Shivakumar Swami of Nandiveri Mutt at Kappatagudda Hills in Gadag district has criticized the state government for declaring only 17,000 hectares of total 33,000 hectares of Kappatagudda as reserve

Hubballi: The public hearing on Kappatagudda, organized by the district administration, received a huge response from students, farmers, seers, environmentalists, activists and social organizations

Sharnappa Mudgal, Joint Director of Agriculture, has underlined the need for farmers to revert to organic farming to protect the health of the soil, environment and also of people.

Six debt-burdened farmers, including a woman, committed suicide in the State in the past 24 hours.

As many as seven farmers committed suicide and one made an attempt to end his life in the State on Wednesday.

The government is planning to launch a State-wide campaign to highlight the need to protect and improve the groundwater level, Minor Irrigation Minister Shivaraj Thangadagi said on Thursday.

The acute water shortage and mid summer heat have made life miserable across the state.

According to a release here today, crops in seven districts had failed causing huge losses to cotton growers. Following this, affected farmers, who had sown Mahyco’s seeds, complained to the Department of Agriculture and a survey established that crops had failed owing to the substandard quality of seeds of the Maharashtra-based seed company.

The state, which has locked horns with Goa on sharing of Mahadayi water, is likely to file a petition before the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT), seeking interim relief.