The government today informed Parliament that the European Union (EU) has banned imports of honey from India on account of the presence of heavy Metals in the consignments. The EU is the second largest destination for Indian honey exports after the US. India exports honey to over 60 nations. India’s honey exports totalled $32.39 million in 2008-09, a quarter of which went to the EU. “The EU has banned the export of...

If you think canned rasgullas are a better option than khoya-based sweets this Diwali, think again. The mouth-watering sweets sold by big brands at high prices have been found to have micro-organisms that can cause diseases. Also, it has been found that most of the canned rasgullas have a higher percentage of syrup than prescribed. It's claimed that in one of the cans weighing a kilogram, the drained weight of rasgullas...

Vedanta, Posco and Sindhudurg. The issue is the same — the need for a well-thought-out policy relating to extractive and resource-based industry. The government’s withdrawal of mining permission to Vedanta on the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa’s backward Kalahandi district; the divided verdict by the Gupta Committee on the Posco iron ore project; and the environment ministry’s concern on 49 mining licences issued by the Maharashtra government for bauxite and iron...

The spectre of a global food crisis has reared its head again. Soaring corn prices, which on Monday recorded their biggest one-day rise since 1973, have triggered fears of a return to the turmoil of 2007-2008. Far-reaching measures are needed to prevent a recurrence. Rising prices over the last decade are in part the result of burgeoning demand from emerging markets such as China and India. The emergence of commodities as...

Is the government trying to push a new land Acquisition Bill without addressing the concerns of the deprived people who stand to lose their livelihoods? Peoples’ movements and social action groups have charged that the cash-based Haryana and Mayawati models of land acquisition are equally ‘dangerous’ for the landless and the deprived people who get uprooted without compensation or rehabilitation. People’s movements have been demanding that instead of bringing Land...