Assam bears huge agricultural loss from floods
According to the state agriculture minister, the three waves of floods this year have inundated 3.82 lakh hectares of agricultural land and destroyed crops in 2.79 lakh hectares of farmland. Following the loss, the state has prepared a plan to distribute winter paddy under the Natural Calamity and Epidemic Scheme to the flood-affected farmers. The state is also readying a plan under MGNREGA to ensure removal of siltation from farmlands. To aid flood-hit Assam, the Jharkhand government has donated Rs five crore to Assam Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Agriculture ministry comes up with seven-point strategy to double farmers' income
A seven-point strategy to double farmers’ income in the country has been developed by the agriculture ministry. The strategy includes improving irrigation efficiency, reducing input cost thereby increasing production, increasing investment in warehouses and food processing, and introducing reforms in agriculture marketing. The plan will also address concerns of farmers on crop loss and give a push to allied activities such as horticulture, dairying, fisheries, poultry and beekeeping.
SAUNI Link-4 worth Rs 700 crore has been launched
The Gujarat government has laid stone for the Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojna Link-4 Package-6 costing Rs 700 crore near Visavadar in the Junagadh district. The link will fill up nine dams with Narmada waters which is expected to help the Saurashtra region. The SAUNI project envisages filling up 115 dams with Narmada waters to enable Saurashtra farmers to take three crops a year.
CGWB and IISc Bengaluru join hands to develop groundwater flow model
The Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru for the development of groundwater flow models and preparation of aquifer management plans for parts of Karnataka. The model will render a better understanding of existing groundwater scenarios, predicting response of groundwater system to various stress conditions and developing effective management plans. The study that will cover an area of 48000 sq kms in the state has to be completed within a year and IISc will be presenting its inception report.
MGNREGA pays less to women: Panel
According to the panel report of the Ministry of Rural Development, women employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme across the country, get only 78 percent of the minimum wages paid to men. This has been revealed after the panel has recently recommended that there was no need to bring MGNREGA wages on a par with minimum wages. Also, it has been observed that West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Assam had done better but the ratio of women to men wages is only marginally higher than the national average.
This is a roundup of important news from September 6 - 11, 2017. Also, read the policy matters this week.