The government today said it has increased the minimum support price (MSP) for copra by Rs 75 per quintal for the 2011 season, a measure aimed at increasing coconut production in the country. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on the recommendations of on recommendations Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP). While the MSP for fair average Quality of milling copra has...

Twenty-four hours ahead of the hearing in the Bombay High Court, the environment ministry has upheld its order asking Lavasa Corporation Limited to stop all work in its hill township project near Pune. Work at the 25,000-acre planned city was put on hold by a showcause order issued on November 25. The ministry had said that final order on the showcause will be issued by December 31, provided Lavasa “co-operated and...

Navodaya Vidyalayas will be exempted from the provisions of the Right to Education Act. The two key provisions — no-screening and giving 25% reservation to children from economically weaker section — will not be applicable to 444 Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country. These schools will be treated as specified category schools. The HRD ministry had sought the opinion of former Chief Justice of India A S Anand, who said Navodaya Vidyalayas...

An efficient delivery system is essential to keep up the achievements made by Kerala in the social sector over the decades, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said on Saturday. "Kerala has achieved remarkable growth in life index compared to many other Indian states. Now it is important that these achievements are maintained by improving the delivery system," he said, inaugurating an international conference on Reaching out to people: Achieving Millennium Development...

Scores of farmers took part in a 'Kisan Swaraj Yatra', a rally, which began from Sabarmati in Gujarat and culminated at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat here on Saturday, to draw the attention of the government towards the issues concerning the farmers and the continuing agrarian crisis in India.The farmers and representatives of the 'Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)' later met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and briefed her about...