The rise in food prices, with inflation at 9.06% in May, is more teary a problem than onions suggest. Macroeconomics managers, who safely steered the economy through the downturn, are perhaps grappling with the biggest economic crisis- persistently high food prices. Rising food inflation driven by costlier fruits and protein-based items such as milk, egg, meat and fish is putting policy makers in a spot of bother. Prices are not under...

-The Business Standard   Retail price inflation for agricultural and rural labourers rose to 9.63 per cent in May, from 9.11 per cent the previous month, mainly because of a rise in the prices of food, fuel and clothing. Wholesale price inflation for May rose to 9.06 per cent from 8.66 per cent a month earlier and was one of the factors for the Reserve Bank of India to raise the repo...

-The Times of India   Notwithstanding the government's projections of a moderation in the rate of price rise of food items, food inflation jumped to a two-month high of 9.01 per cent for the week ended May 28 on the back of costlier fruits, onions and protein-based items. Food inflation, as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), was 8.06 per cent in the previous week, while it was as high as...

-The Business Standard   Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was being economical with the truth when he said that last Saturday’s petrol price hike decision was entirely that of oil marketing companies (OMCs). True, the government correctly but belatedly deregulated petrol pricing several months ago, but it is clear that despite a sharp increase in global crude oil prices in the past six months, the OMCs restrained themselves from increasing domestic...

Endosulfan, the pesticide which is widely believed to be responsible for thousands of deaths, diseases and devastation, was able to save its own life largely because of India’s questionable efforts at global forums. The controversial pesticide has been in news for a long time because of its harmful effects on humans, wild life and the environment. Obviously the $100 million industry is going out of the way to defend the...