Former reporter, Down To Earth
Crop insurance scheme hits premium hurdle
Farmers may not benefit from the new scheme, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, in the current season, as states are reluctant to implement it. …
Go Gokul gone
For all the noise around cow protection, NDA's cow mission, the very first it announced on assuming power, has nearly died
Darkness before light
Down To Earth visited Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh and found that despite electrification, households continue to depend on kerosene and …
50 debt-ridden weavers in Varanasi committed suicide since Modi became PM
Conditions of weavers community got worse during Modi regime, reveal experts’ findings
Current distress
Six states, 30 villages, 13,000 kilometres. Down To Earth travelled to some of the most remote villages of the country to assess India's progress …
42% of India’s districts use 85% of its chemical fertilisers
A parliamentary standing committee blamed Agriculture Ministry’s skewed policy for the inequality in fertiliser usage
How cow became the mother of demigods
The current political discourse on cow protection disregards the history of beef eating in India
India pins hopes on Myanmar pulses
Desperate to check growing prices, the country plans to encourage domestic players to grow pulses in Myanmar despite having bad experiences in …
First drought, then floods: is this an extreme weather event?
After an excruciating drought, several states of India have reported excess rainfall this monsoon. Climate change may have a role to play in …
Cabinet expansion: does it herald improvement in governance
Experts feel that the change in the cabinet has nothing to do with improving governance, but is a way of appeasing local sentiments
Indians spend most on public transport, communication
More than 60% of rural and urban families use bus as their main mode of public transportation, shows the NSSO survey of expenditure on …
Pulses, neglected for long
Despite being a world leader in pulses production, India has been forced to import due to crop loss and seed deficit. The sharp rise in prices is …
Two years of Modi government: A civil society review
According to a report, government allocation in most social sectors do not address critical concerns in health, education and civic …
Jharkhand’s children deprived of mid-day meal despite Supreme Court order, say activists
Jharkhand is the one of the worst-affected states in the country with its 22 out of 24 districts facing drought
Penny unwise, pond foolish
The government should have revived traditional water bodies and ponds to prepare Bundelkhand for drought. Rather, it spent Rs 15,000 crore to …
In-depth coverage: Drought, but why
Drought now affects people across classes. India needs a new strategy for disaster management
Mr Prime Minister good news
The finance minister has said that the government is committed to double farmers' income in five years. Here are a few villages across the …
Supreme Court issues directive for implementing MGNREGA, food security Act to tackle drought
In a bid to provide relief to households in drought-hit areas, the apex court directed the Centre to release funds to states for providing …
Supreme Court directs Centre to prepare national disaster plan to tackle drought
The apex court has directed the Union government to revise the Drought Management Manual at the earliest till the end of 2016
Bundelkhand’s goats dying due to mysterious disease
The animals are the only hope of livelihood for the region’s drought-affected farmers
Sharp cut in tea board budget will impact tea industry says Parliamentary Panel
The allocation has been reduced to Rs 16 crores as compared to previous year’s Rs 67 crore
Children worst sufferers in drought-hit areas, says Satyarthi
According to the Nobel Laureate, 163 million children are living in severe drought-affected areas of the country
India’s FCRA does not conform to international standards: UN Special Rapporteur
The restriction may prove detrimental to the advocacy group engaged in critical human rights work, government accountability and those …
Will it rain?
As states across India are reeling from drought, for the first time, a 24x7 call centre in Karnataka informs farmers about weather conditions, …
Going backward
As the Maratha community in Maharashtra finally gets 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and education, Down To Earth profiles other …