International water meet in Anand on innovative experiments to double farmers' incomes

By Our Representative
An International Conference on “Building Climate Resilience for Doubling Farmers’ Income” is being organized at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand from December 4 to 6 with the participation of about 250 scientists, experts, researchers, development professionals and policy makers from India and around the world.
The 9th International Water Management Institute (IWMI)-Tata Program Partners’ meet will see presentation of over 100 new pieces of research in 15 thematic sessions. The meet will include a field visit to Dhundi solar farmers’ co-operative, an innovative experiment implemented by the IWMI-Tata Program. The experiment was followed by NDDB and IWMI-Tata creating a similar co-operative at Mujkuva village near Anand.
“These models have inspired the Government of Gujarat’s Rs 900 crore Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) pilot scheme and Government of India’s Rs 45,000 crore KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan) scheme”, an IWMI communiqué said, adding, “Under both these schemes, tubewell owners will be offered solar panels to run irrigation pumps. Like in the IWMI-Tata pilots, they will have the option to sell surplus solar power to the grid.”
The Partners’ Meet will also discuss another solar irrigation field pilot IWMI-Tata has implemented in Chakhaji village of Samastipur, Bihar. Unlike western and peninsular India, Bihar has abundant groundwater but poor energy supply. IWMI-Tata has in all promoted 16 solar irrigation service providers that sell irrigation service to over 300 farmers at a highly affordable rate. IWMI-Tata researchers have argued that if promoted in this manner, solar pumps can transform farming in densely populated Ganga basin and help double farmer incomes.
A key thematic session at the meet will discuss the Government of India’s Namami Gange program. According to IWMI, “Researchers argue that Ganga cannot become clean unless its dry season flow is substantially augmented between Hardwar and Kanpur. IWMI-Tata will present evidence to show that this can be easily done by better management of irrigation in western Uttar Pradesh.”

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Mystery around Gujarat PSU 'transfer' of Rs 250 crore to Canadian firm Karnalyte

By AK Luke, IAS (Retd)*
While returning from a Board meeting of the Oil India Limited (OIL) in Ahmedabad some time in 2012, two officers of the Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GSFC), Nanavaty and Patel, saw me off at the airport. They said they were proceeding to Canada in connection with a project GSFC had entered into with a company there. As we were running late, I hastily wished them the best.

Savarkar in Ahmedabad 'declared' two-nation theory in 1937, Jinnah followed 3 years later

By Our Representative
One of the top freedom fighters whom BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi revere the most, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was also a great supporter of the two nation theory for India, one for Hindus another for Muslims, claims a new expose on the man who is also known to be the original proponent of the concept of Hindutva.

Indians have made 119 nations their ‘karma bhumi’: US-based Hindu NGO tells Rupani

Counterview Desk
In a stinging letter to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, the US-based Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), referring to the report citing his justification for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) – that “while Muslims can choose any one of the 150 Islamic countries in the world (for residence), India is the only country for Hindus" – has said, he should remember, Hindus have made several countries, including USA, their home.

J&K continues to be haunted, as parts of India 'degenerate' into quasi-Kashmir situation

By Rajendran Narayanan*, Sandeep Pandey**
“Jab har saans mein bandook dikhe toh baccha kaise bekhauf rahe?” (How can a child be fearless when she sees a gun in every breath?) remarked Anwar, a gardener from Srinagar, when asked about the situation in Kashmir. On November 30, 2019, a walk through an iron gate in a quiet neighbourhood of Srinagar took us inside a public school. It was 11 am when typically every school is abuzz with activity. Not here though.

Tata Mundra's possible closure? Power ministry's 'pressure tactic' on consumer states

By Bharat Patel*
Tata power has announced to the Union Ministry of Power that Tata Power may be forced to stop operating its imported coal-based Mundra Ultra-Mega Power Project (UMPP) after February, 2020. It is not only unfortunate but also criminal that irreversible damage has been caused to the fragile ecosystem of Mundra coast for a project that will have a running life of only seven years.

Population control? 10% Indian couples want to delay next pregnancy, but fail

Counterview Desk
Shireen Jejeebhoy, director at Aksha Centre for Equity and Wellbeing, previously senior associate at the Population Council, India, argues that the debate on the country's population was fuelled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address to the nation, where he drew attention to “concern” about the challenges posed by this ‘exploding’ population growth, needs to centre around the promotion of rights and education, instead of the language of explosion and the threat of coercion that this term implies.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam*
RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Savarkar 'opposed' Bhagat Singh's, Netaji's dream of India, supported British war efforts

By Shamsul Islam*
In a shocking development, the student wing of the RSS put the busts of martyrs Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose with Savarkar's on one pedestal at the University of Delhi late in the night on August 20, 2019. Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for a socialist-democratic-secular republic and Netaji raised Azad Hind Fauj (INA) consisting of people of all religions and regions for armed liberation of India.

Kerala governor turned History Congress into political arena, 'insulted' Prof Irfan Habib

Counterview Desk
In a signed statement, office bearers of the Aligarh Society of History and Archaeology (ASHA), Prof Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi (president), Prof Jabir Raza (vice-president), Prof Manvendra Kumar Pundhir (secretary) and Prof Farhat Hasan (joint secretary), have said that Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan had sought to insult veteran historian Prof Irfan Habib, 88, at the 80th session of the Indian History Congress, even as turning it into his “political arena”.

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