Junior Digest

New Delhi, Apr 12 ,2016 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making efforts to resolve the water crisis in drought-hit Latur and sought his help to send water to the parched district in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region.Kejriwal in a letter to the Prime Minister said the people of Delhi are ready to send 10 lakh litres of water per day to Latur for the next two months and demanded that the Centre make arrangements for transportation.

“Latur is going through an acute water crisis. The central government has decided to send water to Latur by train. This is an admirable step.

“It will be shameful for the entire country if anyone dies due to water crisis in India in the 21st century. It is the responsibility of the entire country to help the people of Latur,” he said.

“Delhi also faces water shortages. But considering the sinister situation in Latur, it is our responsibility to help people there.

“If you find it appropriate, you may appeal the chief ministers of other states in this regard. I am sure they will also extend a helping hand,” Kejriwal said.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi: Cultivable land in the country has marginally declined but the trend of increasing agricultural production is still expected to continue, the government today said.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said that cultivable land in the country has marginally declined from 182.7 million hectares in 2005-06 to 182 million in 2012-13.
The decline in agricultural land has been mainly due to diversion for non-agricultural purposes such as urbanisation, roads, industries and housing, he said.

The Minister mentioned various government initiatives like those on irrigation and soil health and said that as result, agricultural production in the country has been showing an increasing trend except in years affected by floods, droughts and other natural calamities.

“Despite marginal reduction in cultivable land the above trend is expected to continue in future,” Singh.

One of the members wanted to know that if agricultural production was showing an increasing trend, what were the reasons of distress among farmers as there have been a number of cases of suicides.

Singh replied that one of the reasons is that cost of production is more while the produce may not fetch a good price.

@Agency report.

BEIJING: Notwithstanding bumper harvests, China had a massive shortfall of upto 25 million tonnes in the amount of grain it produced and consumed in 2015, prompting record imports, a Chinese official said today.

China faces a problem as people’s appetites grow, Chen Xiwen, director of the office of the central agricultural work leading team, said during an agricultural forum.

China’s total grain output increased 2.4 per cent year on year to 621 million tonnes in 2015, the 12th straight year of growth.

Still, authorities have had to look abroad to close the gap, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Food imports reached a record 120 million tonnes last year, with soybean accounting for over 70 per cent of the total.

Policymakers renewed their commitment to safeguarding food security during a top-level rural work conference at the end of 2015.

The government will secure supply of staples, protect farmland and maintain production capacity, they said.

@Agency report.

 

NEW DELHI: With the water table dropping substantially in some parts of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the government is constructing five lakh ‘farming pools’ even as he urged people to resort to water conservation methods like creating small reservoirs.
In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he also asked the farming community to use less fertilizers and more modern technology, like the Farmers’ App, for their benefit.

Referring to the agriculture sector, he said water table is falling in parts of the country and said small reservoirs should be created to conserve the essential commodity.

He said the government, on its part, is constructing five lakh ‘khet talab’ ( farming pools) across the country.

Under MNREGA also, efforts are being made to conserve water, he said, as he pitched for a people’s movement for saving water.

The Prime Minister’s emphasis on building reservoirs comes against the backdrop of a substantial drop in the ground water table in parts of the country.

In western Maharashtra, the crisis has deepened and it recently triggered a law and order problem.
According to the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), the water table level has dropped to 1 metre in about 540 villages across 13 talukas in Pune district.

@Agency report.

Jhalawar ( Rajasthan) : Possessing barely 1.6 per cent of water resources of the country, the desert state of Rajasthan has launched a ‘people’s movement’ to recharge its scarce natural resource through the ambitious Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan.

MJSA, started by the Rajasthan government, aims at making every village self-reliant in water and increasing productivity of the land. More than 3,000 villages will be covered under the campaign in four years in different phases.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who kicked off the first phase of the campaign from her constituency Jhalawar, noted that many stakeholders like private individuals, NGOs, corporates, social, religious and even caste organisations have been roped in for the initiative.

“Water scarcity is one issue that is common among all strata of the society. That is why this campaign is a mass movement, wherein everybody feels connected to the issue. They are welcome to lend their support in kind, labour or money.

“For a state that receives very low amounts of rainfall and even the little rain that does fall is concentrated in just 3-4 months every year, a campaign like this is the need of the hour. We have combined the traditional knowledge systems as well as the modern technology to devise a water conservation plan that will make our villages self-water reliant,” she told PTI.

The MJSA was envisioned after studying a similar pattern adopted by Maharashtra, where eight water scarce districts saw a turnaround after adopting this model. The first phase of the campaign estimated to cost Rs 3,568 crore will end on June 30.

