Experts expect better rabi yields, peg overall agriculture growth at 5% for FY14 - Kharif output to be flat on poor rains in East

One way to reduce petrol consumption is to use ethanol as a fuel. Brazil has already done it successfully, reducing petrol consumption by 30 per cent - Flexi-fuel engines

Despite a record harvest in 2011-12, wheat prices moved up through 2012 - Commodity for the week wheat

What underlay the monetary policy decisions announced by Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan last week? Most obviously, there must have been a concern for inflation — retail inflation - STATSGURU: What lay behind RBI Guv Rajan’s monetary policy decisions

Among the measures taken by the government to stabilise onion prices last week were an increase in the export floor price (by$250 a tonne to $900) and a stern warning to hoarders - The onion diaries

Many varieties of mutant crops cultivated on tens of thousands of hectares enhance income in rural areas, contribute to environmentally sustainable food security and improve human nutrition in India - Mutation breeding of oil seeds, pulses and cereals

Without immediate reform,a middle - income india will continue to live and work in low-income cities - Towards 2050 : the challenge of citites

India grew faster in the last decade than China did in the 1990s, but its stamina is failing - India’s growth marathon

Rapeseed-mustard, a rabi crop, has seen higher average output in India over the past decade - Commodity for the week Rapeseed-Mustard

Can a rebound in exports help the Indian economy recover? Indian exports - STATSGURU: Taking stock of India’s export sector

Hardest hit were developed economies where GDP contracted while emerging economies escaped with just a dip in growth - Economy & MKTS declined after crisis

In what could lend some credence to the government’s optimism that the economy would begin to show signs of revival from the second quarter of this financial year, the country’s industrial production grew at a four-month-high rate of 2.6 per cent in July, according to official data released on Thursday - At 4-month high, July industrial growth offers a ray of hope

According to the census data released recently,in 2011 the child(upto six years) sex ratio in India stood at 919 girls per 1,000 boys,the lowest since independence - Child sex ratio

For oil-exporting economies, for example, GDP growth from oil has declined sharply - STATSGURU: Syrian crisis puts troubled ‘Arab Spring’ region in spotlight

Gram or chana, a rabi crop, recorded highest output in 2012-13, at 8.88 million tonnes - Commodity for the week Gram

Nearly a third of fruits and vegetables go waste for lack of post-harvesting facilities - Horticulture wastage

The Centre’s plan to resolve the current coal crisis by firming supply agreements for 78,000-Mw power projects seems to have missed diagnosing a crucial affliction – logistics - New power capacity might hit logistics hump

What are the options left for the government to bring some stability back to the rupee? What are the short-term fixes, and the somewhat longer-term policies, that could help achieve this? - Final options for the rupee

What has further diminished the clout of farmers is the fact that agriculture is no longer the mainstay of the rural economy - Land acquisition Bill may not aid farmers much as agriculture loses sheen

A recent analysis by CACP shows that a 5% increase in agriculture growth in 2013-14 will translate into a 15-20% rise in nominal rural incomes - India Inc goes to Bharat for a monsoon harvest

The passage of the food security Bill by the Lok Sabha has caused questions to be asked about both its cost and its effectiveness - STATSGURU: Does India need a food security Bill at all?

In the first quarter of this financial year, growth in India’s agriculture sector dropped 0.2 percentage points to 2.7 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year - Low wheat production hits farm sector growth

A mid slowing tax revenues and rising Plan expenditure, the Center's fiscal deficit for the first four months of this financial year soared to rs 3.4 lakh crore, 62.8 per cent of the Budget estimate (BE) of rs 5.42 lakh crore for 2013-14, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts - Fiscal deficit touches 63% of BE in 4 months

With the economic boom petering out, those who benefitted from it are angry with the government forthe Food Security Bill because it is paying attention to the needs of the underprivileged for a change - This perverse rage against the poor

Lack of firm coal supply agreements that had dampened investor confidence and forced the chief executives of 20 top private power companies to declare a crisis in February last year - Fuel linkages for 78k-Mw capacity to be in place by Sept

With simple ideas that do not require big bang reforms, India can weather the storm caused by global and domestic economic factors - The India of 2013 is not the India of 1991

