Adequate involvement of academicians and policy makers is most essential for effective management of forests and common resources in the country, said Jairam Ramesh, Union minister of environment and forest. Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural ceremony of the 13th biennial conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC), being held in the city on Monday, the Union minister put the spotlight on the environmental...

At a time when parents are miffed by the “dictatorial” attitude of school managements, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is all set to give more teeth to parents’ associations. The latest move is the brainchild of CBSE chairperson Vineet Joshi, aimed at involving parents in core issues of the schools’ administration including controversial fee hike and admission procedures. The board has recently asked all its affiliated-schools to strengthen its parents’...

The Bangladeshi government has ordered an investigation into the Grameen Bank of Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus. The move follows recent allegations that nearly $100m (£64m) of Norwegian aid was wrongly transferred from the bank to other parts of Grameen. The bank strongly denied the allegations and Norway said last month that there were "no more unanswered questions" into them. The head of the probe said it would "impartially investigate" the claims. A spokesman...

The Manmohan Singh government is digging an even bigger hole for itself by claiming there was no loss of revenue from the sweetheart sale of 2G spectrum to favoured corporate houses. “Milord,” cunning lawyers have argued in countless Hindi movies, “how can there have been a murder when there is no dead body?” I was reminded of this line when I heard Kapil Sibal — who has been performing as an...

In a step to alleviate the plight of millions of people affected by the 2008 Kosi floods, the Bihar government on Wednesday signed a $220-million agreement with the World Bank. The government will chip in with $39 million for the $259-million Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project aimed at supporting the State's recovery efforts, reducing risks of flooding and boosting emergency responses in the event of future disasters. At a function here, World...