The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA)'s plan to introduce a Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism for 13 items of minor forest produce (MFP) has been approved by the Planning Commission. Sources in the Ministry told The Hindu that a detailed financial proposal would be sent to the Expenditure Finance Committee of the Finance Ministry by June 7 after which it would go to the CABinet. Union Minister Kishore Chandra Deo, who...

-The Telegraph Over 10 crore tribal people who earn their living by selling minor forest produce can now look forward to a better deal. State governments and the Planning Commission have backed a proposal to fix a uniform minimum support price for 13 such items by an independent commission. The ministry of tribal affairs is likely to take up the proposal for setting up a National Minor Forest Produce Price Commission (NMFPPC) with...

-The Economic Times The government has removed roadblocks to coal mining by leading business houses and taken the first step to relax scrutiny of corporate expenditure on oil and gas fields, in a burst of action that has cheered investors and industrialists in the languishing energy sector. A group of ministers recommended to the CABinet on Wednesday that Reliance Power's Chhatrasal block, which is attached to the 4,000 mw Sasan Ultra Mega...

-PTI In view of rising farm input costs, the Agriculture Ministry has proposed a Rs 170 per quintal increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy at Rs 1,250 per quintal for the 2012-13 crop year (July-June). According to sources, the ministry has circulated a CABinet note among various ministries recommending MSP of Rs 1,250 per quintal for common variety paddy and Rs 1,280 per quintal for 'A' grade variety of...

-The Hindustan Times Prominent Team Anna member Justice Santosh Hegde blew hot and cold over the chargesheet prepared by his colleagues against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 14 other CABinet ministers — accusing them of corruption. Though Justice Hegde expressed unhappiness over his colleagues in Team Anna using  strong language against the Prime Minister and some other ministers, hours later, he appeared to have toned down his objections. “I am a member of...