In 2010, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a series of suicides. These were not cases of farmers' suicides—a regular occurrence in the state which continues to be in the grip of an agrarian crisis. The victims in these cases happened to be the poorest of the poor; most of them illiterate dalits and adivasis. The first information reports (FIRs) of the police reveal that most of the suicides were due to coercive...

The Centre for Science and Environment has extended its deadline for media fellowships 2012. If you have interest in environmental issues please go through the enclosed notification from the CSE and apply for the media fellowships. Terms and conditions are given below and can also be found on the CSE website (http://www.cseindia.org/).  For any clarification or more information please email or phone Papia Samajdar, or Souparno Banerjee at souparno@cseindia.org / 9910864339. The...

The finance ministry has asked public sector banks to devise products for Indian farmers to ensure they get adequate funding in emergencies. The government, the majority owner of such banks, wants them to roll out products such as emergency loans to farmers that will be linked to savings accounts, a weather index-based insurance product, and set up a credit guarantee fund that will aid farmers in the event of crop losses...

The Economic Intelligence Council will discuss the issue when it meets at the end of this month The government is likely to form a central agency to regulate so-called multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes after the Economic Intelligence Council found they had become a “preferred” mode of fraud. In the wake of an increasing number of economic offences, the United Progressive Alliance government has also decided to set up a multidisciplinary school...

-The Hindu   “Need for regulatory space for MFIs so they function without affecting SHGs” The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) would connect at least one woman from every poor household across the country with self-help groups (SHGs) in five years, Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said on Friday. “The objective of the programme is to ensure that in a five-year period one woman from every poor household becomes a member of...