-Down to Earth National Optic Fibre Network will connect all 250,000 gram panchayats of India by 2016 India's first high-speed rural broadband network, the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN), was commissioned in Kerala's Idukki district on Monday. With this, the district, which has a large tribal and rural population, has become the country's first district to have all its village panchayats connected to NOFN, the world's largest rural broadband connectivity project through...

-The Hindu Business Line Now that the gains from the first round have petered out, we need to embrace biotech to boost farm productivity As India seeks to ignite the next agrarian revolution, it must try and absorb some of the lessons of the Green Revolution. Currently, agricultural productivity and growth vary from State to State, resulting in regional disparities. Through targeted policymaking, investment in rural infrastructure and research, and ongoing support...

-The Business Standard Like Indira Gandhi, even Narendra Modi seems to be relying on directing public-sector banks through ministry of finance supported by party cadres. How new is that? Narendra Modi's biggest project so far is Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), an aggressively promoted idea to open bank accounts. The English media ran full-page ads and TV commercials to announce the scheme that is supposed to reach largely rural households. It...

-The Hindu Business Line Whether it is promoting a lease market in land or the use of tractors, credit should be tailored to the needs of marginal players The Finance Minister has announced several measures to make farming competitive and rev up growth in agriculture. While this is welcome, the sector as a whole needs an overhaul to make best use of these measures. To address the needs of landless farmers who are...

-The Financial Express Thiruvananthapuram: Following the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Palakkadan Matta rice from North Kerala has started going the mobile app-based retailing way. Following the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Palakkadan Matta rice from North Kerala has started going the mobile app-based retailing way. A farm specialising in Palakkadan Matta has launched a Mobile application that facilitates retailing of the rice and rice products to supply anywhere in India....