G8 and tragedy of Africa
Rich nations are forcing African states to change laws to facilitate private investment in agriculture in a replay of colonial adventurism
Missing timber for wood
As the demand-supply gap for timber widens in India, it is time to exploit the potential of private plantations and government-managed forests in …
Into the abyss?
The situation of India's farmers has only become grimmer in the past decade, according to the latest National Sample Survey Office report
Indian thermal power plants got Rs 7.62 lakh crore in loans in 17 years: Report
Tamil Nadu got the most loans at over Rs 84,000 crore; followed by Telangana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
Lessons from two cities
Pune aims to become a zero-landfill city by 2015. With a range of solid waste management options, the target does not seem too ambitious. …
Perilous port
Proposed seaport in Vizhinjam can spell disaster for fishers, tourism and biodiversity in Kerala
On wrong wavelength
Twenty years after the Supreme Court asserted that people have a right over radio waves, community radio continues to struggle. Instead of …
World bodies to push for bringing Africa into carbon trade net
African Carbon Forum meet an opportunity to review progress on climate change mitigation in the continent'
Elderly & lonely
India has more elderly people than ever before. Most of them have little social security and cannot afford healthcare. While the government seems …
Hidden industry hand
Attempts are on to derail UN initiative to declare noncommunicable diseases a global priority
Salvage science
Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister seeks more funds and education reforms in science sector
The new Money plant
The seeds of a plant called jatropha yield oil that, after processing, makes biodiesel. It can reduce India's burgeoning oil import bill. And …
When flu turns fatal
In the past two months, as many as 1,198 people in India have died of swine flu, a disease which is only as threatening as seasonal flu. Jyotsna …
WHO's problem
As most developed countries shy away from increasing their contribution, a cash-strapped World Health Organization is forced to rely on private …
Keeping cancer alive
Punjab has been in the grip of cancer for over a decade but the government has ignored the threat. Sonal Matharu reports with photographer …
Biotech industry has a new patron
Department of Biotechnology is playing venture capitalist to private companies to push biotech research in agriculture
Ash flies in the face of power plan
Odisha gears up for more power generation but has no action plan for disposing of fly ash
Coal toll
More than 70 per cent of India's electricity is produced by coal-fired power plants. Most of them do not have modern technologies and use low-…
Coal quandary
In a sweeping pronouncement, the Supreme Court has termed all the 218 coal blocks allocated since 1993 illegal. This has raised a fundamental …
Controversial plan to sell water from Sheonath river
Ajit Jogi, Chhattisgarh chief minister, has announced an enquiry into the legality of India's first private project to supply water to industry …
Civil v political
Arguably, this is the hottest political summer for Delhi. Reason: friction between anti-corruption activists and the Union government over the …
Chhattisgarh will not allow GM crops
Chandrasekhar Sahu, agriculture minister of Chhattisgarh, is passionate about making farming a viable proposition for farmers. He has written …
Profiting from disaster
Zoramthanga , the chief minister of Mizoram, has many reasons to reminisce the birth of his party, the Mizo National Front, an insurgent group …
`Many doctors are simply businessmen'
Samiran Nundy, chairperson of the department of surgical gastroenterology and organ transplantation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and editor-in-chief …
Whose budget is it, Mr Jaitley?
Being the first full year budget of the National Democratic Alliance government, there was expectation that the finance minister's announcements …