In an effort to make environment science an interesting subject and change the wide perception that it is a mere formality, Maharashtra’s environment ministry has introduced Environment Service Scheme (ESS) for high school students. The new scheme, through excursions and trips, is expected to make the subject interesting. It will provide an opportunity for students to visit various…
According to the ministry of corporate affairs, the expenses incurred in training and skills enhancement of employees can be counted as a company’s contribution towards corporate social responsibility (CSR), and can be included in CSR spends in the annual report. The provision has been added in the new Companies Bill, which will be tabled in Lok…
The disturbing revelations of a study, done by research company AC Nielsen along with NGO Plan India, highlight the dismal state of hygiene in the country. In a shocking revelation, it is found that only 12 per cent of over 335 million menstruating women in India use sanitary napkins. The study made known that more than…
NGOs and local communities working for the conservation of Manas National Park welcomed the removal of the sanctuary’s name from the ‘danger’ list of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee . ‘We are very happy with the removal of the ‘danger’ tag from Manas. Finally, our efforts in conservation of the park have borne fruit,’ Soumey Dey,…
In an aim to guide forest staff to deal with a broad scenario related to man-animal conflict, the forest department has organized a training programme of forest officials from across Vidarbha in Nagpur division of Maharashtra. The seven-day training programme, being conducted by non-government organizations, is underway at the Central Forest Rangers College (CFRC). ‘While…
Evaluation by National Aids Control Organization (NACO) says that non-government organizations (NGOs) in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra have not been able to meet key parameters to prevent spread of HIV or AIDS. The organization termed the NGOs’ efforts as ‘failure’. Eight NGOs handling about 13 projects in Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Jalna were…
In an effort to prevent flowing contaminated water from tanneries to the river Ganga, Jairam Ramesh, union minister of state for environment and forests, formally launched lyophilization-based equipment at a common effluent treatment plant in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Lyophilization is a technique that allows saltless preservation of hides. The technique has been patented by the…
In the spirit of the theme of the conference I attended in Bonn (Resilient Cities: 2nd Annual World Congress on Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change, June 3″5, 2011), I was pleased to overcome the shock and surprise of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud and an e-coli food outbreak to share my latest research insights…
Although the environment ministry failed to implement its mandate of having air and water monitoring systems in place for the 11th five-year plan, it will study the impact of the environment on the health of the population. As per the plan, India was to have at least 1,000 air monitoring stations covering 500 cities and 2,000…
The government of India needs to repeal the sedition law, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), said civil rights activist Binayak Sen at a felicitation function in Kalyani, West Bengal.Earlier, Sen had accused the government of misusing the sedition laws to silence voices of dissent. Sen said…
