-The Hindu Cheap imported bags are sold as Indian to government agencies for a higher procurement price. The Union Textiles Ministry has unearthed a major racket in large-scale import of cheap jute bags from Nepal and Bangladesh by Indian manufacturers, many of whom were supplying these to government agencies after putting their own seals. The Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987, mandates that jute bags supplied to government agencies...

-The Hindu Government sources told The Hindu that at PDS packaging centres, new unbranded bags were being replaced with used ones. Jute bags meant for packaging of foodgrains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) allegedly provided their manufacturers — in league with some officials of procuring State government agencies, quality insurance inspectors and middlemen — an opportunity to siphon off thousands of crores in government revenue. So serious is the scam that the...

-The Hindu ‘Safe Travels!’ we wish those travelling to distant places. It is an unhappy situation that in India, we need to wish many a woman ‘safe travels’ as she steps out to work. Well publicised instances of violence against women working in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector during workplace-related travel as well as some not so broadly-known experiences of women in blue collar work, point to a problem that...

-The Indian Express Slaughter of the cow and its progeny is banned in most of India; the consumption of their meat is also largely prohibited. States where cow slaughter is legal: Kerala No restrictions. West Bengal No restrictions. Other Northeast No ban in Arunachal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim. In Manipur, Maharaja in 1939 decreed prosecution for cow slaughter, but beef consumed widely. States where cow slaughter is banned: Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Slaughter of cows, calves prohibited. Bulls, bullocks...

-The Indian Express Apart from 59.5 lt of meat, India also produced 90.40 lt of fish in 2012-13, with Andhra Pradesh (18.08 lt), West Bengal (14.90 lt) and Gujarat (7.88 lt) occupying the top three positions. Bovines are the second largest source of meat in India after poultry, and ahead of goat and sheep. According to the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHDF), total meat production in 2012-13 stood...