The farmer representatives were unanimous in seeking repeal of the 3 laws.
The Union agriculture ministry plans to invite private investment in its project to promote hybrid rice to increase output, particularly in eastern states.
Currently, the retail inflation is well below the RBI's comfort level. The government has asked the central bank to keep inflation in the range of 4 per cent.
Two days after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) witnessed Pawar-bashing at the hands of senior Congress leaders, the party once again attacked the Union Agriculture Minister, saying that prices were responsibility of the Agriculture and Food Ministry and "it is natural for the party to articulate the concerns of millions of people".
The Congress Working Committee meeting witnessed Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar being targetted by senior Congress leaders on the issue of spiraling price rise. The three leaders who attacked Sharad Pawar but did not name him were former maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, All India Congress Committee general secretaries R K Dhawan and Satyavrat Chaturvedi.
Dissatisfaction with the state leadership, along with caste and sectarian factors and economic issues -- particularly those relating to jobs and rural distress cost the BJP.
Sule, who is being projected as Pawar's heir apparent, has clarified that neither Pawar nor any member of the Pawar family had any investments in IPL. She preferred sugarcane-rich Kolhapur in Maharashtra to issue the clarification.
Assuring "all necessary support" for peaceful staging of IPL matches in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Wednesday urged former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar to convince the organisers of the Twenty20 event to stick to the tournament's original schedule.
Amid fresh controversy over the Indian Premier League, the Nationalist Congress Party on Mobday dismissed demands for the resignation of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, dubbing as "absurd" reports that he was holding shares in the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel on Monday came out in strong defence of Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar facing criticism for price rise and said all decisions on the issue were taken collectively.
In the eye of the raging IPL storm, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday rubbished the charge that his party or ministerial colleague Praful Patel was involved in any alleged wrongdoing relating to the T20 league.
With the opposition set to rake up the telephone tapping issue in Parliament, Government on Saturday said the issue was being 'examined.'
'Yes, we have come far. We have progressed. Does that give us comfort? Probably, not. We have to solve more complex problems to move forward and we are impatient.'
The trio met reportedly to discuss the cash row controversy surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its impact on the future of the sport and the politics of the nation.
The Congress expressed its 'whole-hearted' support to the 'Bharat bandh' called by farmer unions against the new agri-marketing laws and announced that it will hold protests that day at all district and state headquarters in solidarity with the demands of the farmers. TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the party rank and file would actively participate in the bandh to ensure it was a success.
The Congress has also asked the prime minister's office to co-ordinate better with various ministries over the issue of inflation.
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Tuesday ruled out seeking support from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray to form government in Maharashtra.
NCP president and Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Sunday to discuss the Sena's opposition to inclusion of Pakistan and Australia players in the third edition of the IPL.
Virtually cocking a snook at the Congress Working Committee which had criticised Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar failing to control the price rise, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh praised the Pawar for doing a splendid job. The praise came just a day after the CWC meeting, when the prime minister addressed the chief ministers during a conclave on price rise.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday brushed off all allegations and reiterated his support for the introduction of Bt brinjal. He asserted that the introduction of the genetically modified brinjal can take place as it has been recommended by Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), a scientific body, after carrying out a series of trials and tests on its impact on nature.
Blaming Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for the unprecedented rise in price of food and other essential commodities, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Wednesday demanded his immediate removal from the post.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday termed Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's recent statement that sugar prices will be high for the next three years, as 'irresponsible.'
"That 0.2 per cent rise in food inflation is temporary... This (rise in food prices) is not the trend," Pawar said on the sidelines of an Indian Council of Agricultural Research Award ceremony in New Delhi.
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link, which was inaugurated by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Mumbai on Tuesday, will be named as Rajiv Gandhi Setu.
The meeting was earlier planned to discuss price rise and formulate an action plan to combat it. But as Union agriculture, food and civil supplies minister Sharad Pawar is in Maharashtra and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is camping in Kolkata, the meeting has been rescheduled for October 19.
"It is not all right to arrive at the conclusion that the entire Pune city has been targetted," Pawar said, adding that the place where the blast took place was an isolated area.
Under attack for his recent observations on price rise, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar wondered as to how his ministry could be linked with the issue.
In an exclusive interview with rediff.com's Onkar Singh on Wednesday, Chaturvedi spoke at length about the allegations. Excerpts:
Experts say improper records could lead to large-scale leakages and pilferage and benefits going to ineligible people.
AICC functionary Satyavrat Chaturvedi attacks UPA ally NCP and holds Sharad Pawar responsible for the current problems facing the country.
Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray had a hush-hush meeting with Nationalist Congress Party president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday night at the Pawars's official residence in New Delhi.
With almost all opposition parties too backing the 'Bharat bandh' and many announcing parallel protests in support of the farmers, the Centre has issued an advisory directing the states and Union Territories to tighten security and ensure peace is maintained.
The Election Commission on Monday issued a notice to Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct for the October 13 assembly elections in Maharshtra.
Pawar's daughter and Baramati Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule, former assembly speaker Dilip Walse Patil, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare, NCP group leader in the assembly, Jayant Patil were present at the meeting.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that the price of milk would increase, as there is a scarcity of milk in north India.
From the standoff with China to the government's response to the farmers' protest, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holds a freewheeling talk.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that the new sugar season will begin with much lower stocks, as the production will be hit by lower sugar recovery from cane after the failure of monsoon rains.
Suddenly for Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, sugar does not taste as sweet as it was.
With the Left parties' withdrawal of support from the Manmohan Singh led United Progressive Alliance creating a political uncertainty at the Centre, some leaders have started efforts to woo Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhara Rao, to secure his support for the beleaguered coalition."I told him clearly that we will extend support to the UPA only if the government announces the formation of Telangana state," Rao told reporters in Hyderabad.
According to sources, the GoM has accepted the rural development ministry's demand to stick to the 70:30 formula for land acquisition for industry, after rejecting suggestions of a parliamentary panel, Left parties and some state governments. This means that a state can acquire only up to 30 per cent of the total land required for a project with the remaining being acquired by the private party concerned.
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