Structural collapse
The rot has set in the construction sector. A dysfunctional clearance system has led to a series of building collapses in the recent past. …
Birlas fend off bid to close UP sugar mill
Hampered by a Supreme Court order, UP pollution control authorities are finding it difficult to close a Birla sugar unit emitting acidic …
Profit at any cost
The US drug companies want to maintain its monopoly over drug pricing -- a move that will delay the production of cheaper drugs
Order without science
On June 28, 1993, the Supreme Court of the us passed a verdict that tilted the scales of justice in favour of polluters by undermining the role …
Why do we need patents?
There is no empirical evidence that patents serve to increase innovation and productivity
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 …
Crank it up
Sugar mills in India are doubling up as power generators by burning crushed sugarcane or bagasse. But with the price of bagasse rising, their …
Red alert in Chhattisgarh
Land acquisition is at the centre of intense political and social disputes in the tribal hinterland of Chhattisgarh. On the one hand, Naxal …
When supervisors cheat
Book>> Experiment eleven, dark secrets behind the discovery of a wonder drug • by Peter Pringle • Bloomsbury • Rs 1,700
Bloody waters
The colour of water in more than 10 villages in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district is red. Despite severe strictures from the courts, the industry …
Virtual reality
A new computing laboratory can project larger than real life images of human body's smallest part
Sudev Barar on open-source software
Nuchem is a company in Delhi that develops and sells water/effluent treatment technologies, chemicals and laminated panels. Sudev Barar, its …
Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (September 18, 2023)
Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Lethal landscape
India has 134 contaminated hazardous sites and another 192 'probable' contaminated hazardous sites, which includes seven sites around the …
Drug companies are buying doctors – for as little as a $16 meal
An important new study in the United States has found doctors who receive just one cheap meal from a drug company tend to prescribe a lot more of …
How to love farmers-the Modi way
Like its other policies, the BJP government's Land Acquisition Ordinance favours industry at the cost of farmers
Ozone conundrum
Refrigeration and air-conditioning industry has switched to ozonefriendly hydrofluorocarbons. But these are super global warming gases and need …
Power at full capacity
The Power Finance Corp has recently initiated a programme to enhance energy efficiency by installing capacitors to harness the reactive load in …
You can't rub out this paint
Latex obtained from succulents can be used to manufacture a host of products such as paints, adhesives and roofing material
Science learns from tradition
Seeds of nuts used by Andhra tribals to purify water yields a substance that can be used to remove toxic metals from industrial waste.
Safety takes back seat to big bucks
China's industrial units have become death traps, as entrepreneurs on the run for a quick buck pay little heed to their workers' safety
Learning the language of transformation
PIONEERS OF CHANGE - EXPERIMENTS IN CREATING A HUMANE SOCIETY Jeremy Seabrook Publisher: New Society Publishers, Philadelphia Price: Not stated
Non-smoking beedi-rollers face cancer risk
About six million people employed in India's beedi industry risk developing cancer from handling tobacco leaves
Carpet-baggers get wise to child labour
Under pressure from importers and voluntary groups, traders are acknowledging the need to regulate the employment of children.
Quarrying for trouble
Controversy over Himachal limestone mining The subject of limestone mining in ecologically fragile Himachal Pradesh has become a political …