-The Hindustan Times India's fabled growth story has just been exposed by an unlikely source - the World Bank (WB). Unlikely, because this institution is one of those most responsible for advocating economic growth as the pillar of development. In a report released on July 17, the WB states that the cost of environmental damage amounts to 5.7% of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This effectively means (though the report fights shy of...
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Food subsidy poses fiscal threat, may not help poor: World Bank
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Prices of globally traded food declined for the third consecutive quarter since their historical peak in August, 2012, a World Bank report has said but cautioned that uncertain weather conditions and domestic policy decisions such as extension food subsidy programmes in India and other countries need a close watch. Prices of all the three main food categories declined between February and June, 2013. Prices of grains...
More »Sharad Pawar not in favour of onion export ban
-PTI NEW DELHI: Amid rising onion prices hurting consumers, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said he was not in favour of a ban on onion exports, saying such a move will hit India's image as a global supplier of farm produce. The Minister said the rise in onion prices is a "temporary situation" as heavy rains in major producing states like Maharashtra have affected supplies. "It is not fair to ban export of any...
More »Weak rains cloud paddy outlook for eastern region-Sutanuka Ghosal
-The Economic Times KOLKATA: Paddy farmers in eastern India are a bit worried over erratic rainfall this year. The spread of the rainfall has not been uniform across the region which has prompted states like West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha to prepare contingency plans if the trend continues for long. The states are looking at options such as short-duration crops and direct seeding as possible ways of growing paddy in...
More »Panel finds flaws in GM crops regulatory system
-The Telegraph New Delhi: A scientific panel has identified flaws in India's existing regulatory system that governs genetically modified (GM) crops and called for an indefinite moratorium on trials of GM food crops until the regulatory system is fixed. The regulatory system, which the Indian government has used to process dossiers of several GM crops, has "major gaps" and will require "rethinking, investment, and relearning to fix," a technical expert committee (TEC)...
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