Agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan has warned that India’s food security is being steadily imperilled by the sharp decline in agricultural Growth. Speaking on the Ministry of Earth Sciences Foundation Day Lecture 2010, Dr Swaminathan warned that in 2005-6, the agricultural Growth was 5.2 per cent of GDP but according to Planning Commission statistics, it has dipped to 0.2 per cent in 2009-10. This would decline with a projected two degree temperature rise...

At a time when agriculture production has become key to economic expansion, the Union Cabinet on Friday will consider a proposal to fulfill its promise of crop loans at a cheaper rate of 5% to farmers who make timely repayment. In the current year's budget, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had proposed to give up to 2% interest rate subvention to farmers who do not default on their repayments, making the...

Silently, and without much sarkari fanfare, dramatic changes are taking place in the population indicators of some states that you won't see reflected in country-level data. Crude birth rate, that is, the number of live births per 1,000 population dipped from 26.4 to 22.8 for the whole country between 1998 and 2008. That's a 14% decline. But in eight major states, the decline was much more. In Punjab, birth rate...

Conceding there is a “development deficit” in some areas, particularly those inhabited by tribals, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that a “holistic development program” is needed in bridging the alienation of people from these areas who are exploited by Maoists. Singh admitted government-sponsored schemes have not worked. “The problems of marginalised sections, many of whom live in areas affected by Left-wing extremism, call out for special attention,” Singh said,...

Politicians, from the ruling party and opposition alike, are grappling with the problem of how to effectively communicate with their constituencies on the issue of high food inflation. One had thought it would be easy for the opposition to mount a campaign on rising prices against the ruling coalition, but it appears that inflation and its impact on the political economy is far more complex today than it was 10...