The state government has finally decided to compensate cotton growing farmers on the basis of their land holding rather than on the crop sold. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said it was not possible to compensate farmers on a per quintal basis — a demand by a few Opposition parties — because many farmers had already sold their cotton. However, Chavan said the state government had not yet decided on the...
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Reviving Universal PDS: A Step Towards Food Security by Suranjita Ray
An unprecedented economic growth during the last decade has also seen increasing malnutrition, hunger and starvation amongst certain sections of society. India ranks 66 in the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) World Hunger Index of 88 countries (Inter-national Food Policy Research Institute). More than 200 million people in this country are denied the right to food. One-third of all underweight children (57 million) in the world due to lack of...
More »Farm workers still get a raw deal by Jasvir Singh
The state has done precious little to improve the lot of agriculture workers. Agricultural wage workers (AWW) earn their livelihood by working for wages in the agriculture sector. In India, AWWs are the second largest group of all workers, after owner-cultivators or farmers. Of the workforce of 402 million, AWWs are at least 110 million. Wage work in the agriculture sector has always been considered a low-status occupation in India, as agriculture...
More »Food bill to help social sector push by Sanjeeb Mukherjee
Bill has provision for free meals, besides an allowance of Rs 6,000 to all pregnant women. Ahead of assembly elections in seven states next year, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is planning a big push towards its social security agenda. For, its Cabinet note on Food Security Bill has incorporated a provision for free meals, besides a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for six months to all pregnant women and...
More »Another farmer suicide in Burdwan by Debajyoti Chakraborty
Safar Ali Mollah, 18, a paddy farmer, committed suicide by drinking pesticide at Kalitikuri village under Bhatar police station area on Friday night. Only three days ago, Bhabani Porel (45), paddy farmer of Chanduli village under Burdwan Sadar Police Station area committed suicide by hanging from a tree. Safar was unable to sell paddy crop at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) stipulated by the state government which landed him in a...
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