Will Paris see real progress?
By Mukund Govind Rajan The UN-brokered 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris this week represents a milestone opportunity for reaching an international agreement to limit future global warming...
View ArticleJuvenile rapist is a celebrity now – govt can honour him while citizens worry...
Three years ago, Nirbhaya’s brutal gangrape and murder shocked the world. Today, with her juvenile assailant set to walk free, Nirbhaya’s father spoke with Rohit E David on India’s attitude towards...
View ArticleDelhi’s odd-even rule: Very odd and quite uneven?
By Arunabha Ghosh & Karthik Ganesan Policy experiments are seldom carried out on a large scale and at such short notice. Delhi’s trial of odd-even rule is a bold attempt to rein in air pollution,...
View ArticleWhy Delhi’s odd-even plan failed in its stated goals, and the way forward for...
If implementation was the goal, then the Delhi government’s odd-even plan could be described as something of a runaway success. High fines, a hyper-vigilant police force and the short period of...
View ArticleThe last oil boom?
For those who drive/ use fuel, demonetisation is not the only game in town. You also need to brace for the oil shock. OPEC has cut a deal to cap oil production which means prices...
View ArticleGood idea: Mandating recycling by automakers
Government is considering new rules mandating automakers and their agents to buy back old vehicles and recycle them. As of now such recycling is a very unorganized affair, where old vehicles go to...
View ArticleFetch your breath up
By Sensei Sandeep Desai Men of wisdom fetch their breath up from deep inside and below while others breathe with their voice box alone. Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Nelson...
View ArticleA replacement for 66A is needed, but not in this form
The home ministry’s reported move to use provisions from the Indian Penal Code to plug the vacuum created by the quashing of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act may create a fresh set of...
View ArticleSops for smart grids for renewable power
Reports say that a clutch of renewable energy projects are up for sale, following the phase-out of tax incentives from next fiscal. While doing away with generous fiscal benefits at the plant level is...
View ArticleMaking cities resilient to climate change
The experience in cities across the country over the last fortnight underscores the need for proactive policy and action for urban resilience. There has been acceleration in the periodicityand...
View ArticlePollution woes: Governance failure is the main culprit
As winter begins to roll in and Delhi suffers from seasonal smog, calls are once again going out for drastic measures. A graded response to worsening air pollution in the national capital has already...
View ArticleKamala Mills fire: Tragedy of preventable disasters that kill
The fire at the Kamala Mills Compound that has so far claimed 14 lives was an accident waiting to happen. It is the kind of accident that could happen almost anywhere in the country —...
View ArticleUN climate talks: An opportunity for India to lead
At the latest round of United Nations climate talks in Katowice, Poland, countries adopted the rules designed to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. These rules provide common modalities and guidelines...
View ArticleOil firms should return traffic jam gains to society
Oil firms love traffic jam. More congestion means more fuel burnt. More fuel burnt means increased profit for oil companies. More fuel burnt also means increased pollution and more sick people. Traffic...
View ArticleMemories of underdevelopment: ‘Katihar to Kennedy’ is autobiography as well...
Katihar to Kennedy: The Road Less Travelled (Vani Books) unfolds the autobiographical narrative of Sanjay Kumar, educated in a government school in Katihar, Bihar who eventually made it to Harvard’s...
View ArticleLife in a bubble: Bio-bubbles represent an entirely new challenge for players...
IPL, Indian cricket’s blockbuster, will start in Abu Dhabi next week. The tournament, which will run on till November, has been held abroad earlier. But this edition is different. The requirements of a...
View ArticleEthanol in fuel a transient high
The timeline for blending of ethanol in automotive fuel up to 20% has been moved to 2025, from 2030. And this year’s target is 8.5%. The way forward is to step up usage of biomass,...
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