Down to earth Oct 15, 2010
Since May the media has been beaming images of foodgrain rotting in various parts of the country. FCI’s investigation revealed that grain costing nearly Rs 50 lakh was damaged at Harduaganj, Orai and Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. “We have to procure all the grain that farmers bring to us if it meets the criteria. There is no limit to how much we can procure. In the past three years, because of good minimum support price, procurement has been massive,” said an FCI official.
Sunita Narain
The Forest Rights Act of 2006—also known as the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act—came after considerable and bitter opposition from conservation groups. Read more »
Chetan Bhagat, Oct 9, 2010, TOI
Before i begin, i would like to make the usual disclaimer about writing a political column: I have no bias towards any party. The only party i support is the ‘we-do-a-good-job’ party. My views are as an observer of trends, and recent indicators do show that the BJP is in a stronger position than ever before. But can it come to power? Well, it is possible. Read more »
Given the scale of UPA-II’s proposed food security programme, getting the recipe right was never going to be easy. But even accounting for their differences, the National Advisory Council (NAC) and the government are having more problems than expected pushing the right to food legislation. Read more »
May 3, 2010
The long-pending National Green Tribunal (NGT) Bill was passed in Lok Sabha after environment minister Jairam Ramesh accepted some key amendments to the proposed legislation that parliamentarians cutting across party lines had suggested.
Supporting India’s stand on quota reform in the International Monetary Fund, a G-24 ministerial meeting today called for at least five percentage point shift from advanced economies to emerging ones. Read more »
India today expressed its concern at rising food prices and warned the developing world to be vigilant of spillover effects of protracted recovery in the global economy, as the revival is taking more time than anticipated. Read more »
The states charter tourism season got off to a start early Thursday morning as 336 tourists from Russia disembarked at Dabolim airport. According Sita Travels vice president Ernest Dias, the two flights brought not just tourists but travel agents scouting business opportunities in Goa. Read more »
IN elaborate charade has begun with the rolling out of the first Aadhaar unique identity (UID) num bers by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh and the Congress chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi in a tribal district of Maharashtra. The 12-digit number for each citizen is supposed to achieve pilferage-free delivery of services to the underprivileged. Read more »
Not long ago there was a beeline of investors wanting to open floating casinos in the popular tourist destination of Goa. There is no open promotion of casino industry by the state government as an industry, yet every now and then the authorities grant licence to a new investor, and another boat throws its anchor in the Mandovi. Read more »