-Down to Earth While total allocations to Union budget 2021-22 saw an increase of 14.5%, the share for children declined by 10.8% compared to 2020 The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has dealt a serious blow to the Indian economy. The economic slowdown has aggravated poverty, disrupted public provisioning for children’s welfare, exacerbated existing gaps in availability, access and utilisation of services. It has multiplied challenges for children from marginalised communities. Healthcare, nutrition,...

-Down to Earth The issue is about carrying capacity of the fragile region, which is even more at risk because of climate change The flash flood in high Himalayas, which has claimed lives and wiped out two hydroelectric plants on the Ganga, should be a grim reminder of the mistakes we continue to make. There is no rocket science here about why this devastation happened. The Himalayas are the world’s youngest mountain...

-Down to Earth Rs 2,326.88 crore of Rs 139,370.15 crore was disbursed to those ineligible for the scheme; Rs 231.76 crore has been recovered The Union government was yet to spend Rs 23,727 crore of the Rs 139,370.15 crore it has allocated for Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) since its inception in February 2019. The amount is around 17 per cent of what was to be disbursed under the direct benefit transfer...

-Down to Earth The ill-effects of imbalanced application of fertilisers — which leads to soil sickness, decline in soil health and reduces crop productivity — need to be understood to save Indian agriculture.   Soil is rightfully called the ‘soul of infinite life’. This soul, however, has become dilapidated of late due to ill-agricultural practices being adapted to feed the ever-increasing mouths. The Green Revolution of 1965-66 helped India, for the first time...

-Down to Earth Use of concrete instead of traditional wood and masonry in the Himalayas is creating a heat-island effect, warming the range, they added A major disaster struck the Himalayan state of Uttrakhand February 7, 2021. A glacier broke after an avalanche in the Joshimath area of the state’s Chamoli district. There are reports of missing people and damage to property. The Chamoli police said the Rishiganga Power Project had been damaged...