-The Business Standard Contrary to earlier claims, farm growth may be robust The projection by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) of robust agricultural growth of above five per cent and a consequential handsome rise in rural incomes comes as a silver lining to India's otherwise gloomy economic scene. The CACP's reckoning, based on a rigorous mathematical model, virtually discounts the agriculture ministry's kharif crop output estimates (called first advance...

-The Business Standard Fear of bad monsoon has suddenly hiked vegetable and fruit prices by about 300% from the farm to your dining table Bangalore: Steep rise in prices of fruits and vegetables has resulted in over 55% of middle and low-income group families opting for pre-cooked and ready-to-eat food items to keep the kitchen budget intact, according to a survey. "The fear of bad monsoon has suddenly hiked the vegetables...

-Civil Society Online Accreditation is the act of granting credit or recognition. It is to be preceded with a process where facts, figures and professional ethics are scrutinized so that the desired certification of competency, authority or credibility is presented. Only the best suited with the requisite track record are to find themselves in the approved list. In India, the much talked about and well critiqued initiative wherein consultants undertaking the responsibility...

-The Business Standard Indian plantations bloom in Ethiopia at the cost of the livelihoods and homes of the tribals If there is “blood diamond”, there is also such a thing as “blood maize”, “blood soya” and “blood pulses”. These come all the way from plantations in Ethiopia and other countries with repressive regimes. India, which claims to shun blood diamonds coming from African mines that use slave labour, is enthusiastically backing exploitation of...

-NDTV Insecurity is high and morale rock-bottom among women employees in Delhi and nearby Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad after the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student last month, shows a survey by trade and commerce body Assocham. Assocham or the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India did the survey in the National Capital Region and found the IT industry, especially call centres where women make up over half the...