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The vilification of Pachauri


The IPCC's working must be streamlined, but to call for Dr Rajendra Pachauri's removal as its head is plainly a vicious personal attack at best, writes Darryl D'Monte.




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Where does the Yamuna flow?


It is one thing to decide in a court of law that the floodplain of the Yamuna does not extend to the site of the Commonwealth Games village. It is quite another thing to keep the river out. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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Inviolate space for conservation is not negotiable


Man-animal conflict in India is taking a heavy toll on habitat and thereby the survival of wildlife. Malini Shankar writes that there is no option but to relocate forest-dwellers out of protected areas.




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Montreal Protocol: The unfinished agenda


The replacement of CFCs by more benign HCFCs and HFCs has removed the risks linked to ozone depletion, but these gases continue to contribute to global warming. Darryl D'Monte reports.




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The cost of the coast


The people of Mundra coast face a constant struggle to protect their commons, rights and the very socio ecological character of the region from the massive land use changes around them. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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NGT: The first seven months


The first set of hearings winds its way through the newly established environment tribunal, against the backdrop of a government push to speed up industrialisation in forest areas. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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The saffronisation of green


The sometimes nebulous connection between green and saffron, or Hindu chauvinism is the topic of a new book, with a major part covering Anna Hazare's work in Ralegan Siddhi. Darryl D'Monte connects the dots.




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Different reef, same barrier


As the Mundra project of the Adani group moves ahead relentlessly in Gujarat, a new front opens up in the company's troubles with environmental regulations, in faraway Australia. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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Biosafety: Who is liable for damages?


The BRAI Bill 2013 purports to uphold the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety but completely overlooks a critical sub-protocol that provides for liability and redress in case of damage to biodiversity. Shalini Bhutani explains why that defeats the very purpose of the Bill.




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Farmers take the long-term view, with long stalk rice


A group of committed individuals in Alappuzha, Kerala are battling odds to revive cultivation of the unique Pokkali variety of paddy that had given way to the more lucrative business of shrimp farming. P N Venugopal reports.




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Old approvals from a new regulator?


The SC orders the government to constitute an independent environmental regulatory authority. While the flaws in the current arrangement are plain, it is not clear if independence of the regulator alone can address these, writes Kanchi Kohli.




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Steeling into Rowghat’s future


Iron ore from the proposed Rowghat mines in Chhattisgarh is crucial for the sustenance of the Bhilai steel plants. This, however, not only poses a grave threat to the forest ecology of the area, but is also itself vulnerable. Kanchi Kohli details the complexities.




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Planning for a climate-resilient city


Indian cities have been identified as among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Shrimoyee Bhattacharya and Sujaya Rathi explore how the envisioned plan for Bangalore can build in increased resilience to climatic variations and impact.




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Shifting goalposts as summit winds down


As the draft agreement is getting ready at the Climate Change Conference in Paris, Darryl D’Monte gives a final round-up on how countries are changing their alliances keeping their own interests in mind, and if it will be possible for a developing nation like India to work towards a low-carbon future.




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What Chernobyl and Fukushima remind us


On the 30th anniversary of the catastrophic nuclear accident in Chernobyl, one can ignore the lessons – as well as those of the Fukushima plant, only at our peril, writes Darryl D’Monte.




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Funding the coal boom


Darryl D’Monte looks into why World Bank through its affiliates continues to fund coal power stations in India despite its claims to contrary.




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Crying out for strong environmental regulator


Himanshu Upadhyaya takes a close look at the Critically Polluted Areas mentioned in a recent CAG audit report on the environmental clearances and post clearance monitoring process of Ministry of Environment.




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The need to reform environment clearance process


Debadityo Sinha discusses how a coal power plant managed to receive environmental clearance by giving false information, which the National Green Tribunal finally overturned.




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Residents using rule of law to secure justice


Hasmukh Dhumadia narrates his experience of helping the local residents of a village in Gujarat in their fight for environmental justice.




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Mumbai after the 2005 deluge


July 26, 2017 marked the 12th anniversary of Mumbai’s mega flood in 2005. Darryl D’Monte looks into the causes and effects of the deluge.




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Indira Gandhi’s elite environmentalism : a paler shade of green


Darryl D’Monte reviews Indira Gandhi – A Life in Nature , a new book focussing on Indira Gandhi as a naturalist.




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More money for more dust


Harapriya Nayak and Santosh Dora share their experience of working with the tribals of a small village in Odisha, who were suffering because of heavy mining happening in their area and how they brought about a change.




