Can you love tigers but hate forests? This is the question that troubled me as I visited the middle of India last fortnight. I was in Nagpur, where local politicians, conservationists and officials were discussing what needed to be done in this chronically poor and backward region endowed with forests …
Why are bees important to humans? The 20,000 or so species of bees are the principal pollinators of plants, both in gardens and in the wild. If you like having flowering plants around, for the most part you need to have bees around. There is a need to create awareness …
To ensure transparency in delivery of commodities to the poor in Rajasthan The Rajasthan Government has decided to conduct the much sought-after social audit for fair price shops functioning under the public distribution system (PDS) to ensure transparency and effectiveness in the delivery of essential commodities to poor people. The …
The Union Cabinet has approved a headcount to assess the number of people below the poverty line (BPL) after a gap of nine years, but it could not end a debate over the methodology of counting the poor and extending social welfare activities like food and health to all. On …
GUWAHATI, Despite a slew of schemes launched by the Assam Government to improve the health sector in the State, the maternal mortality rate continues to show an upward trend as per official records. In Assam, according to a scheme launched by the State Government on nutrition, every pregnant woman who …
A consortium of international agencies is initiating a Tk 1,000 million project to provide support for food security and livelihoods of 211,265 people severely affected by Cyclone Aila over the last two years, of which sixty percent are women, for assisting in their rehabilitation process. The agencies include four members …
Collector C.Munianathan chairs coordination committee meeting NAGAPATTINAM: Over 4.24 lakh family card holders would be entitled to the free rice proposed for distribution through the public distribution system, as promised by the Chief Minister in her election manifesto. A coordination meeting in this regard was conducted here under Collector C.Munianathan …
The State government has planned to provide farmers with agro logistics at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore, to ensure better price for agriculture produces. Agro-zones, for better price addition The proposed logistic service will focus on procurement of produce and setting up cold storages, said Economic Advisor to chief …
CHENNAI: The scheme of free distribution of 20 kg rice to beneficiaries under the public distribution system (PDS) will come into force on June 1. At present, rice is given at Re. 1 a kg to those who are entitled to receive the commodity. As per the existing norms, rice …
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) was launched by Prime Minister of India in January 2010 with an aim to promote ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India’s energy security challenge. This is the proposed technology configurations for grid connected solar power demonstration projects under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
Wind energy has been the poster child of India’s renewable energy programme. Data released by the government shows the staggering pace at which wind farms have been added across the country. But most of them deliver only a fraction of their generation potential, according to the Union Ministry of New …
Tea grown on the steep slopes of Darjeeling hills, connoisseurs swear, is unlike anywhere else in the world. Epicures use a plethora of adjectives to describe the “champagne of teas”: brisk, flowery, round, mellow and sparkling. Brewed properly, the Darjeeling tea leaves yield a thin-bodied, light-coloured liquor with a floral …
DRUG-resistant NDM-1 gene has been debated ever since India was identified a source of the gene in patients in the UK. The debate intensified on April 7, 2011, when the journal Lancet Infectious Disease published a paper which stated that the gene (New Delhi Metallo-betalactamase- 1) was found in tap …
VEHICLES and fuels must be seen as a system and not in isolation. Even a clean fuel like CNG may emit high air pollutants if the vehicle engine technology is inefficient to burn the fuel. This is the message from the first detailed testing of CNG three-wheelers in Delhi by …
RESEARCHERS have found a new culprit of cardiovascular diseases—gut flora. The bacteria present in the intestine help in the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates setting off a chain of reactions which lead to the development of plaque. Its accumulation clogs the arteries which finally becomes the cause of cardiac disorders. …
NO MATTER what season it is, denims are now a wardrobe staple. But the techniques used to process denim to suit the fashion, like rugged or faded, are highly polluting and hazardous. Now a team of researchers from University of Innsbruck, Austria, have found a cheaper, more efficient and eco-friendly …
PUZZLED why plants like congress grass, or Parthenium hysterophorus, spread fast? Any attempt to remove it is a failure as it would grow back quickly, while a plant like bracted arrowwood (Viburnum bracteatum) is slow to spread. Biologists now have an answer. They say it all depends on how many …
EARLY humans arrived in India from Africa more than a million years ago, indicate newly discovered stone tools. The discovery overturns the earlier assumption that our ancestors reached India about half a million years ago. A research team led by Shanti Pappu of non-profit Sharma Centre for Heritage Education in …
Immediately after school, 15-yearold Surendra Kumar rushes to the wheat fields running parallel to the main Chambal canal in Umaidganj village in Rajasthan’s Kota district. He begins his search for a pair of Saras Cranes and their two young ones—the crane family he has been tracking for four years now. …
We were staying in a small coastal town of Karwar in Karnataka, about seven kilometres from south of Goa. My two-year-old daughter was not able to acclimatise. I was giving her anti-allergics and antibiotics, but she kept catching cold. One day, my friend in Karwar, Megha Gaonkar, told me about …
