Not a comprehensive draft, says Medha Patkar The first major opposition to the draft National Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 will be in the form of a three-day dharna here beginning on Wednesday by the project-affected people. Various peoples' movements under the banner of SANGHARSH have decided to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar protesting the new draft and demanding that the government come up with a comprehensive National...

-The Indian Express   More than a month after senior Congress leader Vidya Stokes raised her concerns about apples from the state receiving a severe beating in Indian markets, following bulk imports from foreign countries, especially China, Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta admitted that China has dumped its apples at some ports, including Kolkata and Mumbai. Its arrival at the time when the home produce has just hit the market has created an...

Experts at a discussion on "Two decades of economic reforms: The way forward", organized by CII, Bihar state centre, said the economic reforms had not lessened the urban-rural divide; hence rural people could not generate substantial demand in the economy, though the savings rate enhanced in the last two decades. Director, Asian Development Research Institute, P P Ghosh, said the savings rate had increased from 12% in 1951 to 35%...

India’s domestic wheat prices higher than international rates by around $100 per tonne; traders seek subsidy India’s food ministry will oppose a proposal to export wheat as it prefers to distribute the excess to the poor within the country, K.V. Thomas, Union minister of state (independent charge) for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, said on Thursday. “We want the wheat produced by our farmers to be distributed here first,” Thomas said,...

P Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor, The Hindu and 2007 Magsaysay award winner, shares with Pradeep Baisakh his views on the POSCO project, Odisha farmers’ suicides and the National Food Security Bill You have visited Odisha quite often. How, in your view, has it changed in the last 20 years? Inequalities have increased massively. Earlier, we used to hire jeeps which were falling apart. Today, to go to Kalahandi, you have Innovas,...