-The Economic Times BENGALURU: Karnataka has successfully credited Rs 671 crore of input subsidy to about one million farmers hurt by drought using their Aadhaar identity, in the process becoming the first Indian state to do so. The feat is all the more special as Karnataka is home to the largest number of technology companies in the country, and also to Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani, who campaigned and worked for the success...

-Economic and Political Weekly R Nagaraj (nag@igidr.ac.in) is with the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai. The latest quarterly estimates of gross domestic product by the new National Accounts Statistics methodology are once again in the news for the wrong reasons. With inadequate accurate information available on a quarterly basis, the estimates hardly represent the state of the economy and reflect the effects of demonetisation over the October–December 2016 period. Please click...

-NDTV Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government today revived a traditional water resource management system involving public in the state's worst drought in more than a century. The government has taken the initiative to revive the 'Kudimaramathu' tradition that involves engaging farmers and local people to de-silt and look after tanks and ponds with a budget of Rs. 100 crore. K Sundaram, a small farmer at Manimangalam in Kancheepuram district, who has joined...

-Hindustan Times India’s wholesale price index-based inflation flared up to two-and-a-half years high of 6.55% in February from 5.25% in January mainly due to a spurt in mineral and fuel prices while food prices started rising following rapid remonetisation. The spurt in WPI inflation adds to the worries of a pent up demand after demonetisation which may prompt Reserve Bank of India to keep policy interest rates unchanged for some more months. The...

-IANS Shimla: Himachal Pradesh, whose economy largely banks on agriculture and horticulture, aims to develop bio villages by promoting organic farming. The state is also eyeing investment in cold chains. An additional 2,000 hectares will be brought under organic farming and there are plans to develop 200 bio-villages in the next fiscal, a government spokesperson told IANS. He said farmers in the bio-villages would use only bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides and discourage...