-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union environment ministry has refused to release bio-safety research dossiers on genetically modified mustard developed by Delhi University under review for possible commercial cultivation, activists campaigning against GM crops claimed today. The activists said the ministry had turned down their request filed under the Right to Information Act for the bio-safety dossiers containing data on environmental and toxicity studies done on the GM mustard engineered with bacterial...

-The Times of India RAIPUR: To enhance the livelihood of tribal farmers in Kanker district, scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) are imparting training for fish rearing and animal husbandry via integrated farming systems (IFS) models in selected villages of Kanker district. They are doing this with social mobilisation through village meetings with farmers and panchayat. In Kanker, rice occupies more than 90% of agricultural area in kharif season. Majority farmers are...

-The Telegraph Ahmedabad: If "pay and use" toilets can't slay the demon of open defecation, perhaps "get paid for not using" will. So believes the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, which plans to shame the city's dump-it-in-the-open brigade by catching them in the act every morning and paying them Re 1 on the spot. Will this not be an incentive for the offenders to stick to the old habit rather than shed it? Civic health...

-PTI Medha Patkar made a strong pitch for retaining the 'Social Impact Assessment' and 'Consent' clauses of Land Acquisition Act The government was on Monday under attack from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and farmer organisations over the contentious land acquisition Bill, with activist Medha Patkar leading the protest against changes brought in the 2013 land law of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Several organisations, including National Alliance for Farmers Movement (NAFM), All India Coordination...

-PTI NEW DELHI: Anganwadi centres across the country will soon go hi-tech with the government planning to equip them with tablet PC devices installed with a customised software for regular monitoring of nutrition supply to malnourished children. The software will enable anganwadi workers (AWWs) to upload various data like dietary intake and health updates of children and supply of foodgrains and supplementary nutrition on a daily basis. The move will help the government...