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Farce In Myanmar
THE first election in Myanmar in 20 years should not be mistaken as a step towards democracy. The elections, held under the supervision of the military junta and with rules that made it difficult for independent political parties to field candidates, was more like window dressing by an authoritarian regime.
Poverty In India
Indian economic growth has been accelerating steadily over the last few decades and may well exceed ten percent per annum in the near future. Yet India as a whole is still quite poor, and the poorest Indians are among the world’s poorest. The average Indian’s income (measured at purchasing power parity) is $3,100. The average […]
India’s Poor human development
AS A major driver of world growth, India’s record on human development is very disappointing. The fastest growing economy of the world after China ranked a poor 119 on the United Nations Development Programme’s latest Human Development Index of 169 countries, trailing behind even countries with modest growth, in indicators such as education, health and […]
Protecting The Western Ghats
THE Western Ghats, the 1,600-km mountain range that runs from Gujarat to Kerala, is recognised as one of the world’s ten top bio-diversity hotspots with 1,471 species of flowering plants and 403 species of birds. The Western Ghats have come under severe pressure mainly from mining activity.
‘Draft CRZ notification will destroy ecology’
The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) has unanimously rejected the draft coastal zone regulation notification, demanded its withdrawal and decided to launch a nationwide agitation to demand the right to life and livelihood of the fishing community and for the protection of the coastal environment. The draft notification seeks to regularize all the amendments to the 1991 […]
How The Government Is Subverting The forest Rights Act
The government of India views MFP rights as a means to curb Naxalism since the states most affected by Naxalism are also home to the maximum number of people dependent on forest produce. These states contribute more than 90 per cent of the MFP trade. Only 1.6 per cent of the 2.9 million claims approved […]
The State of Environment Report India-2009
The State of Environment Report India-2009 presents an overview of the environmental scenario of our country. Its objective is to serve as a base line document to help assist decision making and policy formulation. Read the report
Draft Regulatory Framework for Wetlands Conservation
The Ministry has released a draft of the Regulatory Framework for Wetland Conservation for feedback from all stakeholders. The draft framework was prepared by a multi-disciplinary expert group.The date of inviting the comments has been extended to July 31st, 2010. A background note and the draft framework is appended. Read background note and regulatory framework
Air Pollution
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted in 1981 and amended in 1987 to provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution in India. Click to view the act
Water Pollution
The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted in 1974 to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution, and for the maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water in the country. The Act was amended in 1988. Click to view the act