-Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Finance The Economic Survey emphasizes on the need for a national common agricultural market and identifies un-integrated and distortion ridden agricultural market as the one of the most striking problems in agriculture growth. The Economic Survey suggests 3 incremental steps as possible solution, building on the Budget 2014 recognition for setting up a national market, farmers' markets and need for the Central Government and the State Government...

-The Times of India NAGPUR: The state cabinet has given a go ahead for distribution of over 7540 solar powered agricultural pumps in the state. It will be on a pilot basis under a Central scheme. State cabinet on Tuesday decided to allocate Rs 22.25 crore for the project estimated to cost Rs 445 crore. The Union government has decided to give a big push to solar energy and fixed a target...

-The Hindu The implementation of the National Food Security Act is mired in apathy and confusion. A grave injustice is being done to millions of people who live on the margin of subsistence. It is not too late to remove the roadblocks, but this requires a sense of urgency An odd silence has surrounded the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the last few months - as if food insecurity were a...

-The Indian Express   Three weeks before Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai was stopped from travelling to London where she was to speak on the alleged violation of forest rights of tribals in the Mahan coal block area of Madhya Pradesh, the Ministry of Environment and Forests asked the Ministry of Coal not to auction the block as it is "located in inviolate forest area". Pillai was stopped at Delhi airport on January 11...

-FirstPost.com Abhijit Sen, part-time member of the Planning commission, has openly criticised some of the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, particularly with respect to the ones on sharing of taxes to state governments. The dissent note was carried in the report of the commission tabled in Parliament on Tuesday. "The recommendations regarding devolution and revenue deficit grants are bound to disrupt existing plan transfers, with likely very serious effects in the...