Four Ministers Quote Different Figures, But Govt Showcases It As Commitment To Farmers' Lot

India has been excluded from a high-profile meeting of the European Union, the US and Brazil that is attempting to hammer out an agreement on the Doha trade negotiations in London, trade diplomats sai

The Rajasthan Government is planning to expand its ambitious "Akshay Kaleva' scheme for providing cooked food to the poor at subsidised prices at public places in Jaipur by seeking charitable contributions from private donors on their personal and family occasions. State Local Self Government Secretary Manjeet Singh said at a review meeting of the department here that prominent people and interest families in the city could arrange for food under the scheme on festive occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries and get-together. The Akshay Kaleva scheme is run by the Jaipur Municipal Corporation in association with a non-government organisation, Akshay Patra, to serve cooked food at a subsides rate of Rs.5. The scheme is being introduced in other districts as well. Mr. Singh said urban development would be strengthened through e-governance and evolving alternative sources of income for the local bodies. Progress of schemes The progress of schemes such as Nirmal Ghat, Pannadhay Jeevan Amrit and urban landscape improvement was also reviewed at the review meeting. Jaipur Mayor Ashok Parnami said dwelling units for the urban poor would be constructed shortly on 28 bighas of land earmarked in Shastri Nagar, while the cremation and burial grounds would be developed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

The full introduction of the North American Free Trade Agreement (nafta) has raised concerns among Mexico's farmers who are agitating against it. With nafta kicking in fully on January 1, 2008,

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 11: The UPA Government's proposed shift to a nutrient-based fertilisers subsidy from a product-based regime will be a gradual one in the 2008 -09 financial year. According to sources, since the new subsidy regime may lead to price revision of the fertiliser products, the "implementation of the new regime could be gradual'.

the Maharashtra government recently discovered 2.6 million fake ration cards in the state, including 700,000 fake cards in Mumbai. The state government has assured "strict action' against errant

Conditions are ripe for an upturn in India's dairy sector. The government has lifted its ban on the export of milk powder at a time when increasing demand is sending prices of dairy products