The world is moving towards free and open source software, cost being the primary advantage. In India, Kerala stands out as an example. What are its chances in the rest of the country?

The water-purifier industry is a flourishing market. Add to that a gamut of technologies and tall claims. The question is if consumers are informed enough to make appropriate choices; and whether there are regulations. And what about the fundamental problem of bad water quality?

In December 2007, the Indian government was preening about its bird flu control plan. In two months, West Bengal showed what an ineffective government can do to spread the disease

Hiware Bazar in Maharashtra’s drought-prone Aurangabad district pulled itself out of a hole, using state funds to regenerate natural resources. It showed the district the way ahead

In one of the biggest protest in the last 50 years farmers from eight districts in Orissa, stormed the dam's reservoir area demanding water for irrigation that had been promised to them.

The Maharashtra government wants to 'redevelop' Mumbai's sprawling slum. But the builder-friendly plan to resettle Dharavi dwellers in high-rises offers only a recipe for displacement, threatening livelihoods. More

The pharmaceutical industry is booming in Andhra Pradesh's Medak district. On the flip side, effluents from drug manufacturing units have been found to contain high levels of antibiotics, putting the lives of people in nearby areas at risk. Down To Earth takes a look at this business of pollution and poor regulation.

Salman Khan's poaching misadventures take him in and out of prison regularly. But there are bigger and more organised individuals and groups, which have been killing protected animals and getting away with it. To be blamed is a law -- the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which according to many, is riddled with loopholes. However, some experts say the problem lies with the country's lax judicial system and poor enforcement of laws.

India's construction industry is one of the largest in terms of environmental impact. The industry is now moving towards green architecture, which aims at cutting down the embodied energy that is consumed during the construction of buildings as well as their operational energy. So mud, clay, stone and bamboo are replacing cement and steel, solar panels are being set up, water harvesting structures are being installed -- all with the aim of reducing the ecological footprints of buildings.

Farmers in rainfed areas live in uncertainty. They are dependent on the monsoons for decent crop yeilds, and have no access to irrigation. Moreover, state support is hard to come by. To make matters worse, policies and markets favour water intensive crops like wheat and paddy, forcing farmers in rainfed areas to switch to these. With foodgrain production stagnating in irrigated zones, rainfed areas now need to be the centre of India's agricultural revival.

Diseases like TB, malaria and kala-azar, which affect the poorest people remain neglected. Since the poor do not have the capacity to pay for expensive treatment, pharma industries do not give them much attention. The situation can be improved by using public money to fund public research, leading to delivery of drugs through public institutions. But this is not happening in India, especially in Bihar, where kala-azar continues to afflict people.