-Livemint.com * The task force will include state chief ministers and central ministers. The timeframe for making recommendations will be announced shortly * The task force will examine ways of improving productivity in farming and the changes needed in legislation New Delhi: Federal policy think tank Niti AAYog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday decided to set up a task force of state chief ministers and central ministers to prepare a...

-The Indina Express The proposal holds significance given that the EC Act arms the government with powers to impose stock limits and movement restrictions on agricultural commodities. New Delhi: Arguing that the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, was framed during the era of food scarcity, the NITI AAYog has proposed that the Act be scrapped because it is an “impediment in the free movement of commodities” given that the country is now...

-The Hindu Business Line This method is more productive and cost effective in agriculture, which accounts for 80% of the water consumed Water scarcity has now reached a new level in India. While severe drinking water scarcity is noticed commonly everywhere, farmers are facing a lot of difficulties in cultivating crops with reduced water availability in different regions. What is worrying is that water scarcity is expected to aggravate further in the...

-The Telegraph Until now, Modi was the only one who represented the government in Niti AAYog Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved the reconstitution of the Niti AAYog, the policy think-tank created in January 2015 out of the remains of the outmoded Planning Commission, by inducting home minister Amit Shah as an ex-officio member along with three other ministers who have been similarly designated. The other ex-officio members of Niti AAYog are...

-The Hindu Business Line The government bears over Rs. 70,000 crore annually as subsidy to provide cheaper farm nutrient to farmers. The government is seriously thinking of giving fertiliser subsidy directly to farmers under the second phase of implementation of direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme, a senior fertiliser ministry official said on Thursday. In October 2017, the first phase of fertiliser DBT was rolled out, under which subsidy is being transferred to companies...