-Down to Earth The largest losses, mostly in forests, occurred in the Sundaland, Indo-Burma and Mesoamerica hotspots, all in developing countries Top biodiversity hotspots of the world lost 148 million hectares (mha) of land to Agriculture and urbanisation between 1992 and 2015, a global analysis released October 30, 2020, by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said. Most of the land lost — nearly 40 per cent, or 54 mha — was...

-Down to Earth As the new ordinance seeks curtailment of judicial intervention, the executive faces the real challenge of pushing difficult and inconvenient solutions to clean air President Ramnath Kovind has signed a new ordinance to form a commission for air-quality management in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas. This move, in one sweep, erases all other committees and authorities that were set up under judicial and administrative orders, seeks to...

-The Indian Express The Punjab government claims that if the earnings of these boards are stopped, the state will find it difficult to maintain over 31,000-km of rural link roads as well as farmers’ welfare schemes, including the debt relief scheme. Jalandhar: The implementation of Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, which removes restrictions on farmers selling agri-produce outside the notified Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) yards, has not...

-Down to Earth Creation of unregulated private points of sale will only ensure that the produce continues to be sold as before — at below MSP and without any government support More than 86 per cent farmers in India own or cultivate on less than two acres of land and have little surplus to sell. They are the victims of middlemen (arthiya) at the mandis (local exchange markets) and are forced, by...

-The Tribune Distressed as they were, the final death blow is sought to be delivered in the agricultural reforms. Why not have MSP till a better alternative is found? Why let the oligarchs loose to prey on farmers? Was there a demand from farmers for these reforms? How has the Centre decided suo motu that this would benefit farmers? IT was the early 1960s and I spent two years in my ancestral...