According to the latest estimates, food grains worth Rs 236.32 crore were lost due to storage, pilferage, transportation and damage in the first quarter of 2013-14 - Loss of Food Grains

The food security Bill aims to give cereals to the beneficiaries. However, there has been a drop in consumption expenditure since 2004-05 - Trends in composition of consumer expenditure

The Bill, which seeks to entitle 67 per cent of the country’s population — about 800 million people —to subsidised food, was passed after a six-hour debate in a late-evening sitting of the lower house - Lok Sabha clears food Bill

Although the stock market has taken something of a beating since the US’ central bank announced it would withdraw its monetary stimulus, many believe this is the time to find and pick stocks with potential - STATSGURU: Decoding stock market signals to pick winners

A price index for agri commodities: A Business Standard and Indicus Analytics initiative - Commodity for the week Maize

As the southwest monsoon maintains its record-breaking performance over most parts of India, agriculture economists and policy makers hope overall agriculture growth would top five per cent in 2013-14, on the back of bumper harvests - Good rain may push up FY14 farm GDP to 5-7%

Aspects of the Indian crisis have no parallels in recent history, and the crisis has consequently been misdiagnosed - India’s unique crisis - I

India’s public sector banks have a major problem. In 2007-08, the ratio of net nonperforming assets to total loans was just touching one per cent, below the average for their private sector counterparts - STATSGURU: The sorry state of India’s banking industry

A price index for agri commodities: A Business Standardand Indicus Analytics initiative - Commodity for the week groundnut

Projected demand-supply gap in India’s electronics sector- Breaking into the closed circle

The nutritional status of India is a critical issue and expanded crop protection is the need of the hour for assured food and nutritional security - Increased production for an increasing population

The economy is entering another down leg. The bountiful monsoon may save us to an extent, but things are getting worse in terms of industrial production and private sector capital expenditure - India’s darkest hour

Official figures revealed that the proportion of people living below poverty line came down from 37.2 per cent in 2004- 05 to 21.9 per cent in 2011- 12, a decline of 15.3 percentage. This may belie criticism that growth is not percolating -Percentage of population below poverty line

The poverty estimates published last week by the Planning Commission, based on a household survey of consumer expenditure carried out during 2011-12, have attracted enormous attention across the stakeholder spectrum - Poverty reduction should be widespread

Arhar, a kharif crop, is estimated to have had the second-highest output ever in 2012-13 - Commodity for the week – Arhar

Production of pulses might reach another record in 2013- 14, as sowing of the crop this kharif season has been 80 per cent more than in the same period last year - Pulses output might set another record

WHAT ARE Indians spending their money on? Recently released numbers from the National Sample Survey for 2011-12 provide some details - STATSGURU: The way India spends now

The poverty line given by the Planning Commission for 2011-12 has been ridiculed by some critics, who termed it a “starvation line” - Thin line between poverty & starvation

Rice has seen rising prices for the last two years. The average all-India wholesale price has moved up from Rs 1,781.04 a quintal in August 2011 to Rs 2,352.84 a quintal in July - Commodity for the week : Rice

The government’s recent emphasis on increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) has led to questions as to how well India has been doing on FDI of late - STATSGURU: Tracking India’s foreign direct investment story

The infant mortality rate (IMR) came down substantially with the series of steps being taken by the government to encourage institutional deliveries in 75 primary health centers in Srikakulam district.  - Infant mortality comes down

Even as the government is gearing up to bring in the cereal-centric National Food Security Bill (NFSB), Indian households are fast changing their consumption preferences from cereals to higher value food items - Food Security Bill faces fresh challenge

Prices of Bengal gram/chana rose steadily from the winter of 2010 - Commodity for the week – Bengal Gram/Chana

On the 20th anniversary of private mutual funds setting up shop in India, can it be said that it has lived up to its potential? It has grown assets under management considerably – though not, perhaps, as much as it could have - STATSGURU: How has the 20-year-old private MF sector performed?

