Declining water table cause for concern
The water table in the district of Guna in Madhya Pradesh is decreasing day by day. According to a source in the Underground Water Survey Department, the main reason behind the declining water level has been the digging of tube wells.
WB offers $2 b in loans to battle poverty
The World Bank has announced $2 billion in loan to India this year and hoped to step it up to $3 billion nexty year. The announcement was made by the Bank's country director for India Edwin Lim at the conclusion of the India Development Forum (IDF) meeting in Paris on …
No sign of ozone's recovering
NASA researchers say the ozone layer over the Arctic may not be recovering as fast as predicted from damage it has suffered. More clouds than anticipated are forming in the stratosphere high over the North Pole, causing additional ozone loss over the Arctic, according to a paper published in the …
US metro areas fuel growth
report: If Chicago were its own county, it would have ranked just above Taiwan and just below Argentina in terms of gross domestic product last year. The Washington, D.C., area's economic output would have surpassed that of the entire country of Russia.
UN for greater powers to panchayati bodies
The United Nations (UN) System has underlined the need for effective devolution of responsibilities to Panchayati Raj institutions with a focus on community control of delivery mechanisms to ensure that the process of economic growth becomes more inclusive and translates into sustainable human development.
World Bank for steps to reduce poverty
The World Bank today presented its report "India: Policies to Reduce Povertry and Accelerate Sustainable Development" at the two-day meeting of the India Development Forum 2000 which opened at the Bank's European Headquarters here.
MP HDRs to focus on human development
Now village-level human development reports (HDRs) will be prepared in Madhya Pradesh with a view to create movement at grassroots. This exercise, the sources said, would create information base for panchayats to focus on human development.
MP to process data through Gram Abhiyan
Madhya Pradesh has developed a special computer software to help process and analyse information collected during the recent Gram Sampark Abhiyan launched by it.Directives have been issued to keep the information of each village at the headquarters of gram panchayats concerned also, an official release said here yesterday.
Naptha Jahkri project by March 2002
The 1500 MW Naptha Jhakri Project, a joint venture of Naptha Jhakri Power Corporation (NJPC) and the Himachal Pradesh (HP) Government being constructed on the Satluj basin in Kinnaur and Shimla districts of HP, would be commissioned by March 2002.
On dealing with biopiracy
Recently at the European Patent Office Indian scientists, led by Professor UP Singh of the Banaras Hindu University, were able to successfully block attempts by a US company to secure the patent on neem oil. The efforts by Professor Singh and his colleagfues resulted in the withdrawal of a patent …
'WB fails to protect indigenous people'
Representatives of indigenous peoples faulted the World Bank for failing to protect local populations in its big development projects and urged it to pay closer attention to their concerns. They were speaking following a two-day workshop with World Bank officials in Washington that focused on nine case studies of projects …
'Globalisation to dominate new millennium'
The phenomenon of globalisation would dominate the beginning of the new millennium an donations need to address it with pragmatic and honest populous policies to attain social, political and economic stability all over the world. This was the note of the "Ambassadors' Forum on 2010 and beyond--The Political, Economic and …
L-G for inclusion of rural areas in master plan
The Lieutenant-Governor, Mr Vijay Kapoor, has suggested rural zone adjoining the urban area be included in the new master plan. The "deliberate" distinction between urban and rural areas in the previous master plan, he said, had encouraged unauthorised construction on low -priced and "unplanned" agricultural land.
Bangladesh to declare Tanguar Haor its 2nd Ramsar Site
Tanguar Haor, the most important freshwater wetland of Bangladesh, which extend over 9,500 hectare in Sunamganj district has been named for being declared as the country's second Ramsar Site and 1031st Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Forum recently.
Misery index of U.N. panel finds Africa is worst off
Africans south of the Sahara, an area convulsed in wars and weakened by natural disasters, also suffer the broadest range of social and economic disadvantages, a United Nations survey says. The survey, the Human Development Report, examines the availability of schools, clean water and medical care, and whether people can …
FAO reports progress on gender in rural development, five years after Beijing
Considerable progress has been made in promoting gender equity in rural communities, but gender stereotypes and imbalance in the division of labour and responsibilities within the household and the economic production activities continue to prevail in many countries of the world, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in …
FM rides over political crisis without yielding an inch
Finance Minister Yaswant Sinha got the Lok Sabha approval for his Finance Bill 2000-2001 without yielding ground on the food and fertiliser subsidy cut demanded. The roll back government proved a point for the first time in its two year tenure that it would stick to its decisions irrespective of …
Rajasthan to get Rs 1,055 ADB loan for urban development
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to advance a loan of Rs 1,055 crore to the Rajasthan government for its Rs 1,530 crore urban infrastructure development project. For this project, while major chunk will be provided by the ADB, Rs 351 crore will be made available by the government …
High court gives taxis with altered engines a breather
Offering a breather to taxi owners, the Bombay High Court has directed that vehicles whose registrations have been endorsed after alteration of engines would be given time till March 7, 2000 for an inspection by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
