‘हर बीज एक राजनीतिक बयान देता है’

March 10, 2015
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Agriculture
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By: 
GOI Monitor Desk
बहुत सी परंपरागत फसलें बीमारी से निजात पाने में मददगार होती हैं, जिन्हें प्रतिकूल परिस्थितियों में उगाया जा सकता है।

आलू जो कि बेल पर उगता है,  चावल को पानी में भिगोने के बाद कच्चा खाया जा सकता है, दलिया (फटा गेंहू) प्राकृतिक रूप से मीठा होता है। यह सब सुनने में भले ही अटपटा लगे। लेकिन हमारे किसान सदियों से यह सब उगाते आ रहे हैं। इनके अलावा, ऐसी बहुत सी फसलें हैं जो कि खासतौर पर बीमारी से निजात पाने में मदद करती हैं और जिन्हें प्रतिकूल परिस्थितियों में उगाया जा सकता है। लाल चावल के बारे में आप क्या कहेंगे जिसे इसकी पौष्टिकता के चलते खासतौर पर गर्भवती महिलाओं के लिए पकाया जाता है? या धान जिसे सुंदरबन के खारे पानी में उगाया जा सकता है?


'Chennai is not water-starved any more'

June 10, 2016
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Environment
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By: 
P V Durga
Dr Raghavan at the Rain Centre.

It's not without reason that the Third World War is predicted to be triggered by water scarcity. The numbers themselves give us enough reason to be worried- by 2025, 60 per cent of India is expected to be living in towns and cities. Bore wells are getting deeper, urban areas brimming with population, and some already suffer from water shortage. However, success stories of humble organisations like the Rain Centre in Chennai let the results speak for themselves, and keep hope alive. Chennai owes the success of its rainwater harvesting to Dr. Raghavan, and the work done through his Rain Center. 




'Uniqueness value of forest is irreplaceable'

October 2, 2019
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Environment
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By: 
GOI Monitor Desk
Valuation of ecosystem is gaining ground.

A recent study by IIFM found that 10 select tiger reserves of the country provide economic benefits worth Rs 5.96 trillion. Globally, efforts are being made to assess the benefits of conservation on economy and various methods and formulas have been devised to evaluate these aspects. Critics, however, believe that ecosystem valuation can lead to commodification of nature and its sale to the highest bidder. We talk to Dr Madhu Verma, lead researcher of IIFM study and an expert in field of ecosystem valuation.


'We need to get out of the Bt trap'

April 24, 2013
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Agriculture
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By: 
GOI Monitor Desk
'We shouldn't take failure of Bt Cotton lightly' Source: 'Cotton for my shroud'

Born to the families of teachers, Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl always wanted to 'change the world'. Moving from English literature to mainstream journalism to independent film making, the husband-wife duo has developed a valued understanding of India's development model and how it fails us. Their film, 'Cotton For My Shroud', which focussed on suicides by cotton farmers in Vidarbha, got recognition at the 59th National Film Awards. Here they talk about their motivations, urban-rural divide, GM food and why we need to question the constructs foisted on us.


'जी.एम. सरसों से छिन जाएगी हमारी आजादी'

June 8, 2017
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Agriculture
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By: 
GOI Monitor Desk
भारत में 65 से अधिक विभिन्न प्रकार के सरसों हैं. चित्र: CCAFS/Flickr.

पर्यावरण मंत्रालय जल्द ही जी. एम. सरसों को मंज़ूरी दे सकता है। मंत्रालय की जेनेटिक इंजीनियरिंग स्वीकृति समिति ने 11 मई 2017 को दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय द्वारा विकसित जी. एम. सरसों के बीज, डी. एम. एच. 11, के व्यावसायिक उपयोग की सिफारिश की थी। यदि पर्यावरण मंत्रालय इसे स्वकृति देता है तो डी. एम. एच. 11 भारत की पहली जेनेटिकली मॉडिफाइड (जी. एम) खाद्य फसल बन जाएगी। आलोचकों  का सबसे बड़ा आरोप है कि परीक्षणों से संबंधित वैज्ञानिक डेटा को अभी तक गुप्त रखा गया है। जी. एम. सरसों से जुड़े बायोसेफ्टी परिणामों को जनता के बीच लाना चाहिए। सरसों सत्याग्रह के प्रोफेसर राजिंदर चौधरी बताते हैं कि इस निर्णय के खिलाफ लड़ना महत्वपूर्ण क्यों है। 


'हमने पानी का स्वभाव ही बदल दिया'

January 25, 2016
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Environment
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By: 
Vandana Gupta
वाराणसी में गंगा नदी. स्त्रोत: इंडिया वाटर पोर्टल

नदी का विज्ञानं क्या है और बढ़ते जल प्रदूषण , बाढ़ और सूखे के संदर्भ में यह कहाँ बैठता है? बता रहें हैं प्रसिद्ध पर्यावरणविद् और लेखक अनुपम मिश्र। यह व्यख्यान उन्होंने 28 नवंबर, 2015 को नई दिल्ली में जल नीति विशेषज्ञ स्व: रामास्वामी आर अय्यर की स्मृति में दिया । ‘सबको पानी’ के नारों से ले कर बड़ी वाटर वर्क्स की योजनाओं तक, अनुपम जी पानी से जुड़े सभी सामाजिक और राजनीतिक आयामों को छूते हुए नदी के अविरल स्वभाव को चित्रित करते हैं 


