-The Times of India MADURAI: The percolation pond at Mottanuthu at the foothill of Western Ghats of Elumalai town panchayat now abounds with water. Earlier, locals had no way to store rain water. The mango orchards nearby were vulnerable to the vagaries of nature. Not anymore. The efforts of the District Watershed Development Agency (DWDA) in Madurai to conserve water have paid off. Madurai district was offered Rs 172 lakh grant by...

-The Telegraph   Officials are set to propose to the Narendra Modi government that the UPA's blockbuster rural job scheme be restricted to select districts as the decision in 2008 to extend it to all districts was not required. The officials of the rural development ministry are expected to tell the new minister that the funds allocated for the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) were not adequate for national...

-The New Indian Express   Sambalpur (Odisha): The district will adopt integrated farming system in rain-fed areas of the district under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) from the current kharif season. NMSA is one of the eight missions outlined under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It aims at enhancing agriculture productivity, especially in rain-fed areas, by focusing on integrated farming, efficient use of water and soil health management. Sources said...

-The New Indian Express   THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The animal husbandry Department would launch a scheme for the conservation of threatened indigenous livestock breeds of the state, following sanctioning of funds for the same. The government accorded administrative sanction as per the request of Director of animal husbandry for the conservation of indigenous breeds like Attappady black goat nucleus flock, Kasaragod dwarf, Vechoor Kerala and the like. The Union Government had released an amount of...

-The Hindu   ‘51 Wayanadan Karshika Vijayagathakal' released KALPETTA (Kerala): ‘51 Wayanadan Karshika Vijayagathakal,' a book on 51 farmers who have scripted success sagas in farming activities in the district, written by N. Anilkumar, Director, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, and Joseph John, a scientist with the Foundation, was released by N.S. Sajikumar, District Development Manager, NABARD, at a function here recently. The book details the innovative agriculture practices, which are economically viable and ecologically...