When Vijay Ingle of Chittalwadi village in Akola district decided to install a biogas plant at his dairy last year, everyone was sceptical. It had failed to take off in the Vidarbha region despite the government promoting biogas as the cleanest and cheapest fuel for over three decades and offering subsidies for setting up the plant. Besides, no one had heard of a biogas plant installed 400 metres from the house; it is usually set up in the backyard, close to the kitchen.

Cost escalation made Maharashtra's power generation company reconsider present site in Dhule district. The Sakri solar power plant in Maharashtra's Dhule district is touted as the world's largest solar power plant till date. Sometime ago there was a proposal to shift the plant to Chandrapur district in Vidarbha region following dispute over the land where the project will be developed. The move triggered protests in the tribal district where people see the 125 MW project as a lifeline that would usher in industrialisation and employment.

Gadchiroli in Maharashtra may have acquired the model district status for clearing a record number of community forest rights (CFR) claims, but its 298 villages are angry with the forest department for stripping them of the basic right to manage forest produce.

In April this year, Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra made history. One of its villages became the country’s first to win the right to sell and harvest bamboo. Down To Earth reports how India's largest paper manufacturing company Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) is using most of the bamboo in Maharashtra, leaving little for residents.

It was once associated with the rich and urban. Today, hypertension is fast spreading in rural India. This is a cause for concern because hypertension, if not checked, can lead to heart and kidney diseases. Healthcare facilities are already poor in villages, where nearly three-fourths of Indians live.

Despite closure notices several industrial units are operating in Mahad tehsil of Raigad district, polluting a river and wells. As a result fishing and farming in the region have been badly affected. 5,000 fisher families have lost their means of living due to pollution in the Savitri river.

Forest people across India are being denied their legitimate right to collect and trade in minor forest produce. Down To Earth correspondents travelled to Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, MP, AP, Maharashtra & Orrisa to unravel the conspiracy.

People in Indore and the adjoining Pithampur industrial area in Madhya Pradesh are protesting the incineration of Bhopal’s toxic waste near their homes. The waste disposal facility in Pithampur in Dhar district was completed recently. On March 18, the Madhya Pradesh state pollution control board allowed Ramky Enviro, the private company operating the facility, to start trial runs.

Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh is one of the few cities in India where horse-drawn carriages or tongas form a part of the public transport system. They ply on fixed routes. Many residents see them as part of the city