-Deccan Herald Behind all the ostentation, glitz and glamour of the recently concluded mega ‘Progressive Agriculture Summit' in Punjab lies the harsh reality of farmer suicides and the burgeoning agrarian crisis that this border state reels under. A state government commissioned study conducted by three prominent univerSITies in Punjab lay bare the magnitude of the crisis. On an average estimate, three persons committed suicide every two days in last one decade in...

-The Tribune Punjab: No doubt there is a pressing need to restore the fast deteriorating underground water balance in Punjab and parts of Haryana because of excessive withdrawals of water to meet the irrigation requirements of water-guzzling crops, particularly the rice crop. In Punjab available canal water hardly meets one-fourth of the water requirements of the agriculture sector and three-fourth water requirements are met through the pumping of underground water. In...

-ManipurTimes.com Ningthoujam Kumar Mangang, a hardworking man from Manipur set off on a rare mission, to introduce the goodness and its advantages of 'Black-Gold' in the state, and now he contributes nearly 360 metric tons of 'Black-Gold' per year in the state. Kumar works starting his day early to travel nearly 25 km from home to oversee his black-gold field, with a size of around one acre at Nongdum of Imphal...

-Down to Earth Across the globe, unemployment is growing three times faster among youngsters than among those above 24 years of age The good news is that economies the world over are set to grow. The bad news is that the growth will not be able to check unemployment that has been rising steadily since the 2008 global financial crisis. Over 202 million people were jobless worldwide in 2013, which is 25...

-Sunday Pioneer A cluster of villages engaged in weaving the exquiSITe Benarasi sarees is in the midst of a serious health crisis. More than 1 lakh people from this once prosperous region have fallen prey to aggressive tuberculosis. Poor living conditions, working in dark rooms and constant inhalation of minute silk threads have weakened the lungs of these artisans. With an average monthly income of not more than Rs3,000, it is...