Think India Foundation

Farmers of Aurangabad oppose land acquisition

AURANGABAD: Farmers and activists affiliated to different social organizations joined hands on Thursday to oppose land acquisition by the government for the proposed Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, under which 10,000 hectares land would be acquired for setting up four mega industrial projects in the district.

"The activists have planned a meet at Bidkin, about 20 km from the city, on February 11 to chalk out the future course of action. Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar has been invited to address the meet", said Vijay Diwan and Subhash Lomte, members of the action committee. Thousands of affected farmers from Aurangabad and Jalna districts would attend the Bidkin meet, they said. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Who's who to attend summit on changing Bihar

PATNA: Top honchos of various fields are expected to attend the three-day Global Summit on Changing Bihar, scheduled to open here on February 17.

To be inaugurated by Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai, the summit will be spread over various sessions and workshops on themes like agriculture, health, industries, urban development, infrastructure, finance, tourism, education and socio-cultural renaissance. It is being organized by Bihar Foundation, Institute for Human Development (IHD) and Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI). Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Munda worried over tardy pace of development

Ranchi : Expressing concern over lower expenditure by the Departments, Chief Minister Arjun Munda said that the Government was worried about the pace of development and willing to expedite the efforts in this direction. A mere Rs 4,023 crore out of total plan outlay of Rs 15,300 crore, had been utilised by all the departments till December last year.

Talking to reporters after the review meeting, the CM said that apart from keeping an eye on expenditure, his Government was also committed to come down hard on corrupt officials, siphoning the money meant for development works. “We are worried about the lesser expenses. We have formulated some other ways that would be reflected in the days to come. Instructions have been passed to all the departments in this regard.” Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

Mamata asks Centre to give fertiliser subsidy

Krishnagar, West Bengal: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged the Centre to give fertiliser subsidy to farmers and assailed the Left parties for not opposing UPA government’s decision in 2009 to decontrol fertiliser prices.

Worried about farmers. Image courtesy PIB

“The CPM, which had provided outside support to the UPA government, did not oppose it. We had no knowledge about it and if we were in the government we would have opposed it,” Banerjee told reporters, saying the decontrol of prices paved the way for increase in the prices of the vital agricultural input. Read more

Source : firstpost.com

Property registration falls in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad : Despite all-round development of Ahmedabad and the growing urbanisation, property sales deed registration in the city has declined, which indicates that the realty market is entering into slowdown. The city witnessed 1.05 lakh sales deed registrations at 14 sub-registrar offices during 2011, which was 1.09 lakh in 2010. It shows a decline of 3.5% in the city.

The comparative property sales deed registration data of 2010 and 2011 reveals that the city and west zone have witnessed a fall, while the east has registered a growth. The west zone, covering sub-registrar’s offices in Memnagar, Vadaj, Paldi, Vejalpur, Daskroi (agriculture), Sola and Bopal, witnessed registration of 50,601 sales deeds in 2011, which were at 57,664 in 2010, thus showing a decline of 12.24% over the previous year. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Ministry to hold meeting on reforms in PDS, food security bill from Feb 8-9

New Delhi : Ministry of consumer affairs, food & public distribution has convened a meeting of state food & agriculture ministers to discuss reforms in PDS. Improvement in Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), procurement of food grains and enhancement of storage capacity in view of proposed National Food Security Act are also on the agenda of the meeting. 

The two-day conference, to be held on February 8 and 9, 2012, in New Delhi, will be inaugurated by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and will be addressed by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and consumer affairs, food & public distribution K V Thomas. Senior officials of various Central ministries, planning commission and UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) are also expected to participate. Read more

Source : fnbnews.com

Declining farm rentals worry rural landlords

AHMEDABAD: Rural landlords are bracing themselves for charging less rent from their tenant farmers for the first time in several years, signifying a reduction in remuneration from the livelihood that sustains about half of India's population. While rentals are likely to be revised downwards in Punjab and Haryana, a revised formula is being devised in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan, where landlords get paid in kind.

The annual rental in Punjab will come down from Rs 25,000-30,000 per acre depending on the land quality to Rs 20,000-25,000 per acre in the contracts due to be signed soon, says Sukhjit Bhatti, a progressive potato farmer from Jalandhar. "Two consecutive years of bumper crop across the country, leading to poor returns, have led to this situation," he says, "This hasn't happened for a long time." Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Focus on providing urban amenities in rural India: APJ Kalam

NEW DELHI: To become an economically developed nation by 2020, India needs to focus on sustainable development of villages by providing urban amenities in rural areas (PURA), former President A P J Abdul Kalam said today.

