-The Hindu Business Line   Loan write-offs will become redundant if we have a robust crop insurance system The Chief Minister of residual Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu may have bought time in implementing his lavish pre-poll promise of waiving ₹54,000 crore worth of farm loans. The decision to appoint an expert committee to recommend guidelines on the waiver may well be a ploy to defer - even soften - the impact of...

-Down to Earth   Study by National Institute of Disaster Management shows authorities neglected to break the cycle of droughts when rains were plentiful Drought in Bundelkhand region of central India has been a matter of concern for decades. A new study by National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) now gives a composite map of the drought which explains the reason for the region witnessing drought year on year. The study shows that droughts...

-The Business Standard   Say waiver will vitiate the loan recovery environment Bankers have requested the Union finance ministry to convince the Andhra Pradesh government to drop its proposed farm loan waiver scheme, at a time when a rise in loans turning bad is eroding the profitability of lenders, especially state-run ones. Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu, who is to take the oath of office as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on Monday,...

-The Hindu   450 families at the mercy of private tankers heave a sigh of relief RAMANATHAPURAM (Tamil Nadu): Commissioning of a desalination plant has not only eased drinking water scarcity but also enhanced its quality to the people of Mullimunai, a coastal village. As the village could not benefit from the Cauvery Combined Drinking Water Supply Scheme, about 450 families were left at the mercy of private tankers, who sold water at the...

-The Tribune   Muktsar: The state government has issued compensation to farmers whose crops were affected due to water-logging in various villages falling in the Gidderbaha assembly segment. Some farmers have been issued cheques for as less as Rs 18.75 as compensation for two years. While some farmers refused to accept the cheques, others said the government had played a cruel joke on them. Aspal Singh, a farmer of Gurusar village, who received a...