12% Indian land prone to landslides as climate change increases the risks

October 18, 2020
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Environment
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By: 
Manu Moudgil
Landslide during Uttarakhand disaster 2013. Diariocritico de Venezuela/Flickr

Besides heavy rainfall, human activities such as construction of roads, buildings and railways, mining and quarrying, and hydropower projects damage hilly slopes and impact natural drainage by removing soil and vegetation, loosening soil and gravel and making the hills more susceptible to landslides. In India, 420,000 sq km, or 12.6% of the total land, is landslide prone. Last year, 264 people died in landslides and over 65% of these fatalities happened in the Himalayas and the Western Ghats


A Generation in Peril. How Climate Crisis is Impacting Childhood

January 11, 2021
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Environment - Governance - Grassroots
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By: 
Satyaki Baidya

The impact of climate crisis on people across the world is highly disproportionate but no other group is as vulnerable as children in low income families of developing countries. Children are not emotionally and physically capable of understanding the dangers during extreme weather events and are dependent on adults for their survival. They are more susceptible to water and vector borne diseases, malnutrition and they are forced into labour due to economic challenges induced by climate crisis. 


A Rosetta Stone to environmental law

October 28, 2016
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Environment - Law
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By: 
GOI Monitor Desk
Diversion of forest land is one of the biggest concerns for villagers dependent on forests.

This document is a valuable resource that comprises important legal changes and events of last three years with reference to previous laws. Written by well known practitioner Kanchi Kohli, the e-book lists down steps that can be taken to secure people’s rights over land, forests, water and biodiversity. And all this is explained through instances where common men and women explore the nitty gritties of environmental laws. So, we have Sarita tai worried about construction of railway line through a forest and Kavita who is intrigued by a company official asking for her village land to do compensatory afforestation for a distant project 


A decade on, India’s first solar park has many promises left to fulfil

March 19, 2022
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Environment - Grassroots
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By: 
Ravleen Kaur

10 years after the project came up, the villagers of Charanka, the project site, are still waiting for clean drinking water, free electricity, and irrigation. Against the promise of 1,000 permanent jobs, only 60 people in the village have been employed as security guards, grass cutters and for washing panels, with no scope for jobs for women, making families who did not have land or sons the worst victims of the solar park.


A roadmap for next government on farm crisis

May 9, 2019
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Agriculture
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By: 
GOI Monitor Desk
Can direct income support help farmers?

BJP-led goverment came up with PM-Kisan scheme to provide Rs 6,000 annual income support to small farmers while Congress party is promising Rs 72,000 for poor families through NYAY scheme. How will these help deal with consistent farm crisis and where will the money come from? How the new government can deal with indebtedness of farmers, loan waivers. Is there a way to implement market reforms that will ensure that farmers get the minimum support price for their crops? Food and trade policy expert Devinder Sharma talks in details about these aspects, chalking out a roadmap for the next government.


Agriculture in post-Covid economy has to be sustainable

August 11, 2020
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Agriculture
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By: 
Manu Moudgil
Women are mostly invisible farmers. Image: CCAFS/Flickr

As the world debates about the post-Covid economic model, farming is regaining its status as the most viable, decentralised livelihood generator. Right policies can ensure that it not only revives the economy but also acts as a carbon sink and neutralises pollution. As the biggest nature-based occupation that gives a bounty with little investment, agriculture also has the capacity to employ a large number of people. It can revive the village economy with greater possibility of equitable development


An intimate account of Indian farmland

November 1, 2021
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Agriculture
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By: 
Manu Moudgil

Hardikar uses his two-decade experience of reporting on rural affairs to connect the everyday life of Ramrao to policy decisions, workings of market economy and climate crisis. Every year, an insidious new factor is added to the list of old reasons compounding the problem of the peasantry. Liberalisation, loan waivers, unchecked sale of spurious agro chemicals, demonetisation, pest attacks, all leave a mark on Ramrao who is also battling personal losses.


Anupam Mishra: The Gandhian I know

December 27, 2016
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Environment
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By: 
Manu Moudgil
Image Source: TED talks

Going by his fame, I had imagined somebody with people running around him, at least a couple of computers on display and cell phones caroling frequently. But here was a man working without a cellphone or a computer, surrounded by letters people wrote to him. A couple of wooden almirahs adorned with old postcards and images of famous personalities from Gandhi ji to Sunita Narain, stood in his room. Gandhi Marg, the bi-monthly periodical Anupam ji brought out, was another extension of his personality. It does exceptionally well to make Gandhian philosophy relevant for today’s world. 



Birds across India are going down, thanks to cities

April 12, 2020
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Environment
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By: 
Shreeti Shubham
Peacock is one bird species which is increasing. Source: Shiv's fotografia/Wikimedia Commons

Birds are declining significantly with 52 percent of species showing clear declines over the past decades, said a new report State of India’s birds 2020. The report analysed 867 bird species from over 10 million observations collected by over 15,500 birdwatchers across the country. It also identified 101 species with high conservation needs. The take-home message is that urbanisation is the biggest culprit behind avian decline. Most of our common birds like house sparrows and bulbuls are declining