Rising prices of dal: How to deal with it? The 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared 2016 as the International Year of Pulses. In India, however, ordinary citizens are under enormous duress due to the skyrocketing prices of dal/ lentils since the last one year. The website of Price Monitoring Cell of the Department of Consumer Affairs shows that dal prices varied across places. For example, the...
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Call for ‘mission mode’ to tackle arsenic contamination
-The Hindu Expressing serious concern over the extent of arsenic contamination in groundwater that has affected nearly 70 million people in 86 districts across 10 States, a Parliamentary panel led by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has favoured "mission mode'' approach by the Centre to deal with the problem. Dr. Joshi tabled the first report of the Committee on Estimates on ‘Occurrence of High Arsenic Content in Ground Water' in...
More »NHRC, Bengal lock horns over tea garden deaths
-The Hindu Kolkata: A controversy erupted here on Tuesday over a notice issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the West Bengal Government citing a media report which claims that "nearly 1000 people have died due to malnutrition in three closed tea gardens in Jalpaiguri district and two in Alipurduar district". A press release issued by the NHRC on Monday stated that the Commission has "taken suo motu cognizance" and...
More »Groundwater in 81 blocks contaminated in West Bengal
-The Hindu Kolkata (West Bengal): Of the 341 blocks in the State, 81 blocks have water with more arsenic than the permissible limit and 49 blocks with more fluoride than the standard value. North 24 Parganas district, where about 20 blocks are affected with arsenic contamination, is the worst affected and is followed by Nadia, where 17 blocks and Murshidabad with 14 blocks where arsenic in groundwater is higher than the limit. Certain...
More »Disease that kills kids reaches Bengal -Madhuparna Das
-The Indian Express Affected children are largely from around a litchi plantation in Malda West Bengal: In the last three days, nine babies aged three to five have died in Malda district after showing symptoms that suggested acute encephalitis syndrome. A seasonal disease for years in UP's Gorakhpur and Bihar's Muzaffarpur, AES appears to have broken out in West Bengal for the first time, alarming scientists who are wondering if the children...
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