The 97th Indian Science Congress is in session at Thiruvananthapuram (January 3 to 7, 2010), the capital of the state of Kerala. For me, every session of the Congress is a new experience; an experience of learning and re-dedication to the cause propounded by the country’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It is a matter of pride for the scientific community in the country that it is the Prime...

The Ficci-Yes Bank report on farm mechanisation couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. For one, since it suggests waiving of VAT and excise duty on farm machinery, this is the time the Budget exercise has just begun. More important, the study points out that, while the use of new devices in performing key farm operations is vital for doubling agricultural growth from the present 2 per cent, the...

To import rice or not? That is the question to which the government does not seem to have a clear-cut answer. Senior ministers have been losing no opportunity to talk about importing rice, citing the monsoon-induced shortfall in production as the reason. Somewhat contrarily, they have also been asserting that the government has enough stock of rice and there is no need for any worry about a supply shortage, but...

Sugar, to mix one’s metaphors, is heading for a perfect storm. And this is being made because of our own policies. By the year-end, retail prices of sugar in Delhi and Mumbai may cross the Rs 40 per kg barrier — an almost 150 per cent increase in less than 15 months. And no, you can’t blame climate change or monsoon failures for this. So, what triggered the sugar crisis? In...

The Union Cabinet will consider on Thursday a proposal to give a bonus of Rs.50 per quintal on the minimum support price of kharif paddy that is being procured, following concerns about getting adequate quantity for the Central pool. It is expected that the kharif paddy output would be lower this season by 12 to 16 million tonnes owing to reduced sowing due to erratic Southwest Monsoon. Against 388.26 lakh...