The Union agriculture ministry has asked the state government to submit a proposal to create more water storages infrastructure by investing Rs 60,000 crore over within the next three years.

Morale-booster to drought-hit farmers in Anantapur district.

Focus was on Maharashtra as the State has been reeling under drought

With Maharashtra being mauled by a drought worse than the one it faced in 1972, the Indian chapter of the Global Legislators’ Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) met State legislators and parliamentarians here to increase awareness of the impact of climate change at the State and district levels. In a discussion hosted by the British High Commission in support of projects involving GLOBE and the Climate Parliament, Rajya Sabha member Vandana Chavan said the current drought was a grim pointer that ought to put climate change high on the agenda of top legislators representing Maharashtra.

Lion’s share of credit earmarked for agriculture, allied activities in PLP

Even as the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has earmarked a lion’s share of credit for agriculture and allied activities in its Potential Linked Credit Plan (PLP) for Ariyalur district, one of the most backward districts in the State, it has suggested a number of steps to boost agriculture there.

Its 2,200-strong populace is gambling on monsoon this year, spending every last paisa on water

As Marathwada’s groundwater table plummets to 500 ft, farmers here, as in other districts, are freely violating the law in a frantic bid to strike water. Mahadeo Mule has invested Rs. 1 lakh during the past five months to save his crops and livestock, drilling at five different points on his land, despite already having a borewell. He has also spent close to Rs. 35,000 on water from private tankers.

Andhra Pradesh objects to Karnataka constructing the Paragodu barrage on a tributary of the Krishna river, but Karnataka denies violating any inter-State water-sharing agreement.

Environment, in the Indian context, is closely linked to economic and sustainable development, a fact borne out by the winners in the environment category of the Times of India Social Impact Awards 2012.

A company that lights up poor homes with solar energy, an agricultural university that helps farmers improve yields with new technologies, and two non-governmental organizations working with people to revive shared resources were the jury’s picks for the year.