Srinagar officials, residents agree on three more dumpsites
on april 13, 2007, residents of Achen, a locality in Srinagar, and the municipal authorities agreed that three new dumpsites should be set up in three zones of the city, to supplement the
Search Results
-
-
Will loan waiver address farm distress?
It will provide only short-term relief THERE arefour crore small and marginal farmers who are unable to repay their crop loans to the banks. The Rs 60,000-crore budgetary allocation for waiving their loans will now enable a farmer to go back to the same bank, apply for another loan and await either of these two outcomes: a good crop or another loan waiver. While the gesture provides farmers relief in the short term, it would be harmful for the economy, especially the farm economy, in the long run. If we take the risk versus reward incentive out of an economic activity such as agribusiness, the enterprise quotient diminishes and hinders both growth and innovation.These key attributes, along with structural reforms and investment in agri-infrastructure, are needed to raise agricultural productivity and maintain the growth trajectory of the economy. The question we need to ask ourselves is why these farmers have not been able to repay their crop loans. Can Rs 15,000-per-farmer reward help them produce a better crop in the next season? The answer sadly is No. Small farmers face two main challenges: meeting their input needs (seeds, pesticides) and dealing with the weather risks to their crops. Issuance of input coupons for purchase of quality inputs for the next season would have been more beneficial. Bad weather plays havoc with agriculture. Dealing with weather risk calls for appropriate risk management tools such as weather insurance. This requires a network of weather stations at the block level for timely collation of data, a basic requirement for weather insurance products. Establishing a network of weather stations would have required only a fraction of the Rs 60,000 crore outlay. The budget will definitely encourage the creation of rural enterprises such as nurseries and cold chain establishment. The one-time budgetary assistance of Rs 75 crore for setting up mobile soil testing facilities is also a good step. However, the provision of Rs 60,000 crore for loan waiver which can at best provide short-term relief to farmers has robbed them of possible agri-infrastructure projects such as roads, marketing and storage facilities, and irrigation which could have yielded better returns on a sustainable basis. (*Country Head, Food & Agribusiness Strategic Advisory & Research) RAKESH TIKAIT Spokesman, Bhartiya Kissan Union It will not solve the deepening agri crisis THE Union budget 2008-09 is prima facie a pro-farmer budget, with the primary emphasis on writing off the loans of small and marginal farmers. It is a good step to provide instant relief to farmers who are heavily indebted, although it covers only 40% of total farmers. However, the debt relief will not solve the deepening agrarian distress. Nevertheless, we see the announcement of debt waiver as a victory of farmers' union, activists and pro-farmer media. It was a great battle and we are grateful that the finance minister took this step despite corporate pressure. We believe that this measure alone is not enough to address the farmers' problems. It is well known that the basic problem faced by farmers is their inability to get fair price for their produce. The policy makers have said nothing on this count. Nothing has also been said about ensuring better farm gate price for agriculture commodities or making available a price stabilisation fund to help farmers increase their income. The price offered for the commodities produced by them must not only fully cover their cost of production but also ensure livelihood security. Subsidy is another area of concern. Traders and producers are currently getting all the benefits while farmers have to suffer due to scarcity of fertiliser. The budget has also not made any announcement to strengthen the extension services of the ministry of agriculture to make it more relevant for the farmers. As a result, farmers are forced to depend on agents of pesticide and seed companies for technical advice. It seems that the government has made up its mind to hand over this system to the corporate sector. In this context, we are closely watching the Indo-US knowledge agreement and the multinational companies in seed business. In conclusion, although the budget is pro-farmer, the actual need of the Indian farmer is not just the removal of debt and interest. Many other important issues need to be addressed. These include access to market, fair price for produce, timely availability of fertilisers and seeds, direct subsidy and the public sector investment in agriculture business. We hope the government will consider all this in future. And the main need is to keep corporates far from farming business. K CHAKRAVARTHY Country Head* YES BANK
-
Diesel prices: don’t miss the point
<p style="line-height: 22px; font-size: 14px; margin-top: 5px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Fuel price reform is inevitable and necessary, but clean fuel and public
-
Uttarakhand hills with solar power don’t prefer ‘taar wali bijli’
<p>It was half past four in the evening when we reached <em>Garbadhar</em>. It took us about 4 hours and two flat tyres along the <em>Kali river</em> from <em>Dharachulha</em> to get there. The Border
-
Private plantations urged on forest land
After supporting India's forestry programmes for almost two decades, the World Bank now is moving toward arrogating to itself governance of the country's forests.
-
India's game plan on GATT: Will it work?
The government says there are opportunities to improve the Dunkel packager but not all are convinced that it is trying hard enough. Environmentalists and farmers fear the country may wind up having to accept a fait accompli.
-
Years of agony
twelve years after the devastating Bhopal gas tragedy, the 600,000 people affected by it are the hapless victims of another human crime: callousness. Callousness perpetrated by their very own Indian
-
No takers for clean technology
Developers of a new, clean and efficient process for coal based power generation say it will not become popular unless the government enforces stricter environment protection standards.
-
Economic goals set for scientists
Scientists in the West who have been flush with funds over the years are being shaken out of their smugness as taxpayers demand more tangible results from research efforts.
-
Not in my backyard
Delhi, reduced to a gas chamber due to the proliferation of highly polluting industries, now requires the social and political will to enforce an effective relocation
-
Justice remains mirage for Bhopal gas victims
Nearly eight years after the Bhopal gas disaster, the legal battle over a settlement continues. But for the efforts of public interest agencies and public spirited advocates, the victims and the legal system would have been mired in a horrendous plight
-
Poor little rich states
Rich in natural resources but extremely poor, the three new states are in need of a new strategy for development. But no blueprints have been drawn so far. <I>DOWN TO EARTH</I> reports on the posers thrown up by the birth of Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal and J
-
Unconventional approach to AIDS control
Voluntary groups in Madras are taking up the onus of increasing AIDS awareness among various groups including students, blue collar workers and truck drivers
-
Technology gives traditional water mills a lift
The gharat, a water wheel used for centuries by the Himalayan people, has now been modified so that it can empower several machines simultaneously. Unfortunately, the government is not making the effort to popularise it.
-
A case of computer breakdown?
IF ONE were to pick a single product to represent the tremendous technological progress in the second half of this century, it would certainly be the computer. In few fields has progress been so
-
Mere volume will not sell research papers abroad
Despite a prolific output, Indian science researchers are rarely cited in foreign journals. The reasons: poor quality work on subjects far removed from the mainstream, says a recent report
-
Feed it to the earthworm
That is what Lata Srikhande, a Pune housewife, did to solve her domestic waste disposal problems. Now her neighbourhood is following suit
-
A tradition is revived
Across the Palk Strait, Sri Lanka turns back the pages and rejuvenates its traditional indigenous systems of medicine
-
Perched atop an abyss
The predatory Nile perch, introduced with all good intentions into the Lake Victoria, is turning out to be the magnificent lake s nemesis
-
Tribals are being treated like stray cattle
<font class='Question'> Twenty seven year old <font class='UCASE'>chekkoth karian janu</font> has never attended school. But this has not prevented her from becoming a champion of the rights of the adivasi community native to Wayanad Kerala to wh