Big Tobacco is stubbed out
An arbitral ruling upholding Uruguay's anti-smoking regulations and fining Philip Morris is a big win for public health
Germany bans fracking indefinitely
The method of hydraulic fracking for extraction of shale gas has been controversial due to its environmental impacts
Odd-even experiment with private cars: Delhi CM appeals to people to make it successful
As of now, this experiment has been planned for 15 days and may be implemented again after a few months
Civil societies urges governments of India and Nepal to end blockade
A blockade on indispensable fuel and other essentials imported from India has now entered its third month
A look at the changing scenario of Bihar politics
Of late, women have become the it factor in elections. Caste also plays a dominant role in voter polarisation
Fifth Schedule and the fate of scheduled areas
Will the Xaxa committee report impact the Supreme Court’s impending judgment on Fifth Schedule?
Rs 60 crore for 250,000 panchayats
The Centre's decision to reduce Panchayati Raj Ministry's budget and transfer its schemes to states has left the ministry bewildered about its …
Bank’s first contest
Developing countries challenge US monopoly by putting up candidates for World Bank’s presidency
Not just water
Mineral or drinking water? Government sets new standards to reorganise the bottled water industry
Environmental injustice
The poorest people in urban India live in foul environs. Research from across the world shows that the poor stand greater risks of several cancers.…
Silenced to death
The media and the government keep mum on pollution-cancer linkages and the abysmal medical help available in India against the menace
When 'calamity' strikes
Water harvesting is the new catchword for the government struggling against drought. And the media is going out of its way to spread the word. In …
A bushful of medicine
Seabuckthorn, a plant with numerous medicinal properties, grows wild in India. Rural communities are the losers
Water revolution
It is not easy to initiate a movement for water conservation in the face of drought. But the Madhya Pradesh government pushed forward in all the …
Time to act
The Madhya Pradesh government has recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister seeking changes in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The …
Dumping nuclear burden
Australia's move to return to aborigines land located on former nuclear test site draws flak
Wishful thinking
The finance minister's budget speech has come and gone. As analysts sit down to shred it to bits, Down To Earth looks at a wish list of …
Colonial straitjacket
Book>> Becoming India Western Himalayas under British Rule by Aniket Alam Foundation Books, Delhi 2008
Reform for reform’s sake
Without bottom-up rehauling National Environment Protection Agency will be more of the same
Machiavellian moves
Rajasthan's decision to bar illiterate people from contesting elections to panchayats is one more example of a state government dominating …
Where are rural courts?
The Gram Nyayalaya Act was passed in 2008 to make the judicial process participatory, inexpensive and accessible to rural India. But rural courts …
Move to leash NGOs
Government and political parties see NGOs with suspicion. Arm-twisting has already begun
Waste: Unavoidable dangers
Industrialisation has brought prosperity. And increasing amount of wastes, especially plastics. The answer: burn it. But there is a problem: …
Time To Introspect
Policymakers must put public health above everything else to chart the future. Consumers must demand change so that industry can be forced to …
Battling climate change
Technologies exist to arrest global warming. But the political will to implement them is missing