The brokering of deals between international carbon trading brokers and Indian government bodies to reduce energy consumption and earn carbon credits has gained momentum in recent weeks. Not many people noticed the surprise, albeit non-political, move sprung by Mayawati's Uttar Pradesh government late last month through its electricity body, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation (UPPCL).

India Inc. is embroiled in a war of words with Coal India (CIL), the country's largest producer and supplier of coal. With an annual production of more than 350 million tonnes of raw coal last year, Kolkata-based CIL meets the coal requirements of more than 80 per cent of the industry, which gives the government-owned and run company a near monopoly status in the coal market. Traditionally, allocation of coal was done by CIL in consultation with the Ministry of Coal.

CROSSING OVER: A little girl in Rajasthan goes to a state school supported by Mahindra & Mahindra

Public Money: Health groups fear the new bill will facilitate private property with public funds (Pic By Subhabrata Das)

Bitter-Sweet: According to World Health Organization figures, more than 32 million Indians suffer from diabetes (Pic By Subhabrata Das)

Healthy Brew: Differently-abled children benefit hugely from the training provided at Tata Tea's vocational centres (Pic By C.P. Shanmugham)

Hospet, a small town around 350 km from Bangalore, is perennially cloaked in a red dust that emanates from the scores of pit iron ore mines that dot the area. According to numerous watchdog groups, such as

Trying Hard: India's largest private sector company is making a late but concerted entry into CSR (Pic By Subhabrata Das)

"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that.'

China is buying farm lands abroad to ensure food supplies at home GURBIR SINGH GREEN PASTURES: China is eying Brazil's 1.2 billion acres of fallow land for farming (Reuters) The next step towards globalisation comes from an unexpected quarter