-The Telegraph The Congress today slammed the Centre for linking food inflation to increased incomes and changing diets and asked if it intended to scrap its predecessor's welfare schemes that had raised poor families' purchasing power. Ironically, Congress ministers used to cite similar reasons for the rising prices. But spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the government of "insulting" the people and said it was a matter of satisfaction and pride that incomes were...

-Economic and Political Weekly This paper identifies the channels and processes which have increased the vulnerability of employment in the organised manufacturing sector. It explores the exemptions from specific labour regulations accorded to particular activities and locates the anti-labour positions in the arbitration mechanisms under the state and judicial reinterpretations of existing laws. The popular discourse on labour regulation in India has been arguing in favour of labour market flexibility and...

-The Telegraph The country's third driest June over a hundred years might have prompted the Union government to come up with agriculture contingency plans for around 500 districts but Bihar for one seems blessed in this field. In spite of 32 per cent deficient rainfall across the state in June, the overall sowing of paddy seedlings till July 1 stood at 2,57,660 hectares, substantially higher than the area of 2,31,000 hectares covered...

-RisingKashmir.com   Horticulture encroaching upon paddy land  Srinagar: Agriculture land has shrunk by 2 lakh hectares since 1996, economic survey reveals. The survey reports that 10 lakh hectares were under agriculture production during 1995-96 which has reduced to 8 lakh hectares in 2013. Experts said that reduction in the agriculture land has decreased its contribution to states economy also. On the other hand, the horticulture has also developed into a major sector in Jammu and Kashmir's...

-The Hindu Business Line     Facing criticism for rising prices, the Modi Government has blamed public expenditure on schemes such as MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) for fuelling food inflation. Curiously, the BJP wants the job scheme to continue, with the focus mainly on agriculture. According to the agenda note circulated for Friday's Conference of State Food Ministers with the Centre, food inflation is caused by both demand and supply...