@Agency news.

Mumbai : Former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar today demanded that the BJP-led government should provide a monthly “pension” of at least Rs 3,000 to the widows of farmers in the state.

“Provide farmers’ widows at least Rs 3,000 per month as pension,” the NCP MLA said, during a debate on drought under Rule 293.

He also sought waiving of loan and electricity dues of farmers.

The state government’s claim of getting Rs 3,049 crore as relief for farmers was misleading, NCP MLA and former finance minister Jayant Patil claimed, adding, “The state got just Rs 650 crore.”

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said farmers’ suicides have not declined despite the financial assistance announced by the government.

An all-party delegation should meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of total loan waiver for farmers, he said.

Describing the recent visit by Maharashtra ministers to drought-affected areas in Beed, Osmanabad and Latur districts as a “farce”, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said, “Decisions, which could have been taken in Mumbai were announced in Latur.

@Agency news.

New Delhi : The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (MGNREGA) completes ten years tomorrow.Narendra Modi govermment, which earlier appeared critical of the UPA’s flagship rural job scheme, today hailed the measure saying the achievements of a decade are a “cause of national pride and celebration”.

In a statement, the government also claimed that the last financial year saw a “revival” of the programme and announced that the focus in upcoming years will be towards simplifying and strengthening the procedures of the scheme and towards building sustainable assets to benefit the poor.

Some announcements are also expected tomorrow when Finance Minister Arun Jaitely delivers a key note address at MGNREGA SAMMELAN-2016 here.

“The personday generation is the highest in the second quarter (45.88 crore) and third quarter (46.10 crore) than it has been in the last five years,” it said in a statement, adding that there will be a renewed focus on sustainable individual assets to benefit the poor and vulnerable households under the scheme in future.

Marking the completion of ten years of  UPA’s flagship rural job guarantee scheme, which was announced by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in February 2006, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will tomorrow visit Bandlapalli village of Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh from where the scheme had taken off.

The UPA government had then described it as “a landmark in our history in removing poverty from the face of the nation”.

Narendra Modi-led NDA government, which was initially critical of the scheme, has continued with the progreamme .
In a statement, the Rural Development Ministry today said that the achievements of MGNREGA of a decade are a cause of national pride and celebration.

It noted that since the start of the programme, the expenditure on the programme has amounted to over Rs 3,13,844. 55 crore of which 71 per cent has been spent on wage payments to workers.

“Of the workers, the percentage of Scheduled Caste workers has consistently been about 20 per cent and Scheduled Tribe workers has been about 17 per cent,” it said adding that a total of over 1,980 crore persondays have been generated so far out of which the percentage worked by women has steadily increased much above the statutory minimum of 33 per cent.

“Sustainable assets have been created linked to conservation of natural resources and overall development of Gram Panchayats. More than 65 per cent of the works taken up under the programme are linked to agriculture and allied activities,” it said.

@ Agency report.

Aamir Khan is likely to be associated with the Maharashtra government’s ‘Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan’.It is Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ flagship scheme, to make Maharashtra a drought-free State by 2019. The programme aims to make 5,000 villages free of water scarcity every year. Mr. Fadnavis is likely to make an announcement in the regard along with the actor on Wednesday.

Mr. Khan, who has been at the centre of a controversy over his comments on intolerance, is lately seen working closely with the Bharatiya Janta Party leadership in Maharashtra. Last Saturday, he attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Make in India Week at the National Sports Club of India, while on Sunday he was getting ready to recite a Marathi poem composed by the 13th century saint Dnyaneshwar at the Maharashtra Night event at Girgaum Chowpatty before fire engulfed the stage and the programme had to be halted.

Refusing to divulge further details on the latest initiative, the actor told The Hindu: “It is something I have been working on for a year now.” Mr. Fadnavis told The Hindu that the actor’s role will be specifically restricted to the Jal Yukt Shivar for the time being. Senior officials said the actor would be asked to promote use of micro-irrigation system for efficient use of water, thereby increasing the irrigated area in the drought-prone regions. The government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the scheme.

The aim, officials said, is to arrest the alarming number of farmer suicides in Vidarbha and Marathwada. In the January-October 2015 period, 2,590 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra, the highest since 2001.

@Based on The Hindu report.

  NEW DELHI : At the time when many states do not appear to be keen on allowing field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops, eminent agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan has come out with a solution, suggesting that the country’s premier research institution – Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – should organize an “All India Coordinated Project” for the field testing of genetically engineered crops in the farms of Agriculture Universities as it will provide a uniformed method of assessment.

