A plague on this country

The plague today holds the same threshold of dread that it did in the 14th century. So when the Black Death struck India late last month, the …

Mosquitoes storm the desert

A cerebral malaria epidemic in Rajasthan has its source in the Indira Gandhi Canal

'Ours by right'

For a few units more

A high-tech power station foreign companies are building in Maharashtra is being touted as the "perfect solution" to its anticipated …

Setting up shop

First, the government shook scientific institutions out of their lethargy by applying the brake on funds. Now, its asking them to tie up with …

Putting out new shoots

Whether it's increasing yields, cutting growth time of plants, increasing their resistance to disease or preserving genetic resources, scientists …

Running on empty

Indian farmers are entering the GATT era riding on the bogey of ignorance. Some see GATT as the golden opportunity that will unshackle them from …

Fuelling a crisis

A recent, innocuous check-and-tally exercise by the Delhi administration unearthed a giant racket diverting to the transport sector heavily-…

Farmers split on merits of Dunkel proposals

The attack on a Bangalore seed company was reported as the start of a farmers' movement against globalisation of agriculture. Now, some farmers …

Genes, Dreams and Reality

Don't blame your genes. Environment and lifestyle cause cancer

The world in his pocket

Kamal Nath is one of the few Indian ministers to have acquired an international image. He has traversed the globe to attend various environmental …

Act fast

Putting out new shoots

Whether it's increasing yields, cutting growth time of plants, increasing their resistance to disease or preserving genetic resources, scientists …

Agony of the waiting

There is a strange calmness in the oncology department of government hospitals though it is more crowded that most other sections. Everybody waits.…

Rising trend

The microbes strike back

Diseases that were cheerfully believed to have been eradicated are inexplicably cropping up again in India in deadlier, drug-resistant forms

Chaotic response to calamity

The killer quake struck unexpectedly in the still of the night. Entire villages were flattened and thousands perished. Though rescue and relief …

Murder in the sanctuary

The killing of tigers and of forest guards in Ranthambore is the result of a conservation strategy that took away the rights of the local people …

Disciplining the enfants terrible of industry

Small is not always beautiful: Small-scale industries in India account for only 35 per cent of the country's industrial production, but their …

Resurgent polio

Eradicating polio in India is proving to be a tough ask. The disease, which seemed to have been contained a few years ago, is rearing its head …

A tinge of green

Issues relating to the environment, though not on top of the agenda, did make their presence felt in the just-concluded assembly elections.

Enter the Bank

Chikungunya spreads its tentacles

Chikungunya, a viral disease borne by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, has assumed epidemic proportions in large swathes of the country, especially …

Disciplining the enfants terrible of industry

Small is not always beautiful: Small-scale industries in India account for only 35 per cent of the country's industrial production, but their …

Foss time in India

Microsoft is the most familiar term in the proprietary software industry. The company's penetration in people's minds is so deep that it is often …