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The Public Newsense

A quarterly newsletter offering our readers insights and updates on a diverse range of topics; find news on consumer protection, electricity governance, environment and climate action, solid waste management, and sustainable transport, among others.
Edition: July - September 2019
“Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me” - the lyrics of an old love song can easily be the song for plastics, dubbed as the miraculous material, the magic material, and a marvel in our modern world. Owing to its multiple uses and unique physical and…
Edition: July - September 2019
Reams of paper (made by felling healthy trees) are being spent on reports (some of questionable quality) reinforcing the wisdom that school textbooks tell us- that our environment and natural resources are precious, and we need to nurture them to…
Edition: July - September 2019
On a cloudy Sunday evening, before the sun set, I took a test ride of the bicycle “SmartBike”. While I unlocked the cycle a passerby asked me, “How much is the rental for the cycle?” I could not tell him as it was my first experience with …
Edition: April-June 2019
Introduction: With emerging technological advances and increased dependency on electronic appliances, household energy consumption levels and demand for electricity have been steadily rising. Recently, Tamilnadu recorded a peak demand of…
Edition: April-June 2019
As on May 2019, Tamil Nadu has achieved only around 45 MW of rooftop solar with net meters and 134 MW without net meter facility1. This is a far cry from the targets of Solar Policy 2012 which had aimed for around 350 MW of rooftop…
Edition: April-June 2019
The objective of the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) project at Kodungaiyur is to examine the human rights impact of business practices through the lens of waste.The information and data collected will be used to  push for…
Edition: April-June 2019
Introduction We humans are inextricably linked to the land, which supports every aspect of our lives. This relationship has remained unchanged through the centuries and is closely connected to human culture, civilization and livelihood. It…
Edition: April-June 2019
Abstract: This briefing note sheds light on the extent of media coverage on the nexus between waste, health and human rights in Chennai.  Table of Contents:   Introduction Methodology Findings:  Establishment of a…
Edition: April-June 2019
CAG, represented by S. Saroja, has been elected to the CI Council in the General Assembly held in Estoril, Portugal in May 2019. Saroja was the consensus candidate from India, which has a representation of 8 full members in CI.…
Edition: April-June 2019
Since April 2017 when the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, there was hope that the Bill would become an Act. As each session of Parliament came and went, hope receded. The Bill finally lapsed and with the 2019…