Popular wheat to be phased out
Rising temperatures during winters have forced the government to phase out the most popular variety of wheat -- PBW-343 -- which has been in use since 1995 and constitutes almost 80 per cent of the grain output of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

NAFED enters contract farming
NAFED has signed memoranda of understanding with Tamil Nadu and Orissa to produce seeds through contract farming.

Artificial scarcity of certified seeds
A survey by Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University has found that certified seeds and fertilisers are purposely kept away from the market during the sowing season in a bid to hike prices.

Govt hints at removing FDI cap in retail
Union minister for finance P Chidambaram recently said that foreign direct investment (FDI) will soon be allowed in the retail sector. The minister’s statement could further fuel large-scale protests against the entry of corporates into the retail sector.

Import of logs to double in India
US-based Resource Information Systems Inc has projected that Indian import of logs – mainly hardwood from Southeast Asia and Africa and softwood from New Zealand and Australia -- will double between 2006 and 2016.

SC stops Gujarat from granting forest land to tribals
The Supreme Court has restrained the Gujarat government from granting ownership rights of forestland to tribals in the state.

Orissa’s first forest policy
The Orissa government is currently drafting its first forest policy, which is inspired by the National Forest Policy of 1988, and talks about settling the rights of tribals and other forest dwellers.

Demand for panchayat window in state budget
Union minister of panchayati raj Mani Shanker Aiyar has asked state governments to introduce Panchayat Sector Windows in their budgets. He said this was necessary for devolving financial power to the local bodies.

Coming to Maharashtra: Metropolitan Planning Commissions
Cities in Maharashtra will soon have Metropolitan Planning Commissions to facilitate coordination between various government departments and locally elected bodies.

Kerala opposes underestimate of poor households
The Kerala government has opposed the Centre’s decision to limit the number of below poverty line households in the state to one million.

India to set up Diaspora Knowledge Network
India will soon set up an electronic platform -- Diaspora Knowledge Network -- to transform the ideas, knowledge and skills of its 30 million strong diaspora into individual and community initiatives.

National policy on micro-finance
The Planning Commission has asked the Centre to frame a national policy on micro-finance with the aim of financially empowering families living below the poverty line and reducing overall poverty in the country.

Three million stateless people to get citizenships
According to UNHCR, three million stateless people -- people without citizenship residing in a country -- will soon get citizenship of some countries in South Asia.

Rural revolution is important: Pranab
Union minister for external affairs Pranab Mukherjee has called for empowering rural enterprises and marketing the genius of people who reside in rural India.

Government doles out pre-poll bonanza
Continuing with its pre-poll sops, the government has announced an across-the-board bonanza covering commodities as diverse as sugar, wheat, rice, mustard and masur.

Centre urges states to promote rural produce
The Union ministry of rural development has asked states to market rural products as their sale could help remove poverty from villages.