-The Indian Express Why pulses aren’t the first choice of Marathwada’s farmers despite higher prices this time. Latur: About two years ago, Guruling Modi took 10 quintals of tur (pigeon-pea), a crop he had grown for the first time on his two-acre holding, to the market yard at Latur. “I got a price of just Rs 4,200 per quintal, despite my produce being of the best quality. After expenses of Rs 35,000...
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Canal water for drinking, toxic groundwater for irrigation! -Ruchika M Khanna
-The Tribune Chandigarh: While Punjab is increasingly increasing using canal water for drinking on account of high toxicity in the ground water, it will now pump out this water for irrigation purposes. The new tubewell connections – 1.25 lakh - will not just deplete the state’s already depleted water table, but water pumped up from these tubewells pose a risk of contaminating the food grains and vegetables grown in the fields. Sources in...
More »Centre to spend 65% of rural fund to tackle drought, water shortage -Saubhadra Chatterji
-Hindustan Times The NDA government has set an ambitious target of spending 65% of its annual rural development budget by June to tackle drought and unprecedented shortage of water across the country. * Why the high expenditure? As large parts of the country reel under acute water shortage, the government will spend almost 65% of its annual budget by next month to mitigate the crisis. * What does this mean? The firm focus of the...
More »Volunteers, IT professionals join drought relief -Shoumojit Banerjee
-The Hindu Wells being dug in mountainous terrain of Vellie, Bhor taluks; water tankers arranged for remote hamlets. Pune: Moved by poignant stories of suffering coming from drought-hit Maharashtra’s hinterland, social outfit volunteers and IT professionals have taken the initiative to look for long-term solutions, besides arranging for water tankers to address immediate needs. A group of volunteers from Jnana Prabodhini have started digging wells in the mountainous Velhe and Bhor taluks of...
More »Targeting RTI in the House -Anjali Bhardwaj & Amrita Johri
-The Indian Express MPs must not run down a law that promises a more informed citizenry The Right to Information (RTI) Act has undoubtedly been a most empowering legislation for citizens. The law has initiated the vital task of redistributing power in a democratic framework. It is perhaps this paradigm shift in the locus of power that has resulted in consistent efforts by the powerful to denigrate it. The latest attack on...
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