-Down to Earth A Rajasthan village has cylindrical houses that help people cope with extreme weather events It is a chilly December evening in Barmer. The average minimum temperature has dropped to 5° Celsius in this sandy district of western Rajasthan, which borders Pakistan. But thanks to his house, Dayam Khan, a Manganiyar, one of Rajasthan's many communities of traditional musicians, does not need an electric heater or a stove to keep...

-Down to Earth Faced with crop losses because of erratic rainfall and extreme weather, tribal farmers of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh turn to bewar and penda forms of cultivation that keeps them nourished all times of the year, but government agencies are bent on rooting out these farm practices Hariaro Bai Deoria should have been a worried person this year-an untimely spell of rain late last October flattened her paddy crop, and...

-Deccan Herald The National Biodiversity Authority has recognised 30 villages in Zaheerabad of Medak district of Andhra Pradesh that grow traditional and fast-disappearing millets as Agricultural Biodiversity Heritage Site (ABHS). The Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (APSBB), which finally gave green signal for the rare recognition, has sent its recommendation to the National Biodiversity Board, which has approved the proposal making these villages to become first villages in India...

-The Navhind Times     To give a boost to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of paddy cultivation in the state, the government has come... PANAJI: To give a boost to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of paddy cultivation in the state, the government has come up with a promotional incentive scheme wherein Rs 10,000 per hectare will be provided to farmers opting for the method to cultivate rice. "An incentive...

-The Times of India BANGALORE: Union minister for petroleum and natural gas M Veerappa Moily on Saturday said the Aadhaar-based Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) scheme is necessary to reduce leakage of subsidy. However, he didn't say whether the government is going ahead with making the linkage compulsory as a related case is pending before the Supreme Court. On the prevailing confusion about the scheme due to a recent apex court...