When it comes to increasing wealth, legislative experience, it turns out, beats the best investment planning hollow. An analysis of the assets of re-contesting legislators certainly suggests that &NDAsh; with the growth in their assets being more than what investing in gold, mutual funds or fixed deposits would yield. According to analysis of affidavits done by the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch, the percentage rise in assets of...

Blames FCI’s internal bureaucracy for resisting reforms Much to the dismay of several NGOs that want strengthening of the public distribution system (PDS) in India, the World Bank in its latest report has favoured cash transfers. “In the medium to long term, the report recommends offering households the option of a cash transfer while continuing food-based support for specific situations…,” the bank said in the report titled ‘Social Protection for a Changing...

Progress has been made on key MDG health targets, but non-infectious diseases have spread to developing countries The world is experiencing a change in the geographic distribution of diseases. Traditionally, infectious diseases, which claim the lives of so many children, have affected poor countries and non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, cardiac ailments and cancer, have plagued rich countries. But the latest statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday show...

-The Times of India   After Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh faced agitating students at Tata Institute of Social Sciences protesting against the clearance to the Jaitapur nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India has promised to make a presentation to the faculty and students at the Mumbai campus. NPCIL has also set up a committee under the head of the Bombay Natural History Society to study the marine ecology...

Everyone knows how much food prices have risen in the last few years. Not everyone, however, knows how much costs have spiralled for those who produce the food you and I eat. Data on daily wage rates for agricultural operations, compiled by the Labour Bureau at Shimla, show huge increases to have taken place in most States during 2009 and 2010. Andhra Pradesh, for instance, has seen farm wage rates &NDAsh; the...