"The development of 6,00,000 villages is vital for developed India. The foundation of sustainable development of rural areas is PURA which means providing urban amenities in rural areas," Kalam said after inaugurating the second Global Agri-business Incubation Conference here. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Helping beehives thrive

Mumbai : It may be the month for lovers with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, but nature enthusiasts too have reasons to celebrate. Tomorrow, Maharashta Nature Park in Dharavi, will see a plethora of activities take place as city-based organisation, Under The Mango Tree, is set to host, what could be, India’s first National Bee Day. The aim of the event is to create awareness about the Indian indigenous honeybee, Apis cerana indica, and its impact on the local environment. As part of the day’s agenda, a survey that shows the deep connection between bees and plants will also be unveiled.

“Farmers tend to use European bees when they indulge in beekeeping and they are quite expensive. Through this event, we hope to create awareness about Indian bees and prove that they are a more sustainable option,” says Gurushabd Khalsa, Urban Beekeeping Project Coordinator, adding that a single bee box can have a substantial impact on a farm’s productivity. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

'India should adopt sustainable ways of farming'

New Delhi: A top climate scientist today asked India to adopt sustainable ways of farming which is under pressure due to water crisis caused by global warming. 

UN Secretary General's Special Advisor Jeffrey D Sach also underlined the need for adopting green technology to deal with the issue of climate change in various sectors including agriculture. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Sadananda Gowda seeks aid for farmers in former PM’s backyard

Bangalore : Chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda has urged the Centre to announce a special package for farmers and set up a potato research station in Hassan, the home district of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda.

In a representation to prime minister Manmohan Singh and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, he mentioned Hassan MP Deve Gowda’s recent letter regarding damage caused to crops such as potato, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and tur dal in Karnataka, particularly in Hassan. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

We are now looking at NREGA 2.0

As minister for rural development, Jairam Ramesh oversees the largest spending in the social sector by the government. This includes the marquee Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) that was pioneered by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in 2006. The minister, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is known for his forthrightness. In a typically candid interview to Mint on the eve of the sixth anniversary of MGNREGS, Ramesh conceded that there were legitimate concerns about the programme. Ruling out any chance of a rollback of the entitlement programme, he said the ministry was ironing out the faults and that a revamped version would be launched before the presentation of the next Union budget in March. Edited excerpts:

It is the sixth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employee Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). How do you rate the success of the programme? What are the metrics you would use to rate it? Read more

Source : livemint.com

Solutions evade impending water crisis

New Delhi: Farmers in the South-Indian state of Tamil Nadu are switching from paddy cultivation to panning for salt. On the other extreme of the sub-continent, hundreds of thousands of people live in harm’s way in the event of a glacial lake outburst-triggered flood, or GLOFs as they are called. 

Something sinister connects the two disturbing happenings – amplifying the vulnerabilities of people from the northern Hindu-Kush-Himalayan range to India's southernmost tip, Kanya Kumari, a whopping 1.5 billion people and counting. The least common denominator exasperating the vulnerabilities is the phenomenon of climate change. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

2011-20 declared irrigation decade by Karnataka govt

BANGALORE : State Government to make efforts to totally utilise its share of Krishna waters

Prafulatha Bharadwaj, wife of Governor, watching the proceedings while Governor H R Bharadwaj addresses the Joint session at Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore on 30th January 2012. Photo. K. Bhagya Prakash

The State Government has declared 2011-20 as Irrigation Decade and all out efforts will be made for total utilisation of the waters of river Krishna allocated to Karnataka under the Krishna Tribunal Award-2. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Need to raise agri productivity before bringing food law: Pawar

NEW DELHI: Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday said it would be difficult to implement the proposed food security bill without adequate funds to boost agricultural output.

Pawar, who was not fully aligned with the Congress on the food security legislation, argued that his grievance was that the total budgeted provision for entire agriculture ministry was Rs 20,000 crore and subsidy, as of today, was Rs 65,000 crore which might go up to Rs 1 lakh crore in the current year. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Scientists urged to find solutions to problems faced by Karnataka

MANGALORE : Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and top space scientist and Chairman of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad U.R. Rao on Saturday urged the scientific community to find solutions to the “burning” problems of the State and the country.

