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...
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And not a grain to eat-Brinda Karat
What stops the government from using good harvests to reduce, if not eliminate, hunger? For ordinary folk, a 3 per cent increase in food grain production over that of last year, combined with strong procurement operations and good buffer stocks of rice and wheat would be a cause for some celebration. It would be seen as an opportunity to tackle the widespread food insecurity that exists in India today. Instead, we...
More »And pension for all-Jayati Ghosh
A universal pension scheme for social protection must be part of a broader strategy of economic expansion different from the present neoliberal order. INDIA must be one of the worst countries in the world in terms of not providing even minimal social security for most of its people. This is not just a major failure of the development project in the country – it is also a significant cause of...
More »Of mines, minerals and tribal rights-Brinda Karat
The proposed liberalisation of the mining and minerals sector is an assault on the rightful owners of the land and its resources. Tribal and indigenous communities across the world have been asserting their rights to the mineral wealth often found under the land they own or possess or have traditional rights to. They have been historically denied even a share of that huge wealth, leave alone legal rights of ownership. Under...
More »Ambedkar textbook toon upsets MPs -JP Yadav and Basant Mohanty
A “derogatory” cartoon on B.R. Ambedkar in a Class XI textbook today created a furore in both Houses of Parliament and forced an apology out of minister Kapil Sibal outside the House. The ruckus, however, aborted an expected Opposition attack on home minister P. Chidambaram over his alleged role in helping his son gain from an Aircel-Maxis deal. Fittingly enough, the issue that spared Chidambaram for the day was raised by the...
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