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Update on the pesticide and soft drink study
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On Friday, October 10, we made a presentation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee which has been set up to decide on the issue of pesticide residues in soft drinks and other beverages which use water as a major constituent. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to place before the parliamentarians key issues concerning pesticide poisoning and the desperate need for policy and regulations in this critical area of public health. We were extremely encouraged by their response. This is the first time a joint parliamentary committee has been set up on an issue of public health and environment and provides us all an opportunity for bringing change.

We have over the past some weeks done a substantial amount of research on the larger issues of pesticide policy and hope to be able to share a briefing paper soon. We would like to thank all our friends who had responded so willingly to our earlier e-mail message and sent us details of regulations concerning soft drinks and other information. We can assure you that we used all the material and tracked all the links you provided and that your help was crucial in our research.

We will keep you informed of further developments and again, thank you very much for your continued support and encouragement.

-- The CSE team

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LATEST IN DOWN TO EARTH MAGAZINE
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9/13: WORLD TORN APART
Cancún was a mid-term review of how to move forward in key areas, such as lowering tariffs on industrial products and agricultural reform. Three days of closed-door negotiations at the World Trade Organization talks -- with no independent media access -- led to a draft that imploded the negotiation process on September 13. What went wrong?

See also:
-- NEW COALITIONS: The 22-strong coalition (G-22) of developing countries under Brazil's leadership battled the US/EU proposal on agriculture. The African Union (AU); the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) nations and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) (90 countries in all) presented joint-position papers on development issues.

-- IN THE SNAKEPIT: How negotiations on issues moved, or didn't
-- BEYOND FAILURE: What kind of ripples were let loose by the breakdown of talks?

More in the latest Cover Story:

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover.asp?FolderName=20031015&FileNAme=anal&sid=1&sec_id=7

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PRESS RELEASE: CSE REJECTS NATIONAL AUTO FUEL POLICY
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New Delhi, October 6, 2003: The national auto fuel policy, approved by the Union cabinet on October 3, 2003 and announced today by Ram Naik, Union minister of petroleum and natural gas, is nothing better than an eyewash, says the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). CSE had earlier rejected the Mashelkar committee’s recommendations on auto fuel policy when they were sent to the cabinet for approval. The policy, which plays into the hands of polluters, will destroy the Supreme Court’s initiative to protect public health.

Read the complete Press Release online:
http://www.cseindia.org/html/press_release.htm

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From the DTE Editor’s Desk
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Read this editorial online:
WRITE TO THE EDITOR:editor@downtoearth.org.in

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/editor.asp?foldername=20031015&filename=Editor&sec_id=2&sid=1

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ALSO IN DOWN TO EARTH MAGAZINE
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THE CATERPILLAR MUSHROOM
After years of over-exploitation, this costly traditional medicine plant is on the brink of extinction. Only government action to ensure economic alternatives to the local population can halt the plunder

Read the complete article online:
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=2

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GOBAR TIMES: ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN
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ELECTRIFIED!
Electricity is power. Like magic, it has the power to turn night into day. It also offers us the choice to create, nurture and grow, or to consume and destroy

More in Gobar Times, a Down To Earth supplement:
http://www.gobartimes.org

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FROM CSE'S JAL SWARAJ CAMPAIGN
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GROUNDWATER PROSPECTS: INTERACTIVE MAP OF DELHI

What kind of water harvesting structure is best suited to your location? How deep you have to bore to facilitate groundwater recharge? This interactive map contains a wealth of information on groundwater status, source, hydrogeology, water quality, level and fluctuation for 25 locations in Delhi. Browse detailed site plan of CSE model projects.

http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org

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12th PAANI YATRA (Nov. 16 - 23, 2003)
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CSE invites you to join its 12th Paani Yatra. A group of 20 will be taken to Maharashtra to witness the miracles of community water management in the villages of Ahmednagar.

The yatris will meet Anna Hazare in Ralegan Siddhi and Popatrao Pawar in Hivre Bazar -- the men whose initiatives transformed the lives of local communities.

A special feature of this Yatra will be an interaction with the enterprising farmers of a Water User’s Association in Chanda village who have found a unique way to ensure fair sharing of irrigation waters.

Limited seats available. Register today!
http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org

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SMOG DIGEST (September - October 2003)
Air pollution news collected from 65 newspapers and magazines
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The month witnessed considerable action on vehicular pollution in India. Vehicle technology and fuel quality standards have begun to hog media attention once again as Auto Fuel Policy came under Cabinet scrutiny.

The draft notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, announcing new norms for in-use vehicles, came in for much criticism. There is some local action in many cities concerning in-use vehicles and local transportation.

The bio-fuel sector was in the limelight again -- expectedly so. The bio-diesel initiatives got a boost when Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, announced the government is aiming at a 20 per cent blending of bio-diesel with diesel by 2012.

To access this monthly news digest, visit:
http://www.cseindia.org/campaign/apc/sept-oct2003.htm

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CSE PUBLICATIONS
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STATE OF INDIA'S ENVIRONMENT: THE CITIZEN'S FIFTH REPORT
A comprehensive two-volume dossier on environmental issues, events, policies and practices, along with statistics on environment-related facts presented in a reader-friendly way

Absolutely secure online payment:
http://csestore.cse.org.in

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HOMICIDE BY PESTICIDES
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A collection of articles on the threat posed to public health by unbridled pesticides use in India. The lack of clear guidelines and no policy on pesticides use has serious implications for public health.

Absolutely secure online payment:
http://csestore.cse.org.in

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DOWN TO EARTH COLLECTER'S EDITION
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Eight years of award-winning environmental reportage, analysis and commentary brought together in one special edition. This survival primer includes some of the most hard-hitting articles on the environment collected from the pages of more than 200 issues of Down To Earth magazine.

Order your copy today!
http://csestore.cse.org.in

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1,00,000 NEWS CLIPPINGS -- ONLINE AND FREE
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Browse today's news clippings from newspapers and magazines from India and across the world. Register to search our comprehensive news archive on water management, environment, development and sustainability. All articles are searchable by subject, source, date and text.

FREE MEMBERSHIP package allows members to access over 100,000 news clippings from more than 80 Indian and international newspapers and magazines in our daily updated archive.

Sign up for your FREE membership to CSE's news database:
http://data.cseindia.org/news_search.asp

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Tap into a tradition of fiercely independent environmental journalism. Pay for the print edition and get free access to the Web edition. Browse 10 years of research, exclusive features, and interactive elements in our comprehensive online archive. Give yourself an informed advantage. SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

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