India's Public Distribution System (PDS) has been in a bad shape for decades, often thought to be beyond repair. Recent experience, however, suggests otherwise. Political will, increased transparency and community participation have led to an amazing revival of the PDS in Chhattisgarh though the state has only shown contempt for people's rights in other contexts… Somehow, the PDS became a political priority in Chhattisgarh and a decision was made to turn...

Tight liquidity continues; rise in bank rates likely for such lending. The Andhra Pradesh government will take some time to reply in the high court to the petitions filed against the Andhra Pradesh Microfinance Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Ordinance, issued last month. The Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), SKS Micro Finance and Spandana Sphoorty Financial have filed petitions saying the ordinance threatens to disrupt their business. The government sought an extension after...

All horticultural crops will be branded under common logo Agri and horticultural planting material that have been developed by the associate institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will be branded and will come with a logo soon. If all goes as planned, all horticultural crops will be initially branded under a logo, which has been acquired by Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR), Bangalore. The Bangalore-based institute, which is...

India will on Tuesday release its first assessment report on the impact of climate change on four sectors, including agriculture and water, in the country's four climatic hot spots like the Himalayas and the North East. "The first 4x4 assessment report will be released on November 16. Prepared by Indian Network of Climate Change Assessment, it will assess the impact of climate change on four sectors of the economy - agriculture,...

The term “bottom of the pyramid” (BOP), coined by the late C K Prahalad, became wildly attractive in the early noughties, in part because the concept, which suggests that it is possible and legit to make money from the poor, provided a leavening justification for the animal spirits of capitalism in poor countries like India and China with their growing list of Forbes billionaires. On the verge of the second decade...