-The Business Standard The dominant theme in the pre-election discourse is that misrule by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in its second term has led to sharply lower growth of gross domestic product (GDP), which Narendra Modi will reverse, the way he has made Gujarat shine. But the evidence on hand does not support this correlation between the quality of national political leadership and growth performance. If anything, there is...

-DNA Farmers' suicides are as much a consequence of indebtedness as the failure of the government to offer solutions to make agriculture a viable profession. Astring of farmers' suicides, in the aftermath of hailstorms and unseasonal rainfall over the past fortnight, in Maharashtra sheds light on the parlous state of Indian agriculture. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics tell us that over 2.8 lakh farmers have committed suicide since 1995. Though attempts...

-The Times of India HYDERABAD: Organic vegetables, which have become popular in the city as a healthy alternative to pesticide-sprayed, mass-produced veggies, are now burning a hole in the pockets of consumers. Priced earlier at three times the price of regular vegetables, organic ones now cost up to 10 times the rate at rythu bazaars in the city! According to a resident of Road No 13, Banjara Hills, who was introduced to...

-The Hindu Business Line     Questions efficiency of country's food subsidy programmes  Targeting India's Food Security Programme, the US has questioned its efficiency and has said that the country should spell out measures to increase the programme's effectiveness. It has also demanded that India submit all relevant statistics and documents on the programme to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in order to gain immunity against penalties in case subsidies breach specified limits. "The matter will...

-DNA Elections 2014 are around the corner. And when elections draw nearer, the Government suddenly wakes up and thinks of its duties towards the people. This year is no exception. Whether it is the one-rank-one-pension for the retired defence personnel or the legal monthly entitlement of 5kg of wheat/rice/millet for poor households under the national Food Security Act or the announcement of a 7th Pay Commission along with a DA instalment...