-The Hindu It helps arrive at estimates of poverty levels The All-India Household Consumer Expenditure Survey, usually conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) every five years, is set to resume this year after a prolonged break. India hasn’t had any official estimates on per capita household spending, used to arrive at estimates of poverty levels in different parts of the country and to review economic indicators like the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),...

-Centre for Science and Environment It is becoming clearer by the day that chemical fertilizers are not a sustainable solution to the problem of depletion of soil nutrients as a result of agriculture, particularly crop production. Biofertilizers and organic fertilizers not only provide nutrients to crops, they also help in restoring soil health and ecological balance. As we (re)discover the power and potential of biofertilizers and organic fertilizers, we need to...

-TheWire.in “There are many barriers to accessing justice that a marginalised person faces. The laws and processes are mystifying even for an educated literate person." New Delhi: The chief justice of the Orissa high court, Justice S. Muralidhar, said on Thursday that India’s laws are designed in a way that discriminates against the poor. The justice system, he argued, works unequally for the rich and the poor. “There are many barriers to accessing...

-Down to Earth The Punjab government April 12 appealed to the central government to allow relaxation in the norms of shrivelled grains without any value cut, since the farmer had already been penalised on account of lower yield The Punjab government said April 13, 2022 that the Centre has agreed to revise its wheat procurement norms for shrivelled grains, a day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urged it do to so. Record-breaking...

-The Hindu Business Line The situation is alarming. Cultivation costs are increasing and the Quality of water is deteriorating Groundwater has become the major source of water in most countries today. It currently contributes to about half of the world’s total drinking water , 40 per cent of agricultural needs and one-third of industrial demand. The contribution of groundwater in India is much higher than the world average. Is groundwater exploitation in...