They were participating in the inauguration of a two-day seminar on “Science and Technology: Challenges and Opportunities” organised by the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, headed by Prof. Rao, at Mangalore University. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Slumbering govt leaves development lopsided

Bangalore : Public expenditure review reveals shortcomings in State’s planning

The inability of the successive governments to prioritise expenditure has led to lopsided development in many of the key sectors like education, health, irrigation and energy in the last 10 years in the State.

A review of public expenditure by the Expenditure Reforms Commission (ERC) has revealed that these sectors are witnessing a situation where there are either too many staff or insufficient infrastructure and vice versa. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

PMO asks ministries to cut out flab in report cards

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked ministries to cut out the flab while submitting their monthly report card on progress in the thrust areas that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has identified to be the core of the UPA-II's agenda in 2012-13.

A case in point is the directive to the coal ministry that seeks a monthly report card in the form of a "running note, not exceeding 500 words". Information, including additional inputs, may still be furnished in tabular format, which is a favourite with ministries and government departments. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Bharat craves for innovation

Attempts for rural technology incubations have been small and somewhat sporadic so far 

As the Indian economy grew rapidly over the past 20 years, it generated wealth for its citizens. However, the rapid economic rise has been accompanied by high differential growth in prosperity of the people — as incomes of certain sections have grown much faster compared with others. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

MGNREGA enhanced financial inclusion of farmers: WEF report

DAVOS : Allegations of fund leakages notwithstanding, the MGNREGA scheme has improved access to financial services for farmers and holds a great scope for further agricultural and economic growth of the country, a World Economic Forum report said on Friday.

Focus on soft infrastructure in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has led to successes in land rights issues, it said. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Nitish govt taking Bihar on the path of development : Governor

PATNA: Bihar governor Devanand Konwar pledged the Nitish Kumar government would take the state on the development trajectory with thrust on strengthening the infrastructural facilities, electricity, agriculture and ensuring development with justice. 

Unfurling national tricolour on the occasion of 63rd Republic day at national function at the historic Gandhi Maidan here, Konwar dwelt on various remarkable measures taken by the state government in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, energy, education, health and environment. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Karnataka horticulture dept seeks Rs 2,000 cr in Budget

Mangalore : At a time when several agricultural districts were turning into horticultural districts in the state, the government has to provide budgetary support to develop horticulture in the state, said horticulture minister SA Ravindranath. “I have requested the government to outlay Rs 2,000 crore for the overall makeover of the horticulture department,” said the minister.

Dakshina Kannada was one of the main agricultural district that has turned into a horticulture district in the last 10 years, other districts that have shifted to horticulture include, Bijapur, Bidar, Chitradurga and Raichur. A few other districts were also on the way he said. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Govt shortchanged farmers?

GURGAON: Alleging that farmers and land owners have been shortchanged by the Haryana government, members of a citizens' body have alleged that HUDA "wrongfully" acquired land for the development of major and sector roads under the new master plan which covers 57 new sectors.

The members of the Gurgaon Citizens' Council have alleged that this act has not only benefited the private developers but has also left the state exchequer poorer by close to Rs 8,000 crore. The organization has written a letter to the state chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, to investigate the case. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

World Bank, AP hold talks for more projects

HYDERABAD : The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr N.Kiran Kumar Reddy, today held parleys with officials of the World Bank and made a case for more engagement in irrigation, roads, rural schemes and other social sectors.

A delegation of the World Bank headed by Mr. Hubert Nove Josserand, Operations Adviser, World Bank, New Delhi, and Mr Venu Rajamani, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), met the Chief Minister at the secretariat on Monday. The delegation included several sector specialists and economists. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Land acquisition: HC hikes compensation to farmers

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has ordered a 10 per cent hike in compensation to farmers for acquisition of their land in three urban villages having "locational advantages" like IGI Airport in the vicinity. 

