-The Times of India When Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi asked students of Bengaluru's Mount Carmel if the Modi government's Swachh Bharat Mission was working, he got a mixed response. An analysis of the campaign, well over a year now, shows the progress report is mixed too. Last year, on October 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the ambitious Swachh Bharat Mission, promising to provide toilets to Indian households that still...

-BBC The severe flooding in Chennai again proves that India's Cities are unprepared for extreme weather events like rains, droughts and cyclonic storms which are becoming more frequent and intense. Many parts of India suffer flooding every year during the annual monsoon rains from June to September. The northeast monsoon has been particularly vigorous over southern India and more so in Tamil Nadu state, of which Chennai is the capital. Last month was...

-Hindustan Times Revolution imminent… genetically modified seeds produced by MNCs cause farmer suicides. Incendiary, out-of-context sound-bites juxtaposed between heartrending visuals distort rural poverty from a complex issue that each Indian must help resolve to a simplistic, accusatory Peepli Live feature. Instead of quixotic and strident anti-growth agendas offered as panacea, a coordinated and consistent approach to poverty reduction is needed. Poverty reduction needs development. The linkage between economic growth and poverty reduction is...

-The Indian Express New Delhi: In a bid to curb rising pollution, the Delhi government on Friday decided that odd and even number vehicles will ply on alternate days in the capital from January 1, official sources said. In the first major green intervention by the executive which could become a template for other Cities in the country, the Delhi government announced Friday a slew of measures starting January 1 to bring...

-Livemint.com The environment ministry, with the aim of making water bodies fit for bathing, has decided to tighten water quality norms. It made the draft of the new standards made public on Monday, seeking views within 30 days. In the draft standards, the ministry has presented 14 points to determine the quality of water in a river or water body. They include factors such as total coliform (TC), fecal coliform, pH value, bio-chemical...