-Down to Earth Blaming farmers alone won’t work; prices for crops other than paddy must be remunerative The Election Commission has announced the dates for Assembly elections in five states of the country including Punjab. The atmosphere regarding the Assembly elections is getting more and more dramatic every day. As in many previous Assembly elections, promises, claims and new promises are being made and repeated by the various political parties to win...

-The Hindu In any new National Water Policy, the aim should also be to encourage conserving water resources and efficient usage The complexity and scale of the water crisis in India calls for a locus specific response, that can galvanise and integrate the ongoing work of different Ministries and Departments through new configurations. Such an integrated approach must necessarily cut across sectoral boundaries and not stop at the merger achieved between the...

One is almost certain to hear this from an economist that if something is available at free of cost or at a subsidised rate thanks to government intervention, then people tend to overuse or overconsume such goods/ commodities. So, the best solution is to create a market for such 'almost freely available' or 'highly subsidised' goods or commodities. Once people start paying to use or consume such goods/ commodities, they...

-TheWire.in In conversation with the chair of the committee that devised the New Water Policy, which proposes a shift in focus towards the long-neglected demand-side management of water. India’s new National Water Policy (NWP) argues that limits are now being reached on solving the country’s water problem from the supply side. The seven-member Mihir Shah Committee proposes a shift in focus towards the long-neglected demand-side management of water. Mitali Mukherjee spoke with Shah...

-The Hindu The scheme envisages supply of safe drinking water through tap connections Jaipur: The mandatory action plans for bringing safe drinking water through individual tap connections to all rural households under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) have been prepared for about 23,000 villages in Rajasthan. The action plans for other villages will be presented and approved in the Gram Sabhas to be held on October 2. The action plans, to be implemented...