When analyses take a pre-ordained course, the relevance of the underlying research comes into question - Lost in the sands of time

India Fast Improving Its Poor Track Record Rise in rural income sees sharper fall in poverty level between 2009-10 and 2011-12 - Now less than 25% Indians poor

If the weather remains benign in the next few weeks, the normal sowing area could be exceeded. Overall, across the country, rainfall was 42 per cent more than normal during June 1-21 -Good rain spurs sowing of pulses, oilseeds

The telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or Trai, has moved to cap roaming fees for telecom companies, leading to an outcry from some of them - STATSGURU: Why Trai’s cap on roaming charges has telcos seeing red

A price index for agri commodities : A Business Standardard Indicus Analytics initiative - Commodity for the week - Soybean

The country is starved of electricity with a demand-supply gap of more than 10 per cent, and growing - It’s a coal fact, consumer has to pay

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has given a categorical assurance to people that the proposed Kovvada nuclear project in Srikakulam district will be safest on the lines of other existing projects in India - Country’s growth depends on nuclear energy

Growth will be mere 4.8% if logjam in policy-making continues, says NCAER - ‘GDP Growth Likely to Slip Below 5% in 12th Plan Period’

For the two years ended June 30, 2012,unemployment rose across genders - Unemployment rises across genders

Most emerging currencies have weakened against the dollar - India not alone

Planning is crucial in generating continuous income from farming - Three hectare dryland continues to generate constant income

Yields of four major crops were not rising fast enough to meet projected global demand in 2050, warns a study published today (June 20) in the journal PLoS ONE - Crop yields will not meet 2050 global demand

Will Inida economy bpounce back to pre-crisis Levels? - India awaits a last minute booster

Around June 13-14, the southwest monsoon was stationed around central India and was expected to gradually move towards the northern parts by June-end - North witnesses fastest monsoon onset in 52 years

Maize is India's third most important cereal crop. While the commodity went through a high price spiral in 2012 with significantly lower output, both globally and in India, this year so far, prices have softened considerably - Commodity for the week - MAIZE

The behaviour of the rupee in recent weeks has brought the size of India’s current account deficit into very sharp focus - A long haul

As the southwest monsoon makes stupendous progress across large parts of the country, reaching most areas a week to 10 days ahead of schedule, the sowing of paddy, the most important foodgrain grown during the kharif season, has started on a brisk note - Paddy sowing sees a spurt across the country

THE US Federal Reserve has indicated that it will at some point scale down its bond-buying scheme -STATSGURU: Making sense of the rupee’s fall against the dollar

Monsoon to cover entire country ahead of normal arrival date - Rainfall Likely to be Normal in July & August: Met Dept

In May, the wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation fell to 4.7 per cent from 4.9 per cent a month ago - How much has core inflation really fallen?

The World Bank today forecast growth in India's gross domestic product (GDP) to stand at 6.7 per cent in 2015 - 16, primarily owing to a boost in exports and private investment - World Bank predicts India’s 2015-16 growth at 6.7%

As had happened last year, the government made a mistake while calculating April’s industrial production numbers - Govt revises April industrial output growth

Growth, inflation and external stability are caught in gridlock - Murky macroeconomy

Industrial production grew at a sluggish two per cent in April, the first month of the current financial year, despite a low base (data in the same month last year) of minus 1.3 per cent, official data showed today - Industrial growth muted at 2%

Rapid and inclusive growth in the medium term does not look too likely if one examines the array of unattended constraints - Tightening constraints to inclusive development

Official data on Wednesday revealing a tepid industrial growth in April with no distinct signs of recovery and a higher-than-expected retail inflation in May further added to the disappointing economic environment - Factory output decelerates to 2 % in April

A quarter of all maternal deaths occur due to anaemia, and 19 per cent due to calcium deficiency, both of which cause often-fatal complications at childbirth, as The Lancet data confirm - Stunting a country

In India, agricultural commodity futures trading has seen several crests and troughs, owing to frequent regulatory action and rapid changes in hedging - ‘Our agri, non-agri business ratio is set to change’

Lack of government encouragement to AP Genco to set up new power projects has been listed by the Standing Committee on Energy matters as the main reason for the present power crisis in the State, resulting in a hefty power tariff hike for consumers - Sidelining of Genco main reason for power crisis

