-The Hindu Business Line However, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana will give instant relief to the rural India, improving demand for agri inputs BJP’s election manifesto promised many things for farmers. Now that it is clear that the NDA-led coalition is going to be back in power, companies in the agri space — manufacturers of seeds, fertilisers, agro-chemicals and farm equipment — will stand to benefit. However, do not expect fireworks immediately. Had it...

-The Tribune Cannot disclose third-party information, states the MC Chandigarh: The Appellant Authority of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has refused to give the information regarding the survey of vendors in the city. RK Garg, an RTI activist, has challenged the order of the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the MC denying sharing the details of the survey under the RTI Act by terming it as “third-party information” before the Appellant Authority. Garg in...

-The Hindu Several interventions are needed on the demand and supply side to alleviate farm distress Loan waivers remain the preferred solution for governments to tackle farm distress. S. Mahendra Dev and M. Govinda Rao talk about the inability of governments to think of long-term solutions to tackle farm distress, in a discussion moderated by Vikas Dhoot. Edited excerpts: * Despite farm productivity rising, severe distress in the sector is a concern. How...

  The year-on-year (y-o-y) growth rate in Agri Gross Value Added (GVA) deflator (an alternative measure of inflation) shows a rising trend between 2005-06 and 2009-10. In other words, price rise pertaining to the agrarian sector accelerated during the period under discussion. This particular trend has been observed irrespective of whether one uses the GVA/GDP back-series data (Base 2011-12=100) that was computed by the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog (NITI Aayog)...

-The Telegraph Rahul cited Sreedhanya’s achievement in Wayanad as evidence that the job scheme was working and took a dig at Narendra Modi Kalpetta (Kerala): The first tribal woman from Kerala to qualify for the IAS told Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday that her parents were beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Sreedhanya Suresh said her parents had educated their two children with the money they earned from the rural...