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The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) set up as a not-for-profit scientific trust with M. S. Swaminathan as the Founder-Chairman in 1988 is dedicated to sustainable agriculture, natural resources management and rural development. Relevant science and ecotechnologies are harnessed for fostering human livelihood and conservation of nature. MSSRF has developed biovillages and modern ICT-based Village Knowledge Centres (VKCs) for skill and knowledge empowerment respectively of the rural communities. Ecotechnologies are the resultant of lending frontier technologies with traditional knowledge and ecological prudence of the indigenous communities. These have pro-nature, pro-poor and prowomen orientation. The evergreen revolution of MSSRF is designed to fight both the famines of food and rural livelihoods. As against the bureaucratic 'top-down' approach, MSSRF practices 'bottom-up' and participatory approach. The VKCs with lab to land and land to lab linkages provide solutions almost instantaneously to the problems of the small and marginal farming, fishing and landless rural families. These are briefly discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic activities experienced a pause due to the nationwide lockdown, imposed to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the third week of March 2020. The impacts of suspension of industrial activities, vehicular transport and other businesses for three months (25 March-30 June) on the environmental settings of Chennai, a coastal megacity was assessed. A significant reduction in the key urban air pollutants [PM 2.5 (66.5%), PM 10 (39.5%), NO 2 (94.1%), CO (29%), O 3 (45.3%)] was recorded as an immediate consequence of the reduced anthropogenic activities. Comparison of water quality of an urban river Adyar, between pre-lockdown and lockdown, showed a substantial drop in the dissolved inorganic N (47%) and suspended particulate matter (41%) during the latter period. During the pandemic, biomedical wastes in India showed an overall surge of 17%, which were predominantly plastic. FTIR-ATR analysis confirmed the polymers such as polypropylene (25.4%) and polyester (15.4%) in the personal protective equipment. [Display omitted] • The impact of COVID-19 on air, water and biota in the coastal environment were studied. • Lockdown resulted in a significant reduction in key air pollutants which in turn improved the Chennai air quality up to 70%. • An increase in dissolved oxygen decreased dissolved inorganic N and chlorophyll a was recorded in coastal waters. • An overall surge of plastic-based facemasks, gloves and other PPE was recorded. • Blue economy sectors: fishing, tourism and seafood industries severely affected by the restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]