-The Times of India BATHINDA: Basmati brought to grain markets in Punjab will now contribute to the cause of cancer treatment as the government has imposed a cess of 0.25% on this variety of rice from this season. Punjab marketing board authorities expect to collect around Rs 19 crore from this decision depending on the arrival of basmati in the market. State agencies are hopeful of basmati yield reaching 35-36 lakh tonnes this...

-The Hindu Business Line Will seek removal of restrictions in ‘peace clause' India has decided to strike a harder bargain on food security at the World Trade Organisation than it did in July. It wants restrictive conditions attached to the use of the peace clause dropped. New Delhi, which had wanted the ‘peace clause' offering protection against retaliatory action for breaching farm subsidy caps extended indefinitely in return for support to the trade...

-The Hindu The first 1,000 days of life, between a woman's pregnancy and her child's second birthday, are critical for influencing lifelong health and intellectual development of the child The Human Development Report (HDR) released in July 2014 made an important revelation: that India continues to be positioned at 135 in the ranking of 187 countries based on the Human Development Index, and has not moved from where it was positioned the...

-The Hindu Corruption in India has undergone a qualitative shift from the days of licence Raj to the era of liberalisation. Opportunities for making money have come in handy for politicians, who were also dealing with a new political situation of fragmentation and instability. In the days leading to the 2008 Assembly election in Karnataka, slum-dwellers in Bangalore were startled to see small bundles flying in through their windows at night. The...

-The Hindu Kochi (Kerala): The State Horticulture Mission (SHM) is planning to implement organic farming and certification in 2,000 hectares in the State. The programme is to be implemented initially in the three districts of Idukki, Wayanad and Kasaragod during 2014-15, under the guidance of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM). Under the programme, financial assistance will be provided over a period of three years for groups of farmers covering an area of...