-PTI New Delhi: The Centre today asked State Governments to provide home delivery of highly subsidised foodgrains to the PDS beneficiaries to avoid instances of starvation death. These were among other reforms the State Governments have been asked to pursue urgently in order to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) — also called ration shops. The matter was discussed in detail with state food ministers meeting here in the national capital. “We...

-Livemint.com Odisha is a front-runner in women’s land ownership, much of it owing to government policies from the 1980s. But has ownership led to empowerment? Surrounded by sun-drenched paddy fields interspersed with jackfruit and banana trees, Sanakusupadu is a hamlet in Odisha’s tribal-dominated district of Rayagada. Here, almost every married woman owns land. No matter how small the holding, land documents of the 62 households in this village bear the names of the...

-The Hindu The judiciary doesn’t seem to fully appreciate the economic consequences of its judgments The number of legal disputes involving property, contract, labour, tax and corporate laws is bound to increase with an expanding economy. How they are adjudicated by courts not only has direct consequences for the disputants, but also shapes the behaviour of individuals and entities involved in production, commerce and banking. Judicial findings also influence decision-making of government...

-The Hindu ‘Crop damage from pests contained’ Coimbatore: The Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) estimates cotton production for this season (October 2017 to September 2018) to be 370 lakh bales. The board had estimated cotton production to be 345 lakh bales and exports at 59 lakh bales for the season when it had met in December. Bollworm attack Production estimates were lower in the beginning of the season as the board expected damage to the crop...

-Scroll.in Madhya Pradesh has added garlic to its price deficit payment scheme while Rajasthan has decided to procure the crop. Last year, Bunty Rawal planted garlic on six acres of his land in Khardabad village in Rajasthan’s Kota district. He reckoned it was a good decision. High quality garlic was selling for around Rs 12,000 a quintal at the time, he said. However, he managed to make only around Rs 5,000 as...