-Grist Media The proposed food security bill will likely raise the demand for dal across India. While farmers and consumers are against it, the government keeps favouring the agri-industry and importing more and more cheap versions to offset rising inflation. But why won't India produce its own dal anymore? Nowhere are Canada's agricultural production plans tracked more closely than in India's Ministry of Food & Consumer Affairs. As it struggles to meet...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: What happens when academic rivalry spills over into the political arena? A riveting contest ensues, if the one being played out in the run-up to the general elections along with the Narendra Modi-Nitish Kumar showdown is any indication. While the Jagdish Bhagwati-Arvind Panagariya combo - both professors of economics at Columbia University - are packing a fair punch, Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen is ducking and dodging,...

-The Business Standard TN's share of grains to drop by 32%, poll-bound states like MP, Rajasthan too get rise in grains allocation Bihar and Uttar Pradesh the two politically crucial states are among the top three states which will get maximum increase in their annual foodgrains allocation as per the newly promulgated National Food Security Ordinance (NFSO). Rajasthan is the third. According to an internal assessment made by the food ministry, which was...

-The New York Times Blog The right to food is finally becoming a lively political issue in India. Aware of the forthcoming national elections in 2014, political parties are competing to demonstrate - or at least proclaim - their commitment to food security. In a country where endemic undernutrition has been accepted for too long as natural, this is a breakthrough of sorts. The rhetoric, however, is not always matched by understanding...

-The Times of India VARANASI: While the National food security bill (now an ordinance) has been widely debated by political parties and experts, a professor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) wants to draw attention of policy makers towards proper implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act (FSSA) 2006. "Why only food security bill is in agenda of political parties, why is the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 not being highlighted," wondered...