India’s main challenge at the Cancun climate summit is to try and bring the US — the world’s second largest carbon emitter — on board with the emerging economies in tackling climate change. And to do this, it is willing to open itself up to international verification of its domestic mitigation measures. Before leaving for Mexico, environment minister Jairam Ramesh told HT his mandate was to “play a bridge” between the...

Edible oil imports have surged to a record 9.24 million tonnes last year and were estimated to be nearly Rs 38,000 crore. They have emerged as the third most important import item, next only to petroleum products and gold. India is now the world’s largest importer of cooking fats, meeting more than half of its requirement through overseas supplies. Considering the country’s huge and fast-growing demand for cooking oils, such...

There is clearly a direct trade-off between exploitation of natural resources and conservation of environment and human habitat . In the past, due to lower environment consciousness, the trade-off was always decided in favour of exploitation. This is deplorable. Yet, environmental fundamentalism can also exact a high cost that will prevent a number of people to remain without access to basic necessities of life. This apparently intractable trade-off has to be resolved....

Scenario I: An illiterate person walks into an ATM, utters his password in Bhojpuri to withdraw money. Or a labourer working under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) speaks his voice signature to mark his attendance for the day. Scenario II: The door at a top-secret Indian defence establishment open son a voice recognition system that allows only certain officials access to the premises. If you think this is stuff out...

Two of the UPA's flagship programmes, the Unique Identity Number project (UID) and Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme are on a collision course. "I am not against technology, by I think linking the Unique Identity Number project to  NREGA can be very dangerous," said Jean Dreze, Member , National Advisory Council. Right now, all that a person needs to ask for work under NREGA is to fill up a form and get the...