-Down to Earth Tanks have fallen into disrepair for lack of a clear community ownership; but farmers, mostly women, are now being paid for its upkeep There is a reason why tanks — water bodies that store rainwater for irrigation — are in abundance in Karnataka. The state does not have many rivers; nor does it receive a lot of rainfall. Karnataka’s Kolar district is dotted by these tanks, which have assumed...
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Oil palm plan for northeast, Andamans a recipe for disaster, say activists -Priscilla Jebaraj
-The Hindu Environmental experts and politicians raise concern over Centre’s proposal. Given the widespread destruction of rainforests and native biodiversity caused by oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia, environmental experts and politicians are warning that the Centre’s move to promote their cultivation in India’s northeastern States and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands could be disastrous. Other concerns include the impact on community ownership of tribal lands, as well as the fact that...
More »Ambiguous definition means oil-palm plantations will count as forest cover -Jayashree Nandi
-Hindustan Times The Forest Survey of India defines forest cover thus: “All lands, more than 1 ha in area with a tree canopy density of 10% irrespective of ownership and legal status. The National Mission on Edible Oils- Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), approved by the Union Cabinet last week, will increase the area under oil palm cultivation by an additional area of 6.5 lakh hectare (ha) by 2025-26, bringing a total area of...
More »Centre to farm out assets to private sector to raise Rs 6 lakh cr
-The Telegraph Roads and railway assets will unlock the greatest value with the estimates put at Rs 1.62 lakh crore and Rs 1.52 lakh crore, respectively The Narendra Modi government plans to farm out a vast trove of assets to the private sector over the next four years to raise Rs 6 lakh crore through an elaborate asset monetisation exercise. “This is not a fire sale of government assets,” Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv...
More »Amidst Rain, Kisan Sansad Takes on Contract Farming -Indra Shekhar Singh
-TheWire.in 'They made us buy seeds and fertilisers when the market prices crashed. Then, Pepsi said my produce didn’t meet their grade.' New Delhi: It rained all day as another session of the Kisan Sansad (farmers’ parliament) was in progress. Even a neem tree and a canopy couldn’t keep the Sansad venue from getting drenched. But this was no deterrent for those in attendance. The topic for the day was the Contract Farming...
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