"I find the aspect of higher potentiality of the acquired lands being in close vicinity of the IGI Airport, Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum Depots and of Railway line passing through Village Bharthal...has somehow missed the attention of the reference (lower) court," Justice Sunil Gaur said while "partly" allowing a bunch of pleas for hike in compensation. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Pranab urges eastern States to make use of second Green Revolution funds

KOLKATA : The Union Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, on Sunday said that States in the eastern region have not been able to appropriately utilise the funds allocated to them under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana scheme to extend green revolution in the States.

The Union Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, being welcomed by Mr Pavan Poddar, President, Bharat Chamber of Commerce, during the 111th Annual General Meeting of the Chamber in Kolkata on Sunday. — PTI

The Union Government had allotted Rs 400 crore under the scheme in the Union Budget 2011-12, and had termed the project “second green revolution”. The idea was to increase rice production in the eastern states of Assam, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh during the current fiscal. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Water Policy draft favours privatisation of services

NEW DELHI : Calls for abolition of subsidies to agricultural, domestic sector

For expeditious resolution of inter-State water disputes, the draft policy suggests establishment of a permanent Water Disputes Tribunal at the Centre. Picture shows water gushing out of the Mettur dam. File photo

The Union government has begun consultations on a new National Water Policy that calls for privatisation of water-delivery services and suggests that water be priced so as to “fully recover” the costs of operation and administration of water-resources projects, documents available with The Hindu show.

Recently circulated to water experts for consultations, the 15-page draft National Water Policy suggests that the government withdraw from its role as a service provider in the water sector. Instead, it says, communities and the private sector should be encouraged to play this role. The proposals could mean sharp rises in the cost of water for both rural and urban users — an outcome the policy suggests will help curtail misuse of a precious but scarce resource. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Tech connectivity among varsities a must: Kalam

AHMEDABAD: The first convocation of Charotar University of Science and Technology (Charusat) was held in Changa where 160 students were awarded degrees on Wednesday.

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam in his address laid emphasis on research and said that the university will achieve great heights if the culture of research is imbibed in students by their teachers. He urged the students to focus on research and help achieve his vision 2020 targets which envisage a nation where the urban and rural divide has reduced to a thin line, where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water. "Technological connectivity among universities should be pursued on war footing using cost effective virtual classrooms," said Kalam. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Pangs of paribartan in West Bengal

Suo motu declarations are as valid as appraisals by external agents; by that reckoning, the eight-month-old government of chief minister Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal has delivered on each of the campaign promises as listed in the manifesto and the Chief Minister is confidently asserting “touch me if you can”, which is a paraphrase of a Bengali idiom that describes towering, spectacular achievement.

In her own estimation, Ms Banerjee has solved the “burning” problems that was the legacy of the CPM-led Left Front government — the land acquired for the car factory in Singur has been returned to “unwilling” farmers in law; the Maoist insurgency in Jangalmahal has ended and the people are “laughing” instead of “crying”; the fissiparous Darjeeling movement has been tamed; industry is eagerly exploring the investment opportunities created by the change of regime and reforms in education have been successfully launched by gifting to the Presidency University a mentor group that is working overtime to convert a down-at-heel institution into a world-class one. There are other achievements too: minority students have been distributed scholarships and madrasas have been mainstreamed. Peace and harmony is back in West Bengal instead of the chaos and violence that prevailed earlier. The stage is set for the state to stride ahead and wipe out the past. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

States seek less Centre schemes

New Delhi : State governments on Wednesday urged the Centre to reduce the number of centrally-sponsored schemes and transfer funds to autonomous bodies only through them.

Some of the states also made their apprehensions clear about sharing any financial burden for implementing the Food Security Act. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

ADB to lend $24.3m for modernisation of Maharashtra horticulture industry

New Delhi : The Asian Bank will provide a $ 24.3 million loan for modernisation of Maharashtra's horticultural industry as part of a multi-tranche financing facility.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the government and the multilateral lending agency here today, an official release said. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

$1b govt-backed VC to foster poor-centric startups

To convert innovation into commerce, particularly in farm, water, healthcare and education, the government has in principle decided to set up a $1 billion (about Rs 5,000 crore) venture fund for new services and products that promise to bring about a see- change in the lives of poor.

Sam Pitroda, adviser to the prime minister on public information, infrastructure and innovation, said on Monday the fund would foster to foster innovation across sectors and states. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

Congress promises uninterrupted supply of power, water and 10 lakh jobs in manifesto

CHANDIGARH: With assembly elections just two weeks away, the election manifesto of Congress released on Sunday aims at wooing farmers, weaker sections including BPL families, women and ex-servicemen. The slogan of Congress party for the polls is, 'navi soch, nava Punjab' (new thinking new Punjab). 

