Agricultural Debt Wavier and Debt Relief Scheme (ADWDRS-2008), which was introduced by the Union Government in 2008 to provide debt relief to farmers, has backfired in Chickballapur district. Under the belief that the Government would come out with a similar debt wavier/relief scheme in the future, a majority of farmers have stopped repaying fresh agricultural loans they have taken during 2008-09 and 2009-10, subsequent to the implementation of ADWDRS-2008. Thereby, many farmers,...

The issues relating to the victims of endosulfan, sprayed in the plantations of Kasargod district in Kerala, have snowballed once again. “Earthworms emerged from the soil, and, subsequently, died. Then birds came to eat the earthworms and they died as well.”   “Some termites were killed in a cotton farm sprayed with endosulfan. A frog fed on the dead termites, and was immobilised a few minutes later. An owl which flew over...

The country’s economic growth is expected to remain strong despite sluggishness in the manufacturing sector as a rebound in agricultural output is expected to support overall growth. Growth in the key farm sector, which accounts for nearly 17% of the nation’s GDP, has been a concern for policymakers for the past few quarters. But, healthy monsoon has raised expectations of strong farm output during July-September 2010. In addition, the arrival of...

A young farmer from Nashik committed suicide after failing to bear the burden of damage to crops due to unseasonal rains. Dyneshwar Bhikaji Adake, 32, a resident of Nanegaon, hung himself in the early hours of Monday. Villagers said Adake had developed four acres of land as a vineyard, which was damaged due to unseasonal rains last fortnight. With mounting debts, he hung himself from a grill after midnight. Police have...

The Minister for Rural Development Shri Pradeep Jain “Aditya” today informed the Lok Sabha that Employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is open to all rural households irrespective of their caste or community. Any adult member of a rural household can register himself/herself with the Gram Panchayat and get a job card issued. Thereafter, a worker needs to apply for work for getting employment subject to a maximum of 100 days...