-Down to Earth A parliamentary standing committee blamed Agriculture Ministry’s skewed policy for the inequality in fertiliser usage The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture has recommended formation of a “Pesticide Development Authority” to ensure balanced use of chemical fertilisers in the wake of declining agricultural productivity. The 29th report, called “Impact of chemical fertilizers and Pesticides on agriculture and allied sectors in the country”, was tabled in Parliament by the committee. The...

-The Hindu Business Line June IIP up, but manufacturing grows just 0.9%; retail inflation hits 6.07% in July New Delhi: A barely growing manufacturing sector and a surging inflation dealt a double-whammy to the economy. Retail inflation surged to 6.07 per cent in July, overshooting the government and central bank’s comfort zone of 5 per cent, even as manufacturing Growth remained almost standstill at 0.9 per cent in June. Yet, the Index of Industrial...

-The Hindu Business Line Price increases in inputs may raise break-even for poultry farmers and keep egg prices up There’s a hue and cry about the soaring price of pulses, the primary source of protein for Indian vegetarians. But non-vegetarians, or more precisely eggitarians, too, don’t have it easy. Prices of their key protein source have been hitting record levels in recent months, with retail egg prices in some pockets of the...

-PTI New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government plans to develop 300 villages across the country as Growth centres for the area by creating city like infrastructure, from education and healthcare to digital connectivity. The National Rurban Mission aims to provide better quality of life and employment in villages, he said at the townhall organised to mark the second anniversary of myGov app. There is no dearth of smart cities,...

-Livemint.com Overall foodgrain output, however, rose marginally to 252.22 mt in FY16, farm ministry’s advance estimates show New Delhi: The crippling drought over the past year failed to impact India’s overall foodgrain production but led to the lowest production of pulses in six years, showed the fourth advance estimates released by the agriculture ministry on Tuesday. In fact, according to the ministry, foodgrain production rose marginally—from 252.02 million tonnes (mt) in 2014-15 to 252.22...