-The Financial Express By setting the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, the prime minister has clearly signalled a transition in agri-food policy from an excessive emphasis on foodgrain production towards improving welfare of the farming community. Given the continued excessive employment pressure, proliferation of small landholdings and growing agrarian crisis, this move is indeed an important change in the policy landscape. Doubling farmers’ income, however, requires identification of high-income...

-National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)   This policy brief, developed by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, to address the roblem of air pollution due to crop residue burning, provides an innovative viable solution to check burning of rice residues, which is a major contributor to air pollution in the early winter months in North-West plains of India. The Academy hopes that the Central and State Governments of the affected States...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: Two information officers who helped make public RTI documents on land allotment to Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurveda in March this year, were transferred less than a fortnight later, raising questions on whether the officials were penalised for their actions. On March 8, TOI had reported on the shunting of IAS officer Bijay Kumar from the finance department shortly after he questioned the basis of a 75% discount...

-TheWire.in A recent study in Jharkhand showed that farmers are unaware of how to correctly use different chemicals and do not use any protective gear during the process. The deaths and hospitalisation of farmers in Maharashtra raises to the forefront the question of state government culpability for its negligence in regulating the pesticide sector. The National Human Rights Commission has observed that most farmers in the country are not adequately literate and...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has asked the National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions to move appropriate courts if their directives relating to protection of human rights and award of compensations are not enforced by the authorities concerned. Addressing the 24th foundation day celebrations of the NHRC, the CJI lauded the sustained efforts made by the commission towards Promotion and protection of human rights,...