-Mongabay.com * India’s environment ministry has notified the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Rules 2018 to ensure proper utilisation of Rs 660 billion for plantation of trees across India. * Environmentalists and civil society groups are against the rules as they point out that the rules ignore the rights of forest dwellers and tribals. They also said that the new CAF rules are against existing laws ensuring forest rights and self governance for...

-Newsclick.in Food grain availability for Indians has increased by just 3.3% since 1961. On this 72nd Independence Day of our India, while there will be the usual speeches and festivities, spare a thought to this shocking bit of news: average availability of food grains for every Indian has increased by 3.3% since 1961. Food grains includes wheat, rice, other cereals and pulses. Among these, per person availability of pulses has actually declined...

-The Indian Express PM Modi said, “World Health Organisation has said that 3 lakh deaths of babies have been averted by the Swachh Bharat Mission." However, he overstated the facts, albeit by a small margin. New Delhi: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to a World Health Organisation report lauding Swachh Bharat Mission for saving the lives of 3 lakh babies in his Independence Day speech on Wednesday, he had overstated the...

-The Hindu Business Line Farmers want Govt to begin purchasing immediately Bengaluru: As the new kharif moong (green Gram) hits the markets in North Karnataka, prices of the pulses crop are trading lower at around Rs.5,100 a quintal, much lower than the minimum support price of Rs.6,975 announced by the Centre. In fact, the prevailing prices in the State are also lower than last year’s support price of Rs.5,575/quintal, growers said, while demanding...

-Livemint.com Rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha on how MGNREGS has evolved since 2006 to result in income, acreage, water tables, productivity and fodder availability Agrarian distress and rural distress are terms used interchangeably, but the rural economy today is very different from what it was many years ago, given the diversification of rural incomes and hence incorrect to think one means the other, says Amarjeet Sinha, secretary, ministry of rural development. In...