-The Hindu Biodiversity integration into developmental plans is crucial for sustainable development In a ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his environmental concerns clear when he asked people to use Ganesha and Durga idols made of clay instead of plaster of Paris. His appeal is bound to stimulate our environmental consciousness and encourage the preservation of precious natural resources. We need to build on this appeal and follow...

-Frontline.in Interview with Utsa Patnaik, professor emerita of economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. By T.K. RAJALAKSHMI THE FALLOUT of the decision of the National Democratic Alliance government to demonetise currency of higher denominations has been felt across all sections of people. There are concerns that it will lead to an overall economic slowdown given the acute shortage of currency for industrial and agricultural operations. The impact on agriculture and those dependent on agriculture...

-Hindustan Times Ranchi: Kitchen waste and heap of vegetables dumped at wholesale markets will no longer be the food for stray animals in the city. The wastes will now be processed and converted into organic fertilizer under Swachh Bharat Mission. Taking a cue from Hyderabad, Ranchi civic body has installed low-cost fertilizer manufacturing units at Khadgara vegetable market on Tuesday to convert the wastes into organic fertilizer. The initiative was started as trial...

-Livemint.com While the good news is that crop acreages are not hit, the bad news is that the cash crunch is impacting sales—if this lasts long, demand destruction can be severe The winter or rabi crop sowing has gathered pace after a setback. The past two readings from the ministry of agriculture show crop sowing growth of 4-8% from the year-ago levels. In the first week after demonetisation, sowing dropped 0.7%. Sowing has now...

-Frontline.in To rural India, which is already reeling under multiple crises, demonetisation has come as yet another blow. WHEN the Prime Minister made the decision to withdraw Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes, he did not quite factor in the impact it would have on agriculture. Despite the rhetoric the concept of digital wallets has not yet entered rural India unlike in much of the country’s urban areas, and much of rural and...