-The Financial Express The Odisha experience shows that PDS can play a pivotal role in bringing convergence and making India’s two important missions—food and nutrition security—successful in a short time. New Delhi: India’s public distribution system (PDS) is the largest food security programme in the world, which covers nearly 60% of the population and costs Rs 1.45 trillion—close to 1.4% of the national income. PDS has often been criticised for its structure,...

-The Hindu * What’s the problem? The year 2017 was marked by several farmers’ protests nationwide, with a few turning violent. Last month, in New Delhi, 184 farmer groups came together from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana to take part in a ‘protest walk.’ The protest once again highlighted the plight of farmers and the extent of agrarian distress. The agriculture sector is characterised by instability in incomes...

-The New Indian Express KURNOOL: Prices of tomatoes have crashed to as low as 50 paise per kg at Pattikonda and Alur wholesale markets of Kurnool district after a bumper harvest and low demand, leaving farmers in tears. After transporting the produce to the market by incurring a huge cost, the farmers come to know that the prices have slumped a new low.  Not knowing what to do — whether...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The All India Syringes and Needles Manufacturers Association has issued a circular to its members to print the maximum retail price (MRP) on the basis of a maximum of 75% margin from December 24, which is observed as Consumer Day, and to implement this latest by January 26 next year.   It also wrote to all foreign manufacturers of syringes, urging them to join the effort to...

-Down to Earth India needs to find a permanent solution to the problem of public stock holding, as it is a matter of survival for hundreds of millions people During the negotiations for WTO Agreement on Agriculture in 2001, India raised concerns over food security and flexibility that developing nations must have when it comes to providing subsidies to key farm inputs. Seventeen years have passed since then and countries like...