A deformed existence

GANDHAR KARMAKAR is nine years old. He has only one eye, and suffers from paralysis. Elder to him by three years is Motiram. He suffers from osteoporosis (general bone damage). Dunia Uraon, also just short of his teens, is another unfortunate adolescent. His mother suffered three miscarriages before

Dangerous liaisons

Sri Lanka is becoming a power hungry nation. Several coal power plants with a total generation capacity of 3,200 MW are on the anvil. The country’s new energy minister, Champika Ranawaka, wants a nuclear power plant by 2025. That’s a sure sign of change: Ranawaka started his career as an activist against coal power. He was the environment minister in the last government.

Fresh row over nuclear bill

THE Union Cabinet cleared the nuclear liability bill on August 20 with 18 amendments. The amended version of the bill sparked a controversy. An amendment in it protected foreign suppliers of nuclear material in the event of a nuclear accident.

Flawed EIA

The plant would discharge 6 million cubic metre warm water into the sea daily. NEERI claimed no impact is anticipated on marine life; it reasoned the Kalpakkam nuclear plant (440 MW) has not affected marine life. EIA ignores the size of Jaitapur project; it is 25 times bigger than Kalpakkam and its warm water discharge would be much higher

News 360° - Briefs

climate change People’s charter: No to REDD

News 360° - Briefs

land reform South Africa eyes Africa

"Nuclear power is a must"

India is expanding uranium mining, a hazardous activity. Anil Kakodkar, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, recently inaugurated a uranium mine at Bagjata in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Kakodkar, who is also secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, spoke to ALOK GUPTA about safety concerns and the country's plans to become self-reliant in producing nuclear energy

Stepping on a minefield

As nuclear waste maims people, India plans to generate more

Fungi that absorbs uranium

fungi gel well with uranium, says a recent study from the uk. Depleted uranium, a radioactive by-product of uranium enrichment process in nuclear reactors, is used widely in ammunition. Being radioactive, there are concerns about its effect on the health of people exposed to it. The study says depleted uranium contamination can be cleaned up by using a certain class of fungi. The fungi absorb the uranium.

Understanding the 123 deal

The 123 nuclear agreement between India and the us draws its name from an article of the us Atomic Energy Act. It is somewhat coincidental that three reasons are also being listed to justify the deal, or to debunk it. Supporters and critics have hitched their arguments to the deal's foreign policy aspects , its likely effects on the country's nuclear weapons programme and its potential economic benefits--or ills.