Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
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Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

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-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot; title=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Indian Express, 13 December, 2018, https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&#039;,
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot; title=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the..."/>
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                <strong>Fields of ferment -Ashok Gulati</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises <br /></em><br />The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.<br /><br />One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &ldquo;political drama&rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.<br /><br />The government&rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.<br /><br />So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.<br /><br />In this context, one may look at Telangana&rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.<br /><br />Please <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/" title="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot; title=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...&#039;
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Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the..."/>
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                <strong>Fields of ferment -Ashok Gulati</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises <br /></em><br />The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.<br /><br />One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &ldquo;political drama&rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.<br /><br />The government&rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.<br /><br />So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.<br /><br />In this context, one may look at Telangana&rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.<br /><br />Please <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/" title="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot; title=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Indian Express&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&amp;rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &amp;ldquo;political drama&amp;rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &amp;mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &amp;mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government&amp;rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&amp;rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&amp;rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &amp;mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &amp;lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&amp;rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &amp;mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &amp;mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&amp;rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this context, one may look at Telangana&amp;rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &amp;mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &amp;mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Indian Express, 13 December, 2018, https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/&#039;,
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...&#039;
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Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the..."/>
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                <strong>Fields of ferment -Ashok Gulati</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises <br /></em><br />The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.<br /><br />One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &ldquo;political drama&rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.<br /><br />The government&rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.<br /><br />So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.<br /><br />In this context, one may look at Telangana&rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.<br /><br />Please <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/" title="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Indian Express<br />
<br />
<em>Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises <br />
</em><br />
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.<br />
<br />
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &ldquo;political drama&rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.<br />
<br />
The government&rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.<br />
<br />
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.<br />
<br />
In this context, one may look at Telangana&rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.<br />
<br />
Please <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/">click here</a> to read more. <br />
</div>',
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	'metaTitle' => 'LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Fields of ferment -Ashok Gulati',
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...',
	'disp' => '<div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises <br /></em><br />The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.<br /><br />One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &ldquo;political drama&rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.<br /><br />The government&rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.<br /><br />So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.<br /><br />In this context, one may look at Telangana&rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.<br /><br />Please <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/" title="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>',
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-The Indian Express<br />
<br />
<em>Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises <br />
</em><br />
The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.<br />
<br />
One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &ldquo;political drama&rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.<br />
<br />
The government&rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.<br />
<br />
So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.<br />
<br />
In this context, one may look at Telangana&rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.<br />
<br />
Please <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/">click here</a> to read more. <br />
</div>',
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-The Indian Express

Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises 

The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the...'
$disp = '<div align="justify">-The Indian Express<br /><br /><em>Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises <br /></em><br />The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019.<br /><br />One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as &ldquo;political drama&rdquo;. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party &mdash; Nitin Gadkari, for example &mdash; have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters.<br /><br />The government&rsquo;s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers&rsquo; incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers&rsquo; problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities.<br /><br />So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed &mdash; I had alluded to this requirement in &lsquo;Quick fix for farmers&rsquo; (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms &mdash; including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management &mdash; to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don&rsquo;t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour.<br /><br />In this context, one may look at Telangana&rsquo;s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates &mdash; and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners &mdash; the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system.<br /><br />Please <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/" title="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fields-of-ferment-state-assembly-election-results-farmer-issues-msp-loan-waivers-5490949/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>'
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Fields of ferment -Ashok Gulati

-The Indian Express Why assembly election verdicts should occasion a rethink on loan waivers, MSP raises The results of the elections to state assemblies should be a humbling experience for the BJP. Political pundits have started analysing the verdict, since the reasons for the BJP’s defeat have important implications for the parliamentary election of 2019. One factor that is being flagged by analysts is farm distress. Farmers across the country are not happy with what has happened to their incomes and this is increasingly getting reflected in their protests. The Union minister for agriculture had earlier described these protests, and farmers spilling milk and dumping onions on roads, as “political drama”. Any further denial of the ground reality will only result in heavy losses for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Saner voices within the party — Nitin Gadkari, for example — have openly admitted that the farm crisis is a reality and drastic measures are needed to mend matters. The government’s latest big ticket announcement on agriculture was that of MSPs of kharif crops at 50 per cent margin over cost A2+FL. But as I have written in several earlier pieces in this newspaper, market prices remain way below the MSP. The government is not capable of procuring large quantities of as many as 23 commodities for which the MSPs were announced. And therein lies the lesson for the BJP and Congress, as well as the farmer unions. Price policy has its limitations when it comes to augmenting farmers’ incomes. Higher MSPs, without an adequate procurement mechanism and storage and distribution facilities, will not solve the farmers’ problems. And, the government cannot procure all agri-commodities. So, what are the alternatives? In the medium-term, large-scale agri-marketing reforms are needed — I had alluded to this requirement in ‘Quick fix for farmers’ (IE, December 10). Supply side reforms — including those pertaining to technological improvements and water management — to boost productivity in a sustainable manner will take time. But politicians don’t have that much time in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. They are likely to announce loan waiver schemes. So far, such schemes have been announced by individual state governments but the other states could follow suit soon, and this could cost the nation Rs 4 to 5 lakh crore. But that would only be a temporary relief to farmers, a sort of atonement for not carrying out reforms in agriculture. Systematic changes and a stable policy is the need of the hour. In this context, one may look at Telangana’s Rythu Bandhu scheme under which the government gives Rs 4,000 per acre (that is, about Rs 10,000/ha) as investment support to farmers before every sowing season. Farmers can use this money to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides rather than borrow from informal sources at exorbitant interest rates — and fall into a debt trap in case of crop failure. The state has an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore for this scheme, which is a little less than 7 per cent of its budget. The land records had to be updated, which was done in a record time of 100 days. The scheme does favour the landowners — the state government hopes that the market will adjust the land rentals for tenants. But it is certainly much better than higher price support, which will create distortions and give rise to inefficiency in the system. Please click here to read more.