In an unprecedented move, the Bihar Government has decided to involve farmers in preparing the agriculture road map of the state for the next 10 years.
As per the decision of the Cabinet, the views of experienced and expert farmers would be incorporated in the roadmap, which is to be debated in the state legislature during the ensuing budget session.

“The state government is committed to implement the next roadmap on agriculture from April 1,” said Agriculture Production Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sinha.

The second advance estimates of agricultural output released by the government on Friday projected another bumper harvest with foodgrain output pegged at a new record of 250.42 million tonnes during 2011-12 crop year as against the record 244.78 million tonnes the previous year. While the increased rice output in eastern regions has helped the country achieve this, the output of both the major crops — wheat (88.31 million tonnes) and rice (102.75 million tonnes) — is all set for a new record this year.

The International Advisory Panel (IAP) on National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on Thursday attributed India’s better health indicators to work accomplished under various components of NRHM.

In a meeting held on Thursday, Jeffery D. Sachs, head of IAP along with his team of experts with Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Prof. Sachs commended India for the incredible progress.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the country as a whole has come down from 50 to 47 per thousand but in case of Meghalaya, Assam and three other states the same remains well above the national average.

As per the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin released on Wednesday by the Registrar General of India (RGI), it is noted that the IMR has dropped by 3 points from 50 to 47 infant deaths per 1000 live births during 2010. But in case of Meghalaya the same remains at 55 well over the national average of 47, the report said.

The government’s plan of ushering in a green revolution in eastern states doesn’t seem to have taken off in the country’s biggest paddy (de-husked) rice producing state of West Bengal. Till January 20, only 50 per cent of the total funds allocated for the state were released by the Centre.

Officials said a reason for the low funds was the lack of fresh proposals from the state.

New Delhi Close to five crore farmers have availed of the benefits under the national crop insurance scheme, which aims at protecting farming communities against crop failures due to vagaries of weather, pest attacks and diseases.

According to the latest data released on Wednesday by ministry of agriculture, crop insurance claims worth of R22, 135 crore have been settled till now for 4.86 crore farmers mostly from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karntaka.

Days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described malnutrition as national shame, the Centre’s move to pump in massive resources into hunger-related schemes are pending the Planning Commission’s approval.

The project appraisal and management division (PAMD) of the Planning Commission has objected to women and child development (WCD) ministry’s demand of over `2 lakh crores for restructuring of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme Launched in 1975, the ICDS scheme aims at providing supplementary nutrition to children in the age group of 0-6 years.

VALMIKI NAGAR (BIHAR): Bihar is planning to create more grasslands in its only tiger reserve to help support more prey animals for the big cats that currently number 11. At present, just five percent of the 880-sq km Valmiki Tiger Reserve is under grasslands. The park management hopes more grassland will support more prey animals that will in turn support more tigers.

Cabinet decides to enhance compensation for lands acquired by Government for specific purposes. The Cabinet has decided to enhance compensation to farmers for lands acquired by the Government for specific purposes.

This decision has been taken after considering a classic case from Patigadda in Kalikiri mandal of Chittoor district represented in the Assembly by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Bill Gates, co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has praised India for managing to eradicate polio despite all odds. “In 2012, we need to keep India and all the other places that are polio-free from getting re-infected,” he said.

Only three years ago, India had more polio cases than any nation, he noted. This is a milestone for global polio eradication and for children's health worldwide, Mr. Gates said in his fourth annual letter released worldwide on Wednesday.