Acceding to the demands of the fishing community, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has agreed to drop or modify many provisions of the draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2010 notification. Chairman of the National Fish workers Forum (NFF) Matanhy Saldanha toldThe Hindu here on Friday that the draft notification, brought out in September 2010, had drawn the ire of the fishing communities for its failure to reverse the liberal...

Majority believe environment, livelihood are at stake Region falls in seismic zone III, which is not suitable for nuclear plants Villagers contest NPCIL claim that 626.527 out of 938 hectares acquired is barren It will be a mistake to construe the people's struggle against the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project as an agitation for higher compensation, says a social impact assessment report prepared by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. A majority strongly believe...

A lack of toilets and poor hygiene practices in India cost Asia's third largest economy almost $54 billion every year, the World Bank said on Monday. Premature deaths, treatment for the sick, wasted time and productivity, as well as lost Tourism revenues, are the main reasons for the high economic losses, the bank said in a report. "For decades, we have been aware of the significant impacts of inadequate sanitation in India,"...

The Indian economy loses nearly $54 billion (around Rs 24,000 crore) annually due to lack of toilets and poor hygiene, a World Bank study said on Monday. In a study 'Economic Impact of Inadequate Sanitation in India', conducted by its South Asia Water and Sanitation unit, the multilateral body said premature deaths, treatment for the sick and loss of productivity and revenue from Tourism were the main factors behind the significant...

Large scale child labour persists in India, mostly in the agricultural sector and the informal economy despite initiatives by the government and instances of commercial sexual exploitation of minors are oft reported, a US report on the issue said on Wednesday. According to the India section of the annual report of the Department of Labor, children are exploited in the worst forms of child labour with a majority working in agriculture,...