The Bikaner Development Authority Bill, 2025, passed by the Rajasthan Assembly, aims to establish a Bikaner Development Authority to regulate development activities in the Bikaner district. The bill was passed by voice vote, with the opposition Congress walking out of the House due to insufficient discussion. The bill was introduced …
WHEN the "last chance to save the Earth" came around in 1992, the global environment and development community was full of hope, energy and expectations. Ten years later, another such chance is round the corner, but nobody is getting his or her hopes up. Commentators around the world have remarked …
Following the conclusion of the un-sponsored talks on Afghanistan in Bonn, unep executive director Klaus Toepfer rightly said environmental issues should form part of the package being considered for the country's rehabilitation. Afghanistan today is at best a relic of years of war litters. The big challenge before the war-ravaged …
Though almost all the top-performers in each indicator have undertaken considerable efforts to lend their support to the environment cause, there are several grey areas which need greening. Most of these companies have adhered to some basic rules by formulating a procurement policy and taking specific initiatives to ensure that …
DELHI'S ambitious metro rail system is losing track. The choice of gauge - broad or standard - has snowballed into a major controversy. The players: Delhi government and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on one side pushing for standard gauge and the Union ministry of railways, which wants status …
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, …
The government's interventions have focused on promoting certified organic production, missing out the challenge of using the organic route to reward traditional, marginal farmers. This misplaced priority seems to be changing. A master plan for the production of organic coffee is almost ready. Formulated by the coffee board, the plan …
it could have been a church, with people confessing their sins. Only, it was a consultative meeting, where wildlife mangers and the conservation fraternity confessed that protected area management under Eco Regional Planning (erp) was an abysmal failure. Held on August 6-8, 2001, in New Delhi, the meeting organised by …
What are your development plans for Mizoram, which has one of the richest natural resources in India? Mizoram has plenty of cultivable land and the government is thinking of developing the region with more and more cash crops. It also plans for a project that would improve bamboo cultivation, which …
the Indian system of medicines can take a leaf out of the French experience when it comes to marketing their products. Geographically labelling the medicinal plants used in various preparations, which shows their source of origin, would translate into better business. Not only would it put a seal of genuineness …
scientists have found an evidence to show that even seemingly normal-looking clones may harbor serious abnormalities affecting gene expression that may not manifest themselves as outward characteristics. The findings, reported by researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and University of Hawaii, confirm the previous suspicion that reproductive cloning …
The year 2001 may have been declared as the year of volunteers, but the Orissa government has other ideas. Recently, the state finance minister Ram Krushna Patnaik introduced a resolution in the state assembly to curb the powers of some 2,000-odd non-governmental organisations (ngos) operating in the state. "We want …
Why was this resolution introduced? As the state assembly has to still discuss the resolution, it would be unconstitutional for me to reveal the reason. We only want to know how much money, from which all sources and for what purpose the NGOs are getting. We want to make them …
Several eyebrows have been raised over the Cipla offer to supply anti- aids drugs at one-third the current price to developing countries like South Africa. On March 7, 2001 Cipla Ltd of Mumbai, formally requested the South African department of trade and industry to issue compulsory licenses to patents on …
German researchers have developed ultra thin wires from cobwebs. These wires, based on latest technology, could spark revolution in miniature electronics. Spider silk is remarkably strong and can stretch a lot before it snaps. The researchers managed to reduce the silk from it's usual diameter of 3 and 5 micrometres …
Hydro Environmental Resources Inc, USA has developed a unique energy system. When water and a patent-pending formula are added to a converter, energy is produced. In the converter, reaction takes place and hydrogen gas, electricity and clean water is produced. The working model is a self-contained portable unit. It is …
The Andhra Pradesh government will not be able to encroach upon the Hussain Sagar lake following a judgement of the state high court. The proposed encroachment was for implementing a Rs 1,400-crore project aimed at developing a cyber city. "It's all politically motivated. The government is destroying the environment in …
two new herbal drugs, Respicare and Asmon, have been launched in the market to treat bronchial asthma. However, difference of opinion prevails among the allopathic and Ayurvedic practitioners about the efficacy of the drugs. Bronchial asthma is caused by allergens and leads to difficulty in breathing. Around five million Indians …
