-VillageSquare.in Farmer producer companies have started to play an important role in procurement from smallholders, which guards against price crashes that has been plaguing marginalized farmers across the country despite record harvests The agricultural seasons of 2016-17 (Kharif and Rabi) have not been favorable for farmers across the country. In spite of the near-normal monsoon rainfall in India in 2016 coupled with record farm production, wholesale and retail prices for agricultural commodities...

-The Hindu The long-term benefits of GST are clear — the challenge is to quickly address the short-term obstacles The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is in force from today. The reform, touted as a “game changer” and the “reform of the century”, was deemed worthy of a launch on the midnight of June 30 in the Central Hall of the Parliament. Indeed, one is reminded of the famous speech by Pandit...

-The Indian Express The Niti Aayog's report, submitted before the United Nations, acknowledges that anti-poverty programmes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) helped weaker sections of the society. Vindicating the UPA government’s stand on pulling people out of poverty, India’s Voluntary National Review Report on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals to the United Nations has said that sustained growth of 8.3 per cent from 2004-05 to 2011-12,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Modi government's efforts to cap the price of cardiac stents exposed the nexus between stent companies and hospitals in looting the public by overcharging them. But no action has been taken against either companies or hospitals. None of them paid penalties or faced charges for colluding to cheat the public. Contrast this with the US government which has, over the years, fined the three biggest...

-Business Standard Between 2017 and 2050, half of the world's population growth will be concentrated in nine countries Roughly seven years from now, India’s population is expected to surpass that of China, reaching 1.5 billion by 2030, according to the revised population estimates of the United Nations. China’s population currently at 1.41 billion compared to 1.34 billion of India. By 2024, both are expected to have roughly 1.44 billion people each. India’s...