Category Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

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Opening the Hills: The Ecological Cost of Land Reform

The Himachal Pradesh government has again opened the debate on relaxing Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972 — a provision that has, for five decades, protected the state's most sacred resource: its land. Under this Section, a non-agriculturist cannot buy land in Himachal without prior permission from the state government. This legislative instrument ensures that land is not reduced to a commodity but continues to embody livelihood, culture and ecological balance.Today, in the name of "encouraging investment, industry, tourism and housing", the state government is tempted to loosen this protective clause. But to tamper with Section 118 is to play with fire.

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Chalaunthi’s Cracks: A Warning From the Lesser Himalaya

Tikender Singh Panwar The cracks will travel – from Chalaunthi to Shimla, from Shimla to Kullu, from Kullu to the upper valleys – until the Lesser Himalaya responds not with fissures, but with collapse. The mountain has already spoken. Chalaunthi…

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Green Power for Farms: India’s Next Reform Frontier

Here is a wish list of policy reforms that India desperately needs, and will give coherence to what has already been implemented. Some have been promised by the government but have not been delivered. Some merely need to leverage existing policy infrastructure and institutions.

Nuclear

Strategic Evolution of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project: A Blueprint for India’s 2047 Nuclear Energy Mission

The Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP), located at Rawatbhata near the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, serves as the cornerstone of India’s indigenous nuclear energy program. Managed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), the site transitioned from early collaboration with Canada (CANDU reactors) to becoming the primary testing ground for India’s sovereign Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) technology.

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The Environment and the Union Budget 2026–27

On the 4th of February, 2026,  IMPRI (Impact and Policy Research Institute) Centre for Work and Welfare (CWW), New Delhi, convened a crucial online thematic discussion titled “The Environment and the Union Budget 2026-27.” This event was a significant component of IMPRI’s 7th Annual Series of Thematic Deliberations and Analysis of the Union Budget, an initiative designed to move beyond surface-level fiscal analysis and delve into the profound policy implications of India’s most important financial document.

Textile

India–Laos: Textile Craft Heritage Exchange (2026)

The textile connection between India and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) is rooted in a shared civilizational tapestry that spans over a millennium. Both nations view textiles not merely as commodities but as profound storytellers of cultural identity, spirituality, and social status. Historically, the exchange began through the spread of Buddhism and the migration of the Tai people, who carried weaving traditions from the Yunnan region into the Mekong Valley.

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