-Hindustan Times Delayed and deficient monsoon rains have caused major damage to the farmers this kharif season in Jharkhand. The state has faced 28% rainfall deficit. It has received 784.4mm rainfall against the normal of 1092 mm from June 1 to September 30. Ranchi: Jharkhand government may declare 50% blocks of the state as drought hit after a field verification, which is likely to be completed in a week, officials said...

-Hindustan Times Every Rs 10 lakh invested in farm research pulled 328 people out of poverty; 26 people were helped by the same amount spent on subsidies. New Delhi: Are Indian farmers paying a price for sweeping agricultural input subsidies they enjoyed for decades and which they have taken for granted, from virtually free power to extremely low-priced fertilisers? Data from a landmark new research seem to suggest so. The research, by economist...

-Hindustan Times Every year, the number of planned surgeries that get cancelled in major Delhi hospitals sees a threefold rise owing to patients failing pre-anaesthesia check-up due to throat, airways and lung infections compounded by pollution, doctors said. New Delhi: Every year, the number of planned surgeries that get cancelled in major Delhi hospitals sees a threefold rise owing to patients failing pre-anaesthesia check-up due to throat, airways and lung infections compounded...

-Hindustan Times 55 % Indians were classified as poor by the MPI methodology in 2005-06. India halved its poverty rate in the next 10 years. In absolute terms, the number of poor fell from 630 million to 360 million during this period. New Delhi: Improved nutrition, better sanitation and increased asset ownership have halved India’s poverty rate between 2005-06 and 2015-16, according to a study by the Oxford University. In the 10-year...

-The Hindu Country’s high population makes it vulnerable to an ecological crisis, says World Wide Fund for Nature India’s soil biodiversity is in grave peril, according to the Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas prepared by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The WWF’s ‘risk index’ for the globe — indicating threats from loss of above-ground diversity, pollution and nutrient over-loading, over-grazing, intensive agriculture, fire, soil erosion, desertification and climate change — shows India among...