-Down to Earth The situation of India's farmers has only become grimmer in the past decade, according to the latest National Sample Survey Office report The lot of the embattled Indian farmer only keeps on getting worse with the passage of time. In the last 10 years, the voluminous debt of Indian agricultural households has increased almost four-fold whereas their undersized monthly income from cultivation has increased three-fold. Even the number of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Madhya Pradesh government wants to turn the ravines of Chambal - a unique geographical feature once infamous for sheltering dacoits - into agriculture fields by levelling the twisting hillocks. Considering the undulating and barren topography, the task of levelling the mud ravines for agriculture seems stupendous, but chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday formally placed the proposal before the Centre when he met Union...

-The Hindu Given industry concerns and the desire to accelerate industrialisation, the government could have reopened the debate on the land act. Instead, it has wholly accepted one perception of the conflict, and sought to undo the compromise embodied in the 2013 Act without a review This article will not go into the question of the propriety of the ordinance route to legislation in this case, but will try to present a...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In significant step towards adopting green fuel, the railways have launched their first CNG train. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off the train, run on dual fuel system - diesel and CNG - on the Rewari-Rohtak section of northern zone. An official said introduction of CNG trains will reduce greenhouse gas emission and also cut the transporter's fuel bill by reducing consumption of diesel. The minister, who...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Pratham's Annual Survey of Education Report for 2014 while expressing concern over falling learning levels also points out that more and more schools are complying with the provisions of Right to Education. There is also positive development as far as libraries, drinking water and toilet facilities are concerned. ASER says percentage of schools complying with RTE-mandated pupil-teacher ratio has increased from 45.3% in 2013 to 49.3%...