-The Hindu KOLLAM (Kerala): Even as there are several laws in force in the State to guarantee the safety of the ecology and the environment, it is no secret that the rampant environment destruction taking place through human intervention is by violating these laws. A recent study by environmentalist V.K. Madhusoodanan shows that apart from the allegations of connivance of government wings duty bound to ensure the enforcement of such laws, the...

-Hindustan Times The whole society is culpable in Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s death but the focus should also be on why the media can be held responsible for this heart-wrenching case of suicide. Vemula wished to reach the stars and dreamt of becoming a Carl Sagan but became yet another victim of institutionalised discrimination based on caste. His death has turned into a livewire, sparking unseen levels of protest across India from...

-Livemint.com It’s time to look at the deleterious environmental impact of subsidies so as to attain correct pricing of resources A few days before Delhi’s odd-even rule—a road rationing scheme in which odd- and even-numbered cars were allowed to ply on roads on alternate days—was to be implemented, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia appeared on a television channel to answer questions on the rule. During the show, Sisodia admitted that the...

-The Tribune Shimla: The dry spell has left farmers of the state worried. The weather is not favourable for wheat and rabi crops. The sowing of rabi was done by mid-December and periodical rain was required to provide moisture to the crop, but the region received only 46 per cent rain from October 1 to December 31, 2015, while the deficit during January 2016 till January 18 was 83 per cent. The wheat...

-DNA Widespread Damage and loss of the Kharif crop in 2015 due to drought served to highlight the insecurity of the Indian farmers in the face of various challenges beyond their control: drought, hailstorms, unseasonal rains, cyclones, wild animals, epidemics and seed or technological failures, among others. Farm rights movements across the country have rubbished the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) calling it “a dressed up version of existing crop insurance...