-TheWire.in * The proposed Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill 2021 encourages a conducive environment for investments and to simplify the patent application process. * Farmers in India have historically been against any kind of IP rights – whether patents or plant variety protection over seed and planting materials. * In a confused mix of laws, the government also grants IP rights to BMCs for farmers’ varieties – formed under the Biological Diversity Act –...

-Down to Earth The world has a new ‘water-scarce’ generation growing up, with women and girls spending as much as 40% of their calorific intake carrying water in dry lands The frequency and duration of drought is increasing at an alarming rate across the world since the onset of the 21st century, according to the Drought in Numbers, 2022 report released May 11 at the ongoing 15th Conference of Parties (CoP15) to...

-Newslaundry.com It also spent a total of Rs 490 crore on ads in 2021-22 alone. In 2020, the Delhi government announced with much fanfare a new strategy to tackle the issue of stubble burning – a bio-decomposer developed by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (Pusa). Newslaundry had reported how a pilot project was launched in 2020, allegedly covering 1,900 acres of farmland across 39 villages. Last October, the government announced it would spray...

-IndiaToday.in According to the recently released National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-2021) report, 18 per cent of women in India are not able to say no to their husbands if they do not want to engage in sexual intercourse with them. The Delhi High Court pronounced its much-awaited verdict on criminalisation of marital rape on Wednesday. The bench was not able to make up its mind on whether a sexual act performed...

-The Hindu Congress, Left parties urge court to quash law Nobody should cross the ‘Lakshman Rekha’ and the court should respect the government and the legislature just as the government respects the court, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday after the Supreme Court stayed the sedition law, while the Opposition parties welcomed the order. Several parties including the Congress, the CPI and the CPI(M) urged the Supreme Court to quash the sedition...