-The Economic Times "Are we knowledge-proof?" asked the late Prof Raj Krishna. As memorable as his other coinage, the Hindu rate of growth, this question is relevant, given our current growth strategy. The SME sector is a vibrant part of the economy, accounting for 40% of manufacturing and generating jobson a scale second only to agriculture. The figures are similarly significant for handicrafts and handlooms. According to the Tenth Plan, GDP from handicrafts...

-The United Nations SwaziLand’s farmers are beginning to reap the benefits of a UN-backed five-year programme aimed at reversing the country’s declining agricultural productivity, the United Nations food agency declared today. In a media statement, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that its SwaziLand Agricultural Development Project, or SADP, had already begun to have an impact on the lives of the country’s smallholder farmers through a number of training initiatives...

-The Telegraph New Delhi/Ranchi, Sept. 20: Land reforms and revenue minister Mathura Prasad Mahto today accused Bihar government of not handing over 82,000 Land maps of 32,615 villages in Jharkhand even though the new state was carved out in 2000. At the state revenue ministers’ conference titled Modernisation of Land Records, Mahto, in the presence of Union minister for rural development Jairam Ramesh, said Jharkhand had taken up the issue with Bihar...

-The Times of India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked members of the ministerial panel to expeditiously clear the Land acquisition bill, showing urgency on the legislation that is part of the core Congress agenda but has been held up for three years because of in-house differences. The bill was referred to a group of ministers after the Cabinet erupted over its key provisions, with ministers handling economic and infrastructure wings arguing...

-PTI KHANDWA (MP): The National Human Rights Commission has sent notices to the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government with regard to the rehabilitation of those affected by the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects. Around 11,000 families affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project have been rehabilitated in Gujarat but nothing of that kind has been done in Madhya Pradesh, the NHRC notice said. The NHRC has issued the notice to the Madhya Pradesh...