The statistician who "planned" India
P C Mahalanobis can rightly be called the father of Indian statistics. Today, in the year of his birth centenary, he is remembered not only as …
Working to cleanse the Ganga
Several government and voluntary agencies are involved in the onerous task of cleaning up the country's best-known river.
Killed by indifference
When two young people die in a highway accident, is it destiny or a callous and indifferent administration?
Road to nowhere
By amending the National Highways Act, Prime Minister Deve Gowda seems to be "giving an open charter of exploitation to the building lobby"
Hear, hear!
The industry begrudges being left in the dark about the Cabinet's decision to form an environment appellate authority competent to tackle …
The never-green Gowda
The Prime Minister of India, in a rush to roll on the wheel of development, projects himself as an arrogant autocrat. His disregard for all …
Billed for conservation
A bill, to be tabled in Parliament early next year, will promote energy conservation in the industrial sector
What is the review committee up to?
The Narmada Bachao Andolan says it is content with the Narmada project review panel, but the government says there will be no change in the …
Rise in medical education fees on the cards
Prompted by a financial crunch, the ministry of health is considering raising fees in medical colleges to recover costs
Opium dreams lull most youth in UP district
Opium and its derivatives hold almost complete sway over the lives of most of the youth of Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, where the Union …
Farmers against even modest power rate hike
State ministers are giving the agriculture sector a breather by ignoring the Prime Minister's call to stop subsidising power supply and agreeing …
Streamlining forest protection law
States are complaining that project clearance delays are turning out to be the worst fallout of the Forest Conservation Act, which has otherwise …
Same problem, differing approaches
The government is roping in NGOs in the fight against pollution whereas industry is trying cleaner manufacturing processes
For the people
Grassroot bodies should pressurise the state government to effectively implement the new Act on tribal self-rule passed by the Centre
Farmer's right
A new draft of the Union for Protection of New Plants Varieties protects the rights of the farmers
The power of the zephyr
The government is sowing the wind for energy, attracting investments with the promise of fiscal felicity
Lifting of ban earns UP government brickbats
The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to lift the ban on tree-felling in the Garhwal Himalaya has brought on it the wrath of both the Central …
Blame it on the foreign hand
The government's policy of screening long-staying foreigners for AIDS is an attempt to find a scapegoat for a national health problem
New Bill aims to restrict groundwater use
The government is preparing legislation to regulate the use of tubewells because water-tables in the country are falling rapidly. But the …
Liberalisation viewed through worker's eyes
FOOD, HEALTH AND SURVIVAL IN INDIA AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Stuart Gillespie and Geraldine McNeill Publisher: Oxford University Press, Delhi Price:
Industry wary of entering handicapped market
New, more efficient aids are being developed for the physically handicapped under a government project. The stumbling blocks, however, are the …
Cloudy days for solar cooker
Subsidy amounts and sales figures may not always be indicators of commercial success. After a decade-old promotion campaign, only a few …
THE BIG BAD WHITE MEN
To villagers in Bihar, the Dunkel Draft and GATT are not proposals or agreements but a couple of angrez out to play havoc with their lives.
Boost to ecofriendly farming
A department of biotechnology project to popularise the production of biofertilisers has recently been approved.
No time to lose
The Union environment minister says that a comprehensive bill to protect India's biodiversity is on the anvil. But whether it can be a timely, …