-Down to Earth Agricultural markets have turned into centres of political power, say farmers' organisations The new BJP government in Maharashtra has dismissed 166 agricultural produce market committees (APMCs), including the apex Navi Mumbai APMC, following thousands of complaints of irregularities and misconduct received against them. An order to this effect was issued on Monday, November 10, to the director of agricultural marketing in the state. Agriculture Secretary Sudhir Goyal informed that the...

-The Hindu Two out of five men in many States across the country believe that women should neither be seen nor heard. One in three men didn't allow their wives to wear clothes of their choice and 75 per cent expected their partners to agree to have sex. These findings are part of a study ‘Masculinity, Intimate Partner Violence and Son Preference in India' carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,...

-PTI A new study has explored how the average Indian male interprets the idea of 'masculinity' and how that shapes his interactions with women. The study, 'Masculinity, Intimate Partner Violence and Son Preference in India' by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), shows a very high prevalence of violence against women in relationsips across many states in the country. Most of the 9,205 men...

-PTI Washington: Six out of ten men in India have acted violently against their wives or partners at some point of time, with those facing economic distress more likely to perpetrate violence, says a new study highlighting prevalence of intimate partner abuse released on Monday. The study titled Masculinity, Intimate Partner Violence and Son Preference in India by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Washington-based International Centre for Research on Women...

-The Hindu It will be tabled in the winter session of the legislature Bengaluru (Karnataka): To regulate the prices of Bt cotton seeds in the State, the government is planning to introduce a Karnataka Cotton Bill, 2014, at the State legislature session to be held in Belagavi in December. The Bill envisages the constitution of an authority headed by the Director of the Agriculture Department for fixation of prices of Bt cotton seeds...