Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
The world's largest chemical company, Bayer ag, has reshuffled its global business plans and the Asia-Pacific region is at the centre of it. As a major strategic step, the company has announced the construction of its largest investment project in China: a us $340 million joint venture project with China's …
The government of India has banned the free import of kerosene. Now only designated state-run firms can import the fuel. The ban occurs with immediate effect. Announcing the decision on November 28, 2003 Petroleum minister Ram Naik said he wanted kerosene import to be controlled because it was being used …
almost a year after the residents' welfare association (rwa) of a slum cluster filed the capital's first petition against illegal extraction and sale of groundwater, the Delhi High Court (hc) has ordered that a committee be set up to probe the matter. The case has brought to the fore another …
Judgement of the Kerala High Court in the case of Perumatty Grama Panchayat vs State of Kerala dated 16/12/2003 (Coca-Cola groundwater exploitation case).
Beneath the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip is a groundwater crisis that's rapidly depriving Palestinians of drinking water. Israel and the Palestinian authority share the Mediterranean Coastal Aquifer, which is now contaminated with salts, nitrates and boron. But now, a solution may be at hand. A multilateral team of …
Is the Baglihar dam India is building over the river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir going to come under World Bank intervention? This is what Pakistan would prefer, as was made clear after a meeting held on Monday, November 17, 2003 at the offices of the Pakistan Commission for Indus …
Indonesian capital city Jakarta's privatised water supply scenario is swirling in thick, intriguing soup. On Tuesday, November 12, 2003, the Jakarta Tap Water Consumers Society (komparta) filed a class action suit in the Central Jakarta District Court against city-run tap water company pd pam Jaya. Specifially, komparta demands the company's …
experts and activists are apprehensive that the Sri Lankan authorities' recent bid to privatise water services will impinge on the people's right to clean drinking water. While non-governmental organisation Alliance for the Protection of National Resources and Human Rights (apnrhr) voiced its concern over the matter, the Lawyers for Human …
the Brahmaputra has unleashed its destructive force again in Assam. The sudden massive erosion caused by the river along its southern banks in Nagaon district, around 120 kilometres (km) east of Guwahati, has hit many villages hard. The waterbody began wreaking havoc in October. "From October 8 onwards, it washed …
Pakistan, National Nutrition Survey 2001-02 The Nutrition Section of Pakistan's Planning Commission, working in collaboration with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, launched a National Nutrition Survey 2001-02 on Monday, November 17, 2003. The survey aimed at reviewing Pakistan's present nutrition situation, establishing new trends, looking for associated factors …
As the vehicle drives into Cherrapunjee, a huge notice greets it. "Welcome to the wettest place on earth'. Sure it rains here (although that morning at 8 am there was a mild but persistent drizzle, cold light sleet in fact): 1,000 cm in a year. The Cherrapunjee line veritably leaps …
Ladakh was opened to tourism in 1971. Since then the tourist inflow has increased several times over (see graph: Welcome to Ladakh). Though Ladakh gets more foreign tourists, domestic tourists have increased recently. The biggest tourist activity is trekking and jeep safaris; the biggest tourist attractions of Ladakh are its …
In Ladakhi, lango khel means conquering the highest point of a pass in the mountains. In Ladakhi schools, it means the matriculation (class X) examination. From 1947 to 1998, matriculation results in Leh district hovered between 0-5 per cent. The reasons are not difficult to fathom. Children grew up speaking …
Nigerians have developed a unique response to strikes, as was seen on October 6, 2003. Thousands of panic-stricken people besieged banks to withdraw money and stockpile food even as the Nigeria Labour Congress (nlc) announced another round of action, to protest a 12 per cent hike in fuel prices. At …
Life in a cold desert is harsh and exacting. You need enormous amounts of energy for everything, but there are very few sources. Getting electricity to light up houses in Leh is no easy task. About two-thirds of the power supply in the summer comes from diesel generator sets (DG) …
It is widely accepted that panchayati raj is shaping up much better in Leh as compared to other districts of J&K.; The first real panchayat elections in the state were held only in May 2001. Even then, modalities of decentralisation of power to elected village representatives were not issued. After …
The most remarkable aspect of the developmental challenges in Leh district is the small margin for error. Resources are highly limited. Ladakh's ecology is fragile. Unbridled tourism will imperil the pastures of Changthang that support the pashmina goats and the Changpa nomads. The good news from Leh is that the …
What has been the impact of the Public Distribution System (PDS) on Ladakhi agriculture? The subsidy culture has definitely killed local agriculture in Ladakh. What international trade distortions are doing to Indian agriculturethe subsidy system is doing to Ladakhi agriculture. It is exactly the same as industrialised countries dumping their …
This weekend, Pakistan's opposition leaders met in Lahore. Among other issues, water was also discussed. Revealing this at a press conference, leader of the Sindh assembly Nisar Khuhro claimed that opposition leaders were of the opinion the government should not go ahead with two projects
Padma Wangyal, 29, is quite an exception. His grandfather pioneered the cooperative societies movement in Ladakhi agriculture. In a region where the average landholding is a mere 1.38 hectares, Wangyal's family owns about 20 hectares. Wangyal attended school and college in Delhi. Like most young Ladakhis, he dreamt of joining …
