-The Indian Express The Indian meteorological department (IMD) website states that Kautilya's Arthashastra contains records of rainfall and its impact on revenue, as well as details about relief work. Similarly, Kalidasa's Meghdoot, written around the seventh century, mentions the date of the onset of the monsoon and traces the path of monsoon clouds. Till today, forecasts are made on the same broad lines. Farmers like me still look towards indigenous knowledge for...

-Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad: The undue delay in remitting the first installment of loan waiver amount to banks by the Telangana state government has resulted in farmers across the state losing crop insurance benefit for the ongoing kharif season. Reports from Telangana districts confirm that the government did not remit the amount that was promised by it to banks by September 30, the last day for the banks to make adjustments of...

-The New Indian Express   HYDERABAD: In a much-awaited relief to the cash-starved Andhra Pradesh government, the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) on Tuesday reportedly agreed to accept its offer of upfront payment of 20 per cent outstanding crop loans of eligible farmers. The SLBC has constituted a sub-committee to look into proposals made by the Andhra Pradesh government on the modalities of crop loan waiver scheme and after a thorough discussion, finally...

-The New Indian Express NAGAPATTINAM: Ever tried traditional rice, the one that looks brownish-red? It may taste a bit different but it has immense health benefits. In fact, the biggest consumers of traditional rice breeds are private super specialty hospitals across major cities, which cater to dietary needs of patients, predominantly diabetics. Besides health benefits, the breeds - Maapillai Samba, Kavuni, Garudan Samba, Thanga Samba and Samba Mosanam - are said to...

-The Business Standard Make schemes mobile and portable, by focusing on people and not products India spends close to four per cent of its GDP on an alphabet soup of welfare schemes and subsidies - it has become a welfare state before becoming a developed state. Despite its significant costs, India's welfare system is neither comprehensive nor very effective - subject to huge leakages and corruption, and not well knit into...