As many as 67 pesticides that have either been banned or severely restricted by some countries, have been allowed for use on crops in India, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar admitted in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. He said during Question Hour that 27 pesticides, including calcium cyanide, have been banned for manufacture, import and use in India. Nicotin Sulfate and Captafol have been banned for use in the country but their manufacture...

Institutional apathy must not be allowed to creep into scheme Lapses can be reduced by ensuring kitchens in schools Noting diversion of funds and foodgrains under the ambitious Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Kerala, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland and Bihar, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said confirmed cases of diversion are indicative of widespread fiscal indiscipline in implementing the scheme. Institutional apathy and lack of concerted efforts should not be...

The State Assembly passes a Bill to set up a tribunal to recover compensation from Coca-Cola's bottling unit in Plachimada. THE road ahead seems to be a difficult one for the Bill passed recently by the Kerala Assembly for the establishment of a special tribunal to “make the polluter pay” and recover compensation for the people affected by the activities of Coca-Cola's controversial bottling unit at Plachimada in Palakkad district....

Trade unions of all hues join forces in an unprecedented manner and present a charter of demands to the government. IN a rare show of unity, and for the first time since Independence, around one lakh workers affiliated to eight central trade unions and national industrial federations, including the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and the trade unions of the Left parties, came out on the streets of New...

There’s no evidence that India’s growing prosperity has led to less malnutrition among Indian children, according to a new study by scientists from Harvard and the University of Michigan. One plausible explanation, the authors wrote, is that India’s rapid economic growth “may have benefited only the privileged sections of society.” Technology jobs have driven the boom, but 75 percent of the population is supported by farming or manufacturing, noted S. V. Subramanian,...