-TheWire.in The rise and fall of the biggest importers of edible oil in the world. ‘Freedom is the greatest fruit of self-sufficiency’ – Epicurus The COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental for globalisation and has led to a clamour for protectionism. India’s national strategy is also in line with this trend with calls for ‘Atmanirbharta’ and ‘vocal for local’ increasing. Traditionally, India was an exporter of edible oil before Independence, became self-sufficient post-Independence (till the early 1970s),...

-The Indian Express A female teenager from 9,000 years ago has been identified as the oldest hunter burial found in the Americas. Overturning the notion that hunting was exclusively a male domain while women only gathered, an analysis of burial records indicates 30-50% hunters from a similar period were female. About 9,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers buried a teenager with hunting tools in the Andes mountains of South America. When researchers analysed the...

-HowIndiaLives.com * From high vacancies to shorter tenures to rising pendency, the Central Information Commission (CIC), India’s right-to-information (RTI) appeals body faces a plethora of problems today From almost always having a head to being headless. From five-year terms for key staff to three-year terms. From rules that didn’t leave room for interpretation to an overriding provision for the government. From hardly ever rejecting applications on the grounds of documentation to doing...

-The Hindu Business Line The govt’s POSHAN Abhiyaan is a step in the right direction. But for it to succeed an empowered community must form its backbone and the measures adopted should be inclusive, across the urban-rural and literacy fault-lines POSHAN (nutrition) has become the buzzword within the development community in the last couple of years. The launch of Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Nutrition (POSHAN) Abhiyaan has given nutrition the much-required...

-Financial Express The current guidelines may not inspire confidence among farmers on entering into collective enterprises. Prime minister Narendra Modi, in his address commemorating 75 years of the UN’s FAO, reiterated India’s commitment to enhance its farmers’ income. He also reiterated the resolve to create 10,000 additional Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), one of the main pillars in the proposed transformation of the agri-economy. Will his futuristic vision result in creation of successful...