-TheWire.in The negotiator’s comments were non-committal but indicated that for now, the RCEP talks have not yet moved decisively into a TRIP-plus scenario. The chief negotiator for New Zealand, at the Asia trade pact talks in Hyderabad this week, made pointed reference to TRIPS-plus (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) provisions, saying that while the TRIPS agreement on intellectual property rights was sufficient, it was up to the countries to analyse whether...

-Livemint.com 2016 recorded the lowest suicides in the farm sector in over two decades, shows data shared by agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh New Delhi: There is little doubt that 2016 was replete with positive data on agriculture sector—a normal monsoon, record production of grains and perishables, and a rebound in the farm sector growth after consecutive years of drought-induced dismal performance. However, this positive data failed to lift farmers’ sentiment because...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union cabinet today cleared a plan to introduce a pan-India minimum wage that will cover all sectors of the economy. The Labour Code on Wages Bill seeks to empower the Centre to fix a universal minimum wage for workers across the country. The new law is expected to benefit over 4 crore employees across the country. The Code will consolidate four different wage-related laws: the Minimum Wages Act,...

-Business Standard Says over Rs 32,000-crore released to insurers from 2011-16 without verification of beneficiaries The crop insurance continues to be a problematic area despite the Centre launching the much-touted Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) from Kharif 2016 replacing two old schemes with no or marginal increase in coverage of non-loanee farmers, lower sum insured as compared to scale of finance and delayed claim settlement which defeated the very purpose of...

-The Hindu CAG finds many hazards in catering system; Army’s high-calibre munitions level critical A Comptroller and Auditor General report tabled in Parliament on Friday has found severe deficiencies in the catering services of the Indian Railways, with several stations and trains serving food items “unfit for human consumption”, unpurified tap water being used for food preparation, and food being left unprotected from insects and rats. “Deficiencies in respect of quality of food...