-Live Mint The national food security law is in trouble from an unlikely source The outcome of the World Trade Organization (WTO) summit at Bali has been projected as a great victory for the Indian government by its spokespersons. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In exchange for a temporary reprieve on its food support programme, India has bartered away the bargaining chip of trade facilitation, which Western negotiators demanded. The...
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India needs to show flexibility at WTO's Bali ministerial as its collapse has long-term consequences
-The Times of India Commerce minister Anand Sharma deserves our sympathy. Driven by the way India's domestic politics is playing out, he is fast emerging as the person who has become the face of the country that, in Bali, threatens to kill WTO's Doha round after 12 years of fruitless negotiations. It need not be this way. India needs to show more flexibility at this moment as long-term consequences of a...
More »United States finds pesticide residue in basmati, exports plunge -Madhvi Sally
-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: Basmati rice exports to the US have plunged because many Indian firms are under an import alert by the US authorities, leading to a detailed scrutiny for pesticide residue in every grain being shipped out. This has raised costs, upset schedules and obstructed sales, prompting exporters to seek government intervention. In the first quarter of calendar year 2013, exports were down to 19,583 tonne. With 31 Indian...
More »Strong medicine for poor countries-Nayanima Basu
-The Business Standard The Novartis verdict by the Supreme Court emphasised the importance of flexibilities in drug patent laws, in contrast to Western countries which are seeking TRIPS-plus hardening through free-trade agreements As curtains on the six-year-long legal tussle with Swiss drug giant Novartis AG finally came down earlier this month, the Indian government did not waste a second in hailing the Indian patent law which it said was in "full...
More »Celebrating women who won against all odds
-The Hindustan Times Real Heroes, a CNN-IBN initiative in partnership with Hindustan Times, celebrates the extraordinary service of India's ordinary citizens every year. This year, the awards will felicitate 13 women who fought hard and conquered all obstacles to make a difference. Today we share four such stories. * Bhanwari Devi It's a name that's synonymous with the women's movement in India. And yet justice continues to elude Bhanwari Devi. Brutally raped in 1992 for reporting...
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