Might discuss Ordinance route tomorrow, note circulated among ministers listing discussion topics - Food Bill on Cabinet agenda

The southwest monsoon, the lifeline of millions of farmers, is expected to cover 90-95 per cent of the landmass by the end of June, within its normal time, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) - Monsoon to cover most parts by June-end

The Food Corporation of India had drawn flak for the tardy manner in which it handled mounting foodgrain stocks - Low wheat procurement addresses FCI’s storage woes

The MSME sector contributes around 9 per cent of India’s GDP and accounts for around 45 percent of manufacturing output - MSME share in exports was 43% in 2011-12

The US fiscal deficit is still dangerously high, but nobody is moving to reduce it - America’s deficit complacency

The country’s industrial output probably rose for a fourth consecutive month in April, but at a slightly slower pace, a Reuter’s poll showed, suggesting economic recovery remained tepid - April industrial growth could be 2.4%

Following India’s economic growth plummeting to a decade low of five per cent in 2012-13, economists say if one considers the first set of data released for April and May, There are no clear indications of a recovery this financial year - Yet to see green shoots of recovery: Economists

The measures taken by the government will lead to economic growth of at least 6 per cent in FY14 against a decadal-low growth of 5 per cent in FY13. According to him, the impact of the government measures would be felt from the second quarter or the second half of the year - ‘More than 6% growth is still possible in FY14’

The rupee today hit a record low to close at 58.14 a dollar, as foreign institutional investors (FIIs) withdrew from the country and the outlook on India’s current account deficit continued to be bleak - Rupee hits record low, makes it difficult for RBI to cut rate

Inflation in bajra has been rising over the last year, peaking in December - Commodity of the week - Bajra

Gold continues to worry India’s policy makers,who have just announced a further increase in import duty by two percentage points to eight per cent,when it was practically nothing a relatively short while ago -STATSGURU: Decoding the rise and fall of gold as an investment

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been the backbone of the Indian economy. That is both a good and a bad thing - SME Nation

Grain to a wider population at prices cheaper than what the Centre has proposed — it’s a winning formula for states - States take a bite out of Centre’s food security bill

The Centre, not in the pink, is making states share some of its financial burden - Weary Centre asks states to lift ‘burden’

Most informal enterprises in slums employ local residents, generating benefits for the local economy. They make profits, pay rent and taxes - Do the urban poor contribute?

Amid multiple sectoral woes, India is projected to see an electricity supply shortfall of 6.7 percent in the current financial year with the southern region expected to be the worst hit - India to see 6.7% power supply crunch this financial year

Though the ability of farm mechanisation to turn agriculture around was well known, it was neither discussed so widely, nor practised so seriously in the past - Labour shortage: farm mechanisation gets a boost

Multi Commodity Exchange’s (MCX) market share rose by five percentage points in the first two months of this financial year, owing to aggressive participation by traders in the non-agricultural space, on higher volatility - MCX’s market share up on volatility in non-agri space

Earlier, the Food Corporation of India had drawn flak for the tardy manner in which it handled mounting foodgrain stocks - Low wheat procurement addresses FCI’s storage woes

The southwest monsoon advanced further over the central and western parts of the country today, an official at the India Meterological Department (IMD) said. - Southwest monsoon advances over central, western India

Household demand growth is expected to be stronger at close to 10% - Power demand to be lower in 12th plan

The market for green certificates issued to developers, has collapsed alarmingly, casting a shadow on India’s ambitious plan for solar, wind and small hydro projects - Green Energy Projects Choke on Weak Demand

HSBC’s PMI slips to 50.1 in May from 51 in April - Manufacturing output falls at 50-month low

The pass through of coal prices, if allowed, would mean rates for power produced from plants set up through the competitive bidding route go through the roof - Power and coal sectors headed for chaos

Demand has been squeezed to such an extent that net sales of companies that have declared their quarterly results have on an average grown at only 7.3 per cent - STATSGURU: Some troubles in corporate results, but also green shoots

Gross energy generation in the country has been assessed as 975 billion units from power plants in operation and those expected to be commissioned during the year - CEA estimates gross energy shortage of 6.7% in 2013-14

