-India Today Agriculture powerhouse Madhya Pradesh still suffers from high levels of malnutrition, a contrast that exposes our flawed food policies Madhya Pradesh in mid-March is heavy with the scent of the Mahua blossom. Heaped at village bazaars, and now restricted largely to brewing liquor, its pungent smell is fast disappearing from indigenous tribal stews and curries. On the road to Petlawad and Alirajpur on the western edge of the state, farmers...

-The Times of India AURANGABAD/ KOLHAPUR: The parched Marathwada region and scarcity-hit parts of western Maharashtra received much-needed rainfall over the past two days. The sudden heavy showers brought cheer to the farming community that has been worried about the survival of the kharif crop. Barring Aurangabad district, widespread showers were observed in the seven districts of Marathwada region on Monday. Around 21 areas from Marathwada have recorded more than 50 mm...

-The Hindu The mainstay crops of groundnut and cotton are in a precarious position. Ahmedabad: A month-long dry spell in Gujarat has farmers and the government worried as the State is now possibly staring at a drought with the monsoon deficit widening. The State received heavy rain in June and July, leading to floods in Saurashtra and North Gujarat, which killed over 100 people and thousands of animals. “There was not a single...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: Fifteen years since farmers in the state's Marathwada and Vidarbha regions started taking their own lives, the state on Friday announced the first psycho-social health plan to check the epidemic of suicides. The plan hinges on community health workers — the accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and anganwadi workers — carrying out a questionnaire-based screening test to assess the mental health of farmers. "We carried out an audit...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Expecting mothers could get maternity leave for eight months if Union minister Maneka Gandhi has her way. Gandhi—in charge of the ministry of women and child development---has proposed increasing maternity leave from three months to eight months. "We have mooted a proposal of extending the maternity leave for working women from present three months to eight months to the CABinet Secretariat for a discussion in the...