Affidavit on behalf of Union Territory of Puducherry in the matter of a news item titled "India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000 Global Forest Watch" which appeared in the Indian Express, April 13, 2024. The report dated April 25, 2025 said that there is no loss …
An anti-nuclear activist set himself on fire on January 28, 2001, to protest against the construction of the country's fourth nuclear power plant. The incident took place in front of Taiwan's parliament, which was scheduled to debate on the fate of the project the following day. The us $5.5 billion …
the Tawa dam, in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh (mp), tells a story of success where the people displaced chart their own rehabilitation by fighting for their water and land rights. A thousand people in 44 relocated villages around the Tawa reservoir are living a contented life today thanks to …
At least 35 beach towns in Costa Rica have got the Bandera Azul award for their compliance with national environmental standards. The award, which comprises a blue flag, is presented on the basis of an assessment done during the annual evaluation programme of the government. The programme, evolved five years …
on december 10 , 2000, about one million people gathered on the banks of the Narmada, near Shukalteerath in Bharuch, Gujarat, to express gratitude towards the man who changed their lives, Pandurang Shastri Athavale, or Dada (elder brother), as he is fondly called, who turned 80. Athavale founded the social …
Why have you asked for changes in the Forest (Conservation) Act? Actually the entire Forest (Conservation) Act needs to be reviewed with a wider perspective. The overall concept of forest conservation should be given a dynamism so that it changes with the needs of the people. The term forest has …
THEORITICAL and empirical studies of collective management of natural resources have proved the efficacy of common property as an efficient institutional arrangement. In India, joint forest management (JFM), involving partnerships between forest-based communities and the forest departments for the protection and management of forests, was initially successful but certain core …
Participatory democracy is finally coming of age. At least in Madhya Pradesh (mp). A process that began with empowering the tribal people of Jhabua district in 1994 is culminating in Gram Swarajya for every person living in the 70,000-odd villages of mp . To coincide with India's 51st Republic Day, …
While tiger parts, ivory and sandalwood smuggling continue to attract all the public attention, what India is losing is its medicinal wealth to well-organised smuggling networks run by thousands of Veerappans all across the country. Mum's the word on the trade practices, while forests, whether in the north, south, east …
It is a common sight near every forest area to see loaded trucks making their way through the dark cover of the night. The first thought that crosses one’s mind is that they are weighed down with timber. Wrong. Many times, what is being carried out is the herbal treasure …
In April 1999, a director of a reputed environmental organisation in Dehradun was tipped off about 12 trucks waiting at the check-post in Dehradun. They were carrying in various quantities medicinal plants that did not feature in the list of ntfp allowed to be collected in the region comprising Uttaranchal, …
The Indian herbal industry is estimated to have a turnover of Rs 2,300 crore annually. It is also involved in the export of finished products, intermediaries and bulk raw materials. More than 90 per cent of the plant species used by the industry are, however, collected from the wild of …
Considering the shortage of medicinal plants and the need to sustain ism, cultivation and sustainable harvesting of plants from the wild has become absolutely necessary. One way of solving the problem would be to encourage cultivation by small farmers and tribal people and make big manufacturers of herbal products source …
Realising the importance of medicinal plants in the health care system available to the poor people, the department of family welfare of the mohfw started the vanaspati van yojna as part of the reproductive and child health programme in October 1997. In other words, it means converting large areas of …
The rashes and burns on his scaly skin are not due to his advancing years. With red patches on his limbs and torso, this aged man is literally suffering from a two-year itch. His frail body stoops, overburdened not just with age but also the agony caused by his recalcitrant …
Three hours from Madurai is Shenbaha Thopu. Rich in forest wealth, the peripheries of the forests are inhabited by 24 families of the Pallyan community who have traditionally been involved in the collection of non-timber forest produce (ntfp). Now something else has become a part and parcel of their lives: …
A group of asthma patients from Peru have sued the Southern Peru Copper Corporation. The patients allege that the company's activities have led to the large-scale pollution around the city of Ilo. They allege that "deadly pollution' resulting from the company's activities has caused loss of life, health and property. …
The three villages of Hamirpur, Haripura and Bhaonta-Kolyala, situated near the Sariska Tiger Reserve in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have been given Rs 1 lakh each for their efforts to conserve water and protect forests and wildlife in their area for the past 15 years. The award has been …
For a large part of the year anybody who was anybody in India talked about match fixing in cricket. When Parliament was in session there was a hue and cry over the Ayodhya issue but hardly a whisper in the corridors of power over drought. Ayodhya and match fixing became …
A simple question: who governs this country? K N Narayana Pillai of Chennai cannot get the answer, two years of running from pillar to post notwithstanding. What he's got, instead, is more scales and rashes on his skin. His neighbour runs a saree printing unit, which pollutes the residential area. …
