In - Depth

Shaitan (left) and Moti play with wild tinda fruits at a farm in Godaro ki Dhani in Bikaner's Bhelu village
Food
A fruitful journey

A food safari in the desert of Rajasthan reveals a variety difficult to imagine in cities
February 21, 2017
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Credit: DYKT Mohingan/Flickr, CC BY-SA
Governance

Life in limbo: the Rohingya refugees trapped between Myanmar and Bangladesh
Chennai oil spill: planning, assessment and action inadequate
Environment

Chennai oil spill: planning, assessment and action inadequate
A dry riverbed in Maroua town, part of the Chad Basin, in Cameroon (Photo: Reuters)
Water

Lake Chad's forgotten crisis
Environment
Photos: Getty Images

Relevance of Gandhian environmentalism

Mahatma Gandhi never used the words environment protection, but his writings are replete with remarks on the excesses of industrial society
January 30, 2019
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Governance
The future trajectory of the nation will be governed by our ability to provide education, knowledge, and a progressive worldview to our young citizens (Credit: iStock)

Budget expectations: quality education needs financial backing

In absence of substantial financial backing, achieving quality education appears to be distant dream
January 30, 2017
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Governance
Considering the government’s push for cashless society, it is expected that digital transactions will be incentivised in the upcoming budget Credit: Partha S. Sahana/Flickr

Budget 2017-18: will the government soothe frayed tempers post demonetisation?

As India looks forward to the latest budget, we bring to you the expectations from it and the step-by-step process of how it is formulated
January 27, 2017
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Economy
Indian agriculture sector is in desperate need of an overhaul, both in terms of financial support and transaprent institutional mechanisms. Credit: CIDSE

Analysis of Union Budget since 1947

As countdown to the Union Budget 2017-18 has already begun, Down To Earth looks back at the history of budget presentations and how they responded to nation’s demands
January 29, 2019
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Natural Disasters
The Kosi carries a large amount of silt and sand. The sediment deposited on the riverbed impedes its flow, so it frequently erodes its banks and carves a new channel Photo credit: Vikas Choudhary

Kosi, a wild prisoner

An engineering folly unfolds over a week-long journey along the Kosi river in Bihar
March 14, 2018
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Climate Change
Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flicker

Trump must confront climate challenge, but will he?

People in the US must turn up the heat on Donald Trump so that he doesn’t water down Obama's environmental agenda
January 20, 2017
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Science & Technology
Mortal combat

Mortal combat

Can life be extended indefinitely? There is a renewed vigour among scientists looking for ways and means to cheat death
March 24, 2017
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Environment
Sounds of silence: a forest that survived 'development'

Sounds of silence: a forest that survived 'development'

A trip to the Silent Valley National Park is a valuable lesson in the history of environmental movements and biodiversity conservation
January 18, 2017
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Health
(Credit: Savvy Soumya Misra/CSE)

Tracking decades-long endosulfan tragedy in Kerala

Down To Earth takes a look at one of the worst and longest-running pesticide poisoning episodes in India and how it culminated with the Supreme Court ordering compensation for victims
August 16, 2018
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Forests
Sita, a resident of Parapur village in Dantewada district, says that the village has not received any developmental benefits despite being just a few kilometres from a mining township (Photo: Srestha Banerjee)

Bastar beyond Maoists: tale of a rich region and its poor people

The obsession with insurgents is so deep that no one is paying attention to health and education in this ancient and beautiful land
January 12, 2017
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Science & Technology
The theme of the Indian Science Congress was

Can 104th Indian Science Congress claim any achievement?

From nanoscience to navigation satellites and sanitation to antibiotics resistance, the potential of science in tackling development issues was discussed, but what did the Congress achieve?
January 10, 2017
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Environment
Embrace of an unforgettable conservation crusade lingers on

Embrace of an unforgettable conservation crusade lingers on

Impacts of Chipko are still visible in the state after four decades.
March 26, 2018
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Environment
Credit: Garry Knight/ Flicker

Can UK environment survive Brexit onslaught?

Following Brexit, the UK will no longer be under obligation to adhere to progressive policies on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and environmental legislation from the EU
January 04, 2017
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Science & Technology
Celebrated minds

Celebrated minds

In 2016, many Indian-origin scientists made it big and got international acclaim for their work. From genetics to nanoelectronics, these scientists have kept the spirit of discovery alive.
January 02, 2017
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Environment
Credit: Edmund Gall / Flicker

Environmental collapse before Soviet’s fall

Exactly 25 years after the fall of the USSR, let’s take a look at its ‘consumeristic’ policies for exploiting natural resources at the cost of degrading environment and public health
January 05, 2017
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Natural Disasters
Credit: CSE

Twelve years later, impact of Tsunami still makes waves

Down To Earth revists the causes of the massive earthquake that triggered tsunami 12 years ago and the progress scientists have made towards understanding and predicting its trigger
January 05, 2017
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Agriculture
Digitising agriculture in face of climate change

Digitising agriculture in face of climate change

Extreme weather and changing geography threatened food security and livelihood in Africa and Asia this year. Digitising agriculture has become a necessity to battle climate change and protect the vulnerable lot
January 06, 2017
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Economy
Bablu Chauhan (standing), a farmer in Sonipat, cleans carrot with the help of labourers. He says he will not recover the Rs 30,000 he had spent on the crop because there are not enough buyers (Photo: Srikant Chaudhary)

Not a promissory note

Demonetisation casts a long shadow over the rural economy
January 06, 2017
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Water
In Bihar's Katihar town most people have toilets with septic tanks. The urban local body collects septage and simply dumps it in the landfill at Udma Rekha (Photo: Anil Yadav)

Blind spot in Namami Gange

By 2019, when Swachh Bharat Mission comes to an end, some 30 million septic tanks and pits would have been dug along the Ganga. It's time the Central, state and local sanitation programmes recognised faecal sludge management as a priority to ensure a clean Ganga  
January 06, 2017
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Environment
Credit: Ted Eytan/ Flicker

In a Trump world, can Africa be great again?

Africa was a policy priority for previous three administrations—Clinton, Bush and Obama. But can US contribute to Africa’s growth story once Trump pushes ‘America First’ agenda?
December 22, 2016
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Water
Credit: North Pakistan Adventure/ Flicker

Warring over water

While issues like Cauvery water sharing and Indus Treaty figured prominently in 2016, other inter-state water conflicts could be on the anvil as we look forward to 2017
December 27, 2016
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