West Bengal Governor MK Naryanan has refuted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that no farmers have committed suicides. He said the matter needs to be addressed urgently. "There is no denying the fact that farmers have committed suicide and that they are in debt. We need to do something about it," Narayanan said. He was outspoken on the issue of crib deaths too, calling them a matter of great concern. "Baby deaths...
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Rural retail sees fall in demand by Ajay Modi
Hariyali Kisaan Bazaar, India’s biggest rural retail chain by sales, which operates 230 stores across eight states and had seen good growth in the past two years, said it had seen a fall in rural demand in the past two to three months. A drop in prices of potatoes, onions and some other vegetables, leading to low realisation for farmers, and an increase in cost of fertiliser, are reasons for these...
More »Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of Team Anna interviewed by Sheela Bhatt
It would be an understatement to say that India Against Corruption leader Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of Team Anna, is a dejected man. After stirring the nation last year with his anti-corruption for the most part of 2011, Kisan Baburao 'Anna' Hazare saw the movement fizzle out when he staged a fast in Mumbai in December. He has since returned to his village to recuperate from an undisclosed illness even...
More »Kisan credit cards to double up as debit cards by Dheeraj Tiwari
The nearly 10 crore farmers who hold kisan credit cards (KCC) will soon be able to use their card as a deposit account and a debit card. This will help the government scale up its financial inclusion plan quickly without relying on bank accounts alone. KCC, which has been instrumental in faster delivery of credit to farmers, is like an overdraft account with a bank that has to be operated through a...
More »Spreading anger by Niranjan Takle
Farmers in Maharashtra flock to a new breed of aggressive leaders Its name in Marathi means edge of the hill, but Dongarkada has no hill or mountain in its vicinity. What the village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district has is a cooperative sugar factory controlled by Congress leader Ashok Chavan. Though the Adarsh Housing Society scam rocked the state and forced him to resign as chief minister, the village remains loyal to...
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