The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
More than one million cng vehicles are plying in different parts of the world. Argentina, Italy, Russia and the us have the largest share. The natural gas vehicle market is expected to grow dramatically in the us . The main reason for this is the thrust on clean fuels and …
Wajad ali shah , the last nawab of Avadh (Oudh), reaches out for an intricately carved silver khaas daan (a container for betel leaf) and gingerly takes out a green triangle dangling from one of the fine silver chains. Putting it in his mouth, he ruminates, savouring its flavour as …
A study says particles emitted by diesel engines can harm the foetus, breaching the safety of the womb. Another study says the risk of developing cancer is four times higher among children travelling in a diesel bus as compared to someone travelling in a car in front of the bus. …
Much water has flown in the history of Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district. The legendary romance of Rani Rupmati and Bag Bahadur has found indelible expressions in numerous waterbodies of the district's fort town Mandu. Most of these traditional water harvesting structures were built by Bag Bahadur for his love Rupmati. …
In the face of mounting pressure from the media and civil society, the Kerala government has appointed an expert committee to investigate the unusual diseases in Padre, a village in Kasaragod district, Kerala. The village has a number of people suffering from diseases of the central nervous system, which, believe …
Dhanna Lal, a casual labourer with the Airport Authority of India's Pratapgarh (Rajasthan) office, believes that earthquakes are a cosmic curse. So when his dried village well, some 300 km away from Bhuj, was filled with water immediately after the earthquake, he was baffled. Similar stories abound in even parched …
most brands of bottled water brands in Pakistan are either contaminated or unfit for human consumption, says the findings of government-run Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (pcrwr). The analysis of 17 water quality parameters reveal that all brands show drastic variations between labelled and analytical values. "Out of …
the Supreme Court has granted four weeks time to the Delhi government to close all polluting and unauthorised industries operating in Delhi's residential areas. The apex court rejected the government's plea to complete this task within five months. Justifying the four weeks time, the apex court said that 18,000 units …
ramnagar, February 16, 2001. The sleepy headquarters of the Corbett Tiger Reserve (ctr) looks like a war zone. The place is swarming with gun-toting forest guards and top forest officials of Uttaranchal, all in a flurry of activity. The buzzwords are
If the experience of the government's handling of situations in Orissa and Gujarat earlier show anything, they show that the role of the government in managing relief after a tragedy has been questionable. Today a sizeable amount of money has been collected in the name of disaster relief and the …
My colleague and I write a regular column for a business daily in New Delhi. It was some time back that we wrote an article on the health impacts of diesel in the same daily only to receive a legal notice to the tune of Rs 100 crore from TELCO, …
There cannot be a bigger irony. As the nation was preparing to smugly display its military might and scientific prowess on Republic Day, a mighty earthquake flattened a large part of Gujarat. The quake, however, did not quite shake the ruling elite, who till afternoon participated in the long ceremonial …
D eath and earthquakes do not come by appointment. However, an earthquake gives definitive indications of its arrival. In Gujarat, there were many. A 4.2 magnitude quake rocked the Rann of Kachhch on December 24, 2000. Its epicentre was 22 km away from Bhuj. Bhavnagar, near Bhuj, also felt several …
T he Gujarat earthquake has proved that even in the highly seismic zones like Bhuj, Uttarakhand and the Northeast, our preparedness and crisis management is a monumental failure. Bhuj is one of the 13 hotspots on India's seismic hazard map that was prepared three years ago. The assessment was that …
the oil industry held its annual jamboree, Petrotech in January 2001, in New Delhi. The conference focussed on the technology used for refining fuel. Little time was spent discussing the role of fuel quality in reducing emissions. Immediately after, a workshop on
after three years of drought and the government's indifferent attitude, villagers in Rajasthan are gearing up to combat the situation through intensive water conservation. Two meetings were recently held under the aegis of Alwar-based Tarun Bharat Sangh (tbs), a non-governmental organisation. On December 23, 2000 at Khoili, around 400 women …
The Mau forest in Kenya has become a centre of controversy. Environmentalists allege that the Kenyan government has failed to prevent deforestation in the area, despite a ban issued by the Kenya high court. The Mau forest is a reserve area and home to some 10,000 Ogiek indigenous people. "The …
There is no dearth of scientific knowledge in our country, but it does not get built into our daily lives Disasters come and go, they are just temporary in nature, but our governance has become a permanent disaster. India is a country blessed with one natural disaster after another. If …
