-Down to Earth Government’s policy decisions and ground reports are in conflict with official data on sowing, production and agriculture insurance The Centre’s claim of 94 million metric tonnes (MT) (2015-16) of wheat production, good sowing acreage and success of agriculture insurance scheme is not in sync with reality as government’s own data do not match agriculture ministry’s claims.   The data related to increased acreage, bumper production and success of agriculture...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Agriculture and jobs will form the focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's discussions on Tuesday with top economists and experts from India and abroad at a time the government has been criticised for the country's 'jobless growth'. The theme of the Niti Aayog meeting is 'Economic policy: The road ahead', but the PM has asked the premier government thinktank to concentrate on two areas: agriculture and...

-The Hindu The unorganised manufacturing sector should be reoriented towards non-household units to provide efficiency gains. Ever since E.F. Schumacher, a British economist, published in 1973 his book Small is Beautiful, implying that small units are better in terms of performance indicators and labour absorption, several studies have endorsed the same idea and argued in favour of promoting small units. Stretching the argument a little further, it may be emphasised that small...

-Down to Earth FAO estimates that the world will need to produce some 60 per cent more food, on an average, to feed a hungry world by 2050 Governments, in conjunction with the private sector, need to tap agricultural science and technology research capacities to meet the zero hunger Challenge by 2030. This requires greater public expenditure and investment in science and technology, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says. Earlier, the...

-Business Standard The year-on-year growth in credit was just 6.6%, down from 9.3% a year ago Mumbai: Showing effect of demonetisation, bank credit in India shrunk by Rs 61, 000 crore (0.8% in fifteen days ended November 25, 2016) on the demand destruction. In contrast, banks are trying to cope with the huge inflow of money as people deposited Rs 4,03,000 crore during the same period. The outstanding credit of banking system in...