Degradation of natural resources and loss of biodiversity (wildlife flora and fauna) is a global problem that affects our society and hampers the economic and social progress of a country towards sustainable development. In developing countries like India, degradation of natural resources is a major threat to socio-economic development. In general, destruction of the environment, biodiversity and nature, has been a major concern in metropolitan cities. Delhi being a metropolitan city and the capital of India, has been facing this problem since 1980’s. However, the situation was not that bad then. Over the years, the environmental degradation has not only led to the loss of natural flora and fauna of Delhi city but has also become a cause of great concern because of its impact on the health of the common citizens of Delhi. Modernization, industrialization and overpopulation are key factors responsible for bringing about a drastic change in Delhi’s biodiversity and natural resources. Keeping in view their multifarious impacts, the Government of Delhi took some measures to restore the ecosystem of the city. However, we still have a long way to go to bring back the natural flora and fauna of the city, clean air, and the natural resources that have been depleted beyond imagination. Government alone cannot bring about the lost glory of Delhi. Each citizen of Delhi is responsible, and there is a need to join hands together and think in a positive direction to make Delhi a safe living place not only for human beings but also the wildlife that once existed in this majestic city.

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The sustainable growth in agriculture faces many challenges owing to the limited availability of land and water besides the biotic stresses (pests, insects) and abiotic stresses (drought, saline, heat, floods etc.). The unreliable rainfall in India and poor irrigation facilities further aggravate the problem of food crop production. Due to such climatic unpredictabilities, there is a dire need for the development of improved crop varieties. The goal of such an approach is to focus on the production of new varieties that can withstand the biotic and abiotic stresses and may add to the food productivity with better yields and nutritional enrichment. Advances in genetic engineering have contributed to the development of improved crops where scientists have been able to engineer desirable traits making them more beneficial. Although concerns have been raised in the past (vis-a-vis consumer acceptance, mandatory vs voluntary labeling of genetically modified (GM) products, approval of regulatory procedure), nevertheless GM crops have the potential to be the game changer in the Indian agriculture and will prove to be a boon to decrease the drudgery of the common Indian farmer and increase his prosperity in absolute terms. Several aspects need to be taken into account from sowing of seed, overcoming the stress of drought, salinity and frost at the outset to decreased dependence on chemical pesticides, herbicides, decreased use of insecticides, improving the nutrient profile of crops, prevention of spoilage, increasing the shelf life and higher profit gains and last but not least protecting the environment.GM crops offer tremendous scope for the farming community, society at large and the nation on the whole.

Due to green revolution and technological advancement in crop production, India has attained sufficiency in food grain productivity, yet a large population in our country goes hungry. The major reason for this is the postharvest losses that occur during storage, procurement and distribution. Factors such as improper and inadequate storage facilities, climatic conditions, ineffective management policies lead to physical, chemical and biological deterioration of food grains. Abiotic factors such as grain moisture content, temperature, initial grain condition and aeration system are crucial considerations for safe storage. Biological deterioration and losses due to fungi, mites, insects, birds and rodents are also significant. In India, Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal agency, under the Ministry of consumer affairs, responsible for procurement of food grains at minimum support price (MSP), movement of produce to deficit regions, public distribution system (PDS) and maintenance of buffer stocks. Government of India constituted a high-level Shanta Kumar Committee in 2014 to recommend ways to rationalize and minimize postharvest losses, in addition to the already existing government policies. Futuristic approach to prevent these losses are to have bold and proactive reforms in India's grain management systems by implementing the recommendations of the Committee, using appropriate storage protocols, continuing subsidy only to the poor under Antyodaya Anna Yojna (AAY), controlling the subsidized grain distribution under NFSA (National Food Security Act-2013), intervention of private sectors and liquidation of stocks to contain inflation.