-The Financial Express The minimum that the govt can do is to remove all restrictions on a free market for pulses Last year, roughly at this time, the price of tur dal (pigeon pea) in the retail market was hovering around R180/kg. Prices of other pulses were not far behind. They were all spiraling up due to back-to-back droughts during 2014-15 and 2015-16. Production of all pulses had plunged to 16.5 million...

-The Hindu Business Line By trying to appear more women-friendly than is necessary, the law may deter industry from employing women altogether The amendment to the maternity Bill, long overdue, calls for some serious reconsideration due to its skewed philosophy. While the most prominent flaw is its emphasis on employees in the new-age services sector, there are several other shortcomings. What is wrong Firstly, the need for expansion of the existing benefit lacks scientific basis....

-India Today Commonly grown in Assam, the Black Rice (Kala chavul) is an exotic variety with amazing nutritional parameters like anti-oxidant, minerals, carbohydrates and fibre but the growers lacked the market. Chandigarh: The northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim are a veritable goldmine of organic foodgrains, herbs, spices and fruits. Despite the uniqueness and amazing health benefits, these foodgrains and herbs remain confined to these states as...

-Hindustan Times The last few weeks have seen a spate of government notifications making Aadhaar mandatory for receiving the benefits of government programmes. The most recent orders relate to an Aadhaar requirement for children to access schools (even under their fundamental right to education), mid-day meals, supplementary nutrition (ICDS) and scholarships. These directives raise a number of ethical as well as practical questions, besides violating children’s right to education, nutrition and...

-Livemint.com/ Bloomberg A late El Nino may miss India’s monsoon season that runs from June through September, accounting for more than 70% of rain and watering more than half of all farmland New Delhi: India’s monsoon may escape the effects of a possible El Nino as the event that can BRIng dry weather to the world’s top cotton grower and second-biggest wheat and sugar producer. “Mostly it may not have any impact on...