-The Business Standard   A CAIU will be set up to analyse and collect field data for a transparent and accountable labour inspection system The Union labour ministry has approved a more liberal inspection scheme aimed at simplifying business Regulations and bringing "transparency and accountability" in the system. For this purpose, a Central Analysis and Intelligence Unit (CAIU) will be set up to analyse and collect field data "for a transparent and accountable labour...

-The Hindu   Adilabad (Andhra Pradesh): Turmeric sowing has begun in Adilabad, but farmers are anxious about the price which their produce will attract eventually. "The market trend is not healthy so far as the price of turmeric is concerned and this could add to the problems of farmers, who are already reeling under the effect of the heavy loss they suffered owing to the dismally low price last season," says K. Narasimham...

-The Business Standard   Regulator studying pricing models in various nations; draft legislation likely by end of March Pharmaceutical companies might be up for stricter price Regulations. The government is planning to bring in a legislation that would take into consideration pricing models across the US, European Union (EU), China and 14 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), which regulates prices of medicines in the market,...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The manner in which the United Progressive Alliance government approved field trials of genetically engineered crops in the last few weeks of its term in office speaks poorly of its regard for the decision-making process. Shalini Bhutani (shalinibhutani@hotmail.com) is a legal researcher and policy analyst who has worked on agriculture issues. Manju Menon and Kanchi Kohli are independent researchers who have worked on environment Regulation. Please click here to download the...

-The Hindu   Kolkata (West Bengal): Of the 341 blocks in the State, 81 blocks have water with more arsenic than the permissible limit and 49 blocks with more fluoride than the standard value. North 24 Parganas district, where about 20 blocks are affected with arsenic contamination, is the worst affected and is followed by Nadia, where 17 blocks and Murshidabad with 14 blocks where arsenic in groundwater is higher than the limit. Certain...