-The Hindu Rayalaseema districts descending into the grip of drought Vijayawada: With about two months to go for the onset of monsoon, the water has hit rock bottom in the reservoirs and the ground water position in the State, particularly the drought-prone Rayalaseema districts is precariously low. While the water level in Srisailam project is dangerously low (813.6 feet against the full reservoir level of 885 feet) having only 36.45 tmcft of water,...

-The Hindu Number of caesareans was 17.2% for India during the period from Jan 2015 to Dec 2016 A new study based on the data from the National Family and Health Survey has shown that there is a significant increase in the rate of caesarean births in India. While the WHO recommends the rate of caesarean delivery to be 10-15%, the number was 17.2% for India during the period from Jan 2015 to...

-The Hindu Business Line Drought conditions in peninsular India highlight familiar policy failures Recent BusinessLine reports have highlighted the harrowing conditions of water scarcity in peninsular India, with the monsoon still about three months away. Scientists and specialists have observed that 40 per cent of the country’s area is reeling under drought, of which 16-17 per cent is severe. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Gujarat are in a...

-The Hindu Business Line After failed efforts to placate angry farmers, the Centre and various States have launched income-support schemes. BusinessLine reports Let’s rewind to mid-2017, when onion farmers in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, took to the streets. The protests spread like wildfire to Madhya Pradesh. In northern Karnataka, pulses growers were up in arms against crashing prices. Minimum support prices were not holding up. Flustered governments began to trot out loan waivers as...

-The Hindu Business Line Hyderabad: After farmers from Tamil Nadu, it’s the turn of fluorosis victims from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to file nominations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Twenty victims and activists from the fluorosis-hit States are going to file nominations on April 22. Thirty-four-year-old Anshula Swami, Suvarna Ramavath (24) and Veeramalla Rajitha (25), are down with fluorosis, like thousands of others in Nalgonda district of...