-The Hindu Mihir Shah on the importance of an integrated policy for groundwater and surface water Mihir Shah, water policy expert, member of the erstwhile Planning Commission and in recent months head of several committees tasked with reforming India’s water laws, says existing institutions are inadequate to address our water needs. Which is why, he says in an e-mail interview, India needs an overarching water commission. Excerpts: * The proposed National Water Commission...

-The Indian Express Maharashtra, according to sources, continues to witness the highest number of farmer suicides. The state saw an 18 per cent jump between 2014 and 2015 — from 2,568 to 3,030. New Delhi: FARMER suicides in the country spiked by over 40 per cent between 2014 and 2015. While 2014 saw 5,650 farmer suicides, the figure crossed 8,000 in 2015, government sources told The Indian Express. Maharashtra, according to sources,...

-The Indian Express Volatility of prices has been one of the major reasons for farmers being weaned away from pulses towards sugarcane. Pune: Last year, when prices of dal had rocketed, both the state and central governments had announced several efforts to increase cultivation of pulses in the country. While the area under cultivation has seen an increase by 119 per cent, wholesale prices of the commodity has seen a dip,...

-Deccan Herald New Delhi: A large number of farmers in drought-affected states are debt-ridden and many are migrating from their villages, according to a survey by an NGO. According to ‘Lessons from Desolation: A Citizen’s Report on Impact of Drought and Learnings for Future,’ prepared by Action Aid, 40-65 % of the farmers in the drought affected states are indebted while 20 % have migrated to nearby towns and cities in search of...

Rising prices of dal: How to deal with it? The 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared 2016 as the International Year of Pulses. In India, however, ordinary citizens are under enormous duress due to the skyrocketing prices of dal/ lentils since the last one year. The website of Price Monitoring Cell of the Department of Consumer Affairs shows that dal prices varied across places. For example, the...