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Agriculture Ministry acknowledges wide nitrogen-use variation among Indian rice varieties.
ICAR tasked with developing nitrogen-efficient and climate-resilient rice strains.
Controlled burning in Uttarakhand forest range deemed a fire-prevention measure.
MoEFCC drafting guidelines for better management of protected areas in Ladakh.
Tribunal notes Ladakh’s authority to conduct its own scientific studies on bird species.
The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has expressed concern over the wide variations among popular rice varieties in their ability to use nitrogen, noting that the issues raised in The Hindu report titled “Study finds wide variety of nitrogen-use efficiency in Indian rice varieties” are genuine.
This was stated in the counter affidavit filed by the ministry before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 14, 2025.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is mandated with developing high-yielding, nitrogen-use-efficient and climate-resilient varieties in major food and commercial crops, including rice. ICAR also coordinates and facilitates the release of various rice varieties after multi-location evaluations, the NGT was told.
The Government of India supports state governments in ensuring the balanced use of fertilisers and improving soil health through various schemes.
One such initiative is the Soil Health Card/Soil Health Management Scheme, under which soil health cards are issued to farmers. These cards provide advisories based on the nutrient status of the soil and recommend the appropriate dosage of different nutrients required.
Another programme, the Crop Diversification Programme, is being implemented in traditional Green Revolution states such as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh to encourage a shift from water-intensive paddy to pulses, oilseeds, nutri-cereals, cotton and agroforestry — thereby conserving soil fertility and groundwater.
The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North Eastern Region aim to promote organic farming and reduce the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers, including urea.
The burning of dry leaves in the Badkot forest range along the Rishikesh–Dehradun road was part of controlled burning being carried out under the supervision of an official of the Uttarakhand Forest Department.
This was stated in the report filed by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) on October 16, 2025, in response to NGT orders dated October 21, 2024, and September 10, 2025.
On November 11, 2024, the FSI had asked the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), Uttarakhand Forest Department, to provide a detailed factual status report on the matter.
Subsequently, the Uttarakhand Forest Department filed its report on December 24, 2024, stating that as per the working plan, the Dehradun-Rishikesh highway has been listed as an important fire line. Controlled burning was undertaken in vulnerable areas along the highway with due care and precaution.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has informed the NGT that it is undertaking inter-ministerial consultations to finalise guidelines on the management plan for protected areas. The submission was made on October 9, 2025, in response to the NGT’s order dated July 18, 2025.
The MoEFCC further stated that the Union Territory of Ladakh is well within its powers to undertake scientific studies on birds in the region.
The NGT had taken suo motu cognisance of a news report titled Ladakh bird life comprising 430 species in dire need of protection, which appeared in news outlet ETV Bharat on November 16, 2024.