It is fairly well known that ITC Limited, India’s biggest blue-chip company, earns its bread and butter from selling tobacco products like cigarettes and cigars. Its revenue for 2011-12 is a mammoth Rs 36,000 crore (US $7.2 billion) and net profit, Rs 6,162 crore ($1.23 billion). 

When the green rating results of steel sector were released recently by CSE, industry was quick to pass the buck on poor quality of Indian raw materials and other obscure and ‘uncontrollable’ technical factors. But are they the only reasons leading to poor performance? Surely not. As the two-year survey reached final stages, a much deeper and hitherto unexplored reason emerged in the form of misaligned organisational behaviour, culture and functioning.

I have read with interest the article “Kudankulam Meltdown” by Latha Jishnu and others. Since it is based on a direct interaction with the people residing near the project site, it has authenticity.

I live in Visakhapatnam which is close to Kovvada where NPCIL is planning to set up another nuclear power complex. The Kudankulam experience is therefore relevant to people like me.

By Nityanand Jayaraman

If you believe the financial press, one of the biggest environmental stories this past year has been the question of "go" and "no go" areas for coal mining.

The severe quake that hit Japan earlier this month and the devastating tsunami that followed it were unfortunate. These two events triggered a series of explosions at Fukushima Daiichi and a few other nuclear power installations. The Dept.

1. While India is seriously engaged in global climate talks, it has simultaneously launched a highly misconceived plan to set up private “merchant” power plants based on coal.
   

I represent the Forum for Better Visakha (FBV) based at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. We have been active for quite sometime in highlighting the meaning of "development" as perceived by the local communities. I have tried to document the relevant concerns in my article on Sompeta in Economic and Political Weekly.