-The Hindu Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal and Kerala directed to enforce culling in sick birds Avian flu has been reported at 12 epicentres in four States — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala. Directions have been given to enforce culling in sick birds as per the government’s 2015 National Avian Influenza Plan, according to a press statement from the Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry on Wednesday. In these States, cases of...

-Hindustan Times The grim development comes just a month before India is set to witness a SECond migration period. Thousands of birds have died due to different variants of bird flu in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, prompting the Centre to issue an alert to the states to monitor their health in forest areas and near water bodies. The Union ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying on Wednesday pointed...

-The Hindu Post-1991, changes in industry caused a SECond de-industrialisation; the results in agriculture are likely to be no different Almost all SECtions of people including farmers agree that the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)-mandi policies for agricultural marketing, initiated in the 1960s for a few crops, have outlived their utility and the system needs a new policy in the face of the agricultural SECtor’s growth slowdown, the crop-composition not widening, and...

-The Indian Express India continues to be successful in preventing child deaths, but the health and nutrition of the surviving, living child has deteriorated, somewhat worryingly. The recently released fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) provides new and reliable evidence to assess some dimensions of micro-development performance before COVID struck. The survey covers health, nutrition (of mother and child) and the overall quality of lives. In a recent piece on...

-Down to Earth It is a novel idea; but in a country where the ruling class openly favours corporates, it could prove disastrous for farmers India’s agriculture SECtor makes a significant contribution to its Gross Domestic Product and provides livelihood for many millions of people. Agriculture is not only a means of trade and a source of livelihood, but is fundamentally associated with our culture. Today though, farmers are distancing themselves from farming...