-IBN Agriculture and allied activities account for 14.1% of India's GDP in 2011-12 but the proportion of the people dependent for employment in this sector is as high as 58.2.The average annual growth rate of agriculture during the Eleventh Plan Period was about 3.6%. However, declining per capita availability of food grains is of major long term concern. For ensuring nutritional security, it is not only important to increase the per...

-PTI Agriculture and wetlands in India and the rest of the world should be managed in unison to tackle poverty and conserve ecosystems, says a new report. Around six per cent of the world's landmass is classified as either permanent or seasonal wetland. Millions of people directly depend on them for food, water, and other purposes. Researchers estimate that wetlands are worth around USD 70 billion globally each year. However, these areas also face...

-The Indian Express Social audits should not be judged by state response alone. They create awareness about rights and create engaged citizens. This article is in response to Farzana Afridi's ‘Social audit isn't enough' (IE, January 22). Social audits have been enshrined as one of the transparency and accountability tools in the MGNREGA. Such accountability mechanisms aim to strengthen the otherwise weak institutions of delivery as they engage the beneficiaries in the...

-The Hindu     ‘Krishi Karman' award to be presented toMinister of Agriculture in Delhi Guntur: Andhra Pradesh may have been known previously as the ‘rice bowl' of the country, but the State is on course to becoming the ‘cereal bowl' of India. The State recorded the highest production of coarse cereals for the year 2012-2013 over the five preceding years and in recognition of this achievement, the Government of India has announced ‘Krishi Karman'...

-Frontline Two draft Bills on the Tribal Sub-Plan and the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan raise hopes of granting these decades-old schemes statutory status and ensuring allocation of funds in the Central and State budgets for their implementation. IN a significant legislative move, the Union government's Ministry of Tribal Affairs released a draft Bill for the implementation of the long-neglected Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), a special programme mandated by the Planning Commission to benefit the...