-The Business Standard   It is not pro-farmer, provides for too many committees and too many approvals, says Amitabh Kant The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will press to the next government for redrafting the recently enacted Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act. "The new (land acquisition) Act is extremely bureaucratic, with the introduction of a social impact assessment. It is not pro-farmer; it provides for too many committees and too many...

-The United Nations   From farming to forestry and fisheries, agriculture greenhouse emissions have nearly doubled over the past 50 years and may increase by another 30 per cent by 2050, according to new estimates out today from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). "FAO's new data represent the most comprehensive source of information on agriculture's contribution to global warming made to date," said Francesco Tubiello of the agecny's Climate, Energy and...

-The Indian Express Here, the MGNREGA and ration card are the people's lifelines. Himmatnagar is on the border of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Large numbers of Chelliah Muslims settled in its urban areas after the 2002 riots. There are some uplifting stories about the indomitable human spirit in their rehabilitation. But my story is about a place to the northeast of Himmatnagar, as you cross Radhanpur into Rajasthan. This is jungle territory and...

-The Hindu A strong whistle-blower protection law in India would expose financial corruption in a way that reinforces ethical business practices In 2013, generic pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy pleaded guilty to seven criminal felonies for drug manufacturing fraud and agreed to cough up an unprecedented $500 million in fines. The case against Ranbaxy was significant not only for being a successful prosecution of a powerful India corporation. It also marked the triumph of Dinesh...

-The Hindustan Times   Sakhri Nate: In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the 5,000-odd voters of Sakhri Nate, a Muslim village, took their day off from fishing activities, sacrificing a day's earning, to vote for Congress candidate Nilesh Rane. Five years later, the story is different. They have dared Congress leader Narayan Rane and his son Nilesh to enter their village. On Thursday, the Ranes cancelled their scheduled meeting here when they learnt that...