-The Hindustan Times   Gujarat's developmental model has dominated this election season, thanks to BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi making it a poll issue and the Congress hitting back with vengeance. Modi showcased his state's model to project his performance. The Congress called it a ‘toffee' model that India does not need. TMC said the West Bengal model was better while Telugu Desam Party said the Gujarat model was inspired by the one...

-Frontline   A study on untouchability practices in 1,589 villages in Gujarat provides critical data for the Dalit movement to shape its interventions at the national and international levels. DESPITE laws making it punishable, untouchability continues to exist in the country in a vicious manner. A study titled "Understanding Untouchability: A Comprehensive Study of Practices and Conditions in 1,589 villages", conducted in Gujarat by the Navsarjan Trust, an organisation that promotes the...

-The Times of India MADURAI: A Madurai-based farmer has managed to produce the highest yield in paddy by combining organic and chemical fertilisers, even as agriculture is undergoing the odds due to erratic rains. C Sethumathavan from Chinnaelanthaikulam produced the yield of 24 tonnes per hectare paddy in the 2013 - 14 kuruvai season. Hailing from a traditional agriculture family, Sethumathavan had cultivated paddy on his 10 acres farm. But he was...

-The Times of India UDAIPUR: A small initiative by the district administration to expand the types of works under MGNREGA to provide a wider range of options to beneficiaries has earned it large appreciation. Following the suit, green vegetable plantation and maintenance work at water bodies to facilitate better irrigation are likely to be adopted statewide as new activities under the scheme. At the recently concluded video conferencing program, the authorities of...

-The Hindu Business Line Given the analytical output, it will become easier for governments to take decisions Global country risks, weather uncertainty, crop failure, lack of hedging instruments, increased capital costs, lack of insurance mechanisms and logistical bottlenecks are just a few of the issues that lead to volatility in prices of agricultural commodities. This volatility, combined with a steady increase in demand for food around the world, has forced us to accept...