Former reporter, Down To Earth
Large-scale hunting pushes yellow-breasted Bunting towards extinction
Known in Chinese as the ‘rice bird’, the Bunting is considered a delicacy in China and Cambodia
PUCL moves Supreme Court over non-implementation of food security Act
The government extended the deadline for implementation of the Act, citing the states’ lack of preparedness as one of the reasons
World misses MDG goal of reducing hunger by half, says FAO
Hunger rises in India and Pakistan; no South Asian country comes close to achieving target
Cabinet likely to give nod to real-time fund transfer for MGNREGA
This decision is expected to address the delay in transfer of funds from the Centre to states
One year of Modi government: no more achhe din, claims citizen report
According to the authors, the document was prepared after consultations with stakeholders in 100 districts across India
Potato test for government
The crash in potato price is triggering a wave of suicides in several states. Will the NDA government's ambitious Price Stabilisation Fund help …
India performs poorly in sanitation and water accessibility
A global index finds no significant correlation between GDP and performance as China and India, the two fastest growing Asian economies, are …
Land reform in reverse gear in Asian countries, says report
It claims that 6 per cent of farm owners hold two-thirds of agricultural land in the continent, putting livelihoods of millions of small farmers …
Rs 60 crore for 250,000 panchayats
The Centre's decision to reduce Panchayati Raj Ministry's budget and transfer its schemes to states has left the ministry bewildered about its …
Fifth Schedule and the fate of scheduled areas
Will the Xaxa committee report impact the Supreme Court’s impending judgment on Fifth Schedule?
3.3 billion people financially included, says World Bank
The latest Global Findex report points out that South Asia has the largest gender gap when it comes to financial inclusion
Uttar Pradesh police opens fire on anti-Kanhar dam protestors
Tribal leader Akku Kharwar and eight others seriously injured in the firing in Sonbhadra district
Countries vow to wipe out sheep and goat plague globally by 2030
The deadly animal disease causes a loss of US $2billion annually and has put livelihood of millions of poor at risk in 70 countries of Asia and Africa
Provide farmers with means to salvage wet grains, M S Swaminathan tells states
Agriculture scientist also suggests maintaining seed reserves for growing alternate short-duration crops
Land ordinance promulgated a second time
Belligerent BJP says it will start a campaign across the country to remove ‘mis-conception’ around land acquisition bill
Raje resorts to MGNREGA to rescue farmers affected by unseasonal rains
Around 5 per cent of households in the affected regions will get benefit under the scheme till March 31
‘Save Yamuna’ activists call off protest
Say senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh and party president Amit Shah, have promised to take action within two months
Insured by community
Death of a tribal woman in Madhya Pradesh prompts community to provide speedy insurance benefits to women during emergencies
Deserted by policy
Rajasthan's livestock is facing a threat as grazing lands disappear and laws paralyse traditional economic incentives for keepers
Brick kilns destroying fertile top soil
65 per cent of bricks produced in India are manufactured in the Gangetic plains, which have one of the world’s most fertile alluvial soils
‘Brick kiln workers in India underpaid and exploited’
India employs double the number of labourers than China, yet produces one-fifth of China’s annual brick production of 1 trillion
Union Budget 2015-16 reduces funds for SCs and STs
Allocations made in budget 2015-216 way short of Plan Outlays for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Unseasonal rains damage crops estimated to be worth Rs 10,000 crore
Crop loss could be to the extent of up to 20 per cent of total production in northern and central states
Rural crisis imminent as budget gives villages a miss
Cut in allocation for rural development comes at a time when most villages are witnessing reverse migration, resulting in 3 per cent dip in rural …
Agriculture: wrong prescription for right diagnosis
Finance minister’s decision to increase farm credit corpus and give more autonomy to states for agriculture schemes unlikely to help farmers