PMO orders huge cuts in social sector spending for 2015-16

Employment guarantee, rural road and sanitation schemes among those likely to be affected

MDG Report 2014: India among worst performers in poverty reduction, maternal death and sanitation

Report shows good progress in areas like poverty alleviation and access to clean water and controlling diseases like TB, Malaria

Delhi rain, waterlogging puts the spotlight on urban flooding

Urban flooding has become increasingly frequent in India’s major cities

A tale of two cities

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 …

Can faith heal?

Billed as the largest gathering of humanity in recorded history, Maha Kumbh has commenced in Allahabad. Over the next few weeks, pilgrims will …

Around 818 mln children lack basic hand-washing facilities in schools: Report

Two in every five schools in the world do not provide children with soap and water, say the WHO and UNICEF

Rare takes on the year just passing by

Being a Down To Earth reporter entails merging the personal with the professional. The magazine you so dearly own has a fascinating world hidden …

News Briefs

Stench in my backyard

As Kerala cities dump their waste in the countryside, people in the villages hit back. An unresolved civic problem of decades compounded by …

What COVID-19 can mean for SDG-11, sustainable cities and communities in India

As urban vulnerabilities are amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea of sustainable cities in Sustainable Development Goals needs to be …

Letters

Bhutan’s experiments with happiness

The idyllic Buddhist kingdom believes that peace and happiness should take preference over material growth. In a world beset by inequities and …