A section of Congress is set to back the demand of chief ministers of BJP and other Opposition-ruled states to reject the Seeds Bill, 2010, in its present form. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, spearheading the campaign against the bill, has told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that the bill, whose avowed purpose is to facilitate production and supply of seeds of quality, will put the peasantry...
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Why was Niyamat Ansari Killed? : The Politics of NREGA and the Maoists by Avanish Kumar
The gruesome murder of NREGA activist Niyamat Ansari has shocked the progressive civil society and political groups in the country. According to reports (one, two), Niyamat Ansari had exposed a case of corruption in NREGA and an FIR was lodged against a former BDO and another Panchayat Sevak of Manika block, Latehar (Jharkhand). On 2nd March 2011, Niyamat Ansari was picked from his house and beaten to death. The reports...
More »In farmer's name by R Ramakumar
The policy is to promote specific high-value segments within agriculture, where corporate houses have major profit interests. A COMMON compliment that Pranab Mukherjee's Union Budget for 2011-12 received from the media was its proclaimed “friendliness” to agriculture and rural areas. It was not just the media; members of India Inc. welcomed the Budget as “focussed” on agriculture. However, a close look at the Budget estimates reveals a different picture. Public...
More »Govt may allow FDI in multi-brand retailing by Surojit Gupta & Sidhartha
The government is looking at allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retailing as part of a slew of measures to make India more attractive to overseas investors. Senior government officials told TOI that the thinking was that a gradual opening up would be a better strategy with global chains first allowed to open stores in metros, while wholesale cash-and-carry being limited to smaller towns and cities, at least for the...
More »CPM to Bengal unit: target graft, not Didi
The CPM’s top leadership has advised comrades in poll-bound Bengal to focus on corruption and price rise and how the Centre was playing with the “livelihood of the poor” but warned against targeting Mamata Banerjee personally. “Too much attack” on the rival could prove counterproductive, a top leader said. The decision to concentrate on graft and price rise came as the CPM politburo and central committee met in New Delhi today. Sources...
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