-The Hindu Utilisation certificates not given for 50% of money sanctioned after 2018 deluge, says Centre The Centre will not allot any additional assistance to Kerala from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) as it has failed to produce utilisation certificates for 50% of over Rs. 3,000 crore fund allotted to it after the 2018 floods, a senior Home Ministry official said on Thursday. The Kerala Government had demanded an additional Rs.2,000 crore...

-The Indian Express While many opposition-ruled states have said they will not participate in NPR, Kerala has officially declared the same. On Monday it issued an official statement to that effect. New Delhi: With the Kerala Government declaring that it will not participate in the National Population Register (NPR) exercise slated to begin on April 1, the Centre has said that it will sensitise states to the fact that information being sought...

-Business Standard Natural farming is an alternative to chemical fertiliser-based and high input cost agriculture After decades of intensive agriculture, farms and farmers are in a crisis, food markets remain distorted, and consumers do not have access to nutritious diets. India needs a shift towards sustainable food systems. Among many alternative farming techniques is natural farming, with the potential to improve sustainability and also meliorate government finances. Natural farming is an alternative to...

-The Indian Express What is Article 131, under which Kerala has moved SC against the CAA? How does this challenge differ from the other petitions filed against the law? What aspects of India’s federal structure does the case throw up? On Tuesday, Kerala became the first state to challenge the Citizenship (Amendment) Act(CAA) before the Supreme Court. However, the legal route adopted by the state is different from the 60 petitions already...

-The Indian Express The exercise — Houselisting Operations of Census 2021 — will also seek data, for the first time, on smartphones, piped gas connections and mobile numbers. Amid fears expressed by the Opposition and states such as West Bengal and Kerala over the National Population Register (NPR), the government Thursday notified another pre-Census exercise that will seek new information on household consumption, including the use of cereals. The exercise — Houselisting Operations...