Congress promises uninterrupted supply of power, water and 10 lakh jobs in manifesto
Source : Punjab Newsline Network

The party in its manifesto also promises generating employment and pledging 10 lakhs of jobs for the youth of the state and round the clock (24 hours) supply of water to all the sectors including domestic, agriculture and industry. It also promises to ensure un-interrupted power supply and equitable development for welfare of marginalised sections of the society. Read more

Source : punjabnewsline.com

Centre appreciates WB's paddy procurement drive

Kolkata: The Centre has appreciated the paddy procurement by the West Bengal government, but has asked it for streamlining the drive. 

"We are happy at the procurement by the West Bengal government," Union Food secretary Bhusan Chandra Gupta said after a meeting with state chief secretary Samar Ghosh at Writers' Buildings on Saturday. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Spoken web service for farmers soon

New Delhi : Soon farmers across the country can get their agriculture and weather-related queries answered quickly. The government is planning to launch a spoken web service that will provide an interactive medium for the farming community.

In a country where close to 60% of the 1.21bn population still depends on agriculture for a living, the spoken web service can be a boon to farmers in distant areas. Read more

Source : gulf-times.com

How to destroy a district

Thirty-four power plants are planned in the most fertile tracts of Chhattisgarh.

AS LOUDSPEAKERS announced the conclusion of the public hearing, the mob started hurling abuses. Company executives ran for their lives. A 100-strong contingent of sleepy policemen, watching the proceedings till then with disinterest, suddenly swung into action to ensure the safety of officials.

‘The company has withheld my compensation and is pressurising me to sell my other field’
Chotka Ram Dadsena Villager

The scene occurred at Birra village in the nondescript Janjgir-Champa district in Chhattisgarh on 22 September. The occasion was a public hearing for a 1,320 MW power plant proposed by Moser Baer. Read more

Source : tehelka.com

'Purna dam could have cost 180cr less'

NAGPUR: The Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation's (VIDC) hurry to award the contract for building a barrage on Purna river in Akola district will cost the government Rs 180 crore more. The amount that could have been saved is now contractors' gain.

By the time Central Water Commission (CWC) came up with suggestions on curtailing expenditure, the very structures which could have kept the cost low were already built and now the VIDC would have to go-ahead with the plan that needs a higher expenditure. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Civic body eyes govt defaulters- Corporation sends dues demand notice to BSEB

Patna : After the public, the civic body has set its sights on the government bodies to jack up its revenue. It has decided to act tough against the state-run organisations evading holding tax for years.

Taking the lead, the Patna City circle of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started serving notices to the government departments not paying the holding tax. Vishwa Mohan Prasad, the revenue officer of the Patna City circle, said taxes were due against most of the 50 government buildings in his jurisdiction. Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

Centre asks states to boost procurement for Food Bill

The Centre has asked five state governments, including West Bengal, to draw up an “action plan” to increase foodgrains procurement for successful implementation of the proposed Food Security Act.

The Food Ministry, which would be responsible for executing the welfare scheme spearheaded by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, has decided to focus on ramping up procurement of wheat and rice to allay concerns over the availability of foodgrains to implement the proposed law. Read more

Source : firstpost.com

Is the much-hyped rural India marketing euphoria finally over?

Lopsidedness is a matter of perspective. Consider this: 35% of India’s disposable income comes from the top eight cities. The bottom 5000+ villages account for 35% of income. Of the rest of the income, 30% is in the remaining hundreds of towns. These are what some marketing pundits euphorically call the tier-2 towns, places with perceived potential for immense growth. Does this tier-2 layer really exist?

This must be judged from the headline news — falling inflation — that the RBI and the Indian economists celebrate volubly. Is this really worth celebrating for all? Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Bihar okays funds for enhanced salary to varsity teachers

PATNA: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved payment of Rs 160.86 crore as difference of enhanced UGC salary to the teachers of universities in the state payable for the period, August 2010 to February 2011.

