June 30, 2004: The India Eco-Development Project -- a project meant to enhance the country's biodiversity and provide people living inside and around protected areas (such as national parks and reserves) with sustainable livelihoods; a project once showcased by the Indian government and external agencies such as the Global Environmental Facility and the World Bank as the acme of conservation -- is officially declared null and avoidable. By the Bank itself. But the government refuses to give up on eco-development. A new version is already in the pipeline. Once again, the World Bank has been approached for money. At this juncture, NITIN SETHI wonders: why does conservation in India veer away from its imperatives? How is it that when government thinks of conservation, it comprehends only money? Borrowed crores?