-The Hindu Chief Secretary instructs State officials to take preparatory measures Uttar Pradesh is staring at a drought, the senior-most official in the State has said. Noting that the State received low rainfall during the monsoon, Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar has instructed divisional commissioners and district magistrates to brace for a “potential drought”. Mr. Kumar has instructed officials to coordinate with all departments and take “necessary steps on a priority basis”. The Chief Secretary has...

-Down to Earth Since April 2014, the rate of work completion has been declining at rapid pace, indicating that crucial assets for villages are not getting created In the last three and half years, the rate of work completion under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has drastically declined, leading to wastage of public money and leaving villages more prone to drought. This could also be a reason...

-TheWire.in The human rights commission has said the Farmers’ right to life and livelihood has been violated because of government negligence. Yavatmal, Maharashtra: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), taking suo moto cognisance of media reports that over 18 Farmers died due to infection caused by spraying pesticides on their cotton crop in the last three months, has sent notices to the Maharashtra government and the central Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’...

-Hindustan Times With no viable alternative, thousands of Farmers set their fields on fire despite being aware of the consequences of the act on the air they breathe. A look at the possible solutions. As the thick white smoke, billowing from a corner of the field filled the air, a 63-year-old Farmer was busy moving some of the still-burning hay with a shovel. He was spreading it to another corner to allow the...

-Down to Earth NHRC has sent notices to Centre and Maharashtra, demanding detailed report in four weeks The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports on how several Farmers in Maharashtra’s  Yavatmal district had to be hospitalised during the last three months due to an infection caused by spraying of a pesticide on the cotton crops. Many have reportedly died and condition of several other...