The sowing area under sugarcane is likely to decline by 10 per cent this season following shortage of water in major producing states including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka - Sugarcane acreage likely to fall 10% this kharif season

The Centre was able to rein in the Centre’s fiscal deficit at 4.9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012-13, against 5.2 per cent pegged in the revised estimate (RE) and 5.1 per
cent projected in the Budget estimate - Fiscal deficit down at 4.9% of GDP

Agriculture growth dropped to 1.4 per cent, a two-year low, in the fourth quarter of 2012-13 due to a drop in kharif foodgrain production as well as rabi wheat output - Farm growth at 2-year low of 1.4%

Weak consumption & investments pull down growth; core also disappoints - Annual GDP growth at a decade low

Rupee recorded another 10-month low on Thursday against the U.S. dollar even as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor aired his concerns on stubbornly high retail inflation and widening current account deficit - Rupee sinks to new low

Cotton farmers are a happy lot, at least at the beginning of kharif this year, as they are able to purchase Bt cotton seeds much below the prescribed retail price -cotton seed price keeps farmers happy

In India, annual GDP growth is expected to strengthen gradually, to around 5.3 percent in 2013 - OECD slashes India’s growth forecast for 2013

Index of Educations to track growth of the sector, which contributes about 4% to the GDP - Central Statistics Office Working on Education Index

As many as 1.2 billion people almost  the population of india ont have acces to electricity and 2.8 billion have to rely on wood or other biomass to cook and heat their homes,finds a world bank report - Three power points for india & the world

Think tank says country might have overtaken Japan, but lowers FY13 growth projection to 5.3% - India May’ve Become World’s Third Largest Economy: OECD

India will have to completely reverse how it focuses development activity in the coming decades - Towards 2050:development imperatives

The RBI’s conservatism has been criticised by the government and industry for stalling growth. But the facts suggest a weak correlation - The interest rate illusion

Centre’s nod for setting up three National Investment and Manufacturing Zones in State - ‘AP set to become a manufacturing hub’

To improve air connectivity in remote areas, the civil aviation ministry is considering a proposal to allow scheduled regional airlines to induct smaller aircraft for deployment on regional routes - Govt moots steps to improve regional air connectivity

Much-touted foreign direct investment (FDI) reforms notwithstanding, India received 38 per cent less of such inflows into the country at $22.4 billion in 2012-13 against $35.1 billion in the previous year, data released from The Department Of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) showed - FDI inflows into India

Aprice indexfor agri commodities: ABusiness Standardand Indicus Analytics initiative - Commodity for the week - Potato

HAS THE rupee’s behaviour in the recent past been predictable? - STATSGURU: Making sense of the rupee’s depreciation

Ahead of the arrival of the monsoon in June, water reservoirs have sufficient storage due to good winter rains earlier this year, improving the prospects of hydro power availability and kharif crops - Hydro reservoirs brighten power, kharif crop prospects

The agrochemical industry will reach around four billion USD by 2020 - The future of the agrochemical sector in India

A price index for agri commodities: A Business Standard and Indicus Analytics initiative - Commodiy for the week - onion

Has India’s Parliament been getting worse over the past decade, under the United Progressive Alliance? According to Table 1, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have consistently sat for fewer days than supposed to over the session - STATSGURU: Taking stock of Parliament during the UPA’s rule

A total of 12 per cent of the respondents reported an increase in cultivable land, while 36 per cent reported a rise in the number of crops sown, suggesting the scheme was partly realising its objective of making small and marginal farmers and other marginalised communities self-reliant - MGNREGS labour shifting to horticulture

At the Lok Siksha Samiti meeting with officials on Thursday, the Collector said according to a survey done in the past, some 7.39 lakh illiterates were identified - Call to improve literacy rate

At present, China tops the list with increase in consumption - Steel production may cross 200 million tonnes by 2020

Nitin Desai lays out the key inflection points that will affect India’s development in the decades to come - Looking towards 2050

For the first time since November 2009, wholesale price index-based headline inflation slid further to 4.89 per cent in April this year - Inflation drops to 4.89 % in April

