Fazilka: The sarpanch of Harnam Chand village is a man shattered. He and his six brothers own 50 acres of land in Shajrana village which has turned barren. Reduced to penury, the family has been forced to take land on contract to earn a livelihood. There was time when the family would cultivate cotton on their land and earn more than Rs 6,000 per acre, producing over 30 monds of cotton per acre.

The sixth anniversary of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) saw the government promising reforms in the scheme, which has been criticised for delays in wage payments and depleting farm labour.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the scheme could usher in a second green revolution through land development and irrigation facilities. He was, however, silent on demands to extend the scheme to mainstream agricultural activities.

The steel city will soon grow a green lung out of industrial waste with the forest department taking the first step on Statehood Day.
The department, which is planning an eco-restoration and reclamation drive, kicked off a plantation programme at Jugsalai muckdump on Tuesday.
The aim is to study and conduct research on the growth of particular species of plants on the waste.

A sum of Rs.1.92 crore has been sanctioned to the district for developing agriculture and allied activities during the current financial year.

While Rs.1.03 crore has been released under the ‘Drought-Prone Area Development Programme' (DPAP) and ‘Integrated Wasteland Development Programme', a sum of Rs.88.56 lakh has been sanctioned under the ‘Integrated Watershed Management Programme in Rain-fed areas', said Collector Darez Ahmed.

BHUBANESWAR: Jindal Stainless Ltd has been awarded the prestigious Pollution Control Appreciation Award 2011 for excellence in Pollution Control Management in industrial sector. The award has been instituted by Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).

It was conferred on Jindal Stainless on the occasion of the 28th Foundation Day function of the Pollution Control Board. Resident Director of JSL Rajdeep Mohanty and GM-cum-Factory Manager Shivarama MS received the award from Forest and Environment Minister Debi Prasad Mishra.