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Study also stresses on positive impact of sanitation on nutrition status of children The Global Food Policy Report has urged the governments of middle-income countries to focus on nutrition and health (photo: J P Davidson/Flickr) Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Mexico may be rising economic powerhouses, but these fast-expanding, middle-income countries are still home to nearly half of the world’s hungry people, numbering 363 million, says a new report. In such a scenario, attention must be paid to those living in the “economic middle” to effectively combat hunger and malnutrition on a global scale, according to a report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a global agricultural research centre. The  2014–2015 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR ) urges the governments of middle-income countries to focus on nutrition and health, close the gender gap in agriculture and improve rural infrastructure to ensure food security for all. “It...

NEW DELHI: The Finance Ministry has operationalised an ambitious electronic national database of judicial orders and appeals to de-congest and streamline huge litigation in the Income Tax Department and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). The much-talked about repository called the National Judicial Reference System (NJRS) was envisaged about three years back for the I-T Department which is one of the largest litigant among government departments. According to data, tax demand of more than Rs 3.5 lakh crore is under dispute and litigation before various courts and appellate authorities under the direct taxes category. "The CBDT has launched the limited edition (beta version) of NJRS recently after it was conceptualised few years back to revolutionise and ease litigation in the I-T Department for the benefit of both the government and taxpayers. The full and public operationalisation of the portal is expected to be done by Union Fi...

India has overtaken the US to become the third-largest steel producer in the world with a production of 14.56 million tonnes (MT) in first two months of the year. India has been the fourth-largest steel producer for the past five years, behind China, Japan and the US. Data compiled by World Steel Association (WSA) showed that the country’s production growth was the highest during the January-February period at 7.6 per cent as compared to the global average of just 0.6 per cent at 127.6 MT. Production in China, which accounts for nearly half of the global steel production, fell during the period by 1.5 per cent. It produced 65 MT steel during the period. Japan, the second-largest producer, reported a total output of 17.4 MT, but production in the country fell 2.2 per cent. The US, which was the third-largest steel producer since 2010, produced 13.52 MT during the January-February period, giving away its position to India. On a yearly basis, India may retain the position gi...