Columns
Better days lie ahead for UP’s farmers, battling non-payment of cane dues and COVID-19
Canegrowers in Uttar Pradesh are likely to get a deferred payment of anything between Rs 50,000 an acre to Rs 1 lakh an acre if interest is paid at the rate of 15 per cent.
Sardar VM Singh
Floods 2020: The need for critical engagement with floods in India
This year’s monsoon has brought floods to several states of the country. Each region has a different typology of floods and to better respond to them, there is a need to understand the nature of floods.
Eklavya Prasad
Conflict in Odisha’s forests leaves both elephants and humans in grief
In Keonjhar district, the mining hub of Odisha, about 530 villages are affected by human-elephant conflict. Casualities and house damages reduced, but crop raiding incidents increased.
Bismay Tripathi
Is MGNREGA in danger of running aground because of insufficient allocations in the COVID-19 pandemic?
As against the current allocation of Rs 101,500 crore towards MGNREGA this financial year, there is a need for an additional allocation of Rs 100,000 crore towards the programme to meet the work demands of rural population.
Debmalya Nandy
Hyper-local narratives are key to understanding the pandemic story in rural India
Despite sincere efforts to insulate them through check posts and quarantines, villages in India are not virus-proof. Migrant workers are not the sole reason for the spread of the infection in rural India.
Patralekha Chatterjee
You may have not noticed the dragonflies but they do us a valuable service
It is hard to believe that an ordinary dragonfly protects your life. The dragonfly gobbles disease carrying insects like mosquitoes, doing more in its lifetime than we would ever give it credit for.
Neha Sinha
Solar and wind energy projects in India need an impact assessment framework
Energy generation choices are likely to see massive shifts from hydropower to solar energy projects. However, these renewable energy projects are not covered under the EIA law. This must change.
Shripad Dharmadhikary
Life on char islands in the Brahmaputra a daily struggle in monsoon floods
Chars are riverine islands in the Brahmaputra formed through silt deposits. During monsoons, many chars get partially or fully submerged affecting delivery of basic services.
Namrata Ginoya
Unabated mining activities force villagers in Odisha’s Keonjhar to hit the streets during COVID-19 crisis
In these unusual times, as the world is grappling with COVID-19 pandemic, people of Keonjhar district in Odisha are having to come out to protest heavy mining in their area.
Sampada Nayak
Smart Cities must address the issues of privacy and security of its residents
A Smart City cannot be called ‘smart’ only by the integration of modern technology to create facilities. It must cater to the security of both people and the installations.