The government has decided to throw its might behind private purchases of farm land overseas to ensure food security for India.  The agriculture ministry has sought views from other ministries on an institutional mechanism to extend sovereign support to India Inc's acquisition of farm land abroad that could include guaranteed buyback of harvest from the cultivation overseas.  Agriculture secretary PK Basu said that the proposal is in a nascent stage. "We had...

A global scramble for land and mineral resources fuelled by billions of investment dollars is threatening the last remaining wilderness and critical ecosystems, destroying communities and contaminating huge volumes of fresh water, warned environmental groups in London Wednesday. No national park, delicate ecosystem or community is off limits in the voracious hunt for valuable metals, minerals and fossil fuels, said the Gaia Foundation’s report, "Opening Pandora's Box". The intensity of the...

The central government is finalizing a series of decisions to increase military presence across the Naxal belt in east and central India. Among them is a plan to raise the first Territorial Army battalion comprising local tribals.  While sources insisted that the strategy was to increase military presence and no operations were planned, the move could deny many local advantages enjoyed by the Naxals. With a locals-only 'Home and Hearth' battalion...

-The Indian Express   Yes, NGOs unaware of energy needs are blocking Koodankulam. But what are UPA’s plans? The Fukushima Daiichi power plant, an instant stick to beat the nuclear industry with, hosted first-generation nuclear reactors about to be decommissioned after 40 years of service when last year’s disaster struck. Since then, Fukushima has become a slogan for all those against the idea of nuclear power, feeding fears and building myths. It’s this...

-The Hindustan Times   On the night of February 5, a woman, on her way back from visiting a nightclub in Kolkata’s Park Street area, was raped inside the vehicle in which she had been offered a lift. Horrifying as it is, the violence perpetrated was not unique in the annals of urban crime. A mother of two, the 37-year-old was alone, her companions having already left. She had been drinking for a...