-Livemint.com Rising input costs and lack of remunerative prices have turned the terms of trade against the Indian farmer While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to retain its stronghold of Gujarat in the recent state assembly elections, it conceded significant ground to the Congress in rural and semi-rural constituencies. The results bring to the fore the problem of rural discontent, as farmers intensify their protests against non-remunerative prices for their produce...

-Tehelka.com Learning from the recent starvation deaths in Jharkhand, the nation’s leaders must pay heed to the necessity of ensuring food security for all Food and hunger have been important issues this past month and the news has not been welcome. First it was India’s dismal rank in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2017 released by the International Policy Research Institute rankings — 100th among 119 countries. GHI looks at undernourishment, child...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Four years after the Muzaffarnagar riots, a survey by Amnesty International and NGO Afkar India Foundation has found that at least 200 families from some of the worst-hit pockets were left out of the compensation. The then Samajwadi government of Uttar Pradesh had declared that each of the 1,800 displaced families from the nine worst-affected villages would get Rs 5 lakh. Between August 2016 and April 2017, the...

-Livemint.com State’s response to organised violence in India often hinges on a political cost-benefit analysis Days before the verdict in rape case against Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, his supporters started gathering in Panchkula. A lot of violence could have been prevented by not letting them come there. Why did the government allow this? The Dera is hardly a benign spiritual organisation. It holds significant political clout and openly declares support...

-The Economic Times PANCHKULA: The otherwise macho image of Haryana police took a severe beating during the Panchkula violence, as the local custodians of town were the first to show their back, post the conviction of Sirsa Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Friday. Emboldening the Dera followers to have a free show, leaving the sole lady bureaucrat present amidst the arson– 2009 batch IAS officer - Panchkula Deputy Commissioner -- Gauri...