Jairam intervenes after Nitish tells him that he is opposed to such trials Even as the moratorium on commercialisation of Bt brinjal stands, Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to immediately withdraw its permission to Monsanto for field trials of Bt maize in Bihar. Bt brinjal was the first, and maize is the second food crop for which the GEAC has given...

Centre to also give 50% subsidy for new mills, technical help to cultivators. The Union agriculture ministry has identified eight states where the Budget annoucement on expanding the area under oil palm cultivation can be implemented. It has decided to provide 50 per cent subsidy for setting up palm oil extraction units. India imports about 8.2 million tonnes of edible oil in a year and 80 per cent of this is palm...

South India is way ahead of other regions in encashing on the tax-free special economic zones scheme as 79 of 130 functional SEZs are located in four southern states. Among southern states, Andhra Pradesh is on the top of the table with a maximum number of 32 operational special economic zones (SEZs) followed by Tamil Nadu (22), Karnataka (20) and Kerala (7), according to the latest government data. The sector-wise data shows...

The targeted four per cent growth in the agriculture sector could be achieved if agricultural schemes such as System of Rice Intensification and Dryland Farming, initiated in Tamil Nadu, are replicated across India, the Planning Commission has said. "India, producing around 210-220 million tonnes of foodgrains annually, has to increase the productivity from two tonnes per hectare against the world average of four tonnes,'' the Member of the Planning Commission, Dr...

In the recent meeting of the apex National Tiger Conservation Authority, members pointed out seven specific instances where Forest Rights Act has been violated in an attempt to hastily declare an area free of people. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh said he would investigate each claim and allegation of violation of FRA. TOI highlights four such reserves. Will he now send a fact finding team to these sites? BRT Tiger reserve,...