In a major step forward to augment capacity for storing foodgrains for the public distribution system, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has notified 10 sites in as many States for construction of modern silos which shall be declared as mandis enabling farmers to directly sell their produce there. The decision was taken at the meeting of the FCI Board of Directors here.

In an unusual reference to farmers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his inaugural speech at the India Water Week on Tuesday, said: “Groundwater sources of drinking water often fail due to competition over the same aquifer between public drinking water systems and private irrigation.”

“Private irrigation” is a new term coined by the government as it is moving towards bringing strict laws to price irrigation water as well as control ground water.

Grappling with the Supreme Court order to set up a special committee for implementation of the rivers inter-linking project, the Water Resources Ministry is consulting the Law Ministry on seeking a review of the order.

The Ministry, it is reliably learnt, is seeking opinion for review of the mammoth committee that has to be set up under the directions of the court. Not only does it want the numbers pruned but also keep non-official members out so that the secrecy of the decisions can be maintained.

Protests marked the 10th anniversary of the introduction of genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton in the country. Angry farmers urged parliamentarians to hold a special session to discuss the issue and ban the technology.

Charging a few seed companies, particularly Monsanto, with monopolising the seed industry and setting the agenda for the government, social activists urged policy-makers and farmers to reject the hype around Bt cotton and demanded a comprehensive review.

A recent international conference on climate change and sustainable agriculture in New Delhi brought forth the shocking realisation that there are no conclusive studies in India on the prospective impact of climate change on the agriculture sector including livestock and fisheries.

Much of the country's understanding comes from global data provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the World Meteorological Organisation and other world bodies.

Farm technologies are not reaching farmers on the ground, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh observed here on Monday and said “it represents the failure of the system.”

He was speaking at the Golden Jubilee convocation of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here.

India agrees to repair Kosi embankment within Nepal

India and Nepal have agreed to speed up the setting up of a Pancheshwar Development Authority that will oversee the implementation of the 6,000 MW Pancheshwar multi-purpose project on the border.

India, Nepal to discuss setting up of Development Authority

In a major step forward to break the deadlock over construction of the multipurpose 6000-MW Pancheshwar dam on the Sarada river (Mahakali in Nepal) on the border, New Delhi and Kathmandu will discuss the logistics of setting up a Pancheshwar Development Authority at the first meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission on Water Resources here on Wednesday.

India on Monday reinforced its commitment to controlling the contagious “foot and mouth disease'' (FMD) in cattle as a crucial measure to enhance productivity of the livestock.

FMD causes viral fever and it is accompanied by blisters in the mouth and foot of the affected animal. If untreated, it may probe to be fatal.

The impact of climate change needs to be factored in development programmes so as to tackle the long-term requirement of mitigation and adaptation. This was highlighted at an international conference on Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture and Public Leadership here on Tuesday.

Underscoring the need for adopting a multidimensional strategy, Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat appealed to agriculture scientists to document the indigenous wisdom of Indian farmers who had been adapting to climatic variability over the centuries.