A report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), which was released on July 6th (observed as World Zoonoses Day by research institutions and non-Governmental organisations across the globe) this year, says that around 60 percent of known infectious diseases in humans are estimated to have an animal origin. Likewise, almost three-fourth of all new and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic i.e. these diseases...

-Down to Earth Every rupee spent on weather forecasting fetches 50-fold economic gains to below poverty line farming families   A survey by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has shown that timely delivery of weather advisories to farmers had a significant impact on their income. The survey was done to gauge the economic impact of India’s investments on the National Monsoon Mission (NMM) and High Performance Computing Facilities (HPC). It...

-The Indian Express Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that those from economically and socially backward classes can benefit from this programme as India has a shortage of around 22 lakh drivers. New Delhi: Citing the shortage of drivers in India, the Government is working to set up Driver Training Centres in tribal areas and in the 115 poorest districts in the country. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that those from economically and socially...

-The Indian Express A collective of NREGA women activists discovers its political voice. As Jean Dreze recently observed, one of the key ideas behind NREGA was that it would serve as a platform for increasing the overall political capacities of workers. It was hoped that people would organise themselves to collectively demand work and, in the process, learn about other legal and constitutional provisions. While learning about the latter has been patchy,...

-The Indian Express Twenty-six villages in Pardi taluka fall under the Kaprada Assembly seat. Tarmaliya, with around 700 voters, is located in the most interior parts of the constituency. Rajkot, Surat: AROUND 40 students at Tarmaliya village in Pardi taluka of Valsad district, which falls in Kaprada Assembly constituency, boycotted the by-elections Tuesday for want of a mobile tower. In the absence of a mobile tower, the students claimed, they had to...