-Newsclick.in The lockdown has got the government talking about agri ‘reforms’ again, but the exploitation of India’s weakest farmers continues unchecked. It is a cruel irony that in the sixth week of the nationwide lockdown, the government is talking up omnibus agriculture “reforms” as if they can mitigate the growing distress in rural India. Reforms, no doubt, implies stricter compliance with online registration and payment rules, more focus on market-based pricing, and...
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Farming under lockdown: Short on labourers, a long harvest -Vikas Vasudeva & Priscilla Jebaraj
-The Hindu Even though a record crop is expected this year, the lockdown may have robbed farmers of the chance to reap profits. There are no migrant labourers to help with harvesting and procurement, and no transport facilities to take the produce to markets in many parts of the country, report Vikas Vasudeva and Priscilla Jebaraj Jagtar Singh is a man in a hurry. It’s April 15, and with temperatures starting to...
More »Punjab’s plan for seamless Wheat procurement with social distancing -Raakhi Jagga
-The Indian Express To manage these efforts, the government is using IT. Starting with the arrival of wheat to its procurement by a private or government agency, the IT section of the Mandi Board will be shepherding the process. Ludhiana: In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a key challenge for the Punjab government has been to ensure that the procurement of wheat is done in a seamless manner while adhering to...
More »Excess stocks of the Food Corporation of India must be released to the poor -Jean Drèze
-The Indian Express Jean Dreze writes: Releasing food is all the more crucial as the emergency cash transfers proposed by the finance minister are likely to have severe limitations. How would you feel if a family were to let its weakest members starve, even as the house’s granary is full to the brim? That is what is happening in India today. Everyone knows that the country has large food stocks, and that some...
More »Stimulus is less than what it appears to be, govt must do more for farmers -Ajay Vir Jakhar
-The Indian Express Farmers have wholeheartedly voted for the PM twice; it is the time he reciprocated the feelings and returned the favour. Every season has an end for a harvest to begin. April is upon us; the Indian summer will soon sear the land and wheat harvest will commence in full measure in Punjab & Haryana, while it has already begun in other parts of the country. Other than that, we...
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