-The Hindu International demand for both rice and wheat has increased, says Goyal The Centre has asked the States to increase the sowing of paddy in the wake of reports that there is a decrease in its sowing. At a conference of State Food Ministers on food and nutrition security of India held here on Tuesday, Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal said the international demand for both rice...

-Down to Earth More than half of population without access to banking lives in 7 developing countries: World Bank India is among seven countries home to half the world’s 1.4 billion adults without access to formal banking, a recent World Bank report has flagged. The report also noted that in Sub-Saharan Africa, young adults (ages 15–24) make up almost 40 per cent of those without access to banking. But in some European and...

-Down to Earth Farmers in different states have protested against unavailability of fertilisers Global rise in fertiliser prices due to shortage has dealt a severe blow to farmers across India, which is the second-largest importer of fertilisers. Many states have seen cultivators erupting in protest, even as the Centre dismissed news of low availability of fertilisers. Dattaraye P Darekar from Vinchur village in Maharashtra is worried about his soybean and maize crops sown...

-The Telegraph Government had alleged that 'weight of indicators in which the country was performing well has been reduced' Calcutta: A senior researcher of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, which prepared the global Environmental Performance Index 2022 report that put India at the bottom of the 180 countries assessed, has defended its findings against criticism from the Indian government. Martin Wolf, principal investigator of the report, rebutted the Indian environment,...

-Press release by UNICEF dated 23 June, 2022 COVID-19 worsens global learning crisis, risking $21 trillion in lifetime earnings WASHINGTON: As a result of the worst shock to education and learning in recorded history, learning poverty has increased by a third in low- and middle-income countries, with an estimated 70 per cent of 10-year-olds unable to understand a simple written text, according to a new report published today by the World Bank,...