-Down to Earth blog Palm oil is water-intensive and requires large patches of land India is the second-largest consumer of edible oil globally and its largest importer. While the government has taken several initiatives over the years to increase the domestic production of edible oils, its shortage and high price are often in the news. Palm oil production grew between 2015-2016 and 2020-2021 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.1 per cent,...

-The Hindu It can be the path to a peaceful health revolution for the 11 crore tribal people in India For the first time since independence, a tribal President has become a reality in India. This is a very positive signal given to the tribal people by the Narendra Modi government. On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let us explore how this symbolic gesture can be turned into a...

-The Statesman The central government needs to clear pending funds, worth Rs 2,600 crore, and as per the MGNREGA Act, pay compensation of 0.05 per cent on daily wages. With the alleged lack of jobs and wages for MGNREGA workers in three districts of West Bengal, the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity (PBKMS), based on the report of a fact-finding committee, has warned that these workers are facing an acute food security...

-Newsclick.in The Education Department has attributed the delay in payment to the non-release of the funds by the state Finance Department. Lucknow: Government schools in Uttar Pradesh have reportedly not received any money for mid-day meals for the last three months, preventing some schools from serving food to children under the scheme. In a few schools, teachers and gram pradhan (village head) have been spending from their own pockets or buying rations...

Door-to-door and village-to-village surveys carried out by researchers of the Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana detected a total of 9,291 suicides that were committed by farmers in six districts of Punjab during the period from 2000 to 2018. Situated in the Malwa region of Punjab, which is known for cotton farming and the prevalence of cancer among its population, Sangrur (2,506) witnessed the highest number of...