Food Security Bill a step towards hunger eradication: KV Thomas
‘The day is not far off when India will be known the world over for this important step towards eradication of hunger, malnutrition and resultant poverty,’ asserted Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Professor KV Thomas with regard to the National Food
Supreme Court asks Sterlite Industries to pay Rs 100 crore for polluting environment
The Supreme Court has imposed a fine of Rs 100 crore on Sterlite Industries, part of Vedanta Resources, for polluting environment through its copper-smelting plant in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu. However, the apex court refused to direct closure of the plant. The company has
Solar energy: Pay-as-you-go model makes it affordable for rural
Yet another new developmental experiment to have reached rural India is the pay-as-you-go model for solar power. The idea has been implemented on a small scale by Simpa Networks. With a little down payment initially, a villager can get a high-quality solar home system
Child marriage: Govt working on a national plan to prevent it
Accepting that ‘child marriages continue to take place at some places in Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,’ and that ‘it is also prevalent in West Bengal,’ Women and Child Development Minister of Krishna Tirath has told the Rajya Sabha that a national action
Economic Survey: New avenues needed for sustainable development
With resource crunch posing a major challenge, India needs to find new and additional financing avenues as well as technology to ensure sustainable development, the Economic Survey for 2012-13 has said. ‘While it makes efforts to efficiently and expeditiously bring price signals and
India ranked least green in terms of electric car emissions
India has been classified as the least green country to make and drive electric cars, according to a report by independent research group Shrink That Footprint. The bottom-most ranking is due to an electricity grid dominated by high-carbon coal. Titled ‘Shades of
CSR: ‘There will be no Inspector Raj. It is the companies’ money and they will decide what to do with it…’ says Sachin Pilot
“There will be no ‘Inspector Raj’. It is the companies’ money and they will decide what to do with it, and how to spend it. The provision is about self-regulationâ€â€¦ Here is a communiqué from Sachin Pilot, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry
Microfinance dipping worldwide; India leads
The number of the world’s poorest families who received access to microcredit and other financial services declined – for the first time – in 2011 over the previous year and India accounted for almost all of the reduction, according to the latest ‘State
MoEF seeks more funds towards Green India Mission
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has sought Rs 462 crore in its budgetary allocation for improving the forest cover in India by five million hectares over the next 10 years as part of the Green India Mission. This is a substantial
Consider CSR spends as investment, not tax: Pilot
Responding to the mixed reactions of the industry on mandatory spends towards corporate social responsibility (CSR), Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot said that the industry should not think of it as another tax. The ministry issued a statement saying that the government wanted