-Down to Earth The pesticides in question continue to be used in India, but are already banned, restricted or withdrawn in other countries Several experts underscored the ill effects of using chemicals excessively in agriculture and stressed on ecologically sound alternatives while backing a recent government draft order to prohibit a bunch of pesticides. Civil society members, citing risks, threats and damage from 27 pesticides, came out in support of a May 14,...
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NREGA Sangharsh Morcha appeals for immediate notification of additional 50 days over and above the 100 days in NREGA, across the country, in view of the national disaster caused by coronavirus pandemic
-Press release by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, dated 13th July, 2020 NREGA Sangharsh Morcha -- a civil society organisation comprising concerned citizens, academics and grassroots social workers -- has written to the Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development to appeal for notifying additional 50 days of work under MGNREGA (over and above 100 days) across the nation, considering the current situation as a national disaster. Section 4.2.3 of the NREGA Master Circular 2019-20 enables...
More »Through rain and floods, Assam’s community workers battle pandemic -Tora Agarwala
-The Indian Express Floods might be as old as Assam, but fighting a pandemic in these swirling waters is a whole new challenge for even the most seasoned health worker. GUWAHATI: It is the wind that has helped Pratima Barman plan her day as an accredited social health activist (ASHA) in Assam’s Dibrugarh district for seven years now. In the sapori (island) village where Barman lives, a strong gusty wind, coupled with...
More »Time to act on MGNREGA -Ankita Aggarwal and Anmol Somanchi
-The Indian Express Covid-related crisis offers NDA government opportunity to increase work days, entitlements under the employment guarantee scheme. In a recent article (‘Credit where it isn’t due’, IE, June 10), Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar described the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as a “failing scheme” before 2014. MGNREGA under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was by no means perfect, but when the National...
More »Shutdown of schools hits dairy and poultry farmers: Loss of mid-day meal market for milk and eggs -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express An example is the Karnataka government’s Ksheera Bhagya scheme, which offers free milk over and above the MDM food entitlement. The shutting down of schools due to Covid-19 is affecting not only children, now unable to access cooked nutritional food under the Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme, but also farmers for whom it provided an assured market. An example is the Karnataka government’s Ksheera Bhagya scheme, which offers free milk...
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