-PTI NEW DELHI: Considering biotechnology to be area of focus in improving farm productivity, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Tariq Anwar said there is a need for "healthy scientific debate" on the issue. "Bio-Technology is expected to play a major role in improving productivity. There is need for a healthy scientific debate on the whole topic since it has been contentious not only in India but across the world with strong...

-The Hindu     While making grain available to all is important, it is equally essential to ensure that all food supplied for consumption remains unadulterated and uncontaminated. When India became independent, the Constitution declared it to be a socialist, secular, democratic Republic. The first fundamental right under the Constitution sets down that every citizen has a right to life. This has been interpreted by the highest court as every citizen's right to a...

-The Hindu "The most important milestone to be set at Warsaw is on climate finance," says Jayanthi Natarajan, Union Environment and Forests Minister, in an interview ahead of the climate negotiations beginning November 11. * What are your thoughts on the view that historical emissions should not play a role in deciding responsibilities under the 2015 agreement? India has consistently held the view that historical emissions are a very important pillar of issues...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Union environment ministry has issued an order keeping in abeyance the controversial August, 2007 notification, which allows import of genetically modified (GM) processed food items into India without its prior permission, till March 31, 2014. Though the ministry has continuously been keeping the notification in abeyance since February 2008, this time it has opted for a shorter period - usually it used to be a...

-The Times of India India must discuss phasing down hydrofluorocarbons which endanger the planet. In September, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama agreed to discuss how hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are hundreds to thousands of times more potent global warming compounds than carbon dioxide, could be phased down. They agreed, bilaterally and at the G20 summit, to use the expertise and institutions of the Montreal Protocol and report emissions under...