In the financial year 2017-18 when tractor sales touched new heights, it was said by many of the NDA (viz. National Democratic Alliance) government supporters that rural demand has revived on account of adequate monsoon rainfall and higher minimum support prices for crops. Many economists and newspaper columnists also denied the existence of any rural distress. An alternative perspective, however, was also presented by rural economists like Dr. Himanshu who teaches...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: After cities like Bhopal and Nagpur, it’s Delhi’s turn to go green by at least partially replacing firewood used in cremation with gobar kashth — wood-like dry blocks made from cattle dung. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which inspected the Goyla dairy in south Delhi last week, has asked South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to utilise cattle dung from dairy colonies to manufacture these dry...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Thursday that residents of 1,797 unauthorised colonies of Delhi will soon get ownership rights to their properties. The bonanza comes a few months before assembly elections in Delhi and two days after the Union housing and urban affairs ministry circulated a Cabinet proposal for formulating a framework for the exercise. The cut-off date for regularisation of these colonies is...

-The Hindu Business Line To establish a self-monitoring mechanism for dairy establishments. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday said it plans to launch a scheme for sampling, testing and inspection of milk, in a bid to set up a self- monitoring mechanism for licensed dairy establishments. The food safety authority said this move is expected to strengthen internal controls at the licensed dairy processing establishments. Under this scheme, milk...

-The Economic Times The government must extend benefits of the PM Kisan scheme to landless farmers and farm workers, said Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman of the Bharat Krishak Samaj. Promote agri- startups particularly in rural regions, expand micro-irrigation, treat solar energy as third crop to augment income of farmers and enact labour reforms to push creation of off-farm jobs, were few of the suggestion which representatives of the agricultural and rural development...