-ANI On one hand where cold weather and fog has disrupted normal life and brought the traffic on the road to a virtual halt, farmers in Amritsar were happy with the weather as it is proving beneficial for the standing wheat crop. Farmers said that the decline in mercury and widespread fog in various parts of the state has lightened up the prospects of good production of wheat this year. "The fog is...

Recognising the impact of schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), President Pratibha Patil on Thursday called for their further utilisation in the agriculture sector in the emerging scenario of “farm labour shortage and food security.” The President's comments are significant in the context of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's recent letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to suspend the MGNREGS during crop harvesting...

-The Times of India   Non-payment of wages in time under MGNREGA, rampant corruption at different levels, effectiveness of e-Shakti project, assistance for development from Finance Commission, non-issuance of identity cards to the PRI's elected representatives, formation of sub-committees in panchayats and use of Right to Information were some of the issues that cropped up during the five-day training programme for the office bearers of the three-tier panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) held...

-The Economic Times Sonia Gandhi's pet programme - the food guarantee scheme - will be cleared by the Cabinet on Monday. The decision has been taken after discussions with agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who has been seeking detailed deliberation on the financial implications of the scheme as well as its impact on the farm sector. The bill will be referred to the standing committee on food after its introduction in Parliament....

Expressing concern over the agrarian crisis leading to farmers' suicides in the country, Rajya Sabha members on Thursday sought a special seven-day session to discuss the issue in depth. Initiating a short-duration discussion on the agrarian crisis, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu sought the special session to discuss the situation and find solutions. Mr. Naidu said that while the economy was growing at 7-8 percent, the farm growth was only around...