-The Times of India PUNE: Child marriages have decreased since the first National Family Health Survey in 1992-93 when 54% of women between 20 and 24 years were married as children to 47%, at present. However, almost 40% of the girls in India are still married before the age of 14, according to a report by Dasra in collaboration with the UNICEF and UNFPA. In Maharashtra, 30-40% of girls were married before they...

-Down to Earth With hardly any rains in June, no sowing activity has taken place in many regions, making it impossible for farmers to insure crops Maharashtra government has refused to extend the time-limit for availing the Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS), which is being implemented for the first time in 12 districts of the state this year, despite heavy demand from farmers. The time limit for the scheme, which covers...

-The Tribune The community has to pay the cost of environmental degradation if sustainable agricultural practices are not followed. Food can also be produced by in-built provisions for ecological services. For this, sustainability issues have to be addressed with policy support. An ecosystem is a dynamic, complex, functional unit of diverse living organisms, physical environment and humans are its integral part. The wellbeing of mankind depends upon food, water, fibre, medicine, flood...

-The Hindu   Although meant to function as watchdogs, human rights institutions in India are treated as subordinate departments with scant regard for their autonomy or statutory character A change in the occupancy of 7, Race Course Road, is spelling change in the composition of statutory bodies in India. With the Governors of various States, the office-bearers of the National Disaster Management Authority and the Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The manner in which the United Progressive Alliance government approved field trials of genetically engineered crops in the last few weeks of its term in office speaks poorly of its regard for the decision-making process. Shalini Bhutani (shalinibhutani@hotmail.com) is a legal researcher and policy analyst who has worked on agriculture issues. Manju Menon and Kanchi Kohli are independent researchers who have worked on environment regulation. Please click here to download the...