Legislation targets poor and vulnerable sections among whom malnutrition was particularly high Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that the government was committed to bring to Parliament a Right to Food Act which would serve as a viable safety net for the poor and the vulnerable sections among whom malnutrition was particularly high. Addressing an international conference on ‘Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health,' the Prime Minister said such...

Highlighting the strength of the agriculture sector in India, Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas has said that the national food production was high despite drought and floods which have affected about 100 districts of the nation. Briefing reporters on the sidelines of a meeting, Thomas maintained food production was going according to the expectations of the Central Government. "100 districts in the country are under severe drought. There is flood in Orissa,...

Agriculture, which had dragged down growth during UPA's first term, is now helping the GDP numbers shine. Good monsoon has helped drive the growth expectations comfortably over 5 per cent, adding some new shine to the economy. According to Advance Estimates, the government expects that the 8.6 per cent growth of the economy during the current fiscal will be powered by agriculture growing at 5.4 per cent, a big jump over...

Inflation in vegetables to come down to 7% by March Modernisation of agricultural marketing is important when dealing with inflation in the long run, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the planning commission, said here today. “The present system of intermediation is high costs and an efficient supply chain. Stress has to be laid on ensuring that farmers are able to realize higher margins, while consumers are able to get cheaper commodities”,...

As food prices rose for the seventh month in a row in January, contributing to recent popular unrest in the Middle East and a spike in commodities purchases by developing countries last week, some analysts are quick to make comparisons to the dry years of 2007-2008. But others warn against panic and oversimplified predictions of an impending food crisis, which contribute to price volatility. "It is important to underline – and we've...