Kattappana grama panchayat president Johny Kulampilly has said that solid waste treatment has been given prime importance in the current budget that was passed on Saturday. He said waste accumulation was a major issue in the town and the focus was to treat the waste generated at the source itself.

Household waste generate problems in the panchayat and waste that is dumped by the business shops and slaughter houses are polluting the main river which is the prime source for drinking water in the town and adjoining areas.

The budget of Alappuzha Municipality for 2013-14, presented by vice-chairman B. Ansari on Tuesday failed to address the region’s pressing drinking water problem.

The state has taken the lead by setting up a toll-free rural helpline for redressing complaints.

Leading economists who fear that the cost of the food security law on the exchequer would be much higher than estimated by the government have a seemingly unlikely ally — farmers’ groups.

A couple of national-level farmers’ organisations have opposed the National Food Security Bill, saying it would “lead to nationalisation of agriculture by making the government the biggest buyer, hoarder and seller of foodgrains”.

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.

Work on underpasses to create long-term assets

The UPA government's flagship social sector programme — the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) — will now be able to create permanent infrastructure assets, giving the seven-year-old scheme providing livelihood to almost 5 crore families annually an altogether new direction. The rural development ministry has decided to include building railway underpasses under the ambit of NREGS. An official announcement is expected shortly.

The budget signals a decisive shift to high-value agriculture with allocations for crop diversification in the Indo-Gangetic belt, nutri-farms for growing fortified food crops, Farmer Producer Orga