Rooted out

"Krishi Vasant," a festival organised in Nagpur between February 9 and 13 to "celebrate farmers' great contribution to our economy" (according to the website), passed with barely a mention in the national media. Officials in the ministry of agriculture explained that the original elaborate media plan involved taking journalists on field visits during the event but the idea was shelved at the last minute because of a fund shortage. Ironic, given that agriculture has been one of the few sectors that grew at a healthy clip in the last fiscal.