-Down to Earth Union ministry issues orders to all states to meet target of constructing 5.2 million toilets by end of August The Ministry of Drinking water and Sanitation on Friday finalised its 100-day plan, under which it has decided to construct one toilet every second by the end of August this year. Sarswati Prasad, joint secretary for sanitation, issued an order to each state, giving them their respective targets for the next...
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As drought looms, Maharashtra refuses to extend insurance deadline for farmers -Aparna Pallavi
-Down to Earth With hardly any rains in June, no sowing activity has taken place in many regions, making it impossible for farmers to insure crops Maharashtra government has refused to extend the time-limit for availing the Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS), which is being implemented for the first time in 12 districts of the state this year, despite heavy demand from farmers. The time limit for the scheme, which covers...
More »Land for ladies -Kundan Pandey
-Down to Earth Rural women in Uttar Pradesh join hands to end gender bias in agriculture and claim joint ownership of land Breaking the stereotype of rural women, 39-year-old Suresho Saini proudly drives a tractor to plough 1.6 hectares (ha) of agricultural land in Rahimpur village in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district. The plot belongs exclusively to her. "Women working in agricultural fields are a common sight in India; yet when we think...
More »Technology interventions that save water -Jyotika Sood
-Down to Earth It was early June. Jaspal Ram of Lehra Turkot in district Bathinda of Punjab was busy in his field putting gunny bags filled with mud on a plank of wood trailing his tractor. After sometime, he adds another row of gunny bags to add weight. On being asked what he was doing, Jaspal replies, "I'm levelling my field. A lot of water is lost if the paddy fields...
More »Punjab's paddy dilemma -Jyotika Sood
-Down to Earth In 2009, Punjab became the first state in the country to enact a law banning the sowing of rice before a stipulated date. The aim was to arrest the fall in water table. While the law has succeeded in its objective, it has also fomented discontent among farmers In 2006, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh faced an unprecedented situation. On the one hand, he had to contend with a...
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