-The Hindustan Times While BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's 'Gujarat development model' has caught the nation's fancy, a new United Nations (UN) report says Gujarat is one of the most water-starved states in India. The UN World Water Development Report 2014 observes that unsustainable use of water for agriculture is the prime reason for the groundwater level falling in most parts of Gujarat. "The issue of groundwater overdraft in India has been...

-The Hindustan Times If the opinion polls are to be believed, the UPA is facing a rout in the coming Lok Sabha elections. One explanation, popular in the media, goes something like this: The UPA faces voter wrath because it destroyed growth. The economy has paid a price for bad governance and expensive welfare schemes. If you look at data for the last two years, this view will find some support....

-The Hindustan Times   The UN panel on climate change warned on Monday that famine, water shortage and increased regional tension could plague south Asia, especially India, if corrective steps weren't taken soon to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The alarmist report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released on Monday, at Yokohama in Japan, and focuses on the global impact climate change would have on agriculture, water supply and society. "Nobody...

-The Hindustan Times If you've somehow managed to wrench yourself away from witnessing the ever plunging new lows during the ongoing election campaigns, including name calling, mud (and ink) slinging and repeated exchanges of the same accusations between political rivals, you will surely have noticed the exuberance in the markets - the Sensex has touched a record high and the long-languishing rupee has strengthened to within striking distance of sub-Rs 60...

-The Hindustan Times It's interesting how some concepts can be mobilising, and their relevance apparently self-evident, while they probably escape any simple analytical definition. ‘Happiness' could be one, despite the celebrated Bhutanese innovation in producing statistics on gross national happiness. ‘Food security' is another. It has been associated with a concern over food price volatility, and the movement of prices was also instrumental in sustaining the debate in India that led to...