-Business Standard Interest subvention, crop insurance on the cards The finance ministry is working on a plan to increase the number of workdays in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) from 100 a year per person per household to 150 in areas receiving low monsoon rain. The government MIGht also provide interest subvention and crop insurance in drought-affected regions through the e-Financial Management System (eFMS). “Since the eFMS contains the data...

-Business Standard Govt takes stock of pulses situation in wake of weak rains The Cabinet MIGht discuss increasing the minimum support price (MSP) of kharif crop for the 2015-16 season at a meeting expected to be held on Wednesday. Officials said the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) had recommended Rs 50 a quintal increase in paddy MSP for the 2015-16 season and the agriculture ministry favoured this. But a higher increase of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: While people across the globe are living longer, they are spending more time recovering from sickness. The reasons are non-fatal illnesses and injuries such as diabetes and hearing loss which pose the next major threat in terms of disease burden, says the latest study by a consortium of international researchers. In India, diabetes and other musculoskeletal disorders have replaced diarrheal diseases and vision problems as leading...

-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...

-Business Standard After Maggi, the quality of vegetables, milk and milk products sold at various places MIGht also be tested for adulteration. The Department of Consumer Affairs is planning to approach the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to run a pilot project in this regard, starting from Delhi. Officials said the pilot MIGht start in the next few months to check these edible items for adulteration. The presence of...