Delhi's air is not fit to inhale. Experts argue that prolonged exposure to toxic air could lead to serious health hazards like heart and lung diseases, various types of cancer etc. But is it the case that the smog, which engulfed the entire National Capital Region (NCR) and many of the north Indian cities during October-November was entirely caused due to burning of firecrackers in Diwali or because of vehicular...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Delhiites woke up to apocalyptic grey skies as a heavy smog hung over the city on Wednesday, reducing visibility to its lowest for the month of November in many years. The air quality was so poor that it was comparable to the post-Diwali spike in pollution. The air quality index for 4pm on November 2 was 432, in the "severe" category, while the index on...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: A report by the United Nations Children's agency, Unicef, released on Monday has confirmed the worst fears of people living in polluted areas — that bad air is contributing to death of many children even before they celebrate their fifth birthday. Outdoor and indoor pollution, the agency noted, are directly linked to respiratory diseases that account for almost one in 10 under-five deaths, making air pollution...

-AP NEW DELHI: As India wakes up on Monday to smoke-filled skies from a weekend of festival fireworks, New Delhi's worst season for air pollution begins, with dire consequences. A new report from UNICEF says most of the 2 billion children in the world who are breathing toxic air live in north India and neighbouring countries, risking serious health effects, including damage to their lungs, brains and other organs. Of that global...

-Economic and Political Weekly The powerful feedback mechanism of raising growth and inequality simultaneously combines restraint on government welfare spending, wilful default of bank loans by corporate houses and land acquisition for them. This creates not just a vicious circle but a rising and expanding spiral driven by a strategy of promoting the climate for private investment. Please click here to read more. ...