-Newsclick.in Despite the state being largely rural, the contribution of agriculture in the state’s gross domestic product is reducing considerably. The state of Himachal Pradesh has a predominantly rural population. Ninety per cent of the people here live in villages. There are 17,882 villages and about 59 urban settlements including two municipal corporations. There are more than 14.9 lakh families in the state. The total number of workers according to the census...

-Hindustan Times A newer generation of politicians has again voiced the demand of giving land to landless Dalit households as a means to resolve the crisis of rural livelihoods. But the relentless pursuit of neo-liberal economic policies and liberalisation has rendered most of these demands Utopian Seven decades after Independence, while a majority of farmers cultivate their own land (however small their holdings may be), most Dalit farmers in much of India...

-Hindustan Times In an effort to relieve farmers’ economic distress, the Centre included in the Union Budget an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for monsoon crops and pledged Rs 500 crore to Operation Greens, a programme to help growers of tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. New Delhi: The benefits from the Union Budget’s concessions to agriculture will not be shared equally among Indian farmers. Dalits, in particular, may lose out on the...

-The Hindu For millions hit by agricultural distress, the escape to construction jobs is grinding to a halt With the Union Budget to be presented on February 1, it is hoped that the Finance Minister will make a significantly higher allocation for investment in infrastructure. It is vital for addressing rural distress. The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) informed us that ‘Landlessness and dependence on manual casual labour for a livelihood...

-HuffingtonPost.in "Yet more than half-way through his (Modi’s) tenure, there are almost no jobs available." The India Exclusion Report 2016, released by the New Delhi-based Centre for Equity Studies (CES) on Friday, says that fewer jobs were created under the Modi government in 2015 compared to the previous government led by the Congress Party. Citing Labour Ministry Data, the report says that employment creation in 2015 plummeted to 135,000 jobs compared to 930,000...