-Financial Express The country must double its support to farmers, from the current levels of about 6-8% of the value of agri-output It was in the mid-1980s that the ‘India-Bharat’ phraseology was fist pushed into political jargon, by farmers’ leader Sharad Joshi, with ‘India’ representing the urban elite of the country and ‘Bharat’ synonymous with its neglected rural folk. Joshi, at the time, was leading lakhs of farmers protesting against anti-farmer policies,...

-Down to Earth The rate at which informal housing is being destroyed probably far exceeds the rate at which formal housing is being constructed Troubled by the degradation of environment on and around railway tracks, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed Delhi government to relocate all illegal settlements along tracks in Delhi. The tribunal reasoned that the residents of these settlements practise open defecation and litter on the tracks. Housing of the...

-Hindustan Times New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a PIL seeking enactment of a law prohibiting the slaughter of cows and the sale of beef and such products across the National Capital Region, terming it as “misconceived”. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath declined to entertain the plea after the AAP government informed the court that there was already the ‘Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation...

-The Hindu He stressed that his government seeks to roll out inclusive reforms that will lead to better lives for people and not just better headlines in pink newspapers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India’s performance on all economic parameters, including inflation and foreign investments, is now better than when his government joined office 17 months back. Speaking at the Delhi Economics Conclave 2015, Mr. Modi stressed that...

-The Indian Express Since appointment of Dalit cook, 100 have left Kagganahalli school in Kolar. Kagganahalli (Karnataka): Every day Radhamma takes out a diary she is required to maintain as part of the mid-day meal scheme in government schools in Karnataka and writes four words, “No one ate today.” Every day for the past five months. Radhamma is a Scheduled Caste, and the condition that she not make food is the only way...