-The New Indian Express BHUBANESWAR: In its bid to ensure food security and sustainability in agriculture sector, the Odisha Government has woken up to the need of promoting organic farming. In its draft Organic Farming Policy, the Agriculture Department has proposed formation of a State Organic Commodity Board which will not only facilitate organic farming but also promote trade of organic commodities through knowledge sharing. The Department has decided to take a leaf...

-The Pioneer The Modi Government has set March 2017 deadline to provide safe drinking water in country's 17,995 habitations where rural people are being forced to consume contaminated water - laced with fluoride, arsenic and heavy toxic metals - causing major health problems. To achieve this, the Union Ministry of Water and Sanitation has outlined a two-pronged strategy entailing installation of community water purification plants or through piped water supply from alternate...

-IANS Guwahati: The gurgling water flowing fast through a traditional canal system that has been revived in water-scarce parts of Assam has brought cheer to farmers who now look forward to a bumper harvest. After about 20 years, 42-year-old Rati Ranjan Mondal expects at least 450 mounds (about 18,000 kg) of rice from his 30 bighas (about 10 acres) of paddy field in this harvesting season, compared to about only 200 mounds...

-Business Standard Indian and other generic drug firms face prospect of US legislature debating compensation for undue price rises Indian generic drug makers might, if a proposed US law comes about, need to pay a rebate to the federal Medicaid programme there when prices of their medications outpace inflation. A Bill is to be introduced in the US Senate by a member, aimed to cushion the impact on taxpayers in this manner...

-Down to Earth Shortage of antiretroviral drugs and lack of diagnosis is not new in India, but government does not admit to the crisis The fight against HIV/AIDS in India is becoming tougher by the day as patients continue to face an acute shortage of antiretroviral drugs. This is an alarming situation for a country with the third-highest number of HIV+ people in the world-2.1 million. In 2012, about 140,000 people in...