-Livemint.com International Fund for Agricultural Development calls on govts in the Asia-Pacific region to develop targeted policies and invest in promoting inclusive development of rural areas New Delhi: Inclusive rural transformation is essential to eliminate poverty and hunger and to build inclusive and sustainable societies, according to a report compiled by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The rural development report 2016, released in New Delhi on Monday, points out that policies,...

-The Economic Times New Delhi: The government has asked 25 states that received less than 75% rainfall during the monsoon to factor in the deficit while preparing the labour budget for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in FY18. According to data analysed by the agriculture ministry, 155 districts in 25 states received less than 75% of the long period average rainfall between June and September 2016. States...

-The Telegraph The world's 197 nations have finalised a Landmark pact in Rwanda's Kigali to combat global warming by phasing out industrial gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) currently used in air-conditioners and refrigerators. The Kigali agreement gives India 10 years to prepare its industry to shift from HFCs to alternatives that are now expensive and could mean higher prices for consumers. "We were flexible, accommodative and ambitious," Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave said...

-Down to Earth Punjab produces about 19-20 million tonnes of paddy straw and about 85-90 per cent of this paddy straw is burnt in the field Burning of agricultural biomass residue, or Crop Residue Burning (CRB) has been identified as a major health hazard. In addition to causing exposure to extremely high levels of Particulate Matter concentration to people in the immediate vicinity, it is also a major regional source of...

-Hindustan Times Lucknow: The admission process under Right to Education (RTE) in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted online from next academic session for easy scaling, improved transparency and better child tracking. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has directed the basic education department to introduce the online system, saying it will help in completing the admission process faster. Yadav believes that the online system will help draw more admission forms and more children from...