-The Economic Times The first cut of the back series of GDP numbers based on the new methodology and new base year of 2011-12 have finally been released. The Central Statistics Office will confirm this, sooner or later. What the new series does show is that India is capable of attaining double-digit growth (10.2% in 2007-08 and 10.8% in 2010-11), and of recovering fast from a sharp slowdown inflicted by global...
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Amarjeet Sinha, Rural development secretary, interviewed by Sayantan Bera and Elizabeth Roche (Livemint.com)
-Livemint.com Rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha on how MGNREGS has evolved since 2006 to result in income, acreage, water tables, productivity and fodder availability Agrarian distress and rural distress are terms used interchangeably, but the rural economy today is very different from what it was many years ago, given the diversification of rural incomes and hence incorrect to think one means the other, says Amarjeet Sinha, secretary, ministry of rural development. In...
More »Are loan waivers the only way to help farmers? -Sanjay Kaul
-The Hindu Business Line The trend of farm loan waivers has gripped the country and Karnataka is the latest to jump on to the bandwagon. The fiscal strain of farm loan waivers on the States is worrisome. As per RBI, the gross fiscal deficit (GFD) of States rose to 3.1 per cent of GDP in 2017-18, breaching the threshold of 3 per cent GFD/GSDP ratio recommended by the Finance Commission. This threshold has...
More »A vote of no confidence from the farmers -Yogendra Yadav & Avik Saha
-The Hindu There is enough evidence to show that the government has failed farmers and agricultural labourers in a big way As the Lok Sabha debates the vote of no confidence today, representatives of farmers from across the country will be marching outside Parliament under the banner of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), an umbrella body of 201 farmer organisations. Farmers have already passed a vote of no confidence against...
More »Hollowing out a promise -Jean Dreze
-The Indian Express NREGA is a demand-driven programme and if the demand vanishes because wages are low and uncertain, nothing will be able to save it. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is going through a deep crisis of delayed and failed wage payments. The problem is not new, but it is more serious than ever and threatens to undermine the entire programme. The crisis has at least four manifestations: Delayed payments,...
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