-Down to Earth The government will use its extensive network of women’s self-help groups to encourage the transition. The Andhra Pradesh government announced financial support to more than 70,000 women from scheduled castes (SC) to promote natural farming among marginal farmers. Natural farming excludes the application of chemicals and promotes traditional agricultural practices. It is regarded as particularly useful for smallholder farmers as it reduces dependency on purchased inputs.   A one-time subsidy of...

-Livemint.com Early adopters claim higher yields and low cultivation costs. But scientific validation is awaited Government can keep fertilizer subsidies in check. The fertilizer subsidy bill, driven by a spike in natural gas and other raw material prices, is set to touch a staggering ₹1.3 trillion in 2021-22 Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. Or so it happened to KV Homendra. At 23, he went for a degree in...

-Newsclick.in It appears the stage is being set to scuttle India and South Africa’s IP waiver proposal with regard to Covid vaccines and technology ahead of the 12th WTO Ministerial this month-end. At various global fora, Big Pharma and rich countries have been steadfastly pushing the focus toward supply-side bottlenecks of vaccines and unequal distribution of doses in a bid to steer the discourse away from the more contentious issue of patents...

One is almost certain to hear this from an economist that if something is available at free of cost or at a subsidised rate thanks to government intervention, then people tend to overuse or overconsume such goods/ commodities. So, the best solution is to create a market for such 'almost freely available' or 'highly subsidised' goods or commodities. Once people start paying to use or consume such goods/ commodities, they...

-The Statesman It is imperative to cut down on emissions drastically in this decade, else the country faces the imminent danger of major calamities becoming more frequent. It remains imperative for India to rein in its greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions considering that the country is believed to be the third largest emitter, of which 14% comes from agriculture and allied activities. It is imperative to cut down on emissions drastically in this decade,...