ASHIMA GOYAL, one of the external members of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Reserve Bank of India and professor of economics at the Indira Gandhi Institute for Development research, Mumbai, talks to Neelasri Barmanon inflation expectations and the central bank’s likely thinking - With sticky inflation, RBI has to go carefully

Market hopes for more rate cuts as April headline number at 4.89% is the lowest since November 2009 - Inflation backin RBI’s comfortzone

Retail inflation dropped a big one percentage point to single digit in April, as feared spike in food prices in the lean season has not manifest and weak consumer demand kept prices of manufactured goods in check -More Good News on Inflation

This performance was underpinned by an amalgam of strong exports to the U.S. and the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar - World economy in a tizzy, but Indian pharma flying high

Economic growth forecasts for the current year (2013-14) by official and non-official agencies have started coming in at regular intervals - Growth forecasts: fanciful or realistic

How much top executives should be paid has been a vexed one especially since the financial crisis of 2008 - STATSGURU: Making sense of top executives’ salaries in India

Less wheat output is likely to mean less procurement by the government in this year - Wheat output may be less this year

India recorded an unprecedented 46.5 per cent growth in new power capacity in the first quarter ended March this year, according to Platts, a global provider of energy price assessments -India bucks the trend in power development

‘The two seed varieties, MCM 100 and MCM 101, give much more yield than existing varieties’ - Two new paddy varieties developed

Inflation-indexed bonds to be launched by MayInflation down - FinMin bats for rate cut

Orderly rupee depreciation, a lower fiscal deficit and credible stress tests for banks are essential to stave off crisis - What type of crisis for India?

A bull run looks possible only if the Nifty breaks out above 6,111 — and that’s some distance away - Rewriting the Indian growth story

INDIA’S CENSUS has recently released data from the decennial exercise that allows some final conclusions, and draws attention to the startling demographic difference between India’s north and its south - STATSGURU: Two Indias

Colleges or universities can become Vocational Training Provide - The mantra is to impart skills to make youth employable

For the 2012-13 crop marketing year ending June, India’s wheat production is estimated at 93.62 million tonnes (mt), close to last year’s record output of 94.88 mt - Foodgrain output seen rising 2%

Customising the recruitment agenda is key to attracting the right talent during campus recruitment - EMPLOYERS - ARE THEY CAMPUS-READY?

The mistaken notion that the 53 per cent of India’s population ‘dependent on agriculture’ are all ‘farmers’ leads many to dismiss the massive farmers’ suicides as trivial - Over 2,000 fewer farmers every day

In an exercise that may bring cheer to the educated unemployed youth, the government has identified as many as 63,621 vacancies covering a majority of its departments to be filled soon. - 63,621 government jobs available

THE PRIME Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) has come out with its Review of the Economy for 2013 - STATSGURU: Decoding PMEAC’s review of the economy

While the current environment is difficult,the future holds promise - Growth in Q3 has slowed to sub - 5%

Despite impressive Economic growth in past 20 years,85 percent of India's workforce is employed in the informal sector - The Job Scene : Informal Sector a Drag

Rains in 2013 would definitely be better than last year - IMD forecasts normal monsoon this year

Any fruit crop is perennial in nature and takes a minimum of three years after planting to bear the first fruits. Quality planting material key to better productivity in orchards

‘State government encouraging farm mechanisation’ - Make better use of subsidy on agriculture tools: Collector

Communicating a powerful mindset and displaying confidence is what employers look for - How to land that job when you think you can’t

Seeking to explain why its projections on GDP growth and current account deficit (CAD) for 2012-13 went awry - Policy inertia and not low investments that stalled economic progress

New power plants could source imported coal from CIL on ‘cost-plus’ basis - Coal price pooling shelved

Clearence of oil blocks frees up $4.61 bn investment - CCI nod to 13 power projects,25 oil blocks

A price index for agri commodities: A Business Standardand Indicus Analytics initiative - Indicus price monitor

THE INDIAN automobile sector is going through some tough times - STATSGURU: What ails India’s beleaguered auto sector?

