-The Economic Times   Nearly 70 per cent of the country's population lives in rural areas where, for the first time since independence, the overall growth rate of population has sharply declined, according to the latest Census. Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crore live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas, said the Census of India's 2011 Provisional Population Totals of Rural-Urban Distribution in the country, released...

-The Telegraph   The Tata Motors counsel today told Calcutta High Court that the “first attacks” on the company came in the form of public interest litigations that had questioned the process of land acquisition for the Nano factory in Singur. “In 2007, several PILs were filed in Calcutta High Court challenging the validity of the process of land acquisition in Singur. The government and the company were made respondents (in the PILs)....

Fears on the rampant use of pre-natal sex determination technology in rural areas have been confirmed with census data indicating that child sex ratio (CSR) fell far more sharply in villages than in urban areas in the last decade. According to provision data on population, though the urban CSR is far worse than that in rural areas, the fall in CSR in rural areas is around four times than that in...

-Reuters   Red-hot food inflation that has vexed policy makers around the world seemed to take a breather last month, when corn and wheat prices tumbled on reports that crop shortages were easing. The sell-off was also driven by global economic worries that prompted funds to exit grains in droves. But prices are climbing again, and have already made up half of June's losses. The sell-off masked an unnerving reality: The world remains...

Kolkata : Mamata Banerjee’s announcement banning the acquisition of land by any government department or agency for industry has grounded over a dozen key industrial parks across the state. These projects, in various stages of progress — and in which land acquisition was on — account for a committed investment of Rs 50,000 crore. The announcement — underlined by the state Industries and Finance Ministers — has stunned industry and so...