The villagers had rejected the project promoted by Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) at two public hearings held in June 2007 and in September 2009. But the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) cleared the project in Tikri village in Himachal in February.
One hundred and forty days before Delhi hosts the Commonwealth Games, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, on May 15, called a meeting to discuss ways to control air pollution in the city.
Pressure from the automobile industry is delaying implementation of tighter vehicular emission norms in cities across India. Though four-wheelers in 11 cities, including the four metros, switched from Bharat Stage (BS) III emission norms to BS IV on April 1, other cities supposed to make the switch from BS II to BS III norms have to wait.
Rural India is much poorer than officially thought. The Planning Commission has accepted the report of a committee, led by economist Suresh Tendulkar, which estimates that more than 41 per cent of rural India is poor. States will now have to issue more below poverty line (bpl) cards. But is the report an accurate index of poverty?
Across the Kathmandu valley one encounters stone water spouts beautifully carved in the form of water deities - a crocodile head representing the carrier of the Goddess Ganga, a serpent head. The divinely hitis also serve a more earthly purpose-a vital source of drinking water to the valley's parched populace.
India is on a mission to drastically ramp up its solar power production to 22,000 MW by 2022. But it is not so easy & will succeed only with right tariffs & good technology. Read this special report by Down To Earth on the technology, cost & operational challenges.
The government will soon introduce rules to regulate informal e-waste recycling sector, but the formal sector itself is flouting regulations. Read this DTE investigative report on the thriving "illegal trade of e-waste" and dangerous working conditions.
A Consumer movement is catching on in Nepal.Communities are extending the grid to villages.This threatens to undo the effort put in small-scale off-grid power generation to fight poverty. How can Nepal harmonize the two initiatives ?
The United Progressive Alliance government has drafted a showpiece bill to guarantee food for each and every poor person in India. But the government is yet to define who is poor. After objections from within and outside the government, the Empowered Group of Ministers (egom) that drafted the National Food Security bill said it will consider changes.
This Down To Earth report on how communities in Nepal have demanded their right to energy. It provides lessons for countries like India, keen on building decentralised systems and reinventing energy futures.
