Population populism: How redundant is UP’s two-child policy?

The recent UP Population Policy aims to reduce the state’s current total fertility rate, which is 2.7, and bring it down to 2.1 

UN Committee for World Food Security endorses voluntary guidelines to end hunger

The guidelines will contribute to realisation of global goals on  hunger and nutrition even as more than 3 billion people do not have access …

Coronavirus outbreak: A new mapping tool that lets you scroll through timeline

To provide a clearer picture of an evolving story, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has developed a new outbreak-…

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (April 24, 2019)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal

'Village forests have been pitted against community rights'

The proposed amendment of IFA is an attempt to keep power in the hands of the forest bureaucracy by playing up village forests against community …

'Sir… if we define forests, it could create many loopholes'

Union forest ministry’s reply to parliamentary committee’s query on absence of a clear definition of forests  

Are antibiotic resistant bacteria the new global epidemic?

Study says 131 antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) material, including blaNDM-1 gene first found in India in 2008, has been found in the&…

Rewind 2018: Development and fire eat up India’s forest cover

The country’s greenery suffered several blows in the past year as it was compromised for vertical growth and authorities could not curb …

Ireland becomes the fourth EU country to ban fracking

Fracking is a controversial method used to extract shale gas by breaking rock and is considered to be very harmful for the environment

Gujarat is misusing forest laws under garb of ‘sustainable’ development

Forest lands, over which rights of adivasis have been recognised or are pending recognition, have been usurped for carrying out plantations under …

Long overdue change made in new draft of Forest Policy

The new draft National Forest Policy takes into account the paradigm shift in present realities due to climate change

Is SECI offering too much support to slowing solar sector?

Transformation of Solar Energy Corporation of India from a unit that manages distribution of solar subsidies into a trader of solar power can be …

‘India needs interdisciplinary studies to tackle antibiotic resistance’

New study says that India has the highest rates of resistance to antibiotics despite less consumption

Afforestation: money on the trees

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act could redefine forest governance. But will it protect the rights of forest dwellers?

Hunger levels in India still ‘serious’, shows global hunger index report

Report released by US-based non-profit indicates that 2 billion people in the world suffer from hidden hunger, affecting their health and productivity

In wait for revamp

Researchers and government call for new ideas to revive Indian science yet again. Will it work?

Bureaucracy has no idea about health care trends

T Jacob John , professor of virology and paediatrics at Christian Medical College, Vellore, speaks to Raj Kishor Khaware on the state of health …

Spare change

Resources devoted to health care systems are neither divided equitably nor in proportion to the distribution of health problems

Back to basics

Integrating indigenous knowledge in joint forest management projects is an essential prerequisite for the success of such programmes, but years …

"Industries are not for the welfare of the consumer"

In the context of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study on pesticides in bottled water, Sharad Yadav, Union minister …

Time to Plug in

The International Conference for Renewable Energies is to be held in Bonn, Germany. But here is a sector dwarfed by fossil fuels, and although …

Radioactive mirage

India is aggressively shopping for nuclear fuel and technology to ramp up its energy production. What does it mean in terms of cost, technology …

World Cities Day: How humans and robots can co-exist in cities

Robots are taking on more tasks in the world’s cities but create more challenges for policymakers

India’s ‘missing’ forests: DTE analysis exposes big gap in latest national forest survey estimates

According to a DTE analysis, there are states where over 30-50 per cent of the land classified as forests is ‘missing’ from the …

Can adulteration of edible oils be addressed by the Goonda Act?

Madras HC recently called for classifying those who adulterate food as goons; but we need long-term solutions