India

Economic survey 2020-21: Some highlights
The economic survey recommends integration of agriculture with nutritional outcomes Posted on 30 Jan, 2021 11:20 AM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2020-21 in the Parliament on January 29, 2020 - the first day of the Budget session. The survey has analysed various topics from economic growth, fiscal stance, state of banking and more.

The Economic Survey 2021 pushes for urgent reforms in production and post production in agriculture (Image: PixaHive)
Remembrance meeting for Prof. Brij Gopal
India Rivers Forum, in association with Water Conflicts Forum and India Water Portal has organised a remembrance meeting for Prof. Brij Gopal at 4:30pm IST on 1st February 2021, the eve of World Wetlands Day.
Posted on 29 Jan, 2021 01:07 PM

As you may have heard, Prof. Brij Gopal passed away earlier this month, leaving behind a towering legacy both as an academic and as a human being. For many of us, it is also a huge absence from our lives, as friends, family, colleagues and students.

Budget 2021: Will agriculture sector get a boost?
Solutions are needed that will increase productivity while maintaining sustainability Posted on 28 Jan, 2021 10:15 AM

The agriculture sector is confronted with high price volatility, low returns, low productivity and weather risks.

The government could consider a shift from the price support system to an income support system. PM-KISAN is a step in that direction, but the assistance under that is lacking. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Budget 2021: Cash transfer and urban employment guarantee can help blunt the economic blow
Expand Rs 500 per month cash transfer to poor non-farmer and urban households: Prof Santosh Mehrotra Posted on 26 Jan, 2021 11:03 AM

To revive India’s growth story and to cash in on our rapidly closing demographic dividend window, Prof Santosh Mehrotra, a human development economist suggests four essential proposals that must be included in the Budget 2021. This includes an increased expenditure in infrastructure, health sector and an urban employment guarantee programme.

There should be an increased expenditure in infrastructure to create jobs in the construction sector. (Image: PxHere)
Budget 2021: Policy measures in the nutrition sector
Nutrition interventions need to be strengthened to protect people already at the margin of subsistence. Posted on 25 Jan, 2021 11:34 AM

India's food security policy framework includes many proven nutrition interventions. In 2015, India committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero hunger.

Children eating their mid-day meal at a worksite school in Andhra Pradesh (Image: ILO Asia Pacific, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Natural resource management through a gender lens
Need to recognise women, the cogs in the feminisation of Indian agriculture Posted on 21 Jan, 2021 05:16 PM

Building upon decades of international diplomatic relations and scientific research, the United Nations adopted the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ in 2015.

In incorporating female participation, some programmes only added (futile) burden on these women without challenging the current division of labour. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Cereals drain India dry
A study on virtual water flows in interstate trade of cereals in India shows that cereals are rapidly draining the states that have the most critical levels of groundwater. Posted on 20 Jan, 2021 11:14 AM

Agricultural stagnation and inefficient irrigation systems

Agriculture continues to be an important sector for the Indian economy and for food security with more than half of the workforce being employed in agricultural activities. Greater use of improved crop varieties, irrigation and fertilisers have contributed to major improvements in crop yields in India.

Cereals and millets at a bazaar in Nizampet, Hyderabad (Image Source: Aditya Madhav, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Online event on World Wetland Day by Wetlands International South Asia
Wetlands International South Asia will be organising a virtual event to mark the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2021.
Posted on 18 Jan, 2021 03:22 PM
WWD 2021 Flyer

About World Wetland Day: 

India faced with the onslaught of rising temperature
Climate change induced disasters can cause disruption to human well being and the ecosystem. Posted on 18 Jan, 2021 11:14 AM

On January 4, 2021, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) released a report titled

2020 was one of the warmest years in India despite La Nina which typically has a cooling effect on global temperatures.(Image: Tumisu, Pixabay)
75% districts and half of India’s population vulnerable to extreme climate events: CEEW study
The study found a shift in the pattern of extreme events in over 40% of Indian districts. Posted on 17 Jan, 2021 06:08 PM

Over 75% of Indian districts, which are home to over 638 million people, are hotspots of extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, heat, and cold waves, according to a first-of-its-kind independent study released by the Council on Energy, Environme

India is already the fifth most vulnerable country globally in terms of extreme climate events and it is all set to become the world’s flood capital (Image: Geralt, Pixabay license)
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