-The Hindu Business Line Policy interventions, skill development enhance opportunities for farmers AgriculTure, the largest livelihood generating activity, is fast transforming itself from a supply-driven to a demand-demand scenario. The discerning consumer (urban, rural and global) is increasingly demanding better quality, multiple choices, food safety and convenience. Diversification is the key to convene these changing demand patterns with supply, and more importantly, to act as an overall risk mitigant for the producer himself....

-The Hindu Forty years after being established with a mandate to generate data on the nutritional status of socially vulnerable groups, the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) has been shut down by the Union Health Ministry. The bureau, under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had been critical in informing the government’s poverty alleviation interventions with periodic assessments of nutrient deficiency among tribal communities, pregnant women, adolescents and “at-risk” elderly population...

-The Hindu The Central Information Commission has admitted fewer and fewer cases every month this year, under the Right to Information Act, data show, and RTI activists have asked for greater transparency in the process of Turning down requests. Cases come before the CIC in two ways: if an applicant is not satisfied with the response to his or her request for information from a Central government authority, and with the verdict...

-The Hindu Importers seek exemption from stock limits The Centre on Tuesday declared that the 82,462.53 tonnes of pulses seized in various States under the Essential Commodities Act would be made available in the open market within this week to augment supplies and arrest further hike in the prices of Tur and urad dals. Rate not decided There was no word, however, on the rate at which these pulses will be made available in...

-Business Standard The Centre had asked state governments to meet millers, retailers and wholesalers to make pulses available at reasonable prices Heeding the advice of the Centre, some state governments have started selling Tur dal at lower rates of Rs 120-140 a kg through their own retail outlets. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are distributing a kg of Tur dal at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 50 through ration shops, while Tamil Nadu...