Dalit organisations dub the proposal as pro-landed - Uncertainty over move to link NREGS to farm labour

While scaling down economic growth a bit, says retail price inflation will be in double digits in 2013 and 2014 - IMF pegs 2013 current a/c deficit at 4.9% of GDP

The core challenge of energy security is to build up domestic supply through clean coal and renewable sources - How to secure India’s energy

The discipline and practice of education has largely been circumscribed within discussions privileging its role and importance in the growth and development of a country’s social and economic status. - Tracing the trajectory of sociology of education

Lower inflation sparks rate-cut hopes while petrol, gold and a host of other items get cheaper - Inflation Drops Below 6%, Flash Mob Goes to RBI

THE SUGAR industry has been partially decontrolled, which means greater play for market factors - STATSGURU: India’s bitter-sweet sugarcane story

India’s manufacturing sector is in a mess. There is not enough investment and jobs are few. The labour cost-advantage is fast disappearing. What do you think has gone wrong? - ‘We are Slaves in Manufacturing... We Have to be Our Own Masters’

‘Zero-tillage’ farming can reduce the hazards of crop-residue burning - The smoking farmlands

Steady flow of sugar from foreign markets could keep a check on domestic price, due to import parity - Bullish outlook for sugar, cotton

THE INDIAN pharmaceutical sector is in the news,with generic makers (largely Indian) winning a series of administrative and judicial victories against patent-holders (all MNCs) - STATSGURU: Indian pharma is high on profit, low on R&D

Like many other countries, India should proactively assist indigenous firms to take advantage of drugs coming off patents over the next two years - Health Needs Intensive Care, Not a Quick Fix

Hopes economic growth to be over 6% this year : says money-transfer exposé being looked into - FY13 fiscal deficit to beat projection

One of the most competitive and crucial sectors in any economy,the power sector stands to gain from events such  as Grid tech 2013,which not only provides a platform for stake holders but also acts as a showcase for the industry - Gridtech 2013 : A surge of power

high interest rates coupled with sticky inflation continued to exert pressure on residential real estate demand as potential buyers chose to remain in a wait-and-watch mode - Demand to see momentum

Dependence on a private sector-led boom in infrastructure and foreign finance to offset the balance of payments deficit is not sound policy - Outsourcing investment & other follies

Employment Geneation in eight key manufaturing and services sector grew by over 9 percent between july and december 2012 compared to the first half of 2012 - Job Creation shows upswing

Agriculture Vs Technology

Gap touches record 6.7% of GDP, finance ministry sees moderation in March quarter - Current account deficit zooms

Cloud technology standardises and pools IT resources and automates many of the maintenance tasks done manually under traditional or client/server model of computing - How governments can benefit from cloud computing

The growth path going forward has to absorb the new entrants into the labour force, estimated at 4.5 million annually in the 12th Plan document - Jobs, jobs, jobs

HOW HAVE commodities fared over the past financial year? Gold, in particular, has been much studied oflate. It has been held responsible for India’s problematic current account deficit - STATSGURU: Commodities give a mixed picture

Experts say infiltration capacity reduces in urban areas - Call to Harvest Rain Water

Indian school children may have the fundamental right to education, but things are going fundamentally wrongacross the country’s schools.The elementary education budget has more than doubled since 2007-08, yet only about 30 percent of Standard-III students can read a Standard-I text. Is this a case of massivespend, without any dividend? - India spends, but education suffers

Growth revival will be more tentative, inflation sharper, and external pressures more acute than pronouncements suggest - Is the worst over?

Farm sector’s share in GSDP down over the past few years - State’s GSDP takes a nosedive

IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) in the State has declined from 66 per 1,000 live births in 2001 to 43 in 2011, according to Socio Economy Survey 2012-13 - Infant mortality declines in State

A slew of policy initiatives may be breathing life back into the infrastructure sector - Policy spring and green shoots

The market expects it to cut rates this week but the macroeconomic situation could suggest otherwise - STATSGURU: Governor Subbarao’s dilemma

The proposal to give mills the freedom to sell any quantity of sugar in the open market might also be discussed - Govt may discuss sugar decontrol tomorrow

Study across districts shows higher prosperity doesn’t necessarily translate into better quality of life; North India low on female security index - More often doesn’t mean better

