OPINIONS

Bihar is a beautiful State with beautiful people and a rich culture and glorious heritage. It is a state that manufactures the most academicians, IITians, doctors, IAS, IPS and IRS officers. However the ground reality is different. Bihar comprises three distinct regions, Magadh, Mithila and Bhojpur, each having its own distinct culture and history. Historically, Bihar...

"Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat… They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving." – Mahmoud Fathalla, Chair of the WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research Inclusive growth is now perhaps the strongest buzzword in development discourse. We have all been talking about growth...

Emphasising on the importance of reaching out to others in need of help, Mahatma Gandhi had once rightly stated, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Such socially oriented volunteering not only benefits underprivileged communities but also rejuvenates volunteers. An increasing number of corporates, nowadays, are taking...

India recognizes its growing leadership in tackling global climate change. On the World Environment Day 2018, India committed to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the citizens to shun low-grade polythenes and plastics. These initiatives would certainly help curb the negative impact of plastic pollution on the environment. It is important...

India has historically had a challenging ecosystem with difficult terrains all across the country, from the north to the south and east to the west. Equally challenging have been the diverse cultural heritage and habits in different areas and the socio-economic disparity between the different strata of society. In the 21st century, as India finds...

The story of Lagaan is an interesting one. What is essentially a tale of the British Raj going about with its business in what is the crown jewel of her majesty’s colonial empire, suddenly turns into the ultimate underdog story. Central to the movie’s narrative is also the British officers using all means to...

Andrew Carnegie, steel tycoon and one of the greatest philanthropists whose business ethos was to "do well in order to do good" was one of the early advocates and steward of CSR. Mahatma Gandhi’s theory of trusteeship intended to avoid the evils and combine the benefits of capitalism and communism, to socialise property without...

Organ donation has been struggling to find a firm foothold in our country. Though strongly recommended by many healthcare institutions, myths and superstitions cloud its path towards success. National Eye Donation Fortnight is the perfect time to reiterate the noble act of eye donation since it has become the need of the hour as...

SDGs were adopted on 25th September 2015 in Paris where 193 countries, including India, ratified and signed the convention to accomplish 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with its 169 targets by 2030. The goals take a pragmatic approach to achieve sustainable growth at all levels of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the...

The CSR clause in the Companies Act, 2013, mandates companies above a certain size to spend 2% of their net profits for every fiscal year on philanthropic activities in the field of education, environment, healthcare, etc. It serves as an incentive for companies to take up the role of changemakers to address issues, such...

Earth Overshoot Day is the day that marks excessive resource consumption beyond what Earth can sustainably renew in an entire year. This year on the day (August 1), humans will have already used up resources allotted for this entire year, and for the rest of the year, and would be running in debt of...

In an earlier column, Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group, shared the need to shape urban spaces sustainably. As a follow up, here he elaborates on how cities across the world are pushing the agenda of being sustainable. Reliable utility services such as electricity, water, handling waste and providing transport services are an essential...