CATEGORIES

Gardens of hope

Krishna Mawasi and 230 other residents in Madhya Pradesh opened their kitchen gardens to vulnerable families to help them tide over the lockdown

Softening the blow

In absence of a robust forecasting infrastructure, mobile phones can improve climate resilience of African farmers

THE FACADE OF RECOVERY

While the government harps on recovered cases, it must also closely track them as studies hint recovery offers no surety of good health

And there was light

Scientists have for some time now theorised scenarios in which black hole mergers are accompanied by light. We now have evidence, maybe

DHARAVI, THE SURVIVOR

Dharavi has proven the doomsday predictions wrong and is now being hailed as a global model to combat COVID-19. How did one of the world’s biggest slums curtail the spread of the pandemic, when at least 10 people live in a cramped 1-2-metre shack? How did it manage to keep the number of cases and deaths low despite pathetic hygiene conditions and without proper medical facilities?

BLACK BUSINESS

On June 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at an event to auction 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, said that India needs to use its domestic coal for energy needs.

Celebrating knowledge

Creating a People’s Biodiversity Register is more than a legal requirement. It is an exercise of empowering communities and spreading their knowledge of biodiversity

A SHARP BITE

On July 3, Nagaland chief secretary Temjen Toy tweeted that the state government has decided to ban import and trading of dogs and the sale of dog meat, both cooked and uncooked. In the message he tagged Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Maneka Gandhi, Member of Parliament and founder of non-profit People for Animals. A day later, the government issued a notification, which says violations will attract punishments under sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, which deal with “mischief” against animals and the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, 1960. Though Nagaland does not have a formal dog meat industry, certain Naga tribes consume it for nutrition. The ban might look logical to the outsider, but the Nagas believe it infringes on their cultural freedom and will lead to stigmatisation and further alienation. Small wonder, when ISHAN KUKRETI spoke with several organisations and individuals across Nagaland, he found many opposers but hardly any supporters of the ban

Disease Of Inequality

COVID-19 has drilled deep holes in an already unequal world, making life for the underprivileged unlivable

WHO Is Tracking India's Health?

The burden of mysterious ailments mounts in India as its disease surveillance system lies in a shambles

Rain rupture in monsoon pattern

While some parts of the northeast, especially Assam, are suffering from unprecedented floods, other states are receiving deficit rainfall

Toxic row

Industry lobby is at work to dilute the proposed ban on 27 widely used hazardous pesticides

Predicting a shock

In the past few months, India has been rocked by numerous small earthquakes. But science to predict them is still in its infancy

Peril in the hills

THE NILGIRI HILLS ARE WITNESSING ECOSYSTEM COLLAPSE DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS TRIGGERED BY CLIMATE CHANGE

Grounded in wisdom

TRADITIONAL MINI FLOUR MILLS MAY NO LONGER BE IN VOGUE IN OUR HOMES, BUT THEY HELP PREPARE NUTRITIOUS FOOD

Corona 2.0

The next coronavirus is round the corner. But scientists don’t know when, and how it will explode

Let There Be Blue Sky

The nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has unwittingly given us a glimpse of what our cities can look like if we wean away from polluting vehicles and industries. Let’s make this an everlasting reality

Mobility redefined

The pandemic offers probably the last chance to reform our public transport and make way for walking and cycling

Silver lining

From real-time monitoring to flying drones, Indian cities are innovating ways to handle COVID-19 biomedical waste

The great digital divide

The lockdown has shown that urban and rural India are miles apart in their online presence

Back to basics

The lockdown has made rice farmers reconsider a long-ignored sowing technique

SO, HOW FAR FROM THE END?

Unless something very different happens in the southern hemisphere, coronavirus may never go away and the disease may ultimately not be containable

Covid-19 To Double Poverty In India

A transfer of at least ₹750 per person a month for six months will help them recover from economic damage wrought by the pandemic

Pale and drawn

Contrary to rumours, the tiranga disease in tomatoes is no way linked to COVID-19, but has stirred up similar panic and helplessness among farmers in Maharashtra

Housing for a crisis

THE LOCKDOWN HAS MADE US REASSESS THE LIVABILITY OF STRUCTURES BUILT UNDER GOVERNMENT HOUSING SCHEMES

The bean stock

FIELD BEANS CAN BE A NUTRITIOUS ADDITION TO LEGUMES IN THE KITCHEN

WHY SHOULD ONLY JUMBOS MATTER?

THE OUTRAGE OVER THE DEATH OF A PREGNANT ELEPHANT IN KERALA HIGHLIGHTS OUR SKEWED NOTION OF BIODIVERSITY AND ITS CONSERVATION

Pride under threat

Is the government deliberately downplaying the deaths of 92 Asiatic lions this year?

In black and white

Every myth propagated by race science has been debunked over decades. But today, the rise of the Far-right parties is giving race scientists a new tonic to fuel hatred, writes S S Jeevan

GIVE THEM GUARANTEED BASIC INCOME

Had a minimum income guarantee scheme been in place, it would have required only a ramping up of the transfers to protect the poor