Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Raise paddy buying target to 191 lakh MT: Punjab govtedit
The Times Of India – Online
The Punjab government on Saturday requested the central government to revise the paddy procurement target from170 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to 191 LMT during the kharif marketing season (KMS) 2021-22. The request was made during the visit of Union food secretary Sudhanshu Pandey to Punjab to review the procurement arrangements during the upcoming season. He was apprised that Punjab was expecting a bumper paddy crop due to favourable weather conditions at the time of maturation of crop. As per paddy production estimates of Punjab’s department of agriculture and farmers welfare, gathered through remote sensing, production of 191 LMT of paddy is expected during the KMS 2021-22.
Bharat Bandh: ‘Urge farmers to adopt the path of discussion’, says Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomaredit
Jagran – Online
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday (September 26) appealed to the farmers to stop protesting and engage in talks with the Center. He also said the Centre is ready to discuss the issues raised by the farmers. “I urge farmers to adopt the path of discussion by leaving the path of protests. Central govt is ready to discuss any issues raised by farmers,” said Tomar.
Agriculture officers readying detailed Rabi crop planedit
Deccan Chronicle – Online
Department of Agriculture in Kadapa is drawing up plans to make seeds available to farmers of the district treating Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK) as unit. All officials under a kendram are expected to contact farmers and make a detailed inquiry, so that a consolidated figure could be arrived at. Tentatively, it is expected that 9,000 quintals of Narayani variety and 11,000 quintals of K-6 variety of groundnut seeds, apart from 65,000 quintals of Bengal gram will be supplied to farmers at subsidised rates. Prices of seeds have not yet been finalised. It is also not known whether procurement of groundnut seeds will be through contractors or farmers. However, tenders will be called for making available ...
Dams and Indian Agriculture
Watch | ‘World War III Will Be a Water War,’ Says Rajendra Singhedit
The Wire – Online
On the occasion of World Rivers Day, Indra Shekhar Singh interviews the “waterman of India”, water conservationist and environmentalist Rajendra Singh. Singh won the Magsaysay Award in 2001 and Stockholm Water Prize in 2015. Singh takes on issues of water security, climate change and water wars. Commenting on the big dams on the Brahmaputra, the Chinese threat to Indian water, Singh predicts a future of eco-refugees and conditions that could lead to a world war. The interview ends with solutions and principles through which India and the world can save themselves from a climate and water disaster.
Govt. Policies
Importer-exporter code not updated after 2005 to be de-activated from Oct 6edit
ET Auto – Online
The Commerce Ministry has decided to deactivate all importer-exporter codes (IECs) that have not been updated after January 2005 with effect from October 6 this year, a move which would help in knowing the actual number of real traders in the country. The Importer -Exporter Code (IEC) is a key business identification number that is mandatory for exports or imports. No person shall make any import or export except under an IEC number granted by the DGFT. On August 8 this year, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) was mandated all IEC holders to ensure that details in their IEC are updated electronically every year during the April-June period.”All IECs which have not been ...
Stubble Burning
Punjab: Eight districts sensitive in the matter of stubble burning, the government will keep an eye on themedit
Amar Ujala – Online
Eight districts of Punjab have been found sensitive to stubble burning. More than 4000 cases of stubble burning have been found here as compared to last year. In order to reduce the incidents of stubble burning this season, the government is going to deploy 8500 nodal officers in sensitive districts, who will keep an eye on the marked area. Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Tarn Taran, Moga and Mansa have been identified as more affected districts. In these districts, more than 4000 incidents of setting paddy straw on fire have been reported as compared to the last season. During the last season, there were more than 25 incidents of stubble burning in each ...
IISc Bangalore students create low-cost substitute to single-use plasticedit
The Economic Times – Online
A group of students at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore have created a low-cost, environment-friendly alternative to single-use plastic. The team — under the supervision of professors Suryasarathi Bose and Kaushik Chatterjee from the Department of Materials Engineering — has filed a patent for the invention. This was created under IPTel, the intellectual property and technology licensing unit of IISc Bangalore and it took the team a year to create the polymer. “We designed substitutes of plastic using agricultural stubble that could abate the air pollution crisis of North India resulting from stubble burning in neighbouring states,” said Indranil Chakraborty, ...