G-20, the grouping of developed and emerging market economies, will focus on food security but issues concerning India like rising prices of vegetables may not come up for discussions at a meeting in Paris next week.
The Food Security Act as proposed by the UPA government assures rice/wheat at Rs 3 a kg to BPL families as a matter of legal right.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to oppose the Food Security Bill, and has also called for a meeting of all chief ministers for a discussion on the issue.
Two more Indian-flagged LPG tankers have begun their journey from the Persian Gulf, navigating the Strait of Hormuz amidst regional conflict, following disruptions caused by recent tensions in the Middle East.
Rajni Bakshi explains why a mobilisation like the Kisan Swaraj Yatra is significant and why it is opposed to GM crop.
Ushering in the biggest programme in the world to fight hunger, Parliament on Monday gave its nod to the landmark Food Security Bill which seeks to provide highly subsidised foodgrains to the country's two-third population as a right.
A new study by IIT-Kharagpur warns that ozone pollution could significantly reduce agricultural yields in India, particularly impacting wheat, rice, and maize production. The study, published in the journal 'Environmental Research', highlights the vulnerability of major food crops to rising surface ozone levels, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Central India. The researchers call for effective emission reduction strategies to mitigate these risks and ensure global food security.
Alliances fight wars effectively only when they share an endgame. If Israel acted without US knowledge, then the military alliance is operating without real coordination at the level of strategic targeting. Neither picture is reassuring in a war that is no longer regional in its consequences. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
'The poor must be allowed to self select themselves. A poor family must be given a ration card on demand and the government must accept responsibility for providing subsidised food grain.'
What we are watching is something different: A fog manufactured and maintained by the people who started the war, so that the question of why it was started never has to be answered, observes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the war in the Middle East.
Eleven Indian nationals residing illegally in the US have been charged with visa fraud for allegedly conspiring to stage armed robberies of convenience stores to fraudulently claim victim status on immigration applications.
Governments should move away from universal subsidies towards tightly targeted transfers, backed by stricter eligibility norms, sunset clauses and periodic audits to curb leakages and improve spending efficiency, a joint study by Asian Development Bank and PwC has recommended.
Runaway food prices are here to stay and taming that will need far greater structural changes than temporary clampdowns on hoarding and exports.
The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
The National Food Security Bill was scuttled by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar who threw the spanner with a dissent note in his capacity as the Union agriculture minister.
Only three percent of Indians pay income tax; our tax-GDP ratio is among the lowest in the world. This must change. Our elites must realise that India's poverty has damaging consequences for them, and that they can help decrease it. The food security bill, with all its limitations, will hopefully contribute to generating such awareness, says Praful Bidwai.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda criticises the state government over alleged LPG cylinder shortages and black marketing, urging immediate action to alleviate public hardship. He also addresses concerns regarding farmers' MSP and the SYL canal issue.
India and other developing nations, on the other hand, want the peace clause until a permanent solution is found on the matter for smooth implementation of the food security programme.
The foodgrain guarantee is part of the proposed National Food Security Bill.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said rising inflation and slow response to rising demand for wheat, pulses, rice and edible oil have caused a sense of urgency for food security in the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that the agreement on food security and trade facilitation will have to go hand-in-hand.
Hailing the agreement reached between India and the US aimed at resolving the stalemate over the WTO trade facilitation pact, Australia on Friday said the gains from the deal once it is sealed are "significant" and the developing nations would be its Hailing the agreement reached between India and the US aimed at resolving the stalemate over the WTO trade facilitation pact, Australia on Friday said the gains from the deal once it is sealed are "significant" and the developing nations would be its biggest beneficiaries.biggest beneficiaries.
Food Security Act will be fully provided for and subsidy to be 2 per cent of GDP for next two years.
The United States, which entered this war in expectation of a short, sharp win along the Venezuela model, is now preparing for deeper involvement in a conflict it does not fully control, without the allies it typically relies on, against an adversary that is not behaving as expected, in a global environment that is already absorbing economic shock. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The Bill at best makes the existing public distribution system a legal right, an aspect that seems of little consequence to the lords of high finance, whose primary anxiety is the FSB-by-numbers.
Describing agriculture as the critical livelihood issue for developing nations, the World Trade and Development report on Wednesday underlined the need for providing a food security box for countries with large populations dependent on farming.
The Doha Round of talks of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) faces a new challenge and if some statements emanating after the General Council meeting on July 25 at Geneva are to be taken at face value, this could derail the process of trade liberalisation through a multilateral route for some time.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said he foresaw the next decade would be one in which India's food security would be under stress. "Global trends in food production and prices and our own demand patterns of consumption are going to put increasing pressure on both the availability and prices of basic food items," he said.
The November 26 meeting, the first of its kind, will also take up trade facilitation agreement.
All those who have been dismayed by the food security ordinance should thank Manmohan Singh and his colleagues for a neat optical trick, says T N Ninan.
The government today decided to promulgate an ordinance to give nation's two-third population the right to 5 kgs of foodgrain every month at highly subsidised rates of Rs 1-3 per kg. The Cabinet, which had in June deferred a decision on the issue, today approved promulgating an ordinance to implement the Food Security Bill, sources said.
With the Iran war escalating sharply and crisis deepening in the global energy market, India on Monday unveiled a coordinated plan to support exporters and shippers caught in the fallout.
"I am very impressed with India's ability to stand up and defy the international regime which has no regard for the food security of 600 million farmers and 800 million hungry people," says Devinder Sharma.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced a 60-day mass outreach program targeting Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe-majority assembly constituencies in West Bengal, accusing the BJP of depriving the state of funds and disrespecting marginalized communities.
CA Sumeet Mehta analyses the Union Budget 2026-2027, identifying key positives and negatives.
'No civilian deserves to live in fear. No civilian deserves to be caught up in a war which is destabilising the entire region.'
Stocks of fast-moving consumer goods companies have taken it on the chin in calendar year 2026 (CY26) with the Nifty FMCG index falling over 6 per cent compared to the Nifty 50 dipping 0.8 per cent. Nifty FMCG is one of the worst-performing sectors on the NSE in CY26.
The decision preceded long hours of tense negotiations and last minute hiccups from Argentina and Pakistan
Taking Kharg would give the US control over virtually all of Iran's oil exports and thus provide significant leverage, notes Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War. It would also put American troops within range of Iran's remaining missiles, drones, and artillery on a piece of real estate that is just eight square miles in size, and just 15 miles from the Iranian mainland.
The Food and Security Bill will be implemented after few months.
