-The Times of India blog A reply by Water Resources minister Uma Bharti to a Lok Sabha question on groundwater depletion foregrounds tough trade-offs facing India’s policymakers. According to Bharti, an assessment of groundwater resources and usage showed that 16% of 6,584 assessment units in India are “overexploited.” A table which accompanies her reply provides state-wise data. Here, Punjab stands out for the magnitude of overexploitation. If 16% of assessed units in India...
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Why 'one nation, one MSP' is not working -Rajalakshmi Nirmal
-The Hindu Business Line Varied production costs, low-grade produce, limited surplus are key factors Farmers across many States, including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, are up in arms demanding implementation of the National Commission on Farmers report, which suggested fixing the minimum support price (MSP) for crops 50 per cent above the cost of production. But the MSP of many crops already has a built-in profit margin of 40-50 per cent. So, what is...
More »Farmer organisations from Punjab to join Mandsaur protest march -Anju Agnihotri Chaba
-The Indian Express The protest march will reach ‘Jantar mantar’ in Delhi on July 18 and will focus on only two main issues — “total loan waiver for all farmers and providing one-and-half times more price of the total production cost of the crop”. Jalandhar: Despite Punjab government’s loan waiver announcement, four farmers’ organisations from Punjab have decided to participate in the national-level protest under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sangharsh...
More »Study: Contribution of India's livestock to methane emissions is only 10.63% -Arpita Raj
-The Times of India BENGALURU: India may be home to 15% of the global livestock population, but its contribution to the global methane emissions by the domesticated animals is only 10.63%, a study by the National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIANP) has revealed. Cows, buffaloes, sheep and goats are the huge contributors to methane emissions. Methane, released primarily by livestock, paddy cultivation, decay of organic waste in landfill sites and...
More »Demonetisation apart, cheaper imports too hit the farm sector -Tejinder Narang
-The Financial Express The current agitation of farmers on cereal, oilseeds and vegetables has attracted a lot of analysis with regards to the causes. Many such analyses have converged on low hikes in MSP in the last three-four years as the major cause, and the general public also believes so. Stocking limits, poor warehousing facilities, export bans, lack of a properly developed food processing industry and free trade in commodity exchanges...
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