-The Hindu A committee comprising farmers' representatives will look at the method of fixing the minimum support price of agricultural commodities. It will suggest if there is a need for the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to re-position itself in the light of the demands from farmers to raise the remunerative price for essential commodities. At its first meeting held here on Thursday, the panel headed by Director of National Centre...

-The Financial Express Leading economists who fear that the cost of the food security law on the exchequer would be much higher than estimated by the government have a seemingly unlikely ally - farmers' groups. A couple of national-level farmers' organisations have opposed the National Food Security Bill, saying it would "lead to nationalisation of agriculture by making the government the biggest buyer, hoarder and seller of foodgrains". Farmers' representatives from a...

-The Times of India The budget session of Parliament could again be stormy with NDA and Left parties coming together to oppose FDI in retail. BJP, CPI and JD(U) on Tuesday said the government may have got the bill passed in Lok Sabha but it should not feel victorious as they would not let it pass in Rajya Sabha. BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi even said that if NDA came to power, it...

-The Economic Times A ministerial panel working on changes to the Land Acquisition Bill has restored a provision that entails stiffer consent requirements for land acquisition for private companies and extending the legislation to all unfinished acquisitions from the day it becomes effective, clauses that are unlikely to make the bill popular with industry. The two clauses are among some 25 changes that have been made to the bill by the group...

-PTI Ahead of a meeting of Group of Ministers, Rural Development Ministry sought to allay apprehensions of industries and infrastructure sectors over the controversial land acquisition bill, contending that the amendments in the legislation are investor-friendly. In a note circulated to the members of the Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, the Ministry highlighted that the requirement of consent of all for acquiring land has been diluted and...