THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran has said that Rs.56 crore has been sanctioned to Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) as part of the market intervention programmes initiated by the State government to control the price line. In an official statement here, Mr. Divakaran said the amount had been sanctioned as a follow-up to the decision taken at the December 8 meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee. The amount...

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) can be filed in any High Court or directly in the Supreme Court. It is not necessary that the petitioner has suffered some injury of his own or has had personal grievance to litigate. The PIL is a right given to the socially conscious member or a public spirited NGO to espouse a public cause by seeking judicial means for redressal of public injury. Such...

The following piece was written for the UNIDO’s General Conference that took place in Vienna this month but could not be carried by any of the international papers because of a slight delay, although some feel its contents may not be ideologically palatable to them. Hence it is being carried here for the benefit of our readers. —Editor A highly positive sum game awaits the community of nations if an internationally...

Every time inflation hits the headlines, the political blame game begins. This time too, as food prices soar, everyone in the ruling coalition and the government is passing the buck. It is possible that there is no one guilty party and a combination of factors, involving several actors, is responsible for the current price spiral. Of all the proximate factors, the most important appears to be expectations. Each time prices...

“States should ensure effective public distribution system”  Fiscal deficit at 6.8 per cent of GDP a challenge Dip in exports due to low demand following economic downturn in foreign markets Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said increasing food grains productivity, ensuring effective distribution of subsidised essentials to vulnerable groups and allowing duty-free import were some of the steps taken to control the spiralling prices of essential commodities. Speaking at the 109th...