Pantabhat - well slept rice

Rice has been a staple food of West Bengal from antiquity and thus was grown in abundance all across the region. At one time, 60 varieties of …

COVID-19: Bengal tops in death rate; blame it on Kolkata

Bengal mortality rate at 9%; about 68% of total deaths in state recorded in Kolkata, says data 

West Bengal polls: What’s in it for Adivasis and forest dwellers?

For political parties, tribal votes matter more than including tribal concerns in their political agenda.  

CSE-trained professionals prepare India’s first rural water and sanitation safety plan

The Brahamandiha water and sanitation safety plan was launched on March 15, 2021 for the Brahmandiha Gram Panchayat of Bankura …

COVID-19: Calcutta HC to decide on Ganga Sagar Mela, Bengal municipal polls

Doctors, activists have urged judiciary, state government to defer ‘super spreader’ events such as Ganga Sagar Mela, municipal polls …

Climate change is real: Assam tea did not see a second flush this year

Measures to mitigate the impact of climate change on the tea industry need to be urgently undertaken, say tea experts

Economic impacts of festivals: A case study of Durga Puja in West Bengal

The economic worth of creative industries around this Durga Puja was estimated at Rs 32, 377 crores; it has sizeable shrunk due to COVID-19 and …

Fish species found only in the Pacific, discovered in the Bay of Bengal

The flower scorpionfish that was found in 1929 in the sea off Japan, has now been found in Digha, West Bengal and Paradip in Odisha

No buyers, shut units: How COVID-19 hit farmers in Bengal’s pineapple hub

Several in Bidhannagar in Bengal’s Darjeeling district resorting to distress sales to pay off loans; others migrating to other cities to …

Cyclone Amphan: Building back with resilient infrastructure and community engagement

Transitional shelters have proven to be cost-effective over time if implemented correctly

The fiery flavours of stem pepper

The pepper species, relatively unexplored, is restricted to a few pockets in West Bengal

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (June 3, 2020)

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

With 77% posts vacant, West Bengal’s drugs units and blood banks continue without licenses: CAG

Even most samples to be tested and certified by state’s drug inspectors for quality and safety for sale expired in laboratory before they …

People in Sundarbans most susceptible to climate change

The Indo-Bangladesh deltaic region has been experiencing storm surges and cyclones over the past seven years

Kolkata's desi soft drink

The US beverage giants shell out billions to pop out punch-lines, and repackage Shah Rukh Khan to counter the repackaged Aamir Khan and vice-versa.…

Bitters for starters

A typical Bengali meal is eaten course by course. Kaushik Das Gupta shows how the tradition helps refine taste buds

Bengal Barrier: Experts question plan to erect ‘green wall’ on state’s western border and stop pollutants

Research shows that Bengal receives less transboundary pollution compared to other Indian states

2 days after Amphan landfall, Sagar island still left in the lurch

Local administration in the island struggle with limited resources in the aftermath of cyclone Amphan

Amphan will bring saline water 25 km inland, cause large scale inundation: IMD

A storm surge will cause large-scale flooding and bring saline water in agricultural fields and people’s homes

Cyclone Asani not to hit West Bengal, confirms IMD

Asani was not even responsible for the deluge in the state May 9, the weather agency added

Ivory sculptures in Hoogly? The whole of Bengal is susceptible to wildlife trafficking, say experts

Hoogly did have an ivory casting industry in the past; it could also be emerging as a new transit point for wildlife trafficking post-Covid

International Women’s Day: How women lead climate adaptation in eastern India’s Adivasi areas

Wattle and daub houses maintained largely by women in tribal parts of Odisha and Bengal provide cool shelter to families when temperatures soar

COVID-19: Cases, positivity rate soar in Kolkata after Christmas revelry

The positivity rate in the city rose from 3.2 per cent in early December to 5.5 per cent on December 28 

The Sundarbans: India must protect the world’s largest delta from a dystopian future, and now

We must get out of ‘beyond disaster response’ mode in the Sundarbans and take urgent action to save it

Not just climate change, Farakka also to blame for 2021 Bihar floods

Farakka construction has caused siltation in Bihar and eastern UP, leading to a rise in the Ganga riverbed’s height, which caused floods in …