-The Hindu The company’s registration of the variety has been revoked by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights’ Authority. Two years after PepsiCo India provoked outrage by suing nine Gujarati farmers for allegedly infringing patent rights by growing its registered potato variety, the company’s registration has been revoked by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights’ Authority (PPV&FRA). “This judgement is a historic victory for the farmers of India. It...

-The Hindu Business Line To target farmer customers in the hinterland looking for adoption of farm mechanisation State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a master agreement with Adani Capital for co-lending to farmers for purchase of tractor and farm implements, to increase efficiency in farm operations and productivity of crops. Adani Capital is the non-banking finance company (NBFC) arm of Adani Group. Please click here to read more.  ...

-PTI/ The Hindu The observation was made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor A parliamentary panel on Wednesday asked the information and broadcasting Ministry to properly define the term “anti-national attitude” used in the Cable Network Rules, 2014, saying it may be the cause of unnecessary harassment of private channels. In its 27th report on 'Ethical Standards in Media Coverage', the Parliamentary Standing...

-The Hindu Business Line Farmers say the schemes do not reach them and cost of farming is only rising The government of India facilitates State governments to reduce agricultural costs through many Centrally-sponsored and Central-sector schemes. However, the latest data available for six major schemes for the last five years show that the actual expenditure on these schemes has remained low compared to Budget estimates. Farmers have been complaining that the schemes are...

-The Hindu Public choice refers to an economic approach towards the study of politics. American Nobel laureate James Buchanan, a prominent member of the Virginia school of political economy, characterised the public choice approach to politics as the study of “politics without romance.” Public choice theorists assume that politicians and bureaucrats who run the government of a country are self-interested individuals who primarily look after their own selfish interests. This is in...