-The Economic Times Pune: Over 300 farmers from Mulashi near Pune, organised under the Abhinav Farmers' club, plan four months in advance who will grow what. More than 1,300 women, organised in 117 groups, do attractive packaging of organic vegetables, earning Rs 150 a day (for just 4-5 hours' work). The fresh vegetables, fruits and grains will be delivered at door step as per the orders booked through e-mails, voice SMS and over...

-IndiaResists.com The ongoing debate between two stalwart economists, Amartya Sen and Jagdish Bhagwati, must be joined by those who understand contemporary realities and challenges in terms altogether different from those of mainstream economists. In a recent (July 27) article in Times of India, Bhagwati's co-author Arvind Panagariya characterizes the differences between the two in the following terms. Sen favours education and health measures as being the first steps to tackle poverty...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: At the halfway mark, the monsoon shows no signs of flagging and, on current projections, is set to cross 100% of its long period average, promising to relieve a stressed economy and ease the Manmohan Singh government's political burden. A bountiful monsoon is likely to benefit the kharif crop despite some hiccups in east India and the government is anticipating record rice production with the area...

-The Hindustan Times India's fabled growth story has just been exposed by an unlikely source - the World Bank (WB). Unlikely, because this institution is one of those most responsible for advocating economic growth as the pillar of development. In a report released on July 17, the WB states that the cost of environmental damage amounts to 5.7% of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This effectively means (though the report fights shy of...

-The Economic Times Pune: Although India is known the world over for its basmati rice, there are hundreds of local non-basmati varieties that are rich in taste and aroma but still not known to urban consumers. Maharashtra is likely to be the first state to take steps for branding and marketing of these varieties. Maharashtra, a major producer of pulses but not so known for rice, has recently floated a tender to...