IFC withdraws funding for waste-to-energy incinerators in Gujarat: A win for public health and environment

By A Representative

In a significant victory for environmental activists and local communities, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private lending arm of the World Bank, has decided not to invest in the proposed $40 million funding for waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration plants in Gujarat, India. The decision comes after strong opposition from civil society organizations, which highlighted concerns over pollution, health risks, and violations of sustainable waste management practices.

The funding was intended to support Abellon Clean Energy Limited (ACEL) in building four WTE incinerators in Rajkot, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Jamnagar, processing 3,750 tons of unsegregated municipal solid waste daily. However, opposition groups, including 174 networks of activists worldwide, raised concerns that the project would worsen air and water pollution, endanger public health, and undermine India’s environmental regulations.

"We were initially told that these plants would convert waste into power, but instead, they have increased pollution and health issues in our communities," said Ker Jayendrasinh, an activist in Jamnagar. Another activist, Asmita Chavda from Ahmedabad, expressed relief at IFC’s decision but called for broader action: “This is a major victory, but other financial institutions must follow IFC’s lead and stop funding harmful WTE projects.”

Financial concerns also played a role in the IFC’s withdrawal. ACEL has been struggling with mounting losses, with its net profit falling from ₹11.1 crore in 2021 to a ₹19 crore loss in 2023. The company’s inability to cover its loan interest payments further raised doubts about its economic viability.

Environmental advocates now urge India’s Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) to reconsider their loans to ACEL. "This is an opportunity to shift towards more effective and sustainable waste management strategies," said Jay Vyas, an activist from Vadodara.

While the IFC’s decision marks a victory for environmental justice, campaigners emphasize that the fight is not over. They are calling for a complete shutdown of polluting WTE plants and a transition to decentralized, eco-friendly waste management solutions.

Comments

10,000 students deprived of classes as Ahmedabad school remains shut: MCC writes to Gujarat CM

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) has written to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, urging him to immediately reopen the Seventh Day Adventist School in Maninagar, Ahmedabad, where classes have been suspended for nearly two weeks. The MCC claims that the suspension, following a violent incident, violates the constitutional right to education of thousands of children.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

What mainstream economists won’t tell you about Chinese modernisation

By Shiran Illanperuma China’s modernisation has been one of the most remarkable processes of the 21st century and one that has sparked endless academic debate. Meng Jie (孟捷), a distinguished professor from the School of Marxism at Fudan University in Shanghai, has spent the better part of his career unpacking this process to better understand what has taken place.

Counterview

Search This Blog