-Hindustan Times While the Centre has been arguing for a two-lane highway with seven-metre carriageways, some HPC members contended that such a bRoad width would be dangerous for the fragile Himalayan ecology because it is highly susceptible to landslides A Supreme Court (SC) bench on Tuesday heard Ravi Chopra, the chairman of the high-powered committee (HPC), which is reviewing the Char Dham highway project in Uttarakhand, and accepted the final report submitted...

-The Telegraph The last time that India faced a full-year contraction in its real GDP was in 1980 The Indian economy shrank by 23.9 per cent in the first quarter ended June 30, signalling that the Road to recovery would be more arduous than most economists have projected. It marks the steepest decline since the National Statistical Office (NSO) started quarterly measurement of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1996. The slide in real GDP...

-Livemint.com Barring sales of second-hand vehicles and new tractors, the auto industry remains badly hit. Vehicles used for transporting goods are among the worst-hit segments Will the Indian economy recover quickly from the June quarter lows? That’s the trillion dollar question facing investors today. One sector that offers vital clues in this regard is the automobile sector. Vehicle sales are among the key lead indicators of consumption and an important source of...

-NDTV The Himalaya are India's most important natural asset. Without them, the country would not survive. These grand mountains are a barrier to invaders, the source of our greatest rivers, a rich reservoir of biodiversity, and home to our holiest shrines. Ecologically, economically, culturally, and strategically, the Himalaya are vital to the future of India as a nation. The politicians who now rule us claim to revere the Himalaya, yet, under their...

-The Hindu Some members furthering an agenda that isn’t in public interest, they say. A group of 40 scientists, environmentalists and ecologists have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a halt to the Chardham Road construction work and that the recommendation of environmentalist Ravi Chopra, who heads a Supreme Court-appointed committee to advise on the sustainable execution of the project, be heeded. The Chardham Project (CP) is an ambitious attempt by the...