-Tehelka Bureau Though well-meaning, the new Land Acquisition Act is far from being a perfect legislation. But the urgency to amend a law even before a real field test signals a larger agenda. By all counts, this was expected. Long before he became the BJP and subsequently the nation's chosen one, Narendra Modi had made it clear that his model of development gains from the ease of doing business. Then, days ahead...

-The Hindustan Times Geneva/ New Delhi: India told the World Trade Organisation on Friday it will only back a worldwide reform of customs rules - the so-called trade facilitation agreement (TFA) - if its demands on rules for government-driven food procurement and welfare schemes are implemented in the same timeframe. "India is of the view that the TFA must be implemented only as part of a single undertaking including the permanent solution...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government on Friday refused to yield to pressure from developed countries to accept easier customs rules without its food subsidy concerns being addressed, putting at risk a likely deal at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Developed countries have stepped up the pressure on India saying failure to strike a deal on trade facilitation would stall global trade reforms and deal a massive blow to the...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: India is likely to push for an extension of the July 31 deadline for signing of trade facilitation protocol to get its food security concerns addressed in the meantime. The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the final call on India's stand on the Bali package on Thursday. India has said that it will not sign the protocol of the trade facilitation...

-The Hindu We need a National Authority on Hunger Elimination, with adequate funds and exclusive powers, administrative and financial Of the eight Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations, the first relates to eradicating poverty and extreme hunger, halving hunger by 2015. But most of the countries, including India, have not achieved tangible results on this front. With 2015 around the corner, the new government has a major task of addressing...