Situation alarming: More than one-third population hit by drought The country is facing severe drought for the second consecutive year. Conservative estimates from official sources show that over a quarter of rural habitations are facing drinking water scarcity. Although both India Meteorological Department and Skymet have predicted a more than normal rainfall during June-September, 2016, the water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country has declined from 22 percent...
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Sugarcane worsened Marathwada water crisis? Dismantling cane economy will not be painless -Vivian Fernandes
-The Financial Express Dismantling cane economy will not be painless, shift crop to drip irrigation Opinion-makers, from agricultural economists and academics to environmentalists, have blamed sugarcane for aggravating the water shortage in Marathwada. But the view is contested. ‘I reject the hypothesis,’ says Venkat Mayande, during a conversation in Pune. Mayande was vice-chancellor of Akola’s Panjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University till 2012. How can 2.1 lakh hectare (ha) of cane cause a shortage of...
More »Monsoon cheer as El Nino ends
-The Hindu This could cause monsoon to spill over to October: Officials Australia’s weather bureau said the withering El Nino — among the strongest in history and responsible for two years of consecutive droughts and record summer temperatures in India — had ended. While that bodes well for the monsoon, weather officials in India said this could also be a precursor to floods during August and September and monsoon possibly spilling over...
More »Bundelkhand’s drought-hit farmers told to cultivate oilseeds
-The Hindu The U.P. government will now provide farmers a grant of Rs. 1,500 per quintal in the Kharif season and Rs. 800 per quintal in the Rabi season. Lucknow: To help farmers recover from successive crop losses in drought-affected Bundelkhand, the Uttar Pradesh government is encouraging them to increase the cultivation of oilseeds, especially sesame (til), in the coming Kharif season. The State has increased subsidy on oilseeds. The government will now...
More »Eggs, banana, milk likely to find place in school thalis -Akshaya Mukul
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Nearly 11 crore children having midday meals daily can expect more wholesome food in the coming months as the HRD ministry has revised food norms after seven years. In fact, norms for cereals have been revised for the first time since MDM came into force in 1995. A committee headed by Vinod Paul, head of neo-natal department, AIIMS has recommended reduction in cereal intake - 100...
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