-Down to Earth The treated water recharges aquifers It is a common sight that greets those visiting the villages in the semi-arid Mewat district of Haryana—streams of waste water emerging from doorsteps of homes, running through streets, and forming puddles here and there. Village Rawli is one such village. It has no sanitation facilities or sewers. Children play in these puddles while their parents watch them without any sign of concern. They...
More »SEARCH RESULT
PWD makes trees choke on concrete -Jayashree Nandi
-The Times of India If you are worried about trees facing a hostile environment in the city, here is some more grim news. Many old trees across the city are struggling to survive as their roots are being choked by concrete. One such stretch is on Press Enclave Road where a number of Alstonia or Saptaparni trees are getting choked with concrete and cement tiles as part of Delhi government's pavement...
More »On the money
-The Indian Express The UPA has long been planning a shift to direct cash transfers for poor households, with a view to replacing the 3.23 lakh crore worth of unwieldy subsidies currently in place. Last year, the then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had spoken of the famously inefficient food and fertiliser subsidies, and of a comprehensive overhaul through cash transfers. Now, that plan has been fleshed out further. The prime minister...
More »Slum dwellers contribute 3-3.5% of Bangalore's economy-Mahesh Kulkarni
-The Business Standard A study has found that the poor households earned a total of Rs 1,545 cr, spent a total of Rs 1,185 cr, and contributed a savings of Rs 360 cr to the city in 2011 Urban poor living in slums of Bangalore contribute 3-3.5 per cent of the City’s economy. About 9-11 per cent of the city’s population that lives in slums contribute between Rs 1,643 crore to Rs...
More »Deadly disease, desperate measures -Aarti Dhar
-The Hindu The government has approved a Rs. 4,038 crore programme to tackle the Japanese encephalitis and acute encephalitis syndrome in 60 priority districts With thousands of young lives being lost and an equal number of children rendered disabled for life, the government has prepared a comprehensive strategy to tackle Japanese encephalitis (JE) and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). The dreaded disease has already spread to 17 States affecting 171 districts. With the Cabinet...
More »