-Hindustan Times Amritsar: Even as northern states, including Punjab, have witnessed better rainfall this season as compared to previous years, farmers are worried about the yield of their kharif crops. The agriculture department officials say in comparison to previous years, the amount of rainfall was better this monsoon. Also, there was enough sunshine as required by the crop, another positive sign promising a good yield. “Around 20% more rainfall has been recorded...

-Down to Earth A parliamentary standing committee blamed Agriculture Ministry’s skewed policy for the inequality in fertiliser usage The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture has recommended formation of a “Pesticide Development Authority” to ensure balanced use of chemical fertilisers in the wake of declining agricultural productivity. The 29th report, called “Impact of chemical fertilizers and Pesticides on agriculture and allied sectors in the country”, was tabled in Parliament by the committee. The...

-The Times of India BADI (MADHYA PRADESH): With a vacant expression on his face and bloodshot eyes, Rajendra Sisodiya, the newly appointed sarpanch of Badi village in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh, sits in front of his house in a blazing May afternoon, wondering how he will discharge his new responsibilities. Sisodiya was made sarpanch two months ago after his cousin Jeevan, the elected village head, committed suicide by hanging himself from...

-Hindustan Times New Delhi: A clutch of pesticides that could be carcinogenic and banned in many countries will continue their run in India, though a government panel has recently decided to ban 18 insect killers hazardous to human health and prohibited abroad. This is the first time a decision to ban such a big number of pesticides was taken. There are 261 pesticides registered in India but only 28 had been banned...

-The Hindu The Health Ministry’s plan for a malaria-free India by 2030 is laudable, but grand pronouncements are meaningless as long as manipulated data distort our knowledge and bad governance impedes genuine attempts to fight the disease This month, the Health Ministry will unveil an ambitious new plan to eliminate malaria from the country by 2030. A malaria-free India certainly sounds like a dream, or maybe an early campaign promise: the disease...