-India Today Failure of crops and debt are wreaking havoc in the lives of farmers of Madhya Pradesh. In the last two weeks, there has been a sudden spurt in the number of suicides committed by the debt-ridden farmers in Bhopal, Sehore, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Chhattarpur, Bhind, Sagar, Ashok Nagar, Guna and Betul districts. Since March 1, nearly two dozen farmers committed suicide in the state; in the last 72 hours two...
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Communal clashes soar in Bengal-Madhuparna Das
-The Indian Express Govt officials, opposition question Mamata doles to Muslims Kolkata: Communal clashes have jumped in rural Bengal, police records show. Such incidents, annually between 12 and 40 for five years until 2012, peaked at 106 last year. Government officials fear that in an election year, the growing conflict could lead to polarisation of the electorate. West Bengal has always been considered a peaceful state in terms of communal amity. But the...
More »Mass cultivation of BT cotton reported in tribal areas of Udaipur -Geetha Sunil Pillai
-The Times of India UDAIPUR: Despite restrictions on growing BT Cotton (Bacillus thuringiensis) in the state, mass cultivation of the crop has been reported at various tribal-dominant tehsils in Udaipur adjoining Gujarat. BT cotton is a genetically modified (GM) variety of cotton which produces an insecticide that has been restricted for cultivation in the state due to harmful effects like causing skin diseases and allergies in farmers producing it. Studies reveal that...
More »Outside the patent monopolies -Ritu Kamal
-The Indian Express India's role in pharmaceutical patent wars has broadened access to healthcare. Recently, there were rumours that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) was getting ready to announce "trade enforcement actions" or sanctions against India over its intellectual property rights regime. The Obama Administration has been under pressure from the US Chamber of Commerce and lobby groups, like the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, to take a tough stance...
More »Robbing India's poorest: Study finds HALF the foodgrain meant for PDS is 'diverted' through errors or corruption -Neetu Chandra
-DailyMail.co.uk It's the great gamechanger that didn't work. The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) launched in 1997 on the back of 72 lakh tonnes of foodgrain annually, with its focus on six crore of the nation's poorest. It was touted as the dawn of a new era for India's food security, but remains riddled with leaks that gobble up to half the foodgrain routed through it. Research conducted by Raghul Madhaiyan of the Department...
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