-The Indian Express Despite deforestation and human encroachment, the country’s forest cover has remained stable around 20% since Independence. This is because the loss of natural old-growth forests is compensated on paper by expanding monoculture plantations. Since Independence, a fifth of India’s land has consistently been under forests. The population has increased more than three times since 1947, and from 1951-80, a total 42,380 sq km of forestland was diverted — some...
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Beyond the News: Why light showers now bring good news for farmers -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express Minimum temperatures are likely to come down by 2-3 degrees Celsius in Northwest, Central and Western India over the next 48 hours, the IMD said. The current spell of rain in North and Central India will be beneficial to the standing rabi crop, especially wheat, though there are concerns over chana (chickpea) and masur (lentil) that are in the maturity or harvesting stages. “This rain is very good for wheat...
More »Govt needs to balance farmer, consumer interests: Assocham
-PTI The government has to walk a tightrope to balance farmers' and consumers' interest in view of the Budget announcement on MSP that could further push up inflation, industry body Assocham said today. In the Union Budget 2018-19, the government promised to fix the minimum support price (MSP) at 50 per cent higher than the cost of production. "The Budget with a huge focus on agriculture has raised expectation level in rural landscape....
More »Why the Budget may not benefit the female kisan -Jayashree Nandi
-The Times of India Laduben, 70, of Kuda village in Gujarat's Bhavnagar has waited for more than 20 years to be recognised as a 'farmer' in government records and become the rightful owner of the land she cultivated for years. Laduben's husband passed away when her three daughters were little and she was carrying her fourth child. Her in-laws got her name removed from the family varsai (inheritance document). Her brother-in-law insisted...
More »Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 2.0: Renewed push falls short -Anil Sasi
-The Indian Express Various changes have been introduced in the execution of the government's skilling programme to generate more jobs, but to no avail. An average of just over one out of six people trained under the scheme have found a job. The government’s flagship skilling scheme — Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) — continues to grapple with the issue of achieving end-results, despite fresh attempts to redirect its focus to...
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