-Deccan Herald The Green Revolution has changed life in Indian villages, but the main beneficiaries were the landlords. Daily labourers remain poor and marginalised. The limits of using ever more fertiliser and pesticides are becoming apparent. Many farmers are confused because extension services want them to reconsider practices they were told to abandon not that long ago. A member of the Santal tribe, an Adivasi community, assesses things from the village perspective. Since independence...
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A year on, no lessons learnt from Bihar mid day meal tragedy -Jyotika Sood
-Down to Earth Civil society calls for pesticide-free, organic food under government programmes for children while Bihar focuses on building new kitchens in government schools A year after 23 school children in Bihar's Saran district died of insecticide poisoning after consuming food served under Mid Day Meal (MDM) Scheme, government agencies seem to have forgotten the serious concern over handling and banning of hazardous chemicals that the tragedy raised. The children of Dharmasati-Gandaman...
More »On 1st anniversary of Bihar midday meal tragedy, new report warns of future mishaps -Manash Pratim Gohain
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: On the eve of the first year anniversary of the Midday Meal (MDM) tragedy in Bihar's Saran district, a new report released by India for Safe Food (IFSF) has found that that government is not acting decisively against pesticides to prevent such cases in the future. On July 16, 2013 23 children died in Saran district school due to pesticide poisoning after consuming tainted food cooked...
More »Corporate karza maafi at Rs. 36.5 trillion -P Sainath
-PSainath.org The revenues foregone in 2013-14 could fund the rural jobs scheme for three decades or the PDS for four and a half years. It was business as usual in 2013-14. Business with a capital B. This year's budget document says we gave away another Rs. 5.32 lakh crores to the corporate needy and the under-nourished rich in that year. Well, it says Rs. 5.72 lakh crores but I'm...
More »Get over the growth fetish -Ashish Kothari
-The Hindu Business Line Perpetual growth is a piece of nonsense. The focus should be on protecting livelihoods through sustainable means Construct a building, demolish it, reconstruct, break it down again, and go on repeating this meaningless exercise. You will have economic growth, as currently measured. But no net gain in employment during the endless cycle of construction and demolition, no net increase in productive capacity, and no appreciable change in poverty...
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