-Down to Earth The government will use its extensive network of women’s self-help groups to encourage the transition. The Andhra Pradesh government announced financial support to more than 70,000 women from scheduled castes (SC) to promote natural farming among marginal farmers. Natural farming excludes the application of chemicals and promotes traditional agricultural practices. It is regarded as particularly useful for smallholder farmers as it reduces dependency on purchased inputs.   A one-time subsidy of...

-The Tribune LED-equipped vans act as link between party, people Amritsar: Though the political rallies and public meetings are restricted due to the outbreak of the third wave of Covid-19, the political parties are adopting alternative modes for the election campaigns. The Congress party in the Majha belt has hired publicity vans, equipped with LEDs, to propagate its policies. Goods vehicles have been modified to install the LEDs to play political videos. Such vans...

-Livemint.com/ HowIndiaLives.com Even as it presses for market reforms in agriculture, the Centre has been actively using the basket of schemes wholly funded by it to widen the social security net for farmers. Expect that to continue in the coming Budget In 2016, the BJP-led government set itself the target to double farmers’ incomes by 2022. An inter-ministerial committee set up to recommend strategies to meet this target highlighted seven sources of...

-Financial Express This is of special Interest as FY22 was challenging on several fronts, needing govt intervention Budget FY23 will, of course, be important for the content and its take on the economy, given the Union government has to necessarily take a call on how it thinks the third wave has affected the economy and accordingly make provisions in the Budget. But, also important will be the revised numbers for the different estimates...

-Newsclick.in Through “nationalised banks-NBFC” deals, the Modi government is trying to achieve what the three farm laws could not achieve. In colonial times, the peasantry had to borrow from private moneylenders. According to Provincial Banking Enquiry Committee reports, these moneylenders in turn borrowed from commercial banks. But while disbursing credit to the peasants and charging exorbitant Interest rates, the money lenders at least bore the whole of the lender’s risk. The banks...