-Business Standard Patna/Nalanda: Baldev Prasad Mandal, a native of Painathi panchayat in Bihar's Patna district, sold 250 quintals of rice to the village-based primary agriculture credit societies (PACS), an agency responsible for procuring foodgrain directly from farmers at the rate of Rs 1,660 a quintal in March this year. Even as the new kharif season is about to begin, Mandal is one of the many farmers in the state who are...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Center has written to Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan governments, requesting them to consider distribution of free milk to school children as part of the ongoing Mid-Day Meal schemes -- the way Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have implemented it to raise nutritional level of children. The Center believes that the move will also help milk cooperatives, largely owned by farmers, by providing "ready and steady...

-The Hindu Hyderabad (Telengana): Delay in commencement of institutional credit disbursement likely to affect sowing. Credit requirement for kharif operations is nearly Rs. 26,000 crore. Notwithstanding the copious rains received in most parts of Telangana and availability of seed and fertilizer in ample quantities, the delay in commencement of institutional credit disbursement, crop loan release by banks, is likely to affect the sowing operations in the current kharif season. Credit requirement Though the Agriculture...

-The Hindu Two years after vociferously arguing for an expansion of the provisions of the National Food Security Act, the BJP in government is bleeding it with a thousand cuts, both fiscal and otherwise When Parliament passed the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2013, it had already become one of the most debated pieces of legislation in decades. Those for and against it had fought it out across yards of space...

-The Hindu Business Line Though the overall price trend is declining, for many items of daily consumption, especially food, it has risen Wholesale and consumer price indices are trending lower, but this has not brought relief to the common man. In May, the wholesale price index recorded negative growth for the seventh consecutive month. The consumer price index edged marginally higher in May to 5.01 per cent, from 4.87 per cent a...