His friendly smiling face has been behind the wheels of MSSRF's official vehicles for over 24 years, till he Gopalakrishnan aka Gopal the institutional driver at MSSRF announced his retirement.

Today marks the centenary of the birth anniversary of the queen of music M S Subbulakshmi.

Cultural diversity, often associated with religion, is one of the distinguishing features of human society.

On the occasion of the Onam festival the Kerala Government has announced that more than 40,000 tonnes of safe-to-eat vegetables and 60,000 tonnes of fruits will be sold. One of the urgent requirements in our country in the food sector is greater attention to quality and safety.

WHO has recognized that Sri Lanka is now Malaria-free. This significant achievement was due to a combination of education, social mobilization and regulation. There are lessons from the Sri Lankan achievement which can help the residents of Chennai.

Literacy opens the door to a life of fulfillment, since it makes it possible to have access to global knowledge. Illiteracy denies one an opportunity for cultural, economic and spiritual advancement.

The conferment of sainthood of Mother Teresa helps us to appreciate the qualities of compassion and concern for the poor and the lonely.

We are in the midst of the National Nutrition Week. The unacceptable level of malnutrition in our country is well known. Therefore, the challenge now lies in promoting a multipronged strategy for achieving malnutrition free India.

Cheruvayal Raman a traditional farmer in Wayanad who belongs to the Kurichya Tribal Community bags the Genome Saviour Award 2016 instituted by Plant Verities Protection and Farmers RightsAuthority (PPVFRA) of India. Mr. Cheruvayal Raman won the award for his life time efforts for conservation of traditional rice varieties. Currently he is the custodian of 45 varieties of traditional rice.

There has been a split among agriculture seed companies in their response to the extent of control by state and central government in the areas of pricing and patenting.

Today is Mother Teresa’s birth anniversary. She has now been declared as a Saint. Coming from a distant land, she chose India as her motherland because of the prevalence of extreme poverty and suffering. She showed how human sympathy and concern can make a large difference in the lives of the poor.

Media reports indicate that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is preparing guidelines for the socio-economic assessment of GM Crops.