India has decided to move to much cleaner BS VI auto fuel from BS IV auto fuel which is currently in use. This effectively means that it has skipped past BS V auto fuel. The government in consultation with stakeholders has now decid
Per capita disease burden measured as disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) rate has dropped by about a third in India over the past 26 years, said a Lancet study. The study “Nations within a nation: variations in epidemiologi
If only fossils could talk. When a team of researchers recently unearthed a gigantic fossil of a sea creature that lived millions of years ago in Kutch, they took us back in time to when there were just two continents in the whole world – Go
You may not realise it, but when you keep the engine idling at red lights and during traffic jams, you are significantly polluting the air. There are a host of factors which lead to poor quality of air and idling engines is certainl
Main hawa hoon, kahan watan mera? (I’m the wind...do I have a nation to call my own?) Thus goes a famous Urdu ghazal, written by the Indore-born Ameeq Hanafi and soulfully sung by the Hussain brothers of Jaipur. It is immensely popular acros
The latest leak of data about international tax offenders, ‘Paradise Papers’, has prompted former UK prime minister Gordon Brown to launch an online petition to the Group of 20, seeking an end to all tax havens. “E
India’s northeast is all set to get the country’s first "air dispensary", which will be in a helicopter. The ministry of development of northeast (DONER) has contributed Rs. 25 crore as part of the initial fund
Providing access to affordable and quality educational resources, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India Foundation has started a community library and resource centre in Gurgaon. The initiative is called `Saksharta se Safalta’ a
Niti Aayog had come up with suggestions on how to tackle air pollution, much before smog smothered Delhi and its neighbouring states. However, the recommendations were not implemented. The
When it comes to listing the benefits of neem leaves, properties like anti-bacterial and anti-fungal come immediately to the mind. But did you know that these humble leaves can help a child in getting admitted to a school, or help someone buy a re
A Lancet study, which comes at a time when Delhi is struggling with thick smog, has shown that air pollution is linked to weaker bones and bone fracture risk The study “Association of air particulate pollution with bone loss o
The odd-even formula being bandied about by the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi may not be answer to the smog that is stifling life in the national capital. In clearly a knee-jerk reaction, the authorities have now brought back
Fiscal transfers from the centre to states are critical in India. Unlike in many developed federations when the tax base differentials are not very significant, India has large and growing horizontal fiscal imbalances besides a high degree of vert
Not just Indians, the Pakistanis too are finding it hard to deal with smog and Pakistan’s Punjab government has asked chief minister Amarinder Singh to quickly tackle this issue. “We have imposed a ban on stubble burning
The odd-even formula of traffic rationing is going to be implemented in Delhi in an effort to tackle the smog that has made it difficult to breath in the national capital. The Delhi government said it will impose the odd-even car ra
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken a serious view of the “life-threatening high pollution” in Delhi/NCR, and has sought reports, within two weeks, from various union Ministries and the state governments of Delhi, Pun
The burning of stubble, the cut stalks left sticking out of the ground after the grain is harvested, has largely been blamed for the smog that has enveloped north India and left people
The directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC), Tamil Nadu’s watchdog against corruption, seems to be working at a snail’s pace. Here is an egregious example. Tamil Nadu medical services corporation (TNMSC) had
In order to prevent victim-shaming of the rape and sexual assault survivors, there is a need for continuous sensitisation of the police staff, said retired IPS officer Meeran Borwankar, during the release of a report on victim-shaming
This NASA image only shows half the truth. People living in the Delhi NCR region are experiencing the real horror. Breathlessness, itchy eyes and sore throat are the immediate reactions. Only time will tell the long term effects of this deadly smo
