-PTI Lucknow: Seeking to deflect Opposition attack over high prices of pulses, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday attributed it to poor rainfall and reduced imports during the last two years. “Several factors have led to the rise in price of pulses. Rainfall was low during the last two years, causing damage to crops. Besides, import was less,” he said at a press conference here. Paswan said last year, pulse production...

Situation alarming: More than one-third population hit by drought   The country is facing severe drought for the second consecutive year. Conservative estimates from official sources show that over a quarter of rural habitations are facing drinking water scarcity. Although both India Meteorological Department and Skymet have predicted a more than normal rainfall during June-September, 2016, the water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country has declined from 22 percent...

-Economic and Political Weekly A decade after coming into force, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is suffering from a decline in employment, budget caps, delays in wage payments and rampant violations of workers' entitlements. An examination of the case of Jharkhand points to reasons for this crisis, including the absence of a strong grievance redressal system, weak financial institutions, acute shortage of functionaries and indiscriminate use of technology....

-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: The All India Bread Manufacturers Association (AIBMA) has said that bread makers will do away with the use of potassium bromate as an additive in bread and bakery products. On Thursday, the AIBMA, which represents the organised bread manufacturers in the market, said that it proposes to stop use of potassium bromate with immediate effect, without waiting for a formal notification from the FSSAI. Industry players...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In its over-zealousness to protect the lives of citizens reeling under severe drought in several states, the Supreme Court has erred in directing the Centre to set up a National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) under a non-operational statutory provision, which had riled the government. Led by finance minister Arun Jaitley, the government had accused the judiciary of wanton interference in the executive's exclusive domain of earmarking...