-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The five farmers who were killed during violent clashes in Mandsaur, MP, on Tuesday died due to police firing, the state government has said in a report sent to the home ministry. The report clears up the air over the firing as the state had initially claimed that police had not fired on the agitating farmers. It says police resorted to firing after the protesters turned...

-Firstpost.com The battle for the rural heartland has commenced in full earnest.&NBSp; Even though the two main opposition parties are not officially behind the strike called by farmers, their support and muscle is in full evidence. Surprisingly, the Shiv Sena – an alliance partner of the present government -- has also supported the agitation. Yesterday, milk and vegetables had to be brought into some of Maharashtra’s cities under police escort.&NBSp; The shrill...

-The Asian Age The NGOs have warned against treating poor children across the state as guinea pigs, putting their health at risk. Mumbai: Instead of providing hot cooked, nutritious meals to malnourished kids, the state women and child welfare department&NBSp; has recently decided to purchase corporate-manufactured ‘ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF)’ packets for severely malnourished children across Maharashtra. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on August 4, permitting the use...

-Firstpost.com After Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh has now been rocked by farmer unrest. At least six farmers were killed and eight others were critically injured on Tuesday when the police resorted to firing to subdue the protesting farmers in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh. In both Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the farmers’ demands are almost similar: they want complete farm loan waiver as a short-term palliative and secondly, institutionalised mechanism for getting better prices...

-The Times of India Demands for loan write-offs being stonewalled by the government seems to be the primary reason driving the country's farm folk to protests that are periodically degenerating into violence. Additionally, the governments' unwillingness to increase the minimum support price (MSP) to check food-induced inflation that would impact voters, too, could be a factor. While UP government's decision on April 12 to announce loan waiver for the state's three crore farmers...