-The Hindu Over the years we have lost over a lakh varieties of native rice. One district in Odisha is rediscovering some of them It is a balmy winter morning when I meet Kamli Bataraa, an ebullient Adivasi farmer, at her home in Belugan, in southern Odisha’s Koraput district. There is a hum across the village from the threshing of just-harvested paddy. When I ask Kamli about the rice varieties she grows,...

-NDTV The Kerala assembly resolution has listed out reasons why they opposed GM mustard. It says it is not proved that genetically-modified crops give more yield than normal varieties and that GM crops attract new pests and controlling them needs the use of highly hazardous and expensive chemical pesticides. Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Legislative Assembly today unanimous passed a resolution rejecting genetically modified or GM Mustard seed. Just a little over a...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government announced on Friday that 'Janaushadhi' stores will be opened in every block to make low-priced generic medicines available across the country. The scheme is expected to create a "silent revolution" in achieving health security by providing affordable and quality medicines for all. Union minister for chemicals & fertilizers Ananth Kumar said the government plans to open such stores so that doctors and pharmacists cannot push...

-IANS Shimla: Himachal Pradesh, whose economy largely banks on agriculture and horticulture, aims to develop bio villages by promoting organic farming. The state is also eyeing investment in cold chains. An additional 2,000 hectares will be brought under organic farming and there are plans to develop 200 bio-villages in the next fiscal, a government spokesperson told IANS. He said farmers in the bio-villages would use only bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides and discourage...

-The Hindu Biodiversity integration into developmental plans is crucial for sustainable development In a ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his environmental concerns clear when he asked people to use Ganesha and Durga idols made of clay instead of plaster of Paris. His appeal is bound to stimulate our environmental consciousness and encourage the preservation of precious natural resources. We need to build on this appeal and follow...