-Frontline.in The British government, on the basis of an 1891 report on the subhuman living conditions of “Pariahs” by James H.A. Tremenheere, Acting Collector of Chengleput, assigned 12 lakh acres of land for distribution to the “depressed classes” of the Madras Presidency to empower them socially and economically. But more than 100 years later, much of this land is in the possession of non-Dalits, and the struggle to reclaim them has...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Peasants from Haryana's Nuh region converged in the capital today to not only demand justice for Pehlu Khan - the latest victim of cow vigilantism - but also drive home the point that cattle trade was a matter of livelihood. The mobilisation was part of the Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan and brought on the platform leaders of various parties, like the Janata Dal United, NCP, CPI and the CPM-L. All...

-RuralIndiaOnline.org Despite the slow decline of the renowned handlooms of Dharmavaram in Andhra Pradesh, Shankara Dhanunjaya tried to work hard and prosper. But in 2016, at the age of 35, debts, crumbling dreams and crushing policy changes drove him to suicide All the handloom halls Into mortuary rooms Being metamorphosed That inexplicable sorrow! (From ‘Maggam bathuku’ an epic poem by Dr. U. Radheya, who is from a family of weavers; translated by Dr. P. Ramesh Narayana) In...

-The Indian Express The government will spend over Rs 6000 crore on clean drinking water scheme, said CM Vasundhara Raje Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje presented the state financial budget for fiscal year 2017-18 in the Assembly. Here are some of the major announcements made by the chief minister: * 13 districts to benefit from Chambal water * Rs. 10 crore for GIB conservation in Desert National Park by improving grasslands * Launch of Project Leopard to...

-Livemint.com According to NCDEX, over 25,000 small and marginal farmers from 13 FPOs have successfully hedged their crops on its trading platform in the past 10 months New Delhi: In a bumper crop year when farmers across the country have been battered by lower crop prices, farmers’ groups are using futures contracts to hedge against price dips during the harvest season. For instance, Samriddhi Mahila Crop Production Co. Ltd, a farmer-producer organization (FPO)...