERE are water-scarce regions even within comparatively water abundant countries like India. One such region is Tamil Nadu, which has 9 per cent of the country"s population, but is endowed with less than 2 per cent of the nation"s water resources. The availability of water in the state is temperamentally …
Environmental management invariably raises complex and difficult issues. Economists usually tend to differ with environmentalists. While economists tend to look at the short-term, environmentalists emphasise the long-term. While growth and prosperity are important for the former, balance and harmony are the guiding principles for the latter. But the twain must …
WRAPPED AND bound in red tape, the 276 obstinate deodars growing near Tutu village in Rampur sub-division of Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district were an uncomplaining target for freewheeling woodcutters roaming the area. This time round, they were saved from the axe by a bunch of gritty village women. The deodars …
WHEN the people of Satawat village decided to sue the government for incorporating their land in the Sariska sanctuary, Rajinder Singh, the convener of the Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), felt the Sangh's work had paid off. TBS, a local voluntary agency, was instrumental in making the people aware of the …
Children suffer from high blood pressure (BP) almost as much as adults, according to two studies conducted among 3,200 children aged 5-16. Among the factors attributed for the high juvenile BP levels were obesity and a family history of hypertension. One study, conducted in Ahmedabad by A B Desai and …
LONG perplexed by the causes of more than a thousand brain disorders, neuroscientists are now increasingly finding that genes are often the culprits. Delving deep into the brain's molecular structure, scientists have identified the genetic defects that are responsible for 40 disorders of the nervous system and have a good …
Non-governmental organisations have accused the Union ministry of environment and forests (MEF) of succumbing to pressure from the Rajasthan mining lobby and de-reserving a part of the Sariska National Park to allow mining. MEF reiterated the area of the park is 866 ha, 279 ha less than the previous figure …
