West Bengal is slowly Turning into a politically volatile state again. Two CPIM activists including a former MLA, Pradip Taa were beaten to death in Burdwan on Wednesday morning. CPIM workers under the leadership of Taa, were holding a rally at Dewandighi near Burdwan town to mobilise public support in favour of the February 28 Bharat Bandh which has been called by the Left trade unions. The rally was attacked by...

-PTI The Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council today projected 3 per cent growth for the farm sector in 2011-12 buoyed by record grains output, strong growth in horticulTure and animal husbandry sectors. Last year, the agriculTure sector had grown by 7 per cent. "The Council expects that in combination with the strong trend growth in horticulTure and in the animal husbandry sectors, the overall farm sector GDP growth for 2011-12 will average 3...

Major metros like Delhi and Mumbai face huge water and environmental crises as infrastrucTure tries to keep pace with the increasing population, says a new study of 71 Indian cities. The report, Excreta Matter, prepared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), comes at a time when India is urbanising at the highest rate in the world and half of all Indians are expected to be living in cities by...

-PTI In the ongoing Assembly polls for five states, the Election Commission has so far issued 167 notices to candidates who allegedly paid for the publication of news in their favour in various media outlets. While the maximum numbers of 129 notices have been issued to candidates in Punjab, where polling was held on January 30, as many as 38 notices have been issued to candidates in Uttar Pradesh, where the elections...

-The Business Standard   A proposed move by the Centre to slash naTural gas supplies to phosphorous and potash-based (P&K) fertiliser manufacTuring units has seen a number of farmer bodies, agro-experts and scientists raise a howl of protest. The move could seriously impact soil fertility, which in Turn could hit food production in the country, they warned. Nutrients in soil are necessary to increase overall productivity of agri-commodities to help meet the country’s...