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Forget politics, focus on smog science


It’s not the crop burning, stupid. It’s vehicles that create smog and the media should educate the public. Anup Kumar explains.




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Are we celebrating too much too soon? | The DNA Bill is a recipe for disaster | When schools and parents clash


As India celebrates her 69th year of Independence, we take a look at the ramifications of the Supreme Court's ruling on allowing an unwed mother to be the sole guardian of the child without the consent of the child's father, a dissent note on the final draft of the Human DNA Profiling Bill which the government wanted to pass in the latest parliament session, why the modern parents and the school authorities lack mutual trust and respect, the conundrum of energy deficit and energy surplus in different parts of India, how the old fishing villages in Mumbai are in danger of disappearing, and more.




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Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai | “Settling” forest rights in “campaign mode” | For Pakistani Hindus in India, hopes start to sour


In this edition we look at a powerful documentary on the Muzaffarnagar communal riots that shook the nation in September 2013, the plight of Pakistani Hindus refugees in Delhi, the intent behind settling the forest rights claims of tribals, the crime, atrocities and discrimination against Dalits which is on  rise, the sad state of our nation's health care system, the message of Pope Francis’s latest Encyclical, and much more.




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Easing building regulations | What is really driving India’s Pakistan strategy? | One year of the Modi government


In this edition we look at the implications of the recent amendent to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), the performance of the present government which completed one year in the office, the poor menstrual hygiene effecting our older school-going girls, the sad state of sanitary conditions in the slums of Assam, how Muslim women are stepping out to set up businesses in Kashmir while in Uttar Pradesh they suffer as their husbands are being branded a terrorist, the review of Harsh Mander's latest book, and much more.




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How long before we can address mental health issues humanely | A celluloid tribute to Gandhi


In this edition we celebrate the World Mental Health Day by bringing you stories of some mental illness surviors, we remember the Father of the Nation with a review of film Gour Hari Dastaan inspired by his ideals. We also take a look into why developing Amravati, the capital Andhra Pradhesh, in the land earmarked for it could be a disaster, the pollution caused by chemical factories in Vapi , the corruption that is derailing our Tribal Sub Plan and more.




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Addressing Make in Africa, at the India-Africa Summit | On the waterfront in Mumbai | The military musical chairs


In this edition we look at the recently concluded India-Africa Forum Summit, how the original habitants and workers of Mumbai Port are being ignored in the port redevelopment plans, how the RTE Act faring in the State of Tamil Nadu, the rights of the Indian domestic workers, the business of illegal sand mining, how a village is showing the way to sustainable living and much more.




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Romila Thapar on the importance of speaking out | Upholding the rights of a child


In this edition we look at the rising intolerance in country and how it can be alleviated as per the eminent historian Ms. Romila Thapar, how our nation is failing to nourish it's children, what is harming our coasts, natural flora and fauna, how we can use technology to make our society more equal and much more.




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Shifting goalposts as summit winds down | Surviving stigma: HIV care and the aftermath


In this edition we have reports on the recently concluded Paris Climate Change Conference by Darryl D'Monte who was in Paris. We also look at the shocking realities faced by AID patients and their families, how CAG is in trouble in Delhi for auditing three power distributors, will the Sustainable Development Goals of UN achieve what the Millennium Development Goals failed to do and much more.




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Turning a full circle | Where is the forest case headed?


We wish you a happy and prosperous New Year 2016. We hope you will continue to support our in-depth, non-partisan journalism by donating generously to India Together at https://www.payumoney.com/paybypayumoney/#/B592DB569E40F8E281ACF34D39FFFA06.
 
We end an eventful 2015 by looking into the controversial Maheshwar Hydropower Project, what is happening to several forest cases, how some sex workers are empowering themselves by gaining legal knowledge, an interesting learning institute called Adivasi Academy, and much more.




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With road rationing, Delhi fights air pollution | Why must only the poor suffer?


In this edition, we look into the odd-even traffic experiment going on in Delhi to combat its air pollution, how poor people lost eye sight in botched up cataract surgeries performed in Barwani, Madhya Pradesh, the skill deficit in the emerging work force of our country, an interview with the well-known Tamil feminist writer C S Lakshmi, and more.




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Trade rules and what they eclipse | The Supreme Court just made it easier for you to save lives; here’s how!


