-Outlook Amid furore over FDI in multi-brand retail, the politicians and farmers in the leading agrarian state of Punjab are speaking in different voices over the issue. While Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said the concept may be successful in developed countries like USA, he feared that it may not work in this country. "If the FDI comes, big players will eat into the share of small traders and that will be against...

-The Hindu Centre mulling alternative crops The Union Government is looking at the possibility of replacing rice crop in Punjab and Haryana with alternative crops such as pulses, fodder and oilseeds that help in nitrogen fixation. The water-intensive rice cultivation over the years has become unsustainable in these two States and the water table has fallen to precarious levels. Giving this information to members of Parliament’s Consultative Committee for his Ministry, Agriculture Minister...

-PTI   Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that Foreign Direct Investment in retail would boost agricultural-based economy of the state.  "Organised multi-brand retail stores are in the interest of both the producers as well as the retailers and consumers," he said.  He pointed out if the farmers have the option of selling directly to retailers, the produce will reach the consumers at a lesser price.  While potatoes sell at an...

In this Idea Exchange moderated by Senior Editor Archna Shukla, I&B minister Ambika Soni speaks about self-regulation by the media, empowering the Press Council of India and the Congress party’s stand on corruption Archna Shukla: There is a growing perception that the government is unhappy with media criticism. The editor of a leading English daily publicly claimed that government advertisements have been stopped to his publication. Is the government being vindictive? I have...

-The Hindu   They were objecting to ‘forcible' land acquisition for power project At least two dozen farmers were injured when the police resorted to a baton charge in the early hours of Thursday to break up their agitation against land acquisition in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office at Gobindpura of Punjab's Mansa district. The farmers, owing allegiance to 17 organisations, were protesting against what they called forcible acquisition of fertile land across...