As the common man continues to reel under the spiraling rise in prices of essential commodities especially key food items and vegetables the forever-rising food inflation is posing a serious challenge to policy makers. Though top government officials, including the Finance Minister and the Chairman of the Planning Commission have repeatedly assured that the food prices will soon stop rising, in reality it has gone the other way.   The rising spree...

The proposal of the Orissa government to supply surplus water from Hansua River to Posco India's proposed mega steel plant at Paradip has drawn flak from the farmers who have decided to protest this move of the government. The activists of Nab Nirman Krushak Sangthan conducted a meeting at Redhua near Paradip while hundreds of farmers joined rallies to protest the move of the state government to supply water for the...

Several places in Punjab and Haryana face flash flood situation in the wake of heavy downpour, which also resulted in "low flood" conditions in some areas along Yamuna and Sutlej rivers in the two states. The in-flow at Yamuna river near Hathni Kund barrage in Yamunanagar district of Haryana was at 1.3 lakh cusecs of water, officials said, adding it was considered to be a "low flood" condition. Some 60 villages...

At a time when carbon aerosols including black carbon caused by incomplete combustion are being linked to global warming, an integrated national research programme will study its impact on public health, rainfall patterns and glacial health in the country. "While various institutes in the country have been working on aerosols, including black carbon for some time now, India needs to assume a major leadership role in aerosol science," Environment Minister Jairam...

In an encouraging development, Assam has been awarded the best performing State in rice production in eastern India. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar presented awards for best performance in production and productivity in National Food Security Mission (NFSM) districts, to the States of Assam (Eastern) for rice, Punjab (western region) and Bihar (central eastern) for wheat; Uttar Pradesh (central western), Andhra Pradesh (southern) and Maharashtra (central eastern), Tamil Nadu (southern) and...