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Energy Security in Himalayan Nations By Dr Arvind Kumar Known as the "roof of the world", the Himalayas face numerous challenges in addition to climate change. As mountain glaciers melt, wildlife poachers are running rampant, and forests are being cut down for timber or agriculture expansion. 
 As many communities depend on the region's natural resources to maintain their livelihoods and traditions, conservation is an important part of their lives. 
  But climate change is causing many Himalayan glaciers to retreat at a rapid pace, which could contribute to water shortages and have a major impact on freshwater flows. These changes would have a devastating impact on regional food security, the availability of energy resources and biodiversity.  Accordingly, some experts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal for discussions on long-term energy security in the Himalayas, concluding a series of planning sessions that aim to put ...

Education for profit or Public Good? The mushroom growth of private institutions of higher education in India has given rise to question whether such institutions are money spinning machines or serving public interest. In the absence of any reliable data it is difficult to find any answer to this question for the time being. However, a recent article published in Japan Times by Hiroaki Sato depicts a sordid state of affairs in private educational institutions in the United States. While lamenting that American insistence on free-market notions has brought the matter to the other extreme in higher education, Sato asserts that it has spawned education profiteers. Worse, many of these colleges get most of their ‘revenues’ from the government. According to a report published by US Government Accountability Office (GAO), most these private educational institutions encourage fraud and pursue the "deceptive and questionable marketing practices." The US Department of Educatio...

Will BRICS Bank Transform Regional Development We believe the BRICS are an important force for incremental change and reform of current institutions towards more representative and equitable governance, capable of generating more inclusive global growth and fostering a stable, peaceful and prosperous world. BRICS has a new confidence, and it was more than apparent at the summit. The only world grouping that is not region, security or trade-based, its members have come together with the determination to create a more multilateral global order. China and Russia have backed the other three BRICS members on the issue of UN reform and Security Council expansion. But the grouping needs to find a stronger political voice in new world order. As its name implies, the agreement for the New Development Bank, signed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa at their sixth BRICS summit in Brazil, signals the start of a new global financial order that aims to be more inclusive th...

'Namami Gange' The allocation of a fund of Rs 2,037 crore  by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his first budget is a welcome move, especially when it constitutes the part of an integrated Ganga development project called the 'Namami Gange'. It is equally interesting to know that Rs 100 crore and Rs 4200 crore have been allocated for Ghat development & beautification of the river front and for National water ways respectively. Undoubtedly these are laudable measures; nevertheless it calls for an integrated approach because multiple agencies would be working at different points sans coordination and cooperation in the absence of convergence enhancing the probability of ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’. Emphasis should be on convergence and capacity building.   It is noteworthy that no action plan of this magnitude can succeed without the involvement of the people as major stakeholders. Besides, it is equally essential to initiate c...