To lift anti-farmer curbs on MSP cotton procurement rules Mumbai : The Council for Protection of Farmers Rights-Kisan Bharti has demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to direct the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to rollback its restrictive cotton procurement rules hitting farmers in the state.   In an appeal to the PM, CPFR-Kisan Bharti President Barr. Vinod Tiwari said that the CCI’s recent move – to cap cotton procurement at only 7 quintals/acre, almost half of the earlier...

Mahayuti leaders dangle ‘tijori’ carrot to woo voters Mumbai : As the curtain falls on Maharashtra’s December 2 civic poll campaign, the spotlight fell onto a series of controversial remarks by ruling alliance leaders who openly linked public development funds to voter support. Opposition parties slammed the statements as “a display of arrogance of power” and a direct threat to democratic norms.   The latest controversy erupted after Mahayuti ally and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said at...

More than 100 Red rebels surrender in central India Naxals arrive to surrender their weapons before police in Gondia district, on Friday. Pic: PTI Gondia (Maharashtra) : As the Centre’s deadline to crush Maoism by March 2026 approaches, the Red brigade suffered another setback with 11 Maoists laying down arms in Gondia district.   This has taken the count of surrenders to over 100 during this week in central India - with the CPI (Maoist) networks seen to be crumbling in Maharashtra and...