-Outlook A crusader for Dalit rights, Bezwada Wilson, on reclaiming for the Dalits a life of human dignity in a structurally apathetic society. On many occasions, the Ramon Magsaysay Award has been bestowed on individuals of various ilks and ideological persuasions. For the first time, perhaps, it speaks to an issue that touches the lives of millions of people because an award for Bezwada Wilson (50) is an international acknowledgement of the...

-The Indian Express The GI tag is used to identify various kinds of goods including Darjeeling tea, Kanchipuram silk saree and Kolhapuri chappal. When Krishnakumar Tomar, one of the first to grow basmati in this fertile belt, harvested his crop 14 years back, he had no idea where to sell it. With no local takers for the aromatic paddy, the 40-year-old from Badi, which falls in Raisen district, was told he could...

-The Hindu New Delhi: Seed technology major Monsanto says it is suspending plans to introduce an upgraded version of its genetically modified cotton in India because of uncertainty in the “business and regulatory environment”. Activists say this is a “hypocritical” position. On July 6, Monsanto notified the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, the regulatory authority for approval of biotechnology traits in India, that it was withdrawing its application for the commercial release of...

-Livemint.com Revised tax data reveals the numbers of traders to be a small proportion of the 20 million demat accounts required for trading in the stock market Revised tax data that seeks to clarify the number traders in the stock market actually raises more questions than it answers. There were 590,000 individuals who recorded short-term capital gains or losses during FY12, according to the previous tax data released in April. The maximum...

-MoneyControl.com Uttar Pradesh is the leader in sugarcane farming and sugar and the largest contributor to the state economy. But, both these statuses may soon be lost owing to the recent crisis, where payments have not being made in time. The once touted "cash crop" hasn't been yielding the dividends it used to in the past. According to the data from the Uttar Sugar Corporation, cropping area has seen a steep 13-percent...