In this edition, we celebrate the International Women's Day by bringing out inspiring stories of Soni Sori and the girl footballers from Chennai. We also look into why India's solar mission is in dispute with WTO, the Good Samaritan guidelines that are made compulsory now, and more.




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Livelihood crisis for Chakma, Hajong refugees


45 years after their settlement in Arunachal Pradesh, these refugees are still fighting for citizenship and livelihood rights. There is sustained local opposition to their settlement, reports Ratna Bharali Talukdar.




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Faceless citizens


While the economy has strangled the livelihood of North Indian vendors in Mumbai, a politician has muffled their voice. And the media and policymakers are looking the other way, writes Kalpana Sharma.




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The wonder climber for areca nut trees


A new mechanical device that makes areca nut harvesting less labour-intensive and hence affordable could solve one of the major problems faced by farmers of the crop. Shrikrishna D reports.




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35? You’re too old for AIR!


In 2013, Prasar Bharati took a decision to stop broadcasts by all contractual radio presenters above the age of 35 on All India Radio’s FM Rainbow channel. Anoo Bhuyan delves into the dynamics behind this surprising move and examines the larger implications of the same.




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Why ‘skilling’ India must focus on schooling


The thrust on vocational skills and values among the youth has more often looked at solutions based on extraneous skill-development modules. E S Ramamurthy explains why a more skilled future workforce must entail fundamental reforms in schooling.




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Keep our rivers flowing!


A report from the water resources ministry underlines, for the first time, the importance of ‘e-flows’ in river basin planning, so that our rivers are able to carry out all the functions needed to sustain entire riparian systems. Shripad Dharmadhikary discusses the key points in the report.




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In Vapi, can decades of damage be finally turned around?


Rapid industrial growth brought wealth but also unchecked pollution to the town of Vapi. It impacted the local fishing communities by destroying their livelihoods. Manisha Goswami and Bharat Patel report on the decades of damage caused by the chemical industries in the area.




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Can we do something for those we cannot do without?


In an upper to middle income household a domestic help and her services are indispensable. Yet, she is not given the diginity, living wages and other benefits one gets in the organised sector. Pushpa Achanta talks to the activists working for the domestic workers' rights to find out more.




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A programme for functional literacy


A few months of learning using the primers developed by Utthan have helped over 2000 women in the ravine regions of Bundelkhand so far; they no longer rely on the assistance of others for their daily reading needs. Freny Manecksha reports that crossing this threshold helps open the women many other doors too.




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Clear the jails first


There are 250,000 people languishing in jails waiting for the courts to hear their cases. But far from facilitating the release of those who have been detained for years, the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act is a reversal of many Supreme Court decisions, writes Colin Gonsalves.




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Defending the right to legal aid


Convicted of murder without a lawyer to represent him during the trial, a man was finally set free by the Bombay High Court after a human rights lawyer obtained the landmark order that upholds the constitutional right for legal aid in case of indigent and poor undertrials.




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A mother's fight for justice


Despite all that she has endured, Neelam Katara remains a picture of stoic determination and motherly affection. Vasudha Mehta visits her to learn what her son's murder and the subsequent trial have taught her about the justice system.




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Muslim women fight patriarchal Sharia laws


Several women’s groups are now fighting the age-old gender bias perpetuated by Sharia law and finding ways to help Muslim women who have suffered due to its patriarchal dispensations. Pushpa Achanta reports on some of these, including one which proposes a codification of such law, reinterpreted.




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What’s ‘fashionable’ about protesting human rights violations?


A recent observation of the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition filed by a filmmaker challenging censorship of his documentary, has left advocates of human rights in the country anguished and puzzled. Shoma A Chatterji explains why.




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Legislation to safeguard children fails to protect them


Post-POCSO Act, reporting of child sexual abuse cases have rocketed in Kerala, but conviction rates remain dismal. State government and judiciary lack the infrastructure to ensure justice for victims, finds Navya P K.




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Misery personified


Activists and supporters are urging the Supreme Court to ban the practice of triple talaq. Ramesh Menon says that the government will have to courageously act on the sticky issue to ensure that thousands of women get justice.




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French apex court rules, Clemenceau recalled


Ruling on a petition by French environmental groups and Greenpeace, France's conseil d'Etat (Supreme Court) suspended the decision to send the decommissioned warship Le Clemenceau to India for scrapping. Three days before his arrival in India on a brief visit, President Chirac ordered the recall. Gopal Krishna finds out more.