-The Business Standard Slew of monetary allocations show no clear shift in strategy Finance Minister Arun Jaitley peppered his long speech with announcements of 28 schemes and projects of Rs 100 crore each. This suggests the National Democratic Alliance had grafted a social and agriculture agenda different from the United Progressive Alliance's.   However, it was a relatively low-cost trick to dazzle and distract in a year when fiscal constraints remain as worrisome. The...

-The Times of India   NAGPUR: Several new components like stress on irrigation in dry-land areas, price stabilization fund, bringing landless farmers in pale of institutional finance through NABARD for working on leased lands, allowing MGNREGA in farm work have won bouquets for finance minister Arun Jaitley from farm activists. "Move to set up a national market for farm produce, micro irrigation and watershed schemes in drought-prone regions, crop loan facilities to landless...

-The Hindu Select farmers to be trained on improved farming technology Madurai (Tamil Nadu): The Department of Agriculture has chosen to promote cultivation of minor millets to beat economic backwardness among the farming community in rain-fed Kalligudi block. The officials have identified 322 farmers and 78 farm hands as beneficiaries under the State Balanced Growth Fund in seven villages of the block. The State Government has allotted Rs. 23 lakh under the fund. "Select...

-The Times of India RAJKOT: Gulab Singh Budhel, a tribal living in Amreli's Luvava village, and his seven family members packed their bags on Wednesday to leave for Kutch in search for construction labour work. With a spectre of drought looming large over Saurashtra and crops having failed already, Budhel has no choice but to leave. "Survival is becoming tougher as no farmer is lending us money because of delayed monsoon and...

-Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Finance The Economic Survey 2013-14 released in New Delhi today has highlighted several challenges and reforms required in the agriculture sector. The Economic Survey states that as a concomitant of growth, the share of agriculture and allied sector in gross domestic product (GDP) declined to 15.2% during the Eleventh Plan and further to 13.9% in 2013-14 (provisional estimates-PE). While it still accounts for about 54.6% of...