-The Indian Express It’s not as if the Centre cannot initiate reforms in agriculture. In fact, in at least three major areas, the onus for leadership and action lies with the Centre. For over a year, there have been news reports of Niti Aayog, the erstwhile Planning Commission’s new avatar, working on a wide-ranging reform package for India’s farm sector. In recent months, teasers have appeared hinting at the Centre’s plans of...
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Govts should not blindly promote micro-irrigation schemes -J Harsha
-Deccan Herald Water in India has now become a contentious issue due to rise in demand, climate change and growing mismanagement. With erratic rainfall and recurring droughts in 2012, 2015 and 2016, “water saving” has become a high priority for the governments. As the agriculture sector consumes 80% of freshwater in the country, micro-irrigation – drip and sprinkler irrigation – has been catapulted as a policy priority because drip and sprinkler irrigation...
More »Farm distress: Gujarat's groundnut growers take a hit as prices plunge below MSP -Gopal Kateshiya
-The Indian Express After cotton last year, the BJP State Government faces a fresh challenge ahead of late-2017 elections. Rajkot: GROUNDNUT FARMERS last week forced a suspension of auctions at the agriculture produce market committee (APMC) mandi in Amreli to protest against tumbling prices of Gujarat’s second biggest cash crop after cotton. The new groundnut-in-shell crop is fetching around Rs 3,500 per quintal, well below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs...
More »Government Responds to Story on Rural Development Ministry's WhatsApp Group -Nitin Sethi
-TheWire.in Nitin Sethi responds to the rural development ministry’s defence to reports that it used a WhatsApp group to tell states to stop creating MGNREGA work. Ministry of rural development (MORD) clarifies: The reports are not a summary of the reality. It has questioned the intent of the government on the basis of an informal communication of a joint secretary of the department. The informal communication of a joint secretary does not...
More »Delhi chokes on worst Nov smog in many years
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Delhiites woke up to apocalyptic grey skies as a heavy smog hung over the city on Wednesday, reducing visibility to its lowest for the month of November in many years. The air quality was so poor that it was comparable to the post-Diwali spike in pollution. The air quality index for 4pm on November 2 was 432, in the "severe" category, while the index on...
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