-Down to Earth Targeted efforts to make food systems more efficient can also reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture Basic calorie need of 3 billion extra people can be met if food systems are made more efficient through targeted efforts, suggests a new report. What's more, the targeted efforts will also help reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture. The report by researchers from the University of Minnesota, and published in the peer reviewed...

-The Financial Express While the Centre has asked states to roll out the National Food Security Act, 2013, by October, when the coverage of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) will increase to an estimated 84 crore people from 55 crore now, the capacity of states to handle more foodgrain is doubtful given their poor offtake record in the last few years. Official data since 2012-13 indicate that state governments have failed to...

-PTI RAIPUR: Over 50 per cent sowing of paddy crop has been completed for the current kharif season in Chhattisgarh where agriculture experts have advised farmers to cultivate of short and medium duration varieties of Rice. Sowing for paddy crop has been carried out on 19.34 lakh hectares of land so far against the proposed target of 36.42 lakh hectares in the state, known as Rice-bowl of the country, an agriculture department...

-The Hindu The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on Friday gave the green signal for field trials of genetically modified (GM) Rice, mustard, cotton, chickpea and brinjal at its meeting in Delhi. Hem Kumar Pande, chairperson of the GEAC told The Hindu that meetings were not held for a year since March 2013 and there was a backlog of 70 applications pending since 2011-12 of which 60 have been cleared so far. Friday's...

-The Times of India CHENNAI: They attracted the attention of officials from across the world and now the corporation's vigilance department is turning a hawk eye on Amma canteens. A year after the subsidized canteens were launched, the vigilance department has found discrepancies in their functioning and the complaints range from poor accounting and stock-keeping to vegetables being sold in the open market. The corporation's vigilance officers conducted surprise checks last week...