Making a point that the country would not be able to assess the benefits and risks (of GM crops) in a reliable manner unless field testing is permitted, he has also suggested that the government should establish a national bio-safety regulatory authority to look after the entire issue of bio-safety and encourage research in public institutions in the field of molecular biology and genetic engineering.

Referring to a question on permitting scientists to undertake field trials in GM varieties and crops, Swaminathan – father of India’s green revolution – told to a news paper that the question of permitting scientists to undertake field trials with GM varieties and crops has been a matter of controversy, although field trials are absolutely essential to assess risks and benefits.

“The Maharashtra government has now given permission to seed firms to begin field trials with GM varieties of rice, corn, chickpea and cotton. Probably other states may also take similar action. In this context, the proposal I made 10 years ago that ICAR should organize an All India Coordinated Project for the field testing of GM crop in the farms of Agriculture Universities with appropriate precautions is worthy of implementation. This will provide a uniform method of assessment in farm university-controlled land fields” he said .

He suggested that the project coordinators of this coordinated project should be a bio-safety expert, so that the field trials can be assessed from the point of view of bio-safety in addition to agricultural utility.

New Delhi, Apr 12, 2016 : Supreme Court today castigated the government for delay in releasing funds for MGNREGA to drought-hit states saying this was “totally unacceptable”, as it also questioned its role in declaring drought in states.

“The money should be released in advance so that the (MGNREGA) work does not get hampered. Nobody is here to criticise the government. The only point being made is delay in payments, which is undeniable and totally unacceptable,” a bench headed by Justice M B Lokur said.

The apex court directed the Centre to submit a detailed chart of 10 drought-hit states and specify the number of people and districts including villages affected by it.

It also asked the Centre to provide details with regard to notification on declaration of drought and sought budgetary allocations of National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Fund.

Initiating arguments on behalf of Centre, Additional Solicitor General P S Narsimha said the power to declare drought was completely vested with the states and the Centre has no role other than providing funds and placing a monitoring system.

“If there is a situation, the statute speaks who will decide or take a call. All powers are vested in the state. Centre has only advisory role. The Ministry of Agriculture can only issue guidelines and broad parameters to be followed.

“The power to declare drought is completely vested with the states. Centre has no role other than providing funds if required and placing a monitoring system. Once drought is declared, incidental steps like providing money and relief work follow. Your lordship can very well pass an order if it feels a state should have declared drought,” he said.

The bench then asked, “in case the drought situation in a state is very poor and the facts are stark, you are saying that the SC can pass an order. So what is the Centre supposed to do if there is a grave problem and the affected state is not declaring?”

The ASG replied that in a federal structure where there is a democratically-elected government in power, declaration of drought fell completely under states’ responsibility and maximum contemplation for the Centre which the Constitution lays down is guidelines and advisory.
The bench, also comprising Justice N V Ramana, further said, “so it is between the state goverment and the courts. Centre has nothing to do with it?”

ASG said that under the statute, it is the sovereign power of the state and if there is a drought situation, the statute speaks who will decide or take a call.

During the hearing, the ASG said the government was looking at revising the crop compensation paid to farmers for the coming year and has constituted a committee on it.
Opposing the appointment of an independent commissioner to look after implementation of guidelines on drought, the ASG said there was already a statutory regime in place.

“What will a court commissioner do? If any right is violated, the individual may approach the court. There are many Prashant Bhushans in this country.

“There is some authority to ensure compliance at every stage. We can put the burden on officers. We can’t make the statute redundant. Why create a parallel institution and law enforcing agency. We are bound to comply with all the directions passed by this court,” the ASG said.

To this, the bench said “at least the commissioner can bring it to our notice. You can’t expect persons affected by drought to come to us and tell that we have not been paid. Why can’t you yourself appoint observers who can inform you.”

The ASG said “if that process were to be followed then every statute will need a commissioner. My lords can issue a mandamus.”

An irked bench then shot back, “when we pass directions, you say we are encroaching. We say something, you have a problem. You are assuming that we are here to ensure every right given by the Constitution. Will you release MGNREGA funds if we ask you to do it tomorrow?”

The ASG told the court that the entire government was working on the issue and to say the Centre was not doing anything is not correct.

Seeking the appointment of court commissioner, advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for petitioner NGO Swaraj Abhiyan said a large section of population is affected by drought and an independent commissioner should be appointed to look after the implementation of guidelines.The hearing remained inconclusive and would continue on April 19.

On the last date of hearing, the apex court had pulled up Gujarat and Haryana for their non-seriousness in dealing with the issue of drought.

