Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
The Delhi high court has asked the Union and state government departments to submit their plans on the use of fly ash bricks to the environment ministry. Fly ash bricks ensure that the pollutant is kept in check. A division bench comprising Anil Dev Singh and Mukul Mudgal was hearing …
The Union government has fmally woken-up to the danger being faced by Orissa's Olive Ridley Turtles, an endangered species. It will launch a programme, "Sea Turtle Project", on the lines of Project Tiger. Since the beginning of the year, thousands of turtles have died on the Gahirmatha beach of Orissa, …
THE first South Asia Public Hearing on Large Dams scheduled to be held on September 21-22, has been postponed. The hearing, organised by the World Commission on Dams (WCD) was postponed on the request of the Planning Commission which said it was not the right time for such a hearing …
THE draft of the Biological Diversity Act which is soon expected to be tabled in Parliament, is full of loopholes, says Vandana Shiva, director the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology. If the Act comes into force, it would permit foreign interest to continue to exploit the Indian market …
IT is high time that non-government organisations (NGOS) demanded a national policy for the civil society. The words of K R Narayanan, the President of India, are pertinent in this context. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary celebrations of India's independence, the President said, "Social movements are required for …
FOR the first time in India, the Union ministry of environment and forests (MKF) issued a notification on August 1 to regulate disposal of hospital wastes. The notification, called the Bio-Medical Waste (Managing and Handling) Rules 1998, not only lays down the framework for safe disposal of hospital waste but …
THE Union government is reformulating environmental clearance procedures in order to speed up green clearances for projects. Officials in the environment ministry have completed almost 90 per cent of the work. The new procedure is expected to be ready within a month. The questionnaire which accompanies the application form for …
IN ORDER to tap the potential of unirrigated lands, the Union government is formulating a new national policy on agriculture. The thrust of the policy will be finalised after discussion with states. Som Pal, Union minister of state for agriculture, says that the government would try to reduce disconcerting disparities …
WHILE delivering his budget speech in Parliament, the union finance minister, Yashwant Sinha, went on to state, "The rural economy is central to India's economic and social development-there is no reason why our farmers should not reap the benefits of access to the wider global market." It was, therefore, surprising …
the Union government has asked the Karnataka state government to take over within 45 days a forest area leased to a subsidiary of the Taj Group of Hotels to build a three-star resort. The 6,356 sq m-area falls within the core zone of the Nagarhole National Park in district Kogadu. …
The ministry of environment and forests has banned setting up of new units to manufacture aerosols products using ozone depleting substances (ODS). Aerosols use ODS such as Chlorofluorocarbons as propellants to spray chemicals or fragrances. Two of the three artificially reared Siberian cranes that visited Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur in …
the Union government has shut down 125 highly polluting industries across the country while forcing 1,261 such units to install the pollution control facilities, according to a report. The ministry of environment and forests has identified about 1,551 large and medium industries in the 17 categories of highly polluting industries. …
the ministry of environment and forests (mef) has redrafted the legislation on regulating access to India's biological wealth. The redrafted version has been sent to chief ministers of all states for their comments. Former environment minister Saifuddin Soz had earlier finalised a draft, which was to be tabled in Parliament. …
suresh prabhu , the Union minister for environment and forests, has declared that his ministry is all set to enact the National Biodiversity Act. "It is now imperative to do so because India has signed the International Biodiversity Convention and outsiders cannot be denied access to the wealth of India's …
On the delay in taking up the Biodiversity Bill in Parliament: India will be the first country in the world to legislate on sovereign rights over its biodiversity. It is going to be a very comprehensive bill. For that, we need to seek the views of experts and stakeholders in …
yashwant sinha's maiden budget promises to leave us breathless, but not out of admiration. At best a weak attempt at financial jugglery, with its reliance on stiff indirect taxes, and consequent high prices, the budget looks like a huge leap backwards into the seventies. Worse, like then, Sinha's finance document …
in the end, it turned out to be a facade. All the promises to give importance to the environment by the Bharitiya Janata Party came to nought, when the finance minister, Yashwant Sinha, presented the Union budget in Parliament on June 1. As far as the allocation of funds to …
The ministry of environment and forests has barred entry to ships that carry hazardous wastes, like polychlorinated biphenyl, which are banned under the Basel Convention. The decision has been taken in order to check the threat posed to the marine ecosystem by ship-breaking yards at Alang. Complying with the order, …
