-The Hindu Erode: While non-government and welfare organisations are understandably keen to enable tribal communities on the hills to derive utility of abundance of bamboo on the hilly parts, there are indications of ambiguity over the status of implementation of Forest Rights Act 2006 under which bamboo is considered a minor forest produce. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had, during 2011, asked states to treat bamboo as a minor forest...

-NDTV Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government today revived a traditional water resource management system involving public in the state's worst drought in more than a century. The government has taken the initiative to revive the 'Kudimaramathu' tradition that involves engaging farmers and local people to de-silt and look after tanks and ponds with a budget of Rs. 100 crore. K Sundaram, a small farmer at Manimangalam in Kancheepuram district, who has joined...

-The Hindu Business Line Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants. “This is unlike anything that I've seen in my eight years in the fields,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders. The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial...

-The Hindu Business Line State govt package is inadequate, unfair and not quick enough, says farm sector Chennai: “When there is no water to drink, what can we say about irrigation?” asked K Venkatesan, a farmer near Vridhachalam. Whether canal dependent or bore well irrigated, all crops have withered, he said. Insurance compensation and the disbursement of the State government’s relief package have to be expedited, said farmers’ representatives. Farmers have to be fully...

-Hindustan Times The last few weeks have seen a spate of government notifications making Aadhaar mandatory for receiving the benefits of government programmes. The most recent orders relate to an Aadhaar requirement for children to access schools (even under their fundamental right to education), mid-day meals, supplementary nutrition (ICDS) and scholarships. These directives raise a number of ethical as well as practical questions, besides violating children’s right to education, nutrition and...