On March 31, the apex court had asked the Centre to say how many states had drought management cells and why no district-level disaster management authorities were set up.

It had suggested that the Centre, with the help of satellite data, should analyse the expected rainfall in the monsoon season and take effective steps to tackle drought-like situations on time.

The bench is examining various aspects of relief given to drought-hit farmers during the hearing of a PIL filed by NGO Swaraj Abhiyan seeking urgent implementation of guidelines for areas hit by natural calamity.

Earlier, the court had expressed its concern over low compensation paid to calamity-hit farmers and observed that it was leading some of them to commit suicide.

The NGO, in its revised prayer, has sought a direction to Centre to abide by the provisions of MNREGA Act and use it for employment generation in drought-affected areas.

The PIL filed by the NGO has alleged that parts of 12 states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chattisgarh were hit by drought and the authorities were not providing adequate relief.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi, Apr 12 ,2016 : There will be “above normal” monsoon this year, the Met office predicted today, easing fears over farm and economic growth after two consecutive years of drought.

Releasing its monsoon forecast for the season, IMD Director General Laxman Singh Rathore said, “Monsoon will be 106 percent of the long period average (LPA). There is 94 percent probability that monsoon will be normal to excess this year. By and large, there will be fair distribution of monsoon across the country. But North-East India and South-East India, particularly Tamil Nadu, may get slightly less than normal rainfall.”

Drought-hit Marathwada is also likely to receive “good” rainfall, Rathore added.

Anything less than 90 per cent of the LPA is termed as a “deficient” monsoon and 90-96 per cent of the LPA is considered as “below normal”. Monsoon is considered as “normal” if the LPA is between 96-104 per cent of the LPA.

“Above normal” monsoon is between 104-110 per cent of the LPA and anything beyond 110 per cent of the LPA is considered as “excess”.

Agriculture, which contributes 15 per cent to India’s GDP and employs about 60 per cent of the country’s population, is heavily dependent on the monsoon as only 40 per cent of the cultivable area is under irrigation.

Due to poor monsoon in 2015-16 crop year (July-June), 10 states have declared drought and the Centre has sanctioned relief package of about Rs 10,000 crore to help farmers.

@Agency report.

MILMA, the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., is set to join hands with the Netherlands to produce nutritious, high-quality ’organic milk’ without using synthetic feed or antibiotics while rearing the cattle.

As many as five milk societies in Mullankolli, in high range Wayanad, have been identified for implementing the ambitious project, which will begin soon after getting the final clearance from the Dutch government.

Organic milk will be produced by rearing cattle in a thoroughly natural environment, without giving them any synthetic feed or antibiotics.

K. T. Thomas, Managing Director of MILMA in Malabar region, which manages dairy co-operative societies in six northern districts of the state, said an MoU is expected to be signed in this regard soon.

“We are planning to implement organic milk project with the support of the Netherlands government,” he told PTI.

“For this, we have joined hands with Solidaridad, a state-recognised NGO in Netherlands and Transdisciplinary University in Bengaluru which focuses on the promotion of traditional food, culture and treatment systems,” he said.

Aluva-based Indocert has been identified as the agency to certify the organic milk, Mr. Thomas said, adding that a group of local women have already been given training in ethnic veterinary treatment to take care of cattle under the project.

“A group of selected dairy farmers of Mullankolli will be entrusted with the production of organic milk. They will be given strict directions for rearing cattle. We have to change all the current agriculture and dairy practises to produce the real organic milk,” he said.

The cattle would be given only natural grass and fodder and all the other synthetic and artificial cattle feed would be avoided.

Pesticide and insecticide-sprayed grass and antibiotics would also be completely avoided.

Even if the cattle would be give antibiotic, 15-20 days would be considered as a withdrawal period and milk would not be taken from it during that time.

A group of experts from Transdisciplinary University visited the state recently to monitor the ethnic veterinary treatment training given to selected women as part of the project.

A meeting of these women and university representatives would be held in Kozhikode on March 21 to share their experiences in this regard.

Though MILMA is yet to fix the price of the proposed product, it will be slightly expensive compared to its other products, Mr. Thomas said.

“For MILMA, the organic milk project is not just for profit making. We are planning it under our corporate social responsibility programme. It is part of our objective to provide safe milk to the society,” he said.

The official, however, admits that there are limitations for the mass production of organic milk in the initial phase.

In view of increasing instances of pesticide residues in vegetables, especially those arriving from neighbouring states, Kerala recently had launched a massive drive to produce organic vegetables with the support of government, neighbouring societies and NGOs.

@Agency report.