-Down to Earth To reduce the consumption of water and maximise agricultural productivity in the country, the government is trying to introduce different innovations The gap between irrigation potential created, through major and minor projects, and the actual usage is increasing and affecting the country’s agricultural productivity, according to the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), the premier agricultural education and research body under the Union Ministry of Agriculture. "The key challenge facing...

-The Indian Express The Mudra Yojana was launched in April 2015 to provide funding to the non-corporate small business sector through various financial institutions like banks, NBFCs and Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs). The government’s constant refrain has been that its flagship Mudra scheme is an engine for entrepreneurship and employment. A survey by the Labour Ministry, yet to be made public, offers a reality check: just one out of five beneficiaries...

-The Indian Express India’s employment crisis calls for more government expenditure in education, adequate training. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his recent Independence Day speech, said, “We need to worry about population explosion”. These words stand in stark contrast to his previous references to India’s demographic dividend where the country’s population was seen as an asset. This shift reflects a new awareness, according to which demography brings a dividend only if...

-The Hindu There is now an opportunity to temper the rancour in Tamil Nadu over ‘migrants taking over’ jobs meant for locals, thanks to the data on migration — inward and outward — from Census 2011. Chennai: Controversies witnessed in recent months over the recruitment of non-Tamils in government jobs in Tamil Nadu have triggered a perceptible rise in voices against migrants taking up jobs in the State. The slogans demanding ‘protection’ of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday fulfil, seven months ahead of schedule, his government's promise to help women in eight crore poor households breathe easy by replacing their smoky 'chulhas' (earthen ovens) with LPG connection and stove free of cost. The PM will hand over the connection number eight crore under his government's transformational social sector scheme - Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, commonly referred to...