Feature Article

We assessed distribution and abundance of mammals in dense, rugged eastern Himalayan habitats of Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (BR), Sikkim, India, from April 2008 to May 2010, using field methods and remote cameras under varying rain and snow conditions. We report the occurrence of 42 mammals including 18 species that have high global conservation significance.

JSW Steel has already made investments of over Rs 33,500 crore to set up a 10 million tonne per annum capacity steel plant in the state of Karnataka based upon the MOU signed by government of Karnataka and the assurance of mining concessions to JSW Steel.

While New Delhi is busy framing a mining friendly rule in its belief that exploiting the nation's natural resource at a fast rate will lead to faster economic growth, the mineral-rich states are busy looking the other way to encourage the private profiteers to plunder the natural resource for their personal profit.

Centralise iron ore mining under NMDC.

The Lokayukta report recorded how the miners rigged every rule in book and encashed the 'China boom'.

Data for selected indicators associated with sociodemographic characteristics among ever-married women, contraception use, child vaccination, antenatal care practices and health conditions were extracted from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 1993–94, 1996–1997, 1999–2000, 2004 and 2007. Results for the whole sample and for the poorest and the richest wealth quintiles are presented.

Mortality from TB since 1990 was estimated for 213 countries using established methods endorsed by WHO. Mortality trends were estimated separately for people with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in accordance with the International classification of diseases. Lives saved by the DOTS/Stop TB Strategy were estimated with respect to the performance of TB control in 1995, the year that DOTS was introduced.

Indian agriculture has been under stress quite for long time. Decline in public investment, poor extension net work, lack of marketing facilities, erratic input supply and others have all collectively contributed for decline or stagnant in Indian agriculture. Increasing use of synthetic inputs and non-judicial use of natural resources including land and water have also added the problem only to become worse. Now, there has been consistent attempt to either reduce the chemical inputs or stop its use in agriculture for promoting sustainable agriculture system.

Answers to why dust storms  are on the rise in East Asia. Over  the past two decades there has been an increase in the outbreak of dust storms over East Asia. Large quantities of dust particles suspended in the air not only block the amount of sunlight reaching the earth, they also cause respiratory and visual complications. Dust storms are attributed to two factors. First erodibility—susceptibility of soil to wind erosion and second erosivity—ability of wind to cause erosion.

Exposure to erionite, an asbestos-like mineral, causes unprecedented rates of malignant mesothelioma (MM) mortality in some Turkish villages. Erionite deposits are present in at least 12 US states. We investigated whether increased urban development has led to erionite exposure in the United States and after preliminary exploration, focused our studies on Dunn County, North Dakota (ND). In Dunn County, ND, we discovered that over the past three decades, more than 300 miles of roads were surfaced with erionite-containing gravel.