-Live Mint Panel recommends wages under the MGNREGS be made equal to or higher than the minimum wage determined by state govts New Delhi: A high-level panel constituted by the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government has recommended that wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) be made equal to or higher than the minimum wage determined by state governments. The panel, headed by S. Mahendra Dev, director...

-The Times of India COIMBATORE: The father of the Green Revolution, M S Swaminathan, on Wednesday said that it was important to focus on better yield with limited per capita land and water resources in the future. The veteran was interacting with students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University of which he is an alumni. Swaminathan was on his way to Kerala for treatment, when he visited the university to deliver a lecture...

-The Economic Times Most state governments have sought a relook at UPA's Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, pushing the Centre into convening an all-party meet, probably as early as the next fortnight. A consensus at the meeting of all parties heading state governments will let the Centre amend the law in the current monsoon session itself. This revision of the land law is imperative for the Centre to execute major infrastructure...

-The Tribune Faridkot (Punjab): The Union Budget neglecting the organic farmers in Punjab and allocating Rs 100 crore for its development in the North Eastern states has left many organic farmers in the state despondent. To save fast-depleting table of ground water and avoid excessive use of pesticides and chemicals in agriculture in Punjab, the organic farmers in the state were expecting subsidy on the pattern of chemical based agriculture to give...

-The Times of India   NAGPUR: Several new components like stress on irrigation in dry-land areas, price stabilization fund, bringing landless farmers in pale of institutional finance through NABARD for working on leased lands, allowing MGNREGA in farm work have won bouquets for finance minister Arun Jaitley from farm activists. "Move to set up a national market for farm produce, micro irrigation and watershed schemes in drought-prone regions, crop loan facilities to landless...