NDA 2.0: What it means for India’s environment?
With the renewed mandate that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has received, there is a likelihood of it continuing its environmental policies, focusing on the ease of business and…
Amid elections, government proposes overhaul of environment clearance rules
In April, as India was busy in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the central government moved to “re-engineer” the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006, which governs environment clearance for industrial…
Nature and tribal welfare takes a back seat during the elections in the Nilgiris
One of the most biodiverse regions of the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris (the blue mountains) comprise a range of ecosystems including dry deciduous forests at its base, dense evergreen forests…
Marathwada parched as watershed conservation remains neglected
Every few years, the recurring drought in Marathwada region of Maharashtra is attributed to poor rains. Stop-gap arrangements for tanker water, fodder camps or jobs under the Employment Guarantee Scheme…
Goa mining languishes as revival attempts remain in limbo
On February 26, this year, mining unions, workers, truck, river barges and machinery owners staged a shutdown in major mining towns in Goa. Their demand: governments at the Centre and…
Shrinking area and decreasing farm productivity in Kaveri delta
Despite being one of the oldest water-regulator structures in the world that is still functional, the Kallanai dam or the Grand Anicut looks almost empty with not much water to…
Elections hold out little hope for Punjab’s farmers
In January this year, farmers across the state of Punjab took to the roads in protest. In 12 districts of the state, they were protesting against banks that filed cases…
[Obituary] India loses its pioneering environment journalist
Darryl D’Monte, India’s pioneering environment journalist and editor died in Mumbai on March 16. He was 75. Earlier in his career, he was resident editor of the Indian Express and…
Schoolchildren in Assam produce their agenda for the national elections
Children across the world have realised it's now or never. As youth worldwide skip schools today in protest to demand action on climate change, a group of girls in the flood-prone…
[Commentary] A ‘people’s manifesto’ for the 2019 national elections in India
In late February, about 50 movements and organisations from various parts of India released a ‘People’s Manifesto for a Just, Equitable, and Sustainable India’. This was sent to political parties…
