What have illiterate tribals from remote Koraput district in Orissa got to do with eminent scientists in India? Well, there is a connect and this was revealed at the ongoing 99th Indian Science Congress when the Koraput tribals rubbed shoulders with the who’s who of the Indian scientific community. And the tribals were there because they had earned the pride of place with their unique efforts towards conservation of bio-diversity and...

-The Asian Age   Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s honouring of the Koraput tribals at the 99th Indian Science Congress for their conservation of climate resilient rice and pulses has helped place this backward community in the forefront of the world map. Ascribing their practices as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage system ( GIAHS), the Prime Minister honoured the tribals, Raita Muduli and Chandra Pradhan, for preserving the traditional agricultural practices of this region. This...

This is the season to count blessings. India's greatest blessings are its adherence to the democratic system of governance, an independent judiciary, a free and fearless media, and an Election Commission that inspires confidence. I hope that soon India will have an independent and effective Lokpal, which will pave the way for a corruption-free India, a pre-requisite for a hunger-free India. The other major paradigm shift observed in recent years is...

The central government claims that allowing foreign direct investment into India’s retail sector will benefit small farmers, expand employment and lower food inflation. What has been the experience in India with organised retail so far and what has been the global experience with FDI? Sukhpal Singh (sukhpal@iegindia.org) is currently at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. After being under relentless attack for a week, the United Progressiv Alliance government was forced to...

In U.P., where 70 per cent of the people depend on agriculture, FDI in retail does not produce any cheer. ON a misty Monday morning in early December in Muradnagar, a small town in western Uttar Pradesh, numerous tractors and trucks, loaded with jaggery and driven by farmers themselves, lined up in front of the smallest grain mandi (market) of the region. With unusual patience, the drivers waited for their...