A French journalist once wrote: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Perhaps the same can be said about nutritional status of children in West Bengal at present in comparison to the past. At the time when Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, was entertaining private capital in Singur and Nandigram, the rate of undernutrition was quite high in his state. A little less than...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government may be a little hesitant in pushing for genetically modified (GM) crops due to pressure from RSS-linked groups, but it is exploring all possible 'safe' options to ensure food and nutritional security keeping in mind the demands of a growing population. The issues, including use of biotechnology and other scientific interventions for increasing farm productivity, will be discussed threadbare during a national conference on...

-The Hindu Right-wing groups oblivious to the plight of hapless abandoned animals in Rajasthan. Jaipur: Amidst the increasing right-wing fanaticism over cow reverence, Rajasthan, with one of the largest cattle numbers in the country, has few takers for sick and abandoned cows. In an act to impose cow reverence, in November, a plastic cow installation at the Third Jaipur Art Summit was removed after some right-wing groups found the art “disrespectful to the...

-The Hindu SJM leader says the nation is capable of growing on its own strength and capital With the Swadesh Jagran Manch, an RSS-front to espouse the cause of Swadeshi, questioning the NDA government’s relaxing of FDI norms in 15 sectors, the government is witnessing opposition from within Sangh Parivar circles to its bid to attract investment. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) — the Sangh’s arm active among workers — has written...

-Business Standard Since the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government put a moratorium on commercial cropping of Monsanto's Bt Brinjal in 2010, the Centre has received the first- ever proposal for clearance in five years to let farmers grow a transgenic food crop - a genetically modified hybrid variety of the mustard plant. The decision on the proposal would have to be taken by the environment ministry on behalf of the Union...