-The Times of India CHANDIGARH: Varnika Kundu, who survived an abduction bid in Chandigarh on August 4, has consistently said that her fight is for all women who have been harassed. It seems her fight has touched a chord with women across the country. Night marches were organised in at least 20 cities to fight the mindset that women should not stay out late. It all started with a march in Chandigarh...

-The Indian Express The failure of populist rural credit schemes stems primarily from poor understanding of farm indebtedness in the first place. From the 1970s, a lot of private investment in tube-well irrigation, farm mechanisation and allied agricultural activities took place with bank credit support. After the establishment of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in 1982, institutional credit flows not only accelerated, but also exhibited diversification to fund livestock...

-The Times of India A group of girls, almost all in shorts, are dancing after a wonderful strike that fetched them a goal. The goal wouldn't count much, in fact it doesn't count at all during a coaching camp. But for these girls, it's much more than just the sight of the ball crashing into the net that brings delight. For years, these girls from Mumbra have braved odds just to be...

-The Hindu The Supreme Court directive should lead to better access under the Food Security Act The National Food Security Act, 2013, has met with prolonged political indifference, but there is some hope now since the Centre has been asked by the Supreme Court to ensure that States implement key aspects of the progressive law. The directives in the Swaraj Abhiyan case underscore the depressing reality that several State governments have not...

-The Indian Express Agriculture education is in a poor state. ICAR must be revamped Although autarky on Indian farms is a distant dream, as the 71st year of Independence dawns, penury-ridden farMers are still committing suicide by the thousands— a consequence of decades of short-sightedness, while economists and scientists are still equating food sufficiency to farMer sustainability. The occasion Merits introspection on the core issues of farMers’ distress. We must begin at the...