-Economic and Political Weekly   The runaway growth in states of subsidised solar pumps, which provide quality energy at near-zero marginal cost, can pose a bigger threat of groundwater over-exploitation than free power has done so far. The best way to meet this threat is by paying farmers to "grow" solar power as a remunerative cash crop. Doing so can reduce pressure on aquifers, cut the subsidy burden on electricity companies, reduce...

-The Hindu They also demand continuation of old age pension DINDIGUL (Tamil Nadu): The All India Farmers' Association has strongly condemned the Central government's move to scale down allocation of grant for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the inordinate delay in settling old age pension (OAP) to beneficiaries. It has planned to campaign in all villages against the Centre from December 2 to 5 and lay a siege...

-The Hindu But immunisation record worsens India's more developed states, especially its southern states, have seen improvements in child nutrition over the last five years, but have a patchy record on immunisation, new official data shows. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has begun releasing data for the fourth round of the District Level Health Survey, which covers all of the country, except the eight backward northern states known as the Empowered...

-The Hindu Vellore (Tamil Nadu): Farmers have urged the district administration to provide organic fertilizers to restore soil fertility and improve nutrition of the crops. At the farmers' grievance redressal meeting on Friday, a farmer, Pichandi of Serpadi village said the nutrients in the soil were destroyed by using fertilizers such as urea, potash and complex in the last few decades. "Nearly 35 years ago, the government distributed neeli seeds, known as...

-Down to Earth Shortage of antiretroviral drugs and lack of diagnosis is not new in India, but government does not admit to the crisis The fight against HIV/AIDS in India is becoming tougher by the day as patients continue to face an acute shortage of antiretroviral drugs. This is an alarming situation for a country with the third-highest number of HIV+ people in the world-2.1 million. In 2012, about 140,000 people in...