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 …
In his address to parliament, president K R Narayanan said that the new government's development strategy will rest on a 'triad': the government will provide a strong policy and regulatory leadership; the private sector will bring dynamism and efficiency to the economy in a competitive environment; and, local democratic institutions …
consider this. A small sleepy town on the top of a hill in the north of Nagaland. The mention of the town's name is met by blank looks for it is isolated not only geographically, but also from civilisation. None of the modern means of communication exists and, to top …
following a Supreme Court order calling on state governments to finalise the pending notifications of national parks, the government of Himachal Pradesh finally
"In framing a government to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this; you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself''.
pied-piper of Saurashtra, rainmaker, one-man army, messiah. Revered by villagers, Shamjibhai Jadavbhai Antala, 62, has been given many such names. He has, in more than one way, accomplished the impossible in a land with a history of severe water scarcity, hostile climate and rocky topography. A resident of Dhoraji, a …
Concern for the country's deforestation and resulting damage to the ecosystem is becoming a major issue in China, reports the China Daily. The government and the people are considering it important to improve the forest ecosystem and increase forest cover from the present 13.9 per cent to 19.4 per cent …
A straight fight between ancient beliefs and business is unfolding in Colombia where the U'wa tribesmen are threatening to commit mass suicide after a us oil firm, Occidental Petroleum Corporation (opc) , won drilling rights in their ancestral lands, reports Reuters . "We are looking at the information to see …
What were your major achievements during your tenure as environment minister? Since 1952, we have been trying to increase forest cover to 33 per cent, but there has been no action plan. I have prepared a very comprehensive action plan and a number of donor agencies have been identified to …
Roy: I would say there are three major issues on which people should focus the discussion. Firstly, is that it is easier to take decisions regarding labour than capital. Is it something that can be changed. Secondly, can the environmentalist and the labour movements work together? If they want to …
the struggle against the British which finally ended in Independence plunged the villagers of Seed, Rajasthan, into troubled times. After over two decades of helpless suffering, it took a Gandhian from the neighbouring village of Sethwana to dispel the clouds of despondency. The simple step involved converting Seed to a …
farmers and residents of South Gippsland, Australia, have warned the state government that it will face protests and blockades if a proposed high-voltage overhead power line is allowed to pass through the region. About 1,300 people attended a meeting in the South Gippsland town of Leongatha recently to discuss the …
the proposed 3,000 megawatt capacity coal-based power plant of the National Thermal Power Corporation ( ntpc ) at Sipat in Bilaspur, Madhya Pradesh, has run into a controversy. At the heart of the matter is the environmental clearance given by the Union ministry of environment and forests ( mef ), …
the morning of September 3, 1999, changed the sleepy locality of Sainik Nagar, situated in the outskirts of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, forever. Kanhaiyalal, a 46-year-old resident, tried to immolate himself demanding the closure of polluting industries in the area. His family members and the local police arrived on time to …
it is believed to be the first time that India's nuclear establishment has been taken to court. While admitting a public interest petition, seeking immediate steps to protect the people of Jaduguda in Bihar's Singhbhum district from the health hazards of uranium mining, the Supreme Court issued notices to the …
five days after arriving in the us , I noticed that the asthma, that had been my constant companion in Delhi, had almost completely disappeared. Only then did I truly realise to what extent the air we breathe has become poison. Today, tens of millions of city dwellers who are …
It is clear to those who live, or even happen to visit Delhi, that the problem of pollution is extreme in this city. It needs immediate and drastic action so that the solutions can keep pace with increasing emissions from the ever-increasing fleet of vehicles. It has been almost two …
In Kesharpur, a tiny village in the foothills of Orissa’s Nayagarh district, villagers search for a baton in their frontyard every morning. Two families find a baton each. The batons decide their day’s work
In every village, a committee is elected by the people. There is a blanket ban on felling and stray grazing. The committee supervises these bans and resolves all conflicts. It also collects fines, decided by the villagers, for any violation of the protection rules. Similarly, it decides the village peoples' …
Orissa's forest protection movement, which started in different places at different times, has become so strong that neither do forest officials find it easy to enter the forests protected by communities nor has the government been able to implement its conservation programmes. But the government refuses to acknowledge their efforts. …
What is your concept of conservation when the state is facing severe degradation of the forests and other environmental problems? My concept is very clear: there has to be a fine balance between development and ecology. But whatever policies we formulate must be accepted by the people. We need development …
