-The Hindu Government sources told The Hindu that at PDS packaging centres, new unbranded bags were being replaced with used ones. Jute bags meant for packaging of foodgrains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) allegedly provided their manufacturers — in league with some officials of procuring State government agencies, quality insurance inspectors and middlemen — an opportunity to siphon off thousands of crores in government revenue. So serious is the scam that the...

-The Indian Express Slaughter of the cow and its progeny is banned in most of India; the consumption of their meat is also largely prohibited. States where cow slaughter is legal: Kerala No restrictions. West Bengal No restrictions. Other Northeast No ban in Arunachal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim. In Manipur, Maharaja in 1939 decreed prosecution for cow slaughter, but beef consumed widely. States where cow slaughter is banned: Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Slaughter of cows, calves prohibited. Bulls, bullocks...

-The Indian Express The recently-released India Rural Development Report, which is endorsed by the government, says 7% of the rural population is ‘very poor’; villages in eastern Indian states are the worst affected. A World Bank report released this week has proposed a new way to measure poverty, which suggests that India may have been overestimating the number of its poor. According to a separate set of figures and analysis endorsed by...

-DNA Country to import 50 lakh MT pulses from Myanmar, Australia, Tanzania India's 'low pulse' is going to pump up the economies of three countries – Myanmar, Australia and Tanzania. India needs to urgently import 50 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of pulses worth over Rs 2,600 crore to meet the domestic demand of 2.10 lakh MT. "There is no supply. Farmers had stopped cultivating pulses for want of incentives. Besides, to cultivate pulses,...

-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: The government has painted a grim picture of the crop insurance scenario in the country. Making a presentation before the Finance Standing Committee of Parliament, government representatives said the penetration of crop insurance was just about 23 per cent (369.94 lakh) of the total number of farmers. A little more than 22 per cent of the gross crop area (455.63 lakh hectares) is covered under four...