How the FM squeezed spending to control the fiscal deficit - STATS GURU

With the Budget proposing an additional investment allowance of 15 per cent for assets acquired and installed in the next two years for over Rs100 crore in capital spending, companies are expected to get a total benefit of ~25,000 crore - Budget to help India Inc save rs 25,000 cr in 2 Years

Allocations for schemes remain by and large constant - Health, education could have done with more

Newcriteria lookatper capita income, literacyrate, human developmentindicators - Redefining backwardness of states

BUDGET AT A GLANCE

Food Security FM allocates Rs 10,000 cr to implementthe programme; this is apart from the usual
food subsidyrequirementof Rs 80,000 cr for the year - A bigger helping for food Bill

Interest subvention scheme to include private sector commercial banks - Farmers get credit guarantee backing

Indian economy has made significant strides in the last few years, with the GDP growth rate hovering around 5.3 per cent and showing signs of touching the seven per cent mark soon. - ‘Indian economy cannot ignore manufacturing sector’

Personal disposable income (PDI) in India grew by 15-21 per cent in nominal terms a year between 2008-09 and 2011-12, even as demand increases for raising the income tax (I-T) exemption level in the coming Union Budget. - Data show income growth ahead of inflation

After steps to control high inflation and push growth, the next logical move is to revive private investment - After Fiscal Consolidation

Food Security Scheme Likely to get rs 5000 cr in budget

At 6.62 % in January, it may provide some solace to authorities - WPI inflation eases to 3-year low

There are many ways of looking at the Central Statistical Organisation’s latest GDP forecast which pegs growth at just 5 per cent for the current year (2012-13) - Growing at five per cent

The data do not take into account the reform measures - Growth estimates ‘below expectations’: FinMin

During transmission of power, transformers are used to step up or step down AC voltage. This allows power companies to produce at a low voltage and transmit at a high voltage to reduce loss - Empowering Progress of a Transforming Nation

Hunger afflicts only 2% of all households, while malnutrition stunts 45% of all children below five years - Focus on Malnutrition, Not Hunger

Like the Economic Survey and Budget, the RBI’s Macro Report and Policy Statement are not in sync - RBI’s Policy & Macro Disconnect

Dec 2.6% growth lower than last years 4.9% - Coal,gas drive down core sector output

GDP logged 9.3% in 2010-11, will grow by 5.5-6% this fiscal & jump to 7% in 2013-14 - Govt Revises Down GDP Growth for ’11-12 at 6.2%

Combined with the ultrahigh bypass ration engines, NASA’s design could use only half as much fuel as conventional aircraft - Hybrid wing for reduced fuel consumption

An innovative programme to identify crop diseases developed by IIIT - ‘e-Sagu’ gives taste of IT to farmers

Addition of Power Capacity slowed during April - Dec because of Land aquisition,Short fall of Equipment and Fuel,Latest Govt Data has revealed- Capacity Addition Trips in FY13 Too

An independent regulator, at the central and state level, can ensure fair returns to farmers -A Regulator for Land Acquisition

Diesel subsidy elimination will free up precious funds for social programmes - How good economics can fuel populist politics

New Delhi needs to think strategically about the next generation of Millennium Development Goals - India must get in on the ground floor

A one-hour consultation with an independent industry expert would have informed the Committee that its recommended methodology has no relevance to “determining the basis or formula for the price of domestically produced gas” in India — a task it set out to deliver under its terms of reference - Making a mockery of domestic gas pricing

Stored grains are attacked by several pests. They assume importance as they start their damage in the field itself - Device to remove insect pests from stored grains

The cost of this technology is lesser than that of a standard power sprayer - Water jetting: an eco-friendly pest management technique in mulberry

The proposal, which will be implemented in next financial year, is under consideration of government - Self-employment scheme for minorities

Employee awareness on how they are connected to the transformation is essential to unleash their potential - Redesigning knowledge work

  The last quarter of 2012 reinforced the Indian government’s commitments to reform and growth with a series of big-bang steps - 2013: the Growth of Hope

While the economy slows, businesses can grow by nurturing core consumers and getting new ones - Hunters and Farmers