One might not expect every butcher in rural Greece to recognise Costas Lapavitsas. He is, after all, an economist, a professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. His research interests include the evolution and function of the Japanese financial system—probably not staples of discussion among Greek …
Government procedures in India are known to confound people. What documents do we submit to apply for a PAN card? How does one get an educational loan? How to apply for a passport? Log on to www.wikifyindia.com and help is at hand. The website, a non-profit initiative, is an aspiring …
GADCHIROLI in Maharashtra may have acquired the model district status for clearing a record number of community forest rights (CFR) claims, but its 298 villages are angry with the forest department for stripping them of the basic right to manage forest produce. The department has also burdened them with conditions, …
A NAGPUR Bench of the Bombay High Court has stalled the transfer of toxic waste from Bhopal to Maharashtra amid protests by residents and activists. The decision comes a week after the Jabalpur Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered that 350 tonnes of the hazardous material lying at …
THE Supreme Court has turned down the request of pesticide manufacturers to allow them to export the pesticide stocks in India. The court had banned the sale, manufacture, use and export of the pesticide on May 13 on a petition by the youth wing of the CPI(M), the Democratic Youth …
THE Maharashtra government seems to be dragging its feet over imposing sanctions on the developers of the country’s first planned hill city. The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had sent a letter to the state environment ministry on June 10 directing it to take action against Lavasa for …
CARBONATED drinks and junk food may soon be off the shelves of school and college canteens. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said this in a counter-affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court on July 18. Global bans • US passes bill in December 2010 banning junk …
IN A setback to Vedanta Alumina Ltd, the Orissa High Court on July 19 upheld the Centre’s decision to stall expansion of the company’s refinery in Lanjigarh. The court, however, said the company can apply for the environmental clearance for its expansion afresh. The Union environment ministry in October last …
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission proposes to lower the trading prices for renewable energy certificates (REC). Industry people in a hearing on July 19 lamented the move would affect renewable energy capacity addition in the country. As per the REC scheme, state electricity distribution companies (discoms) unable to meet their …
Sustainable mining is an oxymoron. Environmentalists will tell you this. Mining—coal to limestone—takes away forests, devastates mountains and leaves the land pockmarked. It also destroys livelihoods of people and displaces them. Worse, modern, mechanised mining takes away livelihood based on land but does not replace it with local employment—all estimates …
Why a health film festival? I thought it would be a good idea to have the festival in Greece because Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was born there. Coincidentally, I found support from the mayor of the island where Hippocrates was born. The directors who have participated in the first …
The Supreme Court has directed the Andaman & Nicobar administration to implement the Jarawa buffer zone notification in letter and spirit. The court’s August 1 directive refers to the administration’s 2007 notification creating a 5 km buffer around the Jarawa Reserve where no commercial activities would be allowed. But there …
The National Biodiversity Authority of India (NBA) says it may initiate legal action against Mahyco, a partner of biotech giant Monsanto, and their collaborators for accessing and using local brinjal (eggplant) varieties to develop the genetically modified (GM) or Bt Brinjal without the prior approval of the authorities. The decision …
It was the first week of the newly opened National Green Tribunal (NGT) and I was asked to cover it. Excited, I started from my home early to reach the place before the scheduled time. But the plan failed as the building was difficult to locate. Scrutinised every nook and …
The Supreme Court today allowed state-owned National Minerals Development Corporation (NMDC) to operate its mines to meet the domestic requirements of iron ore in Karnataka's Bellary district. The organisation will produce iron ore to the tune of one million tonnes per month. Work on all private mines will, however, remain …
This report analyzes the political economy of two important fields of agricultural policy in India: fertilizer supply and electricity supply for groundwater irrigation. These inputs are essential to food production and agricultural development, which have been core areas of concern for policymakers in India since Independence. Following the food shortages …
Government and non-government groups have not always been on the best of terms and this relationship has been redefined over the years with changing social and political scenario. The showdown over the Lokpal bill marks a new low. Read this analysis by Down to Earth. Arguably, this is the hottest …
This refers to the editorial “When business rules our kitchens” (June 16-30, 2011). Do we want to sensationalise the issue of poor food safety regulations and use big companies as a whipping boy or work on the solutions? How are we going to deal with the fundamental issue of feeding …
Cotton has been the biggest success story in Indian agriculture since the Green Revolution. In a country struggling with stagnant yields in most crops, cotton has been the one bright spot. Production has soared from 13.6 million bales (each bale is 170 kg) in 2002-03 to 31.2 million bales in …
Just over three months ago, Jantar Mantar became the epicentre of a nationwide frenzy against corruption. Social activist Anna Hazare was on a fast-unto-death over his single-point demand of enacting a stringent Lokpal Bill, which would establish an institution to deal with cases of corruption in high offices. Hazare was …
