The 73-year-old social activist Anna Hazare has decided to go on a “fast unto death” from tomorrow at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to fight corruption, fuelling concern in the Manmohan Singh government at a time the cricket team’s World Cup victory has lifted spirits. The government is worried because it feels that dissuading Hazare this time will be difficult as he had put off his fast on March 5 on the...

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare will observe fast unto death from today until the government enacts a comprehensive law like the Jan Lokpal Bill to tackle the menace. "My fast unto death begins on Tuesday. I was saddened when the Prime Minister rejected the demand by leading civil society members to include them and senior ministers in the joint committee to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's ombudsman Bill)," 72-year-old Hazare told...

The world population is estimated to reach nine billion by 2050. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that global food production needs to increase 70 per cent by 2050 compared to average 2005-07 levels to feed the rising global population. Clearly, a large part of the consumption will happen in India and China; which would require an additional 1.6 billion hectares of land to be brought into cultivation compared to...

In an effort to wean away tribals from the Maoists, the Environment Ministry is pushing for a minimum support price for minor forest produce like bamboo and tendu patta. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is taking up the matter with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee . A minimum support price (MSP) for minor forest produce (MFP) would help increase the earnings of the tribal population. At present, the more valuable items of minor forest...

Over 10 lakh farmers in the state have already taken up organic farming as a result of some aggressive promotion by the agriculture department. Of the nearly 6.5 lakh hectares under organic cultivation, 2.77 lakh have been certified and farmers have been branding their produce as organic produce. Some 2.14 lakh farmers are managing certified organic land and the number is expected to go up as more and more land gets...