-The Hindu The islanders have to be consulted before any change is imposed, they say A group of retired bureaucrats wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to express concern over what it termed were “disturbing developments” in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep “in the name of development”. Ninety-three former All India and Central services officers of the Constitutional Conduct Group wrote to Mr. Modi on the occasion of...

-The Hindu Manoj’s work is consistent with his belief that man connects with Mother Earth for survival Kochi: Manoj Kumar I.B. always walks barefoot in the forest. He has literally grown one, spread over one-and-a-half acres on which his modest house stands at Edavanakkad, not far from the city. He says it connects him with Mother Earth, which he firmly believes has a therapeutic effect in building immunity and keeping one healthy. That...

-Down to Earth Around 88% respondents want to switch to less-polluting alternatives but report they are not easily available Around 12.3 billion sanitary napkins, amounting to 113,000 tonnes of waste, reached India’s landfills every year, according to a new study. Improper disposal and non-segregation from household waste leads to unhygienic working condition for waste workers, the report said. Commonly available sanitary napkins constitute 90 per cent plastic, the report claimed. India generates 3.3...

-TheWire.in While hundreds of houses are still under water, the storms triggered by the cyclone have inundated ponds and farmlands with saline water, possibly making the land uncultivable for years. Sunderbans: Cyclones are now routine in the Sunderbans. After Amphan caused widespread damage last year, Yaas has led to more damage. “People didn’t die this time in the cyclone, but they might die of poverty. We lost all our means of livelihood. How...

-IndianSpend.com Recent changes to environment clearance rules allow polluting industries to expand their operations and change their product mix without full central scrutiny. This may weaken the already poor compliance with environmental regulations and could even lead to industrial accidents like the 2020 Visakhapatnam gas leak, experts say. New Delhi: Recent changes in the environment clearance process for India's most polluting industries will allow them to expand their capacity and change their...