-TheWire.in While sugar in some form is essential for our survival, we do need to make a serious attempt to wean ourselves away from its industrial manufacture The recent spate of farmer suicides in Karnataka and Maharashtra is yet another episode in the endless crisis that grips agrarian India. But the woes of the sugarcane farmers in the Mandya and Marathwada regions can also be placed under the extremely long shadow cast...

-Business World In the run up to Independence Day, Professor Ashok Gulati wrote a scathing critique of what he has described as “elitist biases in public policy”, that ignore the reality of the masses in rural areas. The reality he describes is that of low rates of growth in agriculture; a sector that majority of Indians still depend on.  He lamented the excessive preponderance of economic policy discourse in the country...

-The Times of India KOLKATA: Consumers could face long power outages in the coming days as a deficient monsoon and sweltering heat in most parts of the country have raised electricity demand while state run power generators are threatening to cut off supplies to distribution companies (discoms) unless they pay up Rs 20,000-crore outstanding bills. As nearly 80 per cent of the dues are owed by northern and eastern utilities, states like...

-Business Standard Poor rainfall has also depleted water reservoirs levels, which is likely to impact the winter crops All signs point to the growing distress in rural areas. The rainfall deficit currently stands at 15 per cent of its long-term average. If the situation persists, this year's monsoon could end up being the worst in nearly three decades, say experts. Poor rainfall has also depleted water reservoirs levels, which is likely to...

-Livemint.com India needs to invest more in developing rural infrastructure The script is familiar. After borrowing heavily for inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, farmers in most parts of India wait for the monsoon. When the rain fails, the farmers’ agony begins. Forced migration to cities in search of manual work, distress sales of land and, in extreme cases, suicides are the way out. This kharif season has a distressingly familiar ring...