-Newslaundry.com/ Video Volunteers One man’s efforts to bring back traditional crops and methods of cultivation has ensured land rights and food security for an indigenous tribe. “The forest officials would come and beat us up when we tried to cultivate in our lands. My father died in 1986. They had beaten him and locked him up. He died because of that,” says Bhagwati, who belongs to the Baiga community from Dindori of...

-Livemint.com Abject poverty, high levels of debt, and crop failures among the leading causes behind farmer suicides, according to a study commissioned by agriculture ministry New Delhi: Abject poverty, high levels of indebtedness, crop failures and pressure to repay loans are among the leading causes behind farmer suicides, according to the preliminary findings of a study commissioned by the Union agriculture ministry. The broad findings of the study conducted by the Institute for...

-Scroll.in/ IndiaSpend.com Uttar Pradesh tops the list of under-five mortality. Despite recently revealed improvements, primitive sanitation is killing, retarding the growth or leaving susceptible to disease millions of Indian children, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of the latest available national health data. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Chhattisgarh had India’s highest under-five mortality, higher stunting (low height-for-age) rates and higher prevalence of diarrhoea due to lack of “improved sanitation” –...

-The Financial Express Buoyed by the success of the Give-It-Up campaign that coaxed over 1 crore households to forgo the subsidy on cooking gas, the Centre has written to all state governments seeking their support for a similar scheme to cut its rising food subsidy bill. Sources told FE that the Union food ministry in a communication to states has said Give-it-Up should be promoted under the Targeted Public Distribution System...

-DNA India The Supreme Court on Wednesday is set to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO 'Swaraj Abhiyan' seeking proper rehabilitation and financial assistance to the drought-affected people. In the previous hearing, the Apex Court had summoned nine state's Chief Secretaries in the case asking them to appear before it on April 26 in connection with the drought case. The court passed this order after hearing the plea filed by NGO 'Swaraj...