-The Indian Express Agriculture Ministry’s harvest estimates don’t square with drought conditions in several cases, raise serious questions of credibility. We have had two consecutive drought years, yet India’s milk production, according to the Agriculture Ministry, has risen from 137.69 million tonnes (mt) in 2013-14 to 146.31 mt in 2014-15 and 160.35 mt in 2015-16. Never before has the country’s milk output grown at these rates — that too, in the face...
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Reading the pulse
-The Indian Express Government committee must work out a sustainable policy framework to address scarcity and inflation in pulses The government’s decision to form a panel headed by chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian to study and suggest ways to contain the rising prices of pulses is a welcome move. The committee is expected to frame a long-term policy, which will look into various aspects, including the MSP (minimum support price) and bonus...
More »Rich Landowners Reap Billions From India Tax Loophole -Unni Krishnan
-Bloomberg.com Millionaire farmers are benefiting from measures intended to help poor farmers. Stuffed animal heads adorn the walls of Kunwar Vikram Jeet Singh’s mansion on the outskirts of Delhi, and he also owns a three-bedroom apartment in a gated condominium in the city. His children go to one of India’s most exclusive private schools. Yet Singh doesn’t pay income tax because he’s a farmer. Singh is one of thousands of rich landowners who...
More »Indians go for cheaper pulses as tur dal prices keep rising -Madhvi Sally
-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: High prices of tur (arhar) dal are driving consumers to newer and cheaper varieties of pulses such as dun peas, green lentils and yellow peas. Rs 150-200 a kg while dun peas Tur dal is selling for as are much cheaper at Rs 45 a kg and yellow peas Rs 45-50 per kg. Green lentils are currently priced at Rs 100 a kg. Traders said consumers have been...
More »Empower through ‘e-panchayats’ -KP Shashidharan
-The Hindu Business Line The National e-Governance Plan can ensure that higher devolution of funds translates into improved outcomes Cutting edge technology is, no doubt, empowering. The right application of technology can boost productivity in all sectors of the economy: agriculture, manufacturing, services, business and governmental activities. Technology enables informed decision-making, stakeholder participation and efficient service delivery and can help ensure transparency, accountability, and rule of law leading to inclusive good governance....
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