-The Tribune Grains Of Discontent: The damage to wheat crop due to untimely rain and hailstorm, followed by delayed payments, this rabi season has further stressed Punjab’s farmers. While the cost of farm inputs has risen manifold over the past few years, the profit margin is on a constant decline, thus making farming unviable. Unable to bear losses, several farmers have committed suicide in recent past As the day breaks, he enters...

-The Indian Express Even as India is poised to emerge as the fastest growing economy in the world, employment generation in eight crucial sectors in the third quarter of 2014-15 dipped to its slowest pace in three quarters. Just 1.17 lakh new jobs were created in eight key sectors of the economy between October and December 2014, according to a survey by the labour bureau. In contrast, 1.58 lakh jobs were created...

-Livemint.com At a time when rural economy is badly in need of stimulus, the least the govt can do is increase spending on MGNREGA It is now officially acknowledged that the rural economy is heading for a distress situation. As if the fall in crop prices was not sufficient, the situation of farmers in India has been compounded by the vagaries of the monsoon with less than normal rainfall last year...

-The Times of India AGRA: Unseasonal rains that lashed fields across northern India and destroyed crops have not only driven farmers to commit suicide by the dozens, many are now lining up at mental hospitals for help. In just the last one month, there has been a staggering 33% increase in patients visiting Agra's renowned Institute of Mental Health and Hospital (IMHH). Doctors at the hospital told TOI on Monday that almost...

-The Hindu With the Land Acquisition Bill in the limelight, nobody is talking about the real reforms that farmers need. A major survey finds that almost half the respondents don't want to continue with agriculture. The unseasonal rains over the last few weeks have resulted in enormous loss of crop output across many States of North India. This has shifted attention from the issue of land acquisition to other important problems faced...