-Business Standard The programme will cover both water-scarce and flood-affected areas in India Ahmedabad: Ahead of the monsoon, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) will be reaching out to 100,000 villages with its water conservation programme. The Nabard will be working with villagers on better use of water for agriculture and household purposes.   Amid a drought-like situation in several areas, the Nabard targets to help farmers extend water availability and...

-Business Standard The govt has in place regulations that systematically calculate less than the payable compensation New Delhi: The Union government has been understating the compensation that workers should get under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the delay in payment of wages. Not just that, only a portion of this understated compensation is being paid to the beneficiaries across the country. According to the job guarantee scheme,...

-Business Standard NITI Aayog says Debroy's views 'personal' Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday that the Narendra Modi government will not impose any tax on agriculture income. This came after Bibek Debroy, member of the Centre’s main think-tank, the NITI Aayog, seemed to suggest in an interaction with reporters on Tuesday that taxes should be imposed on farm income above a certain threshold to expand the tax base. The Aayog, however, said Debroy’s...

-The Hindu Business Line The solution lies in better prices for produce, generating non-farm income, and reducing costs of farming After the Yogi Adityanath government waived farm loans of about ?36,000 crore for UP farmers, pressure has mounted on other States to follow suit. But contrary to common belief, debt waivers aside from possibly guaranteeing electoral victory, do little to alleviate the plight of farmers. Neither do they help kick-start the rural...

-Livemint.com Mint’s rural distress index is below its median value, but it conceals varying distress levels across states Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s announcement of farm loan waiver has given credence to similar demands from across the country. Those making these demands include political parties, protesting farmers and even the judiciary. An earlier Plainfacts column had pointed out how farm loan waivers can be counter-productive in the long run, a fact...