-Reuters   India is assuming grain purchases at around 30 percent of output in plans to expand its welfare programme, the food minister said, relying on increased yields and lower wastage to cover extra requirements and keeping exports on the agenda.  "We have made the calculation (for the Food security Bill) on the basis of the grains we can produce and procure. We will procure only 30 percent of our production, 70 percent...

If the story earlier was that the number of Maoist-affected districts was increasing, that no longer seems to be true On the third anniversary of the attack on Mumbai, today, the success to celebrate on the internal security front may be far removed from Mumbai, and located in the jungles of the tribal heartland of eastern India. The killing on Thursday of Kishenji, ranked third in the hierarchy of the Maoists,...

The mother of Kishenji, the Maoist Who was killed on Thursday by joint forces in the outskirts of Jhargram, will file a petition in Calcutta High Court, demanding a judicial inquiry into the killing.   The Magisterial inquest of the body has been conducted. Sources said that Kishenji's mother will file a plea demanding a judicial inquiry into the killing. Kishenji's body will be sent to Jhargram for a post-mortem.   The Maoist movement...

-The Hindu   ‘It has become imperative in view of climate change' Bio-fortified varieties of staple food grains, such as Vitamin-A-enriched ‘Golden Rice', or iron-enriched wheat, could improve the nutritional status of the world's poor, P. Pushpangadan, Director General, Amity Institute for Herbal and Biotech Products Development, said here on Thursday. Presenting a paper on the “Recent advances of agricultural biotechnology in the light of climate change” at the 81st annual session of the...

-PTI Food Minister KV Thomas today said the draft Food security Bill is expected to go to Cabinet by December 10 to pave the way for its introduction in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. "We have asked the government departments to send their comments on the draft Food security Bill by December 1. After this, it is expected to go to the Union Cabinet by December 10," Thomas, whose ministry is...