-The Hindu The tragic Nepal quake is an opportunity to learn and understand the threats of great temblors. The Nepal earthquake of April 25 is the largest in the Himalayan region since the 1934 quake which measured 8.2 on the Richter scale and destroyed not only parts of central Nepal but also the plains of northern Bihar in India. Mahatma Gandhi, shaken by the Bihar tragedy, wrote in the Harijan that the...
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Saving agriculture from weather woes -Divya Pandey and Avinash Kishore
-Livemint.com The agriculture sector continues to be at risk from climate variability, be it drought or excessive rainfall Unseasonal rains and hailstorms in March and April caused severe damage to more than 10 million hectares of wheat, mustard, potato and other rabi crops. Independent estimates project damages to be as high as Rs.65,000 crore. In Haryana alone, standing crops in over 1.7 million hectares of Land were affected. Unexpected rainfall late...
More »Records may not show, but women farmers dying too -Priyanka Kakodkar
-The Times of India AKOLA: For the last 23 years, Rukhmabai Rathod had run her 6-acre farm virtually single-handedly. After her husband's death in 1992, the uneducated but determined woman took charge. She decided what to sow, how much to spend and stood her ground with banks and creditors. "She was anguthachaap but she understood everything," says her brother-in-law Babulal Rathod from the Kazadeshwar village in Vidarbha's Akola district. "I didn't think...
More »India’s vast, rich forests could feed the world -Prasun Sonwalkar
-Hindustan Times London: With the global population expected to touch 9 billion by 2050, food from forests in India and elsewhere have potential to address needs of nutrition and food security at a time when the limits of boosting agricultural production are becoming increasingly clear. A new report produced by an international panel led by Bhaskar Vira, an expert based at the University of Cambridge, says that despite impressive productivity increases, there...
More »NREGA set for an outcome- focussed revamp -Ruhi Tewari
-The Indian Express The rural development ministry, that promises 100 days of guaranteed employment to those issued job cards, has sought to address both concerns in the current fiscal. The MGNREGA has been under scrutiny, of late, both from its traditional baiters as well supporters. The former’s attack has revolved around the programme — the flagship of the previous UPA dispensation — creating assets of poor quality, while the latter have been...
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