-The Indian Express A new 125-day rice variety promises to provide some respite to Punjab farmers, depleting aquifers Ludhiana: A new variety maturing within 125 days, yet yielding nearly as much as those now grown over 135-160 days, could provide the ultimate solution to Punjab’s woes stemming from farming of water-guzzling paddy. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has released a paddy variety PR-126 that gives an average of 30 quintals per acre. This is...

-Livemint.com In the case of repeated farm loan waivers, it makes sense for borrowers to default strategically Hope: The Narendra Modi government says it wants to double farm income by 2022 through the transformation of Indian agriculture. Reality: The political discourse continues to focus perversely on farm loan waivers. Here are some recent instances. The new Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh is considering a farm loan waiver as promised in its election...

-Firstpost.com Putting state governments that promised loan waivers for farmers in difficulty, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday ruled out such waivers by the Centre insisting states can utilise their own resources in this regard. He clarified that the Centre will not adopt a selective approach by helping one state and not the others. The move is likely to put even BJP governments, including Devendra Fadnavis administration in Maharashtra and the newly...

-The Telegraph Bihar: The rise of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister has a strong implication on political inclusion of subaltern or deprived castes, as he is vocal about his backward lineage, often highlighting it at public meetings. Highlighting the phenomenon of Narendra Modi in Indian politics, Kanchan Chandra, professor of politics at New York University, said: "An inclusive democracy is desirable in itself since it sends out a signal of empowerment and...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: Even as people go ballistic over news of meat shops being closed down across UP, what the government is doing is simply enforcing rules regarding slaughter and transport of animals. These rules were hardly wielded by municipal corporations so far. Under the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1959, it is a mandatory service of local bodies to provide fresh and hygienic meat to people while ensuring construction...