-The Hindu As I write this column, my gaze is on the post-Deepavali haze that has enveloped Delhi. As a third-generation asthmatic, with a fourth-generation asthmatic daughter, it is set me wondering whether returning to Delhi, the city of my birth, from the United States a decade ago was a MIStake. This haze is smog (smoke + fog), a hazardous mix of noxious gases and very high levels of suspended respirable...
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Govt cancels FCRA licences of over 11,000 NGOs as they fail to seek renewal -Bharti Jain
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Union home ministry cancelled the licence of 11,319 NGOs on Thursday under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010, after they failed to apply for its renewal within the deadline of June 30, 2016. The validity of FCRA registration of these NGOs had been extended until October 31, 2016 (the earlier deadline being September 30) vide a home ministry order dated March 29, 2016. However,...
More »Farm Policy: The window for agricultural reform is closing fast -Pravesh Sharma
-The Indian Express It’s not as if the Centre cannot initiate reforms in agriculture. In fact, in at least three major areas, the onus for leadership and action lies with the Centre. For over a year, there have been news reports of Niti Aayog, the erstwhile Planning ComMISsion’s new avatar, working on a wide-ranging reform package for India’s farm sector. In recent months, teasers have appeared hinting at the Centre’s plans of...
More »Green farms and clean air
-The Hindu The massive pollution cloud enveloping northern India every year is a good example of the disconnect between official policy and ground realities. It has been known for long that burning of agricultural waste in the northern States significantly contributes to the poor air quality in large parts of the Indo-Gangetic Basin, with local and cascading impacts felt from Punjab all the way to West Bengal. Harmful fine particulate matter...
More »Govts should not blindly promote micro-irrigation schemes -J Harsha
-Deccan Herald Water in India has now become a contentious issue due to rise in demand, climate change and growing MISmanagement. With erratic rainfall and recurring droughts in 2012, 2015 and 2016, “water saving” has become a high priority for the governments. As the agriculture sector consumes 80% of freshwater in the country, micro-irrigation – drip and sprinkler irrigation – has been catapulted as a policy priority because drip and sprinkler irrigation...
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