An innovative mechanism to save farmers from exploiting traders, which India implemented as a national model in the 70s, is now being blamed for rising vegetable prices.     Agricultural produce marketing committees (APMCs) have become archaic and vegetables and fruits need to be taken out of these local market hubs, analysts say. “They have turned into platform for hoarders, rather than a buyer-seller platform,” farm expert Sompal, who was formerly union agriculture...

Taking forward the pro-poor schemes of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy announced in style his New Year gift: a housing scheme for the urban poor. With a proposed budget of Rs.5,000 crore, the project, ‘Rajiv Awaas Yojna', will ensure pucca houses to the poor in every slum across the State. Announcing the scheme amid much fanfare during a surprise visit to a slum in the city's outskirts, the...

Since the beginning of December last, 220 tenant farmers in the state have committed suicide or died of shock, crushed by mounting debts and loss of crops. Overall, the farmer death toll stands at a staggering 350-400. Though the fickle weather wreaked havoc, experts believe it's only partly to blame as several other factors have worked against the farming community. While economic expansion continues to bypass the farming community leaving...

Citibank manager Shivraj Puri’s alleged fraud on wealthy clients has swivelled the spotlight on the growing number of high net-worth individuals whose money banks rush to manage for a fee. The wealth of high net-worth individuals (HNIs) — defined as those who have “investable assets of at least $1 million (around Rs 4.5 crore) — in India is estimated at a staggering $477 billion and is rising each day. According to the...

Barely weeks after firefighting the controversy over a central minister trying to influence an HC judge, former chief justice of India K G Balakrishnan has come under the spotlight again. Demands have emerged from several quarters for a probe into the assets of Balakrishnan's son-in-law, P V Sreenijan, an advocate and a leader of the Youth Congress in Kerala. The move comes in the wake of reports claiming a "baffling increase"...