-The Times of India NAGPUR (Maharashtra): Though untimely, delayed, erratic, insufficient or excess rains have been ruining crops in the region for the last few years, farmers claim this year will see the worst crop failures in recent times. All three major Vidarbha crops, cotton, soyabean and orange, have suffered huge losses due to the truant rains. Generally, at least one crop survives nature's vagaries so farmers get some income. But this...

-Outlook AP Initiates Economic Empowerment of Women Through Sand Mining Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government has launched an initiative of entrusting sand mining to women self-help groups, which is essentially expected to curb the thriving sand mafia. The move will ensure economic empowerment of women as part of the government's 'Pedarikam pai gelupu' (victory over poverty) drive and make sand available at a reasonable price to customers. The income generated from sand mining and...

-DNA It's been a black Diwali for Vidarbha where six farmers - four from Yavtamal and one each from Akola and Amravati - have committed suicide in the last 24 hours, casting a dark cloud over what should have been a time for rejoicing after the kharif crop. The farmers who ended their lives are Rajendra Chahand of Kelzara village, Dutta Chede of Umari (Pathar), Nagraj Mahadolhe of Parva, Arun Kurnule of...

-The Times of India PATIALA (Punjab): Even as Haryana is going to elections amid political parties' claims about development, a recently published study in a reputed economic journal has revealed that over 80% farmers in the state are reeling under debt. The study also exposed that nearly a same number of farmers are living below poverty line if one goes by the World Bank's definition of "moderate poverty", which means an earning...

-Outlook Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government's greenhouse farming initiative has proved to be ineffective as many farmers have incurred losses due to crop failure after adopting the method, according to Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS). According to BKS officials, Gujarat unit, almost 90 per cent crops cultivated under the greenhouses have failed in the northern parts of Gujarat. "To address the issue, we had held a meeting with more than 200 farmers, mostly from north...