Author: admin

Airpocalypse: 241 Indian cities highly polluted; 139 violating air quality norms not included in NCAP

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched the five-year action plan earlier this month to reduce air pollution by 30 per cent by 2024, with 2017 as base year.

Over 130 highly polluted cities violating the national air quality standards have been left out of the recently launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), a new study has revealed. A Greenpeace India report, which identified 139 cities where air pollution level exceeds national standards, said the NCAP is based on limited data from 2011-2015 and that’s why a large number of highly polluted cities have been kept out of its purview. Read more

Gujarat tribals hold rally to protest infrastructure development around Statue of Unity

Clash between police and tribals were reported last week during the foundation-laying ceremony of Haryana Bhavan in the vicinity of world’s tallest statue, overlooking the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadiya in Narmada district.

Intensifying their protests against infrastructure development around Statue of Unity in Gujarat, thousands of tribals Monday took out a 30-km foot rally from Kevadiya to Rajpipla in Narmada district. Read more

Estuary dredging is mining: Angry residents

ALAPPUZHA: Resentment is brewing among residents of Purakkad gram panchayat against the move of major irrigation department (MID) to sell mineral sand from Thottappally ‘pozhi’ (estuary) to either Indian Rare Earths (IRE) Limited or Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited(KMML)

The gram panchayat authorities and fishermen have warned that they would launch an indefinite agitation if IRE or KMML are carrying out mineral
sand mining in the name of dredging works. Read more

Pathalgarhi’s long shadow: India’s tribal heartland wants freedom from govt control

What began as a movement against government control has led to ‘autonomous’ villages in Jharkhand, unrest in Odisha and policy changes in Chhattisgarh

RANCHI/ROURKELA/RAIPUR: The signs of change are hard to miss the moment one enters Jharkhand’s Khunti district, birthplace of two tribal rebellions separated by a century. “ Sab se upar gram sabha (gram sabha above all else),” announces the writing on a wall. It all started on March 9, 2017, when Bhandra village in the tribal-dominated district inaugurated its ‘pathalgarhi’, a huge stone slab announcing the autonomy of the village from all forms of government control. The Pathalgarhi movement that erupted from this is still going strong, having spread and made impact in neighbouring Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Read more

1 … 63 64 65 66 67 … 160