Despite various programmes initiated by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to improve the status of agriculture, famers' leaders strongly feel that not enough has been done and large numbers of farmers remain heavily in debt. 'Various flagship programmes by the UPA government, which started after 2004, have not proved helpful for farmers. Their economic policies are putting an adverse impact on agriculture sector but still nobody is bothered about it,'...

Activist and academic Raj Patel’s profile proudly notes that he has worked for the World Bank and the WTO, and protested against them both around the world. A visiting scholar at the University of California at Berkeley’s Centre for African Studies, Patel’s latest offering to the literary world—The Value of Nothing—is a New York Times bestseller. In an interview with Ashish Kumar Sen, Patel says beating the drum of India...

Output of major crops, including sugar, will be better or equal to 2008-09’s production figures, but food prices are unlikely to return to that year’s levels. Food inflation may have permanently changed to stay on the higher side, economists have said. For a UPA government battling high prices, this could be a gloomy piece of news. A surplus monsoon has boosted acreages of all crops, according to food ministry figures. Output of...

Food inflation rose for the third week running as floods disrupted supplies, but most economists see food prices easing soon. Inflation in food articles in the new series with 2004-05 base was 15.1% for the week ended September 4, compared with 14.6% in the week before, data released on Thursday showed. The central bank chose to lift rates in its policy review on Thursday saying inflation is still a big...

The Indian government is debating whether it should still accept any development aid from Britain. India is currently the biggest recipient of UK development aid, receiving more than £800m (about $1.25bn) over the three years to 2011. Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told the BBC no final decision had been made. Britain's Department for International Development (DfID) says it is reviewing its spending, and close dialogue with the Indian government will continue. The BBC's Chris...