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. …
Now that the Supreme Court (sc) has been handing down a flurry of environmental orders, innumerable worms are tumbling out of the woods. The first variety, of course, comes to us in the form of our elected representatives, also known by that exalted name - 'the nation's leaders'. That there …
PRIME Minister H D Deve Gowda's talent for undermining the need to protect the environment and people's rights is well-known. The finance minister (FM), P Chidambaram, is one of the same ilk, say critics after his budget speech in Parliament on February 28. Even officials at the ministry of environment …
The Supreme Court (SC) has turned down for immediate consideration, pleas by the Union Government and the state of Gujarat for permission to increase the height of the Narmada dam from the present 81.5 metre (m) to 85 m. The SC declined to entertain two applications placed by the latter, …
The Supreme Court of India recently directed the Union ministry of environment and forests to enforce the laws prohibiting the use and dumping of banned hazardous substances. The court remarked that despite passing several orders to this effect in the past year, no steps have been taken against erring units …
THE West Bengal government has been chided by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MEF) for cutting down mangroves over an area of 1,750 ha in the Sunderbans region without procuring prior approval of the Centre. The MEF has also rejected a plea by the state for granting the …
DEVE GOWDA's anti-environment measures never seem to come to an end. Before becoming the Prime Minister (PM), Deve Gowda had said in an interview to Down To Earth (DTE): "Often people are being misted by environmentalists who tend to be anti-development .....". The PM's statement at the meeting of state …
the recent announcement by Prime Minister (pm) H D Deve Gowda that full foreign ownership of nuclear energy plants will be allowed in India, is likely to see pro-nuke lobbyists working overtime to push the agenda through the ministry of science and technology and the planning commission. Although Gowda made …
prime Minister (pm) H D Deve Gowda has done it again. During the chief ministers' and power ministers' meet in mid-October 1996, Gowda had questioned the usage of public interest litigations (pil) and had said, "Whether they are public interest litigations or political interest litigations, I don't know.' Recently, that …
the Supreme Court's (sc) warning to senior officials of the ministry of environment and forests to enforce laws banning industries from using and dumping prohibited noxious chemicals or face the consequences, is laudable. In the order passed on a public interest litigation (pil), which noted that industrial waste was being …
ominous promises that were being made by Prime Minister (pm) H D Deve Gowda, undermining the environment and people's rights, are now being kept one by one. The latest is an ordinance amending the National Highways Act, 1956, to facilitate speedier acquisition of land for national highways (nh). According to …
according to an eminent agricultural scientist, when he first entered Krishi Bhavan (the headquarters of the agriculture ministry in New Delhi), an Indian Administrative Service officer who used to work there told him that he had discovered to his surprise that the building was not situated on the road to …
in a decision that will make industry more accountable to the people, the Cabinet secretariat on January 15 made public hearings mandatory before giving environmental clearance to any industrial project or activity, both private and government. The hearings would be conducted with respect to all the 29 industrial sectors that …
the ministry of environment and forests (mef) has finally drafted a set of "terms and conditions for granting access to genetic material'. The move will lead to a much-needed legislation for regulating access to the country's genetic resources. "It will be in the form of a public notification and is …
• Some people think that they are born only to protect the environment in this country and that God has sent them to this earth only to protect the environment... as if we are not interested in the environment." Prime Minister's (pm) statement at the meeting of state power ministers …
With a military background, how did you land up in politics? I was in the Navy for 15 years since 1949. During the China war, I wanted to fight for the nation. I appeared in an open selection and was commissioned. Following the victory against Pakistan in 1969, I retired …
M K Prasad, Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad: Prime Minister (pm) Deve Gowda's statement reflects his illiteracy and utter disregard for democracy. Ashok Khosla and S K Sharma, Development Alternatives, New Delhi: We agree that all pm s should be accountable to the people for their deeds. Chandan Datta, Society for …
on december 24, 1996, the Provisions of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, a Central act on tribal self-rule (gram swaraj) was passed. The Act's salient features are: • State governments would extend provisions of the Panchayat Raj Act to scheduled areas in accordance with the following: state legislation …
ON OCTOBER 17, two-and-half year old Kanika Agarwal bled to death due to dengue fever. That is nothing new to the citizens of Delhi, who saw close to 300 people (if the government is to be believed) die in the epidemic (which the government denies). But the fact that she …
TODAY, from all states. The very object of convening this meeting is to work out the national policy in power sector. In the last four months, after I took over the responsibility of the administration at the Centre, I have realised that there is no proper national power policy. In …
the recent tirade launched by international conservation organisations has at last forced the Indian government to wake up to the prevailing state of the Indian tiger. The ministry of environment and forests ( mef ) has acknowledged that a "serious crisis' threatens the Indian tiger. mef has also accepted the …
