Rural Odisha has been battling alcohol dependence for decades. The government of Odisha has launched a new scheme with the aim to cultivate spiritual sensibility in villagers, especially young minds, and accelerate the modernisation process in rural areas.

The Odisha state cabinet, on July 9, 2023, approved several projects, including Ama Odisha, Nabin Odisha scheme, which aims to protect places of worship, improve infrastructure and preserve local heritage. 

Avilash Roul, "Ecological Urgency", Odisha Post, December 3, 2022

Odisha Post: http://odishapostepaper.com/m/186104/637e731678205

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) posted a draft of the city climate action plan on its website on September 12, 2022, for public view. The document consisting of 52 PowerPoint slides, was also up for a quick advisory for the public to submit their views, comments and appreciation within 20 days of posting.  Was it a decision by the civic body? Did the elected mayor approve this short notice for the people of Chennai and beyond to read and understand the technical language or the concepts and comment as feedback through emails? 

The Tamil Nadu government July 11, 2022, announced the institution of district climate change missions (DCCM) across 38 districts in the state.

There have been negligible discussions or reactions post the announcement among citizens, experts, non-profits and the media. It is thus important to consider DCCMs in the right perspective.     

There are a few pertinent concerns that must be addressed without doubting the intent behind the setting up of these missions:

The nomination of Madam Droupadi  Murmu as the candidate for the election of the next President of India is historic as well as an act of unshackling historical injustice to the Indigenous People of India.     

Technology development is a continuing process. Technological developments are known to impact the advancements taking place in various sectors. The modern world is found getting driven mostly by technologies. From health to agriculture to education to human development to truism to critical infrastructure, almost every part of human life is found increasingly getting dependent on technologies. Apart from these sectors, technology is known to be influencing the security sector for a long.

As the line between the universe of military systems, services, a related spin-off (technologies from military to civilian domains) or spin-on (technologies from civilian to military domains) products and wider civilian products are getting blurred day by day, military exhibitions dis- play more and more dual-use systems apart from primarily military intensive products and services.

On 13th December, United Nations Security Council (UNSC) failed to adopt a resolution on climate change-induced security risks that exacerbate conflict across the geopolitical fault lines. India, as the only non-permanent member, voted against the draft resolution with Russia, a permanent member, vetoing it while China abstained. UNSC recorded 12 in favour of the resolution (backed by more than 112 members of the UN)

Fears of floods of the scale of the 2015 deluge are looming over Chennai where at least five people have died in rain-related incidents since last week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted widespread rainfall in Tamil Nadu in the coming days, with forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Chennai. 

The northeast monsoon unleashed its fury in the state last week, swamping large parts of residential areas and commercial centres.