-Down to Earth Improved access to new markets, better yields and higher income need to safeguard environmental sustainability and farmers’ indebtedness The ongoing agitation by farmers on the borders of Delhi provides an opportunity to flag concerns about various aspects in the agriculture sector, including the environment, society, economy, food security and risk coverage for farmers. Several commentators have already spoken about the 2020 farm laws, supported by statistics, and experience. Many of...

-Down to Earth Mining and disposal of these elements add to the environmental damages and ecological burden Naturally abundant wind, geothermal, solar, tidal and electric energy are being hastened as the future of the planet's energy needs. And rare earth elements are used in a bevy of technolgies to generate this cleaner, renewable energy. These include wind turbine magnets, solar cells, smartphone components, cells used in electric vehicles, among others. Also called rare earth...

-The Tribune Instead of leaving the farmers to face the vagaries of markets, which have pushed them globally into a debt trap, the demand for ensuring that no trading takes place below the MSP not only provides farmers with a safety net but it will also gradually become an economic design for the rest of the world to emulate. Across the globe, farmers are suffering the consequences of keeping farm-gate prices...

-Sabrang.in The HRW report puts on the world stage allegations of multiple human rights violations recorded in the country in 2020 Human Rights Watch (HRW), an independent group that investigates and reports on abuses happening across the world, has released a report titled World Report 2021: Rights Trends in India. The report highlights the allegations of multiple human rights violations under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of India. According to the...

-Down to Earth This water causes diarrhoeal diseases that kill 800 children every day, mostly in India, Afghanistan and Congo To limit the spread of disease and reduce environmental pollution, human waste (excreta) needs to be safely contained and effectively treated. Yet 4.2 billion people, more than half of the world’s population, lack access to safe sanitation. In developing countries, each person produces, on average, six litres of toilet wastewater each day. Based...