-The Hindu Business Line Bengaluru/ Ahmedabad: Though acreage under the main rabi (winter) crops, such as wheat, gram and mustard continued to rise, overall sowing for the season across the country has turned sluggish as cash-strapped farmers have slowed down planting. According to preliminary data released by the Agriculture Ministry, acreage under rabi crops till November 18 stood lower, at 241.73 lakh hectares, compared to 243.38 lakh ha in the corresponding period...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: Prem covers his face as he sets the line of paddy stubble on fire. While half the field is ready for sowing, it is his turn to get the other half ready. His brother has travelled from their Hansi village to Hissar to stand in queue at the Corporation Bank to withdraw money. The brothers do not have enough to sow their next crop of wheat. ET travelled...

-The Times of India New Delhi: Are you a farmer? How about earning a handsome amount from the stubble left behind in your field instead of burning it and adding to the pollution level? How about also getting bio-fertiliser and sustainable energy in the same deal? An IIT-Delhi team has provided technical support to Asia's first biogas-based power plant which is now operating on paddy straw for large-scale biogas production in Fazilka, Punjab....

-Scroll.in Some farmers in Punjab and Haryana are moving away from burning the crop stubble, using it to make mulch instead. A week after Diwali, the smog over Delhi hadn’t lifted. The air was more toxic than any other city in the world. Wearing masks and holding up banners that said “We are not Hiroshima”, about 200 Delhi residents gathered at Jantar Mantar on November 6, demanding clean air. Waking up abruptly to...

Delhi's air is not fit to inhale. Experts argue that prolonged exposure to toxic air could lead to serious health hazards like heart and lung diseases, various types of cancer etc. But is it the case that the smog, which engulfed the entire National Capital Region (NCR) and many of the north Indian cities during October-November was entirely caused due to burning of firecrackers in Diwali or because of vehicular...