Leading a 15 member delegation on Seeds Bill 2004, comprised of MPs, MLAs, former Ministers and farmers leaders from Andhra Pradesh, the State Agriculture Minister, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy met all the important leaders in New Delhi yesterday, starting from the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Agriculture Minister, Mr. Sharad Pawar, Law Minister, Mr. Veerappa Moily, Finance Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, renowned scientist and MP, Dr....

North-East should go for investment in public-private-partnership basis for more development work, member of planning commission B K Chaturvedi said here today. "Since public invest has been sufficient, the states should opt for public-private-partnership in a big way in different areas of both physical and social developments," he said while speaking at Moatsu-cum-Roadshow programme here. Chaturvedi, who looks after North-East in Planning Commission, feels the region lags in many areas and NE...

Is India’s brand new Seed Bill capable of protecting the farmers' livelihoods? Or will it compromise their interest by allowing multinational seed companies to have a free run of the Indian seed market? The new Bill seeks to regulate the seed market and improve the quality of Seeds as well as to harmonise and update the old policies in line with the current international practices for production, supply and for...

Interim Observations of the Jury of Independent People’s Tribunal on Land Acquisition, Resource Grab and Operation Green Hunt The Independent People’s Tribunal on Land Acquisition, Resource Grab and Operation Green Hunt (organised by a collective of civil society groups, social movements, activists, academics and concerned citizens) was held in New Delhi from April 9 to 11, 2010. Its jury comprised retired Supreme Court judge Justice P.B. Sawant, retired Bombay High Court...

Fearing that the proposed Seeds Bill, 2004, if enacted, would harm millions of small and medium farmers across the country and only benefit the multi-national companies, city-based United Coalition Against Genetic Engineering (Uncage) today said that all stakeholders in agriculture and environment sectors must come forward to oppose the move. The Bill, to be tabled in Parliament soon is not about ensuring quality Seeds, the coalition said, but about harmonising Indian...