-Livemint.com New system to settle dues to fertilizer firms within a week, record detailed transaction data at time of sale New Delhi: The direct benefits transfer (DBT) scheme for fertilizers that will go on trial in eight districts this month will not entail what its name suggests— the transfer of cash to farmers’ bank accounts. Under the direct transfer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy, customers pay the entire amount for cooking...

-DNA Only 17% rural households take loans from financial institutions | Caste affiliation, gender play a part in getting credit As many as 31% of rural households in India are indebted and a significant number still depend on money-lenders, paying heavy interests, despite various government schemes and a network of rural banking. A parliamentary panel that probed the state of rural, agricultural banking found that a mere 17% rural household had taken...

-The Hindu Business Line Ahmedabad: The Centre is planning to develop kiosks for farmers at railway stations to facilitate e-auctions of agriculture products, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Parshottam Rupala, said here at the 9th International Summit on Food Processing, Agribusiness and Dairy. Speaking at the summit, Rupala said the Centre is planning kiosks for farmers, which will be made available soon at Railway stations. Speaking on Rail Cold...

-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 Financial Express With a number of states commencing rollout of the National Food Security Act, 2013, only in the last couple of months, the government has decided to extend the rate at which highly subsidised grains are currently being supplied to states for distribution through the public distribution system (PDS) till end of the current fiscal. Sources told FE that the Centre would continue to provide subsidy so as to enable...