Reminiscences from a visit to Alang about 10 years back

Smallholder agriculture has made an increasing use of subsidized mechanization and energy inputs to reduce short-term risks in semi-arid conditions in north west India. However, geographic patterns of production and scale of mechanization are straining resources and increasing the risk of serious degradation of natural resources. In this paper, the possibility of maximizing the revenue and energy returns in the agricultural sector at village level to fulfil the food, fuel and feed requirements of the village has been attempted.

The shipbreakers of Alang are an exasperated lot. "As it is we are crippled by excise duty and competition. Then these Greenpeace activists make business tough for us. Shipbreaking falls under 32 government departments. How are we supposed to operate,' says R K Jain, operator of a ship breaking plot and an ancillary steel rolling mill in Alang.

SCMC gives green signal to Danish ship

Groundwater plays a critical role in the agricultural economy of Gujarat state. The lack of surface water resources has put more pressure on groundwater to meet both agriculture as well as industrial and domestic sector demand. More than 90 per cent of the total irrigated area is covered through groundwater source in the region. The groundwater development in the region has taken place in an exponential manner. There is heavy overdraft, exceeding the annual rechargeable capacity in some areas.