-PTI Banning use of chemicals will reduce the cost of cultivation by over 50%, he added Mumbai: In the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pitch for expansion of organic Farming across the country, a prominent farm activist has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ban the use of chemicals in 14 suicide prone districts of the state. "All the 14 districts of Maharashtra affected by farmers' suicide should be declared as organic...

-GovernanceNow.com Hamlets in four states show how community efforts can combat malnutrition among children. Funds for the initiative, however, are drying up As the trees and bushes give way to Bada Doomartoli, a hamlet of Singhpur village in Nagri block of Ranchi, one can see a bunch of children running around playfully in the verandah of the first house. Their screeching can be heard from a distance. The younger children sit...

-Livemint.com Traditionally, public policy has tended to view Indian farmers as what is described in economic history as the “dumb peasant” Last week, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government launched a revamped crop insurance scheme. At first glance, the scheme, christened Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, looks mostly like a reworking of the risk cover already in place; actually, it is much more. Not only does it take a big step in de-risking...

-The Financial Express In a bid to effectively deal with the current agriculture crisis, the government must publish annual data on farmers’ income for ensuring that the programmes and policies are focused towards their welfare, Ramesh Chand, member, Niti Aayog, said on Sunday. In a bid to effectively deal with the current agriculture crisis, the government must publish annual data on farmers’ income for ensuring that the programmes and policies are focused...

-The Indian Express New crop insurance scheme is welcome. Its litmus test: Whether crop-damage assessment can be done within two weeks of the extreme weather event and compensation paid a week after that The Narendra Modi-led government needs to be complimented for taking the first major step to revamp the crop insurance system to address the increasing distress in Indian Farming. With back-to-back droughts, and unseasonal rain and hail in certain...