-The Hindu Business Line In a pat on the back for the erstwhile UPA Government's flagship programmes, the Global Hunger Index 2014 (GHI) has noted a significant improvement in the levels of hunger in India, especially among children, between 2005-06 and 2013-14. Overall, however, two billion people in the developing world are still under-nourished and suffer from ‘hidden hunger', with the situation "alarming" in 14 countries, even as the deadline for the...

-The Indian Express The prime minister's Jan Dhan Yojana (JDY) is, in many ways, an improvement over previous financial-inclusion schemes. And with an aggressive target to cover 15 crore households with basic banking services, including an overdraft facility, debit card as well as accident and life insurance cover, it is the most ambitious attempt yet. However, to achieve its promise, the JDY needs to focus on implementation. As suggested by the...

-Down to Earth Sivasankaran's land grabbing spree has threatened millions of livelihoods, says report Indian origin businessman Chinnakannan Sivasankaran has engaged in aggressive land grabbing of more than half a million hectares across Africa, Asia and South America, putting millions of livelihoods at risk. This was revealed in a detailed report released by Barcelona-based non-profit GRAIN on Tuesday. The report says Sivasankaran diverted 0.56 million hectares of food-producing land to production of palm...

-The Hindu Business Line   Opening bank accounts in rural areas is all very well, but biometric frauds are a serious possibility The ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) aims at bringing millions of rural Indians within the financial mainstream by opening bank accounts. In 2006, the Reserve of India, recognising that a majority of rural Indians had little or no access to banking services, allowed banks to use third-party, non-bank agents...

-The Business Standard The facility provides latest technical information on agriculture and allied activities to farmers of Andhra and Telangana Andhra Bank on Monday launched ‘Andhra Bank Kisaan Vaani', a new facility which provides latest technical information on agriculture and allied activities to farmers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through ‘Green SIM'-based voice message, in association with Iffco Kisaan Sanchar Limited (IKSL). IKSL has developed a green SIM for transfer of voice messages...