Raises support price by Rs 380/qtl; marginal rise for wheat. Pulses saw the highest rise of Rs 340- 380 per quintal in minimum support price (MSP), the government announcing these for the current rabi season. The decision is in line with government efforts to increase their sowing, to meet the increasing demand for the crop. The MSPs of masur and chana were increased by Rs 380 per qtl and Rs 340 per...

The Central Vigilance Commission has received complaints that put the cumulative value of alleged corruption in projects related to the Commonwealth Games between Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 8,000 crore. Sources said the complaints included payment to non-existent parties, wilful delay in execution of contracts, inflated prices and bungling in purchase of equipment through tendering. “The total misappropriation amount may touch a figure of Rs 5,000-8,000 crore. The commission is still awaiting reports...

Even as the nation celebrated Dussehra, families of distressed farmers of Vidarbha  were mourning. Seven debt-ridden farmers, primarily cotton-growers, ended lives on the eve of Dussehra. The toll has risen to 30 in October and 622 farmers have killed themselves since January this year. The deceased include Waman Awari, Vijay Dandage, Dhyaneshwar Choudhari (all from Yavatmal district), Prabhakar Wakte (Akola), Ladhu Madavi (Chandrapur), Bhiagirath Pathorkar (Amravati) and Raju Lahorkar (Washim district). According...

Take a lesson from Commonwealth Games mascot Shera and “leap ahead” instead of whimpering like a “timorous puppy”, a food rights campaigner has said in a sharp attack on Sharad Pawar. The criticism in a Delhi newspaper has come from Belgium-born Jean Dreze, a prominent member of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council. He is ostensibly riled by reports that Pawar’s food ministry has rejected two of the council’s key proposals...

Five years ago, when the proposed National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was a subject of fierce controversy, Bunker Roy compared the attitude of the government to that of a dog who crosses a road half-way, can’t decide whether to go forward or backward, and gets run over. This enlightening image applies again today, in the context of the proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA). The National Advisory Council (NAC) discussed...