Introduced more than a century ago, Prosopis juliflora, an invasive alien species (IAS), has colonised India against all odds of geographic variability. The vilayati keekar (Prosopis juliflora) is the most dominant species in India’s arid and semi-arid tracts, especially in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana. Aravalli, the oldest mountain range in India, cuts […]
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Floods have now started occurring everywhere including hills, plains and river valleys, urban agglomerations and even the deserts of Rajasthan. Barely could the subcontinent overcome the shock and grief of the Uttarakhand floods (2013) when a massive flood inundated a large part of the Chennai metropolis in 2015 killing 470 people and affecting the lives […]
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g-Governance | Nearly everything that occurs in the public realm occurs in the context of geography. Geographic Information System (GIS) is evolving rapidly and the adoption of geospatial data is already emplaced in most governmental initiatives for service delivery. GeoPortals (web portals with GIS functionalities) enable sharing of spatial data, services and resources within the government. […]
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For the last few years, the onset of winter in Delhi is being regarded with dread. The city is enveloped in a thick blanket of pollutants that deteriorate air quality to hazardous levels, posing grave threats to human health. This phenomenon disrupts daily activities in the city as worsening pollution levels restricts outdoor movement; even […]
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The Aravalli mountain range stretches from Gujarat in the southwest to Delhi in the northeast for about 700 km and sculpts the topography of eastern Rajasthan and adjoining parts of Haryana and Delhi, creating a picturesque backdrop for flourishing settlements, with its highest point at Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu in Rajasthan. At this point, […]
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Remote sensing and GIS are promising tools for handling spatial and temporal data and help in integrating them for successful planning of natural resources. Remote sensing is the science of measuring the Earth using sensors mounted on high-flying aircrafts or satellites. These sensors collect data in the form of images and provide insights for manipulating, […]
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Kerala, with its magnificent natural landscapes and fertile valleys, is often described as ‘God’s own country’. During June to August 2018, unusually heavy summer monsoon rains caused disastrous floods across the state dashing this idyllic image. These were the worst floods Kerala had witnessed since 1924 resulting in the death of more than 324 people […]
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Political democracy in India is being viewed and judged primarily in its minimalist/procedural form, encompassing nothing but a multiparty system, regularly held free and fair elections, high level of participation and contestation and peaceful and regular transfer of power on a periodic basis. India has been witness to 16 Lok Sabha elections and over 350 […]
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Electronic voting machines or EVMs are used to cast a vote without revealing the identity of the voters. They have replaced the traditional paper ballot form of voting for a while and are used in many parts of the world. An EVM is a programmable electronic voting system which is personalised by the addition of […]
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An electoral system defines the method that is used to calculate the number of elected positions in a government that candidates are to be awarded following the elections—the conversion of votes cast into seats or positions (King, 2000). The multiplicity and complexity of these systems, existing throughout the world, may often present a challenge in […]
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