Proposed asbestos project could lead to a ‘Turner & Newall' epidemic There is a spectre over the verdant fields of Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, hitherto suppressed by the clamour and euphoria of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's massive electoral mandate. Its cause is asbestos — the magic mineral, paradoxically known by its more sinister monikers of the “killer dust” and “the silent time-bomb.” In November last, the Kolkata-headquartered Balmukund Cement & Roofing Ltd. (BCRL) proposed...
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Swaminathan conferred CNN-IBN Lifetime Achievement Award
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was chosen CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Veteran agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan has been conferred the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award for his “outstanding leadership in the field of agriculture that has contributed to ensuring food security for millions of Indians.” Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the award to Dr. Swaminathan at a function here. Dr. Swaminathan, a statement from...
More »Right to service next step after RTI by Dhananjay Mahapatra
The first step towards opening "secret" files maintained by civil servants and public authorities was taken by Parliament through Freedom of Information Act, 2002. It was replaced by Right to Information Act in 2005. The objective was to give meaning to the word "civil servant". For, the babus had been groomed by the system to hide almost everything from those for whose service they were employed. Attitude is an important aspect...
More »Managing the anticipated food crisis by MS Swaminathan
FAO has warned that 2011 may witness a global food crisis. Proactive action is needed to meet the challenge of price volatility, chronic hunger, agrarian despair and climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has alerted developing countries about possible steep rises in food prices during 2011, if steps are not taken immediately to increase significantly the production of major food crops. According to FAO, “with...
More »Ministry of statistics proposes changes in MPLADS scheme by Priyadarshi Siddhanta
The government is in no hurry to enhance the outlay on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) to Rs 5 crore nor has any intention to merge it with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee programme (MGNREGA) in the near future. Emerging from a national consultation meeting on enhancing inclusiveness of the MPLADS and to make it more target-oriented, minister of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) Sriprakash Jaiswal...
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