Inflation hit a five-month high of 6.01% in May, complicating the Indian government’s plan to revive growth. The Finance Minister has blamed "speculative hoarding", but the biggest food hoarder is the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the government’s procurement arm. It currently has four times more buffer stocks than required.   read more

The gloves have come off in the political rivalry in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state. Five BJP members have been murdered or attacked in 9 days. This may well be the fallout of the party’s success in the recent general election, with its political rivals rattled enough to try any means to slow its juggernaut in the state.   read more

Another young woman was found hanging from a tree in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, the latest grisly attack on women in India’s most populous state. The complicated patchwork of castes and sub-castes in Uttar Pradesh has created fault-lines for centuries, but young women seem to be increasingly paying the price as their aspirations clash with a conservative society.   read more

A confrontation may be brewing between the Indian government and foreign-funded NGOs. A report by the country's internal intelligence agency alleged that Greenpeace and other lobby groups were hurting the country’s economic progress by campaigning against power projects and mining. Greenpeace denied it was trying to block economic growth and alleged the report was an attempt to silence dissent.   read more