This report summarizes the findings of a review aimed at understanding emerging approaches to energy subsidy reform, discerning trends, and identifying major strands of thinking and research in the field, as reflected in major policy and academic journals relevant to the subject. The review was initiated in early 2020 as …
It has shaken the confidence of the new Europe. Oil crisesfuel shortagesstreet blockades and protests that had become commonplace during the 1970s oil shortagehave come back to haunt Europe once again. Over the past few weeksas the price of oil touched a 10-year high of us $35 a barrel
Diesel is under-prised by Rs 5. The government claims that it is used by farmers for their tubewells and tractors. But a major share of diesel is used by trucks and other heavy commercial vehicles. A cabinet decision was taken in November 1997 to deregulate diesel prices. But for the …
the Union government has once again shown how indifferent it is towards the environment. A number of measures to benefit small-scale industries ( ssi s) were recently announced by prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But what was conspicuously missing, though, were policies to curb environmental threats from small manufacturing units …
the Union ministry of non-conventional energy sources ( mnes ) is planning to increase the output of non-conventional energy sector by 10 per cent. The ministry hopes to achieve its aim till the year 2012. The new policy statement of the ministry also shows a shift of policy for the …
the National Zoological Park in Delhi may soon be granted autonomy. The Union ministry of forest and environment will soon form a committee which will look into the modalities of the process. "A zoo might be a low priority area for the government. But an autonomous body will ensure better …
Thanks to the comprehensive use of wastewater and solid waste material, northwest China's Gansu Province yielded economic benefits worth over US $49 million. The province discharges 240 million cubic metre of waste industrial gases, 35,000 tonnes of wastewater and more than 16 million tonnes of solid waste material each year. …
subsidy is an indirect payment given by governments for various economic and social reasons. A major part of the "cost' of the subsidy is paid by the government. At the same time, granting subsidies more than often lead to overuse of goods and services and environmental degradation. With the steady …
Indians and Americans are, in some ways, very similar. For one thing, neither of them like high energy prices, regardless of the cost to sanity, society and the environment. Even as Indians were agitating against the government's hike in energy prices - and with pre dictable results, the government partially …
The 20 papers included in this book examine 3 issues -- market access commitments, plant breeders' rights and reduction of export subsidies on agro-exports. It has been argued that the existing subsidies for the farm sector should continue to encourage this sector. Further, the reduction in farm subsidies by the …
AGRICULTURAL scientists and economists warn farm subsidies are leading to the wasteful use of resources such as land and water. Highlighting the grave consequences of electricity and fertiliser subsidies, they suggest any decision on public funding for agriculture should be based on an environmental cost-benefit analysis for sustainable use of …
The removal of subsidies on phosphatic and potash fertilisers this year has led to an almost three-fold price increase and a sharp drop in their consumption, according to the annual review of the Fertiliser Association of India. Warns an association spokesperson, "If the trend continues, the yield and quality of …
A CONTROVERSY is raging in the UK about the setting up of windmills in the countryside. Some conservationists contend they spoil the landscape and are uneconomic, while others refute these allegations and say windmills are the cleanest source of energy. The debate heated up when British environment minister John Gummer …
DO PRICES determine increase in use of fertilisers, which are heavily subsidised by the government, in India? Fifty-six-year-old Madhusudan Reddy, who owns 50 ha in Chaganur village in Karnataka's Bellary district, disagrees. "I use the same quantity of fertilisers I did before the government increased their prices two years ago," …
PROPRIETY demands India's participation in the final round of the GATT negotiations on the Dunkel Draft (DD). A multilateral system of trade and technology transfer arrangements has its own set of advantages and India must help in the foundation of an equitable, transparent and efficient mechanism for the future. A …
THERE are some in India who believe that the Dunkel Draft (DD) would lead to a reduction of subsidies paid by developed countries to their farmers and this would help agricultural produce exports from India and other developing countries. They are the victims of an illusion created by the DD …
ISRAEL'S citrus industry, part of its drive to "make the desert bloom", is a spectacular success story with export earnings in the US $150-250 million range, depending on the quality and quantity of the crop. But, increasingly, critics complain the citrus industry is exporting in effect the country's most precious …
IN THE last 100 years of industrialisationindustrial firms have sought to increase their efficiency and profitability through increases in labour productivity. One fallout of this was the replacement of human labour with machines thatin turnhas resulted in heavy natural costs as industries became increasingly energy- and material-intensive. All this has …
WATER is priced far too cheaply in India to prompt industrialists into conserving or recycling it, says a detailed study prepared by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) for the Ganga Project Directorate. But the government has let the NIPFP recommendations lie in its cupboards. The study …
PAPER mills can substantially reduce their water consumption if they were charged a higher price for the water they use, says a detailed water audit conducted by the Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices (BICP). In 1989, the pulp and paper industry had an annual installed capacity of 3.354 million …
MADRAS Refineries Ltd (MRL) will soon be a zero-effluent company. Situated in Manali, on the outskirts of water-starved Madras, MRL plans to treat its waste water and pump it back for circulation in its cooling towers. The Madras city corporation, which is extremely short of water, has placed restrictions on …
