-The Telegraph Communities of Chhattisgarh caught in cross-fire between Salwa Judum and the Maoists The ghost of the Salwa Judum, a State-sponsored militia that operated in Chhattisgarh, continues to haunt the displaced Gotte Koya tribals. Before the apex court declared the militia unconstitutional, the Salwa Judum was illegally engaged in fighting the Maoists. Caught between the Salwa Judum and the Maoists, many communities were at the receiving end of the violence with...

-IndiaSpend.com Punjab has amongst the highest use of fertilisers, pesticides and large Machinery, including government support for chemical farming, making it difficult to transition to organic and natural farming. Chandigarh: When Ashok Kumar, 63, started doing organic farming on three acres of his farm in Sohangarh Rattewala village in Punjab's western Ferozepur district in 2012, the benefits of good health and a cleaner environment were foremost on his mind. Besides growing food...

-The Telegraph After decades, Bengal’s jute mills are witnessing a steady influx of women workers, The Telegraph on the troubles woven into the trend When an industry opens its doors to women workers, it can expose how regressive its factory floor is. The face of the jute industry in Bengal has changed over the last 50 years; now more than ever because of the large presence of women.  Once these mills were known...

-TheThirdPole.net This year, Bihar extended a seasonal ban on mining sand from its rivers. But illegal sand mining continues every day across the eastern Indian state Deep inside the riverine belt of Koelwar in Bhojpur district of Bihar, around four to five kilometres from the main road and well out of sight, a dozen labourers are cutting and digging a portion of the Sone River in bright afternoon sunshine. Bare-chested, wielding spades...

-PTI/ The Hindu Punjab’s Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said according to initial investigation by the agriculture department, it appears that a sum of ₹125-150 crore has been misused The Punjab government has said it has initiated a vigilance probe into a ₹150-crore scam in the distribution of crop residue management Machines among farmers during the previous dispensation led by the Congress. State Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, in a statement on Wednesday,...