-Tehelka Policy flaw lets private players jack up prices and siphon off massive government subsidies. TO DROUGHTS and abject poverty, farmers can add another crisis: sky-rocketing fertiliser prices. The issue has prompted eight chief ministers of large states to seek the intervention of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers (MoCF) in the matter. Consider, for example, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MoP), two fertilisers that used to have massive demand...

-The Economic Times Housewives can expect tough times ahead maintaining household budgets as all indicators suggest that prices of non-subsidized domestic cooking gas cylinders are expected to go up till March, 2013, much before they exhaust their quota of another three subsidized cooking gas cylinders. This is because the price of domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or cooking gas) has been linked to international gas prices which typically shoots up during the...

-The Economic Times The recent decision of the government to allow FDI in multi-brand retail trade has attracted heated debate and emotive reactions. Though the main consideration for allowing FDI in retail is not its benefit for farm sector, the debate has predominantly focused on threats and benefits to the country's farmers and the farm sector. Interestingly, the main stakeholders, i.e., farmers, have not reacted much to the policy decision and...

-Outlook As part of the ongoing probe into the multi-crore illegal granite quarrying scam in Madurai, police today raided the film production company of Union Minister M K Alagiri's son, Durai Dayanidhi, an accused in the case. The police team from Madurai searched the premises of Dayanidhi's cinema company here for nearly an hour, sources said without elaborating. Dayanidhi, for whom a special police team was on the lookout, and nine others are...

-PTI Petrol price may be cut by about Rs 1.60 per litre later this month as appreciation of rupee against the US dollar has helped state firms make profit on the fuel. Indian rupee appreciated to five-month high since the government announced allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retailing. This has eased the cost of imports for oil firms, helping them make profit on sale of petrol. "Yes, there is about...