News and Articles

Accelerating agricultural development for inclusive growth: Strategic issues and policy options

Like most other developing countries, India has predominantly been an agrarian economy, with agriculture sector contributing the largest share to gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. The introduction of high yielding varieties (HYV) technology in mid- 1960s yielded spectacular results in foodgrains production. However, growth in productivity is slowing down in many states while the scope for expanding the area under cultivation as well as irrigation is limited. Therefore, the real challenges for agricultural sector in future would be to feed the ever growing population and to protect long-term sustainable productive capacity of natural resources like land and water.

Vijay Paul Sharma

Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:30 PM

Article Courtesy : Vikalpa, Volume 37, No 1, January-March 2012

Author: Vijay Paul Sharma

Microfinance institutions get away with farmer suicide abetment charges: Police close a third of the cases in Andhra Pradesh

In 2010, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a series of suicides. These were not cases of farmers' suicides—a regular occurrence in the state which continues to be in the grip of an agrarian crisis. The victims in these cases happened to be the poorest of the poor; most of them illiterate dalits and adivasis. The first information reports (FIRs) of the police reveal that most of the suicides were due to coercive loan recovery tactics adopted by the mighty microfinance institutions (MFIs), that had given these people a few thousands of rupees as loans. Ironically, 2010 happened to be a year in which the micro finance industry registered a spectacular growth. This article by M Suchitra in Down to Earth deals with the issue.

M Suchitra

Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 12:43 PM

Article Courtesy : Down to Earth

Author : M Suchitra

Sikkim’s organic farming to feature in Satyamev Jayate, Aamir Khan’s first television project on DD1

Aamir Khan’s first television project Satyamev Jayate will have one full episode on organic farming in Sikkim. Sikkim is on its way to become totally organic and out of the cultivable land of 58,168 hectares, about 8,168 hectares had already been certified as organic by accredited institutions.

iSikkim

Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 11:36 AM

Article and Image Courtesy : iSikkim

Deep multi-aquifer tube wells are responsible for groundwater depletion & global warming: It is curable

There is a correlation between groundwater depletion and global warming. Un-pumped lost groundwater is still not estimated in the study of groundwater depletion.
The correct root cause of global warming should be : due to uncontrolled deeper muli-aquifer tube wells, impermeable rock layers got damaged by billions of hole in Ground, consequently there is an Intra-Bore Well Flow of groundwater between two Aquifers, resulting “Groundwater Depletion”, the water which we lost without pumping. After Depletion we have lack of Evaporation from Ground to have insufficient vapours in the atmosphere to abstract the Solar Radiation, which heats up the Ground, that is transferred in the atmosphere to melt the glaciers.

Yashwant Deora

Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 08:39 AM

Author : Yashwant Deora

Deeper multi-aquifer tube wells are responsible for groundwater depletion & global warming - “That is curable”

Citizens voice alarm over recent Supreme Court judgement on interlinking of rivers

Prominent experts, concerned citizens and neighboring countries have raised concerns over the recent Supreme Court judgement.

Amita Bhaduri

Posted on 25 Apr, 2012 10:39 AM

The Supreme Court of India has in its judgment of 27 February 2012 on the interlinking of rivers project, given categorical directions to the Executive Government to implement the ‘project’ as a whole in a time bound manner and has also asked the Centre to appoint a Special Committee to work out the modalities and oversee the implementation of the project.

Precious Kaveri water down the drain; wasted to wash vehicles: Letter to the Chairman, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board

I tried sending a suggestion to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to tackle the urgent crisis in Karnataka this hot summer but didn't get any reply. Water crisis is a serious issue. When people do not have water to irrigate their lands, to drink for themselves, it pains me in the heart to see people wasting water profusely to wash their vehicles which goes down the drain. Manjunath M P presents the letter he sent to the Chairman, BWSSB.

Manjunath M P

Posted on 23 Apr, 2012 12:47 PM

Dear Chairman BWSSB,

Critical review of the impacts, challenges, prospects and conflict management for vitally needed inter-linking of rivers in India

Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgment of 27th February 2012, directed union and concerned states governments, to implement ambitious interlinking of the rivers project (ILR) in a time bound manner and also asked Union Government to appoint a high-powered committee for planning and implementation of the project. Social tensions, political instability and street fights are already being experienced in India, on account of fast deteriorating situation of availability of qualitative water in adequate quantity.
This article presents a critical review of basic objectives, controversies, social & ecological impacts besides concrete suggestions to overcome the blockades in Inter-basin Transfer of Water (IBTW), now commonly known as Inter-linking of Rivers (ILR).

Er. Radhey Shyam Goel

Posted on 23 Apr, 2012 12:17 PM

Guest post by : Er. Radhey Shyam Goel

1. Introduction

Appointment of young professionals as Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellows - Some questions

There has been quite a bit of news and excitement about the Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellows recently appointed by selecting young professionals from top professionals institutions like IITs, IIMs, TISS and others. It is a welcome idea that large numbers of professionals have been attracted to be such Fellows. It is to be seen if they will deliver what is expected out of them, especially while working in the districts affected by left wing extremism. I wish them all success but the history of such ideas and experiments have failed globally and we should have deeper analysis of them, says Achyut Das of Agragamee, Orissa.

Achyut Das

Posted on 23 Apr, 2012 11:19 AM

The critics of the PMRDFS have already started asking questions as follows:

Depleting water resources in Thalassery, Kerala: Huge effort is required to address water supply and sewerage handling issues

By chance only I happened to see the IWP, and am very glad and impressed to see the efforts and dedication of the team involved, to help the nation to promote and achieve sustainable use of water. I wish I can also contribute to the portal in whatever way possible to serve this noble initiative, in order to be part spreading awareness and thereby ensuring excess to drinking water to our future generations.

Fazal Maliyakkal

Posted on 22 Apr, 2012 02:57 PM

Author : Fazal Maliyakkal

Interlinking of rivers project: A disquieting judgement - Ramaswamy Iyer's perspective in the EPW on the recent Supreme Court decision

The Supreme Court judgement of 27 February 2012 directed the executive government to implement the river inter-linking project through a special committee which will take precedence over all other administrative bodies. In this article, first published in the Economic and Political Weekly, Ramaswamy Iyer explains why this backing of a 'potentially disastrous' project is disturbing. The article then calls for a reconsideration of this judgement.

Ramaswamy Iyer

Posted on 20 Apr, 2012 10:52 PM

1. Introduction
Two writ petitions were filed in 2002 on the subject of interlinking. The judgement finally passed in 2012 directs the implementation of this project. This judgement is disturbing for the following reasons:

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