The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
the ritual drama of cleaning up of the sewer that passes off as the Yamuna has been enacted this year too. Delhi chief minister Shiela Dixit, gingerly balanced on a rock, wielding a stick dipped in the river, made for a nice media splash. Soon after, the vip retinue left …
Solar power is getting a major boost in Bhutan. More schools, health units and monasteries in remote areas will get solar energy now. The officials of the department of power in Bhutan have distributed 50 solar panels and trained 60 technicians in solar power usage. These technicians were given tips …
The passing of away of Vilasrao Salunkhe is not a loss for the state of Maharashtra alone. It is a loss shared by all of India. I am reminded of a lighthouse that guides ships to safety in stormy waters. Vilasrao was that constant lighthouse, giving hope and direction to …
Procuring food still takes away much of the income. > Indian villagers spend 59.4 per cent of their total expenditure on food. Urban India spends 48.1 per cent Basic necessities become luxuries. > Only one in ten people in rural India have access to sanitation. > Half of rural India …
Most people go about their lives unaware of the world of rats and the ingenious ways of this common rodent. Not Ishwar Prakash, principal investigator, desert regional station, Zoological Survey of India, Jodhpur. Prakash is, in fact, one of the few rat experts in the country. Every detail he collected …
Dada, as a child in a Marathi family, was a witness to the discordant practices. But unlike most people, he couldn't turn a Nelson's eye to existing conventions. Finally in 1958, he founded Swadhyaya (self-learning), an institution where faith, irrespective of religion, matters. From the motley group of 19 people, …
He shares his name with the father of the nation. But that's not where the similarity ends. If an incident in South Africa was to change Mahatma Gandhi's life forever, Gujarat's second Bapu's changed on the trip to the Netherlands in 1979. That's learning home truths in alien lands. Sadhu …
Village Hatiyaniki. Fifteen-odd people have gathered to discuss water harvesting activities in the vicinity. But there's just one face among the crowd, which is conspicuous enough to attract attention. Bereft of tact, his often-blunt interjections are received by a smirk from the other like-minded participants. But being unconventional only comes …
THINK saffron. Think sadhus and sants, communal frenzy, the Gujarat pogrom, of swords raised to the sky and the battle cry of kar sevaks and their adversaries renting a fresh spring morning. Now take a break. Picture a rishi meditating on the edge of a temple tank - say, a …
Modesty could very well be his second name. Seventy-one check dams, 55 percolation tanks, 33 ponds, 22 nullahs and 60 gully plugging - 241 rainwater harvesting projects in just nine months. But Pramukh Swami Maharaj is humility personified. His refrain: "This is not enough. We can do more." The mantle …
"I took the responsibility of spreading water harvesting because of two reasons. One, it would have ensured water in the scarce areas," he says. For equally important for him was the "opportunity it gave me to mend my ill-doings". Today, his work has brought about a sea-change in the attitude …
A recent advertisement by a popular mobile phone manufacturer has raised hackles among the medical fraternity. And with reason. The advertisement shows an expectant mother holding the cell-phone to her body, to enable the would-be father hear the pre-natal cooings of the little one. Great advertisement, one might think. But …
Smoking has been banned in Seoul's primary and secondary schools. To ensure that the ban is effectively implemented, teachers and students are being imparted more anti-smoking education by the authorities concerned. Says You In-jong, superintendent of the Seoul education board, "We plan to declare war on smoking and wage an …
January 1, 2002, saw the capital of Bangladesh nearly purged of polythene bags. This deadline was set by the government to ban the production, marketing and use of less than 20 micron, wafer-thin polybags in Dhaka. The country's environment and forests minister, Shahjahan Siraj, also made an impassioned plea to …
for years the rainforests of Assam have suffered the ignominy of isolation and neglect. Attempts are now underway to conserve this national heritage with active public participation. As a measure of this enterprise, a three-day festival rejoicing the cultural and spiritual links between these rainforests and the local communities was …
The Bangladesh-run Water Resource Planning Organisation (WARPO) recently put forward an updated guideline for environmental impact assessment (EIA) for flood control and drainage structures. This guideline is a modified one with particular focus on flood protection and drainage projects. Director general of environment department Hedayetul Islam Chowdhury says flood control …
In the next 60 minutes, around 600 persons will add to the growing number of people infected by the deadly HIV virus. Worse, more than 60 children will die due to the infection. This has been stated by a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released recently. The report revealed that …
a national-level permanent board to monitor the promotion of organic farming in the country has been mooted by a task force on organic farming. According to the recommendations of the task force, the government ought to highlight the sustainability of the concept. Tax incentives for ventures in vermicompost, compost, press …
An emergency fund to pay for forest protection is in the pipeline in China. According to the Chinese government, the first stage will involve a one-billion-yuan package supplied by the Finance Ministry for maintaining 13.3 million hectares of forests in 11 provinces this year. Logging has been banned in ecosensitive …
