-The Hindu 48 % of all farmers’ suicides were of those below 35 while it was 57 % for agricultural labourers, says study. A recent study by the Indian Council for Social Science Research of the growing number of farmers’ suicides in Punjab has revealed that the agrarian crisis is hitting farmers and labourers below the age of 35 the hardest. “Nearly 48.6 per cent of farmers who have committed suicide in Punjab...

-Down to Earth Severe dry spells in Indian forests have hit the livelihood of more than 100 million people. But India simply does not acknowledge this drought For more than five months, residents of Jabarra village have been foraging the forests for minor forest produce (MFP). The forest in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district is abundant with more than 200 types of forest produce and the district is known as Asia’s biggest trading...

-The Indian Express Price and technology-led incentives alone will not help boost pulses and oilseeds production in the country. Indian agriculture is governed by an impossible trinity or “trilemma” that requires it to meet three simultaneous objectives — global competitiveness, social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability — each often at odds with the other two. Official policy has largely tilted towards supporting the first two goals, with token, if not grudging, acknowledgement of...

-The Times of India Pune: Torrential rain over some areas in the last few days has helped soothe the parched state, but experts advise that this will not end the spate of droughts. Those in the know point out that lack of rainfall does not necessarily lead to a crippling shortage of water, but it results from a lack of policies, missing drought-proofing infrastructure and lackadaisical institutional mechanisms. "It will be a normal...

-The Financial Express Just implement the CACP report on this Given how the prices of pulses have been in the Rs 150-200 per kg range in the last year, it is not surprising the government is trying to augment production—the measures include more imports and relooking the minimum support price (MSP) and assured procurement. What makes little sense, though, is setting up of another committee under chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian to...