Investing around $1.3 trillion – or two per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) – into ten key sectors can kick-start a transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient 'green economy' that can also help reduce poverty, says a new United Nations report launched today. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) presented the report, “Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication,” to environment ministers from over 100 countries at...

This has been a longstanding demand of the people in coastal districts Cabinet discusses the harmful effects of endosulfan Kerala was the first State to ban the insecticide The Karnataka government on Thursday banned the use of endosulfan, an insecticide, with immediate effect. This has been a longstanding demand of the people of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts, and reports have it that lobby of manufacturers prevented the introduction of such a...

Investigation into the attempted suicide by five members of a farmer’s family in Sanand on Monday has revealed that the main accused, a land dealer and an advocate, is related to the family, the police said a day later. Mansinh Sandhav, his sons Kalusinh and Hamir, and daughters-in-law Jatan Kalu Mansinh and Leela Hamir Mansinh had consumed Pesticide in Vikramsinh Solanki’s house after the latter refused to give back their land....

Five members of a farmer’s family attempted suicide at a land dealer’s residence in Dodar village of Sanand taluka of Ahmedabad district by consuming Pesticide, on Monday. The family has alleged that the land dealer, Vikram Fulabhai Solanki, an advocate, had duped them of their farmland spread over 15 bighas worth over Rs 5 crore, which he had refused to return. The five have been identified as Mansinh Ramu Sandhav (70), Kalusinh...

Agriculture department confirms high Pesticide residues THE country’s regulators have failed to check the flow of Pesticides into the food chain, suggests a monitoring report of the Department of Agriculture and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, the country’s premier institute. Fruits, vegetables, poultry and milk are all laced with high Pesticide residues —much above the maximum residue limits (MRL) set by the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954. Samples of...