-TheWire.in Science helped India feed itself. Now, there is a clear need for re-imagination for Indian agriculture to bring it in consonance with the ecological requirement of various regions. While we celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, there is one area of which we can justifiably be proud. Even though the green revolution has lately attracted lot of criticism for a variety of damages to soil, water and environment, there is no doubt...

-The Hindu How is ethanol extracted? What are the environmental concerns with respect to this process? The story so far: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India has achieved its target of blending 10% sugarcane-extracted ethanol in petrol, ahead of schedule. Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 76th Independence Day, he rooted for energy independence stating that, “we need to be Aatmanirbhar (self-sufficient) in our energy sector”. India is...

-The Hindu Business Line Growers’ body seeks ₹25, says they are unable to recover production costs Maharashtra farmers, led by the State Onion Growers’ Association, have threatened to stop bringing onion to the agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) yards from August 16, if they don’t get an average price of ₹25 per kg for their produce. Maharashtra State Onion Growers’ Association President Bharat Dighole said in a statement on Monday: “For the past...

Door-to-door and village-to-village surveys carried out by researchers of the Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana detected a total of 9,291 suicides that were committed by farmers in six districts of Punjab during the period from 2000 to 2018. Situated in the Malwa region of Punjab, which is known for cotton farming and the prevalence of cancer among its population, Sangrur (2,506) witnessed the highest number of...

-Newsclick.in As landslides plague Garhwal Himalayas, geologist YP Sundriyal says it confirms scientists’ fear that geologically weak areas will destabilise during monsoons. Leading geologist Prof YP Sundriyal teaches the subject at the Hemavati Bahuguna Garhwal University. In this interview with NewsClick, Sundriyal, who specialises in the Garhwal region of the Himalayan range, expresses concern about the rising frequency of landslides. He believes the government must set up a special fund to maintain...