-Scroll.in The government wants to reduce its dependence on imported crude oil by producing more ethanol-blended petrol. While India is making a push for ethanol-blended petrol, by incentivising sugarcane-derived ethanol, concerns remain about the water-guzzling nature of the sugarcane and fair remuneration for farmers. On November 2, the Centre, as part of its Ethanol Blending Programme, approved a higher PRIce for ethanol that is derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials. This was done...

-The Hindu Business Line The extended ban has affected the turnover of commodity exchanges * What are the agri commodities in which futures trading has been banned by SEBI? SEBI has banned futures trading in seven agri commodities, including the derivatives of two produce. The banned commodities are non-basmati paddy, wheat, chana (Bengal gram), mustard seed and its derivatives, soyabean and its derivatives, crude palm oil and moong (green gram). * Why were they...

Jharkhand's government schools have a massive teacher shortage, a survey by Gyan Vigyan Samiti Jharkhand has found. The survey was conducted in 138 PRImary and upper PRImary schools between September and October 2022 to assess their condition after the Covid-19 pandemic. Jharkhand's school system was shut for two years, among the longest in the world. Teachers told the surveyors they felt that most students had forgotten how to read and...

-Newsclick.in There is need to build up self-reliance by nurturing the fertiliser CPSEs, rather than dismantling them through disinvestment and PRIvatisation, read the PCPSPS statement. New Delhi: Amid concerns over global availability and growing demand for fertilisers, as well India’s dependence on urea import, the People's Commission on Public Sector and Public Services (PCPSPS) has called for a national fertiliser policy, consistent with the long-term food security strategy in India. “The national fertiliser...

-The Hindu Business Line The National Food Security Act could adopt standardised criteria to identify beneficiaries across States/UTs India’s development report cards have long been plagued by high incidence of malnutrition, making it an often-cited example of the nation’s growth conundrum. With the country being home to more than one-third of undernourished children, it is evident that the problem underlines the need for a targeted and multi-sectoral approach, with the benefits of...