Following allegations of plagiarism, top Indian science academies have come out with a new report on Bt brinjal, reiterating their earlier claim that the genetically modified (GM) crop is safe and fit for commercial release. A coalition of environmental groups had alleged that key parts of an earlier report prepared by the science academies were plagiarized from a pro-GM newsletter of the department of biotechnology, Mint reported on 27 September. Last week,...

Close on the heels of the protests over the commercial introduction of Bt brinjal in the country, reports of field trials for a genetically modified (GM) variety of rice in West Bengal has sparked another controversy. A group of scientists held a press conference here on Thursday strongly protesting the development after media reports emerged about the decision of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to grant permission to the Calcutta...

It's not just onions that sting these days. A survey of local markets in the Capital on Wednesday showed that almost everything the neighbourhood greengrocer sells - except potatoes - has started pinching the pocket of the middle class Delhiite. Retail prices of vegetables, such as beans, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato and carrot, have shot up by 25 to 60% compared to prices around this time last year. Although onion prices...

From the time a farmer in India harvests his produce to the time it lands on your plate, farm products go through several layers of middlemen, wholesalers, cold chains and other intermediaries, which push its price up by many notches. The end result: growers get paid less and consumers pay more. The stranglehold that the government has over agriculture produce marketing in India has given rise to abject inefficiencies, lack...

Planning to call over friends and relatives this Uttarayan for the undhiyu treat? Then, watch out, for, your budget may go haywire if you have not factored in the price rise.Onion prices aren't the only one making Amdavadis cry. Vegetable prices in general seem to make the Amdavadi very emotional as he watches his wallet being ripped apart.The soaring vegetable prices have sent household budgets haywire.Undhiyu, one of the popular...