It also approved payment of difference of enhanced salary to the tune of Rs 38.43 crore for the period, April 2007 to December 2007, and Rs 28.47 crore for the period, September 2010 to February 2011, on the basis of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendation. The cabinet also approved payment of difference of their salary to the tune of Rs 27.22 crore accrued due to merger of 50 percent DA with the basic salary for the period, January 2005 to March 2007, said cabinet secretary Ravi Kant. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

MP among fast developing States, says Shivraj

Bhopal : Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that Madhya Pradesh is among three-four major fast developing States of the country at present. The growth rate is 10.6 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and agriculture growth rate is about 10 per cent.

He was speaking at the State-level Bhamashah Award Ceremony here on Tuesday. Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi was the chief guest of the function. Finance and Commercial Taxes Minister Raghavji, Forest Minister Sartaj Singh, State Planning Board vice-chairman Babulal Jain, former Chief Minister Kailash Joshi and former Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot were also present on the occasion. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

Peripheral Ring Road in Bangalore likely to be tolled

Project-affected farmers withdraw dharna; meeting promised with CM

Vehicles taking the proposed Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) may have to pay toll. As many as 10 toll booths will be set up on the 65-kilometre stretch between Tumkur Road and Hosur Road.

According to sources, the rates determined by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will serve as the base toll for the PRR. Read more 

Source : deccanherald.com

Farmers ready to pay market rates for power, demand reliable supply

Agrarian distress and growing awareness among farmers, tired of poll-time rhetoric and freebies, may make it tougher for political parties to woo this large electorate with worn-out promises in the upcoming assembly polls. 

Ahead of elections in five states, including in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous and politically-critical state, many farmers say they are ready to pay market rates for power and other inputs provided there is reliable supply. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Didi Scores Big On Slow Pitch

KOLKATA: The inaugural session of Bengal Leads 2012 brought some fresh proposals for the investment-hungry state. There were new proposals as well as assurance for commissioning of one of the biggest manufacturing projects lined up in Bengal.

Punj Lloyd, one of the biggest construction companies in the country, has expressed interest to participate in infrastructure projects like roads, port and energy. Indonesia-based mining company PT Bumi Resources has expressed interest in investing in mining and energy sector while Tractors and Farm Equipment Chairman Mallika Srinivasan said her company would look forward to be a part of the state in agriculture and small farms. "We are interested in agro-processing and linkages," she added. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Paddy prices in West Bengal drop on high production

KOLKATA: A high kharif paddy production 2011-12 coupled with almost zero exports to Bangladesh has pushed down paddy prices in Bengal. Paddy is selling around Rs 850-900 per quintal below the minimum support price of Rs 1,080 per quintal.

Bengal, which stands second in rice production, has produced 15% extra this kharif paddy as compared to 2010-11 kharif. A dearth of rice mills in the state is also one of the major reasons for the paddy price going down. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

“Bengal sliding in industry, agriculture”

KOLKATA : Says Trinamool is adopting ‘regressive' policies and committing ‘grave errors'

The Trinamool Congress government “is committing grave errors” in its policies that were “regressive and both industry and agriculture had suffered in more than seven months that it was in power, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said at Harinavipur in South 24 Parganas district on Sunday. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Bihar, Gujarat shortlisted for setting up vegetable clusters

NEW DELHI: The Centre has shortlisted seven states, including Bihar and Gujarat, for setting up vegetable clusters to ensure the uninterrupted supply of products even in times of crisis. 

The other states chosen for the establishment of clusters are Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, sources in the Agriculture Ministry said. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Kalam lays stress on technological innovation

CHENNAI : “Agriculture must be rejuvenated through value addition''

Former President A. P.J. Abdul Kalam on Sunday said new markets could be created through rural potential and employment that would give rise to public-private community partnerships and international partnerships.

Delivering the convocation address at the 32nd annual convocation of Anna University on Sunday, he said it was time that technological innovation was encouraged in our thinking to rejuvenate, in particular, agricultural and rural sector through value addition. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Policy paralysis can drag GDP growth below 7%: Parekh

New Delhi : India risks its economic growth rate slipping below 7% and its companies preferring overseas markets for business unless concerns about a policy paralysis are addressed and reforms are fast-tracked, industry leader Deepak Parekh has said.

Hoping that the economic scenario would improve in the new year, the eminent banker said he was hopeful that 2011 would be forgotten as a bad year and the government would press ahead with its reforms agenda. Read more

Source : business-standard.com