-Down to Earth Development economist JEAN DREZE, known for his work on issues such as hunger, famine, social and human development in India, child health and education is not particularly happy with the way the National Food Security Bill has turned out. Although the proposed law has changed dramatically from the time Dreze pushed it during his days at the National Advisory Council, he is campaigning actively for its passage. Currently,...

-The Hindu The currencies of India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey have fallen quite dramatically against the dollar in the past few months. Whatever their domestic weaknesses, the reasons for this unprecedented decline - ranging between 13 to 21 per cent - are primarily global. In the past 48 hours, as tension mounts in West Asia, an already unprecedented situation has become even more difficult. On Wednesday, the rupee, as...

-Economic and Political Weekly The government has notified a Draft Land Reforms Policy which, on paper, has all the requisites of an earnest programme. Yet, the near total failure of earlier efforts at land reforms in India leave little room for hope that something substantial will at last be done to combat landlessness. Harsh Mander (manderharsh@gmail.com) is with the Centre for Equity Studies, New Delhi, and works with survivors of mass violence,...

-The Business Standard Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in a letter to the Prime Minister said "the newly introduced proviso leaves the fixation of the issue price to the discretion of the Central Government. Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government today said that the newly introduced proviso leaves in the Food Security Bill for the fixation of the issue price to the discretion of the Central Government would lead to an additional burden...

-The Hindu Even if labourers wish to clear the loan, their employers won't accept it Hassan (Karnataka): Even as the issue of bonded labour in Ragimaroor village in Arkalgud taluk is fresh in public memory, it has come to light that 27 people are allegedly being forced to work as bonded labourers at a quarry in Malladevarapura village in Hassan taluk. The labourers chip away rocks from dawn to dusk for a paltry...