-Economic and Political Weekly The Indian weaver is dismissed in high places as an embarrassing anachronism, despite demand for his or her skills and products. In the new millennium, globalisation and a mindless acquiescence to imported notions of a good life threaten to take over, even as the West looks East for better concepts of sustainable living. Analysing today's crisis in the handloom sector, plagued by low-cost imitations from power looms,...

-The Hindu Business Line The Prime Minister will launch the India Handloom brand today, the country’s first National Handloom Day India’s handloom fabrics are an integral part of the rich culture and heritage of India, and are appreciated world over for their colour, texture and design. During our freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi had stressed the need for hand spinning, handloom weaving and wearing India-made fabrics; thus khadi became an integral part of...

-The Times of India As crops fail, banks don't deliver and the government falters, Mandya's farmers find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous moneylenders Chenne Gowda has a Rs. 4 lakh albatross around his neck. The 55-year-old sugarcane farmer from Chikka maralli village in Pan davapura taluk, Mandya district, took the loan from private moneylenders but has no idea how he'll repay. His crop, on two acres, is wilting in the field...

-The Indian Express These are the root causes of agricultural distress. Farmers need better irrigation and access to markets. Speaking at the foundation day celebrations of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on July 12, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that there were reasons to smile on the economic front as India remains a bright spot, despite the global slowdown. He talked about the 7-8 per cent...

-The Hindu Coffee, rubber farmers migrate to dairy sector ALAPPUZHA: Milk production in the State has been registering a notable increase in recent months. The rise is partly due to the adoption of dairying by a considerable number of coffee and rubber farmers disgusted with the fall in prices of the produce. The price fall in coffee has had a telling effect on the lives of coffee farmers in Wayanad who have turned...