JAIPUR: After identifying ten more districts with poor water quality in the state, the medical health and family welfare department has decided to conduct a survey to find out the health related problems people are facing due to the presence of fluoride in water.

Jaipur is one of the 10 districts where the department under the National Programme for Prevention & Control of Fluorosis (NPPCF) would conduct a door-to-door survey. Dungerpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Pali, Jalore, Dausa, Churu, Sikar and Bikaner are the other nine districts where the water quality has raised concerns.

JAIPUR: The " Rozi Roti Adhikar Yatra" (rally for right to food and employment) that was flagged off from Udaipur district on September 30, reached Jaipur on Saturday after traversing through six districts where it created awareness among people to fight for food security for all without distinction on economic criteria.

Several other rallies in the state to demand an effective national food security legislation started from different directions in the state (Barmer, Hanumangarh, Bikaner and Alwar) also reached Jaipur and culminated in a public assembly at Statue Circle.

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government's apathy towards upkeep and conservation of water bodies in the state continues as the draft plan for setting up of a Lake Development Authority is lying in cold storage.

The draft of the bill which was first prepared in 2009 is yet to be tabled before the cabinet. Despite a heavy rainfall, most of the lakes in the state are parched. To regulate and revive natural water bodies, especially lakes, the state government drafted a legislation which suggests instituting a monitoring body called Lake Development Authority.

JAIPUR: After mining denuding the topography ruthlessly, there is hope for the Aravalis and Vindhya ranges in the state as Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) undertakes restoration of ecological status through reforestation. The project would also increase green cover, improve water table and augment the economy of the villagers besides reducing dependence on the forests.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 284.33 crore for the first phase of the greening project. The total outlay is more than Rs 900 crore which will be distributed in three phases to the forest department.

JAIPUR: Climate change, the greatest global challenge, is already a reality for the farmers of Rajasthan. It is increasing the pressure on already scarce resources and if proper measures are not taken, migration towards the cities will soon reach new heights.

According to the Rajasthan State Action Plan on Climate Change (RAPCC) report by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board prepared with the help of a multi-disciplinary team of experts from TERI with support from GIZ says, 'enough is already known to start action'. And more than the factual situation the action plan that the report suggests is a writing on the wall for farmers.

Jaipur: The draft report of Rajasthan State Action Plan on Climate Change has brought out some alarming facts about the water situation in the state. According to the report, the state has the highest probability of drought occurrence in the country. It also falls within areas having greatest climate sensitivity, maximum vulnerability and lowest adaptive capacity.

According to the report, “high dependency on groundwater has resulted in its overexploitation, with nearly 80% of groundwater witnessing depletion. The quality of groundwater has also progressively deteriorated. The stage of groundwater exploitation which was 35% in 1984 has reached a level of 138% in 2008

Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company, has joined hands with Rajasthan Government to build a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Udaipur with an investment of Rs 170 crore.

Jaipur: It’s time Rajasthan moves out of dependence on rain to solve the perennial water crisis. If the government honestly takes up water-harvesting and conservation, backed by technology innovations, people may not face the crisis every summer.

Recently, two teams from the state have made it to the finals of annual Microsoft Imagine Cup competition, a premier international student technology competition. The India finals for the same would be held at

JAIPUR: Preliminary study by civil organisations has shown that the state's special project of free distribution of hybrid maize seeds to farmers in the hopes of a rich harvest might have gone awry. The seeds have provided less than promised yields and, in many cases, they have not germinated.

The state government through funds from the National Agriculture Development Programme and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) has been promoting hybrid maize seeds to the tribal farmers on a large scale since 2009.