-The Hindu Puducherry (Tamil Nadu): S. Janaki, a farmer, laughs when she says she is unsure of what to do with the extra time that she now has. "Earlier, I used to have back problems because of the tiring labour involved in paddy cultivation. Now, I find working in the field much easier and that it involves lesser time," she adds. Janaki is among a group of 15 farmers in Vinayagampet village...

-The Telegraph A swathe of land stretching from the Himalayan foothills to the Indo-Gangetic plains has experienced a steady and significant decrease in water stored in lakes, reservoirs, rivers and as groundwater over the past decade, government scientists have said. Scientists at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting here and their collaborators in other institutions have found that the terrestrial water storage (TWS) - a measure of surface and underground...

-Deccan Chronicle KARIMNAGAR: Swasakhti groups, also known as self-help groups, are set to procure paddy produce this kharif season through Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP) centres. The groups have been playing a crucial role in buying paddy through IKP centers since 2006. Since the introduction of SHGs into the buying process, farmers have been getting hassle-free minimum support price (MSP) to their produce at their doorstep. The district has 55, 330 SHGs,...

-The Business Standard About 20% of area under crop damaged by recent cyclone in Araku valley Bangalore: Cyclone Hudhud, which left a trail of destruction in coastal Andhra Pradesh, has left its mark on coffee plantations in the Araku valley in Andhra Pradesh and parts of Odisha as well. The upcoming organic coffee plantations in the valley have been devastated. According to Coffee Board, about 20 per cent of the bean-bearing plants have...

-The Hindu Business Line The number of people commuting between rural and urban areas and across geographies has risen dramatically In the last couple of decades, the number of people commuting between rural and urban areas on a daily basis has seen an explosive growth. This includes unskilled workers without a fixed place of work. According to the National Sample Survey Organisation, between 1993-94 and 2009-10, India saw a nearly fourfold increase (from...