-The Economic Times Three weeks ago, when the Supreme Court reopened the iron-ore mining door some more in Karnataka, miners in Orissa breathed a Rs 50,000 crore sigh of relief. Also in the dock for some offences of a similar nature, Orissa's iron-ore miners, who produce a third of this mineral that is critical to steel, had been dreading their fate, which lay in the hands of a Central government panel. The...

-The Economic Times The revised, but not yet passed, National Food Security Bill (NFSB) represents a crucial political-economic approach to welfare. But how well do we understand the financial and, more importantly, distributional consequences of the revised Bill? Although the revised Bill is likely to simplify the identification of beneficiaries, financial implications will still be substantial. Calculating these implications must include not only the cost of food subsidy, but also additional costs...

-The United Nations World food prices rose for a second straight month, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today said, while global production of coarse grains could set a new record this year with strong growth also projected for global wheat and rice production. FAO's Food Price Index - which measures monthly changes in international prices of a basket of meat, dairy, cereals, oils and fats, and sugar - rose...

-The Hindu A committee comprising farmers' representatives will look at the method of fixing the minimum support price of agricultural commodities. It will suggest if there is a need for the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to re-position itself in the light of the demands from farmers to raise the remunerative price for essential commodities. At its first meeting held here on Thursday, the panel headed by Director of National Centre...

-The Hindu   CCPA gives the go-ahead to the launch in 20 districts from May 15 The government has approved the launch of a pilot project that will entail transfer of domestic LPG subsidy directly to the consumers' account in 20 districts from May 15. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs at its meeting late on Thursday gave the go-ahead for the scheme, which is likely to be launched across the country in October....