-DNA   Gadag: Rajendra Shirol, a farmer from the Drought prone Gadag district, has found a way to find some respite from the increasing temperature. He has cultivated an Ayurvedic herbal crop `Ashwagandha', botanically known as ‘Withania somnifera.' He has been encouraging about 100 farmers in the Gadag and Koppal districts to sow the seeds of Ashwagandha, that can grow in plenty, despite the scarcity of water, infertility of land, hot temperature and...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The Drought-Prone Areas Programme and the Desert Development Programme launched by the Government of India during the 1970s used rainfall and irrigation as the two criteria to ameliorate the impact of Drought in the targeted districts. This article revisits the eligibility criteria in light of the recent climatic classification and irrigation statistics. B Venkateswarlu (vbandi_1953@yahoo.com), B M K Raju, K V Rao and C A Rama Rao are...

-The Times of India   NEW DELHI: The government is ready with a contingency plan to deal with below normal rains this monsoon with a series of steps including diesel subsidy for farmers in the rain-deficient districts, crop loans at lower rates and release of foodgrains to deal with a possible shortage. Amid reports of below normal rains, the agriculture ministry presented the plan for 500 districts during a meeting called by Prime...

-The Business Standard   The meeting has been called to discuss the preparedness of the states to handle less rainfall or Drought like situations  Mumbai: The Ministry of Agriculture has called an urgent meeting of 18 states in the wake of delayed rains next week and prepare state specific contingency plan for crops. According to official sources, the meeting has been called to discuss the preparedness of the states to handle less rainfall or Drought...

-The Times of India   LUCKNOW: With the spectre of a Drought-like condition looming large in the state, the contingency plan of the government, too, is severely deficient on two basic component: power and seeds. There is no special plan to provide power to farmers who are already desperate due to delayed rains, to help them irrigate their farms for paddy saplings. Besides, seeds are hardly available in government storages. In Drought-like situation,...