-UN News  The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021, launched on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in New York, shows the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the 2030 Agenda, as the landmark annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) officially got underway.  Gains rolled back In addition to the almost four million deaths due to the coronavirus, between 119-124 million people were pushed back into poverty and chronic hunger, and the equivalent of 255...

-Down to Earth The water requirement for the Bunder mine and ore processing plant is about 5.9 million cubic meters in a year The proposed diamond mine in the Buxwaha protected forest region in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh may have a greater ecological impact on the region than projected so far.  The project THReatens to further deplete the already scarce water reserve of the drought-prone Bundelkhand region to excavate about five million...

-Down to Earth Solutions based on going back to nature do exist, but to make a tangible impact on climate change, they need to be executed at scale and with adequate support from both the developed and developing world Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is one of the key focus areas of the upcoming 26th Conference of Parties (CoP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow. ‘We’re part of...

-The Hindu Many living on the streets are most vulnerable to COVID infection, say NGOs Hyderabad: The homeless, living on streets of Hyderabad, and who do not have a photo ID card did not receive COVID-19 vaccine yet, said members of NGOs working for welfare of such homeless people. Members of Aman Vedika, a NGO, said that while those with Aadhaar card or other ID card were administered the vaccine, those who do...

-The Hindu Paediatric wards connected to central oxygen pipeline in view of third wave warnings The tribal-dominated Banswara district in southern Rajasthan has taken the lead in creating first-of-its-kind paediatric COVID-19 care facility as part of preparations for a possible third wave of infection. Beautified with colourful drawings and cartoons depicted on the walls, the dedicated wards will cater to children with different stages of coronavirus infection. The district administration identified the buildings...