By year 2050, the world population will reach nearly 9.5 billion, which effectively means that we will have to produce 70% more food for over two billion additional mouths. Hence, the food and agriculture systems need to adapt fast to the changing climate and become more resilient, productive and sustainable. This would require judicious use of natural resources and minimised post-harvest losses coupled with improved harvesting, storage, packaging, transportation and marketing practices as well as appropriate infrastructural facilities.

The 8th BRICS Summit is set to take place in the middle of this month in Goa under the Chairmanship of India. BRICS, grouping Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is a unique international mechanism which has been playing an important role in rebalancing global influence thereby having positive effects on world economy and politics. (Read in Hindi)

Since its launch two years ago, on Oct 2, 2014, the Swachh Bharat Mission has persisted in the country’s imagination as a task worth pursuing, aimed at transforming peoples’ attitude towards open defecation once and for all. The sustained impetus to the scheme, including new behavioural change ads, has raised hope amidst the current stinking despair that an end will be put to the national scourge by 2019.

India is all set to lead the comity of nations in the times to come with its economy poised to become one of the largest in the world in foreseeable future. The nation is surging ahead with great pace on the path of economic development. However, can we really achieve our goals without meeting the social and environmental parameters? The first and foremost amongst such parameters is cleanliness. We cannot afford to put the filth under the carpet of development.

- Sangeeta Ahwale of Saikheda village in Washim district of Maharashtra sold her ‘mangalsutra’ to build a toilet.  - 104 year old Kunwar Bai of Kotabharri village of Dhamtari district in Chattisgarh sold her goats to build a toilet.  - Priyanka Adivasi of Gopalpura village in Kolaras block returned to her parents as there is no toilet at her in-laws’ house.  - A muslim woman in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh presented a toilet to her new daughter-in-law.  - School girl Lavanya sat on hunger strike until all 80 households in her village Halenahalli in Karnataka built toilets.  These are only some glimpses of a new tide of transformation towards a Swachh Bharat. (Read in Hindi)

Modernity has made individual global in one’s potential. With satellite communication, Airways, Earth Movers we are global in our strength and ability. Human life has gained ‘vishwaroop’. From self-centeredness to ecological damage we witness in life ethical transgression at every front. In our craving for the best in the world, we appear to pursue a perilous path of civilisation. (Read in Hindi)