-The Times of India   PATIALA: Just days after the Lok Sabha election results, anger is palpable in rural Punjab against the ruling dispensation as farmers are not getting even half the power supply promised by the government. They are forced to spend on diesel to run pumpsets for drawing water from tubewells to irrigate nurseries of paddy, transplanting of which would commence next month. Paddy is the biggest kharif crop of Punjab...

-The Hindu A multi-commodity farming system consisting of rice, fish, broiler duck and male buffalo was evaluated at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kumarakom, under the Kerala Agricultural University for productivity, income, cropping intensity and generation of employment. The study revealed that a one hectare paddy holder in kuttanad has the carrying capacity of a minimum of 5,000 fishes, 750 broiler ducks and 3-5 male buffaloes in addition to rice. In this...

-The Hindu   Rice, a major crop in Andhra Pradesh, is cultivated using water from borewells, tanks or open wells. Since the crop grows in standing water ground water depletion is usually high especially during summer. In addition to the water shortage, non-availability of labour on time is also increasing the cost of production, forcing farmers to give up rice cultivation citing low productivity and high labour costs as reasons. Different approach A different look...

-The Hindustan Times New Delhi: Life-saving drugs that need to be stored at low temperatures left out in the open, touts having a free run of transport offices and schools violating guidelines - all this and more was unearthed during raids by the Delhi government officers on Thursday. On the directions of the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, 19 teams of senior officers fanned out in the city, exposing thriving malpractices in...

-The Hindu     "We have at last found a solution to labour shortage. I am hopeful of sustainable farming" Chennai: Not long ago, farmers of Kavanthandalam, a village about 10 km from Uthiramerur of Kancheepuram district and situated along Cheyyar river, were extremely worried about the future of farming in their area. Labour shortage was their main problem. Though this feature was nothing unique, the problem got compounded, given the proximity of the village...