-The Hindu Business Line MS Swaminathan talks of the problems plaguing farmers and possible solutions Father of the Indian Green Revolution and renowned agri-scientist, Prof MS Swaminathan, in an interview with BusinessLine, states emphatically that the Centre’s promise of doubling farmer income can become a reality if careful thought is applied and a comprehensive plan is drawn up. The role of the State and the public are crucial here, he stresses. Excerpts: *...

-The New Indian Express MAURANIPUR: The ear-piercing sound of a train zooming past in front of her hut does little to disturb Shanti. As her three children -- Manish, Aneesh and daughter Laali – try to playfully reignite a fire by blowing air into what appears to be a dying fire -- Shanti encourages them to light the fire once again. But finally, it dies. For the 25-year-old, the trains which keep...

-Down to Earth Women farmers, whose contribution to agriculture is equal or sometimes even more than their husbands, are often ignored A study conducted in rural Tamil Nadu points out the appalling condition of women farmers, especially after the death of their husbands. Conducted in January by the Tamilnadu Federation for Women Farmers’ Rights in 13 villages across six state districts, the study reveals that a famine-like situation due to poor monsoon...

-Economic and Political Weekly Jagdeep S Chhokar (jchhokar@gmail.com) was with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and is a founding member of the Association for Democratic Reforms. The issue of black Money in politics in India is multifaceted. A number of questions about its role in politics, how it is generated, its volume, its ill effects, and how it can be eliminated do not have answers that are always specific or clear-cut,...

-PTI “Repercussions from the currency exchange initiative will likely persist through the first quarter of 2017.” Washington: India’s demonetisation led to huge cash shortages that have “adversely affected” consumption and like a “vacuum cleaner” it sucked in cash and then was slowly replacing the currency, a senior IMF official has said. “You’ve heard about so-called ‘helicopter drops’ of Money with unconventional monetary policies, so one way to characterise this demonetisation initiative is as...