-Live Mint The national food security law is in trouble from an unlikely source The outcome of the World Trade Organization (WTO) summit at Bali has been projected as a great victory for the Indian government by its spokespersons. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In exchange for a temporary reprieve on its food support programme, India has bartered away the bargaining chip of trade facilitation, which Western negotiators demanded. The...

-The United Nations Efficient, well-managed and sustainable food systems are essential to end hunger and malnutrition as well as protect the environment, United Nations officials stressed today, marking World Food Day. "The key to better nutrition, and ultimately to ensuring each person's right to food, lies in better food systems - smarter approaches, policies and investments encompassing the environment, people, institutions and processes by which agricultural products are produced, processed and brought...

-Down to Earth   This defies logic. Despite rapid economic growth, India has often been placed below sub-Saharan African countries that have very high number of malnourished children. But the government has no data to clarify its position. In the first week of September, Parliament’s Committee on Estimates criticised the government, saying: “The committee is surprised to note that in the modern era of Information and Technology, there is no recent official...

-The Economic Times It's hard to think of a cereal that is more intrinsic to Indian culture than rice. It journeys with us for a whole lifetime - with the first solid food a baby is traditionally fed during the annaprashan ceremony to sprinkling it over a deceased person's mouth during the last rites. A vast majority of the Indian population eats rice as its staple grain, similar to Asian countries...

-The Hindu PALAKKAD (Kerala): The Health Department, in a report sent to the Union Ministry of Health on Tuesday, has noted a steep rise in the number of abortion cases among tribal women in the Attappady settlements in Palakkad district. The report said "during the last 20 days 10 abortion cases were recorded among tribal women in Attappady." Eight cases were reported in July, 2013, seven in June, and 11 in May. During...