IN THE past four years, Vishakha Chandhere has spawned a quiet revolution of sorts from her city of Pune to beat the rising prices of cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Every day, while preparing a lunch of dal, rice and vegetables for her family, she measures the ingredients, finds the perfect ratio of spices and mixes them in a steel vessel. But instead of turning to an LPG stove, Chandhere carries the vessels up to the roof to place it in one of her three solar cookers-the first has a parabolic reflector that heats the base; the second one is an insulated box with light reflected mirrors on the base and the and in the third cooker, food is placed inside a vacuum tube that concentrates light to generate heat.
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On shaky ground
Despite reporting net gains in green cover, the latest forest survey shows degradation of natural forests, particularly in ecologically sensitive hotspots
Burden of proof
The government's drive for e-KYC verification to ensure rightful targeting of beneficiaries has proved exclusionary for many
Rupee slide impacts agricultural trade
THE UNION Cabinet on January 1, 2025, approved the extension of a subsidy package of ₹3,500 per tonne on di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) for companies.
THE 500 GW SWITCH OVER
Coal is the king of energy at present. India needs to dislodge it with clean energy for an equitable green transition
MANIFESTING 500 GW
Ensure that renewable energy is available round the clock.Establish a viable market and reward those who take lead
Lifting a curse
How Gangabai Rajput helped her water-scarce village in Madhya Pradesh let go of superstition and revive an ancient waterbody
HOLD THEM SACRED
The Supreme Court has recommended that the Union government create a comprehensive policy for the governance and management of sacred groves across the country
REPORT CARD 2024
Coal is still the king in terms of electricity generation. But new renewables, mainly solar power, have shown an impressive growth
'India a laboratory for seismologists'
India is no stranger to earthquakes. In recent memory, Latur and Bhuj districts in Maharashtra and Gujarat witnessed devastating tremors in 2003 and 2001 respectively. Such quakes leave clues that can aid preparations for future events, say seismologists KUSALA RAJENDRAN, professor, Indian Institute of Science, and CP RAJENDRAN, adjunct professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies. The Rumbling Earth-The Story of Indian Earthquakes, captures their work on historical as well as recent quakes. In an interview with ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY, they discuss the science of earthquakes, why the Himalayas are due for a huge event and why prediction remains a challenge. Excerpts:
Capturing Siang
As India pushes for a mega-dam on the Siang river to counter China's upstream projects, the Adi tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh fears losing ancestral land
