On the approval and direction of Union Agriculture Ministry to contain stress sale by farmers, the Rajasthan Government will start procurement of fresh bajra produce at Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 880 per quintal in 16 out of 33 districts from November one. Rajfed would buy bajra at 44 procurement centres, while Food Corporation of India at 25 centres, the Food and Civil Supply Minister Babulal Nagar told in a...

The government is divided over allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand and foodgrain retailing. While the Ministry of Finance is opposed to any change in the existing retail FDI policy, the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Ministries, along with the Planning Commission, are open to the proposal mooted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. At present, FDI in these areas of retailing is banned. The finance ministry’s position gains significance in...

In a few days from now, women could account for 52 per cent of all local bodies. They are tailors, farmers, accountants, legal clerks, homemakers, vendors and activists. There are M.Com degree holders alongside poor women from deprived backgrounds. Together, they make up the most highly educated women candidates fighting local body elections anywhere in the country. There are nearly 40,000 of them contesting the polls across more than 1,200...

Rice exporters from India are upbeat over the higher projections of basmati output and better prospects of exports. The loss of crop, in Philippines due to storms and in Thailand and Pakistan due to floods, is driving Indian exporters to speculate for better realisations this year. The satellite image procured by All India Rice Millers Association and Agriculture and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA) depict an increase in area under...

The UID project has both ‘security' and ‘developmental' dimensions. The former leads to an invasive state; the latter leaves us with a retreating state. Is identity the “missing link” in India's efforts to rise as an “inclusive” economic superpower? Can an identity-linked and technology-based solution change the face of governance in India? Given the euphoria around the Unique Identification (UID) project, one is tempted to believe so. However, a careful look...