-The Asian Age The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act wages is set to go up, with the government on Thursday stating that it would bring parity with the agricultural minimum wages in states. The ministry of rural development would soon ask the finance ministry for an additional allocation of `2,000 crore to roll out the wage hike. Union minister for rural development Chaudhary Birendra Singh on Thursday informed the Lok...

-Hindustan Times Revolution imminent… genetically modified seeds produced by MNCs cause farmer suicides. Incendiary, out-of-context sound-bites juxtaposed between heartrending visuals distort rural poverty from a complex issue that each Indian must help resolve to a simplistic, accusatory Peepli Live feature. Instead of quixotic and strident anti-growth agendas offered as panacea, a coordinated and consistent approach to poverty reduction is needed. Poverty reduction needs development. The linkage between economic growth and poverty reduction is...

-Livemint.com With rural distress taking a turn for the worse due to weather woes and lower crop prices, farmer unions write to PM demanding constitution of commission New Delhi: With rural distress taking a turn for the worse due to weather woes and lower crop prices, leading farmer unions from across the country have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding constitution of an income commission that could...

-Hindustan Times Ludhiana: Farmers’ decision to go for paddy variety PUSA 44 this year, contrary to the advisory of agricultural experts, has led to delayed sowing of wheat across Punjab.   Farmers opted for PUSA 44, which takes 160 days to mature, instead of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-recommended varieties PR 121, 122, 123 and 124, which take 140-145 days to mature. PUSA 44 was preferred by them due to its higher...

-The Hindu Business Line Agriculture Ministry reviews soil health card scheme New Delhi: Central teams will be sent to Uttar Pradesh and Odisha to assess drought situation, the Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday. The Ministry said it had received representations from the two States and teams were being dispatched immediately. Karnataka was recently sanctioned ₹1,540 crore. For Chhattisgarh, the Ministry has recommended ₹1,387 crore. At present, Central teams are visiting Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, a...