The post office in Bihar's Siwan district HQ remained the richest post office for the third consecutive year, receiving the highest number of 35,600 international money orders via western union between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011. Gopalganj was a poor second, receiving 24,800 international money orders while Motihari with 21,000 and Darbhanga with 20,000 international money orders via western union remained at the third and fourth positions respectively. Patna...

Wheat procurement in Punjab has reached 56.22 lakh metric tonnes (MT) so far in the ongoing crop year, but this is still 39 per cent lower than the volume lifted in the corresponding period of previous year. Government procurement agencies and private millers have procured 56.22 lakh MT of wheat so far, whereas 91.60 lakh MT of crop was procured last year. Wheat harvesting got delayed in Punjab because of extended cold...

The government may approve acquisitions of local drugmakers by global firms on a case-by-case basis on certain conditions to ensure availability of medicines at affordable prices, despite calls for restrictions on such deals in the wake of a spate of takeovers in the last three years. Multinationals may have to move buyout proposals through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), allowing the government to understand the firm's rationale for buying a...

The law ministry has prepared a 10-point governance reforms agenda which envisages capping a bureaucrat's term to 20 years and seeks reforms in allocation of mining and land rights. The presentation made to key UPA functionaries, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi , says all new recruitments to central government jobs should be for 20 years and any extension beyond that would depend on the outcome of...

In an effort to wean away tribals from the Maoists, the Environment Ministry is pushing for a minimum support price for minor forest produce like bamboo and tendu patta. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is taking up the matter with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee . A minimum support price (MSP) for minor forest produce (MFP) would help increase the earnings of the tribal population. At present, the more valuable items of minor forest...