-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In an attempt to placate the belligerent opposition over the contentious land bill, the government is weighing the option of incorporating new provisions to protect agricultural land. According to indications, the changes could include largely exempting acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land for developing industrial corridors or industrial hubs, building dams etc. Sources said the government is in favour of acquisition of such land only in 'extreme conditions'...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Six of the 30 MPs on the joint parliamentary committee examining the land acquisition bill appear undecided, with the BJP hoping to woo them and gain a majority on the panel. The score is now tied 12-12, which means the government needs the support of at least four of the six remaining members, who have so far kept their cards close to their chest. These half-dozen are from the...

-Deccan Herald Many of India's agricultural practices have barely changed in decades. Reform is long overdue. Nearly a quarter of a century after India launched its first big liberalising reforms in 1991, setting off a new spurt of growth, one area of the country’s economy remains hardly touched: farming. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a 24-hour, state-run television channel for farmers in May, but has fostered no public debate about how to improve...

-PTI Jammu: Yet to come to terms with the losses suffered in the devastating floods in 2014, farmers in Jammu district received another rude shock when the state government issued them compensation cheques ranging from a meagre Rs 32 to Rs 113. Refusing to accept the paltry dole, the farmers returned the cheques saying the PDP-BJP government has "rubbed salt into their wounds". Farmers in Saroor village of Marh tehsil of Jammu district...

-UCANews.com Some farmers mull abandoning generations of farming for more reliable jobs Devinder Bhardwaj was hoping for a bumper crop on his modest four-acre (1.6 hectare) plot of land. The profits from selling his wheat in the market, he hoped, would provide a much-needed injection to his family’s savings. But this year, unseasonal rains and hailstorms washed away his plans. “The whole crop was under water due to the rains. Not even a...