-Livemint.com Policy should focus not just on higher production but also on helping farmers manage risks Anybody who is dismissive of the wave of farmer protests across the country should first understand the difficult everyday economics of the Indian agriculturalist. Most farmers swim in a turbulent sea of risks against which they have almost no protection. The risks begin with sowing. The production in the months ahead is deeply dependent on weather conditions....
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Are farmer movements in India changing course? -Sayantan Bera
-Livemint.com Unlike the dhoti-clad, topi-wearing quintessential ‘kisan’, the new Indian farmer is vocal and tech-savvy New Delhi: In the winter of 1988 when the feisty farmer leader from Uttar Pradesh, Mahendra Singh Tikait, laid siege to Delhi with thousands of cultivators and their cattle literally creating a mess of the boat club lawns, agriculture’s share in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) was about 30%. About three decades later, the farm sector’s share in...
More »Farm crisis: Landless may be better off, but landed are worse off; here is what you should know of rural distress puzzle -Pranjul Bhandari
-The Financial Express The state of India’s rural economy is puzzling. There is enough evidence to support both opposing statements: one, that the rural economy has improved, and two, that the rural economy is in the doldrums. Some macro indicators have improved, though. The rural unemployment rate has been falling, while rural wages have been rising, particularly on a real basis. Alongside, indicators such as two-wheeler sales and consumer non-durables production...
More »Retail inflation dips to record low in June, IIP slows in May
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Retail inflation dipped to a record low in June on the back of sliding food prices, while industrial output growth slowed in May as manufacturing remained sluggish, mounting pressure on the RBI to cut interest rates when it reviews monetary policy on August 2. Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Wednesday showed retail inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), rose...
More »Is WPI useful in India anymore? -Barendra Kumar Bhoi
-The Hindu Business Line Using just wholesale price index as deflator could distort real GDP. Price indices for all inputs and outputs would work better Prior to the introduction of the all-India Consumer Price Index, popularly known as CPI combined (rural plus urban), the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was the most useful price index in India. It measured the weekly rhythm of price movement in the country. Since 2009, WPI has been computed...
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