The procurement of rice for distribution under the proposed Right to Food scheme has renewed the fears of irreversible depletion of water table in India’s grain producing regions. It is feared that unless more scientific and progressive methods of rice cultivation are used, the otherwise welcome scheme would lead to more sowing of summer paddy leading to more injudicious water use and further soil degradation. Many rural NGOs and agricultural...

Hydrodollars-in-spate may choke off the artery to a whole region    On August 11, the theatre of the absurd came to Tezu, headquarters of the Lohit district in Arunachal Pradesh. A public hearing, as required by environment laws, was organised that day to discuss with the locals the impact of the 1,750 MW Lower Demwe dam, being built by Athena Power Pvt Ltd. It was notable for its meaninglessness, since the...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is confident that the NREGS is his best bet to offset the drought but many grassroots activists are unsure of the scheme’s effectiveness, especially after some recent amendments. While the drought has spread to 246 districts, a heated debate rages on the poor peoples’ entitlements versus rural asset formation, even though in theory the two positions appear complementary. 14 organisations throughout the country are up in arms...

  The 2009 drought has once again highlighted the need for farming drought hardy crops such as millets and coarse grains instead of water guzzling paddy and wheat in the country’s water deficient areas. Officially, about 70 per cent of India’s cultivable land is un-irrigated and falls in the country’s most backward dry-lands. It is a proven fact that India’s rich diversity of resilient millet crops are the farmer’s best protection...

After widening the ambit of the NREGS to include works on the private land of small and marginal farmers, the Rural Development Ministry is now considering setting up a ‘mini secretariat’ named after Rajiv Gandhi at each Gram Panchayat. The Central Employment Guarantee Council (CEGC), which is slated to meet early next week, will be considering a proposal for creating Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra for each gram panchayat...