-The Times of India Blog India’s Right to Information (RTI) Act has caught the imagination of people in this country, while being appreciated across the world. A great change has come in India this decade in the power equation between the sovereign citizens of the country and those in power. This change is just beginning and if we can sustain and strengthen it, our defective elective democracy could Metamorphose, within the...
More »SEARCH RESULT
New child labour framework leaves it open to misuse
-Hindustan Times The realities of India’s socio-economic situation are often cited as the reason for some of our more retrograde laws. The one on child labour is a case in point. The Union Cabinet has increased penalties for offenders but at the same time allowed children below 14 to work in select family businesses after school hours. The caveat is that such businesses cannot be hazardous but should be things like entertainment and...
More »Half of India's groundwater is poisonous -Akash Vashishtha
-India Today Already grappling with the Ganga cleaning project, the government seems to have a bigger problem at hand as the groundwater in more than half of the country's districts is contaminated with poisonous substances. The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has come up with a shocking assessment, according to which 276 districts have high levels of fluorides in their groundwater. At least 387 districts in 21 states, of the 676 districts...
More »Job growth falls, down to lowest in 3 quarters
-The Indian Express Even as India is poised to emerge as the fastest growing economy in the world, employment generation in eight crucial sectors in the third quarter of 2014-15 dipped to its slowest pace in three quarters. Just 1.17 lakh new jobs were created in eight key sectors of the economy between October and December 2014, according to a survey by the labour bureau. In contrast, 1.58 lakh jobs were created...
More »Now, an eco-friendly toilet that saves cost, minimizes water use -Tarini Puri
-The Times of India PUNE: A city-based researcher has developed an eco-friendly toilet which can convert dry human faeces into humus (organic matter) and utilize urine for vermicomposting in an odourless, pollution-free manner. "The system does not require extra water or an expensive drainage system. It will especially help green-zones, parks and agri-rich areas where water is scarce," said Mohan Ketkar, who has conceptualized and developed the eco-friendly toilet. Ketkar worked for the...
More »