To help farmers in eastern India tide over the drought, the National Seed Corporation (NSC) has distributed tonnes of short-duration crop seeds to state government of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. “We are have distributed 11,000 quintal of short-duration crop seeds to Bihar and Jharkhand and 1,000 quintal to West Bengal,” NSC chairman and managing director SK Roongta told reporters on the sidelines of the 47th annual general meeting of...

The World Bank has approved a $220 million credit to support rebuilding efforts in areas affected by the devastating Kosi floods in Bihar. The Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project will finance flood recovery efforts through the reconstruction of about 100,000 houses, 90 bridges and 290 kilometres of rural roads, the World Bank said in a statement. It also aims to reduce future oriented risks by strengthening flood management capacity, restoring livelihoods...

KEY TRENDS   • Maternal Mortality Ratio for India was 370 in 2000, 286 in 2005, 210 in 2010, 158 in 2015 and 145 in 2017. Therefore, the MMRatio for the country decreased by almost 61 percent between 2000 and 2017 *14    • As per the NSS 71st round, among rural females aged 5-29 years, the main reasons for dropping out/ discontinuance were: engagement in domestic activities, not interested in education, financial constraints and marriage. Among rural males aged...

The Supreme Court's directive to the Union government to distribute rotting grain to the poor free of cost was an “order” and the Bihar government must demand free grain from the Centre to alleviate the plight of the drought-hit people in the State, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Thursday. Despite the Prime Minister's reservations, the Centre must comply with the court order of August...

Persistent inequalities, ineffective delivery of public services, weak accountability systems and gaps in implementing pro-poor policies are major bottlenecks to India’s progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, says a report released by the Government of India. Despite some movement in primary education, assured rural employment and access to potable water, India continues to lag behind in realising the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015 by the United Nations, says a...