-The Indian Express Credit, payment in old notes from grain commission agents ensures normal rabi planting operations. Jalandhar: Punjab farmers have so far got only about Rs 19,350 crore, out of the Rs 24,915 crore that was due for the 16.50 million tonnes paddy they had supplied to government agencies in the recent kharif procurement season at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,510 per quintal. But even with pending payments of...

-The Hindu The government has declared an incentive package to encourage non-cash payments for fuel, new insurance policies from public sector firms, train tickets and highway toll, among other things. For credit and debit card transactions up to Rs.2,000, the Reserve Bank of India has relaxed its stringent two-factor authentication requirement, and service tax stands waived. Taken together, these moves to encourage cashless payments are significant not just because they can...

-Livemint.com Nearly 40% of loans taken by agricultural households come from informal sources, shows data New Delhi: Demonetisation of high value currency has impacted the rural and agriculture sectors in several ways. In the days following Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing withdrawal of Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes, trade in wholesale markets took a hit due to the acute cash crunch and farmers resorted to distress sales of perishables like fruits and vegetables....

-The Hindu The Centre has proposed amending a law to empower States and allow industries to pay wages by cheque or by direct credit into bank accounts. The Union Labour ministry has proposed changes to the Section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act of 1936. The present law states that all payment of wages should be made in cash, with a provision enabling employers to obtain written permission of the...

-Hindustan Times Bhopal: The Centre’s demonetisation move has hit the farmers in MP’s Bundelkhand hard who were hoping for good rabi crops after facing four years of hardships owing to drought in the region. Farming is the main occupation in the region, and heavy rains this year had brought smiles on the faces of farmers. As the sowing for winter crops was almost complete in this part of the state before demonetisation was...