-The Hindu Business Line Cut in funds is a major setback: civil society activists New Delhi: Economist Prabhat Patnaik and civil society activist Aruna Roy criticised the Narendra Modi government over various issues on Wednesday. Releasing a report card on the first year of NDA rule, they said the government is not displaying transparency and accountability to the people. Patnaik said all the explanation that the Centre is giving about the increase in...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has granted the military permission to test missiles targeting four ecologically fragile islands in the Andaman and Nicobar group in the Bay of Bengal, junking a UPA policy derisively known as "birds-over-bombs". The islands are uninhabited or largely uninhabited for most of the year, a source in the defence ministry claimed. Environmental organisations such as the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, claim the islands are home...

-PTI In a letter to Niti Ayog Task Force Head Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Gandhi raised concerns about the reduced budgetary allocation to the ministry, saying it will impact programmes that tackle malnutrition, issues of women and child welfare schemes. Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has asked the Niti Aayog to postpone the decision on restructuring of funding pattern of social sector schemes to next fiscal year, citing lack of...

-PTI Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government today said it has delisted fruits and vegetables from APMC Act, enabling farmers to sell produce directly in the market. Till now, farmers had to compulsorily sell vegetables and fruits like other farm produce through route of Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Agriculture and Co-operation Department of the state government has by a public notification issued today delisted fruits and vegetables from APMC Act which will be beneficial...

-The Financial Express Smart irrigation management steps, including harnessing social sector schemes for irrigation works, did the trick The spate of recent farmer suicides has once again drawn the country’s attention to the deepening agrarian crisis. Media is abuzz with opinions and expert advice on how to provide succour to the farming community. Oft-repeated among these is the demand to increase public investment in irrigation. However, we need to remember that, since 1990, public...