-The Hindu Business Line Sees enhanced infra spending, higher consumption New Delhi: While noting that demonetisation of high value currency by the government last year will help bring in more taxpayers into the tax net, the United Nations ESCAP in a new report has said that more measures will be required to fight black money in the future. “The measure did not, by itself, impede future black money flows in new denominations. …...

-The Financial Express Punjab farmers would benefit if the state govt subsidised the adoption of appropriate technology and diversification of crops. The newly-elected government in Punjab is considering a loan waiver for farmers to reduce agrarian distress. According to the recent Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers (SASF), the average outstanding loan is nearly three times higher in Punjab compared with the rest of India (Rs 3.31 lakh versus Rs 1.22 lakh). Farmers...

-HuffingtonPost.com A safety net for the poorest and most vulnerable populations. Recently there has been a lot of debate in academic and policy circles about mainstreaming climate concerns in development programs in order to build the resilience of vulnerable communities. One such development initiative is the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), whose main objective is to reduce rural poverty by providing a legal guarantee of 100 days' paid labour...

-Livemint.com Abject poverty, high levels of debt, and crop failures among the leading causes behind farmer suicides, according to a study commissioned by agriculture ministry New Delhi: Abject poverty, high levels of indebtedness, crop failures and pressure to repay loans are among the leading causes behind farmer suicides, according to the preliminary findings of a study commissioned by the Union agriculture ministry. The broad findings of the study conducted by the Institute for...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Congress today alleged that the Narendra Modi government was testing the waters on bringing agricultural income within the tax ambit and declared its intention to build a movement of farmers if the idea was implemented. "This government is harassing industrialists, traders, students, political rivals... only one section of the society was left, that is farmers," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said. "The statements coming from important people in...