Preetha

Assistant editor, Down to Earth. I'd love to spend my day playing with a caterpillar but words are all I have for now.

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Down To Earth enters its 35th year of publication today! As we mark this milestone, we remain resolute in our support for development that is inclusive and, therefore, sustainable. Our reportage rooted in humanism, justice and equality continues to amplify voices from the ground.

Read Sunita Narain's message to readers on our journey ahead: https://t.co/ullb10lFTs

Over this weekend, you can download our landmark editions since 1996 for free: https://t.co/Wtk4yi3YmM

[Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi]

I travelled through Great Nicobar today.

These are the most extraordinary forests I have ever seen in my life. Trees older than memory. Forests that took generations to grow.

The people on this island are equally beautiful - both the adivasi communities and the settlers - but they are being robbed of what is rightfully theirs.

The government calls what it is doing here a “Project.” What I have seen is not a project. It is millions of trees marked for the axe. It is 160 square kilometres of rainforest condemned to die. It is communities that have been ignored while their homes have been snatched away.

This is not development. This is destruction dressed in development’s language.

So I will say it plainly, and I will keep saying it: what is being done in Great Nicobar is one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against this country’s natural and tribal heritage in our lifetime.

It must be stopped. And it can be stopped - if Indians choose to see what I have seen.

[Neil Renic @NC_Renic]

Before becoming an academic, I never dreamed you could get this excited about writing a fairly, but not completely, crap sentence

[Preetha @preetha___]

@GhoshAmitav Congratulations, Sir!

[the reporters' collective @reporters_co]

The clock is ticking for us. The Reporters’ Collective has less than a month’s funds left. We urgently need Rs 25 lakhs to survive the April-June period of 2026–27 to continue our fearless, independent and investigative journalism. 1/4
https://t.co/F2Pn08rqZ5

[Team Rising Falcon @TheRFTeam]

Hate Crime in Odisha, India
In Durgi village under Bishamkatak block of Rayagada district, members allegedly linked to Bajrang Dal attacked a mutton shop, accusing the owners of selling beef in the name of mutton.
Such incidents of violence and intimidation cannot be tolerated. Disputes over allegations must be addressed through lawful procedures, not mob action.
We urge @odisha_police to take immediate cognizance of the matter, conduct a fair investigation, and initiate strict legal action against those responsible. Maintaining law and order and protecting livelihoods is essential for communal harmony and public safety.

[Amiya_Pandav ଅମିୟ ପାଣ୍ଡଵ Write n Fight @AmiyaPandav]

Collector n DM of Rayagada, #Orissa is threatening #Adivasi people to vacate their land,asking them to show their documents and declaring the whole area has been alloted to #Vedanta for Mining!
We have an Adivasi CM to safeguard the interest of Vedanta
@DhanadaKanta @TribalArmy

[Amiya_Pandav ଅମିୟ ପାଣ୍ଡଵ Write n Fight @AmiyaPandav]

Firing on Adivasi people !
#Odisha Police has started firing on Tribal people protesting against the mining of Bauxite by #Vedanta in Sijimali village, Rayagada district of Odisha ! Police attacked at 3AM when they were sleeping ! Many injured @DhanadaKanta @TribalArmy

[Amiya_Pandav ଅମିୟ ପାଣ୍ଡଵ Write n Fight @AmiyaPandav]

Police fired on Tribals in Odisha Tribal women showing the Shells fired by Police at 3AM today while people were sleeping ! Armed police cut off the electricity and attacked mercilessly in Kantamal village of Rayagada district for #Vedanta !
@DhanadaKanta @TribalArmy

[CSEINDIA @CSEINDIA]

𝗜𝘀 𝗘𝗧𝗔 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻? Every day, millions of people choose their mode of commute based on a number glowing on their phone screens: the estimated time of arrival (ETA) on a navigation app.

Anyone who has navigated peak city traffic must know the reality: initial ETA is rarely the final one. To understand exactly how and why, CSE’s researcher @shubham_srvstv ran a simple experiment to track how ETAs change during rush hour.

Join @sukanyanair3007, in this Live Chat as she discusses with Shubham why ETA predictions break down, why navigation apps may not be completely at fault, and what these predictive failures mean for urban mobility and climate action planning.

Watch the live chat here: https://t.co/bnqciIYYp3

Click the bell icon to be notified.

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Why Bengaluru’s Thigala community worships Draupadi & protects nature through Karaga festival

The 800-year-old tradition transforms Cubbon Park into a sacred landscape, combining tree protection, water rituals & deep relationship with ecosystem, reports @preetha___

https://t.co/ii0z4s4sxU

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Karnataka faced acute energy shortage just a decade ago but is now power surplus for most of the year, with half of its electricity coming from renewables. In October 2025, DTE reporter @puja_das12 travelled to the state to understand the transition.

This is the story of how Karnataka overcame curtailment challenges, reduced bureaucratic delays and improved reliability perception 📜

[m rajshekhar @mrajshekhar]

Hey @wordpressdotcom, why has my blog been taken down? And sans intimation? (And what terms of service did I violate? All I do here is aggregate links to my journalism)

PS: Folks, their contact form is not accepting my complaint either. Could you amplify this message please?

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

The initial two weeks of US and Israel's assault in Iran produced over 5 million tonnes of CO2e, greater than Iceland's annual emissions. The emissions were primarily from destroyed infrastructure and fuel. 🖊️ @preetha___ https://t.co/9wJoVESdo9

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

WATCH | @sunitanar, @CSEINDIA Director-General and @down2earthindia Editor, talks about Delhi, where she grew up, and other Indian cities, all of which are facing multiple crises today.

India must ensure that its cities do not become mega-messes as they grow—even implode, says Narain.

@JoelMichaelhps @sukanyanair3007

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Interview: ‘Rivers need to run free’

@SanjoyHazarika3 on the risks the Brahmaputra faces from human interventions

https://t.co/wu2XN4PYOk

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Heat stress due to anthropogenic global warming is increasingly being recognised as a major global health challenge and one that disproportionately affects the poor. A new study measures 'livability' based on climatic conditions as well as physiological parameters such as age and sweating limits, and maps regions where dangerous heats restrict activity for people.

👉 India, the report shows, faces severe limitations on daily activities due to extreme heat, affecting both younger and older adults. The Indo-Gangetic Plain and eastern lowlands are particularly impacted.

Due to a high population and severity of livability reduction overlap, the country sees 100 billion people-hours of limitation for younger adults and over 1 trillion people-hours of limitation for older adults. This exacerbates inequality, as poorer populations are less able to adapt.

Read the full analysis: https://t.co/2EEAGmzwjx

🖊️ @preetha___

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Himachal Pradesh is experiencing its earliest heatwave in five years. This year, the Himalayan state recorded 'heatwave' to 'severe heatwave' conditions on March 6, 2026 — a month earlier compared to last year and 74 days earlier compared to 2024! https://t.co/pNeiab1Xs0

First heatwave dates in Himachal Pradesh (2022–2026) 👇

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Photo of the Day: Death of a Delhi wetland

Where once water and wildlife thrived, there is now only plastic

Photos by Vikas Choudhary

https://t.co/JfrwrxQ7aw