The widespread acceptability of Bt technology among India's cotton farmers is a recognised reality today. This year, out of the total projected cotton area of 260-265 lakh acres, about 225 lakh acres would be sown under Bt hybrids/varieties. Considering that the latter figure stood at a mere 72,000 acres in 2002, it represents perhaps the most rapid rate of diffusion for any technology after the mobile phone. But even this tells only...
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‘Nearly 200 women killed every year after being branded witches'
Citing National Crime Bureau statistics, a Dehra Dun-based NGO has said that nearly 150-200 women are killed every year in the country after being tagged as ‘witches.' Jharkhand tops the list with 50-60 witchcraft-related murders every year, followed by Andhra Pradesh, where the number is around 30, Haryana with 25-30 and Orissa with 24-28 deaths, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) chairman Avdhash Kaushal said. According to a study conducted by RLEK,...
More »Eight RTI activists killed in seven months by J Balaji
‘In most cases, the top brass knew what was going on' Maharashtra tops the list with four; Gujarat had two NGOs plan a rally condemning the killing With the cold-blooded murder of Right to Information (RTI) activist Amit Jethwa near the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad last Tuesday, the number of whistleblowers killed this year alone has gone up to eight. The Congress-ruled Maharashtra tops the list with four killings, followed by the...
More »Along the food chain by MK Venu
Politicians, from the ruling party and opposition alike, are grappling with the problem of how to effectively communicate with their constituencies on the issue of high food inflation. One had thought it would be easy for the opposition to mount a campaign on rising prices against the ruling coalition, but it appears that inflation and its impact on the political economy is far more complex today than it was 10...
More »Tripura notches up top position in MGNREGA in India
Tripura has continued to remain on top in implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) while Sikkim came a close second in the 2009-10 fiscal. State Rural Development Minister Jitendra Choudhury told UNI over phone from Delhi today that the State achieved on an average 82 days out of promised 100 days of waged employment to the people residing in the rural areas. Choudhury said the performance evaluation...
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