Farmers can save about Rs 600 crore over the next five years through mobile broadband-based services which provide them with quick information on market prices and vital crop inputs, says a report. Getting information quickly on best prices and cultivation practises, with special focus on areas like plant protection from diseases and weather-related damage, will help farmers take fast decisions, saving them about Rs600 crore by 2015, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report said. Lack...
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Green mining norms irk ministries by Jayanta Roy Chowdhury
An inter-ministerial meeting on infrastructure constraints ended up discussing the coal ministry’s accusations against the environment ministry of going slow in clearing mining projects that meet green norms. At the end of the meeting, the exasperated chairman of the group, a secretary from the cabinet secretariat, suggested the environment ministry should henceforth attend the meetings on infrastructure. The ministry should be present in the next meet and listen to the complaints...
More »Can we achieve 4% farm growth? by T Nanda Kumar
The prime minister, in his Independence Day address said: “I am happy that the growth rate of our agriculture has increased substantially in the last few years. But we are still far from achieving our goal. We need to work harder so that we can increase the agricultural growth rate to 4% per annum” . Is it possible? If so how? The production shortage of wheat in India in 2006...
More »UN climate change panel to face Himalaya error verdict
An international committee reviewing the "processes and procedures" of the UN's climate science panel is set to report on Monday. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has faced mounting pressure over errors in its last major assessment of climate science in 2007. The review was overseen by the Inter-Academy Council, which brings together bodies such as the UK's Royal Society. The findings are to be unveiled at a news conference in New...
More »Ponds on paper
The RTI application spilled out mind-boggling inconsistencies “THIS is our NREGS [National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme] farm pond [water harvesting structure],” says 24-year-old Dhanpati with a flourish. Puzzled by his rhetorical declaration, I ask him: “Where is it?” “It is this. You are standing on it,” he says with a wry smile. The farm pond, one of the agricultural revival measures planned by the Central government under the scheme, has not been dug at...
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