-Scroll.in The scheme could help entities route black money to political parties through shell companies, experts fear. It isn’t only companies that have been allowed to make anonymous donations to political parties through electoral bonds. The fine print of the scheme announced by the Finance Ministry on Thursday also allows individuals, groups of individuals, NGOs, religious and other trusts, Hindu Undivided Family units and all other entities recognised by law to...

-The Indian Express Agricultural prices crashed in April-June, just when a bumper rabi crop had been harvested after two years of drought, and despite demonetisation. 2017 was agriculture’s annus horribilis. The reason wasn’t monsoon failure (as in 2014 and 2015) or unseasonal rain and hail (as in March 2015); the year was, in fact, largely free of extreme weather events, resulting in a record output of wheat, pulses, cotton, potato and a...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: At a time when fuel prices are shooting through the roof due to increasing global oil prices, the Congress on Thursday put the government on the mat for not providing relief by passing on the benefit of money it has mopped up by raising excise duty on petrol and diesel. Raising the issue of increasing pump prices in Parliament, the leader of the Congress in the...

-The Hindu Business Line Asks firm to own up responsibility; threatens to stop selling seeds Hyderabad: The National Seed Association of India, which represents the majority of the cotton seed companies in the country, has blamed Mahyco Monsanto and Monsanto India for widespread resistance developed by pink bollworm to Bollgard-II, the second-generation genetically modified cotton seed technology. The association has threatened to stop selling the seeds developed with BG-II technology if the two...

-The Indian Express Animal Husbandry Minister Antarsingh Arya said the recommendations were under consideration but have not been sent to the state Cabinet. Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government is considering a proposal to treat abandonment of cows as an offence and give district collectors the power to book owners who abandon their cows under the IPC. “The existing law can penalise only the kasai (butcher) when caught and not the owners who abandon...