"Why shouldn't salt-making be classed as agriculture?' asks R Potharaju. "Both require land, water and sunshine, and are subject to vagaries of nature,' he reasons. Potharaju is convenor of the

In rural Vidharbha, theatre is thriving probably because of a play that has struck chord with agriculturists here. Called Atma Hatya, the play has drawn daily audiences in excess of 5,000. "We

The Punjab government has ordered a probe into a series of suicides by small and marginal farmers and landless workers in Sangrur district of the state. This decision was taken by Punjab chief

British aid agency Oxfam has criticised the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for their economic policies in sub Saharan Africa.

THE INTERNATIONAL aid organisation, Oxfam, wants Western governments to evolve a Marshall plan to tackle the problem of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and prevent 9 million people in the region