Former reporter, Down To Earth
Agriculture, rural jobs, food subsidy need big boost
Will the drubbing it faced in Delhi election and the huge controversy over its land Bill make BJP reconsider its economic thrust areas?
States get bigger share from Central taxes, freedom to restructure programmes
For the first time, finance commission has recommended giving weightage to forest cover of states for devolving funds
Changing landscape
Land devoted to non-agricultural use has increased three-fold since Independence. It is set to increase further and faster, according to this …
Government introduces land amendment bill amid protests, walkout
Farmers and civil society groups march on Delhi streets to protest Narendra Modi government’s anti-farmers and anti-people bill which …
These farmers use paddy straw for income
Instead of burning paddy straw, farmers in Haryana's Panipat district are using it to farm mushrooms. This has eased pollution, too
At market's mercy
The government's decision to phase out procurement of rice from millers for its public distribution system may increase small farmers' …
Is the government going to scrap the 12th Five Year Plan?
Experts feel this move will erode the gains and lessons learnt from the most inclusive plan so far
Into the abyss?
The situation of India's farmers has only become grimmer in the past decade, according to the latest National Sample Survey Office report
Machiavellian moves
Rajasthan's decision to bar illiterate people from contesting elections to panchayats is one more example of a state government dominating …
Growing urbanisation in East Asia exposes people to climate change impacts, says World Bank report
Poor urbanisation leads to increase in fossil fuel consumption, forces urban migrants to settle on land prone to natural disasters
‘Over 40% of India’s coastline is eroding much faster than estimated’
Lack of effective development planning, unchecked human activities damaging coastline, say experts from government agencies
Reduce food security benefits from 67% to 40% population, says panel on restructuring FCI
Shanta Kumar committee report recommends privatisation, outsourcing and cash benefit transfer to cut food procurement and distribution costs
Cabinet committee decides to reduce food buffer stocks
Go ahead for Department of Food and Public Distribution to offload excess stocks in the open market or export
Civil society asks WTO chief to act as ‘impartial facilitator’ in trade negotiations
Developed countries attempting impose deeper tariff cuts and aggressive liberalisation to access markets in developing countries, says letter to …
More than half farm-households in India are in debt: NSSO report
Households in southern states are most indebted; 40 per cent agricultural-households take loan from informal sources like money lenders
Modi’s burden of civilising rural India
Our prime minister’s recognition of ‘uncivilised’ state of rural India means he should be spending more on ‘civilising&…
Democracy's better half
Exclusive women's village councils are beginning to make a difference in India's rural areas. Are state governments ready to share power with them?
US, epicentre of unequal wealth
As the US completes 50 years of its "war on poverty", the country does not have much to celebrate, thinks JOEL BERG, an expert on …
GDP-driven growth is not sustainable, says UN report
Inclusive Wealth Report asks countries to reorient their economic policy planning and evaluation away from GDP targetting
PMO orders huge cuts in social sector spending for 2015-16
Employment guarantee, rural road and sanitation schemes among those likely to be affected
Civil society raises alarm as regional free trade negotiations get under way in Delhi
‘Regional FTAs will jeopardise farming, dairy, manufacturing and generic medicines sectors’
Scheme against jobs
Government is bent upon shrinking jobs for the poor by fundamentally changing the rural employment guarantee scheme against the advice of its …
SC dismisses petition challenging functioning of Tribal advisory council in Chhattisgarh
Governors are not exercising their powers as they want to avoid any confrontation with chief ministers who also head these councils, alleged petition
Bitter sweet
Who should have the first right over sugar produced by Uttar Pradesh's sugar mills - the banks who loaned the mills or the farmers who supplied …
Banking on a flimsy promise
The government is clueless about incentives it has promised under its Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana to bring every family under the formal …