-The Hindu Business Line It is an important tool for agrarian families to manage and mitigate their risks Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the Indian economy, especially in rural areas. According to the recently-released Situational Assessment and Land Holdings of Agricultural Households in Rural India Report (SAS, 2019) by the National Statistics Office, 54 per cent of rural households are agricultural, earning 37 per cent of their household income from farming.  This sector, however, is also subject to a...

-Livemint.com NTPC Ltd plans to procure 2.5 million tonne of biomass pellets as a fuel to generate electricity at its projects NEW DELHI: As part of the Centre’ plan to contain pollution by crop stubble burning, state-run NTPC Ltd plans to procure 2.5 million tonne (mt) of biomass pellets as a fuel to generate electricity at its projects. These pellets will be mixed with coal as fuel to generate electricity. With the onset...

One is almost certain to hear this from an economist that if something is available at free of cost or at a subsidised rate thanks to government intervention, then people tend to overuse or overconsume such goods/ commodities. So, the best solution is to create a market for such 'almost freely available' or 'highly subsidised' goods or commodities. Once people start paying to use or consume such goods/ commodities, they...

-The Hindu However, suicides among landowning farmers dropped slightly during pandemic year The number of agricultural labourers who died by suicide in 2020 was 18% higher than the previous year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report released on Thursday. However, suicides among landowning farmers dropped slightly during the pandemic year. The farm sector was one of the few bright spots in the Indian economy last year, recording growth on the...

-Down to Earth Thrice GoI has returned Punjab’s proposal of giving Rs 2,500 per acre to small, marginal farmers even as they demand Rs 6,000 per acre     As many as 361,850 small and marginal farmers in Punjab did not receive state incentives for stubble management in the last one year due to paucity of funds.  The northern state’s request for financial stimulus to pay this incentive was turned down by the...