KumKum Dasgupta

Why President Kovind’s Constitution Day speech is important

He expanded the existing parameters of what constitutes for social justice, making the phrase much more relevant to modern India.

New UN report on warming proves climate communication is failing

One reason why the issue is not getting the required traction could be the gap that exists between the world of scientists and the general public.

The murderous attack on green activists in Meghalaya is an assault on our collective future

Unlike the police firing on people protesting against Sterlite in Tamil Nadu or for that matter the protests of Dongria Kondhs against Vedanta in Odisha, the attacks on Kharshiing and Sangma went unnoticed on prime time. But what is happening in Meghalaya is a story that applies to all of the country

The SC order on Aravalli is not just about illegal mining

It must trigger a national debate and discussion not just on air pollution but also the rising threat of desertification

‘Nations must develop action plans to tackle inequality’

Social spending is almost always progressive because it helps reduce existing levels of inequality. Despite this, in many countries, social spending could be far more progressive and pro-poor.

Can a green tax save India’s Himalayan towns?

A cess on tourists will not save them and their fragile ecosystem unless such steps are backed by strong regulation and implementation of existing laws

Most Indian cities don’t have a climate plan in place. Here’s why

India has been ranked as the sixth most climate change-vulnerable country by the Climate Risk Index 2018. Dealing with current vulnerabilities and projected climate change impacts needs innovative thinking and participatory planning and action.In an Age of Consequences, these could make or break cities

Stubble burning can’t be a shield for inaction on Delhi’s air pollution

Neither the Delhi government nor the central government has the political will to address the issue. They depend on the generosity of our monsoons, winds and overall climate to mitigate air pollution. If anything, their respective policies on urbanisation have only made the situation worse

The new CPCB report on river pollution does not reveal the true picture

The number of polluted stretches in India’s rivers has increased to 351 from 302 two years ago, and the number of critically polluted stretches — where water quality indicators are the poorest — has gone up to 45 from 34 in 28 states and six Union Territories

Personal past: How families and communities in India are setting up niche museums

Family or community-run museums are important because they preserve a range of micro historical, cultural and political identities

Septic tank deaths could take the sheen off the Swachh Bharat Mission

Under its Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the government had planned to build 21 crore toilets by 2019. Did they think in terms of the number of septic tanks and the burden it will have on scavengers?

Let the Kerala floods not be another tsunami story

Indian states have a weak memory of disasters, not by design, but by choice. In an era of climate variability, this could be akin to committing ecological harakiri.

A Himalayan Mess: Growing garbage pile a threat to mountain ecosystem

Indians are getting adventurous. But as more of them take to trekking, the trash they invariably leave behind on the mountains spells disaster for the environment

Why India must safeguard the rights of internal migrants

It’s not just refugees who often face the wrath of a host State; even internal migrants, especially the poor, face similar roadblocks in their own countries even though they are legitimate citizens. The negative feeling about migrants reflects in India’s policies too: Our social and political rights are based on the assumption that people are sedentary.

Why Himalayan towns are on the brink of a Shimla-type water crisis

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Director of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute Professor Bhaskar Vira, who along with his colleague Eszter Kovacs and photojournalist Toby Smith has documented the ecological challenges of the Himalayan towns including Shimla, speaks about the reasons behind the crisis and the way forward.

Why Sterlite-like protests are inevitable in India

More often than not, the State fails to implement environmental laws and use funds meant for affected communities effectively

Why is India’s local bureaucracy so insensitive?

It’s not just insensitivity that led to the stamping of caste names on the chests of recruits, it’s also lack of training

Gondi, Walmiki, Malhar, Korga: Mother tongues India risks losing

Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s ‘The Adivasi Will Not Dance’ is a fascinating book. Other than being a searing account of the marginalisation of tribals in Jharkhand, there is another reason to be effusive about it: Just below the title on the aquamarine-coloured cover, which has a sketch of a hand on a dhol, are four words in Santhali’s Ol-Chiki script: ‘Aale Hor Bale Eneja’ (‘We Santhals Will Not Dance’).

Why we must stop valourising ‘daredevil’ hill drivers

Twenty-seven schoolchildren died in a road mishap in Himachal Pradesh. Blaming the driver would be the easiest thing to do

Why the learning deficit should not surprise us

Textbooks often don’t reach students in State-run schools on time. This is a drag on education

Meet the man who is digitally conserving and restoring the Ajanta caves

The paintings in the 2000-year-old Ajanta Caves are in a precarious state and can’t be fully restored. But there is an attempt to restore them digitally

Poverty is not the only reason behind child marriages in India

An education system that helps them continue and build prospects will definitely help in addressing child marriages.

Treat green spaces in cities as urban sacred groves

Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Pune is dying a slow death. This is one more example of our disregard for natural treasures

Papon sexual assault row: The singer’s decision to use the child to defend himself is nauseating

The young girl was possibly tutored by her family, which is trying to contain the “damage” that a case such as this may cause to the girl’s reputation, considering nothing dies on social media. But what happens if a few years later, she realises that what happened to her is not standard, and no one has the right to touch a child inappropriately. This incident may affect her irreparably.

Why states must back Modi govt’s new tribal outreach plan

The Centre plans to reach remote villages to open value addition centres in tribal households, organise tribal people in self-help groups, set up godowns for storage and initiate massive awareness programmes involving state governments and elected representatives.

Cape Town is running out of water. Indian cities must take heed

The crisis in Cape Town, the second-most populous urban area in South Africa after Johannesburg, did not happen overnight: It is a result of three years of low rainfall and drought, coupled with a growing population and an increase in water consumption and the fact that 60% of Cape Town residents are not saving water.

Meghalaya shows the way on social audit. Other states must follow

Social audits are increasingly becoming critical these days because the accountability and transparency mechanism of India’s local government structure has not kept pace with the increasing responsibilities and flow of funds that are delegated to local governments.

Ganga pollution: ‘Just building sewage treatment plants is not enough to clean the river’

Long-term action plan has by necessity to do with ensuring ‘aviralta’ in our rivers. The report of the IIT consortium did suggest a workable way forward but since it was a creation of a previous regime its report was consigned to the dust bin. There is lot of hard work and good analysis in that report. Between the Ganga Authorities Notification (a good initiative of the present regime) and the IIT consortium report there is good road map for Ganga rejuvenation in place. But is there real political will for the cause over and above the slogans?

Why the CAG rap on Ganga pollution may not change anything on ground

It’s really surprising that a country that views the Ganga as a some kind of a religious entity (it’s a living entity, said Uttarakhand High Court earlier this year and the UPA declared it India’s ‘national river’), has failed so spectacularly to keep it clean. There is no point blaming successive governments only; citizens are equally to blame. To clean Ganga, the State must start with rejuvenating and cleaning the tributaries that feed the river

Using evidence for public policy gains traction in India