-The Hindu Sri Lanka’s decision to ban imports on chemical fertilizers was not backed by scientific evidence There is consensus in the scientific community that organic agriculture could reduce crop yield. Quoting three global meta-data analysis, Meemkem and Qaim (2018) pointed out that on average, the yield reduction in organic agricultural systems could be 19-25%, depending on the crop and agro-climatic region. To switch to 100% organic agriculture, a country must have...

-The Hindu In its current form, the Char Dham road project goes against all environmental safeguards The Char Dham road project, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016, is an ambitious attempt to widen nearly 900 kilometres of hill roads at the cost of ₹12,000 crore. The project, which will be executed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), aims to provide all-weather connectivity to the four major shrines...

-Rediff.com Militant labour policies compounded a poor security environment for capital in West Bengal and encouraged the business community to relocate. constraining the private sector’s right to hire freely could well be the coup de grace. As with Calcutta/Kolkata, it will probably take a decade for Gurgaon/Gurugram to feel the difference, says Kanika Datta Gurgaon, the city that accounted for a significant amount of Haryana’s GDP long before it became Gurugram, is...

-The Hindu Business Line Against postponing resolution and plans to expand provisions for LDCs alone India is resisting attempts by developed nations to “draw a wedge” between developing countries and LDCs in the ongoing negotiations for subsidising public stockholding programmes at the WTO, under the garb of offering an early resolution, and has asked poorer nations not to fall into the trap. “At the WTO agriculture committee on Monday, some developed nations, such...

-The Hindu Right to Food activists insist that vulnerable communities still need the support from Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Centre’s foodgrain programme. The story so far: A scheme to provide free food grain to ration card holders as part of COVID-19 relief comes to an end this month. While the Food Ministry says the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is no longer needed as the economy is reviving, Right...