Short affidavit on behalf of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) in terms of the National Green Tribunal order dated January 22, 2025. The application was registered suo motu by the NGT on the basis of a news item titled "Toxic kilns pollution Aravallis; wildlife and locals suffer" appearing …
for 18 years now, scientists have discussed the reasons for the global decimation of amphibian populations. The cause list has been expanding: from pesticides, to new diseases, to climate change that exacerbates both. But there is little confusion on what's driving nature's hardiest, most adaptive creatures to the brink. Mounting …
Deoiled cakes are the residues left after the oil is extracted from the oil containing seeds. They are one of the important organic source for plant nutrients. The deoiled cakes to large extent are used as concentrated organic manures. They contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium along with a large percentage of …
Investment gurus such as Jim Rogers saw it coming as early as 1999. Prices of agri-commodities are soaring in the face of sustained uptick in global demand and stagnating production. Notwithstanding the scorching economic growth in India, Indian agriculture is painfully ambling along at around 2 per cent due to …
This study has been undertaken to assess the development patterns of agriculture sector in Punjab and the identification of the constraints operating in the agricultural sector dealing with land, labour, irrigation, credit etc.
A presentation on need for improvement of agricultural statistics by Vijay Kumar, Adviser, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture.
Small and marginal farmers are the worst hit by the problems that afflict agriculture. The macro and micro level factors together have created stress among the poor farmers forcing them to commit suicide.
THE first thing to note about the Mulkanoor cooperative is that it is an exception, not the rule. Given the otherwise dismal state of the cooperative movement in India, how many cooperative societies can boast of a turnover in excess of Rs 55 crore? Or have one of its members …
It's not routine for organic to get a bad press. But when quixotic officials turn it into an article of faith without doing the homework, the repercussions can be seriously debilitating. Take the case of the hill village of Papnaikothar in Ranikhet district. It was well known for the excellence …
Having to write a happy story makes me uneasy. Ten journalistic years of persistently sifting for what's wrong in every event/statement has taken its toll. Cynicism, an assortment of palliatives, and antacids are canonical accessories of roving reporters. The need to be certain of the facts often makes one doubt …
scientists at the Directorate of Oilseed Research (dor), Hyderabad, have developed the world's first microbial insecticide in solid form. According to D M Hegde, project director, dor, "The product is made from Bacillus thuringiensis (bt) bacteria of the kurstaki strain isolated from Mahboobnagar and Nalgonda districts in Andhra Pradesh.' Knock …
What a line of attack! PepsiCo, in its advertisements to deny that it had pesticides in its drinks, said that there were more pesticides in tea, eggs, rice and apples. Coca-Cola, in its defence, has similarly argued that as everything in India is contaminated, its drinks are safe. They say …
The agriculture minister told parliament last week that 100,000 farmers had committed suicide from 1998 to 2003, a period for which his government had data. This means 45 farmers killed themselves each day across the country. There is now information that suicides may be on the increase. In the Vidarbha …
function graph() { var popurl="image/20060331/33_graph.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=500,height=300,scrollbars=yes") } Tangled web Vidarbha cotton farmers hit by state failure The number of suicides by cotton farmers in Vidarbha has risen alarmingly this cotton season (see graph: Suicide spike).This is not just a consequence of increasing input costs, water scarcity and the high interest …
Agriculture plays a significant role in the Indian economy. Food production in India has increased from 51 MT in 1950-51 to 204.6 MT in 2004. While Green Revolution has been one of the greatest success stories of India with its dramatic impact on food security, environmental concerns have been growing …
The Seeds Bill 2004, which aims to replace the Seeds Act, 1966, is with the Indian Parliament. It is a bone of contention. Between interests of farmers and the private seeds industry. Parliament’s standing committee on agriculture is looking into this bill, drawing widespread criticism for favouring the seed industry …
Tractors in India are out of reach for the majority of farmers. The cheapest tractor costs Rs 1.8 lakh, almost as much as a new car. But while a car is a luxury, a tractor is not: it’s becoming an imperative as the demand for food grains increases. Barely two …
Tractors came to India in the 1960s, imported from the US and European countries, mainly the erstwhile Soviet Union. But these countries had large land holdings; most tractors made there were of medium to high horsepower. In a country where landholdings were not so large, such tractors came to be …
Small and marginal farmers constitute about 80 per cent of India's farming community. It would be logical to think that any government policies aimed at the country's farmers would, first and foremost, benefit them. But reality does not bear this out; rather it shows that these farmers remain the most …
