The poor stare vacantly as a food-surplus nation lets its stock spoil in the open
Systemic Failure
* Despite record procurement, poor storage has led to a criminal waste of grain
* 61,000 tonnes of grain rotted as it was left in the open during the monsoon
* The FCI had shut down storage facilities after low procurement in 2006-07
* The plan for decentralised storage fac
The government considers giving corporates more than a nudge towards social initiatives
Thanks to the Satyam scam, the continuing protests against corporate land acquisition and the more recent Bhopal case verdict, public expectations of companies have plunged to a new low.
With tax breaks likely to be tweaked, the SEZ charm seems to be on the waneConflict Zones
* Finance ministry is keen to plug revenue loss from SEZs
* It suspects that non-SEZ trade is being diverted to the tax-free zone
* New tax rules soon for SEZs operational after April 1, 2011
* Uncertainty over revised tax rules for SEZs is unnerving investors
* Many SEZs seek denot
The Pinjore vulture breeding centre may save the endangered bird
Nesting Grounds
* India has lost 99.9% of its vultures; less than 60,000 remain
* Many died after consuming the cattle drug, diclofenac, depriving us of efficient waste managers
* They are now bred in captivity, to protect them from the drug and to increase their numbers
* This has taken off in Pinjore, with
