-Livemint.com Only 23.6% of farmers enrolled for the scheme in 2016, against 22.2% in 2015 New Delhi: Despite setting an ambitious target to cover half of all farmers under crop insurance, the first season rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has been tepid. According to the agriculture ministry, during the kharif 2016 season beginning June this year, 32.6 million farmers enrolled under PMFBY. While that is a 6.3% rise in...

-PTI New Delhi: Expressing their resistance against GM-mustard, thousands of people joined ‘Sarson Satyagraha’ in 18 states on Gandhi Jayanti today, asserting the hybrid variety is “unwanted, unneeded and unsafe“. The ‘Satyagraha’ took various forms ranging from Gram Sabha resolutions to remain GM-free to take part in a mustard festival, organised by the Delhi government to gather public feedback on GM mustard. Eminent citizens, scientists, film personalities, farmer leaders, artists, and activists took...

-The Hindu New Delhi: Seed technology major Monsanto says it is suspending plans to introduce an upgraded version of its genetically modified cotton in India because of uncertainty in the “business and regulatory environment”. Activists say this is a “hypocritical” position. On July 6, Monsanto notified the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, the regulatory authority for approval of biotechnology traits in India, that it was withdrawing its application for the commercial release of...

-The Hindu Business Line Hyderabad: With the Union government gearing up to take a decision on whether to allow genetically modified (GM) mustard, anti-GM activists, non-governmental organisations and farmers’ associations have decided to exert pressure on States to stall any move to allow GM in food crops. Arguing that agriculture is a State subject and that States have to bear the brunt of any fallout, the activists have decided to meet the...

-TheWire.in According to the central government’s statement to the Supreme Court last week, a third of the India’s districts are currently facing a severe drought. This means that at least 33 crore Indians are affected by ongoing the crisis. Expressing their deep concern on the issue and the impact it is having on rural populations of the country, and asking that the government take appropriate relief measures immediately, more than 150 academics...