-The Times of India BENGALURU: Karnataka has seen a poor monsoon so far, with two districts in the Cauvery basin receiving scanty rain. In 18 other districts, including Bengaluru Urban and Rural, it has been deficient. This makes the next 20 days crucial as they will decide whether the state can escape another drought year. On Monday, farmers from Halebudanuru village in Mandya district held a meeting with government officials demanding that...

-The Times of India Continuing suicides and intermittent protests by farmers across the country prompted the Supreme Court on Thursday to ask why the much publicised Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMBFY) had not provided Relief to the hapless farmers. While the government said that it is the first year and they are ironing out the problems, a look at the details of this first year's implementation throws up more systemic...

-NDTV The Supreme Court asked the Tamil Nadu government to install a process by which farmers can report misbehavior by bank officials while trying to make them pay up. New Delhi: The government's job is to prevent farmers from committing suicide and not distribute compensation after they have died, the Supreme Court told Tamil Nadu in strong words today, asking it to ensure that no coercive action is taken against...

-Down to Earth New norms for declaring drought are too stringent to be practical and are indicative of Centre’s intention to pass on the financial burden to states Karnataka government has opposed Centre’s move to change parameters for drought assessment. The new manual for drought management limits Centre’s scope to offer financial assistance to states in the eventuality of drought. Unlike the 2009 manual for drought management—which was a mere guideline...

-The Tribune Punjab Govt looks other way, says no record of landless agri workers’ debt Chandigarh: While the Punjab Government dithers on providing debt Relief to landless labourers, a new report suggests the number of suicides committed by landless agricultural labourers due to debt is much higher than those by farmers in the state. The “census report” commissioned by the Punjab Government on rural suicides takes into account incidences between 2010 and 2016...