A silent white revolution

Women living in a non-descript village in Gujarat revive a defunct dairy, earlier run by men. Today, not only do they churn out 100 per cent …

Solutions at a click

Computers pave the way for sustainable agricultural and rural development in five Pondicherry villages

Reflections on glass

Use of glass in construction has become a fad. But it is not the right choice for Indian climate

Deep waters

Puducherry's plans for a new port have prompted unprecedented protests. Allegations of a huge land grab facilitated by procedural violations and …

Goa must grow...but how?

On January 26, 2007, the government of Goa withdrew its newest blueprint for the development of the state, called the Regional Plan 2011. …

Simply creative

General principles of architecture are imaginatively applied to create a green building in Gurgaon

Flickering ray of hope for hill areas

Although small hydro electric schemes are considered ideal for remote hill villages, planners have overlooked crucial factors and not all …

Who will help her learn?

Merely providing schools is not enough to educate the more than 197.34 million illiterate women in India. Far too often, girls have to drop out …

Sukhomajri at the crossroads

The forest department intervenes to spoil a successful conservation programme of a Haryana village. An assement by Richard Mahapatra

Fights for space

Once harmonious, the human-elephant relationship has taken an ugly turn. Faulty forest policies and nationwide destruction of elephant habitats …

Together they conquered

A village committee in Orissa improves the fate of its poverty-stricken people with dedication and determination

Dharavi's real estate threat

The Maharashtra government wants to redevelop Dharavi, Mumbai's sprawling slum. But its plan has not taken into account the fact that people not …

How green is your building?

The building's green credentials have been recognised internationally, most notably by the us Green Business Council (usgbc). The Washington-…

Digging their own grave

Extracting minerals and ornamental stone in the Aravallis - despit its environmental costs - is such a flourishing economic activity that …

Bickering scuttles power-saving project

Two non-resident Indians blame inter-organisational rivalry for the rejection of their proposal to use compact fluorescent lamps, which will …

Every cow-pat counts

Even the lowly cow-pat has ownership rules in rural India. But rights over dung, an important source of energy and soil fertilisation, vary from …

Villagers one up on government in greening project

The balding hills of Jadhera panchayat in Himachal Pradesh are regaining their vegetation, thanks to an unusual village chief

Efficient use of a scarce resource

Many organisations promote the use of fuel-efficient stoves for cooking, which is the biggest consumer of energy in India.

Biometric identification attracts major opposition

Demand grows for scrapping the biometric identification system  

When alienation ruins

Sandalwood smuggling, epitomised by Veerappan, has become a collective phenomenon involving entire villages, which even the ban on sandalwood …

Cricket emission levels and smokescreens

A new study shows it is not just English cricketers who are manipulatin4data for their benefit - the ministry of environment, too, is playing a …

Desert under siege

The Thar of Pakistan is an arid region troubled by long spells of drought, rapidly falling groundwater levels, abysmally low literacy levels and …

The sun in your kitchen

Virtually inexhaustible solar energy could be the cheapest cooking fuel the world has known

IN TUNE WITH THE MASSES

Before the elections, Congress's chances in Madhya Pradesh looked dismally thin. But an unusually high tribal turnout ensured that Digvijay Singh …

THE TEMPEST

Hurricane Mitch leaves Nicaragua and Honduras devastated, and over 10, 000 dead