-Live Mint   FDI in retail and modernization of agriculture are two faces of the same coin In the season of elections animal spirits rule. India's equity markets have been ebullient for some time now. Spurred by a robust inflow of foreign investment capital, markets have reacted favourably. A lot now depends on the ability of the next government to enact meaningful structural reforms, especially in a sector such as agriculture that requires...

-The Business Standard   Prime Minister Manmohan Singh can be assertive when he chooses to. He has certainly imposed his will on the government to push the case for the controversial genetically-modified (GM) food crops. Documents reviewed by Business Standard show, for almost two years, Singh and his office have been the moving force behind the decision to go ahead with field trials of GM crops, including food crops, without awaiting regulatory reforms...

-Down to Earth Application moved in Supreme Court by three wildlife NGOs seeks to reverse rights granted under Forest Rights Act, allege tribal rights activists and NGOs Several forest rights groups, conservation non-profits and ecologists have got together to condemn the move by a group of non-profits that has asked the Supreme Court to restrict implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006. According to a statement issued by the...

-The Hindu Why does Gujarat have indifferent social indicators, in spite of having enjoyed runaway economic growth and relatively high standards of governance? Gujarat's development achievements are moderate, largely predate Narendra Modi, and have as much to do with public action as with economic growth. As the nation heads for the polling booths in the numbing hot winds of April, objective facts and rational enquiry are taking a holiday and the public relations...

-The Business Standard There is an urgent need to develop a strong warehousing system equipped with modern and scientific storage facilities Mumbai: Around 30% of India's foodgrains harvest gets wasted because it is unprofessionally managed in the warehouse, a joint study conducted by The Associated Chambersof Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) and Yes Bank, said.Owing to extreme dearthof about 35 million tonnes (MT) warehousing capacity together with massive foodgrain storage shortfall...