From being one of the safest states for women in 2000, Bengal has sunk to being one of the most dangerous. According to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bengal has climbed to the third spot on the list of crimes against women in 2008, after Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. In 2000, Bengal was 22nd, bureau officials said. Of 1,95,856 reported incidents of crime against women— both...

After failing to come anywhere near the 10th Five Year Plan (2002-07) target of 4 per cent per annum rate of Growth of agricultural output, the Planning Commission has projected a lower target Growth rate of 3 to 3.5 per cent per annum for the 11th Plan period. While some may view this as a more modest target, others may consider it as still far too ambitious, given the track...

With 267 people being born every minute and 108 dying, the world’s population will top seven billion next year, a research group projects, while the ratio of working-age adults to support the elderly in developed countries declines precipitously because of lower birthrates and longer life spans. In a sobering assessment of those two trends, William P. Butz, president of the Population Reference Bureau, said that “chronically low birthrates in developed countries...

World's population is expected to reach 8 billion mark by 2025 and would further increase up to 9.4 billion in 40 years from now but India will creep up to 1.7 billion by 2050, US experts have said. The current population of the world is 6.8 billion, while India has a staggering graph of 1.2 billion, a place behind China with 1.3 billion. Africa's population will be growing most quickly....

Acting with determination and firm action, it should be possible for India to step up its agricultural Growth rate to 10 per cent. The 11th Five Year Plan seeks to achieve 4 per cent Growth rate in agriculture by the end of the Plan period. The Planning Commission is working towards an overall 9 per cent to 10 per cent Growth rate. But the target of 4 per cent Growth rate is...