Two incidents that made me ask: Whither forestry extension?
Extension programmes in forest institutions are meant to benefit stakeholders, mainly farmers, villagers and rural communities
Yellow rust strikes wheat in northern India
ICAR, agricultural universities and state agriculture departments issue advisories, alerts
High risk
Problem: Tall buildings risky in high seismic zones; Status: Hill-stations are getting concretised and growing vertically; Challenge: Use local …
What goes down
Problem: Lack of space for garbage disposal; inadequate sewerage; Status: Garbage disposed on hill slopes ends in streams/rivers; Challenge: …
Defying gravity
Problem: Terrain forbids water supply systems that work in plains; Status: Water crisis in peak season every year; Challenge: Develop …
Local travails
Problem: Tourist influx too large; earnings flow downhill; Status: Residents forced to share meagre facilities with tourists; Challenge: Regulate …
Think institution
The need of the hour is to decentralise drought management and think long-term
Counting the cost
Is Span motel's punishment commensurate with its crime? Experts wonder...
Jaypee powers ahead in Himachal
‘Company built power plant illegally; managed clearance’
Testing time
Revisits by Down To Earth reporters to villages that undertook water harvesting offer some valuable lessons in drought management
Made to fail
Employment Guarantee Scheme, first of its kind drought relief scheme has had no impact on the drought-prone areas of Maharashtra in almost 30 …
Out of focus
The government's drought relief programmes are bound to fail in the long run. Even the Planning Commission acknowledges that funds for the …
The Monsanto way
How the US multinational won state governments and influenced policy
Grim reminder
A fleeting reappearance of plague exposes India's lack of preparedness
Pinewood smoke: Cause of lung problems
Making money through herbs in Himachal
Medicinal plants can improve the fortunes of state's rural poor
Himachal denotifies sanctuaries for hydel projects
Caution: pastures ahead
India’s health expenditure down to 3.2% of GDP in 2018-19
National Health Accounts report shows out-of-pocket expenses down, but still significantly higher than global average
Too cut & dried
Does the style of conserving forests currently dominant in India require an overhaul? Yes, say state governments and affected people. ruksan …
No freeloaders
COVID-19: Experts look at mushrooms for employment, immunity concerns
The Directorate of Mushroom Research in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan announced release of four new high-yielding strains of mushrooms recently
Drowned in power
Hydropower plants in Himachal Pradesh sell electricity at a loss due to lack of buyers
In Short
IN SHORT