-The Economic Times KOLKATA | GUWAHATI: West Bengal and Assam have failed to avail funds under Bringing Green Revolution to the Eastern India (BGREI) for FY13. In the Union Budget 2012-13, the Centre has allotted Rs 1,000 crore for seven states in the eastern region under the BGREI scheme. While West Bengal has failed to send the statement of expenditure to avail the BGREI fund, Assam, on the other hand, has taken...

-The Hindu The World Bank has joined the chorus warning the world of an impending food crisis with damaging food price inflation. In its late-August edition of its Food Price Watch the Bank reported that global prices for food as reflected by its Food Price Index rose 10 per cent in July 2012 alone. The prices of staples such as corn and soya bean were at an all-time high that month,...

-Reuters Water levels in India's main reservoirs were at 65 per cent of capacity in the week to September 6, down 14 per centage points from a year ago, reflecting this year's weak monsoon, government data issued late on Thursday showed. The latest level was one per centage point higher than the 10-year average for the week. It was 4 per centage points higher than the previous week as the monsoon rains...

-The Guardian A spike in prices caused by poor harvests and rising demand is an apt moment for the west to reassess the wisdom of biofuels The last decade saw the end of cheap oil, the magic growth ingredient for the global economy after the second world war. This Summer's increase in maize, wheat and soya bean prices – the third spike in the past five years – suggests the era of...

-PTI Against the backdrop of drought in various parts of the country, a proposal to raise the number of assured employment days under MNREGA from 100 to 150 will be considered by an empowered group of ministers next week with an aim of benefitting the farm labour. "The proposal to increase work days under Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) scheme, will come up for discussion in the meeting of the...