-Newsclick.in Weavers' cooperatives struggling due to lack of orders from two state govt. owned retailing units along with other factors Kolkata:  The famous   “khat-khat- khat “  sound that comes from a traditional handloom weavers hut is becoming fainter in Shantipur of Nadia district about 100 kilometres from the state Capital of Kolkata. Shantipur is known for its weaving skills and traditional weavers producing Shantipur sarees which are high in demand in...

-The Telegraph State had reported only 1,753 cases and three deaths to National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control till June Calcutta: The Bengal government is not releasing figures on dengue deaths or the exact area-wise demarcation of zones reporting the maximum number of cases, ostensibly to avoid panic. However, several public health experts contested the purported justification, saying clear communication would be far better to fight a public health scare than the...

-The Telegraph Citizens’ participation in policy-making is an important factor in assessing the quality of democracy Within five days of the announcement of Agnipath, the scheme had been amended 10 times, raising the larger question concerning consultation in policy-making. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government has taken a number of policy decisions without public consultation — from demonetisation, which saw 60 changes in 43 days, to GST, which has been...

-Down to Earth Experts welcome move but call for a complete ban The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare issued a notice October 21, 2022 restricting the use of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, citing health hazards for humans and animals. Only authorised Pest Control Operators are allowed to use it.  Earlier, state governments of Maharashtra, Telangana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have tried similar steps but failed. Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India...

-The Hindu Coffee cultivation is becoming an increasingly loss-making proposition in India. Already weighed down by the high cost of inputs and production as well as labour shortage, the industry is now also affected by changes in climate patterns, reports  Mini Tejaswi from Karnataka’s coffee heartland Bose Mandanna was devastated when torrential rains in September thrashed the coffee plants in his plantation and left tender berries and leaves strewn everywhere. The plants...