Sector to see funding push; tax reforms as well as sops to wait longer.
Critics have slammed a bloated subsidy that has been proposed for the food security bill, but officials in the government strongly believe that the resultant additional burden will not be above Rs 27,000 crore to meet the commitments under the proposed legislation.
Opposition to FDI in retail is misguided, says Pranab Bardhan, professor of economics in University of California, Berkeley.
G-24 grouping comprises 24 developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
It is unusual for Congress chief ministers to say no to Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, but some of them have gathered the courage to oppose Gandhi's dream project.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday left for the US for medical check-up.
Charging the Central Bureau of Investigation for not probing role of a Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, the Bharatiya Janata P Party on Thursday alleged that the agency was acting at the behest of the Congress with a one-point agenda to frame the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Concerned over poor budget allocation for the farm sector, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday said it may be difficult to implement the proposed Food Security Bill without adequate funds to boost agri-output, a must for increased foodgrain requirement.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said all families in Puri and in those parts of Khurda, which had been 'extremely severely affected' in the storm, will get 50 kg of rice, Rs 2,000 in cash and polythene sheets, if covered under the Food Security Act (FSA).
According to the final draft of the negotiating text circulated by WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo among trade ministers of the 159 member countries on Wednesday night, on public stockholding for food security purposes, a developing country like India can provide subsidies for farm support even if those exceed the permissible 10 per cent cap.
Commerce minister makes strong case for food subsidy to poor.
The prime minister will be assisted by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, India's Sherpa to the G20 process.
NDA under Mr Modi is as focused on the rural poor with doles and hand-outs as the UPA under Dr Singh was.
The Planning Commission's de-linking entitlement benefits for the poor from the Suresh Tendulkar committee's recommendation on determination of poverty has left a big question mark on the number of beneficiaries to be covered under the proposed Food Security Act.
They have warned against linking such demarcations on poverty with basic entitlements.
India's fiscal policy is not supportive of monetary measures that the country's central bank is employing to fight rampant inflation, the prime minister's honorary economic advisor and former International Monetary Fund chief economist Raghuram Rajan said, while singling out the proposed Food Security Bill as a particular cause for concern.
The two major changes include: keeping an option open for supplying more than 3 kg of subsidised foodgrains to general households and widening its reach to include lactating women, destitute and aged people and providing nutritious food to children.
If the Food Security Bill is enacted as per the draft, then women shall be considered the 'head of the household' and the potential implications are staggering, says T V R Shenoy.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday expressed anguish over the gruesome gangrape of a 23-year-old photojournalist in Mumbai.
Notwithstanding the failure of WTO members to reach a consensus on Trade Facilitation Agreement to simplify global customs rules, India on Friday said it remains committed to the pact and will continue to pursue its proposal to find a permanent solution to its food security issues.
A core member of Team Anna and expert of food security, Devinder Sharma, told rediff.com that there is a debate going on within Team Anna whether the Gandhian should hold his proposed fast to press for a stringent Lokpal Bill from December 27 in Mumbai.
The United Progressive Alliance's growth story' and food security scheme dominated a Congress workshop on Monday where its media managers from across the country were given training to disseminate party's message on key issues ahead of next Lok Sabha polls.
The government on Wednesday sought public comments on the draft National Food Security Bill, which seeks to provide a legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains to 75 per cent of the country's rural population and 50 per cent of urban India.
The new Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change, has been set up by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research's Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security program.
The finance minister has increased the quantum of rural credit, with particular emphasis on short-term crop loans for small farmers and focussed heavily on improving food storage and processing infrastructure as well as supply chain management.
The government is likely to give a legal right to food to both priority and general categories of the population under the proposed National Food Security Act, as suggested by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC).
NGOs have acquired a certain critical mass and are increasingly becoming powerful voices in public discourse.
Dr Raman Singh, who on Sunday led the Bharatiya Janata Party to a third consecutive victory in the Naxal-affected state of Chhattisgarh, has earned the reputation of being a 'silent performer'.
Prime Manmohan Singh on Thursday sought Chinese investments in manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in India and called for market access in China for Indian IT and Pharmaceutical firms.
Retailers claim online firms' predatory pricing strategy disrupting business
Amid the din and noise created over black money and corruption, the proposals to revitalise the rural economy by strengthening agriculture were simply ignored, says food security expert Devinder Sharma.
'Who put the fear of god into Imran Khan and how it happened we do not know, but the great cricketer panicked and called Mahathir to regret that he cannot attend the KL Summit,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Main difference has been on including people above the poverty line in the Food Security Bill.
Taking a tour of the Agriculture and Food Security Expo at St Xavier's College in Mumbai on Sunday, Obama had displayed a keen interest in the products on display and asked entrepreneurs to take their 'remarkable' work around the world.
Devinder Sharma, distinguished food security expert who has been with India Against Corruption since its inception, talks about their future plans and where he hopes the movement will go and what they hope to achieve.
In the first sign of dissent within the ruling UPA government, Agriculture & Food Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday indicated that covering two-thirds of the population under the proposed Food Security Bill was not feasible.
In a first-of-its-kind step, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) will be signing an agreement on Thursday under which they would be able to give credit and grants to each other in their own currency instead of dollars.
Cautioning that the traditional sources of economic growth are under stress coupled with fresh uncertainties around the globe, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that it would be to the advantage of five-nation BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping to coordinate in key areas of development.
The meeting with Xi is being held amid the ongoing trade war between the United States and China.
Dr M S Swaminathan, who was among the scientists instrumental in heralding India's Green Revolution, will be conferred with an honourary degree by the University of Alberta, Edmonton, on October 7.
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