Opinion

A Green Streak: Reduce the Natural Debt Burden

09 Feb 2002 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Times of India

In the run-up to successive budgets, an issue which is routinely overlooked is that of the role of sustainable development in economic growth.

DSDS: inviting global solutions from global leaders

02 Feb 2002 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire 8(3)

The DSDS (Delhi Sustainable Development Summit) 2002 was held in New Delhi during the period 8-11 February 2002 with the Inaugural Session, at which the Prime Minister of India, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was the Chief Guest, held on the evening of 8 February. It is gratifying that this event, the inspiration for which came from TERI's silver jubilee celebrations in February 2000, has now firmly established itself as an item on the calendar of several distinguished persons from a round the world.

Hiatus in the economy: opportunities for reform

16 Jan 2002 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire 8(2)

The Central Statistical Organization has revised estimates of GDP (gross domestic product) for India for the year 2000/01. It is now estimated that growth of GDP registered a mere 4%, which is, in some sense, a return to the situation at the start of the 1990s. If ever there was an imperative for introducing economic reforms with some degree of seriousness, now is certainly the time. While arguments could be made that the expenditure of the central government is a small portion of the country's economic output, the basic fact is that a large part of it represents unproductive expenditure.

Energy projects can reduce poverty

13 Jan 2002 |
Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar
,
Ms K Nisha Rekha
| The Economic Times

Energy sector operations have been recognised as contributing to poverty reduction through their support to economic growth through the trickle down effect. But, their direct contribution to poverty reduction has been seldom acknowledged, mainly because of lack of a systemic approach to assess such impacts.

Net telephony: Onto a new frontier

11 Jan 2002 |
Asha Ram Sihag2
| The Hindu Business Line

Though it prohibited Internet telephony when it came into force, the National Telecom Policy (NTP 99) allowed the government to take appropriate action in response to developments in the sector.

Institutional change required in India's science and technology programmes

02 Jan 2002 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire 8(1)

News reports indicate that the US administration is planning to support research on fuel-cell technology with the objective of creating transportation options based on hydrogen as a fuel. The previous US administration under President Clinton had, according to reports, committed a total funding level of 1.5 billion dollars for the development of hybrid vehicles that would use hydrocarbon fuels to generate power on vehicles incorporating an electrical drive. The focus of this R&D effort was to increase fuel efficiency substantially. It appears that a reappraisal by the US Department of Energy has culminated in giving a much higher priority to fuel-cell-based transportation rather than the development of hydrocarbon-based electrical vehicles.

Ethanol: A practical idea?

26 Dec 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times

When the late H N Bahuguna was minister for petroleum in the late 1970s, he had set up a committee to go into the entire gamut of issues associated with the production of ethanol as a fuel from sugarcane.

Human Face of Corporates

25 Dec 2001 |
Dr Ritu Kumar
| The Times of India

Do corporates have a role to play in community initiatives? How compatible are money-making and social responsibility? To find out, TERI-Europe, the London affiliate of the The Energy and Resources Institute, conducted a poll among over 1,200 workers, company executives and the general public in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Tirupur on their perceptions of and expectations from business in India. Ritu Kumar, Director, TERI-Europe, who co-authored the report, 'Altered Images: Understanding and Encouraging Corporate Responsibility in India', tells Saira Kurup that the popular mood is to include sustainable development into mainstream business strategy.

Innovation in habitat design

17 Dec 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire 7(24)

As this issue goes to press, the knowledge capital of India, Bangalore, has witnessed the completion and formal opening of a new building, which proclaims in a practical manner the importance of eco-riendly building design and construction. The Hon'le Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr S M Krishna inaugurated the new building complex of TERI' Southern Regional Centre on 3 January 2002 on a bright and sunny day. This complex has been designed and constructed with unique features. Every corner of the building has a cheerful atmosphere because of the extensive use of daylighting through a provision of skylights and judicious provision of window area.

Regulatory commissions: resource challenges

12 Dec 2001 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
,
Mr Shahid Hasan
| Regulateri 11

The infrastructure sectors in the South Asian countries are undergoing reforms and restructuring. The micro objectives could differ from country to country but the overall goals of such economic reforms have been to create a stable economy, and to make conditions conducive to private sector participation in various spheres of economic activity, improving the efficiency and competitiveness. India and Sri Lanka were the first to liberalize their economic policies. Pakistan has also set up independent regulatory agencies in the gas and electricity sectors. Nepal, too, has taken a lead and established an independent regulatory authority in its telecom sector. Other South Asian countries, too, are contemplating setting up regulatory commissions on similar lines in future.