'Food subsidy is a massive burden…if so much is spent on subsidies, what is left for development?' agriculture minister Sharad Pawar recently asked. It is a legitimate question that is on the minds of many but seldom gets asked for fear of appearing callous. Are we prematurely trying to be a welfare State? In the developed world, safety nets like food stamps are regarded as humanitarian obligations toward the poor....
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Another excuse to cut government spending by Brinda Karat
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is under pressure from several quarters. One such source of pressure is the rural rich whose concerns were recently voiced by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, when he raised the bogey of shortage of supply of farm workers because of the employment guarantee scheme. The fact is that the national average for workdays generated under the scheme is less than half of the...
More »Banks should lead the war on poverty by MS Swaminathan
At BANCON (annual bankers' conference) 2011 in Chennai, financial institutions explored avenues for greater participation in agriculture and rural development. There are a few areas in need of additional attention and investment. Green Revolution technologies are scale-neutral but not resource-neutral. Inputs are needed for output; therefore market-purchased inputs become important in providing soil and plant healthcare for higher yields. Social scientists point out that small and marginal farmers will be excluded...
More »Aquaculture has potential to cut poverty, combat food insecurity–UN report
-The United Nations More than 50 per cent of the world’s food fish will come from aquaculture, making it a crucial method to reduce poverty and combat food insecurity, said a United Nations report released today, while calling for governments to step up their efforts to support this practice. Aquaculture, which involves cultivating fresh water and saltwater populations of fish under controlled conditions as opposed to catching fish in the wild, is...
More »ICAR proposes 100 more Krishi Vigyan Kendras for larger districts in 12th Plan
-The Pioneer With an aim to bring about the second green revolution through adoption of effective scientific agricultural methods, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under Agriculture Ministry has proposed 100 more Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) across the country in the 12th Plan. In a proposal sent to the apex planning body, Planning Commission, ICAR has said that in big districts, one KVK is not effective as farmers have to travel...
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