-The Times of India India's wheat and rice production can be increased by over 60 percent, sugarcane production by 41 per cent and cotton production by 73 per cent by 2050 - without cutting down forests or increasing farmed area in any other way. Sounds like a dream? A study, published in the scientific journal Nature last week, shows that this is indeed possible. In fact it is possible to feed the...

-The Economic Times MUMBAI: India, the world's largest exporter of morphine sulphate, has very little of the drug to offer its terminally ill patients suffering from cancer and HIV. The supply of morphine, a narcotic pain reliever used for treating pain, is severely constrained in local hospitals and retail stores due to stringent laws that prevent and hinder companies from making and transporting the final product. Morphine sulphate is a byproduct of...

-Frontline A recession-hit world is only just waking up to the prospect of the coming food crisis resulting in a period of political turmoil with unexpected consequences.  For the third time in five years, the world is braced for another food crisis. Bad weather conditions are leading to projections of major production shortfalls in some of the world’s leading food suppliers. Substantially reduced access and sharp price increases are, therefore, expected to...

-The Indian Express Three new reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India increased the heat on the embattled government on Friday. The statutory auditor’s report on coal block allocations, implementation of public-private partnership at the Delhi International Airport and the award of ultra mega power projects (UMPP), tabled in Parliament, accused the government of indulging in favouritism, irregularities in bidding processes, and causing massive losses to the exchequer. The...

-The Economic Times  The government has stopped short of declaring a drought but rolled out a relief package which includes subsidised diesel for irrigation, funds to ensure drinking water, seed subsidy for resowing crops and augmentation of fodder supply. "The number of rain-deficient districts this year is more than in 2009," said agriculture minister Sharad Pawar after chairing a meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on drought. The meteorological department...