People may avoid migrating if they cannot insure themselves against the risk of a bad outcome. Governments can reduce the consumption risk faced by migrants by allowing them to access social protection programs in the destination. This study randomly informed around 62,000 households across 18 Indian states about a new …
A whole new world is about to unfold. A transatlantic joint announcement on June 26, by US President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK, marked the release of the Book of life - the chemical sequence of the human genome. The Human Genome Project (HGP) - …
We have entered an era of great hope and promise, of advancing human health and well-being and of social and economic progress. The shape of things to come can be visualised with a rough timetable. Will the new order of things reduce and eventually eliminate the inequities and disparities that …
AS FAR AS the eye can see, it is a mass of horns in a desiccated, semi-arid landscape. The horns emerge sideways from the head, turn up, and then arch back at the tips, as if swept back by the wind. Kankrej, native to northern Gujarat, is quite a regal-looking …
after the 1999 super cyclone in Orissa, many organisations took up relief work in the state. Very often the volunteers were frustrated in their task by the very people they were meant to assist. In their desperation to get food and water, medical supplies and clothes the affected people were …
In what is claimed to be the first realistic alternative to the use of gelatin in manufacturing processes, a UK-based company has developed a soluble, liquid-proof film for encapsulating soft capsules, powders and oils. Used extensively in medicine and dietary supplements, soft capsules are made from gelatin, which is a …
Every Hindu worth his/her salt will recount the story to you. When Lord Krishna was born, his father put him in a basket and crossed the Yamuna to reach the avatar of Vishnu to safety in the house of Yashoda and Nand. This was to escape the cruelty of Kansa, …
So, what is it that makes Hindus act against the philosophies of Hinduism? "Our minds have been polluted, so, how can the environment be in good shape? The values have suffered degradation," says Veer Bhadra Mishra. Although the fury of the flooded Ganga has not eroded the ghats of Varanasi, …
People are becoming aware of the concepts of ecology and environment, though a little too late. Moreover, they have not learnt these from our traditions but because the West is talking a lot about environment now," says Swami Sevak Charan of the Sri Vrindavan Conservation Project. Yet some small results …
It has been noted for aeons that Hinduism emphasises concern for nature. Yet Hindu festivals are considered incomplete now without blaring loudspeakers, a cacophony of voices and songs from Bollywood films, and fireworks that can easily turn one mad, if not deaf (see box: Voices suppressed in noise). After the …
the environmental protection movement as we know and see it today was launched by sensible, rational people who had begun to discover early in the 1960s that the present pace of development, consumption as well as the type of technologies were destructive and unsustainable. Hence, there was a need to …
far from being a festival of lights, Diwali has gradually become a nightmare for the residents of Delhi. In a report on the ambient noise level survey, the Central Pollution Control Board has recommended the bursting of crackers at one place instead of at individual houses. It has said that …
Even as we go to press the bright lights are gone from the bazaars. With the Puja , Dussehra and Diwali sales and the holidays over and hundreds of thousands of idols of the goddess have been immersed in the nearest river or lake. This is where all idols go …
in the vast stretches of shimmering deserts of Rajasthan exist religious traditions deeply rooted in reverence for the environment. The forest-based religious system of Oran is one such tradition which has prevailed for centuries. Unfortunately, this self-reliant culture is fast disappearing as the desert economy tries to catch up with …
KARL WAGNER, former head of communications at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF>-International and in charge of their proposed "Living Planet" campaign, was in India recently to discuss the campaign with WWF trustees. Later, during an informal chat, I asked him if there were any political statements that the …
the Indian government has continuously pumped resources into rural areas to alleviate poverty, but with little success. The core issues-human development, inculcation of values in the society, reduction of conflict and elimination of wasteful practices such as caste discrimination-have somehow been ignored in our paradigm of solutions. Social movements are …
dawn breaks over a skyline of ancient temples and trees. Boatloads of pilgrims step ashore on the river bank and perform their morning ablutions. Peacock cries and the sound of temple bells fill the air. As the temperature climbs, the morning mists disperse to reveal a bustling town in which …
Officials of more than 100 Durga Puja and Kali Puja committees have been fined by the Calcutta High Court for the use of microphones making noise exceeding the permissible sound level. The division bench of Justice Bhagabati Prosad Banerjee and Justice S B Ray passed these orders and imposed fines …
come November and the surroundings of Sabarimala, the hill shrine situated in the southern part of the Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala, take a beating. The annual influx of over two crore pilgrims during the makaravilakku season (November to January) inflicts heavy biotic pressure and widespread environmental damage. According to …
Recently, a prominent religious leader in Egypt announced the willingness to donate his organs to needy patients after his death. In Egypt, where organ transplants were long been prevented, the gesture came as a shock and opened up a floodgate of debate. The announcement was made by the Grand Sheik …
