The UPA government has betrayed its promise of inclusive growth over the years as a result of which poverty ratios have remained extremely high despite rapid economic growth, says Praful Bidwai. The new National Advisory Council must act urgently on nutritional security and public healthcare, he adds. The reconstitution of the National Advisory Council under Sonia Gandhi, announced by India’s United Progressive Alliance government, is good news. The original NAC died...

How serious is the United Progressive Alliance government about enacting food security legislation that gives every citizen in the country the right to adequate food? On the face of it, the government appears to be extremely serious. After all, ensuring the right to food was a major election promise of the Congress party that leads the UPA; it has been frequently mentioned in various official pronouncements of this government; and...

With food inflation still in double-digits, the first meeting of the Core Group of Central Ministers and State Chief Ministers on Prices of Essential Commodities is being held here on Thursday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will preside. Ten Chief Ministers are expected to attend. The States that will be represented include Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Assam. Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee heads the group,...

While the government's recent clarification on the policy on foreign investment in wholesale trade is welcome, it needs to be complemented with a policy to empower our farmers to interact with modern, organised retail productively. Organised retail can catalyse a second green revolution in India when farmers become empowered to negotiate prices for their produce with retailers. The industry ministry's recent guidelines for wholesale trade, known as cash and carry,...

A meticulously researched book by A. Vaidyanathan, Agricultural Growth in India: Role of Technology, Incentives and Institutions, is an illuminating scholarly work. Thinking about it one realizes the dismal and declining state of Indian agriculture and the poor governance at both Central and state government levels that has brought it to this sorry pass. A valuable compendium of data and analysis of Indian agriculture since Independence, it is a valuable...