How schoolchildren are 'seed-bombing' Bihar

A unique initiative by an NGO is helping the state increase its green cover while also spreading awareness

Bihar bans over-the-counter sale of Oxytocin

Consumption of milk or food laced with Oxytocin can reduce heart rate, damage brain and cause seizures in foetus in humans

Bihar farmers upbeat after monsoon reaches state on time in a decade

Bihar’s farmers are heavily dependent on monsoon rain for kharif crops, mainly paddy, a water-intensive crop

From Nalanda to nowhere: Will Bihar’s public libraries survive

State not granting funds, alleges Bihar MLA Sudama Prasad; only 51 of 540 libraries have survived since 1950s

Bihar to use drones to watch over embankments

At least 12 drones will be deployed in the first phase, according to state’s water resources department 

Bihar farmers block roads over fertiliser shortage

Agitating farmers September 12 stole 60 bags of urea from a truck in Nawada district; allege local agencies creating an artificial crisis 

Indian scientists find a cure for dreaded Panama Disease

They have manufactured a biopesticide using a fungus to prevent the disease in banana plants

Maize crops falling victim to fall armyworm in Bihar

Reports of the pest attacking crops have been reported from a number of districts in the state, India’s third-largest maize producer

Is climate change to blame for Bihar’s bad litchi harvest?

Unusually high temperatures during the fruiting season in April and May could be the reason, say farmers and scientists

Localised phenomenon, trough behind Nepal storm?

Twenty-five people have died and 400 injured in the storm that struck southern Nepal on March 31

How accurate are exit polls? There's no easy answer

In the world's largest democracy, the science of poll forecasting is still struggling with the basics

Beware of the Ganga

A dip in the Ganga was meant to purify both body and soul. But devotees in Bihar have had a bad experience

Over 100 school children in Bihar hospitalised after eating ‘sour’ midday meal; 3rd incident in week

The incident occurred days after a dead snake and a dead lizard were found in midday meals served to children in Araria and Supaul districts  

Bihar government bans sand mining near river bridges

Move to check illegal sand mining that is destroying foundations of bridges, disturbing water flow of rivers

No way out

Officials are now promoting a new paradigm for flood control. They are pushing for a huge dam in Nepal. Does it provide scope for further …

State of despair

Criminals followed corrupt politicians into grabbing contracts related to earthworks. Today, they fund political parties and virtually run the …

The shifting sands

At first the rivers and the people were both unfettered. Then the politicians came between them

Bihar plans to sterilise, not cull, nilgais

State government plans to sterilise 5,000 nilgais in 2022, says Bihar forest minister 

Bihar’s advice to villagers — cook lunch early morning to avoid fire incidents

Spike in fire incidents coupled with losses due to COVID-19 lockdown has become cause of worry for farmers 

Patrolling ordered on the Ganga in Bihar to conserve its dolphins

The move came after reports emerged that fishermen in Vaishali and Saran were netting small fish, the main food of the dolphins

Thriving Gangetic dolphin presence in Bihar, reveals census

Experts say it means the Ganga in the state is healthy as the dolphins can only survive in clean and fresh water

Loose cannons

When the army and the government team up to form an assault team against villagers protesting against a firing range, all hell can break loose

Spirited ruin of a village

Effluents from a liquor factory in Banka district spell doom for many villages around the unit and also pollute the Ganga.

Contemplating the tradition of protest

DISCOURSE OF ETHNICITY - CULTURE AND PROTEST IN JHARKHAND Susana B C Devalle Publisher: Sage Publications, New Delhi Price: Rs 260

Understanding Adivasis

Tapan Bose's Jharkhand, 10 years in the making, has a participative view of the timeless, unspoilt lives of Adivasis stripped of their land