-Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Rural Development Year end Review -2014-15 The Ministry of Rural Development is likely to introduce Mobile Monitoring System for effective implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA. The Monitoring System will be introduced on a pilot basis to allow real time monitoring of all works, workers attendance and work site measurement. The move is likely to plug leakages in the rural job scheme. Moreover,...

The agrarian crisis is far from over. Amidst news of farmers' suicide reported from parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, an official document released in December by the National Sample Survey Organisation states that nearly 52% of India's agricultural households were indebted during July, 2012 - June, 2013. The average amount of outstanding loan per agricultural household in India was Rs. 47000 (see link below). Based on a survey of...

-The Hindu Business Line   Cocoa has enriched the lifestyle of one lakh farmers in the four southern States When Cadbury India (now Mondelez India Foods Ltd) representatives approached Sabapathy, a coconut farmer at Sethumadai village, 16 km from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, with some cocoa seedling to be raised as an intercrop in his coconut grove, Sabapathy says he was not interested at all. "They did not give up and I ultimately gave...

-The Pioneer Guwahati: Scared by the protests of the tea garden workers in the State in last one week, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has asked the tea garden management in the State not only to ensure the continuation of ration at subsidised rate but also to make the living condition of the tea garden workers better within next six months time. The Assam Chief Minister held a meeting with the representatives...

-The Hindu It can be turned as green manure TIRUNELVELI (Tamil Nadu): Farmers in rain-fed areas of the district have cultivated pulses as intercrop in orchards not only for good revenue but also to benefit from pulses' ability to nourish the soil to ensure better yield in the main crop also. Pulses are cultivated as intercrop in most of the orchards so as to enrich the soil indirectly for enhanced microbial activity as...