Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Akhilesh Kumar Vs State of Uttar Pradesh & Others dated 23/05/2025. The matter related to illegal mining activites carried out by Jai Maa Chandrika Enterprises, Rajendra Nagar, village Kabari, district Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh. The applicant also alleged about illegal sale …
the National Human Rights Commission has directed the Gujarat government to file a report on the toxic gas leak in Jamnagar city, which is causing serious health problems among one million local people. On August 14, 2001, a gaseous odour was detected in some parts of Jamnagar. Following this incident, …
the us Environmental Protection Agency (usepa) has greatly underestimated the cancer risks of arsenic in drinking water, indicates a study of the National Academy of Sciences. Following the report, for the first time, usepa under the Bush administration is conceding that it will be hard-pressed not to accept stringent arsenic …
the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, usa, have not only changed the skyline of world's business capital, but also the world's perception of terrorism. Even as shocked Americans came to terms with the attacks, the us government issued warnings of a possible attack by terrorists using …
IN FEBRUARY this year, Down To Earth published a cover story on the unusual cases of deformities in Padre, a village in Kasargode district, Kerala ('Children of endosulfan', Vol 9, No 19). The story was corroborated by a detailed study carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) …
Why was Health Effects Institute (HEI) established? hei was founded in 1980 to conduct research on the health effects of air pollution and help policymakers to evolve strategies to tackle this problem. The us Environmental Protection Agency (usepa) and the worldwide motor vehicle industry fund us on the grounds that …
The ongoing debate on the role of private funding for public research is of vital importance. Already, the prestigious scientific journal, Nature , has asked its authors to disclose any financial interests related to their studies. Thirteen leading medical journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Journal of the …
buckling under the pressure of the industry, the Sri Lankan government has indefinitely postponed its plans to impose one of the world's stringent bans on genetically modified (gm) food. The ban was initially imposed in May 2001. But it was postponed a month later due to pressure from the World …
One-third of all young Chinese men would die due to smoking in the next few decades unless they change their lifestyle, states a new study by a team of international researchers. The prediction was made after researchers studied the case histories of Chinese who died in 1998 in Hong Kong. …
Air pollution in Asia has worsened since 2000, and is responsible for the death of thousands of people in Beijing, Jakarta, Seoul, Bangkok and Manila. This was revealed during a research conducted by the World Bank and the Stockholm Development Institute (sdi). The research states that air pollution in the …
A Californian court has reduced the compensation liability of Philip Morris to a Marlboro smoker dying of lung cancer. The court has reduced the compensation from us $3 billion to us $100 million, on condition that Richard Boeken, the petitioner, accepts it. In June 2001, a Los Angeles jury found …
the Delhi high court has banned the use of firecrackers and loudspeakers in the National Capital Territory of Delhi unless a special permission is taken. Their use is going to be regulated even during religious festivals. The decision has been taken in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed …
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has proposed a two-year US $11 million study to determine whether there is a link between air travel and fatal blood clots
the Himachal Pradesh (hp) government plans to launch a Rs 130 crore biotea production project to boost the traditional tea industry in the state. "Biotea is ecofriendly as its production does not require the use of fertilisers or insecticides. It is widely accepted as a health drink and research is …
The Supreme Court of India has asked the Union government to provide information about the status of the anti-tobacco bill. These directions were given in response to a petition filed by Women Action Research and Legal Aid for Women, a non-governmental organisation (NGO). The NGO's counsel Rani Jethmalani said that …
AIDS activists are suing the South African government for its failure to distribute an anti-HIV drugs that could save the lives of about 35,000 newborn babies each year. The lawsuit will be filed by the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which played a leading role earlier this year in forcing multinational …
a wide range of opinion continues to exist on whether genetically modified (gm) crops pose a significant risk to human health. But there is a growing consensus on one important aspect of the debate: greater public investment is needed in the research used to justify claims that such crops are …
How does vitamin A rice help solve poverty and malnutrition in developing countries? People whose staple diet is rice usually suffer from vitamin deficiencies. In Bangladesh, for instance, 75 per cent of the calories come from rice. Similarly, in countries like Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, rice accounts for 70 per …
The ministry of petroleum has cleverly reduced air pollution control to a high school debate on compressed natural gas (cng) versus diesel. During the recent meeting with prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Union government dismissed the plea for an ordinance to override the Supreme Court orders to convert Delhi's …
To put it in a nutshell, the factors that have contributed to the lack of development of organic market in India include low awareness about the perils of chemically farmed products, high prices of organic produce, lack of consumer confidence in organic food standards and their erratic supply. Smritee Singh, …
