'Economic growth will need massive energy. Will we allow an accident in Japan, in a 40-year-old reactor at Fukushima, arising out of extreme natural stresses, to derail our dreams to be an economically developed nation?' Every single atom in the universe carries an unimaginably powerful battery within its heart, called the nucleus. This form of energy, often called Type-1 fuel, is hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of times more powerful...

-DNA   Four RTI activisits have been butchered and six have escaped murder attempts, as authorities continue to wink at the culprits. DNA profiles the heroes who are fighting a not so appreciated battle for upholding democratic values. Manisha Goswami Manisha Goswami, a resident of Vapi, has been waging a lone battle against the pollution spread by industries in Vapi. In the latest case, Goswami had moved an RTI application seeking information about a...

-The Hindu   Criticised for not doing enough to tackle the spread of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, where hundreds of children die or are disabled every year, the Centre has now approved the setting up of dedicated wards in seven hospitals in the districts worst affected by the deadly infection. Recognising the need for strengthening the efforts for improving the performance of the...

Government officials went gaga in schools over Global Handwashing Day on October 15, but the Supreme Court ruling on October 18 that directed all states to come up with permanent toilets in every cradle by December 31, 2011, has left them cold. Why? The first they knew was tokenism. The second is a Herculean task. There are no functional toilets in more than half of Jharkhand’s 40,000 government schools. The apex court bench...

-The Economist   A maverick minister lays into a hallowed programme IT LOOKS like risky politics for Jairam Ramesh, who runs India’s biggest civilian ministry, in charge of rural development, to lash out at his own government’s flagship welfare scheme. Mr Ramesh, who got his cabinet post in July, has sparked a row in the past week over corruption and poor results within a public programme that guarantees 100 days of paid work...