A mismanaged oil price hike call leaves Congress in the lurch ...... "The Congress has a death wish...they now believe their neo-liberal economic arguments." A.B. Bardhan, CPI general secretary "The PM has done this in the national interest. The BJP just twists facts around." Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Science "UPA muffed up on the food economy, duties rationalisation. They can't handle a crisis." Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP spokesperson

How green is my country? Indians are asking the question but not doing enough. ... Debarshi Dasgupta

Energy expert and Planning Commission member, Kirit S. Parikh spoke to Outlook ... Excerpts: The debate over food versus fuel has made biofuel a dirty word...

Fuel From The Fields: A Balance-Sheet What are biofuels? Made from renewable sources, biofuels promise a viable, eco-friendly substitute to fossil fuels. Can be made from a variety of crops like maize, sugarcane, beetroot, palm oil, jatropha-anything that is rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Typically, blended with petrol or diesel. Why are they controversial? Countries like the US are diverting their corn and maize crops to produce biofuels, thus contributing to the tight foodgrain position and spiralling global prices. What are the types of biofuel?

Key points from the PM's detailed document listing the administrative and legislative measures taken to implement the NCMP. ...... | e-mail | one page format | feedback: send - read | Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assessment of his government's implementation of the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) is not a mere propaganda pamphlet. It is a detailed document listing the administrative and legislative measures taken to implement the NCMP. Here are some key points: Employment * National Employment Guarantee Act has been passed and is being implemented.

The Manmohan Method * The PM is low-key but meticulous in understanding and implementing policy * He has monitored the NCMP on a monthly basis. The task was given to three IAS officers in the PMO. * Assessment of a political manifesto's implementation is unprecedented. * He has quietly pushed officers and tried to convince the political class to act on the NCMP. * In spite of disappointment over the Indo-US nuclear deal, he still hopes to make a mark in foreign policy through a trip to Pakistan. ***

Blame your biofuel fixation, not India and China, Bush is told

LOGIC and empirical facts do not necessarily form a part of United States President George W. Bush's assertions. Five years ago, he went to war against Iraq to unearth weapons of mass destruction that weren't there. And now, in 2008, he blames India's burgeoning middle classes for the northward

One rocket Ten satellites. ISRO's PSLV triumph helps it zoom into a niche orbit.

For an outpost town with little hope, it's nothing short of a miracle. Just some 20 km away from the Nepal border, Narkatiaganj village is one of Bihar's dens of extortion and kidnapping. But a bit more reassuring picture emerges when you visit its primary health centre (PHC), buzzing with activity as seven doctors attend to nearly 300 patients a day.

Standing paddy across 10,000 hectares have been destroyed by unseasonal rains. No labour was in supply to harvest the crop in time.
Mechanical harvesters couldn't be used since the CPI(M)'s union refused to give timely permission
It requires union consent for Kerala farmers to bring in labour from outside or use machines
Five farmer suicides in the last fortnight.