The convulsions that have gripped the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) — India’s flagship city development programme — with only three years to go for the termination of its assigned lifespan of seven years, is symptomatic of the country’s predilection to put politics above all other issues, including the vital ones. The Mission, aimed at pulling India’s 63 cities out of their dilapidation, which is somewhat reminiscent of...

Seeking to set at rest reports of differences with two key negotiators of the Indian team over the country offering unilateral concessions without obtaining any reciprocity and attempts to water down the Prime Minister’s per capita approach, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday that he held “discussions with them, and they continued to be [a] valued part of the negotiating team to guide us...

It is to counter the Danish draft that proposed tough action by developing countries Call for setting up of a Global Climate Fund The four emerging economies — Brazil, South Africa, India and China — have recommended the establishment of a mechanism to develop and transfer environment-friendly technology to developing countries, remove barriers in technology transfer and appropriately address issues of intellectual property rights. The BASIC draft proposed by these four developing...

Funds release after Kasturirangan Committee submits report Greenpeace hails India’s proposal to cut carbon intensity The Planning Commission has promised a substantial hike in funds allocation to study climate change impact and the funds will be made available after the Kasturirangan Committee submits a report. This was stated by Member (Energy), Planning Commission, B.K. Chaturvedi, while inaugurating “Power Conference 2009,” organised by Assocham here on Friday. Only on Thursday, Minister of State (independent...

The United Nations agency entrusted with accelerating sustainable industrial development in poorer states today pledged to help the world’s 49 least developed countries (LDCs), 33 of them in Africa, to withstand global financial crisis. “The global financial crisis is moving many LDCs into troubled waters with heightened risk to exports, investment, credit, banking systems, budgets, the balance of payments, and remittances, and, the most vulnerable are those countries which depend...