-Economic and Political Weekly   The runaway growth in states of subsidised solar pumps, which provide quality energy at near-zero marginal cost, can pose a bigger threat of groundwater over-exploitation than free power has done so far. The best way to meet this threat is by paying farmers to "grow" solar power as a remunerative cash crop. Doing so can reduce pressure on aquifers, cut the subsidy burden on electricity companies, reduce...

-The Telegraph A team of Indian engineers has designed a prototype low-cost solar-heated water desalination unit that can produce about five litres of drinking water each day and is intended for use by rural households. The desalination unit may be used to turn brackish groundwater fit for drinking at any place with abundant solar energy, the team of engineers, who are from the National Institute of Technology in Kurukshetra and an engineering...

-The Hindu In 40 years, island Ghoramara hit by the rising sea (Bay of Bengal) level Kolkata: In the year 1975, Ghoramara Island in the Sunderbans archipelago in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district covered an area of 8.51 sq km. Today it is less than 4.43 sq km. The fact that in 40 years the island has lost half of its landmass to the rising sea (Bay of Bengal) level is "an...

-World Bank Adequacy in three basic nutritional areas show reduced stunting even in poorest districts New Delhi: Stunting (Described as low height for age) in Indian children, 6 to 24 months of age, could be dramatically reduced if children receive three things that are critical for good nutrition - adequate feeding, health care and environmental health, says a new World Bank report which analyzes data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)...

-The Indian Express Attitudes toward climate change in India can appear paradoxical. Although India is one of the countries most deeply vulnerable to climate impacts, climate change does not rank high on policymakers' list of concerns. Two factors explain this inattention. First, India has pressing and immediate development concerns, such as providing sanitation, improved healthcare and access to affordable energy to its population, while the effects of climate change appear abstract...