-Tehelka In their struggle for forest rights, the Baigas of Madhya Pradesh have adopted a form of protest dating back to the 1930s, says Shirish Khare An idol placed under a banyan tree passes for a temple in Masna village in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh. Surrounded by dense Forests, the village is inhabited by the "primitive" Baiga tribe. "The government has taken over our land and enclosed it with barbed...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Backed by villagers and displaced people from different states, members of 200 NGOs from across the country on Monday slammed environment and Forests minister M Veerappa Moily for ignoring environment and social concerns while granting speedy clearances to mining and infrastructure projects. Alleging that recent clearances pointed to "high corruption", the groups wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. They also demanded immediate rollback of the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a remark which may cheer agriculture scientists and farmers across the country and signal a change in stance, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said the government should not succumb to "unscientific prejudices" against genetically modified (GM) crops. Responding to anti-GM activists who have been opposed to even scientific field trials of genetically engineered crops, Singh said his government remained committed "to promoting the use...

-The Hindustan Times Chandigarh: Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Yojana (RKVY) is funding afforestation project in Punjab, which is part of the crop diversification project to help farmers shift from the wheat-paddy cycle to other crops. The project has been designed for the green revolution states, including Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. RKVY has been funding different crop diversification projects; it is for the first time that it is funding an afforestation project....

-The Hindu ‘Fair price shops will do business from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for first the 10 days of the month' Koar (Karnataka): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that the ‘Padithara Khatri' scheme would be launched on Saturday to ensure proper supply of foodgrains to ration cardholders. Fair price shops should be kept open from the first to the 10th of every month from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and provide...