-The Hindu     In Uttarakhand, women take the lead role in reviving and maintaining civil forests under Van Panchayats even in the face of several obstacles Munni Adhikari, a resident of Dhaura Gram Sabha in Lamgara block of Uttarakhand's Almora district, lives in an idyllic setting: green slopes covered with tall pine and oak trees, wild flowers in full bloom, neat little terrace farms... While this natural splendour can instantly captivate any...

-PTI NEW DELHI: The European Commission has allocated 96,748 euros to the disaster relief emergency fund of the Red Cross International to "urgently respond" to the needs of almost 15,000 vulnerable families affected by cyclone Phailin. The European Commission's Humanitarian aid and civil protection department (ECHO) allocated the amount after the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) appealed for funds to carry out relief operations. More than 10 million...

-PTI NAGPUR: With a spurt in farmer suicides in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region posing a question of survival before their families, a vocational training centre here is trying to help children of such farmers learn technical skills and earn a Livelihood. Montfort Integrated Educational Centre (MIEC) was set up with the help of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) about two years back in Patansaongi village of Saoner taluka, about 30 kms from here,...

-The Indian Express October is the month of Durga Puja and like in the rest of the country, a warm festive spirit hangs in the air in Odisha. There is a sense of life at its fullest. Memories of Friday the 29th this same month in 1999 temporarily retreat to the background amidst the hope of celebration. Is it surprising that an event 14 years ago should at all be a...

-IANS A small sugarcane farmer in western Maharashtra, Bhau Kadam (name changed) and his family, own about three hectares of land. He has two sons who are both graduates and work in Pune. When I asked him why he did not make his sons farmers, he says that farming is hard work, is non-remunerative and it is difficult to get labour. Besides he also thinks that farming is not glamorous, a farmer's...