-PTI NEW DELHI: To check rising price of pulses, the government on Wednesday said it will import lentils in large quantities to boost supply and also asked states to take action against hoarders. In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet expressed concern over rising prices and decided to increase imports, among other measures. Pulses prices have risen by up to 64% in the last one year as the domestic...

-The Financial Express The Narendra Modi government has pledged to employ all machinery at its disposal to deal with a second straight year of Deficient Monsoon. The Narendra Modi government has pledged to employ all machinery at its disposal to deal with a second straight year of Deficient Monsoon and denied an impending distress in the vulnerable pockets of the country, but a dispassionate look at the ground situation would show there...

-Livemint.com In summary, it is hard to escape the macroeconomic consequences of an agriculture shock, notwithstanding fluctuation-smoothing strategies The monsoon forecast, close on the heels of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) monetary policy review, has turned all eyes to the farm sector. If the actual out-turn matches the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) predictions — seasonal rainfall at 88% of the long-period average (LPA) for 2015 — it would be on...

-Deccan Herald Poor monsoon forcing govt to intensify implementation Notwithstanding the scathing attack on UPA’s schemes, the Modi government would fall back on the previous regime’s flagship programme to rescue the rural economy from second consecutive Deficient Monsoon. The government would intensify implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in drought hit areas to stop the slide in rural incomes. Officials revealed that the main thrust in MGNREGA implementation in drought affected...

-Livemint.com Politicians prefer a short-term response over a more nuanced, structural solution to the problem of rural distress Confirming everyone’s worst fears, last week the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast a Deficient Monsoon this year. The next day, some of the newspapers wrongly reported it as a drought (guess breathless reporting is no longer a preserve of the electronic media), adding to the disappointment of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) refusal...