-Financial Express While the government has reason to be pleased about the fact that the claims paid to farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) have risen by around 50%, to Rs 15,181 crore in Kharif 2017 as compared to Rs 10,425 crore in Kharif 2016, what is worrying is the dip in both the number of farmers as well as land area covered by the scheme. More so...

-The Indian Express The decision to declare 112 talukas as reeling under severe drought came on a day when the Devendra Fadnavis government completed four years. Mumbai: The state government on Wednesday declared “severe drought” in 112 talukas of Maharashtra. Besides, 39 talukas were placed under “medium drought” category, taking the total tally of talukas to 151. There are 355 talukas in Maharashtra. The government’s drought-mitigation measures, which were scaled up from...

-The TribuneDebt trap worsens; Govt must step in, says BKU leaderMansa/ Sangrur: With paddy production recording a decline of 10 to 15 per cent owing to untimely rains, small and marginal farmers are staring at misery, clueless as to how they will repay debts.Farmers owning less than 5 acres of land and those cultivating land on lease are torn between meeting the needs of their families and repaying outstanding debts,...

-Down to Earth17 clusters have been chosen in 8 states to roll out the pilot of Operation Green, a Central scheme aimed to contain annual price distress of tomatoes, onion and potatoes Nine months after announcing ?Operation Green? to provide the rightful price to farmer producers, the Union government has prepared guidelines to implement the operation. The scheme was devised to contain the annual price distress of tomatoes, onion and...

-Down to Earth While last year, the state’s 14,679 villages were hit by drought, this time 20,000 villages are already facing drought-like conditions The Maharashtra government has identified 201 talukas in 32 districts that are facing water scarcity owing to deficient rainfall in the southwest monsoon season. As per a preliminary list of drought-affected areas, which is available with the Down To Earth, maximum drought-affected talukas are in Jalgaon district (13) followed by...