-The Hindu Wells being dug in mountainous terrain of Vellie, Bhor taluks; water tankers arranged for remote hamlets. Pune: Moved by poignant stories of suffering coming from drought-hit Maharashtra’s hinterland, social outfit volunteers and IT professionals have taken the initiative to look for long-term solutions, besides arranging for water tankers to address immediate needs. A group of volunteers from Jnana Prabodhini have started digging wells in the mountainous Velhe and Bhor taluks of...

-The Hindu Business Line It should apply to long-term rather than short-term loans, to prevent funds misuse and promote capital formation The Budget 2016-17 witnessed an increase of Rs. 2,000 crore in the allocation towards interest subsidy for short-term credit (i.e. crop loan) to farmers, compared with the revised estimate for 2015-16, thereby making a total provision of Rs. 15,000 crore towards interest subsidy. In fact, of the total allocation of Rs. 35,984...

-Livemint.com New Delhi: Despite widespread drought in 11 states across the country, India’s foodgrain production is actually set to grow marginally, the third advance estimates released by the agriculture ministry on Monday showed. Total foodgrain production in 2015-16 is estimated at 252.23 million tonnes, marginally higher than 252.02 million tonnes produced in 2014-15, the data shows. If the estimates hold up, it would imply that the damage to the agrarian economy is less...

-PTI Several villages in Bundelkhand region spread over Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are facing "acute shortage" of drinking water, cattle deaths along with "inaction" of the state Machinery, a survey by Swaraj Abhiyan said. Releasing the survey report, Swaraj Abhiyan co-founder Yogendra Yadav today said 40 per cent of the 43 surveyed villages in Madhya Pradesh were depending on "two or less" hand pumps for their water needs. Among the 79 villages...

-DNA Even as the Modi government promises to increase the green cover, here are the challenges it is facing. Meet Ashish Arora, resort owner in Uttarakhand who lives next to a forest. It is not just the chirping birds, clean air and wild animals that surround him. He also has to grapple with forest fires every year. For the people in Uttarakhand like any other forest-rich state, forest fires are a way...