Varanasi, which is known as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency during 2014, has hit the headlines recently due to people's struggle for water rights. Altogether 18 village councils (Gram Panchayats) of Varanasi have written recently to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to stop overexploitation of groundwater by the Coca-Cola bottling plant, which is situated in Mehdiganj (please click here to access their letters). The village councils, which have...
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Carlo Petrini, founder of the International Slow Food Movement, speaks to Livemint.com
-Livemint.com In 1986, Italian journalist Carlo Petrini was outraged when McDonald’s opened its first outlet in Rome. He saw this as a threat to Italy’s culinary culture. He led a protest against the global industrialization of food, which culminated in the slow food movement. Starting in Rome, the movement is now a worldwide phenomenon. Edited excerpts from an interview at the Indigenous Terra Madre in Shillong: * What are the key achievements...
More »We need to take our children’s first steps seriously -Rukmini Banerji
-Hindustan Times It is common sense that a strong and sturdy foundation is crucial for a good building. It is also well known that these foundations make a critical difference to the strength, scope and scale of the actual building. Similarly, what we do with our children in early years in pre-school and in early grades in school sets the tone and pace for what will be possible for them to...
More »NCERT to publish tactile books for visually challenged -Anuradha Raman
-The Hindu Tactile books with maps and diagrams for visually challenged students will become a reality soon with the National Council of Educational Research and Training introducing them in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. So far, books in Braille had no maps and diagrams. The NCERT is seeking suggestions from the States before it can start the process. “The exercise calls for a special training for teachers, but we...
More »Farmers’ choice of paddy variety delays wheat sowing -Anshu Seth
-Hindustan Times Ludhiana: Farmers’ decision to go for paddy variety PUSA 44 this year, contrary to the advisory of agricultural experts, has led to delayed sowing of wheat across Punjab. Farmers opted for PUSA 44, which takes 160 days to mature, instead of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-recommended varieties PR 121, 122, 123 and 124, which take 140-145 days to mature. PUSA 44 was preferred by them due to its higher...
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