-Down to Earth Eligibility threshold for FPOs should be reduced or support provided to meet the criteria, experts feel Farmer producer organisations (FPO) figure prominently in government policies and the ambitious plan to double farmers’ income by 2022. But funds remain elusive for these bodies, according to a recent analysis. Just 1-5 per cent of FPOs have received funding under central government schemes introduced to promote them in the last seven years, the...
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The seed banker: This Nuapatna farmer strives to save traditional paddy varieties -Ajit Panda
-Down to Earth Bijaya Jhankar grows nine traditional varieties of paddy that have a longer harvest duration of 130-150 days The eyes of Bijaya Jhankar twinkle as he approaches his 1.2 hectare (ha) farm for harvesting paddy. They are unlike any other varieties grown in his village Sanbaheli, which lies in the vast Sunabeda plateau of Odisha’s Nuapada district. “They yield shorter grains, take longer to mature but are of tremendous sentimental value,”...
More »As told to Parliament (December 22, 2021): Over 150 million households have jobs cards under MGNREGA
-Down to Earth All that was discussed in the House through the day More than 150 million households have job cards under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the country as of December 18, 2021, Niranjan Jyoti, minister of state in the rural development ministry, told the Rajya Sabha. Uttar Pradesh had a maximum number of households having job cards (21,125,892) and Goa had a minimum number of households...
More »Environment ministry finalises coal thermal power plant categories: What does it say about emission norms compliance -Anubha Aggarwal
-Down to Earth The Union ministry releases list of coal thermal power plants and their categorisation in line with its April 2021 notification Nearly 78 per cent of the electricity generated in India from coal will not meet emission norms before 2024. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released a draft list of the coal thermal power plants and their categorisation in line with the ministry’s April 2021...
More »Witch hunting: 83% of Odisha's cases in six districts, says report -Priya Ranjan Sahu
-Down to Earth Most of the victims were targeted for “causing health issues or crop failure” Witch-hunts are still highly prevalent in 12 of Odisha’s 30 districts — especially Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam — a new report has claimed. Most victims of such superstitious practices were targeted for “causing health issues or crop failure”. Around 27 per cent cases were triggered by health issues in children, 43.5 per cent by...
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