For past several weeks, thousands of farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand have been left in the lurch. They had planted urd and til crops in a large acreage, and to their dismay no grain formation took place in the standing crop. Unable to bear the economic loss, at least four farmers have reportedly committed suicide. Thousands of farmers have been pushed deeper into economic distress....

A parliamentary committee has asked the government to consider incentivising private players to set up grain storage facilities as it prepares to implement the right to food. The government will require around 620 lakh tonnes of foodgrain annually to implement the food security law. The official procurement stood at 539.75 lakh tonnes in the recent marketing year. “(The) government should provide soft loans at affordable rates and subsidies to private players to...

Activist Medha Patkar addressing a rally in New Delhi on Monday against the land acquisition policy of the UPA government. “Sangharsh,” a collective platform of social movements and people's organisations fighting displacement and forcible land acquisition, began a five-day dharna at Jantar Mantar here on Monday. Representatives of people's movements from Assam to Tamil Nadu participated in the “Sansad Gherao” dharna. Among the struggles highlighted was the Assam-based Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti's...

Having failed to reach an agreement with the government on the price control mechanism, Opposition parties, including the Left parties, Samajwadi Party and Telugu Desam Party, plan to oppose the contentious Seeds Bill, 2004 that the government is going to move in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday for consideration and passing. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has given notice for at least 30 amendments to the Bill on which there are major...

A Greenpeace India delegation Tuesday met the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and demanded a ban on Genetically Modified (GM) crops, saying that they were a threat to the country's agriculture, food safety and environment. The delegation made a presentation before the standing committee and presented evidence and credible publications outlining the threats posed by GM crops. 'We want the committee to make recommendations that will ensure a sustainable future for our...